Uni-Select Inc. - UNS.t

Uni-Select Inc. - UNS.t is a Canada-based distributor of automotive parts and paint products. The Company is engaged in the distribution, sale and marketing of replacement parts, equipment, tools and accessories, and paint and related products for motor vehicles in the Canadian wholesale automotive aftermarket.

On May 2, 2016 the company released News

FinishMaster, Inc., a leading distributor of paint and related products in the United States and subsidiary of Uni-Select Inc. (TSX:UNS), a leading distributor of automotive products in Canada, announced today it has completed the acquisition of substantially all of the operating assets of Gladwin Paint Company and related entities (“Gladwin”). This acquisition increases FinishMaster’s footprint with the addition of 8 locations across several key metropolitan markets in Texas including Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.

Founded in 1954, Gladwin has grown to be one of the largest PBE distributors in the southwest United States. The team is guided by the same principles Carl and Margaret Gladwin held when they founded the company more than a half century ago: hard work, honesty, and excellent customer service. Offering comprehensive services including an experienced team of technicians, Gladwin specializes in training and assisting body shop technicians in product knowledge, process solutions, and SOP implementation to help improve their customers’ overall performance.

Submerged ancient Egyptian treasures

More than 200 objects are showcased at a new exhibition of Egyptian artifacts discovered in a sunken ancient city. Dating back some 2,300 years they were found over a decade ago near what is now the city of Alexandria. In ancient times, the port city of Thonis-Heracleion was the main port of entry to Egypt for all ships coming from the Greek world.

The city was founded around the 8th century BC, underwent natural catastrophes, and eventually sunk entirely into the depths of the Mediterranean in the 8th century AD.

Padparadscha Sapphires

The most valuable of all the sapphires and prized throughout the ages, padparadscha sapphires are as beautiful and exotic as their name. The term padparadscha is derived from the Singhalese word for a salmon colored lotus blossom. Overall, padparadscha sapphires are pinkish orange in color, but vary in hue and tone.

The question of just what exactly qualifies for the princely kiss of “padparadscha” is a matter of debate, even among experts. Today, padparadscha is narrowly defined by gemologists as a Sri Lankan sapphire of delicate pinkish orange color.

Most lotus blossoms are far more pink than orange, and in ancient times, padmaraga was described as a subvariety of ruby. Today, some define the gem's color as a blend of lotus and sunset.

The original source for padparadscha is Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and purists today believe the term should be restricted only to stones from Ceylon. However, fine stones have also been found in Vietnam’s Quy Chau district, Tanzania’s Tunduru district, and Madagascar.

Kashmir Sapphire

The most famous sapphires in the world are from Kashmir, and they are extraordinarily rare. New sapphires are rarely discovered in Kashmir today, and most of the material that exists was discovered more than 100 years ago. Kashmir sapphires are highly valued because the best specimens have a superb cornflower blue colour and a sleepy quality (due to rutile inclusions) that has been described as "blue velvet."

Sapphires were first discovered in Kashmir around 1880. A landslide in the Padar region uncovered the deposit, high up in the Himalayas at about 4,500 meters. Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, lying mainly in a valley between India and Pakistan. A region of great beauty, Kashmir was a princely state in the 19th century. It became a disputed territory after the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, when it joined India rather than Pakistan. The dispute continues to this day.

Between 1882 and 1887 the mine was very productive, yielding sapphire crystals of exceptional quality and size. By 1887 declining production led the Maharajah of Kashmir to request geological assistance from the government of British India, in the hope of finding more material. The British geologist found the original mine to be exhausted. Exploration failed to uncover new sapphire. Geological surveys were undertaken, but the marvels that came out of the original mine were never matched.

Richelieu Sapphires Sapphire earrings with sapphires of 26.66 and 20.88 carats; $8,372,094 ($176,106 per carat) at Sotheby's Geneva November 2013 sale. Star of Kashmir Cushion-shaped sapphire of 19.88 carats set in a diamond ring; $3,483,017 ($175,202 per carat) at Christie's Geneva May 2013 sale.

A 28.18-carat square emerald-cut Kashmir sapphire sold for nearly $5.1 million in April 2014. It achieved $180,731 per carat, setting a world auction record of a price per carat of a sapphire. The untreated gem is framed by 32 tapered baguette diamonds with a mounting by Oscar Heyman & Brothers. A 25.87 carat sugarloaf cabochon sapphire from Kashmir set in a platinum and diamond ring sold for more than $5.1 million at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels sale in New York in 2015.

A 42.28-carat Kashmir Sapphire and Diamond Ring - $3,458,420.

A cushion-cut Kashmir sapphire ring of 8.91 carats, by Tiffany & Co.

A 26.41-carat cushion-cut Kashmir sapphire and diamond brooch sold for $3,838,508 in November 2011.

7.8-Carat Tiffany Kashmir Sapphire Ring Sold $1.35 Million in 2015