The Jewellers' Association of Australia's Annual Fair Sydney 2006 - What's Hot Around the World?

Thousands of visitors from the Australian Gold Opal Jewellery for Sale trade, retailers, manufacturers, bench jewellers, goldsmiths, silversmiths attended the annual fair to see the latest products on show from hundreds of exhibitors from all over the world.

There is nothing new under the sun. Well perhaps there isn't but there certainly can be new twists put on old themes and that is certainly evident in the jewellery fashion world.

The world economies are changing and China is playing a big part in jewellery manufacture and China equals cheap. In Australia sales have been dampened by rising fuel prices, rising interest rates and massively rising gold and silver prices. But it doesn't mean that people have stopped buying jewellery.

As a response to these negative economic conditions new metals are looming as the popular choice. We are seeing titanium, tungsten, and stainless steel taking over some of the role of the precious metals gold and silver. These are exciting metals and a lot can be done with them that might not be done with other metals. Also, white gold is the most expensive of the gold varieties and with a huge surge in the gold price what can we do? Well palladium is the answer. It is a beautiful metal and is strong and a sparkling white. It doesn't need to be rhodium plated and in my opinion it looks better than white gold or platinum and it is less expensive.

Big is the word of today. We are seeing huge mens' watches. At first I have to laugh but then they grow on you. Of course you don't have to agree with the fashions you just have to keep up with them!

Beads and all things beaded and big beads are popular. Well, that's been happening for a while but it doesn't show any signs of waning. Bright coloured beaded jewellery is looming large. The best part about beaded jewellery is that it is cheap. You can buy a lot of it for very little and you can even make it yourself. Beaded gemstone jewellery is raging. I like because you get beads like garnets, pearls, opalite, and so on all very inexpensively. They are the poorer quality pieces of the mining process but what a terrific way to use them.

Diamonds are still in flavour which is evidenced by the fact that one and a half million dollars worth were stolen from one exhibitor as his wears were being transported to the fair. Diamonds are coming in all colours now and this is making a resurgence in the desire for the timeless stone.

Other gemstones are being set in invisible settings and this is becoming very popular. All that glittering metal which traditionally holds the stones in place is cleverly being replaced by another form of setting which makes the setting method invisible. I like it.

Silver jewellery is surging as a response to the increased cost of white gold but it always had its loyal followers in any case.

I am pleased to see that amber and amber jewellery from the far Baltic shores is still very popular.

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Jewellery Stores - A Glance At World's Best

 Gold Opal Jewellery for Sale – a magical word that exudes bright smiles, diamond-like glittering eyes and deep, longing sighs. Ever since the human race evolved into an intelligent straight-backed species, there are evidences that jewels in the form of precious crude metals and stones were collected and considered to be forms of splendor. There are several archeological findings of hand-made simple and elegant jewelry in various parts of the world. No wonder that in the modern age, jewelry has gained such an important status in the global market and a nation’s fortune is decided upon its possession and utilization of gold and diamond mines.

Competition among the best brands is at its optimum level and today’s jewelers are the busiest in the professional market, trying to meet the never-ending craving for priceless elegant designs. With the revolution in the area of industry and communication, world class jewelry has come to the reach of urban man and is no longer limited to remain in the prized possession of royalty and film stars. No matter what the budget, jewelry, in today’s world comes in many different forms to suit your individual style. Every variety of jewelry has long since been the ultimate fashion statement and has stayed that way till date. The earlier small scale family jewelry shops have turned into massive corporate giants spewing thousands of fresh designs each year. It is quite an impossible task to bring forth the staggering number of brands floating in the current market. However, based on antiquity and their present grasp on the world’s economy, I am going to enumerate here some famous jewelry stores and brands.

America’s best jewelry brands and retail outlets

Zale Corporation

Zale is one of North America’s largest retailers in diamond, pearl and coloured stone, and gold (rings, chains, etc) jewelry. It has a chain of 2350 outlets throughout US, Canada and Puerto Rico. The firm has four flagship bearers aimed at different jewelry markets - Bailey Banks & Biddle Fine Jewelers, Gordon's Jewelers, Zales Jewelers, and Piercing Pagoda. In addition to this, Zale also runs several outlets in Canada under the names Peoples Jewellers & Mappins Jewellers. Zales.com & Baileybanksandbiddle.com are the two official online shopping malls for sale of Zale merchandise.

A brief overview of Zale’s chains is given below:

Gordon's Jewelers:

This was founded in 1924 by Meyer M. Gordon. With further expansion, the business grew into a dominant regional jewelry brand catering to local fashion and style and it has continued the tradition over the years.

Bailey Banks & Biddle:

This was created by two American silversmiths with very little capital in 1832 and the brand was established in 1878. This firm of fine jewelers became one of the country’s prominent jewelry brands and now has a nationwide recognition. Bailey Banks & Biddle has grown to more than 70 retail locations in 31 states across the country and Puerto Rico.

Piercing Pagoda:

As ear-piercing started catching up with the fashion market of the US, jewelry store owners Bernard and Bertha Cohen found it apt to open the very first Piercing Pagoda™ in the Whitehall Mall in Whitehall, Pennsylvania, in 1969. This venture became a success story when women from far and wide came to their stall for ear-piercing. Piercing Pagoda has grown from a single retail location to a chain of more than 820 kiosks today satisfying customers throughout the US and Puerto Rico with its specialty gold jewelry.

Signet Group plc

Signet, a UK based company, is the largest US specialty retail brand capturing a major chunk of the US jewellery market with its 1,221 stores in 50 states. It reaches to the retail customers through the malls under the banner Kay Jewelers and regionally under a number of well-established and recognized names. The superstores operate under the flagship name Jared – The Galleria of Jewelry. Signet Group's US subsidiary is Sterling Jewelers.

Sterling Jewelers Inc.

Primarily dealing with sterling silver, Sterling Jewelers also showcases gold, silver, diamond, and gemstone jewelry, watches, collectibles, and gifts. It has a spread of some 1,220 stores in 50 states. Sterling jewelers is ranked number one in the US (ahead of Zale). It operates “Kay Jewelers” (as a subsidiary of Signet) as well “Jared the Galleria of Jewelry” (also as a subsidiary of Signet), and about 330 regional jewelry stores under the names “Belden”, “JB Robinson”, “Marks & Morgan”.

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How to Look After Your Jewellery - Some Hints on Caring for Your Precious Gems

We all know that our Gold Opal Jewellery for Sale is precious to us, and therefore we want to keep it in the best possible condition in order to maintain its value. I thought I would look at ways to keep your precious jewellery safe and sound.

Some gemstones are by their very nature soft and brittle, such as fluorite (or Blue John) and thus easily scratched. So anything with a Mohs scale rating of less than 7 is easily scratched (such as coral, lapis lazuli, opal, amber, pearl, and turquoise.) Some need to be kept away from direct sunlight or away from chemicals that can tarnish metals. Extremes of heat or cold can affect jewellery too. Some benefit from frequent wearing, while others should only be worn for special occasions and kept in a jewellery box when not being worn.

Also, some stones can be quite porous (such as opal, pearl, turquoise), and that is why you shouldn't leave these kind of stones immersed in water for too long. It's best to avoid doing the washing-up or going swimming while wearing jewellery. Chlorine is bad, and even ordinary soap can cause a film to form on your stones, losing their sparkle, though they can be cleaned. Use an old toothbrush and warm soapy water to gently clean stones of surface dirt and dry with a cotton cloth. Don't do this to opals, pearls and amber, as I have mentioned since they are porous and absorb water.

Some common stones are damaged in sunlight, including Amethyst, Aquamarine, Rose Quartz, and Smoky Quartz, all of which become paler. Other stones which may lose colour or become paler include Ametrine, Aventurine, Beryl, Citrine and Kunzite. Swarovski crystals are also vulnerable to fading too.

Moreover, don't put on your jewellery until after you have put deodorant, make-up, hairspray and perfume on, because the chemicals can affect them. Sun tan lotion is something to avoid! Even perspiration can affect stones, so wipe gently after use with a soft, lint-free cloth before putting away. Organic gemstones such as pearl and amber are especially prone to damage from chemicals.

Gold, silver, and platinum score only 2 to 4 on the Moh's scale of hardness, sand is 7 on the Mohs scale, which means your precious metal is softer than sand and can be easily scratched. So take care with silver necklaces for women and gold charm bracelets as they are more delicate than you think! Don't wear them when doing the gardening as they can be scratched and thus become dull and lose their shine. Also, don't let them get all tangled together but keep them separate in a soft pouch or bag. Cramming jewellery into a jewellery box can cause damage to delicate items so leave space for each item. I like to keep mine in the boxes they came in, and avoid contact with water.

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