Jewelry - A Great Way to "Ring" In The New Year
by Misty Hilmann
http://www.jewelryi.com
Women, and men, too, have been adorning themselves with
things that glitter and glow for thousands of years. And,
for thousands of years, jewelry has topped the list when it
comes to giving special and meaningful gifts. Today, gifts
of jewelry run the gamut from fabulous to funky, and
everything in between.
Genuine gemstones are always appreciated and need not cost
an arm and a leg, or be large, to be appreciated. Diamond
solitaire rings are extremely popular, as are single stone
pierced earrings on a stud. Simplicity is preferable to
gaudy (unless you're playing a joke on someone, and that
can be done much more cheaply, and with zircons.)
Imitation stones are also popular, and have come a long
way from the days of "paste" replicas of the real thing.
Today, there are cut crystals that are difficult to tell
from the genuine item. There are even lab-manufactured
imitations of rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and all the
other major gemstones, making something like a necklace
much more affordable.
You can even find beads in an endless range of gemstones,
including sapphires, garnets, rubies, amethysts and more.
If you're shopping for a creative person, why not give
them a gift certificate to either a gemstone/bead merchant
or show, or even one they can use on eBay to buy the
"makings" for their own creation? Many people are
attracted to the belief that stones have different "healing"
properties, or affect us positively in various ways.
Therefore, it's fun to give a friend a specific kind of stone
crafted into "wearable art" to show how you care about them.
For the unusual jewelry gift, think outside the ring,
necklace, or bracelet box. People have always picked up
small tokens that become "special" to them. These can be
made into very unusual jewelry with a little ingenuity and
creativity. For example, small rocks can be tumbled to a
high shine, wrapped in pretty wire and hung on a cord
around the neck.
Young people are very much into body piercings. If
someone you're buying for has piercings, get them a new
ring/adornment for the area where they already wear
something. The most common items are studs (nose, lips,
abdomen) and rings (ears).
Men are more traditional in their tastes, and choices in
jewelry gifts are limited to such things as tie tacks,
cuff links, and occasionally rings or a link bracelet. But
there are some very elegant, and distinguished, items in
precious metals and natural stones.
Chains are versatile and go with a wide range of styles
and color in clothing, and the fine ones can be used to
hold a pendant. The most popular are made of .925
sterling silver, or gold that comes in anything from
10k to 24k.
For something that's just a little bit special, or
personal, you can have meaningful items, such as a lucky
coin, made into a pendant. You can also buy gold or silver
locket-style pendants that are variously known as Tibeta
gaus, prayer boxes, and wish boxes. Tuck a treasured
memento in it before giving, or use a very fine pen/brush
to write a special prayer.
All that glitters isn't gold. Watch the eyes of someone
you love glitter with excitement when the box tells them
what's inside. If you want to be naughty, you can always
put her diamond ring in a plastic Easter egg, or his cuff
links inside a fake book jewelry box labeled "VCR
instructions."
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