Wedding Jewelry – A Very Important Bridal Accessory

Bridal jewelry is a very important wedding accessory for any bride. Whether it is a necklace set, or a pendant set, bangles, rings, bracelets or earrings, the jewelry a bride chooses will be a very important part of her wedding. Bridal jewelry is actually an ancient practice that is said to have originated with the Romans and today can often be used to set the theme for a wedding. Many couples take extra care when choosing the appropriate wedding jewelry as it often becomes a keepsake to be passed down in the family from generation to generation.

No bride is complete without her bridal jewelry. The current trend in bridal jewelry is antique, vintage, and big and bold. If you are lucky to have the perfect antique piece of jewelry from a relative that you positively love, your search may be over. Not sure? Spend some time with your mother, grandmother or other favorite older relative and see what type of jewelry they may have to lend you. If you find something you absolutely love, then you have just found the perfect bridal jewelry for your wedding day.

Bridal jewelry can include pearl and crystal necklaces with a matching pair of earrings or can be as traditional as an ivory pearl necklace and earring set. Pearls are always in great demand as they look very sophisticated and elegant. Pearls also flatter your skin with pearl jewelry as they add hue to your look. If you are wearing an ivory or champagne colored gown, choose ivory pearls in a gold setting to complement the dress. For a more fashionable look, choose a pearl bridal jewelry set that is chunkier in style such as two or three rows of pearls or with a teardrop pearl pendant. Be sure to choose wedding jewelry with a comfortable fit that will resist pinching and moving on you and that you may want to wear again on another occasion to get more mileage out of your purchase.

Keep in mind that wedding jewelry is an essential accessory for any wedding participant including the bridal party. You can also be purchase your bridal jewelry in matching sets for the bridesmaids in a wedding ceremony. If your bridesmaids are wearing matching dresses, it makes sense that they would also wear matching jewelry. Bridal jewelry for flower girls is usually created in faux pearls available in white, ivory, pink and other colors. If the bride is going to be wearing pink stones, it will look equally stunning if the flower girl wears pink jewelry also.

Tiaras are one piece of wedding jewelry that used to be reserved for royalty or the very wealthy brides but not anymore. Today there has been a trend towards brides being able to wear tiaras as part of their bridal jewelry. Tiaras have been used to reaffirm the dignity and beauty of women for thousands of years. It lets them know that you have a sense of style that is elegant, tasteful, and timeless.

A Part Of The History Of Levi Jeans

In 1853 Levi Strauss arrived in San Francisco and opened a wholesale dry goods business selling items to small stores all through the West. Then in 1872 Jacob Davis writes to Levi Strauss, telling him about the process he invented to rivet the pocket corners on mens pants to make them stronger. He suggests the two men take out a patent.

Three years later Levi Strauss & Jacob Davis are granted a patent on the process of riveting pants and this is the invention of the blue jean. The pants – called “waist overalls” – have one back pocket, a watch pocket, a cinch, suspender buttons and a rivet in the crotch. There may have been a tradition of pocket stitching on mens work clothes but this has not been proved for certain. The cinch and suspender buttons were standard on mens pants. Levi did not invent the cut or fit of the waist overalls; what they did was take ordinary mens work pants and rivet them, creating the new category of workwear which we today call blue jeans.

Levi Jeans, originally work wear for lumberjacks and farm workers in the American South in the 19th century are the first and only choice for many fashion conscious jeans wearers today. And nothing personifies this well deserved image more than the iconic Levi 501 Jeans.

With a history and pedigree spanning over 130 years, Levi Jeans have evolved from the original utilitarian garment for manual workers in the American South in the 19th century to a designer and must have item for the fashion conscious jeans wearer of the 21st century. Yet Levi Jeans are still sought after for their practicality and durability.

Levi Jeans come in a mind-boggling and mouth watering variety of styles which include; the basic comfort straight leg version, the loose fit Boyfriend Cut (worn slouchy and below the waist) , the Boot Cut ( they do what they say on the tin – i.e. facilitate your boots), to bang up to date skinny jeans ( not for the faint hearted – or more generously proportioned !) Just to add to the fun the choice of finishes range from ; stone wash, one wash black, and , originally challenging to parents everywhere , the broken in. Incidentally such is the generation spanning appeal of Levi Jeans that those same parents are now probably wearing these as a comfort choice themselves!

For the connoisseur, however, the iconic and cult Levi 501 Jeans with the trade mark button fly is the Levi Jean of choice. The granddaddy of all jeans and still the leader for understated effortless everyday style. Ageless and timeless Levi 501 jeans have been the must have dream jeans for teenagers (of all ages!). Nothing says more about lifestyle and aspirations than these stylish and wonderfully understated Levis’. Indeed Levi Strauss are so cognizant of the importance of the brand to the history of jean making and to their success as a company that in 1997 they paid $25,000 for a pair of vintage (1890) Levi 501 jeans.

If you like to dress to impress and have room and resources for just one essential, statement pair of jeans in your wardrobe then it has to be Levi Jeans and for the connoisseur it has to be Levi 501 Jeans.

Fun And Passionate Vintage Jewelry Collecting And Hardware Clues

The Fun Of Collecting is in the Hunt for Beautiful and Affordable Costume, Vintage Treasures from Bygone Years. Know that in Whatever Direction your Collecting passion lies, Whether it be a Signed or Unsigned piece of Costume Jewelry or Vintage Piece, You MUST like the Piece you are Purchasing. The FUN part of Collecting is to OWN pieces you like and pieces you are proud of.

There are several Clues to collecting.Vintage Earring Hardware Clues…* Screw-back type earrings were patented around 1894, and were popular into the 1950’s. * Clip-on type earrings were patented around 1934, and were popular in the 1950’s & 1960’s. * Fish-hook type earrings were used before 1900, and are still used today. * Kidney wire type earrings have been in use since 1870. * Threaded Stud type earrings have been used since 1890, but, are uncommon today.

Pin Clasps Hardware Clues …* Locking C-Clasp, patented in 1901. Widely used for jewelry in 1910. Remains Popular Today. * Plain C-Clasps, uncommon today. Similar to the Locking-C, but, no spinning locking mechanism. * Tube Clasp, patented in 1850, used for jewelry only until after World War II.

Quick Tips For Purchasing …* Be sure all the fasteners are original and are in working order. Look for older Screw-back or Clip-on Earrings. * Plain C-Clasps and the Tube Clasps usually indicate that piece of Jewelry is an older piece. * A long Pin Stem is often an indication of an older brooch or Pin. Vintage Pins sometimes have rivets holding the different layers together. * A Copyright Symbol usually dates the Jewelry piece after 1954. * So, shop, compare and beware.

Vintage Signed pieces of Jewelry are fun to look for. One even might find a booked piece that could be worth a lot of money. It can be time consuming researching a piece, but, in the end there is satisfaction, by being able to add a piece of vintage jewelry to your new collection or add to an existing collection, or, resell. One never knows what you may find. Whatever type of jewelry your looking for, you can find it…almost anywhere, yard sales, estate sales, even on Ebay. Have Fun and Happy Searching!

Jewelry Gifts-their Implications

Jewelry Gifts-Their Implications

A vast majority of people think jewelry is a brilliant gift idea for a girl. There are various reasons for it, the foremost being that it is cherishable and lasting. It is a safe choice because no matter what type of a personality she has, as long as she is a girl, she will love the jewelry. Another reason for giving jewelry as a gift is that it is available in many price ranges from economical to the most expensive piece out there. Jewelry is also an adaptable gift item and can be given in combination to other things for example branded perfume, shower gels, cosmetic, chocolates and many more. It can also be an asset in bad times for example a gold, or a silver ring can not only be insured but also sold and treated like a liquid asset in worst comes to worst scenario.

Considering the above, jewelry is one of the foremost choices as a gift item. An important aspect of giving jewelry as a gift is its significance in defining or re-defining new or existing relationships. The boyfriend of a friend of mine was having difficulty in sending his parents with a formal proposal and at the same time he wanted to secure his relationship before going abroad for studies, so just before he left, he got his girlfriend a pair of branded, 22 carat gold earrings.In the years to come, she cherished the gift and waited for him till they got married.

The cultural aspect is very important in case of giving jewelry gifts. For example, in the Indo-Pak sub-continent, if a man gives a woman any jewelry article; it definitely means that he is interested in either marrying her or it can be very safely assumed, that he would like to engage in some sort of a relationship with her. Just what he chooses to give and the price range versus his income analysis (the value of the gift as a percentage of income); can clarify any other grey areas including how many other girlfriends he has.

Usually if a guy chooses to give artificial or silver jewelry, he is just contemplating something more than just friendship but he is in the initial stages of the relationship and is not too sure or maybe he is just not serious enough to take it up to the marriage. However, if he chooses to spend a considerable amount of money maybe as much as one-month salary on a gold ring, or a high value silver ring, he is definitely serious. In the end, it is not about the price tag on the gift amount but the percentage of the income that he spent on the gift that matters. It shows how much he cares. (I can see many older women scoffing my ideas as being too materialistic, but hey money matters!).If the guy chooses to go jewelry shopping with you, it means he wants you to improve your choice of jewelry and even though he is not embarrassed of being seen with you, but he would definitely want you to change more towards his liking.

Now comes the second part; what you choose to give as a gift and what it signifies. If you are a girl and you are giving jewelry to another girl, it means you came across a good deal on a clearance sale. No, that was just a joke, no offense to all the girls out there. In my life, I have received maximum jewelry gifts from other women. The reason being, they know you well enough to know what you would like as a gift. Usually girls never give out rings as a single item and give it in a combination with earrings, bracelets, anklets, hair accessories or any other combo. But if a guy gives you a ring of any form, in combination or solitaire, see RED every where both the danger sign as well as the love sign. If you are based in the Indo-Pak sub-continent, you should see RED even if a guy chooses to give you an anklet, or a nose pin. These two items signify, with varying intensity, that either a woman is committed or married. Guys if you want stay clear of sending out any unintentional signals; keep your gifts neutral if she is just a friend. This means that rather than giving out a necklace etc give her a jewelry box or a fancy jewelry pouch. Do not make combinations with chocolates, cosmetics, and jewelry items like rings, anklets and nose-pins as they are a definite lead on.

In short, apart from social taboos, gifts should be chosen with care especially if they involve jewelry giving appropriate consideration to the hidden meanings and the implications of your gift. It is necessary to take this in regard because it will be the defining moment for your future relationship whether you want to keep it just friends full stop or you want it to be a new start of something more special.

Kundan Jewelry

The jewelry of India knows no bounds in its offerings to the modern world. This is because India must be one of the most prolific countries when it comes to making jewelry, whether it be the simple enjoyable ones or the highly delicate ones that are intricate in its designs. There are just many types of Indian jewelry that even the young could find what they want among its offering of beads and shells in interwoven colorful threads. One of the most highly regarded Indian jewelry nowadays is the kundan jewelry.

Kundan jewelry is made of gold that is highly refined and is known as kundan in India. Indian jewelers also have another meaning of the word. For them, kundan is not only the gold that is made into a jewel but also the type of setting on which they set the precious stones. Kundan jewelry is not made of real solid gold. Its center part is made of lac or a natural resin made from hardened tree sap. The jewelry pieces that makes the whole kundan jewelry, which are usually justified into hollow separate halves, are usually handled by separate jewelers or assistant jewelers for its shaping before they are fitted together through soldering. Holes are then bored into the separate halves of the kundan jewelry, once they are fitted together to make the pattern designed by the jeweler. These holes are where the stones are set. Any engraving is done before the hollows of the kundan jewelry are then inserted with lac. Because the lac could still be seen through the holes in front, the highly refined kundan gold is poured on the setting to cover the lac and only then is the stone pushed right into the still pliable kundan.

Kundan jewelry is also one of the old types of jewelry in India because the style on which it was made was used only way back when claw settings were still yet unknown in the country. Then, kundan jewelry had its precious stones were only set in gold and it wasn’t only until the nineteenth century that claw settings were introduced and used by the jewelers in India. This was during the Rajastahan empire when kings paid their jewelers handsomely for the exquisite kundan jewelry that they made that called for excellent craftsmanship.

There are now a lot of kundan jewelry available in the market and they could even be bought online. There are spectacularly designed kundan jewelry necklace sets that come with earrings. The most common are those that have uncut diamonds and other precious stones set in gold. Among the commonly used gems in kundan jewelry are emeralds, rubies and sapphires. This kundan jewelry, though, is often just a replica of the original one made in the eighteenth or seventeenth or nineteenth centuries. The original pieces could sell for as much as $200,000 or more per set.

Buying kundan jewelry nowadays may have been made more attainable for those who have deeper pockets as compared to the olden times when only kings and queens could afford them. Having kundan jewelry replicated and sold at lower prices is a welcome alternative for those who could not afford to buy the original antique pieces.