Category: Watch & Jewelry Care

Now that the weather is slowly getting warmer, it’s time for everyone to throw open the windows and air out their winter nests. There’s something about the spring air makes us want to clean out all of the unnecessary clutter that’s been accumulating during the winter months and start out fresh. But when was the last time you went through your jewelry box?
It happens to all of us sooner or later. We buy pieces that are in fashion one season, and out the next. Friends have given us necklaces and bracelets that we wore daily when we were younger. Beloved relatives have left us antique rings. Over time, this leads to your jewelry box becoming a cluttered and tangled mess of unpolished chains, solitary earrings, and rings with missing gemstones. But never fear, there’s a host of solutions when it comes to dealing with unworn jewelry.

1. Give It Away

Donate those old jewelry items to Goodwill. Some lucky bargain hunter will use them to complete the outfit of her dreams. Do you have a friend who has admired any of your old jewelry? Why not give it to them? Not only will it make you happy to see your old jewelry getting new use, but it will remind your friend of you every time they wear it. Young nieces and nephews also adore playing dress-up with old jewelry and you don’t have to worry about it being damaged.

2. Sell It

At this economic stage of our history, selling jewelry for the gold or gemstones has become increasingly common. Now more than ever, people are receiving top dollar for the raw materials that their jewelry provides. Gold and diamonds are especially doing well in the market due to their steadily rising cost. If you are looking for a little extra cash to finish a home project or put a little more gas in your tank, this is the option for you. The same can be said for vintage and antique pieces. Depending on the jewelry piece, we recommend getting an appraisal for the item before selling to ensure that you receive its total worth.

3. Re-purpose It

Some of the jewelry we hold onto has such sentimental value that we can’t bear to part with it. If this is the case, what modifications would you need to make in order for you to wear it? Sometimes, this may be as simple as resizing a ring, repairing a broken chain, or replacing a missing gemstone. Other times, it may mean that the item in question, such as a ring, wasn’t set very well the first time and it just needs a few modifications in order to look like one coherent piece.
However, it is possible to make something completely new combining your old jewelry items. You can combine the gemstones from several pieces and have them re-made into a new piece, something fresh that you’ll want to wear but will still retain the sentimental reminder of who it once belonged to. This method would also be a cheaper way to have a new customized piece as you would be providing the raw gemstone materials.
Re-purposing the metals from old jewelry can be done, but it is a more complicated process. In order to re-use the metal for a new jewelry design, the metal would have to be sent to a refinery in order to remove any impurities that might have been created as a result of creating the original jewelry piece. Creating jewelry with impure metals can lead to porosity, tiny pores in the metal that can jeopardize the structural integrity of the jewelry.
If you need help with maintenance or coming up with a new design for your old jewelry, our master jewelers will work with you to create a stunning new addition to your jewelry collection that you can be proud to wear.
Established in 1912, King Jewelers has proudly styled jewelry and timepiece aficionados from around the world. A pioneer among independent couture jewelers, King Jewelers has built an outstanding reputation steeped in quality, value and first-class customer service. King Jewelers offers bridal consultations for brides and grooms with the expert advice of its in-house bridal stylists and diamond specialists. King Jewelers offers brides and grooms a first-class experience, conveniently offering wholesale diamonds, custom designs for engagement rings and wedding bands, luxury designer bridal jewelry, watches for him, bridal party gifts, and gift registration, as well as engravings, appraisals, and expert jewelry cleaning. With two store locations in Aventura, FL and Nashville, TN, King Jewelers has won numerous awards as the Southeast’s top jewelry store and diamond wholesaler. King Jewelers is the luxury destination in Miami and Nashville for fine jewelry, diamonds, and Swiss timepieces. King Jewelers is Nashville diamonds and engagement rings wholesale store which specializes in bridal custom designs. King Jewelers is a member of the Jewelers of America, American Watch Guild, and the American Society of Appraisers. King Jewelers has GIA Certified Gemologists and offers expert jewelry and watch repairs. For additional information, please visit www.kings1912.com.

Our watch buying guide continues (click here to see Guide to Watch Buying – Part One and Guide to Watch Buying – Part Two) by taking a look at the various functions available in watches:
CALENDAR
Calendar watches– Have a feature that shows the day of the month and often the day of the week and the year. There are several types of calendar watches. Some show the date and day of the week with subdials and analog hands. Others have a scale on the outer rim of the watch face numbered from 1 to 31 for the days of the month. Others show the day, date and sometimes the year digitally through an aperture on the watch face.
Moon phase watches- Have a window in a watch face that shows which phase the moon is in. A disk beneath the window with two pictures of a moon rotates as the month progresses revealing gradually larger or smaller segments of the picture.
TRAVEL
Multi-Zone watches– Show the current time in two or more time zones simultaneously.
World timer watches– Watches with a dial usually on the outer edge of the watch face that tells the time in up to 24 time zones around the world. The time zones are represented by the names of the cities printed on the bezel or the dial. The wearer reads the hour in a particular time zone by looking at the scale next to the city that the hour hand is pointing to. The minutes are read as normal.
YACHTING AND DIVING
Water resistant watches– The case, crown, push buttons and crystal of a watertight watch are made in such a way that no dust or water can penetrate, providing longtime protection of the internal parts. Water-resistant watches should be tested once a year and opened only by a qualified watchmaker. Most manufacturers avoid the term “waterproof” as no internal standard has been devised. Waterproof is not a legal term in the US. Water resistant watches can have the following feature:
Screw-lock crown– A crown that can be screwed into the case to make the watch watertight.
Tidal watches– Indicate high and low tides. A must for yachtsmen.
Yacht timer– A countdown timer (see “countdown timer”) that sounds warning signals during the countdown to a boat race.
Diver’s watches– Watches able to withstand water pressure up to a specific depth without incurring damage. These can have the following features:
Depth sensor/ meter– a device on a diver watch that determines the wearer’s depth.
Depth alarm– An alarm on a diver’s watch that sounds when the wearer exceeds a pre-set depth. In most watches it stops sounding when the diver ascends above that depth.
ATM– 1 atm. Is the pressure of 1kg. cm2 and corresponds to 10 meters of depth.
Altimeter– A device that determines altitude by responding to changes in barometric pressure.
TIMING WATCHES
Chronograph– A watch which not only indicates the time of the day in hours, minutes and seconds, but is also equipped with an additional mechanism- operated manually by push buttons-which makes it possible to measure continuous or discontinuous intervals of time, from a fraction of a second to 12 hours.
Chronometer– Not to be confused with a chronograph, this term is assigned to watches that have undergone thorough and intensive testing at an official laboratory or an official institute. A chronometer is a precision instrument and is accompanied by a certificate.
Stopwatch– An instrument, usually a pocket watch, which only measures intervals of time and does not indicate the time of day. A stopwatch can be incorporated into a standard watch; both the stopwatch function and the timepiece would then be referred to as a “chronograph.”
Countdown timer– A function that lets the wearer keep track of how much of a pre-set period of time has elapsed. Some countdown timers sound a warning signal a few seconds before time runs out- these are usually events such as yacht races, where the sailor must maneuver the boat into position before the start of race.
Sweep seconds-hand– A seconds-hand that is mounted in the center of the watch dial.
Telemeter– Determines the distance of an object from the observer by measuring how long it takes sound to travel that distance. Like a tachymeter, it consists of a stopwatch or chronograph, and a special scale, usually on the outermost edge of the watch face. One use of a telemeter would be determining the distance of a storm from its observer.
Tachymeter– probably the most common feature on a chronograph, a tachymeter (also called tachometer) measures the speed at which the wearer has traveled over a measured distance. The wearer starts the chronograph when passing the starting point and stops it when passing the finish. The wearer can then read the speed in units, in this case, miles per hour, off the tachymeter scale.
Lap timer– A chronograph function that lets the wearer time segments of a race. At the end of a lap, he stops the timer, which then returns to zero, to begin timing the next lap.
Lap memory– The ability, in some quartz sport watches, to preserve in the watch’s memory the times of laps in a race that have been determined by the lap timer (see lap timer). The wearer can recall these times on a digital display by pushing a button.
12-hour recorder (or register) – a subdial on a chronograph (see “chronograph”) that can time periods of up to 12 hours.
Alarm– A device that sounds a signal at a pre-set time.
Yacht timer– A countdown timer (see “countdown timer”) that sounds warning signals during the countdown to a boat race.
Rotating bezel-a bezel (the ring which holds the crystal) that can be turned. Different types of rotating bezels perform different timekeeping and mathematical functions (see “elapsed time rotating bezel”, uni-directional rotating bezel”, and “slide-rule”.)
Elapsed time rotating bezel– a graduated rotating bezel (see “rotating bezel”) used to keep track of periods of time. The bezel can be turned so the wearer can align the zero on the bezel with the watch’s seconds’ or minutes’ hands. He can then read the elapsed time off the bezel. This saves him having to perform the subtraction that would be necessary if he used the watch’s regular dial.
Uni-directional rotating bezel– An elapsed time rotating bezel (see “elapsed time rotating bezel”) often found on diver watches, that moves only in a counterclockwise direction. It is designed to prevent a diver who has unwittingly knocked the bezel off its original position from overestimating his remaining air supply. Because the bezel moves in only one direction, the diver can err only on the side of safety when timing his dive. Many diver watches are ratcheted, so that they lock into place for greater safety.
Slide rule– A device, consisting of logarithmic or other scales on the outer edge of the watch face, that can be used to do mathematical calculations. One of the scales is marked on a rotating bezel, which can be slid against the stationary scale to make the calculations. Some watches have slide rules that allow specific calculations, such as for fuel consumption by an airplane.
Flyback hand– A seconds hand on a chronograph (see “chronograph”) that can be used to time laps or to determine finishing times for several competitors in a race. Usually has two sweep second hands, one positioned above the other. When the timer is running, the hands appear as one. When the start/ stop button is activated while the chronograph mechanism is running, one hand stops to record a lap time etc. and the other continues to run. Activating the start/ stop button causes the hand to return to the original position in tandem with the running sweep hand.
Auto repeat countdown timer– A countdown timer (see “countdown timer”) that resets itself as soon as the preset time has elapsed and starts the countdown again. It repeats the countdown continuously until the wearer pushes the stop button.
Subdial– A small dial within a watch dial used for any of several purposes, such as keeping track of elapsed minutes or hours on a chronograph or indicating the date.
For more information about Nashville watches and Miami watches that are available at King Jewelers, please visit our locations in Aventura, FL and Nashville, TN, or visit our website at www.kings1912.com.

Purchasing a watch is an investment, so it is important to look for the various protection features available with timepieces. Consider how the watch will be used and the person who will be wearing it – will it be primarily worn at an office and at home? Or will it be used in high-impact activities including sports?
Below are some of the protection features to consider when looking for a new watch:
Shock-resistant– The only term acceptable in the United State to describe the ability of a timepiece to resist breakage. The standard test for shock-resistance is the ability of a watch to withstand a drop of 40 inches on to a hardwood surface with a gain or loss of no more than 60 seconds per day.
Incabloc– Unlike standard screw-held balance staff jewels, this device uses spring-held jewels, which produces shock resistance.
Anti-magnetic– Term applied to clocks or watches that will not be affected by external magnetic forces, such as household appliances, etc. With the increasing popularity of magnetic and electronic devices, buyers and sales associates should be made aware that such devices could affect the performance of a watch, especially quartz watches.
Water-resistance– Besides water-resistance, a water-resistant watch also provides long-term protection of the internal parts from dust and dirt.
Warranty– The warranty may be a deciding factor when you buy a watch. Warranty duration is usually 1 year but some companies provide 5 years. Coverage is usually limited to manufacturing defects for the movement only.
Next week, we’ll take a look at different functions available.
For more information about Nashville watches and Miami watches that are available at King Jewelers, please visit our locations in Aventura, FL and Nashville, TN or visit our website at www.kings1912.com.