Gold Coins From America's Infancy Are the Most Valuable in the World

A handful of privately minted gold coins – known as Brasher Doubloons – from the days of George Washington are considered the rarest and most valuable in the world. The most unique version of the 1787 coin, which has the hallmark "EB" stamped on a shield in the middle of the eagle's breast, was sold in December 2011 for $7.395 million.

Considered "the holy grail of collectible gold coins," the Brasher Doubloon netted the single highest price ever paid for a coin in a private transaction. It is believe to be the only one of its kind in the world.

Another Brasher Doubloon, which is believed to be the finest example of one with the "EB" stamped on the right wing, was recently valued at $10 million. There are six of this design still in existence.

The story of Ephraim Brasher's gold coins is shrouded in mystery. Why was this well respected assayer designing gold coins in the likeness of Spanish doubloons? Was he rendering a public service or was he minting and distributing these gold pieces to influence New York State legislators so they would bite on his proposal to provide copper coinage for the fledgling state. At the time, under the Articles of Confederation, it was legal for states to issue their own bills and coinage.

The next-door neighbor of George Washington, Brasher's assaying skills were the gold standard of his day. In fact, he would stamp his own initials "EB" on precious-metal coins to assure the proper weight and fineness. Despite his credentials, New York legislators rebuffed his proposal. With the adoption of the U.S. Constitution in 1789, the U.S. federal government would be issuing a national currency, and Brasher's dreams of providing coinage to New York were dashed.

He did land a federal gig in 1792, when Brasher was called on to assay several varieties of gold coins for the new U.S. government. Thereafter, Brasher assisted assaying gold for the U.S. Mint.

The 225-year-old Brasher Doubloons shown above are in remarkably good shape. The obverse looks very much like the Great Seal of the United States with an eagle holding an olive branch in one claw and arrows in the other. Around the obverse is the oddly worded national motto, "UNUM E PLURIBUS" (one from many).

The reverse side features a sun rising over a mountain in front of a sea. Around the edge is the Latin phrase, "NOVA EBORAC • COLUMBIA • EXCELSIOR." Columbia was a colonial nickname for the United States; Nova Eborac means New York; and Excelsior means "ever higher" and is the New York State motto. Brasher's name is prominently displayed above the word "EXCELSIOR."

Rare and Beautiful Tanzanite Celebrates the 45th Anniversary of Its Discovery

It was exactly 45 years ago when a tailor and part-time gold prospector named Manuel de Souza found transparent fragments of vivid blue and blue-purple gem crystals on a ridge near Mererani in the East African country of Tanzania.

He thought the stones were probably a variation of the mineral olivine (peridot), but that hunch proved to be wrong. The mystery would be solved in short time once the samples made their way to the gem experts in Midtown Manhattan.

D'Souza showed the stones to John Saul, a Nairobi-based geologist and gemstone wholesaler. Saul sent samples to his father, Hyman Saul, who was vice president of Saks Fifth Avenue at the time. The elder Saul brought the stones across the street to the Gemological Institute of America, whose experts conclusively identified the new gem as a unique variety of the mineral zoisite.

Tiffany & Co. was the first retailer to market the new gemstone, but had some issues with what it should be called. It's official name was "blue zoisite," but Tiffany's marketing experts thought it sounded too much like "blue suicide" so they had to come up with something better. They finally settled on "tanzanite" to honor the gem's country of origin – the only place on the earth where these gems are found.

Tanzanite is mined deep in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. The entire mining area is only four square kilometers wide, and it is believed that the lifespan of the mine is just 30 years. Due to its single source and limited supply, the marketers of tanzanite say that the gemstone is at least one thousand times rarer than a diamond.

Tanzanite’s exquisite color is an intoxicating mix of blue and purple, unlike any other gemstone. The stones come in a wide range of hues, from light blues or lilacs, to deep indigos and violets.

In 2002, tanzanite was added with some fanfare to the jewelry industry’s official birthstone list as it joined turquoise and zircon as accepted birthstones for December. This was the first time the list had been changed since 1912.

Happy 45th, Tanzanite!

Florida Man Watching Fireworks Display Says Silver Medallion Saved Him From Stray Bullet

The old adage "What goes up must come down" almost meant the end for a 74-year-old Floridian on the Fourth of July when a stray 9mm bullet that had been shot in the air by a holiday reveler came screaming back to earth in a one-in-a-million direct hit, clipping the sky gazer's hat and piercing his nose, lip and chin.

The bullet didn't stop there. It exited his chin and was heading for his chest when it finally was deflected by a silver necklace he just started wearing. Richard Smeraldo, who had been sitting on a camp chair with his head tilted skywards as he watched the fireworks display over the ironically named Safety Harbor, says the necklace saved his life.

The silver medallion necklace, which was a gift from his daughter, was recently inscribed with a favorite Bible verse of his mother's: "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Smeraldo said the impact was like getting hit in the face with a big rock or a baseball bat. "It smacked me in the nose, like, really with a lot of force," he explained. "Hits my nose here, comes off the side, goes through my nostril, comes out here, splits my nose right here, hits this lip, goes through my chin."

The bullet could have done more damage, but was finally deflected by his dog-tag medallion. The bullet split the stainless steel chain in two. The shocked and bleeding Smeraldo wasn't sure what hit him until a friend found the 9mm bullet on the blanket beside them.

His minor injuries required only a few stitches to repair. "If I'd been leaning a little more forward," Smeraldo told ABC News, "I could be gone right now." Smeraldo calls his good fortune a miracle.

"So, thank you mom," he said, looking up at the sky. "I had four people tell me, 'You better go get a lotto ticket, you know.'"

Jewelry tells a story

Today a client came in with a sad face and thought something had fallen out of her ring.
It appears her husband asked her for a divorce and now she wants to sell her wedding ring.
All the more reason to keep receipts and appraisals as jewelry can save  your life
in an emergency.

Prince William with now wedding band?

The wedding band is the symbol of love and commitment, and its circular shape symbolizes a world with no beginning and no end. Surely he has been made aware of this symbol and should definitely wear one to show his commitment to Kate. See what I mean at www.susaneisen.com