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Dear
Jewelry Lover,
Alphabet
soup!
AGS.
GIA. JVC. AGSL. JA. The jewelry industry is full of acronyms identifying
various organizations, and it can be mystifying to consumers. Some of these
organizations are important mainly to members of the industry; some of them
are relevant to you, the consumer. Here are a few you should know about.
AGS: The American Gem
Society. This organization, founded in 1934, serves as a valuable consumer
protection organization. Fewer than 5% of retail jewelers in America
qualify to belong to this organization, truly the elite of the elite. To
qualify for membership, a company must have gemological training and must
operate under sound and ethical business practices. Unlike a degree in
gemology, which is awarded for a lifetime, membership in AGS must be
re-earned each year by passing an exam which tests the member on current
gemological knowledge. For you, the consumer, shopping with an AGS member
means you are dealing with a retailer who has the training and business
ethics to take the best possible care of you and your jewelry needs. I am
proud to say that Gleim the Jeweler has been a member of the AGS since
1954. Not only that, both my father, Arthur Gleim, and I have served as
President of the organization. You can visit their website at www.ags.org.
GIA: The Gemological
Institute of America. This organization was founded in 1931 by Robert
Shipley, the same man who, a few years later, founded the AGS. The GIA is
the premier educator of gemology in the country, perhaps in the world, and
has trained thousands of gemologists over the decades. GIA also operates
the best-recognized diamond grading laboratory in the world, and a GIA
Diamond Grading Report will accompany most fine quality diamonds of a carat
or larger. My father, Arthur Gleim, served as Chairman of the Board of
Governors of the GIA in the 1970s. Learn more about the organization at www.gia.edu.
AGS
Laboratory. The AGS established its own laboratory over ten years ago,
and was the only diamond grading laboratory to issue cut, or proportion,
grades for diamonds. If you know about diamonds, you know that ideal
proportions mean more fire and beauty for you, the wearer, and the AGS
Laboratory has managed to raise the standards for cut throughout the
industry. Visit www.agslab.com.
JVC: Jewelers
Vigilance Committee. This organization, established in 1912, is the
"watchdog of the jewelry industry." The JVC's mission is to
uphold the highest ethical standards of the industry, and is one
organization which can help consumers settle disputes they have with anyone
in the jewelry industry. The JVC can bring legal weight to disputes, and is
a great force in educating members of the industry about standards to which
they must adhere. Learn more at www.jvclegal.org.
JA: Jewelers of
America. This is the largest jewelry organization in the country, with over
10,000 members. In addition to providing educational benefits for its
members, JA has become increasingly involved in the global picture, working
with international organizations to improve the ethical, environmental and
social standards within the industry worldwide. Learn more at www.jewelers.org.
There are
still more jewelry organizations which could be helpful to you; I will be
writing about them in future issues.
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Community events
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 Venetian
Carnival
Gleim the Jeweler donated a diamond ring
to the Venetian Carnival, this year's fundraiser for the Ragazzi Boys'
Chorus, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Foster City. Word has it that
over $2000 was raised through ticket sales for the prize drawing. Learn
more about Ragazzi, nationally recognized for music education and
performance for boys, at www.ragazzi.org.
 Filoli Center
Filoli,
the extraordinary historic garden estate we are lucky enough to have in
our backyard in Woodside, will be having a special celebration at its
annual Mothers' Day Flower Show. This year marks the 30th anniversary of
Filoli Center. The Opening Night Preview Party will be honoring the Past
Presidents of Friends of Filoli. I am pleased we can participate in this
event by supplying jewelry for these Past Presidents to wear during the
evening. You can find out more about the event at www.filoli.org.
Click here for
larger view of Filoli Event postcard.
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Powers of
Gemstones
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Would you like to wear a gem which will "impart courage to the
wearer, cure laziness, and quicken the intellect?" Then aquamarine,
the birthstone for March, may be just the gem you need. For thousands of
years gemstones have been imparted with powers of healing or strength,
powers of calm or energy. Knowing what some of these legends are can
enhance your enjoyment of the gems you own or can add significance to a
gift you are giving. Some of the other powers attributed to aquamarine
over the years are those of cooling the temper, and allowing the wearer
to remain calm and levelheaded. Aquamarine is the sky blue version of
beryl, the same mineral which, in its green form, is the gemstone
emerald. You most often see aquamarines faceted in the emerald-cut, a
shape which gives a real elegance to this serene and lovely gem.
 Learn More...
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FAQs
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In this section each month I will try to address some of the questions we
are asked most frequently. I thought I'd start with one of the thoughts
foremost in people's minds when they leave a diamond ring to be repaired:
- Q:What do
I do with jewelry I have that I no longer wear?
- A: Many
people have jewelry in their jewelry boxes that they have not worn
in years. It may be something you inherited from Great Aunt Matilda
which never was your style. The sentiment may be important, but it
doesn't fit your wardrobe. You may have an item given to you in your
youth, which does not suit your personality of today. There are many
reasons you may not wear items in your collections. So what do you
do with them? There are several options. You may be able to remodel
a piece to a style which is more in tune with today's fashions. Take
the diamond out of the massive yellow gold setting your grandmother
wore and put it into an elegant platinum ring with some accent
diamonds. That way you keep the sentiment but make it wearable for
today. You may have jewelry you would just prefer to have out of
your life, for a variety of reasons. Consider trading it in on
something you will wear, or even just for store credit to have for
the future. Other options include consigning the piece for sale. We
have taken jewelry on consignment from our clients for many many
years. When you bring it in for consideration, we will let you know
what you can realistically expect to receive when the item sells,
and will then do our best to sell it for you. Bear in mind that the
length of time it takes to sell an item is completely unpredictable;
the best we can do is give you our best judgment about general
salability of a piece of jewelry. What to do with those single
earrings, scraps of old mountings, and other miscellaneous pieces of
gold? Even those can have some trade-in value on a scrap metal
basis. Knowing what the options are for disposing of a piece of
jewelry is usually the best way to begin making a good decision.
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Treasures for
Children
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If you are out shopping with your children, be sure to stop into one of
our stores where your child will have the opportunity to select his or
her own gemstone. I recently attended the gem show in Tucson, the largest
gem show in the world, and one of the things I brought back with me were
the pretty gems shown here. Each one of our stores now has a carved
gemstone bowl filled with a variety of stones: laboradorite, jasper,
sunstone, and tigereye. Stop by and let your children select something
for their treasure box!
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Great Gift Ideas
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While I was at the Tucson Gem Show, I found these beautiful gemstone
world globes. They are made from inlaid stone; the blue oceans are lapis
lazuli, and the green globe is made of a member of the jade family. All
countries are made up of a variety of other kinds of stone; you will find
jasper, onyx, mother of pearl, and turquoise, to name a few.
I was very impressed with the quality of
these globes, both with the careful inlay work and with the overall
finish, so I brought some home to put in our cases. The selection we have
now ranges in size from about 5 inches tall to about 14 inches, and the
prices range from $90 to $240 You will currently find these at our store
on University Ave. They would make wonderful gifts for many different
occasions. Stop by to see them when you have a chance!
Visit Gemart
Globes Online...
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Save The Date!!
Come help celebrate an honor for Gleim the Jeweler!
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Gleim the Jeweler is honored to be one
of only seven jewelers in the country to host a Cartier Premier Event in
2006.
May 5-7, our store at the Stanford
Shopping Center will have the privilege of showing a special collection
of more than twenty jeweled watches with a total value of over $750,000.
This will be a rare opportunity to see some extraordinary pieces from the
House of Cartier which will exemplify their long tradition of creating
timepieces of exquisite quality.
Our Cartier expert will be on hand to
tell you about the proud tradition of the company, known particularly for
its extraordinary jewelry, watches and clocks created during the Art Deco
period. Cartier was a favorite of both European Royalty and American
society, and an item from Cartier often became the centerpiece of a
personal collection to be handed down to succeeding generations.
One of our own clients of many years ago
had a favorite anecdote about Cartier: she knew she had
"arrived" when she entered Cartier New York and her own
personal salesperson left the Duchess of Windsor to come over and say
hello to her!
Please note;
Cartier images are similar to items from the collection, but not
necessarily the exact items which will be appearing.
I would love to know just what you would like to read about in this
newsletter.
- What would you like to
learn about jewelry or its related services?
- What have you always
wanted to know about the jewelry industry?
- What kinds of services
do you wish we could offer?
Please
use this newsletter as a way to keep us informed and on our toes! Your Thoughts...Your Questions
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Georgie,
Do you know anyone who may want to read this e-newsletter or subscribe to
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click on "Forward this email to a friend" link below.
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