| Pearlgem | | Posted Thursday, February 02, 2006 2:55:31 PM by Kate Grant | If you were born on January, your birthstone is garnet, and if you were born on December, it's turquoise.  Ten more birthstones await you, should you decide to give them as a very cool birthday present.
Ask the jeweler, or search the web for information about those gemstones, and make it an even more personal gift, by making the connection between what the gemstone represents and the person getting it. Gemstones like topaz represent the setting sun with all its colors, and is supposed to help in curing insomnia, asthma, and hemorrhages.
The ruby was considered to have many magical powers and took its name from the Latin word rubrum, meaning "red". Opal is a gem of many colors, and an old superstition suggests it is bad luck to wear it if it's not your birthstone, so wear a crystal instead... A personal favorite of mine, aquamarine, known for its clarity and transparency, is believed to have a soothing effect, and is a very popular anniversary gift.
You can sometimes purchase loose gemstone in a wholesale, and get a good price or a discount. Think about it as investing in your future.
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| | | By Julie P. Robinson | | Posted Tuesday, November 07, 2006 3:06:35 PM by Blog57 Team | | Many people assume that antique and collectible jewelry must be fashioned from precious metal or gemstones in order to be valuable, but this is not true. Many types of plastic materials were used to fashion jewelry beginning in the mid-1800s. Today, items made from these materials are widely collected for their rarity as well as their intrinsic beauty. The word plastic technically means any substance that can be made pliable for molding. Natural plant and animal plastics, like rubber and tortoiseshell, as well as composition materials like shellac were all used to mold beautiful jewelry objects. Among the most collectible forms of plastic jewelry from this period are those that reflect bereavement. In England mourning jewelry was mostly carved from jet, but as jet supplies began to dwindle, alternative materials were sought to replace it.... | |
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| | | Witte patrons pick 'Gems of the Collection' | | Posted Saturday, October 21, 2006 2:59:15 PM by Blog57 Team | | Millions of people have passed through the Witte Museum's doors since it opened 80 years ago on Oct. 8, 1926. So it seems fitting that, to mark the milestone, patrons were invited to create "Gems of the Collection: Community as Curator," an 80-piece exhibit steeped in memories, history and nostalgia. It wasn't easy, said anthropologist Michaele Haynes, the Witte curator who helped guide the process of selecting pieces from the museum's vast collection. "It's difficult to put together an exhibit that encompasses everything from a shrunken head to a Tiffany vase," said Haynes, who praised exhibit designer John Edmundson's work. "And to be able to do it in a coherent way. But this is a successful and beautiful exhibit." A populist flavor is reflected in the artifacts selected from different eras, some of which are sacred or convey redemptive powers, such as the bullet-tattered ghost dance dress from Wounded Knee and former slave Sarah Tate's first dress as a free woman.... | |
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| | | Permanent gem exhibit debuts at Texas Memorial Museum | | Posted Thursday, October 05, 2006 7:02:10 PM by Blog57 Team | | The Texas Memorial Museum opened a new permanent exhibit Sunday featuring gemstones and minerals from the E.M. Barron Collection. The museum, located on 24th and Trinity streets, will exhibit 140 specimens from the collection containing between 3,000 and 4,000 minerals. The rest of the specimens are either exhibited in the halls of the Jackson School of Geosciences or held in the school's geology vaults. "It's quite a remarkable collection that includes some rare and special pieces," said Ann Molineux, the collections manager for the non-vertebrate paleontological laboratory at the Texas Memorial Museum. Pieces include a 1700-carat blue topaz from Mexico, large pieces of Mexican gold and the blue topaz that was exhibited at the Texas Capitol when it was declared the state gemstone in 1969.... | |
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| | | 9 earring buying tips | | Posted Thursday, October 05, 2006 1:00:36 PM by Blog57 Team | | The right earrings can be the finishing touch that turns an ordinary ensemble into the envy of every woman in the room. But the wrong earring can be a painful experience for both your ear and your fashion sense. The good news is that knowing the difference between the right earrings and the wrong ones is easier than it seems. Here are some common sense guidelines to help you get started: 1. Choose a Great Design Like other types of jewelry, earrings come in a wide variety of shapes and styles. Although the style of your earrings will often be determined by the occasion, you shouldn't be afraid to branch out and try new designs. Experiment with an assortment of styles until you find the ones that are right for you. 2. Metals to Consider Earrings can be comprised of a variety of precious and non-precious metals including gold, silver, and nickel-based alloys.... | |
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| | | Christina Aguilera: a more polished courtney love Updated: 2006-09-18 09:49 | | Posted Tuesday, September 19, 2006 3:16:32 PM by Blog57 Team | | Christina Aguilera at the 1976 Milestones Of Gemstones Event with her hubby Jordan. The 'Ain't No Other Man' singer - who tied the knot with music executive Jordan Bratman last November - has revealed she and her husband have agreed to renew their vows every few years to keep their relationship fresh. She confessed to Glamour magazine: "We want to renew our vows every five years, so next time I might do it a little more rock 'n' roll." Despite being blissfully happy, the 25-year-old singer admits she wasn't looking for love when she first met Jordan. She said: "It completely took me by surprise because I wasn't looking for relationship. I didn't say, 'Gee, I need to be happy, let me find a companion.' But when it happens, it happens."Meanwhile, Christina has revealed she once dated a gay man.... | |
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| | | Collectors Universe Acquires American Gemological Laboratories | | Posted Tuesday, August 29, 2006 4:58:18 AM by Blog57 Team | | Collectors Universe Inc., of Newport Beach, California, acquired American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) an international forensic colored gemstone certification and grading laboratory, according to a statement issued on August 21. Collector Universe is a provider of authentication and grading services of high-value collectibles and parent company of diamond grading laboratory GCAL. The company paid $3.5 million in cash for AGL, and depending upon the future financial performance of AGL, may pay an additional $3.5 million over the next five years. "The acquisition of AGL represents a further step in the implementation of our strategic plan to enter the diamond and colored gemstone authentication and grading businesses, the two primary high value jewelry markets," said Michael Haynes, chief executive officer of Collectors Universe.... | |
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| | | Seychelles: Seychelles - Ideal for Fun Loving Ugandans | | Posted Friday, August 25, 2006 11:00:28 PM by Blog57 Team | | Like gemstones scattered over 1.4 square kilometres of warm, crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean, Seychelles' 115 islands are a surreal spectrum. Each island has a unique beauty and story that fuse into a single unforgettable holiday destination. With one of the most pristine natural environments, Seychelles represents a powerful antidote to the demands of everyday life. Seychelles is a cultural and geographical story told in two principle geographical divisions of the "inner" and "outer" islands. The inner cluster of islands constituting Mahe, Praslin and La Digue have verdant peaks, jutting from virgin forests and powder- soft beaches. The "outer" have sparkling array of flat, coralline islands, extending eastwards towards the coast of Africa. But the story of Seychelles is incomplete without the story of Coco-de-Mer, a peculiar fruit, commonly found in the wilderness of Praslin Island.... | |
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| | | Colored Gemstones at JA Show | | Posted Sunday, August 13, 2006 1:16:54 PM by Blog57 Team | | Retailers shopping the show, which kicked off Sunday at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, say color-in particular colored gemstones but also yellow and rose gold-tops their list of must-have items for the holiday season. "Color is in, there's no doubt about it. Color is extremely hot," said Mollie Bronstein, owner of Mollie B Distinctively Different Fine Jewelry in Harrisburg, Pa. Diamonds also remain strong for the retailer and she says many of the looks she's buying into combine color with diamonds. Most importantly, she wants something that will set her store apart from the competition. "We're looking for lines that will keep us unique," she said. Color is also strong for Gary Berezowsky, owner of Garbo Jewelers in Skillman, N.J. He noted pink sapphires, tanzanite, citrine in white and yellow and pink and yellow gold on his buy list.... | |
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| | | The Rock and Roll Machine vs Cherry's Gemstones! | | Posted Wednesday, August 09, 2006 11:04:21 PM by Blog57 Team | | With only weeks to go until the release of their self-titled debut album (August 28), Auckland's Rock and Roll Machine is taking their mind off things by journeying to Wellington and facing off against spunky, punky Cherry's Gemstones! The Rock and Roll Machine vs Cherry's Gemstones at Room 101 (under Bodega) Friday 11th of August with The Secateurs and DJ Acid Queen doors open 9pm (+ secret-ish, sneaky student show is happening the night before at The Big Kumara!) The Rock and Roll Machine with Malegra The Big Kumara cnr Dixon/Cuba Mall Thursday 10th August doors open 8pm New single "Creature of the Night" out now on Hell Squad Records! Self-titled, debut album out August 28th! ENDS .... | |
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| | | Earthly education The Norman Transcript | | Posted Friday, July 28, 2006 5:00:00 PM by Blog57 Team | | One of Oklahoma's greatest legacies is its diverse environment ranging from the Arbuckle Mountains to the Great Salt Plains.David London, University of Oklahoma professor of geology, has a legacy of his own. An award-winning professor who has the mineral Londonite named after him, London said his early interest in the Oklahoma's outdoors led him to a career of geologic research and education."I grew up in Ardmore and I liked to hunt and fish, so I was always outside," London recalls.He did not become interested in geology as a profession until he was an undergraduate at Wesleyan University in Middleton, Conn. He said he went along on a geology field trip and decided to pursue it as a major."We went to a fantastic locality with fantastic shapes of crystal," London said. "I was just blowing (the instructor) away.... | |
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