We review Fortune Magazine and Harvard Business Review’s stance on the Apple Watch and its threat to the watch industry: The Apple watch is no doubt the first time in many many years that a large amount of the world heard of, and cared about a watch. The days of luxury watches being a must-have … Read more
Jewelry Education
Happy September Birthday! – Sapphire
Sapphires are a variety of corundum and occurs in many different colors, the most well-known of which are pink and blue. Sapphires were believed to symbolize heaven and the color blue is traditionally known for royalty as well. – The biggest source of sapphires is Australia – Said to represent purity of the soul and … Read more
Happy August Birthday! – Peridot & Sardonyx
Peridot Peridot is a beautiful green stone. The green of peridot ranges from bright lime green to a brownish olive. Some facts about Peridot: – In Hawaiian culture, Peridot represents the tears of the Goddess Pele (Goddess of fire/volcano) – Greeks believed that the Peridot bestowed royalty – The best Peridots are said to be … Read more
All About Jade
One of our favorite materials here at Hawaii Estate and Jewelry Buyers is JADE. Jade holds a strong place in Chinese culture and fine Jade is a revered stone. Many people here in Hawaii have jade items somewhere in their household, but knowing what is valuable is difficult for a novice. Not all Jade is … Read more
Quill & Pad’s 6 Ways to Spot A Fake Watch
Quill & Pad , a notable online resource for journalism on fine timepieces published an article with some advice on spotting a fake watch. Gathering some additional tips and tricks from across the web, we offer a summary of their 6 ways to spot a fake, and add our own advice on buying and selling a pre-owned watch and not … Read more
Happy July Birthday! – Ruby
As the summer heats up, we celebrate all of the July babies with ruby. The American Gem Society writes: Rubies are one of the hardest gemstones, second only to diamonds, and the deeper the color, the more valuable (but deep mahogany hues may be garnet!). A red corundum is considered a ruby (other colors are considered sapphires). Light and … Read more
Christie’s Watches : Vintage vs. New
“Just like driving a car off the lot, in most cases you are going to take a big hit on the value up front.” –Reginald Brack Christie’s article “Ask a Specialist: Vintage vs. New” speaks with Reginald Brack, International Head of Retail, Christie’s Watch Department, about the merits of buying a pre-owned watch vs. a … Read more
Happy June Birthday! – Pearl, Alexandrite & Moonstone
Wow! June babies get their pick of three birthstones: Pearl Pearl jewelry often invokes thoughts of vintage glamour and classic beauty. Since pearls became easy to culture by man, the value of modern pearls is often low, making pearl jewelry affordable for the modern person. Pearls are formed by oysters and are the only “gem” … Read more
The History of Wedding Rings
Today, wedding rings are almost universally accepted and expected as signs of marriage and unity. Also as a sign of promise, the circle of a ring is never ending and metaphorically the symbol makes sense. But who started it? Some believe that in Egypt, natural plant materials were worn as decorative rings. However, it is … Read more
Hawaii Estate and Jewelry Buyers partners with Make A Wish
Make A Wish Hawaii : The Hawaii Jewelers Association(HJA ) has partnered with Make-A-Wish Hawaii after selecting the local nonprofit as their charity of choice, involving the association’s statewide members with the Make-A-Wish mission. The HJA, under the new leadership of co-executive directors Sophia Makaimoku-Young and Bernard Nunies, is an affiliate of Jewelers for Children , an international organization dedicated to uniting charitable giving efforts of the … Read more
What is refined gold?
Do you know what happens when gold is melted? Sometimes gold jewelry is sold for “gold weight”. Usually the gold is then processed at a refinery to separate the pure gold from other materials. Since gold is soft, it is often combined with nickel (white gold), silver, palladium or even copper (rose gold). The pure … Read more
Gold Forecast for 2015
Lucky we live Hawaii – far from the bullishness of Wall Street. But though we are miles apart, our islands are directly affected by the state of the U.S. financial market. In the aftermath of the 2010 financial crisis, the popularity of gold peaked. Stocks, savings accounts, and other interest-building investments dropped in value, and … Read more
