These days, a lot of places are claiming that they will give you the most money for your old or broken gold.  But, how do you know that you can trust certain places or advertisements who say they are giving you top dollar for an old ring that you never wear or a broken chain that has been sitting in your jewelry box for years?  A recent report by The Today show claims that you should be selling your gold at Hiller Jewelry-a local jewelry store who customers have trusted for over 90 years.  Click on this link to see for yourself.  http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39527596

There is nothing better than a cold, icey crisp cocktail while your either sitting on your porch with friends or socializing after work at a bar or party.  They deserve recognition as much as anything else.  Without alcoholic beverages of all kinds, we may have never had that embarrassing story to tell our kids one day or to post on YouTube.  We may have never met our wife/husband or had the courage to give that hot bartender our number..(I’ve never done that by the way

This topic came up because customers are coming in talking about the week long event called Tales of the Cocktail that happens every year here.  And, what goes best with a nice, cold glass of wine?  A cocktail ring!  Since the 1940′s, women have adorned themselves with over-the-top, in your face sparkly rings to go with their gin martini or sazerac.  Typically, worn on the right hand, a cocktail ring is always a great gift even if there is no special occasion..because it’s always 5 o’clock somewhere and that’s reason enough. 

Below is a pave diamond cocktail ring with 4.50 carats of diamonds, perfect for the right hand.

Who knew that jewelry and dogs were such a pair?  I don’t know many people who don’t LOVE dogs and for that reason, Lady, my family’s dog comes to the store every day.  We preach how we are all family and have been since 1918 so it is natural that Lady be part of history, considering we treat her like a human anyway.  Like most dogs, Lady has her routine and sticks to it.  Every morning, my dad shows up to the store with Lady, he opens the door and she comes tearing inside running around, howling with the ball in her mouth, so happy to be here and not left at home.  After she greets me, my aunt and my office manager, she takes her usual spot behind my desk chair and takes her morning nap.  The second we open the doors for business and customers start coming in, Lady gets up to greet and sniff, a little nuzzle here, a little scratch there…occasionally a young child will come in and play ball with her.  On a good day, our pearl stringer, Yvonne comes in and Lady immediately gets up and runs to her knowing that a treat awaits her.  A customer can be in my office looking at diamonds and engagement rings, and Lady will sit right next to them and the customer will pet her while talking about what size diamond he/she is looking to buy.  I think in some ways it takes the stress out of the decision making process because Lady is so chill she calms the guys who are freaking out when they see $$$.  Lady has in some ways become part of the Hiller “brand” and our customers sometimes just come in to say hi to her and occasionally walk out with a new piece of jewelry.

It’s Summer time and to beat the heat, most of you are going to take a vacation at some point whether it be to the beach or somewhere exotic.  I wanted to share with you some advise on how to most efficiently pack your jewelry.  Tip #1: Carry your jewelry with you instead of packing it in your checked baggage.  My reasoning is obvious: luggage gets lost, opened and thrown and jewelry is valuable and delicate.  Tip #2: Wrap any, rings, earrings or valuable watches seperately in tissue so they won’t rub on each other and scratch the surfaces.  Tip #3: Chains, necklaces, pendants, etc, get tangled and I personally have no patience to sit and untangle them on my vacation…I would rather be forced to drink hot sauce (I know that’s weird, but on a side note, I love hot sauce).  Anyway, my advice is to get a small plastic ziploc bag, put the chain in the bag half way and let the end dangle out the top while you zip the baggie up.  That way the chain will be held in place and does not move around and get knotted together.  Trust me, this simple trick will add many hours to your life. 

If you have any other tips you would like to share e-mail them to and we will add them to the list. 

Have a great summer!

Lisa