Posted by admin on February 26th, 2009 — Posted in Uncategorized
Everybody deals with stress and anxiety, however some people sometimes take it out on others through abuse or take their fears out on themselves through addiction. Both of these alternatives are wrong. There is a better way to deal with your stress and anxieties. Here is a list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their stress, anxieties, and fears.
First and foremost, seek help and treatment from a professional. Getting help from a counselor or other professional is very important and can provide you much help and insights in dealing with your current problem. Getting help from a professional should be the first thing you do in getting better. Remember to follow through on the suggestions that these counselors offer to you and be patient with the process of getting better.
Try to learn what is the real source of your fears and anxieties. Knowing what the source of your problem is can go a long way in finding the solution. Think about it and try to figure out what is the source of your fears and stress. If you do not know, then ask a professional or a counselor. As a Layman, I learned that finding the source of your fears will put you that much closer in getting better.
Sometimes, we get stressed when everything happens all at once. Instead of taking it out on someone else a person should take a deep breathe and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get your mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things. This mental timeout can help you refocus on your current situation.
A good way to manage your worry is to challenge your negative thinking with positive statements and realistic thinking. When encountering thoughts that make your fearful or anxious, challenge those thoughts by asking yourself questions that will maintain objectivity and common sense.
When facing a current or upcoming task that overwhelms you with a lot of anxiety, the first thing you can do is to break the task into a series of smaller steps. Completing these smaller tasks one at a time will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success.
As a Layman and not as a professional, I realize it is not easy to deal with all of our fears and other problems, however there are all kinds of help available. Remember to take advantage of the help that is around you. The key is to be patient and not to give up. In time, you will be able to find those resources that will help you with your problems.
Stan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods”-a book that presents a overview of techniques in managing Fear. For more info go to: www.managingfear.com
For free articles on managing fear please go to: www.managingfear.com
Comments Off
Posted by admin on February 26th, 2009 — Posted in Accouterment
Boots provide the basic comfort and extra protection that our feet need when we are working, relaxing, adventuring, mountaineering, hiking, and backpacking, among other activities. Different types of boots are available in the market, each suited for different purposes and works.
Boots can be divided into work boots, hiking boots, cowboy boots, and many more. Made up of different materials and designs, these boots are made keeping in mind the functions they will perform.
Research shows that there are certain brands which specialize in making different types of boots. Some examples of such brands are: Ariat, Timberland Pro Series, Wolverine, Georgia, Rocky, Blundstone, Caterpillar, Dr. Marten, Magnum, Nautilus, Chippewa, Carolina, Durango, Acme, Double-H, Roper, Justin, Altama, John Deere, Wearguard, Dexter Fargo, Dunham, Rockport Lakota, Danner, Kamik, Cabela, La Crosse, Dan Post, Lucchese, Tony Lama, Abilene, Sage, and others.
Cowboy boots are made of different skins and can be divided into many different types. ‘exotic skin cowboy boots’; ‘handcrafted cowboy boots’; ‘lace-up western boots’; ‘casual boots’; ’smooth leather cowboy boots’; ‘retro design cowboy boots’; ‘buckaroos’; ‘leather outsole cowboy boots’; ‘barn boots’; ‘pointed-toe boots’; ‘zipper boots’; and many others are some examples of the huge range that is available in the market. Besides the ready-made range, they can also be customized at some companies. Hence, we get options in choosing the color, leather, heel, stitch patterns, and other options.
Work boots can be divided into several types, each suited for a particular kind or type of work. ‘6 inch lacers’, ‘8 inch lacers’, ‘electrical hazard toe’, ’safety toe hikers and shoes’, ’slip resistant’, ’steel toe boots’, ‘water resistant’, wedge sole’, ‘medical’, ‘all-terrain’, ‘mechanic’, ’soft-toe’, and many more are some examples of the numerous types available in the market.
Hiking boots are usually chosen on the basis of the work strain, and type of place in which we will be hiking. Different types such as light-trail boots, trail hikers for more strain, and many more are all available to suit our needs.
Hiking and Backpacking, Vasque, US Outdoor Store, Boot Barn, Georgia Boot, Wearguard, Danner, Rocky Boots, Online Shoes, The Work Boot, Viberg, L.L.Bean, Schnee’s, Zappos, Walmart, Surplus and Outdoors, Internet Outdoors Limited, Snow + Rock, Altrec.com, and Sheplers are some examples of places where we can find different types, designs, and sizes of good-quality boots.
Boots provides detailed information on Boots, Hiking Boots, Cowboy Boots, Work Boots and more. Boots is affiliated with Discount Work Boots.
Comments Off
Posted by admin on February 25th, 2009 — Posted in Accouterment
Right after I confessed the $7000 value of my treasured Hermes Birkin, my eye doctor took it from my arm and held it closely to his face. Thank God he was clean-shaven! I was a little put back by his reaction. Agreed, Hermes Birkin bags are special, but come on Doc! For the first time, I wished I was my purse.
Most men don’t get it. To understand how or why a designer purse could reach the high cost of several thousand dollars isn’t in a man’s male composition, unless of course they fancy femaleness or make a habit of tuning into a woman’s needs. Most men don’t. Not because they don’t want to tune in - maybe they have a different agenda, they are very pre-ocupied, they just don’t know how to tune in, or they haven’t lived long enough to meet their female soul-mate and mentor. Men need mentoring when it comes to tuning into women. Some men seek and find, and others live their lives in pursue of obtaining a healthy understanding keeping it just a mere centimeter outside of their grasp.
Please don’t misunderstand me. Many men make it a habit of tuning in to women. A perfect example is the type of gifts they purchase for their partner. The truly tuned-in types purchase treasured items as memorable gifts which last a lifetime. The many men who do purchase the “right” gift have done so through the experience of making many bad choices over time. Eventually, some get it, and really get it right. I recently sold a $6800 Orange Hermes 32cm Kelly Bag to a man in Singapore who obviously understands and adores his wife. For their 15th Wedding Anniversary she is getting the surprise of a lifetime. He’s tuned in. Congratulations to this wonderful guy, he’s got style, class, brains and knows how to communicate.
Why spend hundreds of dollars each year every time a special occassion pops up only to learn your savy wife says she loves your gifts from a harmonious love for you, and not because she really does love the gifts. I think she loves you more. Gifts are difficult to purchase in the first place, and now we can put more pressure on ourselves by making gifts cost up towards the $7000 mark!
By now I have your attention, right? We aren’t talking small change here. The beautiful, classic, hand made Hermes designs make my knees weak. Actually, I’d rather be in a Hermes Boutique shopping than out dancing with George Clooney. And, my chances are much higher for visiting Hermes than being with GC, too, so it’s basically a mute point.
The Hermes Birkin was created in the 1980s after the English actress/singer Jane Birkin spilled the contents of her over-packed, too-small purse onto a Hermes designer during a shared plane ride. Ms. Birkin was very popular on the French music charts at the time. She became the name-sake of the famous, difficult to obtain Hermes Birkin Bag. There’s about a three year waiting list to obtain a Birkin bag, and there’s no guarantee yours will ever arrive.
The Birkin bags range in size from 30cm to 40cm, and are also available in much larger travel sizes. The various leathers add to the cost making the more exotic skins reach as high as $25,000 or more each! The interior is fully lined in smooth, soft leather and has extra pockets. The bag includes its very own security locking system, and the lock’s key hangs from one of its double handles in its own leather protective case. The gold hardware on Hermes’ handbags is 24K gold plated paladium. That’s pretty high-end if you ask me. Yet, the all-silver paladium in either a brushed or shiney finish has a much more contemporary look and feel.
I’ve never been into fancy cars — unless it belongs to the guy I’m dating. My little “no more car payment” Saturn gets me where I need to go! And, although it’s five years old and has a total of 15K miles on it, the handbag I carry when I drive costs more than the current Blue Book value. Funny how ownership of a luxury item is basically left to personal preference, perception and choice — the designer handbag I carry costs more than the current Blue Book value of my car!
My purse seems to get much more male attention these days than I do, too. That caress to the cheek is starting to make me a little jealous of a purse. Should I carry a sign? No, I guess all I need to carry is that Hermes Birkin and start talking more openly to cute men. My eye doctor probably doesn’t realize the impact of his caress. It should be me he’s holding closely to his cute face, not that darn piece of leather I call my designer purse!
About the Author.
Anna Miller is the President of i-GlobalMall.com, Inc. She operates the website eFashionHOUSE.com and sells high-end authentic designer handbags and accessories at off-retail prices. eFashionHOUSE.com should not be confused with any other website selling a similar product or using a similar name. eFashionHOUSE.com is the home of five fashion ecommerce stores: BrandsBoutique, LuxuryVintage, DesignersLA, ItalysOutlet, and ValueBags. Anna is considered an Internet Pioneer because she has been reselling Designer Merchandise online since the early 90s.
Contact: Anna@eFashionHouse.com, 1534 17th Street, Santa Monica CA 90404, 310.828.1281.
Comments Off
Posted by admin on February 25th, 2009 — Posted in Accouterment
Ok, the subject of men’s underwear is not really that interesting. What’s really interesting though, is how many people on the Internet want to know something about men’s underwear. Variations of men’s undergarments are searched even more frequently than women’s underwear. - Considering that women buy the vast majority of clothing in the US, that’s a surprise. What is with this fascination of men’s underwear anyway? By all intensive purposes, it should be a very boring and dull subject. - Right? That’s because the most popular underwear worn by men is basic boxer shorts or those plain white briefs you find at nearly every discount store called “tighty-whities”.
In the last decade or so, the men’s underwear departments in retail stores have blossomed from drab white to a plethora of color. Even sexy men’s thongs and colorful men’s micro bikini briefs are merchandised front and center in mainstream retail. Sexy men’s underwear fashions are getting even more popular in Europe (where people are generally in better shape and have less hang-ups about their body image). Male bikini underwear has been a standard in regions of South America for many years.
The reason for the heavy Internet traffic on this subject is not clear. Maybe some of the otherwise mass-market male consumers are getting board with standard utilitarian undergarments offered to men. Historically, there has been a much broader range of under garments offered to women over the years while comparatively, so few choices have been offered to men. Reportedly, specialty undergarments for both men and women are among one of the fastest growing segment of the apparel industry. While the market for men’s sheer underwear is probably much smaller than for women’s, there are frequent searches conducted every day for variations of men’s see through underwear. Perhaps the wives and significant others are also getting bored with what they see on their partner at bedtime?
There are over 90,000 pages on the Internet mentioning men’s lingerie. The Internet has allowed specialty online retailers to prosper without having to build up expensive mass-market distribution for their goods. Some are saying that there is a new kind of consumer on the horizon dubbed as the “metrosexual male”. - These are men who are active consumers of fashion and personal care products that enhance visual appearance.
The last couple hundered years have been rough on the male species. From frequent wars and the resulting toil of the rapid progression of industrialization, men became the workhorse while women (the lucky ones anyway) became the sole beneficiaries of pampering and indulgence. As society steams forward from the technology age to the information age, men are finding time to participate in the vanity of life.
A lot of younger men nowadays are spending more effort to look their best. From hair products and teeth whitening, to cosmetics and hair-loss treatment, men are getting into the “fashion” game. No-doubt, due to the help of savvy vanity product manufactures who gleam for new market frontiers to concur. Vying for space at the shopping districts and cosmetic counters now are manufacturers of effeminate men’s products. For the men’s fashion world, a vicious circle has begun. - As it did for women many decades ago.
The problem for most men is that the situation can’t be ignored. For instance, if everyone around you gets a makeover, you don’t look so attractive anymore. So off we go to spruce up our look just to keep pace. Specialty retailers seem to be anticipating a kind of a renaissance movement in the men’s fashion world. The surge of interest in men’s underwear may be a barometer of things to come. So next time you feel compelled to buy those men’s stretch jeans, you might be coaxed into buying a men’s micro thong to keep your physic in best form.
Jay Dezelic is a fashion designer for http://www.jdez.com - a manufacturer of unique and comfortable informal wear for men and women. Jay is also fashion writer for http://www.justchange.net - an ezine focused on helping people make positive changes in their lives. Additionally, Jay is a freelance fashion model who’s unique portfolio could be seen at http://www.jdez.com/models/jaydezelic.
Comments Off
Posted by admin on February 25th, 2009 — Posted in Accouterment
Fashion style is important. You clothes make your fashion statement, and how you’re perceived. Stand straight and carry yourself with grace. You will radiate self confidence.
Here are some fashion tips and advice to look and feel good. Don’t forget your jewelry accessories are like the icing on the cake. They are the finishing touch. Dress to Impress and Make Your Fashion Statement!
Fashion Tips
Make sure your wardrobe has plenty of neutrals on hand - they are perfect for mixing and matching. They can be dressed up or down with the right jewelry additions.
Not a one of us woman has the perfect figure. We all have flaws. Accept your flaws and work with them
Know your body and what looks good. You are logically attracted to clothes, styles and colors that flatter your figure. Experiment a bit, and try something a bit off your normal habits
Tailored outfits are flattering to most all figures
Buy styles that flatter your figure and don’t forget that finishing touch with your jewelry
To make a short neck look longer wear a sccop neck or open collar shirt, complete the look with a long necklace
Large breasted women and women with wide hips can optain balance by using shoulder pads
Make sure your panty hose fits properly
Don’t bare all - leave something for the imagination. Entice with your a glittery necklace or choker, and don’t forget the earrings
Leather stretches so if your buying a leather skirt or pants make sure they are snug when you purchase them. There are also some fabulous faux leather products on the market that can give you great wear for a season or two without having to worry if they’ll still fit next year
Dress up your look with glittery jewelry, accent a line with a necklace. Don’t forget your earrings and bracelets. They add the finishing touch to your look. You can completely change your look just by changing your jewelry. Dress it up or down!
If you find an outfit in a magazine but its too pricey for your budget don’t fret. There are terrific department stores and online sites that sell very similar for much less. Your jewelry is the same. That fabulous designer parure that costs way more than you can afford - your certain to find a similar in an online store for much less. Clip the picture and keep it with you so you can match
Set your budget and stick to it. Purchase plenty of mix and match pieces to get the most for your money. And don’t forget to complete your look with jewelry. Mix and match your jewelry pieces also.
Make your fashion statement! You are a unique individual with your own look. Portray your self confidence and turn those heads!
© Copyright Sher Matsen, All Rights Reserved.
About the author:
Sher has been serving customers for over 20 years, providing affordable estate jewelry, and a wealth of information on jewelry, fashion, designers, and beauty with on staff industry professionals. Please visit us at Estate Jewelry International.
Comments Off
Posted by admin on February 23rd, 2009 — Posted in Life In The Region, Realty
Tehachapi, California, is located about 2 hours North of Los Angeles and 1 hour South of Bakersfield in Kern County California. Presently, Tehachapi has close to 12,000 residents. Early on, Tehachapi was known as Williamsburg, which was a small settlement. It is said that the name “Tehachapi” (pronounced tee-hach-a-pea) stands for “sweet water & acorns” in a native American dialect. In 1876, the Southern Pacific Railroad built its line through the Tehachapi Mountains. The city was incorporated in 1909.
There is no shortage of activities to do in Tehachapi. Tehachapi and nearby draws include the Tehachapi Museum, Tehachapi Loop, Mourning Cloak Ranch and Botanical Gardens, Woodward West Action Sports Camp, Wind Farms, Indian Point Ostrich Ranch, & Tomo-Kahni State Park. Tehachapi has attained recognition for being a tranquil area with a lively downtown area. The city also offers places of worship, athletic facilities, shopping areas, cultural activities and scenic mountain views.
Tehachapi real estate is referred to as moderately priced and the Tehachapi region is still an inexpensive place to reside in California, sans the crime and smog of the other more populated areas in the state. Tehachapi homes for sale are all the rage of late, due to the economic downturn. There are many fantastic lots available for you to build a custom home as well. The Stallion Springs area is a fabulous place to retire and provides many amenities along with its stunning mountain views.
Comments Off
Posted by admin on February 19th, 2009 — Posted in Accouterment
The days when color contacts were unbelievably expensive are long gone. As the manufacturing costs go down, disposable color contact lenses appear. These days you can find monthly, weekly and even daily disposable color contact lenses. But how do disposable color contacts compare with traditional color lenses, in terms of quality and health issues?
Disposable color contacts are a recent development, and they become progressively more popular. Sometimes it is not obvious whether the lenses are disposable or traditional (annual replacement schedule). The easiest way to spot the difference is to look at the package - if they are sold in a box (usually 6 lenses per box), then the lenses are disposable; if they are in a phial and the price is indicated per lens, then they are traditional color contact lenses.
Advantages of disposable color contacts
- The more often you replace your contact lenses, the healthier your eyes will be. So disposable color contacts are better, from the health point of view - they are thinner, more comfortable, and proteins don’t have enough time to build up on them.
- Trying different colors is easier, too, since you can buy 3 or 4 boxes of different disposable color contacts for the price of a pair of traditional color lenses.
- If you lose or break a disposable lens, no worries! Just take another one out of the box
However, the main difference between disposable color contacts and annual replacement (traditional) lenses is that high quality traditional lenses are hand painted. Hand painted color lenses like Illusions by CibaVision create a more natural look than digitally printed lenses. None of the disposable color lenses is hand painted - it simply is not cost effective for the manufacturer.
Best disposable color contacts
Freshlook is one of the more popular brands in disposable color contacts. Freshlook offers you three collections: Freshlook Colorblends - opaque color contacts for people with dark eyes; Freshlook Impressions, which are partially transparent enhancement lenses designed to brighten naturally blue or green eyes; and Freshlook Dimensions, the unique designs of which make your eyes appear larger and deeper. All Freshlook color lenses are monthly disposable.
Acuvue 2 Colors by Johnson and Johnson is also a good choice. Acuvue 2 Colors offers opaque color lenses, for people with dark eyes, as well as enhancement lenses, for light eyes. Acuvue 2 Colors are 1-2 week disposable color contact lenses. They are also FDA approved to be worn for a week continuously, which means that you can sleep in them.
Recently released 1 Day Acuvue Colors are the first daily disposable color contact lenses. They look the same as Acuvue 2 Colors opaque color lenses, but you don’t have to worry about cleaning, disinfecting and storing them. 1 Day Acuvue Colors are ideal for people who only want to wear color contacts for special occasions; this way, you can wear fresh lenses every time.
Expression Colors by Cooper Vision also comes as opaque colors, for dark eyes, and enhancement colors, for light eyes. Expression lenses are monthly disposable color contacts.
Prescriptions for color contact lenses
Most disposable color contact lenses come in plano (no correction) as well as with corrective powers. Sometime people think that if they have a perfect vision and want color contacts purely for cosmetic effect, they can just order a box online without consulting an optometrist. This is not true, though: all contact lenses - including plano color lenses - are medical devices, so you can’t buy color contact lenses without doctor’s prescription.
However, after getting your prescription, you don’t have to buy your color contacts from your optometrist. Many reputable contact lens retailers sell color contacts online and ordering your color lenses through the Internet can save you a lot of money.
Tanya Turner is a contact lens and eye health expert and a founder of http://www.1-contact-lenses-consumer-guide.com/, where you can find unbiased information about all types of contact lenses including color contact lenses reviews and pictures.
Comments Off
Posted by admin on February 17th, 2009 — Posted in Credit Rating + Cash Flow, Finance Matters, Loan Resources
Examine to see if the merchant bank who wants to give you a credit loan is secure. 16.7 percent interest rate may look so fair but will that be uniform after you have to return your credit loan. Lots of of the merchant banks wil show you a rate of interest that is looking middling but doesn’t feel well or so after some time. You should be voguish today to analyze if you have a nice deal or if you don’t with the moneylender that offers you a money loan. A bank in Charleston West Virginia or so may have a total completely different actual rate for a 25000 dollar deferred payment then a bank in Missoula Montana and that makes a immense clear gap in your weekly costs. This is why now you need to investigate and visualize if you can have a bank loan at a safe percent loan rate. At this moment you can check rates quickly at websites and experience if there are other sneaky conditions you should be aware of. It doesn’t matter if you live in Norwalk California or in Huntington Beach California a effective online examination will prohibit you often lots of anguish.
Translated it means: Woon je in Nederlek of Nijefurd en hebt u BKR. Lenen met zonder BKR is nog nooit zo eenvoudig geweest. Koop een andere auto met een negatieve bkr met geld lenen, 108780 euro is altijd mogelijk om te financieren. Van Slochteren tot Gennep, financieren met een BKR notering is altijd mogelijk.
Comments Off
Posted by admin on February 13th, 2009 — Posted in Uncategorized
How do you decide whether to sell your home (or land, farm, ranch, etc.) on your own or use a real estate broker? There are pluses and minuses to each approach. Let’s look at some of the key ups and downs. Only you can decide which approach has the most pluses in your situation.
Why go FSBO?
“FSBO” stands for “for sale by owner” and tells buyers you are not using a realtor to represent you. The biggest upside to going FSBO is you save thousands of dollars in broker commissions when you sell the property. This may seem obvious, but the savings are very real.
The downside to going FSBO is it takes your time to market and show the property. (You’ll need to prepare your property for sale in either case, but that’s a whole separate topic.) You also need to be familiar with how the real estate sales process works in your part of the country. It isn’t necessary to be an expert; just make sure you understand what things one must generally deal with in a real estate sales transaction.
Also, it’s important to have access to the helpers you need. Examples include a lender who is willing to qualify your prospective buyers, someone qualified and willing to draw the sales contract and a person or firm qualified to close your sales transaction. Fortunately, there are many lenders and settlement offices willing to work directly with the principals to a transaction. And, for the brave and hopefully, very experienced, there are on-line, fill in the blank, sales contracts.
Why use a broker?
Does the above discussion leave you feeling insecure instead of alert, thoughtful, and excited? If so, you probably want a real estate broker to sell your home for you.
Other instances when you may want to use a broker include:
1. Inexperience - If you have not had much experience buying and selling homes, a broker may be the answer.
2. Local Conditions - Are you aware of the unique issues of the geographic location? If you have bought and sold in Virginia (where termites and radon are concerns) and you are now planning to sell the one home you’ve owned in Colorado (where water and mineral rights might be on the discussion table), it’s possible you may want a broker.
3. Time, Time, Time - If your profession provides for you and your family very well, but takes up enormous amounts of your time, ditto.
4. If you have no notions about how you’d go about marketing your home using the Internet, magazines, newspapers, bulletin boards, brochures, signs, word-of-mouth, etc., a broker can get you the marketing exposure you need.
The Right Choice?
There is no one right choice. Only you can decide what’s best for you. Hopefully, this look at the pros and cons will get your mental juices flowing nicely. I hope your sale goes smoothly.
About the author:
Raynor James is with http://www.fsboamerica.org- providing online listing services for homebuyers and sellers. For a limited time, sellers can list their homes for free for one month.
Comments Off
Posted by admin on February 13th, 2009 — Posted in Accouterment
Have you ever noticed the kid in the mall wearing a chain and cross gleaming with what looks like diamond jewelry? They aren’t diamonds, of course and they may not be kids. In today’s Hip Hop age we are facing an explosion of interest in these “fake” diamonds better known as cubic zirconia. Hip Hop fans of all ages are imitating their rap idols in their adornment of the most flamboyant types of jewelry accessories. A whole new genre of style and design has been established as a result with its own language and boundaries.
The prolific rise of the rap industry as a mainstay in our cultural landscape is undeniable. People of all races, economic backgrounds and various regions of the world have been affected. Hip Hop has transcended its roots in the underground and has long since crossed over into the mainstream. This phenomenon has created various cottage industries specializing in all things Hip Hop. Wearing a chain or donning some shiny earrings symbolizes the promotion of the Hip Hop lifestyle. It bellows out the success of an individual in the ability to procure these expensive items. Diamonds and gold have become the ornaments of Hip Hop, the outwardly physical manifestation of wealth.
Many of us have seen music videos starring rappers such as Nelly, 50 cent and Eminem. They are usually equipped with the finest women, the fastest cars and the most heavily diamond laced jewelry. This trend started early in Hip Hop as commercially successful rap legends such as LL Cool J sported thick gold chains drawing the attention of all Hip Hop fans across the world. Here was the beginning of the establishment of a cultural trend spanning from fashion to language.
Have you heard of terms such as “bling”, “grillz” and “iced out”? You might know what some of these terms mean even if you’re not a rap fan. These are words used to describe the various states of diamond jewelry. You’re diamond watch is definitely blinging(shining, glittering). If you ever win the lottery you might consider having diamonds attached to your teeth representing your grillz. Or you could buy a heavily iced out pendant to match your bling watch and your frosty grillz. And so on and so forth. Ok, so let’s go back to that kid in the mall with the chain. He’s probably working at Burger King and won’t be cashing any stocks soon that would allow him to purchase a pair of 1CT princess cut diamond earrings worth $5,000. Instead, he is going for the next best thing. The “fake” diamond, otherwise know as cubic zirconia.
Cubic Zirconia can be easily mistaken for a diamond. In fact, one factor in identifying a cubic zirconia stone is noting it’s brilliance. CZ stones are actually more brilliant, more symmetrical and exhibit more fire(the dispersion of white light into a rainbow of colors) than real diamonds. CZ forms naturally although the type used in jewelry is man made. Generally, the best CZ is produced in labs in Russia. So why are diamonds so much more valuable? The popularity of diamonds as a wearable gemstone increased in the 19th century as cutting and polishing practices improved. Diamonds had primarily been used industrially as they are able to cut through most materials. Diamonds are the hardest gemstones known to many making them scratch resistant and easily polished. As a result of their legendary durability and the brilliance and fire they exhibit, diamonds have become the standard gemstone for the most important and valuable forms of jewelry, in particular, engagement rings.
Regardless of the value of diamonds vs. CZ, economically there is no comparison. In order for those Hip Hop fans to achieve the look and feel of their idols they have turned invariably to cubic zirconia.
Derek Belay holds a BA in English Literature from Cal State Pomona. He writes part time primarily as a hobby. He currently works for Jewelry Payless.com as a marketing manager.
Comments Off
