Saturday, April 28, 2007

Diamonds: Round Or Princess Cut?

This guide will explain the difference between round brilliant and princess cut diamonds.

Introduction

While there are many different diamond shapes, two of the most popular are the princess cut and the round brilliant.

roundandprincess-1.jpg

Shape

A princess cut diamond is a square brilliant cut diamond with sharp and uncut corners, forming a square and sometimes rectagular shape, whereas a round brilliant is circular in shape. While the most common diamond shape is a round cut, the most popular fancy shape diamond is the princess cut.

Proportions

When considering a princess cut diamond, there are no set "ideal proportions," although some are undeniably cut better than others.

Facets

The design of a princess cut diamond has approximately 76 facets and the design of a round diamond consists of 58 facets which add to the brilliance and fire of each diamond. Extra facets are often on princess cut diamonds because cutters sometimes have to work more precisely to produce a sharp corner free of extensive abrasions. The greater number of facets in a princess cut assists the diamond to compete with the visual performance of a well cut round brilliant. Hence, with its many sparkling facets, the princess cut is one of the newest and most popular choices for the diamond engagement ring. PrincessCut.jpg RoundCut.jpg

Cost

Traditionally, a princess cut diamond sells for less than a round brilliant cut diamond of similar characteristics because it wastes the least of the original crystal in the cutting process. In comparing a round brilliant to a princess cut, one should note that the round came from a larger rough stone, making the cost increase.

http://omuse.overstock.com/wiki/Diamonds:_Round_Or_Princess_Cut%3F

Friday, April 27, 2007

Saving Money On Shipping

One of the most tedious aspects of online selling is the endless trips to the Post Office. Print a pre-paid label online, schedule a pick-up, and toss it out on the porch (breakables should be set out carefully). USPS now picks up all Domestic and International packages.

USPS has a prepaid online label option. It is necessary to create an account with USPS online to use this feature. Sign up is free and there are no surcharges for prepaid labels. Labels may be printed on plain white paper, and taped on, or printed on adhesive labels. USPS shipping boxes and envelopes can be ordered online at no cost and are delivered for free.

PayPal has made it even easier. When a buyer pays for their item, the seller can go directly to the payment details page and can process their shipping label by adding only the shipping method (priority, parcel, 1st class, media) and entering the date, weight, and optional insurance. Click on print label and the shipping fee is automatically deducted from the users PayPal balance and a prepaid label is printed.

International labels require a customs form that can be filled out online. The shipper simply adds details about the package, prints the forms (3-5 pages), signs and dates them, and attaches them to the parcel in a special, clear plastic envelope that USPS provides at no cost. Any parcel up to 4lbs can be conveniently picked up. Domestic or International Express (overnight) mail, and International packages over 4lbs, have to be taken to the Post Office.

There is no need to spend valuable time standing in line at the Post Office. Save gas and time: ship online.

Source: http://omuse.overstock.com/wiki/Saving_Money_On_Shipping

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

How To Buy A Diamond

This guide will explain how the 4C's, color, clarity, carat and cut, combine to give you the best value diamond, regardless of your budget.

Introduction
This guide is meant to assist you in finding the perfect diamond for you. There are several factors that combine to determine the overall cost of a diamond, and you should be aware of all of them in order to make an educated decision when comparing two or more diamonds or diamond rings. Understanding that diamonds are valued by their rarity, you can see that a colorless diamond with flawless clarity in a 5 carat size could easily fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars, because it is amazingly rare!

Color
The color scale ranges from D to Z. D is a pure white colorless diamond, while Z shows noticeable yellow.
D E F
G H I J
K L M
N - Z
COLORLESS
NEAR COLORLESS
NOTICEABLE YELLOW
WARM YELLOW
Diamonds in the JKL range and below are often set in yellow gold rather than white gold to mask the natural yellow color of the diamonds.
Color beyond the "Z" classification go into a range called "Fancy Yellow". Fancy Colored diamonds are natural and are caused by other elements being present during the process of carbon transforming into a diamond.
This is an example of a natural fancy yellow diamond set in a ring. http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?page=proframe&prod_id=2176658&IID=prod2176658

Clarity
The Clarity of a diamond describes the level of inclusions or flaws, naturally contained inside the diamond. Flawless diamonds are extremely rare, flawed diamonds are quite common. Diamonds are naturally hard substances, the hardest of any natural stone. However, diamonds with severe inclusions (I2 and I3 grades) actually weaken the stone, and are more prone to breaking.
FL/IF
Flawless/Internally Flawless
VVS1/VVS2
Very Very Slightly Included
VS1/VS2
Very Slightly Included
SI1/SI2
Slightly Included
I1
Included 1
I2/I3
Very Included

Carat
Carat is a measure of the weight of the diamond. While a heavier diamond is often times also larger (as you can see on the chart below), it is not uncommon for two diamonds of the same carat weight to have slightly differing length and width.

Cut


Certificates
There are several companies in the world today issuing diamond certification. Of them, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the European Gemological Laboratory (EGL), and the International Gemological Institute (IGI) are considered to be the most reputable.
BEWARE many jewelry vendors may try to sell "unauthorized" or "home made" diamond certificates to convince consumers that their diamonds are of higher quality than they actually are. Honest websites such as Overstock.com will only call a diamond ring certified when it has been sent to one of the above independent gemological laboratories. Diamond certificates include descriptions of the diamond's color and clarity, as well as its measurements. A plot is also included to illustrate the location of any inclusions as well as the type of inclusions in the diamond.
Examples:
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?page=proframe&prod_id=1082725 http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?page=proframe&prod_id=1736874 http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?page=proframe&prod_id=488300 http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?page=proframe&prod_id=2274832
Click below for GIA explanation of a diamond grading report

http://www.gia.edu/GIAReports/31515/anatomy_of_gia_reports.cfm#

Appraisals
Appraisals from companies like IGI are used for insurance purposes, as they establish a "replacement value" for each piece of jewelry. Many jewelry stores will appraise your jewelry for you. If your center diamond is certified, be sure to bring it with you to have your jewelry appraised.

http://omuse.overstock.com/wiki/How_To_Buy_A_Diamond

Buying Guide - Collectibles

This guide will help you in picking and buying collectibles.

Buying collectibles can be one of the most enjoyable things to do. An excellent source to find collectibles is online. Buying collectibles can be a good investment as many collectibles increase in value over time. Collectibles are usually limited production items and are retired by manufacturers after the production run. Many sports collectibles are also licensed. Usually, the longer that a collectible is retired, the harder it is to find and therefore its value increases. However, if buying a collectible at the peak of that collectibles popularity, then its value can decline. A 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card, sold for $2.35 million. What will sell next? Sporting card? Bobble Head? We shall wait and see.
Overstock.com is a great place to shop for collectibles as offerings change often and discounts are significant. Overstock.com has featured collectibles such as toys, dolls, licensed bobble heads, art, antiques, and much more.

http://omuse.overstock.com

What is a "Deal"?

deal (plural deals)

  1. (archaic) A division, a portion, a share.
    We gave three deals of grain in tribute to the king.
  2. (often followed by of) A quantity, a lot (usually qualified by great or good.)
    Skydiving requires a good deal of courage.
    I'm a good deal older than I used to be.
    That doesn't make a great deal of sense.
  3. (informal) A situation.
    What's the deal?
  4. (informal) A thing, an unspecified or unidentified object.
    The deal with four tines is called a fork
Synonyms

Verb

Infinitive
to deal


Third person singular
deals


Simple past
dealt


Past participle
dealt


Present participle
dealing

to deal (third-person singular simple present deals, present participle dealing, simple past dealt, past participle dealt)

  1. (transitive) To distribute among a number of recipients, to give out as one’s portion or share.
    The fighting is over; now we deal out the spoils of victory.
  2. (transitive) To administer or give out, as in small portions.
    I dealt him a mighty blow
  3. To distribute cards to the players in a game.
    I was dealt four aces.
    The cards were shuffled and dealt by the croupier.
  4. (baseball) To pitch.
    The whole crowd waited for him to deal a real humdinger.
  5. (intransitive) To have dealings or business.
    Now you'll have to deal with me.
  6. (intransitive) To trade professionally (followed by in)
    She deals in gold.
  7. (transitive) To sell (illicit drugs.)
    This club takes a dim view of members who deal drugs.
  8. (intransitive) To be concerned with.
    The film dealt with a sensitive subject.
  9. (intransitive) To handle, to manage, to cope.
    There's only one way to deal with people like her.
    I can't deal with this.
    Synonyms
  10. (distribute among a number of recipients): apportion, divvy up, share, share out, portion out
  11. (administer in portions): administer, allot, deal out, dish out, dispense, distribute, dole out, hand out, lot, mete out, parcel out, shell out
  12. (distribute (cards)):
  13. (baseball slang: to pitch): pitch, throw
  14. (have dealings with)
  15. (trade): sell, trade in
  16. (sell (illicit drugs)): sell
  17. (be concerned with)
  18. (handle, cope)

Noun

Singular
deal


Plural
deals

deal (plural deals)

  1. The distribution of cards to players; a player's turn for this.
    I didn’t have a good deal all evening.
    I believe it's your deal.
  2. A particular instance of buying or selling, a transaction
    We need to finalise the deal with Henderson by midnight.
  3. An agreement between parties; an arrangement
    He made a deal with the devil.
    It's a deal!

Synonyms

Derived terms
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/deal

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Inkjet And Laser Toner Purchasing

This guide will help to understand the differences in inkjet and toner cartridges offerings.

Introduction.

The supply industry for inkjet and laser printers consists of different choices for the consumer. The printer manufacturer offers their version of the cartridge which is called the Original Equipment Manufacturer, or O.E.M. In addition, there are companies that offer new compatibles which involves copying the product without violating any patents that exist.

At times,there are patents which do not allow for any type of copying. In this case, the cartridge can be remanufactured. This process opens the door for many differnt kinds of products and diffrent quality. A good remanufacturer will use only a core which has been tested. You must check the circuts and make sure pins fire and/or drums are not scratched.

At the end of each remanufacturing process, a good company can at times replace inside parts and make them as good as new. In addtion to performance, there is also a sustainable side to remanufacturing. Tons of plastic are saved from landfills as these componets are collectted and remanufacted and put back into the marketplace.

Inkjet

Inkjet printers work by firing ink onto the paper out of tiny pins. There are two basic differences in inkjet printers. One is where the chip to drive the printer is on the inkjet cartridge, and the other, the chip is built into the printer.

The rule of thumb is when the chip to drive the printer is on the inkjet cartidge, then it must be remanufactured. If the chip to run the printer is in the machine, then a compatible tank is usually available.

Compatible ink tanks are very reliable and perform well. They typically are engineered to avoid any patents that exist and emulate the original print cartridge. The savings to the consumer is significant and quality issues are rare.

A remanufactured inkjet cartrige is one where patents exist and a copy cannot be made. There is usually a chip on the inkjet cartidge which runs the printer. When choosing a remanfactured inkjet, quality can be a concern. A true remanufacturer is one that removes the foam and top and totally recycles the inkjet cartridge. Unfortunately, not all remanfacturers do this. When you pick a company, look for one that takes the extra time and steps to give you a quality product.

Drilling and filling with the use of Inkjet Refill kits can be trying. There is usually a great deal of mess and the proper testing to ensure pin firing cannot happen. Although this is the most economical way to go, it is not always the best way to go.

Laser Toner

Laser printers use a technology which transfers the image you wish to print onto an organic photo conductor drum, where the toner adhers to the charges on the drum and prints to the paper. These machines are fast and more expensive to use and operate.

Laser toner cartidges are remanfactured two different ways. One is when the empty cartidge is collected and checked for damaged parts. After cleaning the cartridge, it is refilled with new toner and sealed.

In addtion, there are times when the cartdige is collected and completely refurbished. All parts are replaced inside the plastic core and it is as good as a new cartridge. In this case, they are referred to as new compatible laser toner cartridges.

Laser printers are avaible in the black - monochrome and color in newer models. The expense increases with color laser printing significantly. Each color toner cartidge is sold separately, and you require 4 toner cartidges for each machine. You will typically find these in an office environment versus a home environment.

Fax Thermal Roll

Fax thermal rolls are for fax machine ink which use a thermal technology. Heat senses the print and puts the print to paper. Each time a fax is received the fax roll spends thru the paper length.

New fax machines use both inkjet and laser toner technology. The most economical printer is the thermal.

Color Sticks

A cross between and inkjet cartridges and laser toner, is a solid ink technology using color sticks. This application produces high quality print. The printer heats the color sticks to melt the color to print to paper. These machines are often expensive and used in an office environment.

Printer Ribbons

Printer ribbons are plastic casetts with inked nylon fabric which uses a pin technology to press the pins into the nylon and put the print to paper. A typical dot matrix printer uses 24 pins to form the characters on the page. The nylon advances as each print is made and continues in a circle until there is no more ink on the nylon.

Printer ribbons apply impact needed for multi-part forms and that is the major application. In addtion, most point of sale machines need printer ribbons.

Sources: http://omuse.overstock.com/wiki/Inkjet_And_Laser_Toner_Purchasing

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Get Ready!

Get ready for the launch of a blog consolidating the best deals online!