800 Jefferson St.       Burlington, IA 52601-5432      

This month’s edition of our newsletter is dedicated to our regular customer and good friend, Katy Lehman, who died May 22, 2009.

Katy and her friend Katy have been customers in our store for almost three years. We joked about them having the same first name and called them “Katy One” and “Katy Two”. We liked to tease her about her insistence that everything she purchased be perfect. “Antiques are old and often show their use” we would tell her. And she would reply that even a chip or crack that was not noticeable would drive her nuts because she would KNOW it was there. Her visits to the store were always fun, generated lots of laughter, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with her. We will miss her terribly.

Katy, if you’re reading this, say “Hi” to Dad and Bob for me.

~ Linda

• We would like to welcome back to the store a “new old” dealer, Joan Miller. Joan was a dealer here when I first bought the mall in July of 2006. She left due to personal commitments, and has now rejoined our store. Look in her booth, dealer #20, for a great variety of pottery, glassware, and other miscellaneous antiques and collectibles.
• Currently Running Specials
  
  • Dealer #27 10% off all merchandise, and 20% off all books
  • Dealer #60 20% off all items

The folding Corona 3 originally appeared as a machine with pivot bearing type bars with shift keys only on the left. Later, the machine was built with a regular segment to hold the type bars, shift keys on the left and right and other improvements. The main design with the forward folding carriage remained the same through the decades.

A folding Corona dated 1913, and its original carrying case can be found in our store. It is offered by dealer #17 at a price of $150.00.

Diamonds are the accepted symbol of love. Engagement and wedding rings are traditionally diamond, and diamond anniversary rings are now popular. Diamonds are a regulated commodity and don’t come cheap. It is one’s best interest to educate themselves about diamonds and their characteristics before buying.

Weight
The first thing to consider is the weight of the stone. It is expressed in carats. The bigger the stone, the more valuable it is. One stone that weighs a carat is far more valuable than a group of small stones totaling a carat. A piece of jewelry with one stone is called a solitaire, as opposed to a piece with many small stones.

Cut, Color, and Clarity (The Three C's)
One must always evaluate a diamond based upon what is referred to as “the three Cs”. Below is a brief explanation of each.

The cut is what gives the diamond its brilliance. Different cuts have different numbers of facets that reflect light. The most popular cuts of diamonds are round brilliant, marquis, and princess cut. Some antique diamonds will be rose cut or miner’s cut. Individual preference usually determines which diamond cut you like best.

The color of a diamond is extremely important when determining value. Colorless (white) diamonds are the most desirable and the most expensive. Diamonds are graded on a scale beginning with the letter D (near colorless) and decrease in quality through the alphabet. A jeweler should be able to tell you the color grade of a diamond. People that are not trained jewelers are not qualified to assign this grading.

The exceptions to the above color information are natural fancy colored diamonds. They can be found in yellow, pink, champagne, and other colors. The key word here is NATURAL. Many stores offer red, green, blue, and yellow diamonds that have been treated with radiation to achieve the color. Natural fancy colored diamonds can be extremely expensive. Irradiated diamonds are not nearly as valuable.

The clarity of a diamond is also extremely important. Since the stone was created by nature, every one is unique and will usually contain flaws known as inclusions. The less inclusions, the more valuable the stone. Some inclusions are visible with the naked eye, and some are only visible with a 30x magnification jeweler’s loupe. Clarity is also graded, ranging from FL (flawless), to VS (very slight), to SI (slight inclusion), to I (included). A qualified jeweler should be able to tell you the clarity grading of any stone he sells.

The Old Stone Mill Antique Mall has a variety of gold set diamond jewelry at deeply discounted prices for you to choose from. We have engagement rings, wedding sets, cocktail rings, and anniversary rings. We also have diamond pendants, and diamond and gemstone bracelets. Stop in and let us show them to you.

If you have a question regarding antiques and collectibles, please ask.  Previous questions and answers can be found here.