Jewelry stores can be an intimidating place to visit.

Jewelry stores can be an intimidating place to visit. We understand. I can still remember the first time I went into a fine hometown jewelry store in downtown Asheville. I was probably in my early teens at the time, and felt like a fish out of water. Since then I’ve seen grown men, even football players, begin sweating the minute they cross the threshold of our store. It doesn’t have to be that way…


Obviously the average jewelry customer knows very little about the jewelry they seek or desire. They aren’t alone. With all the different natural and manmade gemstones and all the different precious metal mountings available today, it’s no wonder people feel intimidated. Even those of us who work in the jewelry industry learn new things practically every day about the jewelry we offer for sale or repair.

When I began my jewelry career in 1973, having been offered a job in my great aunt’s fine jewelry store, I remember looking over the inventory she displayed and thinking, “I never realized how many things that ‘Sterling’ company makes!” I felt pretty foolish when I later found out that “Sterling” was a quality of silver, not a manufacturing company.

This episode always reminds me to be understanding to customers who, like me, feel out of their element in so many jewelry stores. Some stores even enjoy having that air of superiority over their customers, but you should never experience that at Parkers’. If you have questions about gemstones or jewelry, we would love for you to visit a friendly, down to earth jeweler, who understands…Steve Parker & Staff

STYLE ENDURES AS THE WORLD'S BIGGEST STARS CELEBRATE IN PLATINUM JEWELRY AT THE 82ND ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS

Platinum Maintains its Precious Position as Most Desired Jewelry in Hollywood for the Past 60 Years


Los Angeles, CA (March 7, 2010) - For over eight decades, the Academy Awards has marked the greatest achievements in motion picture - and on the red carpet. With tonight's highly anticipated award show, style endured as celebrities once again showed their desire to complement their looks with platinum jewelry. Not only is platinum the highest quality metal, but its natural white color maximizes the brilliance of diamonds and colored gemstones, making them sparkle even brighter. It's no wonder why many of Hollywood's most notable style icons chose platinum for their red carpet (and even their bridal) jewelry - including Marilyn Monroe, Jackie O., Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly.


Following is a list of stars that celebrated tonight's achievements in platinum:

Charlize Theron: Platinum and diamond cluster earrings (17.25 carats), and a platinum and diamond bracelet by Harry Winston.

Sandra Bullock: Platinum and diamond earrings and a platinum and diamond bracelet from her personal collection by Neil Lane.

Penelope Cruz: Platinum and diamond drop earrings (18 carats), and three platinum and diamond bracelets (51 carats total) by Chopard.

Kate Winslet: Platinum and yellow diamond pendant (19 carats total), platinum and yellow diamond drop earrings (10 carats), and three platinum and yellow diamond bracelets by Tiffany & Co.

Sarah Jessica Parker: Two platinum and diamond bracelets by Fred Leighton.

Demi Moore: Platinum and diamond bracelet, platinum and diamond bracelet with crystals, platinum and diamond ring with a pearl, and a platinum and diamond hair clip by Van Cleef & Arpels.

Jennifer Lopez: Platinum and diamond clip earrings, and a platinum and diamond bracelet by Cartier.

Faith Hill: Blackened platinum and diamond bangles (180 carats) by Lorraine Schwartz, and black sapphire and black diamond earrings set in platinum by Ofira.

Gabourey Sidibe: Blackened platinum and diamond earrings with sapphires, blackened platinum and black diamond bracelets, and a blackened platinum and diamond ring (over 180 carats total for all jewelry) by Lorraine Schwartz.

Nicole Richie: Blackened platinum and diamond ring (110 carats), blackened platinum and diamond stud earrings, and a blackened platinum and diamond ring by Lorraine Schwartz.

Julianne Moore: Five platinum and diamond bracelets by Bvlgari.

Maggie Gyllenhaal: Platinum and diamond bracelet with emerald and sapphire by Fred Leighton.

Vera Farmiga: Platinum and diamond ear clips with opal, and platinum and diamond hair clips by Fred Leighton.

Hilary Swank (Vanity Fair party): Platinum and diamond earrings, platinum and diamond chain necklace, and a platinum and diamond cluster ring by Harry Winston.

Tina Fey: Platinum and diamond earrings with onyx, and a platinum and diamond ring with black jade by Stephen Russell.

Helen Mirren: Platinum and diamond necklace (125 carats), platinum and diamond earrings (9 carats), and a platinum and diamond cuff by Chopard.

Sigourney Weaver: Two platinum and diamond bracelets with rubies, platinum and diamond bracelet, and platinum and diamond earrings (8 carats each) by Neil Lane.

Meryl Streep: Platinum ring with diamonds and onyx by Fred Leighton.

Robert Downey Jr.: Platinum timepiece by Harry Winston.

Zoe Saldana: Platinum and diamond drop earrings (20 carats), and a platinum and amethyst ring (80 carats) by Lorraine Schwartz.

Miley Cyrus: Platinum and ruby ring (10 carats), and platinum and diamond earrings with rubies by Lorraine Schwartz.

Amanda Seyfried: Platinum and colored diamond bracelets (250 carats), platinum and colored diamond ring, and blackened platinum and diamond earrings by Lorraine Schwartz.

About Platinum Jewelry

Platinum is the ideal choice for bridal and fashion jewelry because it holds diamonds and precious gemstones more securely than any other metal. It is not only the highest quality metal, but its density makes it one of the most durable and enduring precious metals. Platinum is also naturally white, unlike white gold, which means it will not cast any tint onto a diamond or gemstone, allowing the stone's genuine color to sparkle brightly. Platinum is also pure and hypoallergenic, making it ideal for sensitive skin.

Charoite - A Stone for Courage.

Color: The colors in each piece of Charoite range from bright lavender, violet and lilac to dark purple with both white, gray and black veining. It forms a swirling pattern of interlocking crystals. Royal lavendar flows with chatoyant streaks of white around bits of black, peach and opalescent gray.

Description: (Ca,K,Na)3Si4O10(OH,F)H2O. Charoite is an unsual mineral and of rare occurence. It formed from alteration of limestones by the close presences of an alkali-rich nephline syenite intrusion. The heat, pressure and more importantly, the infusion of unique chemicals into the rock is responsible for the transformations into new minerals such as charoite.

The name's origin: Charoite is named after the Charo River in Russia.

From the stone history: The Russians first discovered charoite in 1947 in the Murun mountains in Yakutia, but it was not known in the West until 1978. Charoite is used as an ornamental stone and as a gemstone.

Healing ability: Put charoite beneath your pillow, especially if you are prone to disturbed sleep or fears which surface in dreams. In combination with amethyst, it will help to release these fears.

Mystical power: Mystical power: Charoite is said to be useful for the cleansing and purification of one's energy body as well as for the transmutation of negative energies within oneself.

Charoite transmutes negativity and cleanses the aura. Charoite facilitates the release of fear and dissolution of negative energies encountered in the process of aligning with your soul's purpose. Work with Charoite to foster a synthesis between the heart and crown chakra, walk your spiritual path with awareness, and manifest your soul's wisdom and light in daily life. The purple color of Charoite, among its other roles, helps to bring us closer to spirit by showing us that everything, even the thoughts we hold as true, can be dissolved and replaced with more empowering energies.

The color black in this stone grounds the purple ray, and enables us to explore the nature of our fears; while white represents the connection to spirit.

Deposits: Charoite is found in only one location - along the Chary River at Aldan in Russia. This part of Russia is known for its forbidding climate and terrain and as a traditional place of exile for political prisoners.

Why charoite has not been found in other locations is not fully understood. But it is probably due to a combination of a chemically unique limestone reacting with a chemically unique intrusion and subjected to unique physical conditions.

 Charoite has a hardness of from 5 - 6 on the MOHS scale.

Lorenzo searches the world for the liveliest, brightest and most beautiful natural stones, obtaining raw materials directly from mines in some of the most exotic places around the globe. Inspired by art and by nature, Lorenzo’s designers create jewelry that frames these stones in styles that are both current and timeless. Crafted from sterling silver and accented with artistically carved pieces of 18K gold, these styles are then set with the uniquely cut gemstones. Discover our radiant, checkerboard, and concave cuts and see how they maximize these vivid gemstones’ brilliant color.

                           Available At Parkers' Karat Patch

                           http://www.parkerskaratpatch.com/

Customers Complain of Gold-Buying Scams

As a growing number of Americans seek to trade their valuables for cash, many say they’re getting swindled. The Better Business Bureau has received hundreds of complaints about companies that ask customers to mail in their gold, then offer to pay what the company decides the gold is worth. The Federal Trade Commission is now reviewing charges of cash-for-gold scams, and the attorney general’s office in Florida—where many mail-in companies are located—is investigating. A class-action lawsuit was filed recently against the parent company of Cash4Gold, the mail-in trader that helped stoke the market with its TV ads.

Customers’ complaints range from lowball appraisals to downright theft. One man claimed he sent $200 worth of gold and received a check for 15 cents. Others claim mail-in companies melted their gold before waiting to hear if the offer prices were accepted. And some say they asked for their gold back but were told it was lost in the mail and were not reimbursed.

Mail-in companies are “getting away with what looks like fraud,” according to Rep. Anthony Weiner (D., N.Y.). Weiner has introduced legislation that would make it illegal for companies to melt down jewelry without customer authorization and would require those companies to insure jewelry for the same amount the customer did when returning it through the mail.

A Cash4Gold spokesman says his company provides a “safe, secure, and easy way for people to collect money for items that otherwise would collect dust,” and that the class-action lawsuit is “ without merit.” But he adds that national regulations could help shut down unscrupulous dealers.

Meanwhile, customers may do better selling their gold in person. When Consumer Reports shopped identical 18-karat jewelry, mail-in companies offered 11% to 29% of market value. Jewelers and pawn shops, by contrast, paid up to 70%.

— Drew Jubera

How pearls are formed and their various types

There are essentially three types of pearls: natural, cultured and imitation.
A natural pearl (often called an Oriental pearl) forms when an irritant, such as a piece of sand, works its way into a particular species of oyster, mussel, or clam. As a defense mechanism, the mollusk secretes a fluid to coat the irritant. Layer upon layer of this coating is deposited on the irritant until a lustrous pearl is formed.

A cultured pearl undergoes the same process. The only difference is that the irritant is a surgically implanted bead or piece of shell called Mother of Pearl. Often, these shells are ground oyster shells that are worth significant amounts of money in their own right as irritant-catalysts for quality pearls. The resulting core is, therefore, much larger than in a natural pearl. Yet, as long as there are enough layers of nacre (the secreted fluid covering the irritant) to result in a beautiful, gem-quality pearl, the size of the nucleus is of no consequence to beauty or durability.

Pearls can come from either salt or freshwater sources. Typically, saltwater pearls tend to be higher quality, although there are several types of freshwater pearls that are considered high in quality as well. Freshwater pearls tend to be very irregular in shape, with a puffed rice appearance the most prevalent. Nevertheless, it is each individual pearls merits that determines value more than the source of the pearl.

Regardless of the method used to acquire a pearl, the process usually takes several years. Mussels must reach a mature age, which can take up to 3 years, and then be implanted or naturally receive an irritant. Once the irritant is in place, it can take up to another 3 years for the pearl to reach its full size. Often, the irritant may be rejected, the pearl will be terrifically misshapen, or the oyster may simply die from disease or countless other complications. By the end of a 5 to 10 year cycle, only 50% of the oysters will have survived. And of the pearls produced, only approximately 5% are of substantial quality for top jewelry makers. From the outset, a pearl farmer can figure on spending over $100 for every oyster that is farmed, of which many will produce nothing or die.

Imitation pearls are a different story altogether. In most cases, a glass bead is dipped into a solution made from fish scales. This coating is thin and may eventually wear off. One can usually tell an imitation by biting on it. Fake pearls glide across your teeth, while the layers of nacre on real pearls feel gritty. The Island of Mallorca is known for its imitation pearl industry.

Natural pearls
There is no real commercial market for natural pearls. If you have a customer looking for natural not cultured pearls contact your customer reprsentive.

The difference between cultured and natural pearls is that natural pearls begin with no intervention from man.

Natural pearls are formed when a foreign object enters the shell of a mollusk and irritates the soft mantle tissue within. This irritant can be anything from a minute snail, worm, fish or crab to a particle of shell clay or mud. This object becomes trapped in a depression in the mantle tissue. This depression deepens until a pouch or sac is formed. The sac separates from the rest of the tissue and nacre-secreting cells within the sac secrets nacre over the irritant. This nacre builds up layer by layer. All of this occurs without the intervention of man what-so-ever. Most of these natural pearls are baroque - irregular in shape, either round or symmetrical. The longer the pearl remains in the mollusk, the more layers of nacre coat it. The pearl grows and so does its chance of becoming baroque.

X-ray technology is the best way to determine a natural pearl

Natural pearls today tend to be found primarily in older jewelry from estate sales, auctions, and so forth -- in other words, existing pearls rather than new ones. However, some natural pearl beds are being increasingly

harvestedCultured Pearl
The cultured pearl forms because someone inserts both a piece of mantle from a sacrifice oyster(so named because this oyster is allowed to die after the tissue samples are taken) and a nucleus ( which is most often a mother-of-pearl bead) are inserted into the mollusk. Freshwater pearls are mostly tissue nucleated only. No bead is used.
The cultured pearl forms because someone inserts both a piece of mantle from a sacrifice oyster ( so named because this oyster is allowed to die after the tissue samples are taken ) and a nucleus ( which is most often a mother-of-pearl bead ) are inserted into the mollusk. Freshwater pearls are mostly Tissue nucleated only. No bead is used.

Source: www.imperialpearls.com