Here at the Barefoot Jeweler, we really love our animals, particularly dogs. We always have at least two dogs in the shop at all times, hanging out with our Web Commerce staff. Teddy and Bingley bring joy into our lives on a daily basis.

In December 2010, Bill adopted Teddy. Teddy was only an hour away from being euthanized when he was taken by Puppies and More Rescue of Marlton. Bill would say that Teddy rescued him. That’s why we’ve decided to support a few adoption-related charities. One of these charities is http://www.ourcauseforpaws.org/.

Rescue Paw Foundation is a qualified Not-for-Profit Corporation organized in New York. Recognizing that over 1 million animals are put to death each year in the United States, we are committed to raising awareness and funding for No Kill animal shelters throughout the country.

They will provide grants to qualified Not-for-Profit organizations to:

• Operate facilities to provide care and shelter for animals who have been rescued
• Seek qualified adoptive owners for saved animals
• Promote, foster and advance the adoption of rescued animals
• Stimulate interest and concern in the prevention of abuse and neglect of animals
• Promote the prevention of animal overpopulation through spay and neuter programs

We, at TheBarefootJeweler.com would like to stress the importance of “rescue adoptions” for all those wonderful pets that need homes. Please give to rescue organizations and when prudent spay or neuter your pet.

We’ve come across a new brand of watches, called Taki.

We think they’ve got style, and they’re definitely affordable.

We have two available for purchase right now on our website if you’re interested.

Let us know if you think we should stock more!

The Milty Project

We here at TheBarefootJeweler.com love to have a good time, and we appreciate a sense of humor.

But sometimes, well, sometimes we stop having fun. For one reason or another, we get sad. It may be from stress, the weather, or hormones (hey, we all know ManPMS exists), but we need something to help us lighten up a bit.

So we came up with an idea.

We want YOU to amuse us!

We’ve taken a fairly good photo of Herr Miltenhausen, our office mascot, and we want you to use your creativity to put him in the zaniest, most extreme situations imaginable! You can print him out and bring him with you to some interesting place, like Las Vegas, Paris, or Dubai; you can photoshop him into space, whatever your crazy mind can come up with!

If you are the one that makes us laugh the most, you will win a $20.00 gift certificate useable on our website or in our brick and mortar store. Yes, FREE MONEY! Spend it on whatever you want in our stores.

Here are the rules:

1)      Keep it PG-13 if you want to win.  We can’t post swear words or nudity on our blog. (However if you want to send us something crude just for the hell of it, go right ahead! We don’t have particularly sensitive sensibilities, and we love twisted humor!)

2)      The image must be in JPG or TIFF format.

3)      Feel free to submit more than one image.

4)      Please include in the e-mail your FULL NAME and the TOWN and STATE in which you live. If you win, your image, name, town, and state will be posted on our blog.

5)      Have FUN! Think outside the box. We will judge the winners less on artistic ability than on humor, so don’t think you’re not good enough to enter, you can do it!

6)      All entries must be submitted by March 31, 2012 at 12:01 AM to be eligible.

So what are the first few things you think of when you think of Valentine’s Day? Flowers? Chocolate? Forget that crap. Flowers make me sneeze, then they die, and I have to scrub smelly rotting plant smell from the inside of a vase. Chocolate, on the other hand, is always good, except when it’s that cheap garbage in those heart shaped candy boxes. Some of that can’t even legally be called chocolate. One way to tick me off? Milk chocolate filled with a soft pink mint filling that tastes like Pepto Bismol. Real mood killer.

So what DO you get the woman of your dreams (or at least the woman who allows you to spend time with her on a regular basis)? Well this is a jewelry website, so what do you think I’m going to say? Of course dummy I’m going to say JEWELRY!

So what’s the first step in choosing a gift your woman will love? Figuring out your budget. You don’t want to have to take out a second mortgage on your house to get her a gift she’ll love, and you don’t have to. There are multitudes of romantic gifts available if you just do a little research. In this blog post I’m going to cover three price ranges: moderate, high and hells-yeah-I’m-rich. We’ve got something for everyone at TheBarefootJeweler.com.

Moderate

What’s more romantic than a sweet kiss? Not much. And if your girl loves chocolate as much as she loves jewelry, the Sterling Silver Hershey Kiss Charm Bracelet will be a sweet reminder of your love for her. There are Hershey’s Kiss pendants that start as low as 49.99.  And if you’re really good, you can write her a sweet note to go along with it. Something like “My dearest, here is something you can use to remember my sweet kisses.” Unless her heart is a cold as the dark side of the moon (that’s -280 degrees Fahrenheit for those of you who aren’t science nerds like me) she will adore you for it.

High

Ria Smith's Sterlnig & 18K Healing Heart Necklace

Want something a little fancier, but that still shows your love? Maybe something a bit more traditionally Valentine’s Day? As in something with a heart shape. Sure, it’s typical.  But some ladies love to get what everyone else is wearing. This is a way to get something similar without it being exactly what everyone else has, because let’s face it: she’s special. So how do we get that stereotypical heart shape without losing the charm of being different? Try the Healing Heart Series by Ria Smith. Ria makes her large heart pendant out of sterling silver and plates it with luxurious 18k yellow gold for that two-tone look. Plus it comes with a beautiful sterling silver chain. At $600, it’s a pricier option than the Hershey’s bracelet, so it’s good for those who bring home a little more bacon or for those who are really deep in the dog house. You know who you are.

Diamonds of a different color…

As a special offer, and if you order soon enough we’re selling 3/4ct total diamond weight heart pendants in Sterling Silver and White, Yellow, or Blue Diamonds…all for only $599.99.    These are custom made by EK Diamond Jewelry just for us (that means just for you,too).  She feel really special that you had it made just for her…and you did!

Hells-yeah-I’m-rich!

Paul Brian Triple Oval Pendant

Okay, so you wanna spend just a bit more money on your honey this Valentine’s Day this year. Maybe you got a promotion, won the lottery, or maybe you just got your inheritance. You want something really interesting and unique, and something that doesn’t really scream. Trust me, I’ve got you covered on this one.

Paul  Brian makes flat out gorgeous jewelry. A woman would have to be a fool not to like this stuff.  Their motto is – “Your Beauty, Our Color!”

If she already shops with us you might contact us to see whether she’s got a “Wish List” with us.   The website and the store have their own provisions for Wish Lists and we’ll be happy to help cupid get you the perfect item for her.

But whatever you get your special lady this Valentine’s Day, make sure she knows how special you think she is by telling her as well as giving a gift, because what she really wants is to hear how much you love her from your lips. That, and something shiny to show off to her friends. =)

Just when we thought we would be missing not one, but two of our metal friends, we finally received a postcard from Miltenhausen. He seems to have taken a wrong turn leaving Germany and has wound up in Agra, India, visiting the Taj Mahal no less!

The postcard shows him standing by the reflecting pool in native dress.

We really hope he gets here soon because we’re having a horrible time trying to measure things without him.

Hurry up, Milty!

Join Us for Jewelry & Timepiece Mechanix’s New Location Grand Opening SALE-Abration!

Fri., Nov. 25th – 10 AM – 7:30 PM
16 Kings Court (Ellis St), Haddonfield, NJ 08033
Door prizes, food, fun & shiny things!

Jewelry & Timepiece Mechanix is pleased to welcome you to the Grand Opening SALE-Abration at our new location. We’ve moved (and moved up) to a bigger and nicer location just down the street from our old shop. Come explore our new location and check out what we have to offer!

Door Prizes

We’ll be giving away door prizes all day: watches, earrings, bracelets, money clips, etc.

How to Play:
1) Come to the store on Friday, November 25th between 10 AM and 7:30 PM.
2) Fill out a Prize Drawing Entry Form.
3) We’ll be drawing for prizes hourly – you must be present to win.

Featured Artists

Ria Smith – Ria Smith is a jewelry designer and teacher who maintains a studio and showroom on Jewelers Row in Philadelphia, PA. She originally began as a painter, sculptor and graphic artist until she found her niche with metals, where she could utilize all of her artistic skills to create a more three dimensional effect.

Joshua Toritto – Joshua Toritto is an artist who has received his education through the Perkins Center of the Arts.  As he finds most modern cartoons and portraits to be somewhat lacking in the simplicity or humor that their predecessors possessed, Joshua’s overall style and feel to each piece, in a sense, serves as a means of remedying this, yet still exhibit a unique, rawer look about them.  Joshua hopes that by creating such artwork, he fills all those who look upon it with a simple joy and nostalgia for art of yesteryear.

Emily Keifer – As a goldsmith and designer or artisan jewelry, Emily Keifer designs delicately detailed fine jewelry using classical techniques and vintage jewelry design concepts. She uses these concepts and techniques and transforms the metal by use of granulation, filigree and engraving

We buy gold and silver of all kinds! Silverware, broken chains, single earrings, we buy them all!

Everything old is new again.   That’s what big retail is saying when they make a big fuss about how they now have Layaway,again.  I’d love to get all misty eyed but as a small business we’ve offered Layaway,Repairs, and many other services all along.   When purchasing items of value or beauty (or both) our customers tell us that it’s important to them that they’re able to deal with someone who knows them as a person.   We take pride in the kind of “hands on” attention we give to the most important people to us – our clients.    Even for those buyers who have only met us through our website we take the time to find out what they need and want from their jeweler.    We try and answer email and phone calls promptly and informatively.   If you need a call back or have questions we’re always happy to oblige.   So when you come into our shop – Jewelry & Timepiece Mechanix (in Historic Haddonfield,NJ) or when you’re shopping our website feel free to use our Layaway (on any item in stock) or to have your item gift wrapped before pickup or shipping – We’re happy to serve you.   Tell my staff if we’ve done a good job.    Tell the boss (me)- Bill -the barefoot jeweler – if you think we could use an improvement.  By the way Layaway and Gift Wrapping are FREE!

Why Diamond Certs Are Not Important

Often customers spend too much time looking for a piece of paper INSTEAD of looking for a beautiful diamond! Dimensions alone will not tell you if a diamond is bright or pretty. After all, you can give all the dimensions of a woman and still not tell if she is beautiful……the same is with a DIAMOND!

A DIAMOND CERTIFICATE IS JUST A DESCRIPTION

It is important to remember that the purpose of a diamond certificate is to identify the gem and describe it in detail. That’s all.  A certification isn’t some sort of seal of approval, some guarantee of high quality.  It’s not. Even if you read the disclosure on all GIA and EGL certificates it states: “This certificate is NOT an appraisal, guarantee, or warranty”. The color and clarity are the OPINION of the lab at that time. The results may differ based on when or who grades the diamond. This is why the same diamond can go to the same lab and receive different grades! EGL even states on the bottom of each cert that “Diamond grading is NOT an exact science and this report represents only the best professional OPINION of this company”.   If it is just the opinion of one gemologist, why should it be so important?

NOT all diamonds with the same grade are equal! If you were to look online you’ll see prices on a 1ct G SI1 can range from approx $5,000 to $10,000.  Why is that?  If every G SI1 was the same then people would always buy the cheapest! Even with GIA’s there are degrees with in certificates.  A good SI1 could be better than a bad VS2!

There are so many diamond qualities that are not even listed on the cert! Some of those qualities are brightness, scintillation, and position of inclusions. These all determine beauty and are not found on a cert.

Diamond professionals look at the diamonds, not the paper, and you should too!

I’ve always believed that buying a diamond is dependent on your budget and on your eyes. It’s nice to have a cert but not all stones do.  After all, isn’t the purpose, behind the purchase, to please the intended owner (you or the person you gift it too).    The next time you’re in the market for a diamond come in and ask me “Bill – the barefoot jeweler” – to show you something beautiful.   I’ve been helping to make customers happy for over a ¼ century.

Our website, Thebarefootjeweler.com, has a great assortment of genuine Swiss, Sultana watches. Head over there when you get a chance to get a great deal on one of these fine timepieces!

Our brick & mortar store, Jewelry & Timepiece Mechanix, is the exclusive New Jersey dealer of Sultana Timepieces. Feel free to call or email with any questions you may have.

Sultana watches are 100% Swiss-made and will come with a 2 year buckle-to-buckle warranty!

It’s on June 19th (the 3rd Sunday in June).   We’ve got some really special items for Dad but they probably won’t last too long.

How about a Genuine Swiss Watch by Sultana.   For the month of June we’re selling these fine, Swiss, timepieces for 25% off!   They come in many styles, quartz or automatic wind mechanical, in Steel or  Steel and Gold, and the only place you can get them in New Jersey is at Jewelry & Timepiece Mechanix (our brick and mortar counterpart) or online at www.thebarefootjeweler.com.   We’ve also got great jewelry made in Karat Gold, Sterling Silver, Stainless Steel, Titanium, and Tungsten.    How about a GrandBand or Moola Clip?

Perhaps Dad would like a new brief or laptop case?  We’ve still got a small supply of fair trade, handmade, leather briefcases made by Diakité et Frères in Mali – Africa.   The clasp is also handmade of ebony with inlay’s…Cool!     How about a luxury Leather watchstrap by DeBeers,Paris?   A custom made item…sure we can do that.    Best of all – Everything in stock (at Jewelry and Timepiece Mechanix) is 10% – 50% off until the end of June.