Jewelry appraiser puts price on gems

The Valentine's Day dream of many women is to wake up to a real-life diamond commercial, sappy love song included. This vision remains on the TV screen for most, but if a lady is lucky enough to find herself with a big rock on Feb. 14, she might want to find out how much its worth. And she might want to call Joseph Tenhagen.

Nestled in the heart of downtown Miami lie blocks of jewelry stores making up what could be called the ''diamond district'' of South Florida. And at the heart of this is the Seybold Building, with its 10 floors of diamonds, emeralds and rubies. (Oh my!)

Unlike the myriad jewelers who line Seybold's halls, Tenhagan isn't creating or selling jewelry, rather he's waiting for the precious stones to come to him.

For the past 35 years, Tenhagan has made his living appraising jewelry for the upper echelons of society.




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Jewelers cost taxpayers millions: Suozzi

State and county authorities cited 11 jewelry stores in Nassau Thursday for not charging sales tax to customers who agreed to pay in cash.

The crackdown prompted County Executive Tom Suozzi to estimate that Nassau loses tens of millions of dollars in uncollected sales tax revenue each year.

"The more money the county collects in sales tax, the less we have to collect in property tax," Suozzi said. "For people who are following the rules - people paying their property taxes - this is completely unfair.

"And it's an unfair competitive advantage for the people breaking the rules over the businesses who follow the rules," the county executive added.

Police raided the jewelry stores Tuesday, seizing more than $70,000 in cash, computers and file cabinets containing sales records of nontaxed transactions.

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JFK workers charged with taking diamonds

Two baggage handlers at Kennedy airport are accused of stealing more than $250,000 worth of diamonds and other jewelry.

Queens prosecutors said Monday that a 51-year-old worker and his 39-year-old supervisor are charged with grand larceny and possession of stolen property. They say the jewelry was stolen last week from a container marked "high value" that was being shipped from Switzerland to Brazil.

Police say the supervisor broke the seals on the container and gave three boxes of jewelry to the other worker. They say the worker then hid the jewelry in his jacket before placing it in a locker at an American Airlines terminal, where investigators found it.

Each of the men is held on $5,000 bail and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

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11 Nassau jewelry stores charged in tax sting

Eleven jewelry stores in Nassau County were caught in a state-tax inspection sting when store clerks agreed to not charge sales tax if the customer paid with cash, Nassau police said.

Computers, cash and sales records were seized at the stores Tuesday morning by the Nassau police and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Enforcement, during the execution of 11 search warrants.

The investigation, dubbed "Gold Rush," was an undercover operation in which merchants engaged in the sale of jewelry agreed not to charge state sales tax for cash purchases. The investigation is continuing.

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Man Steals $24,000 Ring From Jewelry Store

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Authorities are searching for a man who took off with a $24,000 diamond ring from a jewelry store in the Avenues Mall.

Police said the man entered the store Tuesday and asked to see a ring he was considering as a Valentine's Day gift for someone.

When the expensive ring was removed from behind the glass case, the man snatched it from the store employee and ran out of the mall.

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Jewelry dealers called eyes, ears of police; Often first to know when ...

If record gold prices tempt thieves to try and sell more stolen goods, police say local jewelry dealers will be the first to know."They're our eyes and ears,'' Cohasset police Chief James Hussey said. "If they have a gut feeling that something isn't right, they give us a call.''Hussey and Quincy police Chief Robert Crowley say the current price of about $900 an ounce hasn't led to an increase in reported thefts of rings and other gold items.Local gold and jewelry dealers aren't getting a greater number of suspicious offers, either. Dealers like Mark Cirone of Cohasset Jewelers say they notify the police of any such offers, to alert them to possible thefts.By law, dealers require gold sellers to show a valid photo ID. They're also supposed to keep a record of all such purchases for police, and hold items they buy for 14 days before selling them to a smelter to be melted down.Quincy jeweler Stephen Leigh will go before the city license board next week for a pair of alleged violations of those rules.

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LoveRelic.com Launches Designer Cross Jewelry for the Celebrity in All of us

Designer Jewelry Company LoveRelic launches its cross jewelry collection on its popular celebrity Jewelry blog www.loverelic.com to kick start Valentines Day.

Bellevue, WA (PRWEB) February 7, 2008 -- LoveRelic.com, the popular celebrity jewelry site, launches the first of its designer jewelry collections with the Cross Jewelry Collection featuring cross rings for Valentines Day. The designer jewelry company reignited its jewelry collection in 2007, after a four year sabbatical as its designer, Jill Brahms, took time off to raise her family. Previously, Ms. Brahms' designer silver jewelry was featured on the cover of Maxim magazine, has been worn by numerous celebrities, and has been sold in high-end luxury retail stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Jennifer Kaufman, and Neiman Marcus.

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Let Love Sparkle with EternalSparkles.com's Valentine Collection of Fashion Jewelry

EternalSparkles.com celebrates this coming day of hearts by offering its elegant collection of Valentine fashion jewelry. One may choose from a vast selection of fashion jewelry like fashion rings, sterling silver rings, swarovski jewelry and much, much more.

City of Industry, CA (PRWEB) February 7, 2008 -- Ah, cupid has struck once again. Love is in the air as Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Men are in frenzy, trying to find that perfect gift for their better half.

Even if times are constantly changing, when it comes to love, a lot of people still prefer the traditional way of celebrating this day of hearts -- buying the best gift for that special someone. For a man, "nothing could ever beat the look in his woman's eyes when she opens a beautifully wrapped box to reveal a stunning piece of fashion jewelry given by the man she loves."

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Jewelry appraiser puts price on gems

The Valentine's Day dream of many women is to wake up to a real-life diamond commercial, sappy love song included. This vision remains on the TV screen for most, but if a lady is lucky enough to find herself with a big rock on Feb. 14, she might want to find out how much its worth. And she might want to call Joseph Tenhagen.

Nestled in the heart of downtown Miami lie blocks of jewelry stores making up what could be called the ''diamond district'' of South Florida. And at the heart of this is the Seybold Building, with its 10 floors of diamonds, emeralds and rubies. (Oh my!)

Unlike the myriad jewelers who line Seybold's halls, Tenhagan isn't creating or selling jewelry, rather he's waiting for the precious stones to come to him.

For the past 35 years, Tenhagan has made his living appraising jewelry for the upper echelons of society.

Read More

DIYer of the Week: Mirela Jazdzewska, handmade jewelry

This week's featured artist is a stay-at-home mother of two boys, who rediscovered her love of making jewelry. Let's meet Mirela!

Name: Mirela Jazdzewska, 33 Hometown: Middle Island, NY Occupation: Stay-at-home mom Craft: Handmade jewelry Web site: jantar.etsy.com

How did you get into making jewelry?

I'm a workaholic and learned that it is much more difficult to stay home with a child than it seems. I desperately needed something to keep me busy and sane. I know it sounds crazy, but it was a cartoon moment when the light bulb suddenly went off. My dad use to have a metalsmith studio years ago, and I loved working with him. The process of transforming sheet of silver into something beautiful always kept me amazed, so I decided to dust off my interest in jewelry.

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YSU's African Marketplace draws 60 vendors

YOUNGSTOWN - Saibo Kebbeth travels the country to attend African craft shows, and a Youngstown event is one of his favorites.

"When you say, 'Black History Month,' at most places, only black people come," the Buffalo, N.Y., resident said. "But here, everybody comes. I love it." Kebbeth was one of 60 vendors today at Youngstown State University for the African Marketplace. It was the eighth consecutive year the marketplace was held as part of African-American History Month at YSU. The organizer, Dr. Victor Wan-Tatah, said vendors from several states come to show items that can't be found in department stores. Among the items were African-made clothes, jewelry and statues. He said that like a real marketplace, the event goes beyond selling items "It is an opportunity for people to reconnect."

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New York: Popping the big question in the Big Apple

New York: Popping the big question in the Big Apple

You've got the girl. Now all you need is the ring.

And is there anything more romantic than getting engaged in New York City?

''We're so excited. We can't wait for the big day,'' says Chelsea Caramucci, 24, of Weehawken, N.J. She came to a New York jewelry store with fiancé Darren Fuller, 27, to pick out wedding bands for their vows next April.

At the counter, they sit close to one another. His hand covers hers. The couple is glowing -- and it's sure not from the fluorescent lights overhead.

It's that little thing called love.

carriage or while ice-skating at Rockefeller Center.

The hard part is all the details. How do you actually make things happen for a New York engagement trip?

Here are a few suggestions:

• The ring: The place to go for a ring, if you dare, is the Diamond District.

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Valentine's Day shopping

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Valentine's Day is just a few days away and that means love is in the air. So what are couples buying this year?

"We've seen a lot of the traditional things in terms of diamond jewelry, candy and then we're seeing some more intimate things, intimate apparel, little teddies, some real sexy underwear," said Nicki Macallair, a Valentine's Day gift wrapper.
A lot of shoppers were following suit, coming out of chocolate stores and Victoria's Secret. That's where Patrick Shanley found his girlfriend's gift.
"I took a combination of her two favorite things and obviously knew what she wanted ,so that's what I decided to get her," said Shanley.

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