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Wednesday, November 11, 1998

an fine jewelry is
unlike

gift is made of
materials that of

~ of years. old?
~The . -.natural
gemstones and
precious metals

. -from which fine
jeweiry is. created . have: a

uniqueness. and ‘complexity

that. often: require. special

knowledge. Most consumers
-havé a hard time evaluating a -.
sultured ..
je pearls or. distinguishing, be-
“tween a blue topaz. and.a ‘sap
phire..And,. even: if they’ do.

strand - of quality..<

‘know: the difference between:

| "carats and karats, how do they.
“know.. they. are. ‘getting. what =

~~ they're paying for?

* scember ri rings’.
~-in the holidays.

Chris tmas,
_ people

os around
world

festive celebra-
Se DONSuis
No matter what the holiday,
the annual ritual-of cleaning,

. decorating, gift shopping, gift.

wr apping, cooking and enter-
taining pousemuee| is univer:
“gal,
Yet, as familiar as the ritual
may. be, the one thing every

-year that can. make or break:

the holiday spirit throughout

the season is finding the right:

gift for aloved one,
When chooshng a gift for.

a uying.a piece of:
buying |

-any other: -prod-
uct. What other’

~.. ten are billions |

—— Hanukkah;

“Kwanzaa and a
the new. year:

the.
are-
preparing | for.

how long the jeweler has been:

in business by checking with
the Better Business Bureau or
the Chamber of Commerce.

The right jeweler i is a trained
; professional. who Iniowledge-.

ably can. guide: ‘customers
‘through the selection process.
‘And: a professional will be
there later if thie piece needs to
be cleaiied, restrung’ ‘or re
mounted. Ask what the return

or trade-up policy. is: “And fi-
nally, ask if the jeweler i is affili-

ated with one of the jewelry

trade associations, like Jewel-
ers of America or American
Gem Society, that require:a
“code of ethics for, their 1 mem- :

bers.

: safe’ ‘by. shopping around fit
and comparing actual value.

‘someone you. care about it's

_important to determine what:

you want your gift to say be-

~ fore you go searching for it. In...

other: words, choose a mes- |
‘sage, then choose the.object..
~ that bes st conveys that ‘mes-

sage.

dilemmas, the following sug-
gestions for determining what

. characteristics the perfect gift.
‘ should possess: =.= f
’e Appropriatencss — The °”
perfect pift is fitting for the oc-°
> asurprisea, .
-@ Evocation.— The per.

casion and the relationship, .
* Perceptivencss — The

perfect gift reflects the giver's

attentiveness to (he tastes and:
preferences of the recipient. In

¥

V2. Don't be dazzled - ‘by
‘discounts. ‘Ifa store is offering -
~ unbelievable discounts of 50 .
percent or more, the sale prob:
_ ably is just: that — é
able. Consumers should play.it:

alloyed with other metals, like
copper, zinc or silver, to give it
strength and durability. Four-

_ teen-karat gold, for example, is

‘58.3 percent gold; the rest are

alloys. Ask the jeweler to show
you the quality mark for gold,
platinum and sterling» silver
jewelry. If the trademark i is not
there, don’t buy it.”

AL ~ Know: what- defines

“quality in. gemstones. To
. qualify ; as a gem, a stone must
possess beauty, durability and

rarity. No.two gems are alike.
‘Diamonds are the hardest and

the oldest gemstones known
to man::Their quality-is deter-

. mined by. the four C’s — cut,
~~ colour, clarity and carat weight.

;, Awell-cut diamond unleashes »
a brilliance unmatched by any ;

: other gem.
; Compare similarly cut and

‘Generally the purest ‘and mos
vibrant colour possible i

~ essence, ‘it's2 a ‘complimest that a
. says, “When I saw. this, -]
‘ couldn’t help but think of you!”

° Selflessness — The per-

fect giftreveals that the givér's. |”
‘only desire is to please the re-
cipient — expecting nothing .
-inreturn,
To help keep the focus of
‘the holiday season on the joy
and true meaning of the holi-
‘days themselves -— their tra-
“ditions, symbols and folklore |
— rather than-on gift-giving: -

e ‘Generosity - as The per

fect giftis a generous endow- ©
ment of the giver’ stime, ef fort.

or creativity,
° Indulgence - — The per

fect gift’says there is some-~ 7
thing extraordinary about the

pearls. The best st quality seule
should have deep luster, beau-
tiful iridescence, surface clean-.
liness and should be perfectly
round. Less expensive but also
elegant ‘are baroque pearls,
with semiround or irregular
shapes. Avoid pearls. with
chips near the drill holes, as
they can enlarge over time.
G. Get it in writing: When
buying fine jewelry, ask the

jeweler to write a complete de-
scription on your receipt: For

gold: jewelry, ask for ‘the
karatage; for diamonds, the.‘
cut, colour, clarity: and carat

weight (the weight of the cen-. |
“tre stone and total carat weight
if they. are side stones). For ~
- coloured gems, ‘ask for a de-
- scription of overall colour and
4 carat. weight. Find out if the
~*~ gem is of natural origin or-has
~~ béen treated in any way to en- . -
S8 ation its beauty: “That: infor-

recipient in the’ eyes of the |:

giver — it pampers, ithumors,
it appeases, it satisfies,

_ © Surprise — The perfect sa

gift -—~ or its presentation — is

fect gift moves the recipient —

“it elicits an. emotional. re.
"sponse or evokes a sentiment. .

ooo areenungessn en resna nina atnictana tng asntosmeutre aaa omen ei uorsmenti seen ten as rar he NR NBR NES ena tr RE AP ONC HRY NRE UR NE} tw mn ne bt

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