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* The Wells Fargo Home Projects credit card is issued by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., an Equal Housing Lender. Special terms for 60 months apply to qualifying purchases charged with approved credit. The special terms APR will continue to apply until all qualifying purchases are paid in full. The monthly payment for this purchase will be the amount that will pay for the purchase in full in equal payments during the promotional (special terms) period. The APR for Purchases will apply to certain fees such as a late payment fee or if you use the card for other transactions. For new accounts, the APR for Purchases is 28.99%. If you are charged interest in any billing cycle, the minimum interest charge will be $1.00. This information is accurate as of 04/01/2018 and is subject to change. For current information, call us at 1-800-431-5921. O er expires 11/15/18

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BEWARE OF FLOOD DAMAGE WHEN BUYING A USED VEHICLE

ecent storms have given Arizonans in the m arket for used c ars even m ore reason to pay c lose attention to a ve hicle’s condi tion and hi story, especially in private sales. C ars damaged by fl oodwaters such as those resulting from Hurricane Florence can sometimes fi nd their way to Arizona to be sold.

If a vehicle is fl ood-damaged, the title should say “salvage” or “fl ood damage.” But scammers can and do fraudulently remove fl ood history from ve hicle titles.

“We want to m ake sure potential buye rs remain vigilant when looki ng at used ve hicles and not sign anything until the ve hicle has be en checked ove r bum per to bum per,” said Willie Hall, de tective sergeant with ADOT’s Offi ce of Inspector General, which investigates fraud i nvol ving titles and ve hicle sales. “Flood- damaged vehicles that have be en repackaged and dr essed up a re a com mon scam after m ajor weather events like what we’ve seen recently.”

Potential buye rs shoul d c losely inspect vehicles and be prepared to w alk away if things don’ t smell right – qui te literally in som e cases. • Check out all of the ve hicle’s nooks and c rannies. L ook i nside unde r the carpet and fl oor mats and examine the trunk f or dirt, silt and m old. C heck unde r the dashboa rd and other hard-toreach pl aces as well. C riminals usually don’ t clean all of thos e places. F inally, take a good w hiff in thos e areas. Water damage leaves a distinctive smell.

• Check the electrical and m echanical com ponents. Water wreaks havoc on electrical systems, so c heck to see if any of thos e systems aren’t working qui te right. Also c heck the engine for signs of rust or even random new parts. G et unde r the ve hicle and c heck the suspension f or water damage. Any of thos e things coul d be a sign that you’re in danger of buying a fl ooddamaged ve hicle.

It’s always a good i dea to ha ve any us ed ve hicle you’ re looki ng at buyi ng c hecked out by a trusted auto mechanic.

A vehicle identifi cation number can be used to obt ain the ve hicle history through a n onl ine service that m ay charge a fee. This check c an unc ove r a vehicle’s status as “salvage” or “nonrepairable,” as well as m aintenance probl ems, collisions, insurance claims and titles issued in other states.

For m ore information: azdot.gov/ CarBuyingT ips, 24- hour fraud hot line at 602- 277- 5684 or 877.712.2370 (out side Phoe nix) or email fraud@ azdot.gov .

NATURAL, FANCY Wholesale Prices To The Public COLORED DIAMONDS 60-80% Off Retail One Of The Valley’s Premier Buyers—We Pay Top Prices!

By Indra Jhaveri Owner of AMI Diamonds

iamonds com e in all colors of the rainbow . M ost people know about white diamonds and m aybe canary ye llow diamonds . The colored di amonds are rarer in Mother Nature and som e special colors (e.g., r ed, bl ue, gr een, pink, purple and or ange) are ve ry rare and considered c ollectibles. They are sold f or record - breaking prices in auction hous es. B row ns (choc olate) and ye llow s are the m ore com mon fancy c olors. According to the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), which established a universal diamond grading system accepted and practiced throug hout the world, “ Only one in 10,000 carat displays fancy c olors and one in 25,000 c arats display intense colors.” GIA grading reports of such diamonds (1.00 c arat and above ) with finer cuts, clarity and intensity of color have be en sold f or hundr eds of thou sands, to m illions of dol lars in auction hous es.

So how are they c reated? According to GIA researcher's theory…

PINK DIAMONDS are caused by color centers that can selectively absorb light in the visible region of the spectrum. Color centers are the result of lattice defects or imperfec tions in the arrangement of atoms. The ‘Pink Star’ diamond (59.60ct) sold for $71 million at an April 4, 2017, Sotheby's auction. BLACK DIAMONDS ge t their color from large qua ntities or m inute m ineral inclusions, such as graphite, pyr ite, or he matite, that extend throughout the stone. A 67.05c t bl ack di amond i s well kno wn.

YELLOW DIAMONDS are caused by t he presence of nitroge n. Yellow diamonds are considered to be "fancy" when they f all out side the D to Z color range (colorless to l ight ye llow ).

BLUE DIAMONDS are caused by bor on impurities presence and are very rare. C olor can also be caused by radiation e xpos ure or associated w ith hydr oge n (enhanced and not rare). Most famous is ‘The Hope Diamond’ which at 45.52c t is a fancy, de ep grayish bl ue and w as examined by G IA in

RED DIAMONDS are m ost rare and only a handful of red di amonds ove r 5.00 c arats have be en found. G IA still have not de termined w hat causes the red c olor.

GREEN DIAMONDS ge t their color when radiation di splaces carbon a tom s from their normal positions in the crystal structure. This can happen naturally ( rare) when diamond de posits lie near radioactive rocks or artificially as a result of treatment by r adiation. ‘Dresden Green’ (41.00c t) is the largest know n natural green diamond.

For more information visit Indra in the store, or email amidiamond@live.com

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