Bailey’s Fine Jewelry boosts Boys & Girls Clubs

The Boys & Girls of Nash/Edgecombe Counties (NC) received a donation from Bailey’s Fine Jewelry as a part of its Give Back Program.

“We believe giving our time, money and heart to worthy community programs is as important to our business as offering the area’s finest selection of jewelry,” said Clyde Bailey, owner of Bailey’s Fine Jewelry.

Battery watches were collected at Bailey’s with all money being donated to selected charities. This program is a special way the local business supports its community for supporting them. Each month, Bailey associates choose charities they are involved in within the community.

The Bailey’s contribution will aid in continuing the vital services in which Boys & Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe Counties provides. For more than 40 years, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe Counties has been at the forefront of youth development, working with young people from a variety of economic, social and family circumstances.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe Counties is dedicated to ensuring our community’s young people have greater access to quality programs and services that will enhance their lives and shape their futures. The local Club is an affiliate of the national organization, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the North Carolina Alliance.

More at: http://tinyurl.com/nbooa7

Cash for Gold USA Named One of Inc. 500′s Fastest-Growing Company in U.S.

SHARON, Mass., Aug. 14 /ELEGANO/ — CashForGoldUSA.com has been added to this year’s Inc. 500 – the premier list of America’s fastest-growing privately owned companies.

CEO Norm Schneider says he is “thrilled to be part of this elite group. I think it’s a testament to the level of trust we have with our customers, who come back to do business with us again and again.” Cash For Gold USA’s parent company, CJ Environmental (whose name appears on the prestigious Inc. 500 list) has recently launched CashForSilverUSA.com and CashForDiamondsUSA.com. Schneider says all three sites now offer higher payouts than their competitors, as well as no-risk guarantees. Schneider explains, “If a customer is unhappy with our payout for any reason, we’ll return their material to them at our cost. But we find that people are pretty happy doing business with us.”

Since 2006, CJ Environmental has increased its revenue by 1,394.5% – well above the average of the Consumer Products & Services companies that made the “fastest growing” list. In total, Consumer Products & Services companies earned over $44 billion during 2008.

One of the ways that CJ Environmental has grown so rapidly in a recession environment is its reputation for customer satisfaction. Their cash-for-gold program offers free, insured shipping as well as a guarantee to beat any of their competitors’ prices by 10%. Mr. Schneider says he’s excited to offer that same level of service to customers who have “been searching everywhere for fair prices for their gold, silver, and diamond jewelry.” Their new site (CashForDiamonds.com) openly shares inside information on the various cuts of diamonds and how they are assayed to determine value using the well-established 4-Cs – Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat (size) as the guideline for establishing market value. Schneider explains, “One of the reasons our company (Cash for Gold USA) is so successful is our straightforwardness with our customers. We aim to educate our customers so they can make informed decisions about selling their Gold, Silver and Diamond jewelry to maximize their returns.”

Their other website (CashForSilverUSA.com) allows sellers to quickly cash in on their unwanted silver in a reliable, secure manner. Cash for Silver USA will purchase sterling silver flatware, serving pieces and jewelry for superior payouts.

About the future, Mr. Schneider says, “I hope that we will continue to grow, but more importantly, that we can help our customers get quick, fair payouts for their unwanted gold, silver and diamonds during these tough economic times.”

CJ Environmental is also responding to its success with an increase in philanthropy, donating one dollar for every sale made through one of their sites to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Jeweler Takes Collection a ‘Step’ Further, Introduces New Ankle Bracelets

9 inch anklet $398 and 10 inch anklet $499 at heavenlytreasures.com

Heavenly Treasures is putting luxury at customers’ feet with gold ankle bracelets

ALLENHURST, N.J., Aug. 14 /ELEGANO/ — Summer is the perfect time for relaxing, catching some sun and even showing off a little leg. Understanding that ladies love to flaunt those gorgeous gams when the mercury rises, Heavenly Treasures is giving women everywhere the opportunity to know how it feels to “walk into Heaven” with one of their exquisite gold ankle bracelets. A trusted and premier cataloger and online retailer of fine jewelry, Heavenly Treasures is providing the perfect gift for that special someone or the ideal self-indulgence for those who enjoy the finer things in life.

“Every woman loves jewelry and these handsomely fashionable anklets are the perfect accessory for any occasion from that classic summer outing to a romantic night out on the town,” says Helen Beyda, Product Manager at Heavenly Treasures. “We cater to a very diverse consumer base with varying tastes and price ranges and we make sure that each of our customers has just the right item for them. No matter your preference, we carry a wide variety of ankle bracelets that will complement your style and add finesse and flair to any ensemble.”

The ankle bracelets, which are available in both 14K white, rose and yellow gold as well as sterling silver, come in dozens of styles and designs which will allow customers to mix and match if they choose. The anklets vary in prices from $30 to over $300, proving that quality jewelry doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank. Each piece in the collection is designed carefully and crafted with the finest quality gold and or silver to ensure that customers are receiving the highest-grade jewelry on the market. From funky to formal, tasteful to timeless, Heavenly Treasures has the perfect ankle bracelet for any affair. For more information, visit http://www.heavenlytreasures.com/b6045.html

Platinum the pick among younger customers

This platinum, diamond and 2.24-carat tanzanite pendant from Gumuchian retails for $6,000. Gumuchian.com.

Platinum jewelry isn’t something retail jewelers ring up like mad at the register.

Sixty-three percent of panelists said platinum jewelry accounts for a mere zero to 10 percent of their sales, and the vast majority of respondents–95 percent–report that the metal makes up 20 percent or less of their total sales.

But when asked how the market has changed in recent years, it appears panelists have hope for the future popularity of this precious metal, which carries profit margins of 40 percent or more for 69 percent of survey respondents.

Consumer awareness of platinum has increased in the past five to 10 years, according to a number of panelists. This seemed to ring especially true among younger consumers, according to several panelists.

“Young girls want engagement rings in platinum,” one panelist wrote, while another predicted, “More young couples prefer platinum than yellow gold, it looks [like the] future is good for platinum jewelry, especially wedding rings.”

After rising to nearly $2,300 an ounce in March 2008, according to Kitco.com, platinum prices hovered around $1,283 per ounce at press time. Panelists were mixed on the best strategy for handling the metal’s fluctuating price.

Several reported that they adjust the price of goods in the store to reflect the metal’s market price, with one stating, “I do a lot more special order on platinum so I can adjust the price accordingly.” Others are just avoiding the metal altogether. “It has been like a roller-coaster ride and has caused me to hold steady and not buy until it stabilizes,” one panelist wrote.

More at: http://tinyurl.com/m5w2fn

Local Luxury Dealer Combines Wedding Giveaway Contest With Philanthropic Outreach

A lucky couple who reaches out and makes the biggest difference by helping others will win a free luxury wedding courtesy of Roman Jewelers.

(ELEGANO) – Aug 12, 2009 – Roman Jewelers of Flemington and Bridgewater, NJ, is giving away a free luxury wedding to the couple who proves they can work together and make a difference in the community. On August 15th an audition will be held at Bridgewater Commons Mall to choose twenty couples who will compete in “The Roman Jewelers Wedding” contest.

Store owners Roman and Sophie Shor, are focused on being outstanding community members and reaching out to help others. “We have always tried to lend a hand to members of our community, whether it’s volunteering countless hours each month at the Hunterdon Medical Center or hosting charity events and giveaways at the store. It’s important to give back and help those who are less fortunate than we are,” says Mrs. Shor.

To celebrate their 20th Anniversary, and continue doing their part as good citizens, Roman Jewelers will give one lucky couple the luxury wedding they’ve always wanted. After being chosen at the audition, 20 couples will have to develop plans for a “good deed.” The ten couples whose plans are most impressive will be chosen as finalists, and then throughout September they will execute their philanthropic initiative.

After a month of putting their plans to action, a winning couple will be chosen. “There is no better way to celebrate love than by giving to others. That’s why we are looking for the couple who shows their love for each other is strong enough to band together and make an impact on a charity, in someone’s life, or even the environment,” says Mrs. Shor. The judges will also choose the winner according to which couple’s story was most compelling, whose qualities are exemplary, and whose love for each other appears strongest.

The winning couple will receive a free luxury wedding courtesy of Roman Jewelers and The Roman Jewelers Wedding Romantic Partners including: I Do Tattoo™, Jersey Street Furniture Rental, Mariage Couture, Salon Nu, Scott Kay, Tacori, Tag Heuer, The Petite Café, Vera Bradley, and Williams-Sonoma. The wedding will include all of the essentials; from rings and dresses, to the venue, flowers, music, food, beverages and more. The lucky winners will also receive numerous other gifts to help them start their lifelong relationship out on the right foot.

About Roman Jewelers: Roman Jewelers is a family owned and operated store with locations in Flemington and the Bridgewater Commons Shopping Mall in Bridgewater. Roman Jewelers specializes in custom jewelry design, fine jewelry including diamond and bridal jewelry, designer jewelry and jewelry repairs.   The Roman Jewelers Flemington location also offers a wide selection of fine Swiss watches. Additional information about Roman Jewelers is available at the company’s website, www.romanjewelers.com.

Steve McQueen’s Rolex sells for $234,000

Lot 416, Steve McQueen's Rolex Ref. 5512 "Oyster Perpetual Submariner" was one of the featured items in Antiquorum's summer auction held in New York City.

New York–Watches and memorabilia from the late Steve McQueen, the legendary actor who rose to fame during the 1960s in films such as Bullitt and The Great Escape, were among the pieces that inspired frantic bidding at Antiquorum’s summer auction in New York City.

The June 11 auction brought in a total of $5,706,324, with McQueen’s own vintage Rolex, Ref. 5512, fetching an impressive $234,000–twenty times its estimate and a world record for that reference.

A total of 81 percent of the 416 timepieces in the summer auction were sold by lot and 122 percent were sold by value. Bids came in from across the globe, including from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Italy, Germany, France and Romania. In addition to the telephone, room and commission bidders, 478 bidders competed via the Internet.

Among the additional McQueen pieces featured in the sale were the actor’s Scott Super Squirrel motorcycle painted by Von Dutch, which sold for $276,000, double its estimate, and the Heuer “Monaco” he wore in the 1971 racing film Le Mans, which sold for a world record $87,600.

“Today’s auction is clear confirmation that in the current market, collectors are looking for horological rarities with noteworthy provenance, such as Steve McQueen’s Rolex and Heuer,” Antiquorum President and Chief Executive Officer Evan Zimmermann said in a media release. “The excitement that we saw in the auction room was reflective of the desire collectors have for exceptional watches that truly stand the test of time and offer sound investment opportunities.”

Other watches that fared well in the sale included Patek Philippe’s rose gold Ref. 5004 and pink gold Ref. 5970, which sold for $252,000 and $132,000, respectively, as well as Patek’s “Limited Edition Annual Calendar with Silicon Escape Wheel,” Ref. 5250G, which fetched a record $138,000.

Rolex’s “Double Red Sea Dweller,” retailed by Cartier, sold for $91,200, and Ref. 6239, a stainless steel “Paul Newman Daytona” attained $84,000, while the “Pro-Hunter Black-Carbon Daytona” sold for $42,000.

Other high-grade luxury watches that did well included A. Lange and Sohne’s “Pour Le Merite,” which sold for $156,000, and Jaeger-LeCoulte’s “Platinum Master Minute Repeater,” which sold for $126,000.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/lowl9o

Heidi Klum discontinues jewelry line

Heidi Klum kisses goodbye her clover-inspired jewelry collection with Mouawad.

Los Angeles–Model and reality TV star Heidi Klum is crossing one item off of her loaded resume: jewelry entrepreneur.

In a recent interview in the Los Angeles Times, the German supermodel acknowledged that she no longer does her jewelry line with Mouawad USA Inc.

In the interview, Klum gives a few reasons for abandoning the line, which was called simply “Heidi Klum,” including the trademark-infringment lawsuit filed against Klum and Mouawad by high-end jewelry house Van Cleef and Arpels Inc. in 2007.

Van Cleef, which is owned by luxury goods giant Richemont, claimed in the suit that Klum’s lines copied the vintage clover design featured in its “Alhambra” line.

Last year, a federal judge dismissed the suit without prejudice (meaning it could be brought again in the future) after the two jewelry houses opted to settle the controversy themselves without any admission of liability.

“I think when you’re a small company, which we are, we’re not a Van Cleef–they have a thousand lawyers. I’m a small fry next to that,” Klum said in the interview.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/mrp964

Periodic Table Jewelry

Platinum Ring ($6,000) at www.itsno.name/shop.php

If you are a scientist who loves bling and craves for jewelry or a jewelry lover who has passion for science seated somewhere deep within his brains, then these cool Periodic Table of Elements rings and pendants could be your way to Geeky and Fashion heaven.

Any would love such respectable and intelligent jewelry.

These pieces of blings are available in your choices of metal, gold (Au), silver (Ag) or platinum (Pt). These are the symbols of the respective elements that you get carved on the ring and the pendant.

The information is quite clear with even with the atomic number and the molecular number printed in standard format. 

Each piece of bling can be brought separately at ITSNO wherein the prices for rings are $295 for silver, $2,100 for gold and $6,000 for platinum. The pricing for pendant is set such that they are $180 for silver, $800 for gold and $2800 for the platinum novelty. Although the input of the moolah is quite high, but the novelty is definitely worth it.

More at: http://tinyurl.com/mhrnx4

Positive experience outweighs price sensitivity

Despite the recession, research shows consumers do not mind paying a higher price for better customer service.

A Strativity Group study released on Aug. 4 found that more than 70 percent of respondents would be willing to spend an additional 10 percent or more if a company exceeded their expectations, with 33 percent willing to pay 25 percent or more.

Survey data represents the responses of 1,994 individuals in the U.S. and Canada from April 13, 2009 through May 4, 2009. Respondents were from a variety of demographics.

“The initial assumption that we had was that customer loyalty is dead, that the only loyalty is to price,” Strativity Chief Executive Officer Lior Arussy said in a statement. “But it’s not only about price sensitivity. The verdict from the consumers is very clear: If we see an exceptional customer experience, we’ll pay more for it, we’ll stay longer and we’re going to give you more business.”

Forty percent of loyal customers who experienced exceptional service were willing to pay 10 percent or more if it meant being able to continue business with a company. Satisfied loyal customers were also three times more likely to repeat their business for at least another 10 years.

Only 9 percent of dissatisfied loyal customers would pay more to continue business with a company, and those who had a negative experience were 10 times more likely to cease doing business with the company within 12 months. 52 percent said they’d only be willing to continue their business if a discount of 5 percent or more was offered.

In addition, the study found that the top drivers contributing to customer experience were centered on employee interaction. Resolving problems effectively, exhibiting common sense and instances where employees exceeded expectations topped the list.

“The one thing that was very clear was how the emotional attribute of the experience played an important role in determining whether one had received an exceptional experience,” said Arussy. “This is an area that a lot of companies do not know how to manage–they leave it in the touchy-feely domain. But we are now seeing it come out of the touchy-feely domain and be straight smack in the middle of what differentiates organizations and what allows them to command premium price.”

Source: http://tinyurl.com/l4nfxu

Israeli company gets creative with diamond cuts

Lotus Cut 3 Leaves

Ramat Gan, Israel–Diamond Dimensions Ltd., a new diamond venture in Israel, has introduced several new, patented diamond cuts that the company says fills the need for innovation in diamond design.

The Cross Cut interprets the eternal symbol of Christianity into five different designs: Brilliant, Classic, Gothic, Lotus and Step. The design is cut from a single rough diamond and has between 29 and 72 facets.

The Lotus Cut is based on the shape of the lotus flower and is available with either three or four leaves. It is also cut from a single rough diamond and has between 57 and 72 facets.

In addition, Diamond Dimensions is offering jewelers, manufacturers and designers the opportunity to have their own designs–including initials, numbers, logos and zodiac signs–transformed into black or white diamonds.

According to a press release, a master diamond craftsman using a software design system creates these “Personal Diamonds” from a simple sketch. All are cut from a single rough diamond and are manufactured at Diamond Dimensions’ diamond-polishing facility in Israel.

Two Israeli diamond industry veterans, Yoram Bernstein of Z.Y. Bernstein Ltd. and Ruby Gersh of RGS Diamonds Ltd., founded Diamond Dimensions with the idea of introducing an innovative spirit into the diamond world.

“Our products are for people who love diamonds and seek other dimensions,” Gersh said in the release. “What we are offering is ‘diamond sculpting,’ a term we invented to combine the beauty and elegance of a diamond with the world of fashion and art.”

More at: http://tinyurl.com/mc84lq