Friday, January 25, 2013

Gold As an Investment in India



"Gold As an Investment in India"," We are the world's second largest consumer of the yellow metal after the Chinese.
 Historically gold has worked as a hedge against inflation.
 So far in the recent past, with turmoil in the global economy gold prices have witnessed tremendous hikes and corrections too.
 This makes sense whether you intend to splurge at a wedding, or keep it purely as an investment.
 As an investment gold can make you richer as it appreciates with time.


 Any investor must not have 5-10% of their total assets as gold.


Physical Gold


Jewelry


If you are actually going to use gold as jewelry, nothing is better than buying it in that form.
 But there is eminent wisdom in buying gold as an investment too, to about 5%-10% of your total assets.



Bars, Coins


The first people in the gold selling business are the Banks, with their gold coins and biscuits.
 Not surprisingly, this is probably the most expensive way for you.
 You then have to spend on a locker to keep it safe.
 Some of them may refuse to buy coins sold by others and may demand making charges.
 The interest may not be attractive but you can get exemption on wealth tax and capital gains tax.
 You can deposit ornaments if you're willing to have them melted into uniform bars.


Gold Mutual Funds

If you do not have DP or trading accounts a good way to invest in gold is through Gold Mutual Funds.
 There are gold-related funds such as the DSP BlackRock World Gold Fund, AIG World Gold Fund, Reliance Gold Savings Fund, Kotak Gold Fund, UTI Master Gold Fund, to name some.
 Here the prices move faster and further in both directions than the price of gold.
 A great advantage with Gold MF is that you are not compelled to buy complete units unlike in an ETF.
 You have the option of systematic investment too so you can buy for as little as Rs 100 every month.
 Best of all, you can redeem them at a day's notice, at the prevailing market price (NAV).


Gold ETFs

If you have DP and trading account, gold Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) is the better way to buy.
 Currently there are 11 ETFs listed in the NSE/BSE.
 These ETFs too buy the metal on your behalf and store it for you.
 A unit is close to 1 gram of gold.
 Loans can be availed against units.
 Some have larger allocation in cash, money market instruments than others and may reflect gold prices better.
 E-Gold is similar to shares that are bought on the stock exchange.
You need to have a trading account and a demat account (separate from that for shares) with a DP linked to NSEL.
 The DP charges an annual maintenance fee of around Rs 350 and transaction fee for every transaction much like it is in stock exchanges.
 Since it is a pan-India exchange prices are same throughout the country.
 Loans can be availed against units.
 If you decide to, you can convert the E-Gold units into physical gold through rematerialization.
 A conversion fee is charged which depends on the amount of gold converted and units can be exchanged for coins or bars.
 E-Gold as an investment vehicle is yet to catch up with investors.
 When the market for it is sufficiently large E-Gold could become the best way to accumulate gold for investment in the long term.

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Thursday, January 17, 2013

Got Gold Fever? Interesting Fact About Gold



"Got Gold Fever? Interesting Fact About Gold"," The unique gleam of gold attracts the eye, enabling the seeker to detect the smallest of grains in an aggregate of many other materials.


Anthropological excavations of Stone Age burial sites indicate that gold was the first element collected and prized by man.
 Rating 2.
 Gold carried little value for prehistoric man except to be admired and treasured for its rare, intrinsic beauty.


The earliest record of gold exploration dates to Egypt around 2000 B.
 Ancient records tell of an enormous alluvial gold deposit in Nubia, between the Nile River and the Red Sea in southeastern Egypt.
 Using the most primitive of tools and working to an average depth of less than six feet, these first ""miners"" pried an estimated one thousand tons of gold from this rich discovery.


Throughout the history of man's involvement with gold, the precious metal has been prized not only for its beauty but for gold's ability to withstand the rigors of time.
 Unaffected by air, moisture, heat or cold, this noble metal will not tarnish, corrode, rust or tarnish.
5 Billion years of cataclysmic geologic and climate changes; volcanic eruption, earthquakes, upheavals and deposition.


A relatively rare native metallic element, gold ranks fifty-eighth in abundance amongst the ninety two natural elements that make up the earth's crust.
 Gold has been found on 90 per cent of the earth's surface and is mined in high mountain ranges, in the deeply weathered soil of the tropics, harsh deserts and in the permanently frozen tundra of the Arctic.
 The richest gold producing area of the world is the Witwatersrand District of South Africa.
 Additional notable gold bearing areas around the world are Siberia in the former USSR, the Porcupine District in Ontario, Canada and in the United States the Yukon District of Alaska and the famous Mother Lode District in California.
 Thirty-two states have recorded significant commercial gold production.
 Other abundant locations for prospecting include Georgia, Arkansas, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Washington, New Mexico, Wyoming, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Michigan, Vermont and New Hampshire.


Gold is an exceptional media for craftsmen.
 Gold, in its pure form is the most malleable or workable of all metals.
 Gold is easily carved, readily buffs to a gleaming polish, can be heated repeatedly without discoloration and joins to itself or other metals by soldering without the need for a bonding flux.
 In 1350 B.
 the Egyptian boy king, Tutankhem, was interred in a coffin elaborately cast from 242 pounds of solid gold.
 The ancient custom of exchanging gold during marriage ceremonies continues today.
 Today gold is still often used in food and has the E Number 175.
Primitive man believed gold contained a hidden, internal fire, a gift from the Gods with mysterious healing and magical powers.
 In modern day Japan believers seek gold's medicinal magic by immersion in a bathtub designed in the form of a phoenix crafted from 400 pounds of pure gold.


Today modern esotericists and forms of alternative medicine embrace the healing properties of gold.
 However, only salts and radioisotopes of gold are of pharmacological value, as elemental or metallic gold is inert to all chemicals it encounters within the body.
 In modern times gold has served as a hedge against the threat of inflation and as a secure and safe way to secret away assets.
 Gold has often defeated the attempts of governments to inflate the currency of their country as well as circumventing the aims of those holding political power to direct the economy of other nations.
 Gold is the only currency that isn't someone else's responsibility or liability; it is more that just a paper promise to pay upon demand.
 Gold has value in and of itself.
 The price is based on pure or ""fine"" gold, therefore the value of gold gleaned in its natural state may vary depending on the impurities it contains.
 Gold nuggets are as distinctively different as snowflakes, although similar, no two nuggets are alike.


Do you have broken or discarded gold jewelry you not longer wear? Now may be the time to cash in on the current gold rush.


To receive the best price for gold you may wish to sell, know the karat count.
 Alloys with lower karatage, typically 22k, 18k, 14k or 10k, contain higher percentages of silver, copper or other base metals in the alloy.


If you only have a piece or two to sell, try a local jeweler or take a vintage piece to an antique jeweler.


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Expert's Quick Guide To Buying Your Perfect Gold Jewelry



"Expert's Quick Guide To Buying Your Perfect Gold Jewelry"," It is called a precious metal because it has a high economic value and is relatively scarce in relation to the level of demand for it.
 At times of trouble, people always default to valuable portable property such as gold, diamonds and other valuable gems.
 It is very rare that couples exchange rings other than gold rings when getting married.


Gold is very malleable and so has been the preferred metal for jewelers over centuries.
 If it gets dull, just applying a quick polish restores it’s luster and shine.


Gold keeps it’s value over time and is easily marketable

Gold is easy to work with so you will get the most beautiful jewelry made out of gold

Everybody loves gold.
 This is important because it will help you determine how much to budget for your purchase, what quality and type of jewelry to buy and from where to buy it.
 If, however, you are buying an engagement ring, an anniversary ring or a wedding ring, you had better pay more attention to the quality of the ring and the service you can expect from the supplier.
 You want the perfect ring so you need to make sure that your supplier has a good return or exchange policy and that they are easily contactable.
 The different types of gold jewelry are determined by the metals mixed in with the pure gold, and whether the piece of jewelry is formed as a solid piece, plated or maybe hollow.
 However, pure gold is very soft and easily bendable.
 So to make it practical for jewelry that can be worn everyday it is mixed with different metals.
 The higher the Karat (k) the higher the percentage of pure gold to other metals in the jewelry.


· 18K gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 75% gold.
3% gold.


· 10K gold contains 10 parts gold and 14 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 41.


10K gold is the minimum karat that can be called ""gold"" in the United States.


European Markings:

Jewelry from Europe may be marked is a different manner with numbers that indicate their percentage of gold like this:

· 18K gold is marked 750 to indicate 75% gold

· 14K gold is marked 585 for 58.
7%

Genuine gold jewelry should have, in addition to the karat marking, a hallmark or trademark that identifies its maker.
 The hallmark or country of origin may sometimes be left out in very small and delicate pieces of Jewelry.
 However, gold can be made into jewelry of different and exciting colors by adding different metals to it.
 Any gold alloy from18K, down to 10K can still be called solid gold.


White Gold: Created by adding Palladium or Nickel to pure gold.
Greenish Cast Gold: Created by adding silver to pure gold.
 This is OK as long as the buyer is aware that the piece of jewelry they are buying is not SOLID gold and as long as they are also aware of the quality of the plating.
 More recent gold-filled jewelry have markings that indicate how much and what type of gold was used for the layer.
F.
 Gold filled jewelry generally retain their coating longer than gold plated jewelry.
 This means that the goal plating usually wears away more quickly.
 Some will be thicker and more even than others and thus may provide you with long lasting true gold finish, sometimes comparable to gold-filled jewelry.
 It is unfortunate, but there are still unscrupulous people out there that try to pass off gold plated jewelry as solid gold.
 If you’re not sure take an expert with you when buying.
 This will last you a lifetime, many lifetimes actually.


If you are allergic to nickel or other metals then you should aim to buy the higher karat gold jewelry such as 18k or 22k gold.L
 Your skin is still your most important and valuable piece of jewelry and you should treat it accordingly.
 And oh yes, try not to wear your gold plated or gold filled jewelry when washing up or using any form of detergents.


When wearing Jewelry always remember that a confident and happy wearer can make almost any piece of Jewelry look more beautiful and valuable.
kensingtonjewelers.


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Like working with stock market this is a winner









   

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Gold Plated Or Real? Critical Information You Need To Know When Buying Jewelry!

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"Gold Plated Or Real?  Critical Information You Need To Know When Buying Jewelry!","  Does that mean that the item is gold plated, or is it 10 karat gold?  The answer is at the end of this article.


First, a little background.
  (Except that in England, they spell it ""carat"".
)  Karat weights are based on the idea that pure gold is 24 karat.
  So gold is almost always mixed, or alloyed, with other less valuable, but stronger metals to give it more strength.


To indicate the ratio of gold to alloys, the karat system was developed.
9% pure gold (realistically, it cannot be 100%), one karat is 1/24 pure gold.
2% gold!  So, you will find that gold used in jewelry is typically alloyed from about 10K, which is 10/24 gold, or 41.
7% gold.


In the United States, an item must have be at least 10K in order to be called ""gold"" jewelry, and the typical markings are 10K, 14K, 18K and 22K.
  So, 14K gold is 14/24 = 58.
  24K, by the way, has a fineness of 999.


So, now what about items that are not ""solid gold""?  That terminology is a little confusing--""solid gold"" could mean ""non-alloyed gold"", that is, a fineness of 999.
  For the purposes of our discussion here, we will use the latter meaning, although in the US, a seller cannot use the term ""solid gold"" unless the item is solid 24K gold!

Gold is often applied to a cheaper (and stronger) metal, such as brass or copper, to make a much less expensive piece of jewelry.
  Gold plating is not a good thing, however, when it is used on a jewelry item that gets a lot of wear, such as a ring.
 and creating tarnish and corrosion.
 Gold electroplating must be, by US law, at least 7 mils thick (a ""mil"" is one-millionth of an inch).
 Gold may also be applied in a thicker layer than electroplating by means of mechanically bonding the gold to the base metal; the item is then said to be ""gold filled"", marked as ""GF"".
 This would mean the item would be marked as ""10KGF"", but if the gold was higher quality, you would see ""18KGF"", for example.
 This process would specify the percentage of gold, as well as the quality, in the stamping, such as ""1/40 14K RGP"", which would indicate that 1/40 of the weight of the piece is composed of 14K gold.
  This result is termed ""vermeil"", pronounced ""vehr-may"", and requires that the plating be at least 120 mils of 24k gold.
  It is, of course, possible to electroplate silver and simply mark it as ""GEP"", which would only require a 7 mil layer of gold!  So, read those magazine advertisements carefully when they speak of ""24K gold-plated sterling silver!""







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Gold Karats FAQ



"Gold Karats FAQ - 4 Essential Facts You Must Know About Karat Gold Before Making Your Next Purchase","

Gold Karats FAQ Guide - Part 2

There are many different types of gold available from regular jewelry stores and online jewelery stores in Australia and around the world.


This is why I've put together this gold karats FAQ guide.
 The other two parts can be found on my website which is displayed in the author bio at the end of this article.
 The most common gold colours found at online jewelry stores & offline fine jewelery stores is yellow gold, followed by white gold and rose gold.


The colour of the gold doesn't make a difference to the gold content (karat rating).
 The gold is mixed with different metals to achieve different colours.
 18k yellow gold will have a brighter yellow colour compared to 9k gold.


White gold is made by mixing pure gold with metals such as silver and palladium.
 The rhodium gives jewelery a really white appearance.
 Your local jewelry store and even some online jewelry stores can easily do this for a reasonable price.


Gold Plated Jewelery (also known as GEP or GP)

Gold plated jewelery describes jewelery that has a layer of gold applied to a base metal by an electrolytic process.
 The gold plating will wear off after time.
 This type of jewelery is widely available and can be found at online jewelery stores, online accessory stores and offline stores.
 Gold filled jewelery is a great cost effective alternative to solid gold jewellery.
 For more about solid gold jewelry, see gold karat FAQ guide part 1.
 This layer is 50 to 100,000 times thicker that gold plated jewelery.
 18k gold is slightly harder than 9k gold but this difference in hardness offers little practical advantage as they are virtually the same hardness.
 Most online jewellery stores & regular fine jewelery stores would advise you to choose 18k gold for a wedding band as it wears a little better.
 No doubt you'll be far more confident whether purchasing from an online jewelery store or a regular fine jewelry store.


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Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Find Your Tropical Style



"Find Your Tropical Style"," An environment of relaxation and tranquility, one of the most popular styles of furniture it transforms your home into a tropical oasis.
 There are the cool blues and greens of a quaint beach-side bungalow, the deep rich colors and styles of the Caribbean or the relaxed casual feel of Hawaii, each style can offer you that laid back tropical vibe, so how do you determine which look is right for you?

Beach-side: One of the most popular vacation destinations is the beach, the warm breezes and soothing ocean waves welcome millions of visitors each year.
 Fabrics in shades of blue and green are the most common shades; touches of pinks and melon are often used as accents to recreate the soft colors of the evening sky.
 Seashells and beach glass are often used in lighting fixtures and as accent pieces to round out the beach look.
 There are strong colonial influences in the design of Caribbean furniture, creating a fusion of local, French, and English styles.
 Often created using dark hardwoods, such as cherry, then embellished with fabrics in rich shades of red, green and gold, Caribbean furniture provides a look that is both casual and luxurious at the same time.


Hawaii: Hawaiian style is a casual friendly style that is found not only in fashions, but also in the Hawaiian people.
 Bamboo, rattan, and teak are the most common woods used in building.
 Furniture is accented with bright floral fabrics to bring in the vibrant beauty of the island.


Tropical style comes in many forms, so whether you are the cool blues and greens of the beach, the rich luxury of the Caribbean or the natural beauty of the Hawaiian Islands, you can be assured that you will have a calm, beautiful home you can be proud to live in.