New Pastel Collection of Summer Jewellery

Jun17

Sally Ainsworth has her eye out for attractive gemstone jewellery for this summer.

Goldsmiths has announced the launch of a new Pastel Collection of jewellery just in time for the summer season.

The collection features three semi-precious gemstones noted for their delightful and timeless colours – blue topaz, pink topaz and amethyst – mounted in rings, pendants and earrings. Each piece has diamond accents that bring out the fire and sparkle in the stone.

Topaz, of course, is the birthstone for November and has a long association with loyalty, love and healing. The ancients believed that blue topaz had cooling powers and could help heal burns. These same powers were also thought to have a great calming effect and could soothe tempers and prevent anger. These days, blue topaz is a symbol of romance, friendship and honesty, so blue topaz jewellery makes a great gift for loved ones or close friends.

Pink topaz, the second of the gemstones used in the new line, was thought to have similar properties. It is also said to possess protective and healing properties and to represent love and beauty.

The third stone featured in the new collection is amethyst. The birthstone for February, this violet-coloured gemstone is said to have powers of protection and healing, and to focus energy giving spiritual wisdom and guarding against self-deception. Placed under a pillow at night, it is supposed to bring pleasant dreams to the sleeper.

For each of the gemstones there are five stunning pieces of jewellery, including earrings, pendants and rings.  Each piece perfectly complements the others so that they can be worn separately or together in an eye-catching ensemble.

Drop earrings feature a 0.70 carat pear cut stone in a 0.33 carat total weight diamond surround. Priced at £599, the earrings are mounted on 9 carat white gold, and the timeless elegance of these earrings will delight any woman.  Stud earrings are priced at £399 and have a delicate 0.65 carat pear cut stone in a 0.15 carat total weight diamond surround mounted on 9 carat white gold.

The matching pendant is a 1.64 carat pear cut stone in a 0.10 carat total weight brilliant cut diamond surround mounted on 9 carat white gold. The effect is stunning and at only £299 is a must for your collection.

The rings are available in two variants. A 1.55 carat stone complimented by 0.20 total carats of diamonds priced at £499. Or a 1.00 carat stone with 0.10 total carats of diamonds priced at £299. Both rings are crafted from 9 carat white gold.

Worn singly or as a complete set, the pieces in the new Pastel Collection are the perfect accessory for summer wear. They would make a wonderful and meaningful gift that is guaranteed to please.

More Than One Way to Connect

Jun13

This week I realized how fortunate we are in this area and how spoiled I’ve become with easy, immediate internet service at home and at work. All I have to do is flip on one computer switch and PRESTO! I’m online and surfing around my favorite sites. But i had a short business trip to Utah and found that life in Utah is very different from my every day life here, including how they access the internet.

When I first moved here, I was considering dsl service for my internet access. I had read the ads and heard commercials about how fast DSL can be. I thought that there was not much difference in the actual service and was only shopping for the best pricing deal.

But people in other areas do not have the range of choices that I do. It was humbling to be out in Utah and realize that the people in rural Utah still have limited cell phone service and have to access the internet by subscribing to a dial up provider. For some reason I was just expecting people all across America to be online with cable or DSL. But it appears that a large chunk of the U. S. is still using alternative sources.

Home tours

Jun8

One of the things that I love about living in this town is going on home tours. I like seeing how other people furnish and decorate their homes. And I learn a lot about where people find/buy some of the furnishings that I might like to get for myself, or as a gift for someone else on my gift list. Especially around the holidays! For example, last weekend I was really excited to learn about a place where I can buy my son a special apartment bike rack for his new place. He doesn’t have a car, he walks, bikes, or takes public transportation where he needs to go, and he has a bike rack on his wish list.

And my Aunt Cha’s kitchen is decorated with an apple theme, so I like to try to buy her kitchen accessories that have apples on them. One of the home tour houses had some cute little apple cabinet knobs that I am sure she would love to have. Last year I gave her some apple cannisters, and these cabinet knobs look like they would coordinate quite well with them. One house had something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before - armless loveseats in the living room. I have to admit that I’m not sure that I liked the armless aspect of them. When I sit down, I like to have an arm to rest my arm on, or to lean against when I am reading or watching television.  Without arms, something like that just feels like a bench to me. What do you think, would you be comfortable on an armless loveseat?

States rights

Jun7

From time to time I have to wonder why the consumers, citizens, and voters of our country are so adamant about keeping the federal government as small as possible and giving states so much local “control.” In my humble opinion, some things should simply be the same across the country. For example, I think that the bankruptcy laws in NC should not be any more complicated (or less complicated) than the bankruptcy laws in any other state in the country.

Sometimes I think that there is too much complication and redundancy in the world.

Bags bags and more bags

Jun2

Open almost any closet door in my house and you are very likely to find several tote bags being used to store a variety of items. Seems to me that every single time there is a gift-giving occasion such as my birthday or Christmas someone gives me a tote bag! I love to use them as shopping bags when I go to the store – I like to think that using them is helping to save the environment by reducing the amount of plastic bags that find their way into the landfills and waterways.

There have been several videos I’ve seen recently that show just how many plastic shopping bags have been polluting our waterways, and how that is problematic for different sources of wildlife. So whenever anyone asks me “do you want a tote bag?” I will usually say “sure!” I try to keep several in the trunk of my car just in case I have to make an unscheduled shopping trip. In addition I try to keep a change of clothes in a tote bag in the trunk of my car just in case I find myself in the unhappy position of having had a cup of tea or juice spilled on my shirt and/or skirt.