Photo by Marie France Coallier for The Montreal Gazette
Women across Canada are digging for gold in their own jewel boxes. Hyped as Tupperware parties of the new millennium, these gold parties have become an increasingly popular phenomenon.
Gold Party Canada, a Montreal-based company, boasts events scheduled throughout June, July and August, plus new sister companies in Ottawa, Edmonton and Vancouver.
The concept is simple: 10 to 15 women get together at a hostess’s home, sip wine and munch on hors d’oeuvres. Then, one by one, they meet with a gold appraiser in a separate room.
When first launched last year, business was slow, said Shawn Zimmerman, co-founder of Gold Party Canada. “But after Christmas, things really started to pick up.”
Gold is valued at more than $1,000 Canadian an ounce right now, Zimmerman said. In spring 2007, the price was approximately $725 an ounce. “That (increase is) the whole point and why we got started.”
Mary Reinhold, a retired Air Canada employee, recently held a gold party at her home in Beaconsfield. She was inspired after pocketing $325 at an event she attended a few weeks ago near the Atwater Market. “I went straight to Costco and bought all these cheeses I couldn’t afford,” Reinhold said.
Reinhold also served spanakopita and shrimp salad for her dozen or so guests, which included former colleagues, florists at a nearby shop, a school teacher and a real estate agent.
Gold Party Canada organizers gave Reinhold $100 to help cover food and beverage costs, plus $25 for every guest who sold more than $200 in gold.
One by one, Reinhold’s guests met with Zimmerman, who did an apprenticeship with a jeweller in New York before starting his company here, training all six of Gold Party Canada’s appraisers.
Gael Burke, a friend of Reinhold, laid out a few mismatched earrings and chains mangled beyond repair. “I told Mary I had nothing to bring in, then I started fishing and I found little pieces here and there,” Burke explained.
Zimmerman began rubbing each piece on a lava rock then tested the residue with a 14-karat nitric acid-based solution. “If it begins to fade, we test for a lesser karat, down to eight. If it gets brighter then we test for higher – 18 to 22,” Zimmerman said.
“It’s like CSI Miami,” Burke laughed.
After five minutes, Zimmerman had explained to Burke which items were 10 karat and which ones were 18. Then he announced, “Gael, the total is $800.”
“Wow. I didn’t have a clue at all,” Burke said of the value of her items. She received her cheque immediately.
Another woman at Reinhold’s event, who asked not to be identified in the story, collected $1,365 for her neglected jewels. She said she wasn’t hawking her jewellery because of dwindling stock accounts. “It’s not because of poverty – it was all just sitting in my drawer,” she said.
Indeed, while the recession’s rainy days aren’t hurting business, the fact that gold is trading near record highs is fuelling the trend.
Gold Party Canada takes both low- and high-karat gold and payouts vary with the daily markets. Typically, the company pays between $9 and $20 per gram, depending on the karat. A downtown Montreal jeweller said he offers approximately $7 to $18.
Gold Party Canada is the only major gold-event planning company in Montreal. In Toronto, there are several outfits, including Gold Party Princess and Gold Party Toronto.
Gold Party Canada does not take every bauble. Zimmerman’s appraisers refuse items such as a Cartier watch or an antique coin, for which specialty collectors pay big money. “We’re not looking for those pieces,” he explained.
Gold Party Canada refines or recycles the purchased pieces; anything with ornate detailing or designs are better sold to a jeweller or collector who offers premiums on specialty items.
Also, “a lot of these items can have sentimental value,” Zimmerman said. As such, his appraisers are instructed to constantly remind the customer that they can back out at any moment.
Gold Party Canada has been a hit in the charity circuit. An event for the SPCA was held recently at Niche Home Décor in Westmount.
For her guests, store owner and event organizer Lori McGuigan offered refreshments and hors d’oeuvres and showed an awareness film of SPCA’s puppy mill rescue efforts. “It’s a cause that’s really close to my heart,” she said.
“And I could not say more wonderful things about the (Gold Party Canada) appraisers,” McGuigan said after the event.
“One woman came to test them out – she already had her item appraised somewhere else. Not only did the appraiser offer more money, he also told her not sell it because it was worth more as it was. He thought she could get more for the piece somewhere else.”
McGuigan said the proceeds from 20 per cent of all gold sales from her event will go to the SPCA – half of the amount is from McGuigan, personally, and the rest is from Gold Party Canada. In addition, she said, one of her guests vowed to donate all her used gold to the cause.
Guests should not feel obliged to donate their gold profits, Zimmerman said. “All people have to do to support the charity is show up with gold. They walk away (with the same amount of money) they would at a regular party and we’ll give the charity a percentage,” he added.
Heads up: younger gals – who probably consider Tupperware parties as irrelevant as non-dishwasher safe plates – are not quite part of this trend. Rather it’s with the 35-plus set that the concept is taking off. These women have had time to accumulate gold.
Go to www.goldpartycanada.com to find out about booking an event.
Women across Canada are digging for gold in their own jewel boxes. Hyped as Tupperware parties of the new millennium, these gold parties have become an increasingly popular phenomenon.
Gold Party Canada, a Montreal-based company, boasts events scheduled throughout June, July and August, plus new sister companies in Ottawa, Edmonton and Vancouver.
The concept is simple: a group of 10 to 15 women gets together at a hostess’s home, sips wine and munches on hors d’oeuvres. Then, one by one, they meet with a gold appraiser in a separate room.
When first launched last year, business was slow, said Shawn Zimmerman, co-founder of Gold Party Canada. “But after Christmas, things really started to pick up.”
Gold is valued at more than $1,000 Canadian an ounce right now, Zimmerman said. In spring 2007, the price was approximately $725 an ounce. “That (increase is) the whole point and why we got started.”
Mary Reinhold, a retired Air Canada employee, recently held a gold party at her home in Beaconsfield. She was inspired after pocketing $325 at an event she attended a few weeks ago near the Atwater Market. “I went straight to Costco and bought all these cheeses I couldn’t afford,” Reinhold said.
Reinhold also served spanakopita and shrimp salad for her dozen or so guests, which included former colleagues, florists at a nearby shop, a school teacher and a real estate agent.
Gold Party Canada organizers gave Reinhold $100 to help cover food and beverage costs, plus $25 for every guest who sold more than $200 in gold.
One by one, Reinhold’s guests met with Zimmerman, who did an apprenticeship with a jeweller in New York before starting his company here, training all six of Gold Party Canada’s appraisers.
Gael Burke, a friend of Reinhold, laid out a few mismatched earrings and chains mangled beyond repair. “I told Mary I had nothing to bring in, then I started fishing and I found little pieces here and there,” Burke explained.
Zimmerman began rubbing each piece on a lava rock then tested the residue with a 14-karat nitric acid-based solution. “If it begins to fade, we test for a lesser karat, down to eight. If it gets brighter then we test for higher – 18 to 22,” Zimmerman said.
“It’s like CSI Miami,” Burke laughed.
After five minutes, Zimmerman had explained to Burke which items were 10 karat and which ones were 18. Then he announced, “Gael, the total is $800.”
“Wow. I didn’t have a clue at all,” Burke said of the value of her items. She received her cheque immediately.
Another woman at Reinhold’s event, who asked not to be identified in the story, collected $1,365 for her neglected jewels. She said she wasn’t hawking her jewellery because of dwindling stock accounts. “It’s not because of poverty – it was all just sitting in my drawer,” she said.
Indeed, while the recession’s rainy days aren’t hurting business, the fact that gold is trading near record highs is fuelling the trend.
Gold Party Canada takes both low- and high-karat gold and payouts vary with the daily markets. Typically, the company pays between $9 and $20 per gram, depending on the karat. A downtown Montreal jeweller said he offers approximately $7 to $18.
Gold Party Canada is the only major gold-event planning company in Montreal. In Toronto, there are several outfits, including Gold Party Princess and Gold Party Toronto.
Gold Party Canada does not take every bauble. Zimmerman’s appraisers refuse items such as a Cartier watch or an antique coin, for which specialty collectors pay big money. “We’re not looking for those pieces,” he explained.
Gold Party Canada refines or recycles the purchased pieces; anything with ornate detailing or designs are better sold to a jeweller or collector who offers premiums on specialty items.
Also, “a lot of these items can have sentimental value,” Zimmerman said. As such, his appraisers are instructed to constantly remind the customer that they can back out at any moment.
Gold Party Canada has been a hit in the charity circuit. An event for the SPCA was held recently at Niche Home Décor in Westmount.
For her guests, store owner and event organizer Lori McGuigan offered refreshments and hors d’oeuvres and showed an awareness film of SPCA’s puppy mill rescue efforts. “It’s a cause that’s really close to my heart,” she said.
“And I could not say more wonderful things about the (Gold Party Canada) appraisers,” McGuigan said after the event.
“One woman came to test them out – she already had her item appraised somewhere else. Not only did the appraiser offer more money, he also told her not sell it because it was worth more as it was. He thought she could get more for the piece somewhere else.”
McGuigan said the proceeds from 20 per cent of all gold sales from her event will go to the SPCA – half of the amount is from McGuigan, personally, and the rest is from Gold Party Canada. In addition, she said, one of her guests vowed to donate all her used gold to the cause.
Guests should not feel obliged to donate their gold profits, Zimmerman said. “All people have to do to support the charity is show up with gold. They walk away (with the same amount of money) they would at a regular party and we’ll give the charity a percentage,” he added.
Heads up: younger gals – who probably consider Tupperware parties as irrelevant as non-dishwasher safe plates – are not quite part of this trend. Rather it’s with the 35-plus set that the concept is taking off. These women have had time to accumulate gold.
Go to www.goldpartycanada.com to find out about booking an event.