Gold coins are very handsome items and collecting them goes back to when coins were first issued in pre-Roman Europe. However, it was only in the Middle Ages that the amassing of gold coins became a leisure pursuit amongst the aristocracy and merchants who could afford to save such valuable items for their beauty and historical importance alone.

Coin collecting in general is still a very popular hobby enjoyed by millions of people of all ages. School children all over the world have small collections of overseas coins. Later, that hobby might expand into collecting coins from one’s own country. For example, it is easier and less expensive to collect a cent or penny from every year in the 20th Century in your own country than a foreign country.

This higher level of collecting coins can later become an expensive hobby once one has started working and has more money to spend. One might choose to specialize in collecting gold coins from a particular period or of a certain denomination. Dollar and sovereign coins are very popular in this regard.

In the USA, gold coins were in circulation from 1838 to 1933. The first design was the Liberty Head Bust but this was changed in 1907 to the Indian Head and Saint Gaudens motifs, which were used until 1933. The difficulties posed by the Great Depression caused gold coins to be recalled to be melted down. This made them scarcer and therefore more valuable.

In the United Kingdom and other areas of Europe, gold was used for coins from before the birth of Christ and many exemplars of these Roman and Celtic gold coins still survive today. Gold is no longer used as currency in Europe either, although in the UK, a gold sovereign is still worth one pound. The design on the reverse is George and the Dragon, while the reigning monarch’s head is on the obverse

South Africa minted its first gold coin named the Krugerrand in 1967. The Krugerrand has no face value because it was not intended to be used as currency. It is made of one ounce of pure gold and is usually purchased solely for investment reasons. Since then other countries have also issued bullion or investment coins. For instance, Canada manufactured the Gold Maple Leaf in 1979 and Australia made the Nugget in 1981.

In the days of the Gold Standard, countries had to equate the value of their currency with the amount of gold they held in reserve. That meant that if a country printed paper money without buying more gold to back it, the value of the paper currency would fall in relation to foreign currencies.

Different countries came off the Gold Standard at slightly different time, but most of them dropped the standard in or around 1971.

Collecting gold coins is a first-rate pastime, but it should not really be seen as an investment, because old gold coins carry a premium to the value of gold within them. This value is sentiment and that can change rapidly. If you want to collect gold coins all well and good, but if you want to buy gold for an investment, then buy bullion coins or bars.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Clogau Welsh gold. If you have an interest in wedding rings too, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring

The practice of giving and wearing a wedding ring dates back thousands of years. A wedding ring symbolizes fidelity and love between two people and are given on the day of a couple joining forces. Before the time that the skill of how to work metal became extensively known, people used such things as plants, grass and even hair to ‘tie the knot’, which is what I think a wedding ring stands for.

These days a typical wedding ring might be made from precious metals such as gold, titanium, platinum or even white gold. Women’s wedding rings often hold a diamond, although sapphires are rapidly becoming more prevalent. Men’s wedding rings are frequently just a simple band of gold. There are many different styles of wedding rings, but the most popular for men is definitely the plain gold band.

For those who want something a bit more showy, there are plenty of alternatives on the market. A man might want a more ostentatious wedding ring, because it is often the only piece of jewellery that a man wears. Some alternatives to the plain band of gold are the Celtic Knot and the Claddagh gold rings.

It is essential for men’s wedding rings to be made from a robust alloy of gold. Most men do physical labour of one sort or another, even if it is only gardening, so it is a lot to ask of a pure gold wedding ring to last thirty or forty years.

A 14 or 18 carat gold ring will probably do it, but a 22 carat ring would not. It would just wear away because it is too pure and consequently too soft. Platinum or titanium are much harder, although most people prefer gold.

In most countries tradition dictates that people wear their wedding ring on their left hand, although in a couple of countries such as Germany, Russia and Norway, people wear their wedding ring on the right hand.

Some couples would rather have a unique wedding ring and that is not so hard to accomplish as it might first seem. The easiest way to personalize your ring is to have an inscription like names and a date engraved on it.

Another way, would be to buy a precious stone separately and have the jeweller set it into the ring for you. The best option though is to find a jeweller you can trust and have him or her make up a pair of matching rings to your own design. I have done that and it is not a lot more expensive than a good ring.

Wearing matching wedding rings is a remarkable experience. People see that your ring is ‘something different’ and many people ask, where you got them from. It all goes to help make that special day memorable for ever.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with theCeltic Knot wedding ring. If you have an interest in wedding rings too, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring

It can be very difficult to find beautiful and memorable corporate gifts. Many corporate gifts are just rubbish, especially the less expensive ones. However, there is a class of gift that is always treasured and can be thought of as useful too.

Have you always presented a calendar or a letter opener? Or a key ring, just like every other business does? Or a bottle of wine that is forgotten the day after it was opened? Well, there is hope yet. What about glass crystal? Everybody loves lead crystal, do they not?

Lead crystal items really are the bees’ knees of gifts, corporate gifts or not. People always need ashtrays, paper weights, and pen holders and made in lead crystal they look expensive and stylish adding to the image of your company.

Lead crystal goods are available in many kinds. They make fruit bowls, vases, glasses, paper weights, pen trays, ashtrays, picture frames and carriage clocks along with a dozen other items. When selecting a lead crystal corporate gift, you might like to bear the following things in mind:

If you are presenting these corporate gifts to your staff, you may like to differentiate between your employees or give everyone the same gift. You can on grounds of sex, length of service, marital status or input to the company’s profits. There again, you may know the longest serving personnel very well and want to get them something that will suit them personally. You can do this in terms of cost or style or both.

For example, office staff might like a lead crystal paperweight, pen-holder or picture frame. Blue collar workers may rather a lead crystal vase or bowl. Single people might play golf or sail and like an item etched with a golfing or sailing motif. Married people might love a picture frame or a vase. Long-serving personnel or high-earners might appreciate a carriage clock.

Cost is obviously an important issue, but usually corporate gifts are tax-deducible and glass crystal items differ greatly in price depending on the manufacturer. For example, you can get a nice lead crystal goblet set for $15, but if you want to give Waterford lead crystal, you can expect to pay three times as much.

Are you presenting these corporate gifts to clients or / and prospective clients? In this case, you will have to have them engraved with your firm’s contact details. You will also want the corporate gift to remain in the client’s office, so it should be office orientated, not home orientated. Something like a heavy paperweight shaped like a rock or a desk tidy fashioned like a boat.

This is the best kind of promotion after word-of-mouth and sign-written vehicles and should be taken seriously by any company that must have clients. Giving a well-thought of gift like lead crystal is a way of enhancing your reputation and that of the beneficiary.

The only other thing to keep in mind is that corporate gifts in lead crystal are valuable and need to be handled with care, so if you are having them inscribed, which you must do, then you will need to know how long it will take to get your consignment done and delivered.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Waterford crystal vases. If you have an interest in Irish crystal or wedding rings, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring

Most people have hopes for the future. Some people sketch out their lives in intricate detail from an early age, while others just hope that their dreams will come true. I think that that depends on the philosophy of life you have as much as your personality. I certainly remember when I was a boy, that a few of the girls I knew when I was a boy, planning what they would do when they got married to such and such a film star.

They did not know anything about marriage or what being married was like, they were just role playing, but some of those aspirations might have stuck.

None of the boys in my class thought about their future much at all. I did not either really although I knew that I wanted to go to university and travel after that. I studied French and German for three years and passed my exams.

After finishing university, I began working for an international firm and did some traveling. I have always liked jewellery although I do not wear a lot at the same time. I suppose I collect jewellery, but I like to wear it as well.

It was a practice of mine to buy a piece wherever I went, if I saw something I liked and if I could afford it. Anyway, I met a young lady while I was in America and I told her about my passion for collecting jewellery and rings in particular. I showed her a couple of rings that I had taken with me. One was a ring with a Celtic Knot design and another was an Irish Claddagh ring.

Anyway, we got on well and so she offered to take me to a jewellers that she knew. We went to a small back street jeweller, who had a choice of rings I had never heard of before. They were called Black Hills Gold Rings and they looked very distinctive. They have quite a range, including a lot of the common designs, but they also have a few kinds that I had never seen before. I was hooked and wanted one.

My friend really fell for a women’s wedding set. She had seen it in the window for months, but did not have anyone to give it to her. The engagement ring had two leaves and a grape cluster with a small diamond nestled in the middle of it, while the wedding band had two additional leaves and a grape cluster. This meant that when worn together, the two rings would fit together to surround the diamond completely. It was really very nice.

I had to grant that it was very beautiful, but felt it necessary to point out that I had not known her long enough to propose. She was a good sort and did not feel offended. I bought a striking white gold ring with the Black Hills gold roses inlaid on the top two thirds of the band, leaving the underside of the ring plain. It was a gorgeous addition to my collection. As for my guide, well, she did not get a ring, but I took her for an expensive meal and she seemed happy enough with that.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with theCeltic Knot wedding ring. If you have an interest in wedding rings too, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring

Everyone loves to take advantage of the reduced prices during the holiday sales. In fact, the best day to go looking for special offers is the day after the actual holiday is over.

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and it is the busiest shopping day of the year. You will get huge savings, but you will have to get up early, be ready to queue and jostle.

Another example is jewellery and St Valentine?s Day. Many men buy their wives or girlfriends jewellery during this period as a St Valentine?s Day gift. However, in the weeks after St Valentine?s Day, you can save a minimum of 30% on the very same pieces of jewellery that were on sale a week before. This is a clear indication that we are being hood-winked on these holiday occasions and that we should wait until the actual holiday is over.

OK, it may not be so romantic to wait, but it must be better to be able to get 30% more gold for your money or to give the same present, but be able to go for a meal too. If I were a woman, I know which alternative I would take!

Or, instead of a nice silver or gold ring, you would be able to pay for gold instead of silver or white gold instead of yellow. You could get a gorgeous Celtic knot or a Claddagh ring instead of a plain band.

Striking Easter outfits are also expensive before Easter. However, why not buy the items you want after Easter and either make use of them next year or use them for parties, exceptional occasions or church? You can save a bundle of money in this way, just by using a little forward planning.

In order to help cut down on how much money you spend on Christmas presents, why not try buying them all year long as and when you find something appropriate in the sales? How many times have you seen something in a sale and said to yourself: ‘that would be the perfect gift for so-and-so’? It is better to take advantage of these chances and keep the items aside for when the right occasion comes up.

Then there are those post Christmas sales as well. The Boxing Day sales are a great opportunity to pick up things that you can give as presents later in the year. And why not buy something for yourself too while you are at it? You can save a fortune on your favourite scents. Buy enough to last you the rest of the year!

You can make your funds go a lot further if you take advantage of the post holiday sales. Rely on serendipity. Buy opportunistically and you will not only save yourself a lot of money, but you will never be stuck for a gift at the last minute either.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with theCeltic Knot wedding ring. If you have an interest in wedding rings too, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring

The most frequently used element for wedding rings and engagement rings is gold. White gold is even more exclusive. Gold wedding rings look good whether the design is just a straightforward, basic band or an engraved band like a Celtic Knot. Gold rings can be given on other occasions too of course. Some people give their children a gold ring for their coming of age birthday.

Until not so long ago, it was customary for the man to give a gold ring when he asked for his girlfriend’s hand in matrimony. However, nowadays it is more usual for the couple to go shopping for the engagement or wedding ring together. This makes good sense, even if it is less romantic, because the wearer can get the design that she likes.

Gold symbolizes purity in many cultures and that is one of the reasons why it is given to brides and brides to be. The symbolism is all but lost though in today’s consumer society in the West. For many people though it still symbolizes the hope that they will stay true to each other, until the day they die. It is a way of showing that the wearer has taken vows and intends to stick to them.

There is a huge variety of gold rings available. However, the variety lies not only in the design but also in the purity of the gold. Naturally, the purer the gold, the more expensive it is. In the UK, most gold rings are either 9 or 18 carat. In the USA, most gold rings are 14 carat, but in Thailand, not many people would buy gold that is less than 18 carat and 22 carat is the norm for women. Pure gold is 24 carat, however pure gold is so malleable that you can mould it with your bare hands.

This might sound fine, but it is not. A 24 carat gold ring goes out of shape every few hours, just by you doing what you do every day and then it can pinch your skin. Opening a door can buckle the ring. This means that you can not set stones in pure gold, because they would soon fall out. Pure gold rings are best not even engraved because the design would soon rub off.

Therefore, the best place to begin, if you want a gold ring, is to think about what style you want. Do you want precious stones set into it? Then you cannot really go above 18 carat. If you cannot afford 18 carat then 9 or 14 carat is for you. If you want something like a Celtic Knot ring, that is one with an engraved pattern, then anything up to 18 carat for you too, depending on your finances. If you want a pain band of gold, then a thick ring of 22 carat gold would be great, but not if you do a lot of manual work.

If you really want something unique, why not have a gold ring made to your own design? It is not so expensive as you might think and you will end up with something exclusive, especially if you provide your own stone to be polished too. Such a gold ring would become a family heirloom and could stay in the family for generations.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with theCeltic Knot wedding ring. If you have an interest in wedding rings too, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring

A very diversified investment portfolio has a minor space for a position in gold. Some people think that investing in gold means buying gold coins, usually South African Kruger Rands, which are one troy ounce in weight. Other speculators purchase gold futures on the commodity exchange.

However, futures contracts are extremely precarious because you are betting that the price of gold will rise or fall in the future. The contract itself takes a fairly small up front payment, but you will have to put up guarantees called margin to take care of daily changes in cost.

The reason investors are interested in gold at the moment is because often in the past, when the stock market is down, the gold market is up. Weakness in the dollar usually brings a rise in the price of gold too.

Another route to investing in gold is through stocks and precious metal funds, which can be purchased through a stock broker. However, you will need to select your stockbroker very carefully, because this area of investing takes highly expert knowledge.

The following tips are meant as examples only as you will want up-to-the-minute information, if you are thinking about investing in stocks, shares and funds. One of the names that will crop up in any search is Agnico-Eagle Mines, which is traded on the NYSE and the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker AEM. They have 30+ year history in the production of gold and In that time, they have brought to market 4,000,000+ ounces of gold.

Gold has made massive profits for investors in gold since the late 1970′s. However, the key to making profits from gold is knowledge of the different resistance points in the price and the evaluation of the global market for the use of gold. It is used primarily in jewellery and electronics and some other types of manufacturing.

The largest markets for gold jewellery is India and other Eastern countries. China’s new-found prosperity is also having an effect on the markets, although manufacturing is still of prime significance there.

You will need a good stockbroker or adviser, because the gold market is so complicated. If you are speculating on gold as a hedge against a weak dollar, you are taking huge risks and you will have to to watch for any strengthening in the dollar like a hawk. A fairly sensible tactic is to set yourself realistic limits. For example, are you content with a 10% profit or are you going to hang out for a 25% gain?

Gold can be affected by seasonal events. Check out when people in India get married. It is seasonal and around Christmas time. Then St. Valentine’s Day is a realistic influence too, but you or your adviser will have to examine the trends and the graphs.

You can invest in gold mining stocks for quite small money, but it is not the cost of the share certificate that is important, it is the return on those shares. Be on your guard with small mining companies, because the overheads of exploration are ruinous. Likewise, profits on hitting a big seam would be wonderful for a small company.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with Clogau Welsh gold. If you have an interest in wedding rings too, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring

The growing trend of popularity of wine has led to a boom in things to go with wine like corkscrews, stoppers, coolers, napkins, pouring baskets, decanters, candles, thermometers, bottle jackets, hydrometers and dozens of variations of each accessory from electric versions to manual ones. Needless to say, a lot of these accessories will be used until the novelty wears off and then left at the back of the cupboard.

However, there is one category of wine drinking accessory that no wine drinker should be without and that is wine glasses. They are indispensable, I am sure that everyone would agree. But the good thing about wine glasses is that they are decorative when they are not in use too. A set of six lead crystal wine glasses is a fine-looking sight. And a fine set of glasses correctly shaped for the wine you are drinking will greatly enhance your enjoyment of that wine.

This is because the profile of the glass is very influential on the drinker’s capacity to savour the taste and the aroma of wine. Therefore, it is necessary to use the correct glasses for the type of wine being drunk.

Red wines benefit a lot from contact with air, so, aside from opening the bottle an hour before drinking it, you could decant it. The older and heavier the wine, the more air it needs. The next step is to serve the red wine in large glasses. This is not so as to be able to get as much wine in there as possible! A full, normal size bottle contains six servings no matter what glass you use, but a large glass allows you to swirl the wine around the glass, thereby increasing its contact with air.

A large tulip shaped glass is a good example of this kind of wine glass and any dark red wine would benefit from being drunk out of such a vessel. Try a Rioja or Bordeaux, for instance.

White wines, on the other hand, do not need to breathe for as long as red wines and are best served slightly chilled. Therefore, the wine glasses tend to have a smaller bowl and a longer stem. The bowl is smaller, because swirling is not essential and the stem is longer, so that the warmth from your hand does not warm the wine up prematurely. Try a Chardonnay, a Sauvignon or a German wine in these glasses.

Champagne glasses are called champagne flutes because the bowl is long and narrow, which allows the bubbles to float through more of the wine than if the bowl were short. This is beneficial for the wine, the taste and its appearance. The stem is also long as with other white wines to diminish heat transfer.

The last main kind of glass is the sherry schooner, which is also used for port. Sherry and port are both heavy reds and so need to breathe, which is one of the reasons why they should be decanted. However, a schooner has hardly any stem, because the warmth from your hand is required to keep the wine at the correct temperature.

Besides the shape of the bowl and the length of the stem, the next most significant factor is the quality of the glass and its design. Some people like hand-blown glass and it can be very beautiful, but it also tends to be light and fragile. I prefer to use lead crystal glasses, which are a lot heavier and can take a deeper pattern.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Waterford crystal vases. If you have an interest in Irish crystal or wedding rings, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring

In January 1848, James Marshall was overseeing the construction of a saw mill for his employer, when he saw an unusual rock glinting in the upturned earth.

He was not sure whether it was gold or not and did not want to get people’s aspirations up. So Marshall attempted to break the yellow rock with a hammer. It did not split, but it did dent. just like gold would. The woman who was cooking meals for the saw mill construction team, tried another test by boiling the rock in lye.

They boiled it all day, but it did not change colour. So, they handed the rock over to the mill’s owner, Mr. John Sutter, who also carried out a few tests. In the end, everyone agreed that this rock was indeed gold.

It seems that the Sierra Nevada Mountains hid huge hordes of gold, but that over tens of thousands of years, erosion had loosened up gold nuggets and the mountain streams flushed them down to the bottom of the mountains. Sutter’s property was situated between two rivers and so was likely to generate great wealth.

Sutter had ideas to build an agricultural empire on his 39,000 acres of land, so he asked his employees to keep stum about the find. However, as is to be anticipated, word leaked out. In due course news of the gold strike reached the small town of San Francisco.

There, a newspaper publisher shouted down the streets: “Gold from the American River!” and within three days of the news arriving, 400 of the 600 inhabitants had set out for Sutter’s land. It was a groundswell and by the end of the year, gold prospectors had traveled to California from as far away as Mexico and Chile.

When word of the gold strike reached the east coast, President Polk confirmed the finding. It was December 1848 and ‘The Gold Rush’ became a national and even a worldwide phenomenon. The gold prospectors of 1849 and later years became known as forty-niners.

What has to be borne in mind is though, that most people, who came from Canada, Mexico and the eastern United States came by wagon train, as there were not locomotive! This meant a arduous trek of between six and nine months

Nevertheless, at least 32,000 people actually walked to California in 1849, and about 44,000 more arrived in 1850. Others, such as South Americans, faced an awful journey by sea. They underwent storms, shipwrecks, hunger and thirst, disease, and overcrowding and after all that, some still had to face mule rides through jungles and deserts! In spite of everything, in under a year, about 40,000 people arrived in San Francisco from overseas.

The new arrivals constituted a dramatic change in California’s population, because in 1848, California had had about 100,000 residents, most of whom were Native Americans, but within two years, the state populace more than doubled but the variety of ethnicity increased tens of times.

Some prospectors found gold and made a fortune in the Californian riverbeds, but most people did not become rich in the Gold Rush. When gold was found, the cache was usually cleared quickly. James Marshall had little success as a miner, and he died on the breadline. John Sutter, who had once owned 39,000 acres, left California in serious debt after prospectors trampled his land.

In fact, it was simpler to make money selling spades and other provisions to the prospectors. Most people lost everything they had, so they stayed to farm the vast expanse called California or to set up businesses. By 1856, San Francisco had a very cosmopolitan population of over 50,000 people and California had become the most exhilarating state in the nation.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with Celtic knot rings. If you have an interest in gold rings, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring

My friend has a store that sells glass artwork. My personal favourite glass artwork is paperweights and I have a lot of pleasure attending art auctions and buying art glass with her. We pay close attention to what our friends and her clients like and dislike.

I usually give people art glass paperweights that I find at art auctions for milestone birthdays and anniversaries. My mother turned seventy last August and I found a magnificent glass paperweight for her.

The art glass paperweight that I bought for my mother was made by Baccarat and I was extremely lucky that this was one of the last items auctioned. A lot of people had already left the auction when this item went under the hammer. My mother really liked the rose motif because the rose is her favourite flower.

I have a Dutch friend from Den Bosch who loves effigies of frogs. She has been able to decorate her abode very stylishly with her favourite frogs. I have been on the lookout for an art glass paperweight for her for years. I eventually found one at an art auction last year. The glass paperweight featured a frog sitting on a lily pad surrounded by blue water. It was very pretty and my friend started using it on her desk immediately.

I also have an aunt who collects art glass paperweights. She has asked me very often to find glass paperweights for her when I am attending art auctions. Of all of the pieces I have bought for her over the years, one sticks out in my memory more than any other.

The prettiest art glass paperweight I have ever bought at an art auction has to be one that featured a blue and gold Macaw. Rick Ayotte was the artist that created it and it was even featured in a book of his work. He has created many beautiful art glass paperweights.

There is no trouble at all selling art glass paperweights made by Rick Ayotte. His work seems to draw a great deal of interest. My friend tries to win any auction she finds for art glass paperweights made by him. She won one not so long ago that looked like pink roses. They looked so fragile and sweet. I know that this art glass paperweight will sell quickly.

There have been some inquiries at the shop for art glass paperweights by Richard Marquis, although we have not found any in any of the art auctions we have attended recently.

I will keep looking out for art glass paperweights at the auctions I attend, but I will not be going way out of my way to track them down. I now buy every art glass paperweight I can find that was made by Rick Satava. My favorite has to be the coral orange jellyfish that I found at an art auction an hour from my home. It was really pretty.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with Waterford crystal vases. If you have an interest in Irish crystal or wedding rings, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring

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