As I reflect upon the anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, I am so thankful that my business was not washed out to sea. Still, everyone was affected. Many of my clientele were without power for up to three weeks. Most had trees down, some on their homes and some on their property which they would have to pay for out of pocket to the tune of thousands of dollars. Some even lost their summer homes.
While generator companies, tree services and hardware stores did well at the end of the year, the loss of sales hurt a lot of other small businesses last year. Even Bernardsville had a lot of empty st...
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Cultured pearls are an extraordinary collaboration between man and mollusk. The Japanese have been culturing pearls since the 1880’s. That is to say man has helped the oysters produce pearls. At first they did mabe pearls, ones grown against the shell. in 1928 the first commercial crop of round pearls were harvested. The process that produces a saltwater cultured pearl is a long and involved one, but it clearly demonstrates the value of this beautiful gem.
We always tell people when they buy a new piece of jewelry, especially an engagement ring, that they should have it cleaned and inspected every six months to a year. some people remember, but most forget to have it checked after a year or two. I see a lot of engagement rings missing diamonds after 15 years or so. If you find that you can’t get in to the jewelers there are a couple of self diagnostics you can perform at home.