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Those individuals with November birthdays have a choice when it comes to which stone they prefer featured in their celebratory jewelry pieces – both Topaz and Citrine are considered birthstones for November. The stones have a few nuances of color in common, but they are quite different in their makeup.

Topaz

Topaz is a fluorine aluminum silicate and comes in yellow, yellow-brown, honey-yellow, flax, brown, green, blue, light blue, red and pink. It is most commonly found in yellow, but the most prized color of topaz, imperial topaz, features a magnificent orange body color with pinkish undertones.

In mysticism, the stones are said to protect the wearers against enemies and dispel sadness. They are also viewed as a symbol of beauty and splendor.

Topaz is considerably harder and heavier than quartz and has a high refractive index. Topaz is most commonly found in its yellow state, but blue topaz happens to be the state gemstone of Texas. For several thousand years in antiquity, all yellow gems were called topaz. The gemstone is still often confused with citrine quartz and smoky quartz.

Citrine

Citrine is a member of the large quartz family and its name is derived from its color – the yellow of citrus. Like topaz, citrine is also a relatively durable stone and is thus difficult to scratch. Citrine can be found in a variety of warm shades ranging from pastel yellow to dark brown-orange.

This gemstone is said to support vitality and health while encouraging and guiding hope, energy and warmth. It is one of the most affordable of gemstones and plentiful in nature, but the boom on these golden stones didn’t begin until the late 1930s in Europe.

How To Compliment Topaz and Citrine Pieces

For the Scorpio or Sagittarius born in November, topaz and citrine are gorgeous pieces that can be paired with a variety of ensembles. If you are out and about, pair your topaz ring with a pleated blouse or embellished tee with dark skinny jeans and riding boots. Your smoky topaz pendent is easily worn atop a cheetah printed dress.

Pops of color are, of course, effortlessly paired with solid maxi dresses. For a more formal occasion, adorn your navy maxi with a few head turning citrine pieces.

From fine estate jewelry to custom dream pieces, Gold Unlimited boasts diamonds, pearls, precious stones, metals and much more. Visit Gold Unlimited to discover a piece that’s perfect for you or your loved one – handcrafted for individuality.

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Sources
http://www.birthstonezodiac.com/birthstones/november-birthstone/

http://www.gemstone.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=100:sapphire&catid=1:gem-by-gem&Itemid=14
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topaz

There is a remarkable trend that is predicted to be popular this holiday season – buying and selling gold. Gold has long been a valuable commodity for its attractiveness, rarity, and importance in the sphere of technology. However, this holiday season it is being seen as a must-have, unique stocking stuffer.

Small bullion and coin dealers are predicting that silver and gold coins – along with small bars – will be some of the most must-have items of the year. As technology continues to become more affordable and accessible to the population, the novelty of having the latest and greatest gadget is becoming less and less exciting.

Small, valuable items; however, that cannot be easily obtained will become the new standard for gift giving both now and into the foreseeable future.

In addition to being inherently valuable, gold and bullion are being produced in limited quantity sets that only increase their value. Themed gold coin sets are some of the most popular ways to give gold during the holidays.

Giving gold is an investment that can increase over time. With the popularity of its giving growing, this means that more of the precious metal will be taken off the market – increasing demand and raising its worth.

So, what are giving this holiday season? If you’re plumb out of ideas, consider buying gold. We’re certain that your gift will be an unforgettable one.

Come into Gold Unlimited to experience our gold buying and selling process. Questions? Contact us today.

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Fall is the time for hot, spiced drinks, warm sweaters, and growing anticipation for the holidays ahead. While these fall trends are expected and welcome, there is another trend that hopes to become a fall mainstay – weddings. Yes, spring and summer are losing out to this often overlooked season of change as one that more couples are finding an attractive alternative to the norm. So, what makes fall weddings so unforgettable?

The Natural Light is Perfect

Winter light is non-existent. Summer light is too harsh. Spring is too glamorous. Fall brings about a unique time where a tilted earth and cooler weather work to create of some of the most atmospheric lighting conditions imaginable. The orange sands of time, the purple north star, the jet-blue night and the bronze sunset create an ensemble of captivating splendor.

The Weather is Superb

We love summer because the days are long. However, those longer days usually mean they are hotter as well. Air conditioning, cold drinks, and swimming are great, but after a while the dog days of summer pile up and make us say – “Please stop!” Fall brings welcome relief from the summer heat. It is a season of transition that refreshes our humid, hot minds and bodies. Wedding guests will be full of delight!

The Color Palette Opens Up

Having a wedding in the fall opens up the color palette like never before. Dark colors are acceptable, refined, and luxurious. Greens, robust pinks, deep maroons, yellows, browns, and smoky blues work together to create a perfect reflection of the season.

Your Menu will be Seasonably Delicious

Weddings are a time for celebration and one of the best ways to celebrate is around the table. Wedding receptions can be a tricky part to plan for any couple – you have to try and appeal to a lot of hungry mouths. A fall wedding can make menu planning easier by letting the upcoming holidays influence the offerings. Turkey, mashed potatoes, and pie? Yum. Who would say no to that?

Venues can be More Affordable

Finally, a fall wedding can be ideal when it comes to saving money on wedding venue costs. Since the fall is not as peak a time as other months throughout the year, you can usually find a better deal at wedding venues in your area. Make sure you inquire well in advance because you never know who may the same idea as you!

Whatever they are and whenever you decide to tie the knot – Gold Unlimited is here to make your day as special as can be. Come in and view our selection of bridal sets, wedding bands, and engagement rings.

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Do you feel the coolness that comes recently with every morning? Yep, fall is upon us and with it all the benefits of the season – hot drinks, parties, warm sweaters, and one holiday after the next. At this time of year it’s common for friends and family to get together and celebrate. How will you make a splash at your next gathering? Here are 4 jewelry trends you can incorporate into your stylish ways this fall.

Cliché is OK

When it comes to wearing seasonally inspired jewelry, remember – it’s ok to be cliché. Especially around this time of year with all of the holidays, you can easily find a way to incorporate Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year into your wardrobe.

In other words, if you have something that is quintessentially holiday-esque: a wreath, a leaf, a jack-o-lantern, or more – own it!

Think Warmth

Your jewelry ensemble will go only as far as your wardrobe takes it. Make sure you are keeping in line with fall color trends. Use a lot of depth in your clothing color – golden undertones, chestnut browns, and dark, rusty reds.

Your clothing selection should be low in contrast, meaning that no particular piece should dominate another. However, a make sure your contrast isn’t so low that you risk being neutral!

Less is More

Think of fall as that middle step child – full of whimsy and promise, but always overlooked. One must really spend quality time with fall to truly understand this time of year. Since fall is the time of transitions and casting off, try to manage your menagerie of jewelry so that it speaks to this.

Don’t overdo it, but play with the balance between plenty and scarcity, just like the delicate dance of the seasons.

Look Organic

Fall is all about returning to the concept of the earth – the provider, the time of harvest. Make sure your fall jewelry falls in line with this. Go after organic shapes and earthy flows and feels. Stay away from anything too angular, industrial, or shapes that appear manufactured.

Come see our selection in-house.

Looking for more inspiration this fall or trying to find a gift for a loved one? Come into Gold Unlimited today to see our selection in person. We carry some of the finest custom jewelry in San Antonio!

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At Gold Unlimited we pride ourselves in being one of the most knowledgeable fine jewelers in San Antonio. From gold, silver, precious stones, diamonds, and custom jewelry, we think we’ve got the chops when it comes knowledge. But what about you? Do you think you know your precious stone facts? Well put it to the test with our quiz that is sure to push you to the edge.

Share it with a friend and see who comes out on top. Good luck!

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How did you do? You can always take it again! Ready to learn more about diamonds, gold, and precious stones? Come into Gold unlimited today to get your questions answered.

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Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona recently vetoed a bill that would have made gold and silver legal tender in the state of Arizona. Those backing the bill argue that voting through the measure reflected a lack of confidence in the international monetary system.

Had the bill passed, gold and silver would be considered legal tender in the state of Arizona beginning in mid- 2014. The bill however was apparently too vague, not considering transactions with Congressionally authorized collectable coins. Businesses who buy and sell collectible coins would be at an unfair tax advantage also resulting in a loss of revenue for the state.

Pushes to include gold and silver as U.S currency is largely supported by fiscal conservatives such as  The Tea Party, the American Principles Project and the Gold Standard. Opponents of the measure worry that a dual monetary system would have negative impacts on the economy.

References:

http://news.yahoo.com/arizona-governor-vetoes-bill-making-gold-silver-legal-015010743.html

A diamond’s cut is the most critical component of the diamond; it is what gives the stone its brilliance, sparkle and fire. These are the three main attributes of a diamond. Brilliance refers to the amount of light a diamond reflects. Fire describes the way the light disperses and how the diamond shows off the different colors of the spectrum. The sparkle, or scintillation, defines how much the diamond shimmers when you move it around in the light. When light enters a diamond it is refracted and bounces back out in a rainbow of colors. San Antonio jewelry stores can differentiate between cuts of diamonds.

The way a diamond is cut will have the biggest effect on how the stone catches and interacts with light. It is the ultimate expression of a craftsman’s skill in transforming a rough diamond into a gem. If the diamond is cut too shallow and not cut right, some of the light will be lost from the bottom. A deep cut will lose light out the side of its base. The ideal cut will reflect most of the light through its table or top surface. The top of the diamond is referred to as the crown and the bottom is referred to as the pavilion.

The ideal cut gives the right proportion to a diamond’s fire and brilliance. It accounts for the relationship between the table size, crown angle, pavilion angle, girdle, crown depth and pavilion depth. The ideal cut evaluates the size of the table relative to the stone’s width at its widest point, this is known as the girdle. The angles of all the facets relative to each other are accounted for. The depth of the crown against the pavilion and how well the facets at the crown (top) align with the pavilion (bottom).

The cut does not describe the shape; rather the cut depends on the stone’s shape. The most popular cut is the round brilliant diamond which has a cut of 57 facets. Other “fancy shapes” include princess, emerald, asscher, marquise, oval, radiant, pear, heart and cushion. Princess cut is popular among brides and brides-to-be.

Symmetry is also taken into account of a diamond’s facet and how well facet edges align with each other, how corresponding facets from opposite ends align with each other and the relationship between crown facets and pavilion facets.

A small percentage of diamonds fluoresce when exposed to ultraviolet light. They emit a blue or yellow light which is caused by trace amounts of boron, usually, that seep into the diamond during its creation. The fluorescence does not affect the diamond’s value but still is listed in the grading report.

San Antonio diamond buyers will buy any kind of diamond you have. Knowing what sort of diamond makes all the difference. You would not want to bring in your diamond and get ripped off? Of course not. Educating yourself on what you have is the first thing you want to do before selling what you have.

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I still have the memory of going over to my grandmother’s house when I was younger and polishing her silver. She pulled out her huge box of silverware, her collectable spoons, and her silver platters that she got from her parents, and then we scrubbed away at them with the silver polish and a cotton towel. All in all, it took around three hours to get all of her silver nice and shiny once again. But there are a number of techniques that are a lot easier than taking out the rag and the chemicals. Here are the 5 most unique ways get that silver back to its original glory.

5) Cream of Tartar Method

Take warm, not boiling, water and mix in enough cream of tartar to make a paste. After soaking the silver pieces in the paste for 10 minutes or so, remove them and wipe down with a cotton rag. The tarnish should come right off.

4) Aluminum Foil Method

Take 1 cup of boiling water and add 1 tablespoon of sea salt, 1 tablespoon of baking soda, and 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Pour the mixture into a glass or metal baking dish lined with aluminum foil, where you have set your silver pieces out flat, not overlapping. Let the silver set in the mixture for 10 to 15 minutes. If it is heavily tarnished, it may take closer to 30. Remove the silver with tongs and rub lightly with a rag.

3) The Banana Method

Take two or three banana peels and throw them into a blender. Add enough water to form it into a paste, and then rub the paste onto your pieces and let it set on them until it dries. After the paste has dried over the silver, take a rag and brush off what remains, and then drop it into water to remove the remaining paste. Your silver will look beautiful and your jewelry will smell like bananas. Not really, but it would be pretty cool if it did.

2) The Ketchup/Katchup/Catchup Method

It may be delicious on fries, but you can clean silver with it too. Take enough ketchup to fill a small bowl, and leave your silver pieces in it for 10 to 15 minutes. After removing them, run the silver under water and buff dry with a cotton towel.

1) The Hand Sanitizer Method

Put a few squirts of hand sanitizer onto a rag and rub the silver with it vigorously. This method is that simple, and it works wonderfully.

These methods, of course, shouldn’t be done regularly. Polishing away silver tarnish actually takes the first layer of silver on the piece, so vigorously cleaning your silver once, twice, or three times a week can really take its toll on the metal. But, if you ever get too tired of polishing and polishing your pieces, why not go for a metal that doesn’t tarnish at all: gold. Here at Gold Unlimited, we stock almost every kind of jewelry imaginable, and can help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Click the button below to view our selection or come into the store to see what we have for you. You’ll look like a million bucks and leave with some cash left in your wallet.

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Sources:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-clean-silver-with-ketch-61335

http://cleanmyspace.com/the-besk-kept-silver-cleaning-secret-ever/

http://www.rd.com/slideshows/how-to-clean-silver/

Humanity has always adorned their bodies with items to make themselves look unique. Just recently, it was discovered that Neanderthals actually did the same thing (A very interesting article, that you can find here.) Jewels, seashells, and pieces of stone were often used to show off elegance and social status. But it took quite a while for humans to gain the ability to meld metal into items they could put onto their bodies. Even after that point, it took a very long time for ancient jewelry to shift into our modern concept of elegance.

The Origins of Jewelry

Being situated in the middle of the known world has its perks, and that’s what made the Persian Empire so strong. Since it was in the middle of what was called the ‘Silk Road,’ the Persians were able to pick up practices from both Asia and the Western world. Some of the earliest evidence of gem cutting comes from India, but the Persians perfected the process, and began adding gems and stones to metal bands that were often made of silver and gold. These bands were often worn on the head, arms, and hands, and were a symbol of social status and wealth. Up until the 320s BCE, the Persians were in control of some of the largest known gold deposits at the time, but all of that was about to change.

Jewelry in the West

The Greeks were no strangers to wearing jewelry, and often wore metal bands as crowns, or created burial masks made out of gold. But, after Alexander the Great conquered most of the world, the art of Persian gem cutting made its way into the western world. During the ‘Hellenistic Period,’ which ranged from ~325 to ~150 BCE, the practices that had been perfected by the Persians made their way to all of the Hellenistic kingdoms. The Greeks gained control over the vast gold reserves of the Persians, and began using it to their advantage. The simpler bands and pins that were once worn by the Greeks became more extravagant and detailed, all thanks to the original jewelry cultures, the Indians and the Persians.

Although many years have passed since the Hellenistic ended, most of our modern western cultural concepts, especially the wearing and manufacturing of jewelry, credit this time period for their beginnings. Jewelry had been around for thousands of years before Alexander the Great, but it took his conquests to bring the more sophisticated eastern practices into the western world.

Here at Gold Unlimited, we take pride in knowing that we’re carrying on a tradition that has lasted thousands of years. You may not be the King of Persia or Alexander the Great, but, to us, you’re just as important, and so is your jewelry selection. Click the button below to view some of our selection or come into the store and we’ll make sure that you leave looking like royalty.

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Sources:

http://www.historyofjewelry.net/

http://www.allaboutgemstones.com/jewelry_history_persia.html

http://roadrunnersguidetotheancientworld.com/hellenistic-jewelry/

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/hjew/hd_hjew.htm