With prices of the precious metal hitting records

With prices of the precious metal hitting records almost daily ($1,774 the ounce, as of today), and with fear and uncertainty continuing to roil the world's financial markets, gold buyers are eager to pay top dollar for any jewelry, coins or bars you care to part with. Never have there been so many choices on where and how to sell. In Texas, you can pick up a nice steak for dinner and unload your tiara at the same time: Gold and Silver Buyers, the state's biggest buyer of precious metals, has its stores conveniently located inside or alongside supermarkets. Since May, eBay has been offering a new feature on its sitea Bullion Center. Spokesperson Johnna Hoff says it was created "to be a onestop destination" consolidating trade in all types of bulliongold and silver coins and bars, primarily. The terms and conditions that apply to the sale of a gold bar are no more onerous those that apply to somebody who sells a toaster, a football jersey, or anything else on eBay: Small, casual sellers (nonprofessionals) pay eBay 9 percent of the price for which their bullion sells, when and if it does. There's no charge for listing. Small sellers, says Hoff, accounted for about onethird of bullion sold last week on eBay. Whether you sell your gold online, at a local jeweler or through a pawn shop, it's possible, if you're not careful, to wind up with less than its full value. To avoid getting taken, keep these 7 points in mind: Shop Around. No matter how or where you ultimately chose to sell, start locally. Take your gold to a reputable local jeweler or pawn shop and ask them to estimate its value. That way, you'll have at least have a base price in hand before you solicit online bids or other offers. You don't need to worry that you're abusing the good nature of your local businesses, says Dave Crume, past president of the National Pawnbrokers Association and vice president of Wichita, Kansas, pawnbroker AOK Enterprises. They're in business to give estimates, and they'll give them for free. "Go to three or four stores," he advises, "and compare." To locate your nearest pawnbroker, try the National Pawnbrokers Association website. Beware 'Rogue' Buyers. Crume cautions sellers about doing business with transient gold dealers whom he calls "rogue" buyers (also known as "hotel" or "popup" buyers). They blow into town, run ads promising high prices, and set up shop, say, in a hotel ballroom. After vacuuming up a city's worth of jewelry and coins, they disappear, sometimes leaving their victims un or underpaid. In one test, a gold chain legitimately appraised at $250 was offered to a variety of hotel buyers. None offered more than $130. Before you sell goldwhether to a hotel buyer or to anybody elsecheck with the Better Business Bureau to see if there are complaints against the buyer.

There was certainly a time when a bride

     There was certainly a time when a bride who was not wearing the expected white floor length wedding gown was stared at not with wonder or admiration, but by guests who were appalled that she could break away from tradition so easily. We are much luckier these days because many brides exercise their freedom to wear what they want to wear, not what others expect of them. They show their own uniqueness and their independent natures which makes them happier, more radiant brides than ever before. Thankfully today brides wear all kinds of wedding dresses. Gothic wedding dresses are just one unique type of gown you will see at a modern wedding.
      Today brides wear short wedding dress, colored wedding dresses or white wedding dress with color, informal wedding gowns, and beach wedding dresses, Celtic, medieval, pagan or other wedding gowns to celebrate heritage or religious choices and freedoms. So what does a gothic wedding dress mean exactly? Well, even though certain images may come to mind it all depends on who is thinking about it really. There is no one gothic design that all brides who choose to go a little (or a lot) gothic in their ceremony choose over every other design and idea out there. What gothic wedding dress the bride chooses is really up to her idea of what she wants to look like on her wedding day. Many brides choose to wear darker colored gowns like deep reds, purples, blues and greens. It really helps if they gowns have intricate design features, like decorative beading, and a corset top looks especially nice. Of course there are brides who want a more gothic feel to their ceremony but do not want to stray from white and like colors. There are plenty of gothic wedding dresses that are white; they are just of a specific style. For instance Celtic and medieval gowns are most certainly gothic in nature. They tend to be stark white or ivory, but the style screams gothic beauty. They use design elements like tie corsets, long billowing sleeves and floor length gowns.
     Many brides who choose to think outside the box for their gown also do so for the rest of their ceremony and reception. If you choose a gothic wedding dress you might want to carry that theme throughout the rest of the day. Many brides who choose a gothic theme also integrate the Celtic or medieval aspects into their ceremony and reception. One way to do this is to get married in a castle like setting (or to decorate it so it appears to be one). Be imaginative in how you want to do this, but a castle screams medieval wedding along with a fairytale wedding. Go to her website for wedding ideas and free articles, or to learn more about planning your wedding today.