Antique Shopping Should be Fun

By: Frank Arcilesi

Someone once advised me that if you’re going to go shopping for antiques, ‘stick to shops that are true to the business.’ That meant, of course, turn your nose up at flea markets and those quaint little places off the beaten path that feature a few more items, other than the 100-year-old tiffany lamp with the requisite patina on the base–things like Hawaiian shirts and scented candles on the side.

Well shucks neighbor, definitely don’t pay attention to any of that talk, or else you’ll miss out on all the fun. High end antiquing is for the serious professional, but don’t consider it fun, and for me, fun is what it’s all about. I tossed out my stuffy collar long ago and now I just take my cowboy hat and boots, with me in them, to whatever nifty little place, wherever it is, that has some good old stuff to sell.

Of course if you are a serious collector, you’d better bone up on whatever it is that you’re collecting, or else take the Kovels with you, anytime you go out on that antiquing excursion.

I’ll admit that I do have a penchant for items of the 50’s, especially fine fountain pens and those colorful transistor and tube radios of that era. Bulova transistor radios are my favorite. That’s right—the watch company—they made radios in the 50’s.

My condo is running out of room to display my radio collection. Last count there were about 50 or so in various nooks and crannies (sometimes I have trouble finding my cat who likes to share the nooks and crannies with them). And yes, most of them work.

But whenever I come across one of these gems, I’ve got a pretty good idea of what it’s worth. I’ve done my research and so should you if you want to become serious about collecting items from a particular niche of our past.

There are plenty of excellent books around. The local library is a great place to start. There are plenty of good reference books for the novice who wants a broad view of collectibles. Specific books on any particular segment of the market such as dolls, collectible glass, matchbox cars, and just about anything else are also available, but getting a broad view of collecting is best at first—and fun. You’ll be surprised at what sorts of things people collect.

But niche collecting is not the point of this article. I’m not always looking for radios nor do I wish to. Just taking a leisurely weekend drive through the American countryside on the hunt for one of these quaint shops is part of the fun, especially if you have no agenda as to what you’re looking for.

My motto is, “If you like it, buy it.” I’ve bought random items such as old key chains, John Deere memorabilia, cufflinks, an old 45 RPM record player, vintage pencils, Carnival glass, and Coke memorabilia, just to mention a few, just because I liked them. And none of the items were budget busters—all were relatively inexpensive.

Now it doesn’t matter what part of this fine great country you live in, those antique “emporiums” are out there, replete with those wonderful people who own them. Mall antique shops are fine but I’m interested in something with a bit more character, thank you. I’ve met some fine and interesting characters out there in those one-owner shops.

I’m on the East coast and I travel throughout Maryland and Pennsylvania on my quest for that next shop I haven’t been to yet. Sometimes if you ask some of the locals at a gas station, convenience store or restaurant, you’ll get valuable leads as to where a great little shop is located in the area.

One thing you should always keep in mind—don’t let the looks of it from the outside deter you from stopping and going in. And if it looks like a barn, or an old railroad station, it probably is, so definitely don’t miss the opportunity to take a few shots with the digital before you go inside for some easy browsing.

The people who own these shops are usually knowledgeable and friendly, and you’ll find that the folks who visit them are just as friendly. Heck, that’s what it’s all about—that human experience, as they say.

Now just because we’re feeling all friendly and have gotten that warm and fuzzy feeling inside after we’ve browsed around—that doesn’t mean we can’t get down to business. That price tag on that old lamp or that collection of PEZ candy dispensers is just your invitation for some friendly bargaining–I said friendly, not nasty.

Pleasantly asking if the price on the tag is firm is a good way to start. You’ll usually discover that the answer is ‘no,’ and if your willing to pay with cash, that’s even better when you begin your bargaining process.

Don’t make the mistake though of degrading the item as a way to get the price down—not a good idea. That’s a sure way to cool things down fast. Offer 20% less than what’s on the tag. You probably won’t get it but more often than not, you can get at least 10% off your newly found gem.

I’ve even offered one price for a group of items that I’m interested in. After you’ve done it a few times, you’ll find that bargaining can be fun. That’s the whole idea.

Okay, now where’s my cowboy hat—hope the cat didn’t get it. Time for another weekend excursion.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/women/article_3087.shtml

Work At Home Moms: Now Is The Time To Start That Business You\’ve Always Wanted To!

By: Danielle Martenson

With the recession continuing, many work at home moms need to find a way to add to their family income by doing some work from home. Though there are a lot of scams online preying on people who want to work from home, there are also several legitimate opportunities. All of these ideas are especially suitable for work at home moms.

One such job is customer service. A company that provides customer service reps to other companies will hire you to take phone calls for various types of businesses. Although the call center company will find you and train you, they usually employ you as an independent contractor, which means you’re operating your own small business. In this job you can take orders, field questions and complaints or collect debt, depending on the client’s needs.

Doing this job has certain technical requirements, including a dedicated landline and a fully loaded computer. You also need to have a quiet room in your house-companies that hire people to work at home for call centers want to preserve the illusion that you’re in their headquarters, not have their customers hear kids yelling or dogs barking in the background.

Another job for work at home moms who have skills in writing, graphic design, social media or HTML is freelancing. There are several sites online where you can bid on jobs to write articles, design logos, promote via social media or design websites. Competition is stiff because there are many people bidding from overseas where the cost of living and the expected rate is lower, but you can find some good gigs on these sites if you’re patient.

If you’re a good writer, selling e-Books on subjects on which you know a lot is a great way to make money as a work at home mom. You can be hired to do this but it’s preferable to write them for yourself because you can make more money that way. An e-Book should be an instructional piece of around 10,000 words on a subject that is popular in search terms. You can create your own website to sell the e-Book or there are online “publishers” that allow you to sell it from their site for a fee or commission. This is a great way for work-at-home moms to make money because there is no upfront cost.

Helping companies promote their products, services or ideas via social media is another way you can make money as a stay-at-home mom. People hire independent contractors to comment on blogs or message boards, promote via social networking site, or get people to sign up for their sites. This is a difficult job to do and make it look natural, so if you have a lot of contacts and the ability to soft sell, you can create a business out of this.

Another job that employs a lot of work at home moms is virtual assistant. If you perform this job you do normal business tasks like making phone calls, scheduling, typing, budgeting, etc., but you do it from home and communicate with your employer by phone or IM. Lots of solo practitioners employ virtual assistants these days because the cost is less for them. On the other hand, it’s a good deal for you because you can work from home.

As you can see, there are a lot of decent moneymaking opportunities for work at home moms. Depending on how much time you have available and what your skills are, you can make a little extra money or have a full-time work at home job. The flexibility of the Internet has made things a little easier for work at home moms in spite of the lousy economy.

If you’re considering starting your own business from home, the costs can be very inexpensive. For not a lot of money, you can get a website, business cards, and literally be operational in a matter of days. Although the country may be in a recession, and the economy slow, this may be the best time to start that business from home.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/women/article_3235.shtml

Diamond or Cubic Zirconia: Knowing The Difference Can Save You Money!

By: Bogdan Dumitrasciuc

So what is the difference between diamond and cubic zirconia? Why is cubic zirconia (CZ) quickly becoming more popular as a desirable substitute for diamond? Gemologists can agree that CZ comes closer than any other gem material to matching the characteristics of a diamond.

Most people, even trained gemologists, cannot tell the difference between diamond and CZ, with the naked eye. Moreover, to the untrained eye, CZ looks identical to a good quality diamond. However, under closer inspection, CZ appears to have slightly less brilliance (or sparkle) than a diamond, and more fire, or flashes of color.

CZs were originally developed by the Russians, for their space program. They were developed as an alternative to diamonds that were used in the optics of their lasers. CZs have a refractive index, dispersion and hardness so close to a diamond it’s uncanny.

So what are some key features that can guide you in telling the difference between diamond and CZ? Do keep in mind, though, in order to accurately distinguish the two gems, gemological equipment such as microscope, or loupe, must be used for testing and verification.

To start, let’s take a look at the hardness factor: Did you know CZ ranges between 8.5 to 9.0 on the Mohs’ hardness scale whereas diamond, one of the hardest materials known to man, is rated 10, lying at the top of the hardness scale?

Furthermore, glass (or sand) is rated approximately 5 to 6 on the hardness scale, therefore, dust and dirt will not scratch CZ. Indeed, CZ can scratch glass just like regular diamonds, making it more resistant to chipping.

One great difference between diamond and CZ is weight. CZs are heavyweights in comparison to diamonds; a CZ will weigh approximately 1.75 times more than a diamond of equivalent size. So basically, a piece of CZ the same size as a one-carat diamond weighs about 1.75 carats. Well…isn’t that interesting?

Contemporary production of CZ is virtually flawless, whereas diamond usually contains impurities and inclusions, or have some sort of defect, be it a feather, included crystal, or perhaps a remnant of an original crystal face (e.g. trigons).

In regards to color—more precisely, the lack of color—only the rarest of diamonds are truly colorless, as most have a tinge of yellow or brown to some extent. By comparison, CZ in most cases can be made entirely colorless, equivalent to a perfect “D” on diamond’s color grading scale.

Also, under close inspection with a loupe, the facet shapes of some CZs appear different from diamonds. Both gems disperse light a little differently. Dispersion is just a scientific term for the breaking up of light into its spectral colors. With a dispersive power greater than diamond (0.060 vs. 0.044), the more prismatic fire of CZ can be seen by even an untrained eye.

Dispersion occurs based on the gem’s refractive index. In this case, refractive index simply indicates how much a beam of light will bend, based on the direction in which it is traveling when it passes between two materials of different optical densities (such as between diamond and air; or between CZ and air). Being that CZ has a refractive index of 2.176, compared to a diamond’s 2.417, diamonds are therefore said to be brighter than CZ.

Another difference between the two gems is that CZs are thermal insulators—meaning, they reduce the rate of heat transfer—whilst diamonds are among the most efficient thermal conductors—meaning, they allow heat to easily pass through them. Without testing the gems’ heat conductivity, it can be difficult to tell them apart.

Remember, it is a 50/50 guess to identify a gem by visual inspection; it is not a scientific method of authentication. That is why even certified and degreed gemologists use gemological equipment for testing and verification.

You will also be glad to know that CZs are not only durable and inexpensive, but just like diamonds, they come in any color of the rainbow, making them even more desirable.

There have been many instances to see if jewelers can tell the difference between diamond and cubic zirconia, just by examining the gems with the naked eye. Over and over again, it was inconclusive; jewelers could not tell the difference just by looking at the gems. So you can now understand why the difference between diamond and cubic zirconia rests in the price, and in the mind…

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/women/article_3166.shtml