Golden opportunity
Consumers have been cashing-in old wedding rings, coins, necklaces and virtually anything fashioned from gold to take advantage of the metal's recent hike to $US1,000 an ounce, according to the Associated Press.
"Everybody's trying to sell," said Chicago retailer Richard Rozhko. "People are trying to cash out because they don't believe that gold's going to go higher than $US1,000 or $US1,200."
New York resident and marketing consultant Rachel Weingarten didn't need to sell her gold, but was enticed to when she saw the price-rise: "When I saw the prices going through the roof, I saw it as an amazing opportunity to rid myself of jewellery that no longer suits my taste or status. It's also been a lot of fun to get cash for stuff that is broken or just really ugly or just takes up room in my drawers."
Gold hit $US1,000 an ounce in mid-March.
Perfect revenge
Jilted lovers now have the chance to sell jewellery and other gifts bestowed by their previous partners on a purpose-built website.
With a slogan reading, "You don't want it, he can't have it back", www.ex-boyfriendjewelry.com contains images and prices of pre-loved pieces, along with anecdotes describing the demise of the relationship or the ex-boyfriend himself.
One example is: "Rings from a failing relationship with a lying loser of a fiancée. Thank God I didn't go all the way. I hired a trailer, packed my bags as well as his dog, and got the hell out of there. Lovely rings, terrible liar".
One-stop jewellery shop
A giant, 70,000- square-feet complex has been erected in Chennai, India totally dedicated to jewellery retail.
Comprising of more than a million designs from international companies across four floors, The Joyalukkas' Chennai showroom is the largest jewellery showroom in the world, and was inaugurated in March by industry figure heads including Philip Olden, managing director marketing and jewellery, World Gold Council, and Roland Lorie, CEO, International Gemological Institute.
In addition to jewellery purchase, the showroom features a diamond journey through a cave, diamond museum, jewellery-design studio, VIP-customer club and exclusive areas for individual purchasing.
Jeweller plots own robbery
A 32-year-old Irish jeweller has tried to rob his own store.
Kilmuckridge retailer Alan Dowling pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud, according to the Enniscorthy Guardian, telling the Wexford Circuit Court he became involved in the crime to cover a ?30,000 ($A51,000) debt. When Sgt. Brendan Hobbs responded to reports of a robbery, he found Dowling lying on the shop floor with his hands and legs bound and complaining that he had been kicked in the head and stunned by a stun-gun.
Citing losses exceeding ?95,000 ($A161,855), Dowling filed a maximum claim for ?60,000 ($AU102,224) but when a suspect admitted to a connection with the jeweller, the claim was not pursued.
Jeweller nicked for nickel
A UK jeweller is in hot water after a customer had an allergic reaction to supposedly nickel-free jewellery sold in-store.
Trading standards officers seized the earrings after a woman experienced an extreme allergic reaction while wearing them. The woman, who was aware of her allergy, believed it was safe to buy the jewellery advertised as nickel-free; however, subsequent tests showed they exceeded the maximum permitted level of nickel. Officers seized 53 pairs of earrings from the Northampton store.
"I am pleased that trading standards have removed these items from sale," said
Councillor Liz Tavener, cabinet member for community safety.
Pushing it
No longer merely content with their bundle of joy, new American mothers are increasingly expecting rewards for the struggles of their pregnancy and labour.
Diamonds and jewellery are just examples of the most sought-after "push presents" in an emerging market influenced by Hollywood stars like Pierce Brosnan and Ben Affleck that is providing a growing range of gifts designed especially for the occasion.
Hearts on Fire and Tiffany and Co. are just two high-end companies that offer motherhood collections.
Muslim garb used as disguise
A man has used a Muslim headdress to rob a jewellery store in England.
According to in the Daily Mail, the man used the headdress and a pram to appear female at the buzzer-enabled door of the Friends Jewellers store in West Midlands. Once the door was open, four men armed with hammers burst into the shop and smashed open the glass display cabinets.
The raiders attacked the storeowner, his brother and two security guards with pepper spray before fleeing with £200,000 ($AU437,200) of 24-carat gold jewellery.
Concerns have been expressed that such crimes may result in racial vilification against Muslims.
Golden hand
US-based beauty product and gift retailer Essenza Inc. recently unveiled a deck of gold playing cards.
Retailing for $US1,599, the 24-carat cards are tipped to appeal to casinos wanting to attract high-stakes clientele. One wonders, however, whether the cards themselves might prove more lucrative than the pool, especially with down-on-their-luck poker players.