If you visit the fine jewelry shops  on Ruby Lane and other sites on the internet, you'll probably find numerous sellers carrying some, if not quite a bit of Ruby and Sapphire jewelry. Why? Well, they are beautiful gems that most people generally find attractive and appealing, and in good quality, these dazzling gems are highly collectible. However, buying corundum can be confusing, exciting, worrisome and sometimes laborious. What is a 'fine' ruby? What is the 'best' blue? These questions have one simple answer: How do YOU see or feel about your stone?

Mistakes happen. It is how one handles that mistake that makes the difference between good sellers and bad sellers. Sometimes a mistake is a good thing. I collect, buy and sell glass. Sometimes other things, but primarily glass. Unless it is new in the original box, there is likely to be some wear, scratches, stains, rough spots, tiny chips, etc. I expect older glass to have a few flaws, but I also expect those flaws to be disclosed.

Do I Sell or Keep It?

The auction is over and that excitement is transferred to the items I bought, which can lead to a tough decision. Sell or keep?

Do I keep the special item I’ve been looking for, for years, or sell it? Or do I keep the unique cool piece and start a new colleciton!

So I start to unpack my auction wins with anticipation of what I should do. I will carefully unwrap the items and place them on a shelf.

It's that time of year. Every day the reports of the flu virus spreading gets worse. But colds and flu aren't the only things that spread through populations like wildfire. Attitudes, both good and bad are spread just a quickly.

One of my most favorite plein air painting groups is located in Newport, RI where they just opened their own gallery called Harbor Fine Arts to showcase their work. There are five members and they have had a fantastic reception from the public. I was invited to join them on several outings while visiting and was intrigued to see that Jonathan McPhillips was recording his actual plein air painting in real time with a camera set up on his easel.

I remember as a child anxiously awaiting the arrival of the latest Ideals. Ideals, for those who never had the pleasure, was a sort of magazine, sort of gift book publication with beautiful photography and full color art interspersed with poems, stories, quotes, recipes, and reader contributions for every holiday and season throughout the year.