Category: Did you know?

September Birthstone: The Sapphire

Happy birthday, September babies! This month’s birthstone is the sapphire. Although it’s one of the most popular gemstones out there, there’s a lot that might surprise you about the sapphire. Read on and find out!

Blue not your color?

Although renowned for its brilliant blue color, the sapphire can actually come in a variety of hues, including pink, yellow and green. Sapphire gems can be found in almost every color, except red.

Second Place.

Sapphires are the second hardest substance on the Mohs scale, used for scanners and spacecraft.

Trust me.

In the Middle Ages, the sapphire represented loyalty, and was meant to keep the wearer and the wearer’s loved ones safe from harm.

Royal Approved.

A sapphire sits at the center of the most famous royal engagement ring- Princess Diana’s, that Kate Middleton now wears.

kate-middleton-enagement-ring — Photo courtesy of katemiddletonstyle.org

What color is it?

A rare variety of color-shifting sapphire exists. This special gem is blue in natural light, but appears violet under artificial lighting.

For birthdays and all your special occasions, Gold Unlimited has the vintage and estate jewelry that you need.

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Sources:

http://www.bernardine.com/gemstones/sapphire.htm

http://www.gia.edu/sapphire#.V9LHYT4rJhE

http://www.wixonjewelers.com/education/gemstones/birthstones/

Learn More About July and August Birthstones

Born in July or August? — HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

If you are, or if your loved one is, celebrating a birthday in July or August, you have the privilege of calling ruby and peridot your birthstone, respectively. As July winds to a close and August moves closer, we at Gold Unlimited wanted to take some time to celebrate these precious stones. Here is a bit more about the history, origin, formation and current uses of ruby and peridot.

July Birthstone – Ruby

Rubies are said to represent everything from love to health and wisdom, passion, courage and emotion.

Ruby Facts

Ruby is regarded as one of the most valuable gemstones. It increases in value based on color and quality.
The stone is commonly refered to as the” King of all gems.”
Its colors range from red hues with purplish and bluish red to orange-red tones.
The most valuable version is a full red colored stone with slight blue hue.
Rubies are thought to have healing powers – specifically to energize and balance the heard.
Ruby represents passion and love, and is often an engagement ring for couples.
Most rubies are under three carats.

August Birthstone – Peridot

One of the only birthstones that exist in a singular color – lime green – peridot is a beautifully unique stone with ancient records documenting its mining from as early as 1500 B.C.

Peridot Facts

Peridot has been said to bring magical powers and healing properties to its owner. It also protects against nightmares when given as a gift.
The stone is used as a 16^th year anniversary gift.
Peridot is the national gem of Egypt.
The stone brings happiness and good cheer, attracts lovers and is said to aid in friendships.
The deeper the green shade, the less iron in the stone.
Peridot forms deep in the ground and comes to surface through from volcanic eruptions.
- Hawaiian beaches have millions of tiny peridot. These are either too small for use or locked away in a rock that is too hard to mine.

Now that you’ve learned a bit about July and August’s birthstones, be sure to visit Gold Unlimited to select a birthday piece that’s right for you or your loved one. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Don’t worry. We will work with you to custom design a signature piece that’s just right.

Sources

http://www.wixonjewelers.com/education/gemstones/birthstones/

http://www.jewelsforme.com/peridot-meaning

http://www.jewelsforme.com/ruby-meaning

https://www.americangemsociety.org/en/august-birthstones

https://www.americangemsociety.org/en/july-birthstones

http://www.gemselect.com/other-info/history-peridot.php

birthstone peridot ruby

Seeing Green: May’s Birthstone Emerald

Green is the color of life and springtime, but the magnificent green of the emerald has also historically stood for harmony, vigor and love. The precious green gems have been regarded for their healing properties and lucky qualities as well. Fresh and vivid, the emerald was treasured by the Incas and Aztecs of South America, where the best emeralds are still found today.

If you or a loved one is fortunate enough to have been birthed in the month of May, emerald is the birthstone. Read a bit about the gorgeous stone, including its history, mining locations and current uses in modern jewelry settings.

Where Emeralds Are Found

Colombia continues to be at the top of the list in terms of the countries in which fine emeralds are found. Columbia has about 150 known deposits – the best known names are Muzo and Chivor, where emeralds were mined by the Incas in pre-Columbian times. Approximately three quarters of Colombia’s emerald production now comes from the Coscuez Mine.

Emeralds are also found in other countries such as Zambia, Brazil, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Russia.

The History of Emeralds

The first emerald mines were in Egypt, dating from 330 BC into the 1700s. Cleopatra was known to have a passion for emerald, and used it in her royal adornments. When the Spanish explorers invaded the new world, the Incas had already been using emeralds in their jewelry and religious ceremonies for 500 years. The Spanish traded emeralds for precious metals, which opened the eyes of European and Asian royalty to the emerald’s majesty.

Legend states that an emerald was one of the four precious stones given to by God to King Solomon, one of the stones said to have endowed the king with power over all creation.

The gemstone is now the birthstone for the month of may as well as the stone for twentieth and thirty-fifth wedding anniversaries.

Modern Emeralds

emerald ring gold unlimited — Emerald ring available at Gold Unlimited

Emeralds are used widely in a variety of jewelry settings including earrings, rings, bracelets and pendants. The durability, rarity and color of emeralds make them one of the most famous and valuable gemstones.

Now that you’ve learned a bit about May’s birthstone, emerald, be sure to visit Gold Unlimited to select a piece that’s right for you or your loved one. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Don’t worry. We will work with you to custom design a signature piece that’s just right.

Sources

http://gemstone.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84:sapphire&catid=1:gem-by-gem&Itemid=14

http://www.multicolour.com/emerald/how-are-emeralds-formed.html

http://www.gia.edu/emerald-history-lore

custom jewelry san antonio emerald jewelry emerald stone jewelry san antonio luxury jewelry san antonio

Vintage, Estate, Antique and Costume Jewelry: What’s What?

VINTAGE VERSUS ESTATE VERSUS ANTIQUE VERSUS COSTUME

To the trained eye, vintage, estate, antique and costume jewelry are easily differentiated. If you are less familiar with these terms and the eras and styles that they represent, however, the task may be much more difficult. Before shopping for vintage jewelry, you should understand the meaning of these commonly used terms.

Read over Gold Unlimited’s basic breakdown of the prevalent terms used to help date older pieces of fine jewelry.

Antique Jewelry

The U.S. Government defines ‘antique’ as a valuable that is over a century old. This term is sometimes inaccurately associated with costume jewelry, but antique pieces are actually previously owned heirlooms that are highly valued.

Timeline – 1920s and older

Vintage Jewelry

Pieces that are younger than 100 years old, but are usually older than 50 years are referred to as vintage. Vintage Jewelry is considered to still be recent enough to be in style.

Timeline – 1980s and older

Estate Jewelry

Refers to jewelry, often masterpieces, which are part of the ‘estate’ of another person. These pieces are second-hand or pre-owned and are considered significant pieces that may be either antique or vintage.

Timeline – Past or present

Costume Jewelry

Jewelry designed to wear with current fashions, usually made of inexpensive materials. Its imitation gems and sometime gaudy appearance mark this ‘of the moment’ jewelry.

Timeline – Past or present

HOW ARE THEY RELATED?

Because of age, almost every vintage or antique piece is considered estate jewelry. Fine antique and vintage pieces are collected as keepsakes or investments, whereas costume jewelry is sometimes passed off as vintage jewelry. Antique and vintage jewelry pieces are usually made of high-quality materials that were able to stand the test of time. These pieces fetch high prices due to the level of workmanship and the purity of their stones.

For a fantastic selection of estate jewelry, stop by Gold Unlimited today. Our knowledgable professionals will you assist you in choosing the perfect custom or estate piece that will leave you breathless.

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Estate jewelry jewelry styles

Gold, Silver, and Copper in E-Waste

Gold and silver have been used in manufacturing for centuries, millennia even. For the longest time, this waste was reused or recycled and used for new purposes, like wiring, for example. But with the rise of electronic devices, gold and silver waste has hit a new high. Over 300 tons of gold, 10% of the world’s production, was thrown away last year in the form of e-waste. Aside from the obvious reason, money, what makes this such a big deal for environmentalists and manufacturers?

Gold: What Is It Good For?

Humanity has been fascinated by gold since the first caveman saw a shiny piece of metal in a riverbed. We’ve worn it as jewelry, put it on our teeth, and even coated coffins with it. But gold serves a greater purpose, other than just being shiny. Gold is an excellent conductor of electricity. Ever since electrical machinery began to be used in the late 18th century, gold has been used to bring power to those machines in the form of wiring. Even today, gold tipped plugs and wires are among the most highly sought after because they produce the one of the highest rates of electrical exchange.

When electricity began to be used to power handheld devices, gold made its way into them for much the same purpose. Inside our cellphones, there is about 1/40th of a gram of gold. So, 40 phones equals one gram of gold. This number may seem high, but it takes one ton, about 2,000 pounds, of rock to produce the same amount of gold that’s in 40 cell phones.

Wasting Gold

As previously stated, there were 300 tons of gold thrown out last year in the form of e-waste. So, using the aforementioned formula, that’s 13,607,771,100 cell phone’s worth of gold. Of course, there are only about 7 billion cell phones in use today, and who knows how many of them were actually thrown away in 2014. The 300 tons of gold includes everything from old televisions, washing machines, and refrigerators. Pretty much anything that has some form of electronic wiring inside has a gold or copper wire component. But this problem isn’t just about throwing out millions of dollars worth gold, silver, and copper every year. Cell phones and other e-waste contain other dangerous metals such as lead, chromium, and mercury. These metals make their ways into ground water, lakes, and rivers, which eventually end up in our homes as drinking water.

The Solution?

Reading this, you may be thinking ‘Hey! I’ll but up old cell phones and melt them down to get out the gold, silver, etc.’ Well, good luck with that. The amount of gold inside cell phones can get you a little less than $1.50. So, to make $100.00, you’d need about 100 cell phones (which is quite a lot.) The main way companies use e-waste is taking out the old components and making them into new devices. They also take the other, more dangerous metals, like lead, chromium, and mercury, and dispose of them properly. So what can you do? You can recycle your e-waste. There are special containers at many electronic stores that are used only for cell phones, batteries, and other forms of e-waste. But, if you really want to be adventurous, you could try to get the gold out yourself. But you might end up spending a lot more money than you’d make.

If you’re looking for a place to sell all of that gold from your e-waste recycling operation, why not come by Gold Unlimited? We’ll pay top dollar for all of your gold, silver, and jewelry. Come by and see what your gold is worth. You’ll end up leaving with a smile on your face and a pocket full of cash.

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Sources:
http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2015/04/20/garbage-dumps-are-gold-mines
http://www.gbcghana.com/1.2988386
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150419/1021103796.html
http://rt.com/news/251045-300tons-gold-wasted-electronics/
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-28802646

The 4 Cs: A Quick Guide to Diamond Grading

Diamond grading has long been one of the most important aspects of jewelry valuation. In the past, it involved going to an expert jeweler, someone with one of those tiny spyglasses that allow them to look deep into the gem and point out all of its flaws and perfections. Nowadays, though, this process can be done much easier. With the help of the Internet, you can find out (roughly) the quality of your diamond, and how much it might be worth to a prospective buyer. What should you be looking for when you are checking out the quality of your diamonds?

Cut

Cut doesn’t refer to the diamond’s shape per se, but more the amount of cuts to create the shape of the diamond. The amount and placement of the cuts on the diamond affect everything from the diamonds brilliance and radiance to how the light plays off the corners of the diamond. Most master cut diamonds are made with 58 facets, or cuts, and the amount of cuts on the stone show how much skill the cutter has. More cuts can mean less diamond value based upon weight, but they can also mean more clarity and shine for the diamond, which can also give the diamond more value.

Clarity

If you’re looking for a diamond with perfect clarity, you might want to look somewhere other than Earth. Because diamonds are formed deep below the earth’s surface along with other rocks and minerals, virtually all diamonds contain small imperfections that cut down on their clarity. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) created an 11-point chart to evaluate the amount of blemishes inside the diamond. It takes a skilled grader to find the smallest imperfections in a stone, and in a business where one small speck inside a stone could mean the difference between thousands of dollars, skill is an important thing to have.

Color

Diamonds come in a wide variety of colors. Ranging from clear to yellow, even all the way to brown, the GIA also has an intricate grading system for color. Going through D-Z on their chart will show small, minute differences between diamond colors. D grade diamonds, being the clearest, are some of the most difficult to come by, and Z grade diamonds, which are the yellowest, are more common and less expensive.

Carat

Carat, the American variation of the word karat, is the international unit for measuring the weight of diamonds. There are two different weight measurements: the carat and the point. The carat equals .2 grams, so a diamond weighting four carats equals .8 grams. The second unit of measurement for diamonds is the point, which equals .01 of a carat. A diamond that weighs 50 points equals ½ carat, where a diamond weighing 100 points is equal to one carat.

The art of diamond grading has been made easier in recent years by Internet technology and certification courses, but it still takes an extremely skilled eye to correctly grade a diamond. While you may be able to estimate a value for your gem, you will never really know until you take your diamond into a trained specialist. Luckily, here at Gold Unlimited, we are able to certify your diamonds and jewelry to the best of our abilities, and give you a much better estimate of how much your jewelry is worth. So why not stop by with that diamond jewelry is really worth, and maybe walk out with some cash in your pocket, too.

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Sources:

http://www.diamondideals.com/education/find/four_cs.cfm

http://www.lumeradiamonds.com/diamond-education/diamond-color

http://www.gemologyonline.com/diamondgrading.html

https://www.agslab.com/education-diamond-clarity-grade.php

Should You Start Buying Gold Because of the Apple Watch?

The Apple Watch has caused quite a stir since it was announced last Fall. People had speculated for years what it was that the industry leader in smart-phones was going to do regarding the wearable technology trend, and in November of 2014, Apple finally released their long awaited “Apple Watch.” Coming in 3 different models, ‘Watch,’ ‘Sport,’ and ‘Edition,’ the world went crazy for all things Apple. The top of the line model, the ‘Apple Watch Edition,’ would be made out of 18 karat gold, and contain a variety of features that would also be available on the other models.

Speculation around the Watch

Once it was finally released, Apple maintained their secrecy around the more unique specifications regarding the watches. Much as before the announcement, it has been up to mostly consumers to speculate about what the actual watch will contain. Enter the article ‘How Much Gold Will the Apple Watch Contain’ by Josh Centers. In this article, Centers uses data that Apple has actually released, mainly production numbers, and speculates how much gold the ‘Apple Watch Edition’ will actually use. Apple plans to begin with production of one million units, mostly for sale in the Asian markets. Each watch, Centers predicts, will contain roughly two troy ounces of gold, or between 50 and 75 grams of gold per unit. If the amount of gold that Centers believes to be in the watches is true, and if Apple continues the production numbers stated for the first month of production, Apple will need to purchase 1/3rd of the gold mined in the world for the year.

What It Could Mean for the Price of Your Gold

It is known that gold is an extremely rare metal. Only 746 metric tons are mined every year, whereas there are roughly 19,000 metric tons of silver mined in the same time period. As any high school economics student can tell you, when supply goes down, price for a product will assuredly go up. So what does this have to do with the gold in the Apple Watch? It’s simple: if Apple does indeed take 1/3rd of the year’s supply of gold, the supply of gold in the market will go down by 1/3rd. This is merely speculation, but the price of gold after the release of the Apple Watch in April could increase dramatically, especially if the production of the watch continues to top one million units every month for the next year. Even Centers, the author of the article, admits that these numbers may be a bit off, but he also says “… it’s never safe to underestimate Apple.” They are, of course, the same company that sold over ten million iPhone 6s and 6+ models within three days of their release in September of 2014.

There is always speculation with markets for precious metals. No one is quite sure what they’ll do next. Curious to see how much your gold is worth? Simple! Come into Gold Unlimited and get an estimate on the spot, or click the button below to make an appointment with one of our top jewelry experts. You’ll walk out with a hand full of cash and a smile on your face.

Sources:
http://tidbits.com/article/15443
http://www.mining.com/apple-buying-a-third-of-worlds-gold-to-meet-demand-for-iwatch-14071/
http://www.investopedia.com/features/industryhandbook/metals.asp
http://www.silverseek.com/article/silver-market-facts-12695

Excuse me, but I think you have something on your shirt…

Here’s something just in time for Halloween that’ll definitely give you the creepy crawlies – insect jewelry! Now wearing insects from beetles to butterflies isn’t Continue reading

Our San Antonio jewelry store has history….but not THIS much.

The Varna Necropolis – dated 5,000 /4500-4200/ BC is a burial site in the western industrial zone of Varna (approximately half a kilometre from Lake Varna and 4 km from the city centre), Bulgaria, internationally considered one of the key archaeological sites in world prehistory. The oldest golden treasure in the world, dating to 5,000 BC, was discovered at the site.