jewelry gifts

Want to give some jewelry? Try jewelry by miaj she makes some nice little things with semi precious stones.

Finding bargains in the jewelry box
Commentary: Where the best values are this year in jewelry gifts

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Bunnies love carats. No, we're not talking about the fluorescent veggies but about the standard measures of weight and purity of gold and diamonds. 

MARSHALL LOEB found at marketwatch.com Dec 1, 2006

Consumer demand for those prized possessions peaks at Christmas. Jewelers typically ring up about one-quarter of their annual business in December alone. So far this year demand has been generally strong, and retail prices are up 3% to 4%, reports Ken Gassman, president of the Jewelry Industry Research Institute. 
Still, parts of the fine jewelry and watch market are spotty enough that you can find some bargains for your lady love ... or the man in your life. 
Take, for example, expensive Swiss and other European watches, particularly those made of platinum. Demand had been so robust that some platinum watches in the last two years had been selling for twice the price of gold watches, says Solly Refael, owner of Daniele Trissi Jewelry in Scarsdale, New York. But that became just too much for the market to bear. So now, yellow gold watches have become increasingly popular, and it has been possible for consumers to negotiate better retail prices for platinum watches. It is just at this moment of change that you might be able to find selective bargains. 
Another market in flux is that of pearls. 
The Japanese have dominated it for decades. But recently the resourceful Chinese have moved in with heavy competition. 
You can buy an 18-inch strand of Akoya brand Japanese pearls, grown in sea water, for $3,000 to $4,000. But a similar 18-inch Chinese strand of pearls, grown in fresh water, may sell for only $600. Moreover, the Chinese are also producing some pearls in rare colors that attract customers -- yellow, pink, lavender. 

In the diamond market, a large stone (like a good man) is hard to find, primarily because few have been dug up lately. As a result, prices of traditional white diamonds of three carats or more have rocketed 40% to 50% in the past year, says Jay Mednikow, president of Mednikow Jewelers in Memphis and Atlanta. 

He credits much of the rise to the global political upheaval: "There's political unrest in the world, caused by terrorism. So there is a flight to hard assets -- to which you can attach value -- by people all over the world, especially in Europe and the Middle East. 

Also, there is more wealth being created in China than ever before." 
But you can find bargains in yellow diamonds. Because of the whims of fashion, they became very popular over the last decade, and their prices zoomed. Now the market is loaded with yellow diamonds, and their prices are beginning to return to earth. 

The Big Three of colored stones -- rubies, emeralds and sapphires -- are sometimes referred to in the trade as the Wild, Wild West. Unlike with diamonds, there is no grading scale. The value is all in the eye of the beholder. And that valuation is not worth much unless the beholder is a professional. 

Prices of colored stones are strong now. But most of them are treated with heat and/or oil to enhance their vibrant colors. So if you buy colored stones, or diamonds, be sure that the stone come with a certificate of authenticity from a reputable gem lab such as those at the Gemological Association of America or the American Gem Trade Association. 
But don't neglect to seek a price-cutting bargain. With the proper negotiation, they are available in many shops. Says Trissi's Solly Refael with only slight exaggeration: "You can negotiate everything." 
Well, not at Tiffany's or Cartier's, but just about everywhere else, it's worth a try. 
Reporter Ismat Sarah Mangla contributed to this article. 

Marshall Loeb, former editor of Fortune, Money, and The Columbia Journalism Review, writes "Your Dollars" for MarketWatch.

read also 

Want to give some jewelry? Try jewelry by miaj she makes some nice little things with semi precious stones.

Crowds going gaga over Burmese rubies at trade fair

New Delhi, Nov 21 (IANS) Ravishing red Burmese rubies, dazzling diamonds and many other precious and semi-precious gemstones are making the crowds go crazy at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) at Pragati Maidan complex here.