2/26/10 The staff at Maloy’s wants to thank our clients for sharing their wonderful family jewelry stories! It is an honor to be included in the process of getting your precious heirlooms ready for another generation to enjoy.
THE ITEM- Today I worked with a woman who has a beautiful, heavy , 18k yellow gold chain. The chain dates from the Victorian era, and is almost 6 feet long.
THE STORY- This woman’s grandmother hid this extraordinary chain in her clothing when she immigrated to the United States from Greece around 1910. She was traveling with her two small children, and brought the chain as an “insurance policy”, thinking she could use it in an emergency as a bribe to secure safe passage. Happily, it was not needed, and all arrived safely, with the chain still hidden in her bodice.
THE NEXT CHAPTER – “The Chain” is now being divided into a number of shorter necklaces and bracelets, so that each of this brave woman’s descendants can have their own piece of this wonderful family story.
2/22/10 Good thinking! Clients A. & C. came in today with a scary story
but happy ending. C’s ring was too big on him, and next thing he knew, it
fell off his cold wet hand on the beach at Sauvie Island. The heavy gold
band immediately vanished into the sand without a trace, and they knew
sifting through the sand was only burying it deeper. In a burst of
brilliance, they ran out and rented a metal detector. They located the ring
within 5 minutes of searching, and brought it in to have it sized correctly.
2/15/10 A first today at Maloy’s! A young woman came in a bit distraught.
It seems her boyfriend had proposed to her the night before, and in her
excitement and determination, she somehow managed to get the ring on her
finger, despite the fact that it was far too small. Now it was hopelessly
stuck. All of our best ring removal tricks were tried in vain. We actually
wound up having to cut the ring off her finger less than 24 hours after she
first put it on. Several morals story- 1) balance your enthusiasm to wear
your ring with a bit of common sense. 2) Windex is best for lubricating a
ring stuck on your hand. 3) If all else fails, Maloy’s can usually cut your
ring off quickly and painlessly… And then resize it correctly for you.
H.H. of Portland, on 1/24/10 writes-
Dear Maloy’s staff,
I am the woman who wanted to buy the art deco dinner ring this January. .. I
didn’t want you to think I had forgotten about the ring or found something
else. Instead, I remember it with a lusty fondness, bordering on Lord of
the Rings obsession… I must also tell you how wonderful your shop is, a
bright gem in and of itself. Your taste is impeccable and every person I
spoke with was charming, well-educated and courteous. I didn’t feel
pressured at all and in fact, received some very good advice when it was
suggested I wait to buy the ring I really wanted rather than settle for the
cheaper second best… I have never bought fine jewelry before, but I fully
intend to in the near future, and when I do it will be at your shop. I look
forward to that day.
UPDATE- H.H. Decided to wait till she could put a deposit on her “dream”
Deco ring. She is currently paying it off, interest free, with our layaway
plan.
Nothing is worse than arriving to play with the sparklies only to find us closed, so we want give you plenty of notice that we will be CLOSED on Monday, May 25th for Memorial Day, and then again on Saturday, June 6th, because the Rose Parade will pass right by our door. Enjoy these festive days!
With all the talk and news reporting these days about scandalous gold buying practices, we thought we’d take a moment to demystify the process for you.
Gold is a commodity, and the base value of any piece of jewelry starts with the value of the precious material – metal and stones that it is made from – with some special pieces, there are additional layers of value added- rarity, exceptional craftsmanship and antique value sometimes come into play.
We are in a time of financial upheaval and resettling. Metal prices are volatile, household incomes are volatile. As a result, many jewelry shops are offering gold buying services as a way for people to turn their unwanted jewelry into needed cash. In the process of determining a bid, there are several steps that should ALWAYS be taken.
1) The gold content of your pieces should be individually tested. 14 karat gold is 58.5% pure gold, with the balance being other metals that are alloyed with the gold in order to improve durability, alter the color (to white or rose gold, for example), and also to decrease the manufacturing cost of the item. 18k is 75% pure gold, and 10k is only 41.6% pure. This is one reason an ounce of jewelry will not get a scrap bid equivalent to the price of an ounce of gold… that second number is for an ounce of pure refined material.
2) Once your pieces have been tested and grouped by karat (gold content), they should be weighed. Some jewelers use ounces, some prefer pennyweights (one twentieth of an ounce), some use grams. These are all matters of personal preference, and are all equally accurate systems.
3) Using the above steps, the actual amount of pure gold in your items is calculated. If you are considering selling some scrap items to a dealer who does not use a scale and calculator, you should take your items and leave.
Now for the trickier parts. Gold needs to be refined before it can be reused. Refining costs money, and those fees are subtracted from your bid. Testing, weighing, and calculating takes an employee’s time, that is also factored into the bid. Now for the trickiest part. By Oregon law, scrap purchases need to be held for 30 days before refining, and refining itself takes time. Who knows what direction gold prices will move over the next several weeks? Reputable jewelers are going to build a cushion into their bid to help ameliorate the gambling element inherent in such a transaction! As mentioned above, this is a service we are providing, and as a business, we can’t afford to loose money every time we provide it.
Yes, this is a way we make a little money too, but not a lot. What is so scary, and making headlines, is that some businesses are bidding so little for your gold, that when you question the bid, they have room to automatically double it! Others are offering coupons for 20% “higher” bids… You shouldn’t need a coupon to get a fair price for your gold.
I am obsessed with pearls this spring. I think it comes from them being born of conflict and irritation! Just think–all the difficulties we are facing could just be what we need to create beautiful pearls! That and I find them soothing– like prayer or worry beads. Their smoothness and luster are just the thing to contemplate on a stressful day.
To celebrate pearls we are offering 25% off any strand we have in the store!
See you soon!
Kaaren Maloy
National Jeweler is recognizing the advertising work of jewelry studios across the country…help Maloy’s to win a Best of Show award by voting for our ads on their website. The deadline for voting is January 31st, so please vote today (and tell all of your friends, too).
Start the New Year by taking stock of your jewelry collection. Bring in your favorite jewelry for polishing or repairs. Trade in mismatched earrings and pieces that you no longer want. When we’re through, your jewelry box will sparkle with renewed life. Think of Maloy’s as a spa for your jewelry.
Contact us via email or call (503) 223-4720 to reserve your “Jewelry Spa Session” where we will have staff on hand to consult with you about updating your pieces to “review, renew and restore.”
Monday, February 2nd, 4:00-7:00pm
Thursday, February 5th, 4:00-7:00
Saturday, February 7th, 12:00-3:00
We’re proud to announce the launch of our freshly redesigned website, which features selected work, information on restoration services and – of course – Bella and Ned!
