Citrine Amethyst Agate

Historically, the name citrine is derived from the Latin word citrus, meaning “lemon”. Until the Middle Ages this name was used to designate a wide range of yellow stones. Citrine has been highly regarded as gemstone and healing stone for almost six thousand years. The soldiers in Caesar’s legions wore citrine on their chest because the stone was believed to have life-saving properties in battle. As befits its color, it is recognized as the stone of light, sun, and life.

Citrine is yellow to brownish quartz and resembles yellow topaz. It is colored by hydrous iron oxide, and is found in the same hexagonal crystals as the other varieties of crystalline quartz. Natural citrine is much less common than amethyst or smoky quartz, both of which can be heat treated to turn their color into that of citrine. Most citrine that is available is in face heat-treated amethyst, although heat-treated smoky quartz comes from some locations.

Citrine occurs principally in localities that produce amethyst, and it is sometimes found as a zone of citrine in amethyst, when it is known as ametrine. Gem-quality citrine is found on the Isle of Arran, Scotland, the Ural Mountains of Russia, India, France, Brazil, Spain, and North Carolina.

Citrine is believed to have healing and traditional properties of Intuition, comfort, protection, creativity, physical energy, wealth, mental awakening. The purer and more intense the color, the greater the stone’s healing properties. It is linked to the star sun of Gemini and Virgo.

In this new design, I’ve mixed both Citrine and Amethyst together, highlighted by a smoky purple Brazilian Agate slice.


This and many other designs in natural stones browse and shop our website.




*Research from various mineral/rock/crystal books and websites.

CZ Jewelry Trends For Winter

Just as certain fashion trends make their rounds, coming back “in” style, then fading “out” again, CZ jewelry is hot on the tracks of what’s in and what’s out. Check out our top picks.

Short Necklaces – After seasons of long stranded necklaces, short necklaces are finally back in the spotlight. It’s still all about making a statement when worn with a strapless or structured top or dress. For your best bet, check out bib necklaces in the form of CZ jewelry. They are fun, fierce and fabulous fashion-forward.

Yellow Gold – For Fall and Winter, it’s all about warm colors. Whether you’re a fan or ruby red, midnight blue or emerald green, look for CZ jewelry with a combination of these rich hues and yellow gold. You’re sure to be a fashion “Do”.

Dark Stones – CZ jewelry with black rhinestones is shaking up the scene this season. It’s a little bit rock and roll and a little bit edgy. But it’s also very versatile and can be worn with many outfits in your closet. Try CZ jewelry like a cocktail ring or a broach with black stones if you want to work this trend into your look.

Tiny Colored Stones – CZ jewelry that is as sweet as candy has captured our attention. From embellished hoop earrings to liven up a sweater to a sculpted ring that shows off your great new manicure, try CZ jewelry if you want to infuse a little color into your day to day look.

Jumbo Jewels – If you’re looking to make a statement, CZ jewelry is still the best way to do it. Go for oversize stones and bold settings to create drama and make an impact. It’s best to save these pieces for after work hours, unless you’re using the piece to anchor your look.

Article source: CZ Jewelry Trends For Winter from fashion jewelry blog

Latest Styles of Lauren Conrad

Lauren Conrad Star of Mtv Tv Show

The likeable star of the MTV show “the Hills” Lauren Conrad is also an intern with the teen vogue and an upcoming fashion designer. This is the reason that the star Lauren Conrad has her own styling and designing tips. She is not new in the fashion world but she is trying on it for last four years. She makes all the styles personalized.

The Hills-Fashion and Hairstyle: New Lauren Conrad

The hills lady believes in having different styles which make her comfortable. She also has interest in matching up the two different styles to make something new. She keeps on trying with the new fashion techniques. She loves most of the rich and bold colors in most of her dresses.

The Hills-Fashion and Hairstyle: Lauren Conrad in Jeans

Lauren Conrad makes her collection that can be worn by people of any age and at any time. She makes her clothes look so comfortable that they can be easily carried on by anyone. Her main attention goes on the accessories going with the dresses. She likes to accessorize her dresses to make them look more stylish but simple at the same time.

The Hills-Fashion and Hairstyle: Lauren Conrad Poses with Dog

She believes in going with the styles that starts from the stylish basics. The hills star always looks amazing with the latest styles of her outlook. Her easiest trick to look good is that she makes it easy for tying her hair by wearing a hair band. She doesn’t have to worry about different hairstyles when she wears a hair band. Her latest fashion trends fall to be girly which will make a new trend in the girls.

Somewhat Disturbing Ad

These two pics where in the girls part of a popular clothing store my daughter and I went to at our local mall here in Puerto Rico. The store is called Kress. I was somewhat disturb by the message the 2 ads sent. What do you all think?

Know Your Show Tips

Doing shows is ultimately a necessity for an artist, designer or small business. How you present yourself and your product to the public is yet another line item in the ‘make or break’ of any business. It’s all in the presentation and how professional, business like, and in some cases your ability to entice the public to not pass you buy, either on the net or at a show.

I’ve done shows for years, in a couple of different industries and several states; but what remains the same is being able to get noticed. Here are a few things I’ve learned through trial & error along the way. I’m by no means a ‘professional’ at this, just passing on what I’ve learned to give everyone a starting point and something to build upon depending on your own style, company or business.

*Be aware of what type of booth you’ve been assigned. Have several different configurations in mind that can fit a variety of booth spaces; 10’x10’, 10’x15’, 10’x18’, or 10’x20’ are all standard booth configurations. Also know how to work with a front only verses a corner booth.
*Try to keep the same booth space from year to year at the same shows. Your customers are often looking for the booth location verses the business or product.
*Try to keep your booth displays and configurations the same from show to show. After the booth location, customers are next looking for the booth type verses the person, business or product.
*Be professional and know not only your products, but also your customers. If you know something special about a particular product (i.e. how it was made, a special part, etc.), tell the customers about it.
*Dress as nicely and appropriately as possible and always welcome your customer by name (if you know it) and with a smile. Ask how they’ve been if you haven’t seen them in a while, introduce them to your new or improved products and find out what they like or dislike. The acts of ‘personal attention’ to your customers are something seldom felt in the world of today’s global technology.
*Don’t be pushy and know when to ‘back off’ of selling to a customer. You’ll know if a customer is willing and ready to make a purchase.
*Above all, have fun with your products and customers. If it isn’t something you enjoy, then it’s probably not the right place for you or you may need to make adjustments somewhere.

These may work for some and not for others, but like I said, it’s a place to start. Build your own style and presentation of your products; make a lasting impression that invites everyone back.

Weekend Update: Somewhere to sit (finally!)

This was the state of my living room back in August. After moving from a much smaller townhouse with one main living space into a home with both a living room and upstairs' den, we found ourselves with exactly nothing to put in here. Zip. Zero. Nada. Since then, we've slowly been adding pieces to this space, first the rug, then a chair and floor lamp -- and, as of Friday, a sofa, lamps and console table! And just in time for Thanksgiving, too.

After over two months of waiting, our sofa finally arrived yesterday and I love how it looks in the room (and Dave loves how comfortable it is!). It's hard to tell from this picture, but the fabric isn't actually a solid, it's more of a tweed, with navy, slate blue and tan shot through it. I'm hopefully that the subtle pattern will make animal hair less apparent. I'm also loving how great my greek key table lamps look now that they've been released from their temporary home in my upstairs' closet.

A few more shots of the room (please forgive the bad lighting -- those two-story windows make it nearly impossible to avoid a glare):

While the sofa and the wing chair could certainly use some fun, colorful throw pillows, can you guess what's next on my shopping list? An ottoman or coffee table, naturally. I've decided to veer from my original plan and go for a piece that's a bit less heavy. I've also decided against investing in one of these (which proved to be a very divisive piece as about 50% of you all loved it and another 50% absolutely hated it!). Just as I'm not the kind of person who believes that wine stains on Carrera marble add "character", so too am I not really the type of person who repurposes "found" objects as furniture. In other people's houses, sure; in my own...notsomuch.

So here are three options that are both more "me" and more appropriate for this particular space:

I think there are advantages to all three of these choices, and before you run off and vote for your favorite, let me make a case for each of these:

1). Smart Round Marble Coffee Table ($299; CB2). I think the size and round-shape of the is a great choice for a room that, like mine, is a bit tight on space. I also like how the traditional marble is paired with such a sleek, modern base (a nice counterpoint to what's shaping up to be a fairly traditional room). The open base will also not obscure the fabulous pattern on my rug.

2). Nate Berkus Hexagon Cocktail Ottoman ($399.95; HSN). I'm sure you noticed how both the wingback chair and the sofa are sporting some lovely stems. While I have nothing against flaunting great legs when you have them, I think a nice skirted ottoman would be a nice counter balance to all that leg. I also happen to know that Dave vastly prefers ottomans to coffee tables and once we get a TV in here, an ottoman would certainly be a more comfortable place to put our feet up than a marble or acrylic coffee table. Of course, I'll need to switch out the black grosgrain ribbon with a blue one, but that's nothing that a quick trip to JoAnn's and a sewing machine couldn't fix in an afternoon. [Oh and, while this ottoman is a good bit more than the other two choices, I do have a 15% off coupon that would bring the price closer to the others.]

3). Peekaboo Clear Coffee Table ($249; CB2). While the size of this coffee table is larger than the other two, it's clear acrylic form ensures it will take up absolutely zero visual space and allow full view of my rug. Again, I'm thinking that a more modern piece to this space might really work.

So what do you think? Which would you pick? And as always, if you have a better suggestion, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know all about it.

poll by twiigs.com

CZ Jewelry Gifts: Heart Rings

With Christmas practically beating on your door, it’s time to start shopping around for that special woman in your life. Ladies, it’s time to start hinting for that pretty little thing you saw in the display box last week. Leaving Christmas shopping to the last minute is pretty much the worst thing you can do. For one, selection is at an all time low the closer you get to the big day. Prices do not get any better and in some cases they may increase as Christmas draws near. The added stress of finding gifts for all your loved ones multiplies as Christmas gets closer and closer. Luckily, when it comes to women, jewelry is always a safe bet for nearly any occasion: birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, etc. A woman can never have enough jewelry and she is almost always happy to receive it as a gift.
This Christmas, why not show her how much you care and how much you love her with a ring that says it all. Tell her she has your heart with cubic zirconia jewelry. Heart rings are high in demand as they are sweet, cute, and totally sentimental. What girl wouldn’t want to wear a heart ring from her special someone? The great thing about cz jewelry is the incredible value and the stunning look that it delivers. Trust me when I say that diamond jewelry is becoming a thing of the past. In today’s economy, diamond jewelry is not affordable or practical. Most people know that diamonds are also socially irresponsible as they are extracted and delivered in unethical ways. If this is not enough to stop everyone, people should also be aware of the fact that diamonds also not as rare as they are made out to be. One company controls the diamond market and therefore they control how many diamonds are available for sale and how much they cost. So this Christmas, opt for cz jewelry—it will be the wisest decision you ever make.
Heart rings come in many different styles. The heart can be very standard or a little more artistic looking. It can be studded or accented with cz jewels. Some heart rings feature a double heart that is linked in the center. The most common metal is sterling or platinum, though yellow gold is still an elegant option, especially for older women. I would recommend sterling for a woman between 20 and 40. You can of course make the ring a set by adding heart studs or a silver necklace with a heart pendant. This addition would certainly send the gift over the top and make her go crazy. But don’t forget to keep your budget in mind so you can still buy gifts for everyone else in your life! Happy shopping and Merry Christmas!