Fall Sale
As we begin the slow ramp up toward Holiday spending, we thought it might be nice to offer some deals! There are lots of new close outs on the site, and for those who spend over $200 between September 10 and October 10, an additional 10% will be deducted off everything we carry except the pendants by the gram and rings by the gram at their lowest price. The 10% discount even applies to discounted close out merchandise!

Silver prices spiked again recently. The price had been hovering around $5.90 - $6.00 for several months, but in mid August the price jumped up to about the $6.80 range where it has been until this week. We are just now seeing some relief as the price heads down below $6.50 and hopefully below $6.00 once again.

I'll be going to Thailand for a quick trip next week, so if you have any special requests for cast silver charms, pendants, chain or Hill Tribe silver, please let me know.

Sapphire has a hardenss of 9, so it is generally quite durable. Despite this, sapphires are subject to chipping and fracture if handled roughly.

Currently there is much buzz over treatments that enhance the quality of the stone but are considered "dishonest" because they are done without documentation. These treatments involve the injection of a molten glass-like substance into tiny fissures and cracks within the stone.

The result is a stone that often values higher than it should, since the treatment is nearly invisible. Consequently dealers sometimes pay top dollar for "flawless" stone that may later be determined to be "enhanced," and thus less valuable. Any treatment of high quality sapphires will be documented by reputable dealers.

Reputable dealers also will not use the following misleading terms: "Brazilian sapphire" (actually blue topaz or similar color tourmaline), "Lux sapphire", "Lynx sapphire" and "Water Sapphire" (Iolite). Good quality sapphire is found in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and India. The Montana mines in the USA have produced some beautiful cornflower blue sapphires. Darker colored sapphire is mined in Thailand, Australia, and Nigeria. Other mines are in Brazil, Cambodia, Columbia, Kenya, and Malawi.

Please take advantage of the 10% off sale to fill in holes in your inventory.

Aloha,

Mike McGinnis
Whirled Planet
888-408-0072
http://indiasilver.com/index.asp