PJ Golds – Jewelry Blog

JEWELLERS’ PLIERS

August 31, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

In the making of jewellery, pliers are one of the most essential tools. They are used to hold metal and shape it during the jewellery-making process. Pliers used for jewellery making are always made out of metal – and must be stored in a dry place to ensure it stays free of rust.

No Mar Surface Pliers – no matter how carefully you look after your pliers, it still can accidentally scratch the materials you use. Such scratches can be removed from karated gold and sterling silver. In order to avoid any such scratching, some jewellery makers coat their pliers using a fixturing compound – so that it has a ‘no-mar’ surface.

Basic pliers used for jewellery making

Flat-nose pliers – these pliers have jaws that are flat at the point of contact. These pliers are used to close up prongs, for flattening or straightening out metal.

Round-nose pliers – the jaws on these pliers resemble that of a cone that has been tapered. Round-nose pliers are mainly used to make French ear wires, eye pins and even wrapped loops.

Bent chain-nose pliers – the tips on these pliers are angled. This helps jewellery makers access tight areas which are hard to reach, especially with other types of pliers. Bent chain-nose pliers are used for making angled wire bends and even for flat crimping.

Specialty pliers used for jewellery making

Jump-ring pliers – these pliers’ jaws have indentations on both sides.

Crimping pliers – it is very important that these pliers be used correctly. If so, they will assist with fastening beading or other kinds of wire securely and quickly.

BABY CHARM BRACELETS

August 25, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

Baby charm bracelets come in a variety of shapes and styles. While some families opt to create actual charm bracelets for their baby, out of gold or silver, some bracelets are family heirlooms, handed down through many generations.

Some parents however do not approve of baby bracelets, which, does make a lot of sense as babies do tend to put practically everything into their mouths. It makes even more sense with a charm bracelet in this case.

However, if you are considering getting your baby a charm bracelet, perhaps you should first consider your budget. Sterling silver baby bracelets would be the ideal choice if your budget cannot accommodate one made out of gold. Remember, that whatever you choose the bracelet to be made of, the thought, the love and the ‘special’ factor you bring in cannot be measured.

Baby charm bracelets can be turned out in many different fashions. You can get wonderfully creative with them. You could add on the birthstone of your baby on the charm bracelet – or you could get a special birthstone charm. These can be made in any shape you desire, be it a rattle, pacifier, Donald Duck or whatever you want. If you want more ideas, look online. There are thousands of different charms that you could even purchase online.

Another popular option for baby braceletsis spelling out your baby’s name and date of birth – using letter and number charms. If it’s a boy, you could even get charms made in blue, and pink for a girl. If you are thinking of gifting a baby charm bracelet – get a generic one adorned with baby toys, bottles, storks and rubber ducks.

Making investments in gold bullion

August 25, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

Much like Rome wasn’t built in a day – the profession of a coin dealer pretty much requires years and years of work in giving investors and collectors the best deals while constantly expanding their network of sources that can provide them with rare coins.

So how can one do this in the real world?

It’s easy. Just like most businesses that are going online to reach a wider audience, it is a good idea for some of these dealers to show their wares online as well. This is not about just playing middlemen to those who wish to collect coins with those who wish to sell them at a price as these dealers also provide customers with the option of investing in gold bullion, which has been one of the safest ways to invest your money.

The thing about dealers online is that one can open an account, make transactions if you are a collector or an investor, and have your desired items shipped to you within the specified time agreed upon as you make the transactions. Both low and high value transactions can be conducted safely which could include purchasing gold coins, silver bullion or even collector’s coins.

One way or another, whether you make an investment or would like to collect rare coins, going online will give you results like no other!

Choosing personalized favors and other wedding tips

August 25, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

Wedding favors are a popular giveaway. They can sometimes be a simple token of appreciation or a very extravagant gift. Whichever you choose to do, giving out personalized favors adds a really nice touch to your whole wedding.

If you are planning to create your favors at home, as in the case of most edible favors, personalizing it is a fairly easy task. You can get as creative as you want and doing it yourself makes it even more personalized than anything. If you are outsourcing the job, then you can find plenty of online wedding favor vendors who have personalization deals. The only things you need to worry about here are cost and time. Be sure to order, review and confirm the favor well ahead of the wedding.

If you are thinking about cutting costs think about buying chair slipcovers, round tablecloths and other table linen. These days, buying wedding linen online is cheaper than renting it out. Most vendors online now have direct links with the manufacturing plants in other parts of the world. Therefore they are able to bring down their price and be very competitive. Once you use the linen you can always find someone online to sell it to and thereby make a further saving on your costs.

Even though your wedding planner may be taking care of all things, you can still look into matters and see where you can save money. After all, the saving can be something you put away for a rainy or even become extra money to spend on your honeymoon.

Filler Coins

August 18, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

If you are having trouble completing your collection with expensive or hard-to-find mint coins, a filler coin might be a good stopgap measure.

Part of the joy in collecting gold bullion coins or other historical coins is completing a collection of coins from a particular series. However, doing this can be a very time-consuming and expensive proposition — especially for the beginning coin collector who is just starting to get involved in the hobby. This is especially true if the person is collecting coins in a series where certain, specific pieces are much more expensive than others.

Not every coin in a series is identical, and the distribution of precious metals within the coins along with other factors can determine its scarcity and desirability by collectors. This can mean that finding the final coins to fill out a collection — and having them be in mint condition — can be expensive and difficult.

If you are trying to complete a collection of coins from a certain pressing or period but are having trouble finding mint condition items or affording to purchase them, you might want to consider filler coins. These are gold and silver bullion coins that are of a lesser grade than mint condition but will help you to “fill” your collection. Purchasing filler coins is affordable, easy to do and will give you the satisfaction of completing your collection.

One example is the XF Jefferson nickel series. Most XF Jefferson nickels can be purchased for no more than $5, making it a great starter series for the beginning collector. However, the 1939-D XF Jefferson nickel is rarer and more desirable and usually sells for $10 to $12. Many novice coin collectors don’t want to pay that kind of money for one coin.

Instead of spending more than $10 for a mint condition 1939-D from a coin dealer, many collectors will buy a “filler” 1939-D that is at a lower grade than mint. This allows them to complete their collection and not have any gaps while they look for and purchase a mint 1939-D at a better price. This is a perfect example of how a filler coin can benefit the novice collector and help them experience the joy of finishing their collection.

Interested in bead wire?

August 17, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

Women have a thing for shiny trinkets, shopping and clothes just as much as men have a thing for beer, sports and silence. And while the man gets to relax on the couch after a hard day’s work, perhaps a woman should also be given sometime to surf the internet for gold beads that she would like to acquire.

Ever since internet stores have sprung and with entrepreneurs being able to source beautiful jewelry from almost every corner of the earth, and if you are the do-it-yourself types, then one can also purchase the beads and bead wire for several home-related or self-adornment projects.

Now whether you require beads or equipment for jewelry-making purposes or even home-related projects, there are certain resources that one will need in order to make these bead necklaces from a scratch. Some of these items include jewelry boxes, several types of cutters and pliers and so on and so forth that are essential in crafting the perfect necklace with faceted beads that you have always wanted to make with your own hands.

And it’s easy to find the jewelry components that you have been looking for, as most of these sites are divided neatly into sections based on the type of jewelry that is on display. All one has to do is spend some time looking at what is being offered and make purchases that suits buyers on a shoestring budget as well as with apparently no cash flow problems.

MOTHERS BRACELETS

August 17, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

Jewellery, specifically for a mother and child seems to be all the rage these days. Personalized jewellery that celebrates the bond between mother and child uses all kinds of features such as tags, charms and many other things. Mothers bracelets started off the mommy jewellery trend, based on the entire culture of friendship bracelets. Mothers bracelets are usually presented at a new arrival. These bracelets are usually quite similar to charm bracelets and include a tag that lists out the details of the new baby such as date of birth, name and even the baby’s measurements at birth.

This trend has now expanded further, and is used to celebrate various important milestones in the relationship between a mother and her child. These gifts are presented at a girl’s 16th birthday, a quinceanera or even at a graduation. Sometimes the mother and daughter get matching bracelets each personalized with either their birthstones or tags with important details engraved.

Mothers bracelets, though starting out as a simple piece of jewellery, has now developed to such a level that designers are even starting to fashion out their own versions of it. Usual designs for mommy bracelets use Swarovski crystals and other precious and semi-precious gemstoneswhich are variations of birthstone bracelets and are even quite similar to pearl baby bracelets.

Another popular trend with mommy bracelets is the use of beads with lettering spelling out names and favourite words, with the most common being ‘abundance’ and ‘love’.

When choosing mothers bracelets or any other kind of mommy jewellery, remember to choose one that celebrates your relationship with your mother – opt for gemstones, charms and monograms that mean something unique to the both of you, making it even more special.

Why coin dealers are sought after these days?

August 17, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

With more and more people getting into the coin collecting game (not exclusive to children, you know!), coin dealers are sought after to source coins that might complete the collection that one has painstakingly put together for a while.

Well, these coins might serve as a hobby for most folks but for some it’s a matter of pride in being able to document the past in ‘mint condition’. And speaking of mint condition, apart from coin collecting, one can also invest in gold bullion coins whose value hardly changes as opposed to the irregular rise and fall of prices in the stock market.

Perhaps gold and other precious metals are very similar to buying land as these are products people don’t get any more of in large quantities. Of course, as an investor, the future value of gold only increasing is assured.

So not only can one collect gold bars that has been crafted from both the United States and foreign soil, and this works not only as an investment but also as collector’s item as well, as some of these gold bars and coins are rare as well.

However, the interest in silver bullion ensures that the investor’s interest is not only in high value precious metals but also in ‘baser’ metals as well.

Some dealers have the entire range for investors to make their purchase online in the comfort of their home. So much for the internet becoming a place of commerce for the elite!

Ideas forwedding favors and decorations

August 16, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

The practice of giving wedding favors is not compulsory. It is completely a matter of choice and no one should feel obligated to give them out. But, if you are able to afford it, wedding favors add a nice touch to any wedding and you should give it a thought.

If you do decide to give out wedding favors, it needn’t be an expensive affair. You can either opt to buy or make your own wedding favors. The easiest types of favors to make at home are the edible types. Cookies, chocolate, almonds etc. can all be sorted at home. The only thing you need to worry about is starting early so that you are not rushed at the end.

If you decide to buy, there are plenty of websites that offer inexpensive wedding favors. They also offer many other wedding related goodies like personalized napkins, personalized ribbon, coasters, favor boxes, tags etc., etc. By opting for low cost favors you will find that you have a fair amount of money left over, which you can use to purchase these other niceties.

Another way of cutting costs and still looking good is to choose silk flowers over natural ones. Although it sounds rather awful, if you think about it, it isn’t. The only things going for fresh flowers is the fact that they are fresh and that some of them have not been properly replicated (like the tiniest or most exotic of flowers).But freshness is really the thing that causes problems, because the flowers need to get the location on time and stay looking fresh as well. This is a hassle you don’t need on you wedding day. Go for the silk flowers; it costs way less and will stay looking fresh for a few years at least. When you’re done with them, you can always sell it off on ebay.