Trading In Treasures: Heirs Selling Estate Jewels To Buy Stocks June 8, 2000 – Posted in: Press

By MAURA WEBBER Published: June 8, 2000 Chicago Sun-Times Within a month of inheriting a gold necklace and bracelet along with a string of pearls and a diamond ring from her grandmother, Monique Djerf of Streeterville sold the pieces to an estate jewelry buyer for $6,000. The 35-year-old, an executive assistant to a Chicago neurosurgeon, plans to invest the money in health care and technology stocks rather than letting the jewels languish in a safe-deposit…

To This Jeweler’s Clients, Market Rout Is Opportunity April 17, 2000 – Posted in: Press

Published: April 17, 2000 Wall Street Journal New York – One of the telling trends throughout the stock run-up of recent years is the jewelry that many rich folks have sold to raise money to invest. On Friday, the trend took a twist. In Chicago, estate jeweler Tobina Kahn, who has seen a stream of sellers in her office, unloading their diamond necklaces and gold broaches for cash to invest in stocks, said that there…

Jewelry Of Yesterday Funds Tomorrow March 23, 2000 – Posted in: Press

Guest Author: TOBINA KAHN Published: March 23, 2000 Skyline News Everyone’s life has become increasingly dominated by the frantic dictates of the working calendar. Cell Phones, fax machines, e-mails, and the quest for quicker internet connections only seem to emphasize the fast paced millennium. In fact, technology developments of recent years underscore the idea that faster is better and this attitude has profoundly affected the average person’s approach to living. Jewel heirlooms, like these, are…

Tech-Hungry Sellers Dumping Old Jewels January 10, 2000 – Posted in: Press

By: JEFF OSTROWISKI Published: January 10, 2000 Palm Beach Post The Internet gold rush is leading to its own mini-stampede here. Wealthy Palm Beachers are selling diamonds and using the proceeds to buy tech stocks, says Tobina Kahn, vice president of House of Kahn jewelers in Palm Beach. Kahn says she has bought $100,000 in jewelry in the past few weeks from customers who don’t want to miss out on the technology-driven bull market. House…

Are Diamonds Still a Girl’s Best Friend? December 23, 1999 – Posted in: Press

Guest Author: TOBINA KAHN Published: December 23, 1999 Skyline News In Howard Hawks 1953 film “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” Marilyn Monroe sexily and memorably sings her way to mega stardom with “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Since first seeing the movie and then becoming the vice president of the House of Kahn Estate Jewelers, I have often laughingly remembered that seemingly antiquated refrain so removed from the present. However, with the approach of the spring…

Gold Adds Weight To Its Worth Investors Take Notice Of Spike September 29, 1999 – Posted in: Press

By THOMAS A. FOGARTY Published: September 29, 1999 USA Today Tobina Kahn spent most of her morning Tuesday in Chicago bank vaults, appraising the personal treasures of potential sellers eager to cash in on the spike in gold prices. “We’ve been bombarded. It’s a fascinating phenomenon,” Kahn says of the increase in customers since the dramatic upturn in gold prices over the past two days. The boom in Kahn’s business is one element in the…

Gold Soars on Move By Central Banks September 28, 1999 – Posted in: Press

By PETER A. McKAY and MICHAEL M. PHILLIPS Published: September 28, 1999 Wall Street Journal It has been a long time since the phrase “good as gold” has had a ring of truth. But Monday came close. The metal’s value skyrocketed $14 an ounce to $281.80, hitting a five-month high on news that 15 European central banks won’t unload extra gold onto the market for the next five years. Analysts said the unexpected move virtually…

Latest Plunge In Gold Futures Scares Buyers, Stumps Analysts July 16, 1999 – Posted in: Press

By PETER A. McKAY Published: July 16, 1999 Wall Street Journal A concerned customer called Chicago jeweler Tobina Kahn last week to sell a Tiffany necklace inherited from her late mother and made from six ounces of gold, plus two carats of diamonds. Her worry: Had the 50-year-old heirloom’s worth diminished literally overnight? Ms. Kahn said no — that just doesn’t happen to vintage designer jewelry. But Ms. Kahn received several such calls last week…

Outing the Old can make for a Better New Year February 25, 1999 – Posted in: Press

Guest Author: TOBINA KAHN Published: February 25, 1999 Skyline News Inherited jewels are often sold to pay for a more promising future. When Champagne bottles are uncorked and “Auld Lang Syne” ushers the New Year in, many will pull their loved ones in for the last kiss of the century- and the first of the new millennium. While the turning of every year fosters expectations of and hope for change, this year anticipates a beginning…

Heirlooms Can Be Liquid Assets August 13, 1998 – Posted in: Press

By ELLEN PRITSKER Published: August 13, 1998 Skyline News If you’ve read any national periodicals lately, you’ve probably seen Chicago’s Tobina Kahn, of House of Kahn, quoted in connection with the trend of selling family heirlooms as liquid assets. Here, Kahn explains this emerging financial phenomenon. -Interview by Ellen Pritsker Q: What is the state of the antique and estate-jewelry market now? A: Business is up at least 30 percent in the past four years.…