Monday, April 29, 2013

MUSIC TO THE PEOPLE

Man oh man, is the living great in South Florida - especially for music lovers! Just over a month ago, we had the Winter Music Conference in Miami (for you electronic music enthusiasts) and now in only a couple days, right in the back yard of Queen of PAWN’s Heritage Store location, the eagerly awaited SunFest will be opening its gates. Every year since 1982 for the first week of May, SunFest has brought some of the juiciest music performing artists to West Palm Beach’s downtown along the Intracoastal Waterway. Past performers have included the brilliance of James Brown, Melissa Etheridge, Jeff Beck, Celia Cruz, Herbie Hancock, Matisyahu, Michael Franti, Charlie Daniels Band, Girl Talk, Lynyrd Skynyrd... and so many other incredible artists of almost every genre. Too often, outdoor music events tend to have one or two top music acts with mediocrity filling in the blanks. Not SunFest, every year their stages can leave you feeling torn, if not winded for running from one end of the event to the other. This year’s list of performers is no exception with another jaw dropping, must-see lineup. See for yourself at Sunfest Line-Up.

These sort of events have the proclivity of igniting inspiration and Queen of PAWNS is prepared with a 50% off sale on all of our guitars from today throughout SunFest (April 29 - May 5). All five of our locations have an impressive inventory of acoustic and electric guitars. You’ll find brands like Yamaha, Washburn, Fender and Ovation. All of them, on sale! While you’re there, check out our other instruments and amplifiers. We’ve got enough music equipment to outfit an entire band! At our location closest to SunFest (1180 S. Military Trail), besides a bevy of acoustic, electric and bass guitars, our current instrument inventory ranges from an E.R. Fretzshner violin to a Marshal trumpet. No need to sing for your supper, we’ll give you the discount on a new-to-you guitar just for showing up. You don’t have to be a rock star to rock out on a great guitar from QoP. We’ll supply you with the axe, getting into the SunFest lineup, however, is out of our hands.

Queen of Pawns - South Florida

3380 South Military Trail

Lake Worth, Florida 33463

561-434-4858

1180 South Military Trail

West Palm Beach, Florida 33415

561-343-4149

6080 Okeechobee Blvd.

West Palm Beach, Florida 33417

561-656-4149

Queen of Pawns - Central Florida

5831 South Orange Blossom Trail

Orlando, Fl 32839

407-722-8811

1700 West Vine Street

Kissimmee, FL 34741

407-201-3930

All Our Stores are Open:
Monday - Saturday 9am - 7 pm
Sunday 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM

Monday, April 22, 2013

Don’t Be Fooled, Know Your Gold, PART II

Last week, we discussed what a karat and pure gold is. Also, we defined solid gold, explained the rating system in the United States and provided a simple formula to determine the percentage of precious metal in a solid gold piece.

In part two of our Know Your Gold discussion, we give you a few quick tips and tricks to help you confidently shop for gold jewelry.

AUTHENTICATION

There are a few simple, preliminary methods for determining the authenticity of this precious metal.

Stamp

Other parts of the world use different fineness ratings. The U.S. began requiring gold to be stamped with karat content by the early 1900s. If you have great vision, you can often read these stamps with the naked eye. The rest of us may need to use a magnifying glass to verify the stamped karat rating. Note that very old pieces may not have a stamp.

Magnetism

Even as an alloy, gold is not magnetic. Use a strong magnet (something stronger than a refrigerator magnet) and place it next to the gold. If there is a even a slight magnetic pull, it is a fake. This is not a fool proof test, but one easy technique.

Bite Test

Back in the day, people would bite gold to test it’s authenticity because gold is soft enough to be marked by a bite. The purer the gold, the deeper the mark. However, since then lead, which is also soft, has been used under a thin layer of gold to fool buyers. Please, we don’t recommend you bite jewelry. It can ruin the piece and your teeth. There are better ways to authenticate gold.

Acid Test

Nitric acid is one of the best ways to determine the authenticity of gold. As a buyer, this is not practical to do in a showroom because the acid is highly corrosive. You may, however, ask for a nitric acid test to be performed where you can see the results. What you are looking for is no reaction from using the acid. If you see a green or milk colored reaction, the item is not real gold.

Of course, at Queen of PAWNS, we thoroughly inspect and test all of our jewelry. If you ever have any questions about authenticity, just ask! We are here and happy to help. And don’t forget to practice your new knowledge at our 35% off ring sale, in honor of Mother’s Day, happening now until May 12^th.

Queen of Pawns - South Florida

3380 South Military Trail

Lake Worth, Florida 33463

561-434-4858

1180 South Military Trail

West Palm Beach, Florida 33415

561-343-4149

6080 Okeechobee Blvd.

West Palm Beach, Florida 33417

561-656-4149

Queen of Pawns - Central Florida

5831 South Orange Blossom Trail

Orlando, Fl 32839

407-722-8811

1700 West Vine Street

Kissimmee, FL 34741

407-201-3930

All Our Stores are Open:
Monday - Saturday 9am - 7 pm
Sunday 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Don’t Be Fooled, Know Your Gold, PART I

When we hear, “Is this pure gold??” or, “Do you have solid gold?” we know that there is a customer in need of insight. Lucky for them, they are at Queen of PAWNS, where they’ll get straight answers. To help our customers with their upcoming Mother’s Day gift shopping, we compiled a brief breakdown of terminology for the different types of gold used in fine jewelry and watches.

KARAT

First, it is important to understand that the term karat describes a measurement of the purity or fineness of gold. Outside of the United States, the word is often spelled, carat. In the “Solid Gold” section below, we will discuss the different karats of gold produced by American jewelers.

PURE GOLD

The term “pure gold,” refers to bullion or gold in bulk, meaning bricks or coins. Pure gold is referred to as 24K (or karat), is quite soft, very dense and not practical in jewelry applications. The fineness of 24K can also be rated as 99.9% or .9999, amongst a few other similar descriptions. Pure gold or 24K is not 100% gold, but rather an alloy made with 99.9% of the precious metal and .1% of another metal. In this form, gold is traded on commodity markets. If that is to your interest, you can follow the market here, www.kitco.com.

SOLID GOLD

Since pure gold is so soft, other metals such as copper, silver, nickel or zinc must be melted with gold to make a final alloy strong enough to be used and worn as jewelry. The gold that we buy and sell in our stores is “solid gold.” So, if someone asks for solid gold, we may ask, “What karat do you want?” In the United States, gold is rated as 22K, 18K, 14K and 10K. Material with less than 10K is not considered to be gold in the U.S.

To calculate the percentage of pure precious metal in solid gold, use 24K as the standard, which again is an alloy of 99.9% gold and .1% of another material. If a piece of jewelry is 18K, then is it 18 parts gold and 6 parts another metal. This alloy is 75% gold in composition. A 12K piece is 12 parts gold and 12 parts another metal, making that 50% gold in composition. You can also use this formula to calculate composition, using 14K as an example:

14K is 14 / 24 = .58333 x 100 = 58.3% gold in composition

YELLOW, WHITE AND RED

When other metals are added to pure gold, the alloy takes on different colors. The fineness rating still applies, only the color varies. Yellow gold alloys, which we are most accustomed to seeing in the marketplace is a mix of around 50/50 copper and silver melted with gold. White gold is a result of the addition of silver and copper lends hues of red for rose colored gold. Zinc is sometimes added to harden the final product.

Stay tuned - next week we will let you in on a couple tips and tricks to determine the authenticity of gold pieces. In the meantime, don’t forget to visit any one of our showrooms and find a great ring for Mom with our 35% off ring sale. Happening now through Mother’s Day!

Queen of Pawns - South Florida

3380 South Military Trail

Lake Worth, Florida 33463

561-434-4858

1180 South Military Trail

West Palm Beach, Florida 33415

561-343-4149

6080 Okeechobee Blvd.

West Palm Beach, Florida 33417

561-656-4149

Queen of Pawns - Central Florida

5831 South Orange Blossom Trail

Orlando, Fl 32839

407-722-8811

1700 West Vine Street

Kissimmee, FL 34741

407-201-3930

All Our Stores are Open:
Monday - Saturday 9am - 7 pm
Sunday 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM

Thursday, April 4, 2013

So, You Wanna Be In Pictures?

The Palm Beach International Film Festival has presented established and emerging filmmakers from around the world in the same hometown as Queen of PAWN’s since 2002. Yearly entries include films, shorts, and documentaries. This year, the PBIFF is scheduled April 4^th through 11^th and in addition to the film presentations, the week-long festival will be hosting conferences, seminars and galas. According to the PBIFF website, this event has been recognized as one of the top 25 Independent Festivals in the world. You can find the schedule at their site: PBIFilmfest.org. Don’t be surprised if you spot a celebrity or two at the festival. Equally, this is one of the great opportunities for aspiring filmmakers to present their art, and maybe even find their fame. As we have learned from the success of films like Slacker, Clerks, Blair Witch Project, 28 Days Later, El Mariachi and David Lynch’s Inland Empire, you don’t have to buy an expensive camera to make a great film. Some industry pros advise that to make a successful feature film, what is more important than a top of the line camera is a strong story. Whether you are the next aspiring Robert Rodriguez or the family’s film crew capturing life’s daily, precious moments, Queen of PAWNS has a camcorder for you. Our inventory includes a variety of camcorders from brands like Sony, JVC, Canon and Samsung to name a few. With varying options in recorded video quality and memory storage capabilities, we can help you find the camera that best accommodates your budget and creative vision.

In honor of the PBIFF, we will have a 30 % off sale on all camcorders throughout the festival. And don’t forget who helped you find the camera that will make next year’s award winning entry at the Palm Beach International Film Festival. (Nudge, nudge.)

Queen of Pawns - South Florida

3380 South Military Trail

Lake Worth, Florida 33463

561-434-4858

1180 South Military Trail

West Palm Beach, Florida 33415

561-343-4149

6080 Okeechobee Blvd.

West Palm Beach, Florida 33417

561-656-4149

Queen of Pawns - Central Florida

5831 South Orange Blossom Trail

Orlando, Fl 32839

407-722-8811

1700 West Vine Street

Kissimmee, FL 34741

407-201-3930

All Our Stores are Open:
Monday - Saturday 9am - 7 pm
Sunday 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM

Monday, April 1, 2013

TREAT YOUR MOTHER LIKE A QUEEN SWEEPSTAKES

The day is coming quickly, that one day a year set aside just for Mom. Don’t let Mother’s Day pass by without letting her know how much you appreciate all the sacrifice she has made to be your momma. No, this is no April 1^st joke, we know that Mother’s Day is just over a month away, May 12^th to be exact. We’re thinking ahead a little to help you prepare, remind you of our free layaway plan and to let you know that we are having a sale of 35% off all women’s rings from today through Mother’s Day. But most of all, Queen of PAWNS is really excited to announce our TREAT YOUR MOTHER LIKE A QUEEN SWEEPSTAKES. (Complete official rules below.) We are giving away two grand prizes for the Awesome Mom in your life. Here’s how it will work, we are inviting you to enlist a mother you know - your own mother, your sister, wife, aunt, grandmother (you get the picture) - into our lottery. To participate, like our page on Facebook (Queen of PAWNS). Then, send us a private message on Facebook, including your candidate's name, phone number, address and email address; you must also include whether your candidate lives in South or Central Florida. Information provided by entrant must be complete, true and correct. Submissions to the Sweepstakes must be received by May 11, 2013 in order to be eligible. Candidates must be at least 18 years of age. On or about May 14, 2013, a random drawing from among all eligible entries will be conducted under Sponsors’ supervision. Potential winners will be notified by email on or before May 15, 2013. There will be a winner from the Central Florida locations and one winner from the South Florida locations.

Our South Florida winner will have her Royal Treatment at Anushka in West Palm Beach with their “Cloud 9” package. The day includes a Signature Facial, European Massage, Spa Manicure & Pedicure and finally a professional Make-Up Application. (Perfect preparation for a special night out!) Retail value is $300. You may visit Anushka online at Anushka Spa.

For the lucky mom in Central Florida, she will be pampered by Mandara Spa with a “Sunrise Awakening” spa package which includes the Mandara Balinese Body Polish treatment, a soothing Balinese Massage, an Elemis Visible Brilliance Facial and a Classic Manicure and Pedicure for a complete spa ritual experience. A retail value of $330! To learn about treatment details, go to Mandara Spa and click on the PDF, spa menu.

Make Momma proud...be smart, buy luxury at second hand prices AND ENTER TO WIN!