Muditcreations
Dash of dazzling gems n jewels... A hub of beautiful hand-beaded designer jewellery made of semi-precious stones.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
How to Dress Stylishly on a Tight Budget
If you want to create the right look without going into the red every month, you need to know how best to invest your hard-earned cash. Tempting though it may be to splash out on the latest fashion fads, truly stylish women know that a great look is best achieved by investing in classic items of good quality clothing that fit well. So if you believe that dressing stylishly is beyond your budget, take a few tips from those women who have learned how to get an expensive look for less.
Rule number one when wanting to dress stylishly for less is to buy classic items in classic colors so that your wardrobe lasts for longer and costs less in the long run. Stick to basic solid colors – e.g. black, tan, grey, navy, and white – and build your wardrobe around those colors. Spend money on a number of essential items that will form the basis of your collection – e.g. pants, blouse, sweater, cardigan, dress, jeans, skirt, coat, boots, and shoes. Make sure that the basic items are well-made and will last. Opt for classic designs so they can be worn throughout the seasons. Consider the fabric components of clothing items before making a purchase. For example, a 100-percent wool coat will look better for longer than, say, one that contains only a small percentage of wool and is manufactured predominantly from a man-made fiber such as polyester.
Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize! Use accessories to dress up or dress down your look and to add splashes of color: Scarves, hats, belts, and bags can all be used to add a unique twist to an outfit. This is where you can spend less as these items don’t necessarily need to last and they’re merely being used to accentuate the clothes you’re wearing.
Always buy clothes suitable for your size and body shape. Do your research beforehand so you know which styles will suit you best. While it’s good to have a friend on hand for advice, remember that she may just say what she believes you want to hear!
Never buy an item of clothing that doesn’t fit optimistically believing that you will “slim” into it. Make sure that whatever you buy fits you well. Ill-fitting clothes will do little to flatter your figure or create a stylish look. Furthermore, if an item isn’t comfortable, you may well end up having to buy another one in its place.
Shop at thrift stores. Great bargains are to be had in thrift stores. It’s sometimes possible to pick up items from reputable clothing brands in your local thrift store, some of which have a lot of wear left in them.
Look after your clothes – especially if you’ve spent top-dollar on them. Always read the care instructions on clothing labels and launder items accordingly. Line-drying your clothes is kinder to them and will help them last longer than drying them in the tumble dryer. Avoid buying anything that needs to be professionally cleaned: You may avoid wearing it because of the cost involved in cleaning it; or you may love wearing it which means you’ll spend a lot of money on having it regularly cleaned!
You don’t have to spend a million dollars to look a million dollars. Spend wisely and you can create a stylish look that will last for years, thereby saving you money in the long run.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Learning About the Meanings of Gemstones
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Aventurine
Friday, November 20, 2009
Brilliant Tips to Save Cash on Your Weddings, from Cakes to Pearl Earrings
What is Amethyst
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Know about Agate gemstone
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Accessorize, Accessorize, Accessorize
Monday, November 16, 2009
Curiosities: Unusual Gemstones
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Moonstone - A Gemstone
Lapis Lazuli
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Floating Pearl Necklace Jewelry
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Your Pearl Jewelry: Handle with care
Luster is the glow of the pearl and its radiance as perceived by the human eye it is remains an important indicator in evaluating cultured pearl quality, separating the inferior pearl from the superior and the ordinary from the extraordinary. Surface quality signifies the presence or absence of physical blemishes or flaws. The cost of the pearl will depend on the surface quality, the fewer the blemishes, the more expensive the pearl the more rounder and symmetrical the pearl, the more valuable it will be. The larger the pearl, the more valuable it will be. Therefore buying pearls is like an important investment because pearl lovers make no compromise with the quality of pearls. Therefore it is important to take proper care to protect the luster and beauty of your pearls, while providing many years of enjoyment.
Always remember to store pearls separately in a soft cloth pouch, linen cloth, or soft lined jewelry box from the other jewelries to prevent it from being easily scratched or damaged. Chemicals present in the personal care products, such as hairspray, makeup, and perfume, can harm the pearl's surface and reduce its luster. Therefore it is advisable to apply personal care products first before putting on pearls to keep its luster for long time. Always remember to remove pearls before exercising or doing strenuous activity because sweat contains natural acids that can harm the pearl's surface and dull the pearl's luster. Take care to wipe your pearls gently with a soft damp cloth after wear, which will help you keep the luster intact for long time. You can also wash your pearls using a mild liquid soap to help remove harmful build-ups.
Do not hang pearls to dry as this may stretch the silk thread and to prevent breakage you should have your pearls restrung periodically with silk thread and knotted between each pearl.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Pearls | Most Sought-after Gems in the World
This year, pearls are a fashion statement and most of the celebrities wore it as to adorn themselves. It makes them glamorous and transformed them into fun and fashionable accessory. Do you that? Every woman dreams is to own a pearl necklace because of the simplicity of the pearl is the woman right to possess. Pearls is the birthstone of June and used as birthstone engagement rings.
There is a vast range of pearls to choose from and are categorized into the following:
Black Tahitian Pearls, Button Pearls, Coin Pearls, Cultured Pearls, Freshwater Pearls, and. Natural Pearls or
A beautiful black Tahitian Pearl Ring is made up of 18k white gold and diamonds. Its high luster is complement by a twisting 18K white gold, diamond encrusted design. The large 13mm Tahitian pearl has a flawless surface that you will never get tired of gazing into.
History of Tahitian Pearls
Tahitian pearls are named after the
It was shaded with tones of other colors and and their color comes from the black areas of the large oysters they grew in . Tahitian Pearls highly value because of their rarity; the culturing process for them dictates a smaller volume output and can never be mass produced. The rarity of the black cultured pearl is now a "comparative" issue and is rare when compared to Chinese freshwater cultured pearls.
Celebrity that wore Tahitian Pearl necklace
Actress Elizabeth Taylor owns one of the world’s most famous pearls, the La Peregrina pearl, which was given to her in 1969 by then-husband Richard Burton.
Kate Moss, the fashionable model is also frequently seen in pearl strands and changing into more weather-friendly fare, Moss is wearing on a super-plunging black maillot swimsuit and long strands of black pearls.
A good pearl should have the good luster, being bright, the surface should show your reflection. If it's too white or dull in appearance, it showed low quality.
When buying a Tahitian pearl ring, you should consider the following tips. Avoid pearls with blemishes and cracks. A consistent luster throughout the pearl shows good quality. Beeswax is often used by jewelers to treat pearls but may affect the luster, so ask your jeweler about it.
Tahitian pearls have become one of the most sought-after gems in the world.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Warning – don’t buy silver jewelry before reading this
This article will educate you so you understand what the different terminologies are when you are buying silver jewelry or silver articles.
What is silver?
Silver is a metal which has been used for hundreds of years. Silver is mined from many countries but the biggest producers are Mexico, Peru and Australia.
Silver in its pure form, is normally considered too soft for everyday use. Therefore, other metals are added to the pure silver such as cooper.
The different types of “Silver”
Sterling silver is the main type of silver used in jewelry, ornaments & dinnerware today. This is solid silver. Sterling silver is a mixture of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% metal alloy.
Sterling silver is hallmarked as “925”.
Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver and is normally considered too soft to use for most items. It is also solid silver.
Silver plating is common and sometimes dishonest sellers try to pass this off as sterling silver. It’s also call electroplated silver or silver coated as well. Silver plated items are made using a base metal, normally brass or nickel, which is then put through an electroplating process. Electroplating is a process which adheres a very very thin layer of pure silver onto the base metal.
The result is a sterling silver looking item at a much reduced price. It may look like sterling silver but the silver plating tends to wear off quite quickly exposing the less than beautiful base metal.
Alpaca Silver or German Silver is not actually silver at all. It is a greyish looking alloy which resembles silver. It is sometimes referred to as nickel silver, paktong, and new silver. It is also used as a base for silver plated items because of its appearance. If you want real silver, stay away from this. Also, beware of sellers selling this as “fine jewelry” to consumers that don’t know the difference between sterling silver and alpaca silver.
Mexican Silver is silver is used to describe silver made in Mexico. It must have more than 90% pure silver content to be Mexican silver. Most silver jewelry from Mexico today is actually sterling silver.
Britannia Silver has a pure silver content of 95.85% and no more than 4.16% copper. This silver is marked in the U.K. and Ireland as "958 silver." It is an even more pure form of silver than sterling silver. Hence it’s higher valuer.
Antiquing of Sterling Silver JewelryAntiquing is very common in the silver industry today and is the practice of applying a finishing process to sterling silver to give the item an appearance of age. As well as giving the item an appearance of age, it also helps to produce a contrast which makes the details of intricate designs stand out better.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
About the Gold and Silver Jewelry Quality Mark
In the USA, Britain and Switzerland the carat system is used. According to the carat system the 1000th mark of quality of the precious metal corresponds to 24 conventional units. In most European countries the metric system of the mark defining is used. It means that it is defined by the number of parts of the precious metal in 1000 weight units of the alloy.
The quality mark of precious metals alloys is set legislatively and is guaranteed by the state. All the jewelry necessarily undergoes the assay control to ensure it. As a result the mark of assay is put. The mark is defined by its digits. It’s up to a country to choose the form and the pattern of the mark of assay.
Very widely used in jewelry are 18k gold alloys as their properties are most suitable to work with. They contain: silver - 7,0%- 15,0% , palladium - up to 14%, nickel - up to 4%, zinc up to 2,4%, nickel - 7,5% - 16,5%, zinc - 2,0% - 5,0%, copper - up to 15%.
Another popular alloy is 14k gold. The alloys of this standard can have different colors. The color is influenced by the qualitative ratio of the ferrous metals.For instance, if 14k gold alloy (58, 3% - gold) contains silver – 36% and copper 5, 7% the alloy gets a greenish color. With silver- 18,3% and copper -23,4% - the pink one. With silver 8,3% and copper 33,4% - a reddish color.
The so-called white gold is often used in the jewelry with diamonds. The 14k white gold alloy contains: silver - 23,7% - 28,7%, palladium - 13,0% - 18%, nickel - 17%, zinc - 8,7%, copper - 16%. The 18k white gold alloy contains: silver - 7,0% - 15,0% , palladium - up to 14%, nickel - up to 4%, zinc up to 2,4%, nickel - 7,5% - 16,5%, zinc - 2,0% - 5,0%, copper - up to 15%.
The gold alloy of the 958th standard (metric system) or 24k is not durable and that is why rarely used. The gold alloy of the 375th standard or 10k contains: gold - 37,5%, silver - 10,0%, copper - 48%, palladium - 3,8%. Jewelry containing less than 37.5% of gold is not considered gold jewelry.
The most widely used is the silver alloy containing 92.5% silver and 7.5% alloy. It is used for the jewelry and the cutlery. The silver and brass stuff is frequently covered with a thin layer of rhodium or silver of the 999th standard (silvering).