SME Blog
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Protecting your credit cards and personal information
Current Affairs show are always highlighting the strategies that thieves employ to steal wallets and personal information from unsuspecting shoppers. We were astounded by the personal stories of loss from patrons to our stand at the recent trade show.
Just a few of the stories that we were told:
- Man (mid-20s) - wallet stolen from his hip pocket on train the previous week. Everything lost.
- Man (40s) - didn't think anything of someone brushing past him on a busy city street until he was tapped on the shoulder and had his personal information recounted to him that was just read off the credit cards in a leather wallet in his hip pocket. RFID scanning technology had been used.
- Women (50s) - wallet stolen while travelling. Lost all credit cards, licence, cash.
- Man (70s) - wallet stolen from his hip pocket at a rural trade show. Didn't know it was gone until called up to collect it. Fortunately only the cash was stolen.
- Women (70s) - withdraw cash from ATM in city shopping centre, went to purchase an item in shop 3 doors down, wallet was gone. Lost all credit cards, licence, cash.
- Woman (60s) - wallet stolen from open handbag in country supermarket. Lost all credit cards, licence, cash.
- Man (60s) - wrapped credit cards in alfoil in wallet to protect against RFID scanning. Wallet was stolen. Lost all credit cards, licence, cash.
Despite these stories, we estimated that:
- 95% of patrons didn't understand or were unaware of the implications of RFID/Paywave technology
- over 90% of patrons carried all credit cards, licences and cash together in one leather wallet
- over 75% of wallets were on display in hip pockets or open handbags.
Some important facts that you need to know:
- Chips on your credit cards generate a new 3 digit code each time it is used.
- If your card is scanned and YOU use this code first, thieves are then unable to use it.
- If your card is scanned and the thieves use this code first, YOU are then unable to use the card.
We spent 3 days explaining the dangers of the incorrect use of RFID technology and carrying all credit cards, licences and cash in the one case.
Tips to protect your credit cards and your personal information:
- Separate your credit cards and cash into more than one holder.
- Store at least some of your credit cards in an RFID credit card case .
- Many ladies bought a slimline stainless steel credit case to use in their wallets.
St Monan's Emporium stock aluminium and stainless steel RFID-blocking credit card cases in a range of styles and colours.
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Leather Care Tips
St Monan's Emporium stocks a collection of exquisite handcrafted premium leather handbags.
We sought advice on how to best care for these beautiful leather handbags from our expert manufacturer Louis Ferrier:
| Leather needs to breathe. | Wrap in tissue paper or fabric bag. AVOID wrapping leather goods in plastic. |
| Patent leathers will bleed when stored together. | Wrap individually in tissue paper or fabric bag. |
| Suede leathers will bleed when stored together. | Wrap individually in tissue paper or fabric bag. |
| Leather will absorb oil. | AVOID placing oily foods or products directly onto your leather handbag. |
| Louis Ferrier advises that NO leather manufacturer will guarantee the colour fastness of their leather against cleaning products. |
After use, wipe your leather handbag with a soft, damp cloth. BEFORE applying commercially available leather cleaners, Mr Sheen or any other cleaning agent to your leather goods, always test the colour fastness of your leather with a drop of the cleaning product on a small inconspicuous part of the handbag. |
Some of the styles and colours from our stunning premium leather handbag collection...
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For more information, visit our online store.
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All about Aluminium
Aluminium is beginning to replace steel in many appications. Why?
The Australian Aluminium Industry explains the properties of aluminium:
- strength - it is as strong as steel
- flexibility - easily shaped
- impermeability - barrier against air, light, moisture and microorganisms
- light-weight - about 1/3 of steel
- corrosive resistant - corrosion only occurs under certain conditions or with exposure to certain elements
- durable - combination of strength and corrisive resistance
- 100% recyclable - recycling uses 5% of energy of that required to produce aluminium from scratch.
- non-toxic - not affected by steam sterilization or cleaning
- non-magnetic and non-sparking
- electrical conductivity - alternative to copper
- thermal barrier and conductor - both good conductor and barrier against heat.
First commercially produced in 1888, aluminium is now the the 2nd most commonly used metal in the world after steel. Experts estimate that due to recycling, 75% of the aluminium produced since 1888 is still in use today.
Mining exploration confirms that aluminium is the 3rd most commonly found element on the earth.
Click here to view the Australian Aluminium Industry's graphic illustration and explanation of the aluminium production process.
Research and experimentation has lead to the development of a vast range of uses for aluminium.
Aluminium foil is a very thin rolled sheet. Food regulations have resulted in the increased use of aluminium packaging to incorporate the many properties identified above - absolute barrier protection; guaranteed quality by preventing loss of valuable aromas; and protection against light, oxygen, moisture and contamination. The European Aluminium Foil Association estimate that 75% of their production is used for packaging and household items.
For a bit of fun, test your skills to see if you are able to identify all of the household items that are made from aluminium foil by playing the Alfoil online game.
St Monan's Emporium now stocks a range of aluminium RFID blocking card cases. Click here to view our collections.
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Where is Cubic Zirconia mined?
Cubic Zirconia is not found in nature but is a man-made synthetic gemstone.
Replicating diamonds sparkling qualities, the relatively inexpensive cubic zirconia is used to add bling to rings, earrings, brooches, pendants and bracelets.
In 1892, baddeleyite, a yellowish monoclinic mineral and natural form of zirconium oxide, was discovered.
Zirconium Oxide (ZrO2) as a natural component was discovered in 1899 by Germans von Stackelberg and Chudoba. However, further attempts to locate it in nature have failed. Reportedly, these mineralogists gave no name to this find as they placed so little importance on it. Closer examination of zirconium oxide under x-ray revealed the presence of cubic crystals.
During the 1970s, Soviet scientists mastered the technique of growing cubic zirconia crystals in a laboratory. Zirconium oxide has a very high melting point (2 750oC) so creating and maintaining the crystals was extremely difficult. Further research and experimentation resulted in the mixing of zirconium oxide with stabilizing agents, yttrium oxide or calcium oxide.
Knowing the differences between a cubic zirconia and a diamond is important. Cubic zirconia are crystalline, flawless, colourless (equivalent to a perfect "D" on the diamond colour grading chart), heavier, harder and hence more brittle, more dense and with a higher dispersion rate resulting in prism-like colours or "sparkling with fire". Differentiating between the two is becoming more difficult as manufacturers continue to refine the production of cubic zirconia to more closely resemble diamond's properties.
Adding a range of other oxides to the mix, enables the production of coloured cubic zirconia. Creativity and experimentation with different mixes has resulted in a diverse array of colours and cuts to enter the market place.
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Oxide |
Colours |
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Cerium oxide |
red, orange, yellow |
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Copper oxide, Iron oxide, Nickel oxide, Praseodymium oxide, Titanium oxide |
yellow, amber, brown |
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Erbium oxide, Europium oxide, Holmium oxide |
pink |
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Chromium oxide, Manganese oxide, Vanadium oxide |
green |
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Cobalt oxide, Neodymanium oxide |
lilac, violet, purple |
| excess Yttrium oxide | blue, green |
The Swarovski Crystal Company are continuously researching and developing new techniques to produce their version of a synthetic crystal.
St Monan's Emporium stocks a number of earrings and bracelets that incorporate cubic zirconia..
and Swarovski Crystals...
Visit our online store to view our complete range of beautiful jewelry.
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Why is Ion Plating becoming popular?
Recently St Monan's Emporium purchased some stainless steel cufflinks with black ion plating.
Curiosity about what this term meant and the process involved has lead to this SME Blog.
St Monan's Emporium stocks a number of items that are silver or gold plated. This involves a thin layer of silver or gold applied over another base metal. Unfortunately the silver and gold plating by traditional methods in not particularly durable, wearing off and becoming dull over time.
Another method was required to overcome these undesirable characteristics...
Ion plating involves adding a layer of titanium nitride to the element to be plated. Titanium nitride is naturally harder and more chemically stable, providing these characteristics to the plated elements.
In other words, a small amount of titanium nitrate is added to the gold (or other element) and then applied in a thin plating layer. Using ion plating, less gold is required to cover the same surface, thereby reducing the items cost.
Experiments have demonstrated that ion plating produces a surface that is five (5) to eight (8) times harder, more evenly applied, more durable, wear off less, more corrosion resistant and maintains the shine longer than the traditional plating methods. "Permanent coating" is a term used to describe the results of this new technique.
Further research and experimentation with the ion plating technique will be exciting to watch over the coming years.
We are delighted to stock these cufflinks using this new plating technique.
Click here for more information about the items that we stock.
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Why use stainless steel?
We seem to be surrounded by stainless steel products in our daily lives and St Monan's Emporium stocks ranges of stainless steel RFID blocking card cases and cufflinks. So it is time we investigated this material to answer a number of questions...
- What is stainless steel?
- How is it made?
- Why is it used to make such a diverse range of products?
Gold, copper, bronze, iron and steel have all be moulded to create implements dating back to around 7000 BC. Continuous experimenting with techniques resulted in new discoveries to overcome the problems associated with the previous materials.
It was this continuous experimenting around the world that lead to the discovery of stainless steel. The actual inventor of stainless steel appears to still be a contentious issue but most experts seem to agree that it was by an Englishman Harry Brearley in 1912.
Steel was prone to corrosion, rust and staining. Brearley discovered that by creating a steel alloy of iron and a minimum of 10.5% chromium, the resulting material prevented surface corrosion and blocked any internal spreading of corrosion.
Further research revealed that it was the chromium that mixed with oxygen to form a film of chromium oxide on the surface which produced these amazing attributes.
The British Stainless Steel Association provides some valuable information about the origins of stainless steel. Click here to view this informative video clip.
As indicated in the video clip, additional research and experimentation over the years has resulted in the alloying of a broad range of metals to create new materials with unique properties suitable for different purposes.
Cutlery, mixing bowls, white goods, machinery, trains, escalators, aeroplanes, buildings...The list of uses for stainless steel appears endless.
Brushed, satin, matte, reflective, mirror are just some of the different finishes that have been developed to enhance the attractiveness of using stainless steel.
St Monan's Emporium is proud to stock the following stainless steel product ranges...
Thank you to all who have contributed to the development of this versatile material - Stainless Steel! Where would we be without it?
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