A recent news report has revealed that high earners in the United States are set to spend their money on jewelry during the coming holiday season. Figures released by Money Magazine and market-research firm ICR have shown that those with household incomes of $75,000 and over are the most likely to be spending money on jewelry items costing more than $1,500. The poll found that 41 per cent of those with high incomes were planning to spend over $1,500 on jewelry purchases during the holiday season, with 30 per cent of under-35s also preparing to splash out on jewelry. One of the popular purchase is the star of David necklace and not only among the Jewish people.
I’ve been using the expression ‘sterling silver’ all my life without really understanding what it means. Finally, I looked it up. Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. The minimum millesimal fineness is 925. Stuck again, I had to look up the word ‘millesimal’ and I found that ‘millesimal fineness’ is a system of denoting the purity of platinum, gold and silver alloys by parts per thousand of pure metal in the alloy.
Most people will be unfamiliar with the term blood diamonds. These are also commonly referred to as conflict diamonds. These diamonds are mined in areas in africa that are plagued by war. African rebels and war lords use these diamonds to help fund their war campaign. These rebels are known to abuse human rights. This includes murder and slavery of hundreds and thousands of the local populations in order to mine these diamonds rings.
My wife and I were on holiday in Bangkok a couple of years ago and we saw posters advertising an international Jewlery Exhibition. We should go, suggested my wife. It’s international - everyone there will speak English, right? We took a cab to the exhibition center which was bigger than anything we had ever seen. So was the actual exhibition. There were thousands of jewelry stalls and kiosks, crowds of people milling about and very few English speakers. We saw incredible jewelry.
For those whose winter wondering adds a certain sparkle to their eye, or special days brings wide smiles to your face, and especially for those who frisk through the first snows like a ten year old child, then the perfect gift idea for these types is the snowflake jewelry.
These include snowflake earrings, pins and pendants that are offered in a wide range of styles.
Decorating women goes back way beyond the stone age. Rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, brooches and hair ornaments are as old as the hills. The birth of jewellery probably came about when it was thought that such items possessed magical powers. After winding strings from a vine around his woman’s head in order to ward off the evil spirits, the man probably said, “the magic isn’t working, the cave is still full of evil spirits, but she sure looks a lot better!
It’s interesting to think who first came up with the idea of using jewelery to decorate women. Jewelery was probably first used as some sort of magical power or as a charm to ward off evil, by men. At that time women probably looked at the charms longingly and wished she could get some for herself. This would have been prohibitive, either because all the jewelery was made by men who owned whatever tools were necessary for cutting the materials and drilling holes through it for threading onto some sort of fiber.
One of the most difficult problems with jewelery is choosing what to wear. I am sure men handle this much better than women. Men probably only encounter the problem when they are out shopping for an item for their women. I have seen women standing outside a store peering into the showcase, or inside the store bent over a display tray or at home staring into a jewelery box and trying to decide which piece to take out. When it comes to buying it’s as well to have the advice of experts to guide you.
Many watch collectors regard a gold watch made by Patek Philippe as the ultimate item in their collection. Many wealthy, famous and notorious people have owned Patek Philippe watches, including members of royalty, movie stars and tycoons. Patek Philippe & Co. is one of the most famous and exclusive brands of wrist watches in the world. The company is currently owned by the Stern family. The company has an interesting history.
A dexterous burglar has stolen around £100,000 worth of gold and diamond jewelry in a raid on a house in south London. The “irreplaceable” jewelry, stolen in Lambeth, contained 30 sets of necklaces encrusted with gem stones, gold rings and bracelets. All of these items were 22-carat gold. Police have stated they believe the thief to be experienced as they managed to maneuver their way across the side of the house before entering through a first-floor window.