That San Diego Jewelry Buyers was awarded a registered trademark is a testament to its position as a leading jewelry buyer not only in Southern California but nationwide. “We weren’t sure that we would receive the registered trademark, since it’s difficult to get one when your company name includes a city name and a descriptive phrase like ‘jewelry buyers’. It is much easier if you are using a personal name or made-up name like Google,” says Blackburn.

San Diego Jewelry Buyers success in acquiring its registered trademark is likely attributed to the fact that it is an A+ BBB company and among the only jewelry buyers in the country that receives regular media coverage in publications like the San Diego Union Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Miami Herald, New York Daily News, and CBS Money Watch. Its website SanDiegoJewelryBuyers.com is also one of the highest ranked jewelry buyer sites in the world.

In addition to SDJB’s positive and well-known position among national jewelry buyers, its owner Carl Blackburn has been a leader in promoting ethical jewelry and gold buying practices, alerting consumers to the dangers of rogue gold buyers. He also has been instrumental in helping elevate the image of California pawnbrokers. San Diego Jewelry Buyers is among the country’s most prominent luxury pawn shops, frequently purchasing and providing collateral loans on jewelry, prestige timepieces, and other portable gift assets valued into the six figures.

San Diego Jewelry Buyers is located in the city’s famous Gaslamp Quarter within the historic Beaumanor Building. Free, no obligation, appraisals of fine jewelry, diamonds, and other assets are offered Monday through Saturday. To arrange an appointment, please call them at: (619) 236-9603. Out-of-state customers can call toll free: 800-557-9413.

Montblanc’s White House fountain pen features 18K white-gold trim that represent the columns of the historic house of American presidents. The shimmering barrel is made of light blue transparent precious resin and draws its inspiration from the blue room, the main reception room in the White House, while the 19K white-gold cap ring with square-cut diamonds is a fascinating miniature reproduction of the south balcony. The head of an eagle with sapphire eyes links the ring to the clip, the tip of which is also set with a sapphire. The rhodium plated 18 carat gold nib is symbolic of the United States of America.

To honor the nation’s presidents, Montblanc limited the fountain pens of The White House Limited Edition Solid Gold Skeleton to 43–the number of American presidents to have held office by 2003, when the pens were created. “These pens created a big stir among Montblanc collectors when they were released eight years ago and they have steadily and significantly increased in value,” says Blackburn. In 2008, a Montblanc White House fountain pen was sold at a Christie’s auction for $26,250. Today, the value has grown even higher.

The Montblanc pen is one of several important purchases that San Diego Jewelry Buyers has made during the past few months. Among its other prominent buys was a rare Van Cleef & Arpels pendant and earrings set that included flawless diamonds and multi-carat Columbian emeralds. Purchases such as these have solidified SDJB’s reputation as Southern California’s premier buyer of important jewels and objets d’ art. The luxury pawnbroker also offers collateral cash loans of up to $250,000 on these luxury items.

San Diego Jewelry Buyers expects to sell the Montblanc White House fountain pen at an upcoming Christie’s auction. However, Montblanc collectors may make an offer today by calling SDJB toll free at 800-557-9413. The company’s luxury pawn shop is located in the downtown San Diego Gaslamp and is open weekdays until 6pm and Saturdays until 5pm.

Located in the Gaslamp Quarter of downtown San Diego, SDJB leverages over 30 years of industry experience and fine jewelry expertise to make certain that customers receive the fairest cash offers and loans for their diamond/gemstone jewelry and premiere brand watches. Serving La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe, Solana Beach, Carlsbad and other surrounding communities.

“A lot people have single earrings, broken rings or necklaces that they’re not going to repair,” said the pawnbroker. “With the record price of gold now, a lot of times they’re pleasantly surprise with how much they can get for it.” He also advised customers to go local when you put your gold items on the market.

Many people are also mailing in their gold to companies who advertise frequently on television. Recently several of these businesses have come under intense scrutiny. New York Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY) has even called for the Federal Trade Commission to look into one company’s “deceptive practices,” after hearing several complaints from sellers who say the company didn’t give them the promised price for their gold.

And all experts agree (including us at the San Diego Luxury Pawn Shop Report) that before selling or trading to any gold buyer, consumers should get several quotes from different brokers.

San Diego Jewelry Buyers (SDJB), California’s luxury pawnbroker and diamond buyer of choice, is extending its market reach with a new advertising campaign that targets high net-worth professionals in Rancho Santa Fe, Solana Beach, Carlsbad, Del Mar, La Jolla, and other affluent communities in the region. SDJB has begun the campaign with a featured ad in the latest issue of Ranch & Coast, San Diego’s luxury lifestyle magazine.

“In the past, we have reached out to professionals in Olivenhain, Carmel Valley, Santaluz, and other affluent areas primarily through our website SanDiegoJewelryBuyers.com,” says Carl Blackburn, owner of SDJB. “But since our website is now well-established, we are taking some of our rather modest advertising budget to place ads in a select group of leading luxury lifestyle magazines.”

According to Blackburn, San Diego Jewelry Buyers only allocates a small amount to advertising (versus the millions that national jewelry and gold buyers spend) so that it can pay clients more for their fine jewelry, diamonds, gold, and premier brand watches. “At SDJB we see ourselves as more than just a buyer of fine jewels or an elite luxury pawn shop; we are a hands-on financial services provider; and that means keep our operating costs down to a minimum, so that we can provide better collateral loans and higher buying offers.”

Ranch & Coast magazine was chosen to start SDJB’s new advertising campaign because the popular publication reaches into not only San Diego’s most affluent zip codes but also luxury hotels and premier news-stands across California, Arizona, and Nevada. This advertising push beyond San Diego County coincides with SDJB’s recent free courier service to sellers of diamonds and other luxury estate assets in Arizona cities such as Phoenix, Scottsdale, Glendale, and Tempe.

Featured by KUSI TV News as a trusted gold jewelry buyer, SDJB has been buying high-branded assets such as Tiffany jewelry, Rolex watches, and Harry Winston diamonds for over 30 years. Located conveniently within the San Diego Jewelry Exchange, the company also helps customers who seek custom-made engagement rings set with large estate diamonds. “Whether you’re someone who wants to buy bespoke jewelry or sell a Cartier necklace, we encourage you to call SDJB first,” says Blackburn. “We are here to help you with any decision related to the buying or selling of precious metal and diamond assets.”

Please call SDJB toll free at 800 557 9413f or a free consultation or visit them online at SanDiegoJewelryBuyers.com.

WALB News in South Georgia is reporting on a new trend that we have also seen occurring in San Diego; that is, signs of an economic recovery are showing up at some pawn shops. The report from the peach state rightly mentions that pawn shop activity is often a good indicator of the economic pulse because many people use them like banks for loans or cash advances.

For the last year, pawn shop owners have been reporting that most customers were pawning items to get quick cash. There’s still a lot of that happening, but store owners say they’re starting to see more shoppers looking for bargains on items many would consider luxuries.

To back up their report WALB notes a big crowd of customers were doing business at Albany’s Dawson Road Jewelry and Pawn in Georgia. “We have seen an increase in the amount of traffic coming through,” Owner Jason Sheffield said. “Needing money to get through the week, to make it to next week’s paycheck. Then you got some people who might run across hard times in their business,” he added

But in recent weeks Sheffield is seeing more people buying gold jewelry and other luxury items at up to 50 percent less than retail. While many people are still pawning items, Sheffield states that his his store’s redemption rate has been close to 70% recently, meaning most people are able to pay back their loans and recover their pawned items.

Orange County readers of the San Diego Luxury Pawn Shop report should take note that a new law has been passed. The Shawangunk Journal reports that under this new law, anyone who has a business that buys second-hand jewelry (gemstones and precious metals) would have to have a license from the county and undergo a background check. In addition, two crucial rules apply. To sell gold jewelry to a store, you have to be over the age of 18 and you have to have photo ID for the store owner to see and if they want, to record. Then, the store or pawn shop must hold the items for 15 days before selling them.

The journal interviewed Dan Depew, Country Representative of the 18th District, who put it this way. “You can’t just ride into town, stay in a motel, and announce that you’re buying gold. Because, now you have stay in the county a while, and you have to register and undergo that background check.”

Police Chief McCann believes that the new law can be a win-win for everyone, saying that if pawn shops and jewelry buyers work it into their practices, then they can be sure that the police know they’re on the right side of things. McCann also added that residents can take steps to protect themselves. “Everyone [should maintain] a good record of the piece of jewelry, or property of any sort that has a value, or that they think is important to them. A photo is good, but if there’s some marker on the property that is known only to them, so they can ID that piece of jewelry, then that’s a great help to us in recovering things.”

According to ABC news, opponents of a proposed bill in the U.S. Senate say while it’s aim is to help consumers, what it may in fact do is destroy a business that’s been around for thousands of years.

The bill is simply known as Senate Bill 500, but the measure, which seeks to cap interest rates on short term loans, threatens to put owners of San Diego pawn shops, and pawnbrokers all across the country, out of business. Under the terms of the new bill, short term rates would be capped at 36 percent.

If, for instance, someone took a $100 loan from a pawn shop and repaid it two weeks later at that rate, it will only cost the customer $1.38. That is an amount pawnshop owners say they can’t sustain themselves on. According to one pawn shop owner, Brian Langfitt, “My employee labor cost to process a loan is over three dollars, not to mention all the other costs that are involved with a small business. And we physically can’t stay in business, losing money.”

The Bill’s sponsor, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois wants the cap to be set where it is currently for members of the military.

Many customers of these pawn shops say if the shops go out of business, they wouldn’t see loans at all. What’s worse for pawn shop owners is they have been one of the few businesses booming during the recession.

Opponents of the proposed rate cap have organized an opposition website with information on the bill and it’s potential consequences. That website address is: www.savemypawnshop.com

The San Diego Union Tribune has recently published an article with tips for pawn shop goers in San Diego. A sampling of the nespaper’s valuable tips includes:

1) You’ll need to identify yourself. Be ready to show a driver’s license or state identification, give a thumb print and have your photo taken, along with a photo of your collateral. You’ll also need to supply some personal information and details of the item being pawned. This information will be sent to local law enforcement.

2) You don’t need a credit check to get a collateral loan. There are no legal consequences if you don’t repay the loan; it won’t hurt your credit rating or cause you to go into bankruptcy.

3) Your loan time is limited. California law says you have four months (plus a 10-day grace period) to repay your loan, along with interest and ticket-writing fees. If you don’t pay off your loan in that time, you either forfeit your collateral or rewrite your loan (pay the interest due and then begin a new contract using that same collateral).

4) Your valued possessions may not be worth as much as you think. Just because you paid $8,000 for a diamond ring five years ago, doesn’t mean that’s its current market value – especially in a pawn shop. You receive only a percentage – usually between 20 percent and 50 percent – of the value the broker believes the collateral would bring in a sale. Pawnbrokers use online sources such as eBay and Google to determine how much an item is worth.

5) It pays to negotiate and shop your merchandise around. Most pawnbrokers expect customers to try to bargain for a larger loan on their collateral.

6) Pawn interest rates and fees aren’t excessive, but they can add up. The interest rates are regulated by the state and vary depending on the size of the loan. If you bring in a watch as collateral for a $100 loan, for example, it will cost you $115.50 to pay off your loan within 90 days. That includes $12.50 (a fee set by the state), a $3 ticket-writing fee (set by the pawnbroker, not to exceed $10), plus the $100 loan amount. If you don’t pay off the loan for another month (remember, you have four months), you’ll be charged an interest rate of 2.5 percent on the loan and fee amounts for that last month.

Joel Arthur Rosenthal affects to be known by a single name: JAR (no periods). His shop in Paris’ Place Vendôme has no display window, no regular hours. It does not advertise and opens its doors to only a select few, including Elizabeth Taylor, Elle Macpherson, Barbara Walters, Ann Getty, Mary Pinault and Jo Carole Lauder (and reportedly Marie-Josée Kravis, Marella Agnelli and Princess Firyal of Jordan).

According to a report by Forbes, the craftsmen in Switzerland and France who make is jewelry produce only 70 to 80 pieces a year, each of them one of a kind and many designed with a particular buyer in mind. JAR reserves the right to refuse to sell an item if he doesn’t think it will look good on the intended wearer. His creations often sell for twice what the first buyer paid.

Rosenthal graduated from Harvard in 1966, then moved to Paris. He dabbled first in scriptwriting, then needlepoint, opening a tiny shop where he experimented with unusually colored yarn. Its clientele included designers from Hermès and Valentino. Rosenthal one day was asked if he could design a mount for a gemstone. That sent his career in a new direction. After a brief stint as a salesman at Bulgari in New York he returned to Paris in 1977 and started designing pieces that relied at first on inexpensive stones like coral, moonstone, and minute colored diamonds.

He focused on pavé, a technique for setting small stones so close together that they look paved with jewels. His settings are so finely wrought as to be virtually invisible, and gradations of color progress from subtle to vivid. Unlike other jewelers, he uses a dark metal alloy for the settings to highlight the gems’ color.

Only twice has Rosenthal displayed his jewels to the public, most recently in London in 2002. Four hundred pieces lent by 145 JAR faithful were crowded into small vitrines. He insisted that the lights be dimmed and that flashlights be given to his guests, who groped and gaped their way from case to case.

Considering how hard hit the Beverly Hills community now is by the current economy, you just might find the unthinkable, a JAR piece in a high-end pawn shop. If you do, and happen to have an unusually large amount of money to spare, a JAR piece would certainly be a glamorous piece to add to your investment portfolio.

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If you think we were just joking about finding a piece of JAR jewelry at a Beverly Hills pawn shop, we really weren’t. The pawn shop industry in exclusive California neighborhoods is doing gangbuster business. Read about it at: Beverly Hills Pawn Shop Sees Surge.

Are you looking for some great deals on second-hand fine jewelry? Doesn’t matter if you are from San Diego, you can still take part in the Illinois jewelry auction on Ebay. Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giuannoulias’ office has begun auctioning the contents of abandoned safety deposit boxes on eBay to holiday shoppers.

“We have diamonds, pearls, rubies and gold and silver jewelry and coins,” said Giuannoulias spokesmen Scott Burnham, speaking about the upcoming Silver and Gold auction. All available items come from the Illlinois’ unclaimed property vault. “Money and other assets are considered lost or abandoned when the owner cannot be contacted after a period of 10 years,” Burnham said. According to Giuannoulias, the state holds about two billion dollars worth of unclaimed property from about ten million Illinois residents and businesses.

Auction proceeds are used to make payments into unfunded pension liabilities, which Illinois has approximately $43 billion, one of the highest in the nation, Burnham said. “Especially since the economy is tight and budgets are softening, we’re hoping people will take advantage of these jewelry bargains on eBay,” Burnham said.

You can check out the auction by clicking here: jewelry auction.

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Have you been holding on to some platinum jewelry looking for the right time to sell it to a San Diego jewelry buyer or pawn shop? Well, the right time might be here. Check out this article and decide: Increased Demand for Platinum Jewelry?