Thursday, July 5, 2012

Secrets to Picking the Perfect Gift

Guys, you are all wonderful.  You spend hours trying to choose the perfect gift for the special lady in your life.  It's not easy, is it?  Here are a few tips and suggestions to help to help you.

1.  Jewelry is almost always acceptable. The right jewelry makes a woman feel special, pretty, confident - and you are in a unique position to help her with those feelings - just observe and creative.

2.  Each lady wants to be seen as a special individual - in personality, in actions, and in what she wears.  The same applies to jewelry.

3.  She will give you clues about what type of jewelry she likes.  See what she wears - does she like and look good in small scale or large scale jewelry?  How do you know?  Well, this is an example of a small scale piece:




The pendant is smaller, the necklace delicate and the overall scale is dainty.

A larger scale piece would look something like this:



As you can see, the pendant appears larger and more substantial.  The necklace is proportional to the pendant, using larger gemstones and a longer length.

So, which would look better on your special lady?

4.  What colors does she seem to prefer - and which colors do YOU think she looks best in?  

5.  That includes metals.  I never thought about the colors of the metals I wore.  Then my husband started giving me silver and later white gold jewelry.  He said it brought out the sparkle in my eyes better than gold!  He got triple points - for picking gorgeous, unique jewelry, seeing what suited me, and of course for that complement.  Guys, you can't do much better than that!

6.  Gorgeous jewelry does not need to be precious stones and gold.  Look at semi-precious and natural gemstones.  Carnelian, lapis lazuli, malachite, moonstones, garnets, amethysts are all legitimate gemstones and make beautiful jewelry.  



7.  Beautiful, unique, one of a kind jewelry can be found in a variety of places.  On the internet, try Etsy (http://www.etsy.com)  and Zibbet  (http://www.zibbet.com).  The artists at both sites make fabulous pieces, in all price ranges.  You can also shop with some degree of security as both are reputable sites.

8.  Unless you are proposing, stay away from diamonds - and when you do, try working with a good jeweler.  The diamond solitaire is lovely, but really common.  A good jeweler will help you pick a unique, special ring withing your price point.

Good hunting gentlemen - and thank you for your time, effort, treasury, and most of all, your love and care.  Where would women be without you?

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Classic Colors Still Rule

Don't like looking like a flashing neon sign?  You are not alone.  Fashion trend setters are rediscovering the classics - like black, white and red - to fill their edgy modern life styles.

Check out the hot looks highlighted in Chrissy Makkas article:  http://www.thefashionspot.com/style-trends/news/174539-forum-street-style-killer-combos-in-red-black-and-white

While this features clothing looks, accessories, like your jewelry, can follow the same simple fashion rules - find something you like, feel good in, and go for it.

For example the pendant necklace below is has the feel of the a classic Spanish piece, but modernized and given an edgy twist by varying the size and shape of the gemstones used in the necklace and combining that with a classically simple pendant.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/100223495/elegant-spanish-style-red-black-necklace


Marge, of PersonalDesignz has another example of a classic all black necklace on her site at: http://www.etsy.com/listing/65129869/black-beaded-necklace-bracelet-and?

For an all black and white look, try White Buffalo Stone and Black Onyx for a timeless, casual look.  This one is a "go anywhere" style:




Whatever you decide to wear, be sure it matches you - your style, your mood, your life - stay trendy, but only go to the extremes of fashion if they suit you.