All That Glitters Website and Info Changes for October 2011!

Here are the changes to look for on the All That Glitters Website for October 2011:

This Months Special: 4.58ct US Faceted Oregon Sunstone

A large ROUND 4.56ct Natural Oregon Sunstone, mined in October 2008 and faceted in the U.S. Not seen very often in larger rounds. Interesting pattern which gives the design a slight swirl - LOTS of sparkle

This Months Gem News: Gemstones Continue to Rise - Investing in Gemstones with Clarity...

An interesting article including comments from All That Glitters

Newly Faceted or Photographed Gemstones:

Large piece of Mookaite from Australia, with one side being polished and the other, natural.

The Kunzite from the OceanView Mine (Big Kanuna II) is faceted - 18.85cts; museums have been contacted but

unforunately, they tend toward donations vs. purchases! One person from GIA whom we sent the photo to, had the following to say - "What a beautiful stone! I have been following the Oceanview story, and am quite pleased to see such a nice kunzite cut from the recent production. "

Two Nice Pieces of Mushroom Jasper - one cab and one tablet which can be strung.

No December Email or Changes to the Website (?) due to Buying Trip - Thailand and Sri Lanka.

In preparation for our trip abroad and to turn inventory into cash, we have offered a number of items on our website to those in the trade. Normally, the trade will look at items on a regular basis or find us via search engines. The trade is welcome to make purchases when they see items of interest on our website. The website is designed more for the public and we don't necessarily offer all of the stones found on the website to the trade - we have several thousand items and it is easier to show stores/goldsmiths items that have not been photographed so that the website does not have to be updated. The trade has been quite active by purchasing many of the pieces recently offered to them, so you will see many items that are currently marked as Sold, and there will be more to follow as payment is received.

On a related topic of the above - Many of you might have noticed that SOLD items and their associated photos haven't been removed from our website for a number of months. We will update all pages and clean up the SOLD items by the end of the year or just into the New Year. We used to remove sold items after 30 days, but have been asked to leave photos/descriptions longer so that people can see unique pieces that we have sold and that had been previously available.

Gemstone Prices Continue to Rise - Investing in Gemstones with Clarity...

We found an interesting article on line that discusses gemstones as an investment. We have allways said that gemstones should be purchased because of a need (engagement whether Diamond or Other Gemstone - Most recently a couple created an engagement ring with an Alexandrite!), or for the appreciation or rarity and beauty. As the article explains, gemstones can be a good investment (and we do have many collectors and investors that purchase our gemstones annually), but it is necessary to purchase at the right price and not overpay. All That Glitters was founded because the owner had a desire to purchase gemstones, did not have sufficient funds to overpay for gemstones and therefore, the best way to purchase at the right price was to delve into the topic, become a Gemologist, travel the world and buy at the best price - they expanded to recutting gemstones as well as faceting from rough, designing and creating custom jewelry, and much more... The goal of All That Glitters was then to pass the savings onto our customers, whether the public or gemstone/jewelry trade. Our income is 90% to the trade. Our prices online range from below wholesale, wholesale or in between wholesale and retail - it all depends on how we buy.

Due to the economy, bank and CD interest, the stockmarket and other investment vehicles, we feel comfortable with our money in Fine Quality Colored Gemstones. Bank and CD interest is essentially nill. We have never made money in the stockmarket, and a financial advisor indicated last month that funds invested over past 30 years in the stockmarket (individual stocks, mutual funds, bonds, money market, etc.) will NEVER be re-couped with such high value losses. With many companies disappearing, as well as those funds invested in their stock, the end result is thousands of dollars disappearing without even a pretty stock certificate to hang on the wall. At least with hard assets (precious metals, precious gemstones, art, antiques and the like), at least there is something to tangibly hold and sell in the long run...


As our main page states near the bottom:
All That Glitters: Making the Unaffordable, Affordable - for over 30 years.


The article below is worthwhile reading. Again, due to where we stand in the gemstone foodchain, so to say, there are some incredible buys on our website. As one of our new customers found out late last year with the purchase of a fine blue Sapphire, it was appraised at twice what he paid from All That Glitters....


<< Investing in Gemstones with Clarity... >>

As indicated previously, we do go directly to the source for gemstones.
In fact, there will be no website changes (Monthly Special, Monthly News, Monthly Email, etc.) because we will be abroad in Asia and neighboring countries purchasing gemstones over a months timeframe.