As markets fall, gold soars

NEW YORK — A thousand dollars will buy you a laptop, a Caribbean cruise or, these days, an ounce of gold.

The price of gold broke above $1,000 yesterday for the first time in almost a year as investors abandoned stocks and other securities seen as more risky.

The soaring price of gold is an indicator of how dire the overall state of the economy is. Investors are shaken by the weakening banking industry and rising unemployment as it becomes increasingly unclear where the bottom is for other investments.

Prices came down from an all-time high set last March as credit markets froze up and traders raced to unwind their positions for cash to cover huge losses. But gold has surged 48 percent in just the past four months, trading as high as $1,007.70 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange yesterday. And analysts say it will likely break a record as early as next week.

Traders are rushing to gold and the U.S. dollar as a safe haven as the stock market plummets, oil prices sink and interest rates for Treasury bills, notes and bonds slide. On Thursday, the Dow Jones industrials closed at 7,465.95, their lowest level in six years.

“Gold seems to be the asset that has the most potential for price appreciation,” said Carlos Sanchez, an analyst with CPM Group in New York. “Everyone’s waiting to see what happens next, when the economy will begin to pick up, before they invest in other assets. But there isn’t any evidence right now that it will.”

Gold has fared better than other commodities, Sanchez said, because of its reputation as a currency substitute rather than a necessity like oil, copper or cotton, which have declined in value over the past year.

Meanwhile, as investors scramble to buy up gold, more of it has become available, according to Jeffrey Nichols, managing director at New York-based American Precious Metals Advisors. Demand for jewelry has evaporated as consumers scoff at the idea of buying luxury items, while a growing secondary market for gold scrap sends low-valued jewelry to refiners to be melted down to gold bars.

Article source: http://www.projo.com

Affordable Bridesmaids Gifts - A Jewelry Gift?

Traditionally, the bride will have to give wedding gifts to her bridesmaids. Such gifts are often given at the bridesmaids' luncheon or rehearsal dinner, this is one way of the bride to thank her female attendants and to show her deep appreciation for their support and effort they have shared. However, some brides have been triggered by some hard tricks in finding perfect gifts for their bridesmaids.

If you are a bride and you are having a hard time thinking what gifts to give for your bridesmaids, consider a jewelry gift. After all, bridesmaids gifts should be something that they could wear at the wedding. Bridesmaids typically buy their own wedding dress, shoes and other accessories, which can be costly. For this reason alone, you may feel obligated to reward your girlfriends by giving something special. Bridesmaids jewelries are great add-ons to your bridesmaids attire, but often these jewelries come in expensive prices. Fortunately, there are many ways to find bridesmaids jewelries that are not only stunningly beautiful for you bridesmaids, but affordable too.

One way to find affordable bridesmaids jewelries is through the Internet. Many online jewelry dealers can offer the best deals compared to local jewelry shops. Online jewelry stores can offer less expensive pieces for they only have very little overhead costs to consider compared to typical retail stores that have to factor in shipping costs, stocking fees, and employees' salary. Online businesses can definitely afford to offer prices that are nearly close with wholesale prices. So when finding for affordable bridesmaids jewelries, your first stop is most probably to an online jewelry store.

Another place where to find lots of jewelry selection are wedding shops or boutiques. These places have always carry a line of bridal jewelries, however it is frequently very expensive. But most of them are also offering a markdown section where jewelry pieces have been deeply discounted. This is often done to make room for new merchandise. However, shopping in the clearance section doesn't mean that you only need to settle with yesterday's jewelry. Quite often, new jewelry trends are a slight variation of the old ones, if not identical. But really, shopping in the clearance section can definitely cut costs.

Many brides today have realized that there is a pleasure of fun in making their own wedding jewelry. You may want to opt to take the do-it-yourself approach also. There are many Swarovski jewelry kits available online as well as in many local craft stores, which can be purchased to make bridesmaids jewelry. You can make the jewelry yourself or you may gather all your bridesmaids and allow them each to design their own jewelry. This is not only a money-saving option, but also a fun bonding time for you and your attendants.

Bridesmaids are very important to any types of wedding, and it is also important to thank them and appreciate them by giving special gifts. Apart from jewelry, you may also give other affordable choices like personalized bridesmaids gifts, such as engraved compact mirrors, personalized tote bags, monogrammed shirts and many other personalized ideas. Bridesmaids jewelry too can be made personalize. You might consider engraved bracelets or necklaces for your bridesmaids. Bridesmaids jewelry is not only practical and beautiful, but it can be affordable as well.

Article source: http://ezinearticles.com

Winter 2008 and Spring 2009 Jewelry Trends

If you're making handmade jewelry to sell at craft shows, holiday bazaars or even specialty boutique stores then you definitely want to maximize your potential for selling more jewelry by building in some of these jewelry fashion trends into your own pieces.

A lot of jewelry makers and artists don't think about trying to follow fashion trends and their sales end up suffering for it. Even if you already have a backlog of jewelry inventory I've found that you can sometimes introduce little changes that will make those older jewelry pieces have much more appeal to a wider audience. Make the 2008 Winter and 2009 Spring season the time you turn your jewelry making style a little more fashionable and see your sales increase!

Warm and Dark: There are lots of different predictors of color pallette trends for the winter, but all you really need to know is dark and warm. This means that dark reds, oranges and even some darker yellow colors are all very popular. I've seen a lot of people wearing dark red gems and stones a lot, usually with a darker color or patina coated metal as well. Don't forget colors like brown, black and even muddied greys can be dark and warm

Formal Wear: The winter holidays bring a number of dances and parties and gatherings of all sorts, some formal and some informal. For formal events diamonds never go out of style, but instead of being draped in many different jewelry pieces and accessories expect to see people wearing one or two unique and large pieces. If you are making jewelry for formal events you may want to consider making an eye-catching pendant, cocktail ring and earring combination all using over-sized semi-precious stones or gems. As always, pearls and diamonds are always great for formal events, but fake pearls and large costume jewelry pieces can be popular and add sparkle just like anything else!

Gold vs Silver: Silver's cool feel always makes it a hit in the winter months with the way is goes so well with the silvery shimmer of snow, but gold is making a comeback, especially with those warmer colors and bigger stones we're seeing.

These are just some of the many new and exciting jewelry fashions that hot for the upcoming cold months. If you're making your own jewelry then you'll definitely want to pay attention to these trends and keep them in mind as you make your own pieces, either for sale or for wearing on your own!