What You Need to Know About Metal Content and Trademarks
In This Issue
Color Of The Month
September Birthstone
Enter To Win!
For your chance to win a pair of genuine pearl earrings, email us the answers to these true/false questions:

1)
Sapphires come in red.

2) Most gold in the U.S. is 18-karat.

3) Sapphires are a soft gem.

4) Alloy is used to strengthen silver jewelry.


Congratulations!
August Drawing Winner
Adele Blank
Orange Ring

Pearl Birthstone June

When purchasing fine jewelry, we give you our personalassurance that what you are buying is of top quality in material and make.

Contact David by calling
(949) 347-9700
or by email at

david@davidweissdesigns.com
September 2010
Pearl Birthstone June
Greetings!

It's important for you as a consumer to note that each piece of jewelry you buyis stamped with both its metal content and manufacturer's trademark.

When buying gold jewelry, look for 14k, 18k or22k markings on every piece. Most gold sold in the U.S. is 14-karat, meaning14/24ths gold, or 565. Eighteen-karat gold, a standard in Europe, is 18/24thsgold, or 750. It may be marked 18k or 750. Sterling silver jewelry is marked .925. That means the pieceis 925 parts silver, 75 parts alloy. Silver, like gold, is relatively soft inits pure state and uses alloys to strengthen it for jewelry.

The other designation you should look for is themanufacturer's trademark. A mark registered with the U.S. patent office, it canappear as a symbol, a number or even a name. Foreign producers, particularlyItalians, use a combination number and letter code to indicate the company'sidentification and the city in which the piece was made. These designations are important to you becausethey assure you of the metal content and standard of a piece of jewelry.Further, in the case of designer jewelry, the name or trademark is ofadditional significance for appraisal or insurance purposes. Most otherproducts you buy are backed up with warranties and labeled with serial numbers.Consider the hallmarks and trademarks on your jewelry as the same types of guarantees.

David Weiss
Color of the Month: Vibrant Oranges

Orange gemstones are symbolic of vitality with endurance. Jewelrywith orange stones comes in a variety of different shades,including coral, maroon, and wine. Somecommon and uncommon orange stones include fire opal, coral,zircon, citrine, ammolite and sapphire.

September Birthstone: Sapphire

Thestriking deep blue of a quality sapphire is reminiscent of a cloudlessnight sky.  Ancient civilizations believed that the world was set uponan enormous sapphire, which painted the sky blue with its reflection. This legend, as well as the belief that the ten commandments wereinscribed upon tablets made of sapphire, gives September's birthstone aroyal place among gemstones. 

Sapphireis a variety of the mineral species corundum. Sapphires occurin all colors of the rainbow with the exception of red, whichis ruby.
The sapphire is second only to the diamond in hardness, making it a durablegemstone for setting into jewelry.  A gift of sapphire representssincerity and faithfulness. It is associated with truth and constancy.