JEWELRY IDEAS

Coming up with some creative idea is not about thinking something no one has thought about before but executing it. Execution and persistence and the ability to respond to the market far outweigh a pundit’s gut instinct. But, the thing to remember is this: if everyone loves it, it is almost certain to have troubles.

Both experienced and beginning jewelry makers need help sometimes coming up with creative and innovative ideas. Whether you need to entertain the kids on a rainy day or need to create a piece of jewelry for a special occasion, this section is sure to help!

Uniqueness, design, functionality, and quality is what will make your jewelry designs stand out from the rest, but it must also appeal to the customer or it won’t sell.
The secret to a profitable home jewelry business is not only designing and making jewelry, but also designing jewelry items that are innovative, salable and have a strong market demand for.

You should always be finding new ways to reach potential customers with your jewelry designs and new ways to keep repeat customers buying.

People’s tastes and wants and needs are constantly changing, and you have to be aware of these changes at all times.

You will have to consistently make sure that your are presenting the right product in the right way to the right market at the right time. That’s the only way to make sales grow!

One of the best ways to promote your business and to stand out from the crowd is by uncovering what is truly unique about your business and celebrating it.

But how do you find your uniqueness, and how do you communicate it once you’ve discovered it ? Here’s five ideas to get you started:

1. Tell your business story. By telling people your story about your unique business journey (why and how you started your business), people will start to make a connection with you, especially if they can personally relate to your story. After all, people like to do business with people that they like and trust and can relate to. Your story will help them to decide if they want to do business with you. Just be sure to keep your story true, consistent and authentic and you’ll make the connection.

2. Make it personal. Tell your prospective customers and prospects what you offer that is different and better than anyone else. In other words, answer the unasked question lingering in their minds, “What’s In It For Me”. Maybe you offer fast delivery, or personalized services, or a unique system or training program that you designed. Whatever it is, make sure it’s something that’s perceived as truly valuable.

3. Think out of the box. Get a copy of Seth Godin’s “The Purple Cow” for ideas on how to make your business truly remarkable. And read his blog http://sethgodin.typepad.com/ regularly to stretch your marketing mind with a fresh perspective from a master marketer.

4. Target a niche market. Select one or two niche markets to focus on. Develop a marketing campaign designed to get their attention that focuses on what’s important to them. How do you find a good niche? To start, list the niches that you are part of yourself. This makes it easier for you to figure out what that group’s needs and wants are and also makes it easier for them to identify with you.

5. Think service - Providing excellent customer service and going that extra mile will definitely get you noticed. Answer your phone messages and emails promptly, fix problems with a smile and always keep your word.

CREATE A COHESIVE JEWELRY COLLECTION
“Is my collection cohesive?”
This is the one-billion-dollar question that jewelry designers should be asking themselves. By definition cohesiveness means well-integrated or unified.
To make sure your collections thrive each season, Helena Krodel, Jewelers of America Director of Media and Special Events (and Jewelry Information Center spokeswoman), says you need to take a close look at your designs and ask the following questions:

Is my collection cohesive?”
This is the one-billion-dollar question that jewelry designers should be asking themselves. By definition cohesiveness means well-integrated or unified.
To make sure your collections thrive each season, Helena Krodel, Jewelers of America Director of Media and Special Events (and Jewelry Information Center spokeswoman), says you need to take a close look at your designs and ask the following questions:
• Does my collection tell a story?
A key to a cohesive collection is coming up with ideas and themes that run through each piece. Together, these “tell the story” of your collection.
• Does it look like each and every piece is made by the same designer?
Versatility can be a great asset, but not if you overdue it. Your pieces should reflect your personality and vision.
• Do your 15 most-important pieces look like as if 15 different designers took to the bench?
If that’s the case, your brand will suffer. After all, it’s hard enough to make one brand message stick in this cluttered and competitive marketplace, let alone 15. Reign in your ideas and focus. That doesn’t mean that different collections can’t represent different aspects of who you are, but you should have a unifying voice and theme.

Guidance on how to make your collection cohesive, ensuring the look and feel is consistent
• Questions about jewelry design and information on the latest trends
• Insight to make your public relations pop
• Marketing that enhances your brand and image and is aligned with your cohesive collection
• General business idea

The customer centricity strategy has its costs and paybacks. Creating a connection with customers is a indispensable link to establish and maintain understanding of the business.

Luck isn’t predictable, but it tends to come in packs.
Does luck come by chance or it is the end result of persevering efforts in one direction. Is it a payback time at last?

Lucky people appear to have a life journey like a cake walk, effortless. They seem to succeed in everything they do like the fictitious character with the Midas touch. But does the vicious circle of this blessing take them in too. Luck without effort is like wine without alcohol. It appears to be glamorous at first but gets boring with fading charm every day till looses luster and becomes like a black and white canvas.

Seth Godin, the marketing guru says, “Effort takes many forms. Showing up, certainly. Knowing stuff (being smart might be luck of the draw, but knowing stuff is the result of effort). Being kind when it’s more fun not to. Paying forward when there’s no hope of tangible reward. Doing the right thing. You’ve heard these things a hundred times before, of course, but I guess it’s easier to bet on luck.

And that’s the key to the paradox of effort: While luck may be more appealing than effort, you don’t get to choose luck. Effort, on the other hand, is totally available, all the time.”

However luck complemented with hard work is intoxicating, alluring and a habit that grows and grows on you. It helps you to climb the ladder of success; the challenge must only arise from enjoying the journey as well as the end. Once you know how to create your own luck success become a habit as you have cracked the code required to be successful. It is a formula that you need to know.

Winning or Losing is simply a function of our Self-Talk!

Sometimes wacky jewelry ideas can be profitable ones. A fun example of this is “pet jewelry”.
Latest fashion in gifts for pets is pet earrings – yes, that is right – these are earrings for pets to wear!!
How it works…

Priced under $10
Made from light plastic that you clip on the edges of your pets ears.
Jewelry wont hurt animals
Most animals don’t even have nerves in the edges of their ears.

What is offered:

Pet gems offers a line of bows, birthstones and days of the week.
Even has a “rough and tough” line featuring a braid finished with a bead.
Is coming out with a“spike” line to match with spikes in the collars.
Holiday earrings features spiders for Halloween, and Santas, Christmas trees and wreaths for Christmas.

As halloween is approaching, a line of jewelry should be made to complete the look desired.

We had only heard of white swan but recently know that there are black swans too. Similarly we had only known of white diamonds but now know that there are black diamonds too. Like yin and yang, sun and moon, day and night we also have black diamonds as counterparts of white diamonds.

who purchases black diamonds

Collectors and people who like jewellery. I have a watch with black diamonds and I like the design of it.

Are black diamonds more rare than the Black sapphire?

No black diamonds are not more rare than black sapphire.

What are black diamonds, are they as valuable as white diamonds or yellow (precious diamonds)? Are they real?

BlitzJewels.com is also excited to launch its “Work-to-Wear” collection! This is a unique collection of the jewelery that you can wear to work – be it the board room or winning the client by your radiant personality!

As you might know that the gemstones have some mystical powers that can help you in your career. So wearing the right jewelery can help you gain confidence to stand in the Board room to make that presentation that you have always been jittery about or ask for the promotion that you always deserved. In any event, if you have already attained that you desire, these mystical power and the beauty of the gemstones will always bring a smile on your face. We at BlitzJewels.com are confident to bring more charm and smiles in your workplace.

BLITZ Jewels.com designs, manufactures and markets genuine semi-precious jewelry made at affordable prices. BLITZ Jewels.com is an online retailer for semi-precious jewelry.

BLITZ Jewels.com has a team of designers who have a combined experience of over 100 years. These trained and experienced designers instill life into the semi-precious gemstones with their passion and zest for excellence. Our unique designs have sprung over twenty thousand satisfied customers in over 40 countries around the world.

At BLITZ Jewels.com, the cornerstone of our business philosophy is – to provide our customers with gemstone jewelry at very affordable prices. Blitz Jewels.com wants to be a part of your life in all the significant occasions of your life from boardroom to ball room. Express yourself distinctively through the blitz jewelry in all the different occasions – be it corporate or your own special occasion or just plain celebration of life. Keeping this in mind we have created the “BLITZ Corporate Collection” and the “BLITZ Special Occasions Collection”. Due to the increasing demand of the premium jewelry, we also launched the “BLITZ Premium Collection” that makes use of high quality gemstones.

All gemstones at BLITZ Jewels.com are high-quality gemstones that are certified by gemology grading labs.

We encourage our customers to join our exclusive “BLITZ Club” where we share some of the exclusive offers with our members, enable them to design / customize their own jewelry or share their wish lists of the special timeless pieces.

At BLITZ Jewels.com, we ship every order via international courier. Not satisfied with your purchase, no worries, you can return with full refund within 30 days. So you can shop with confidence and own what you yearn in life.

One question we are asked all the time is how our products are priced so low?

We are manufacturers and sell directly to customers. BLITZ Jewels.com is an online retailer, this results in a substantial savings for you as a consumer.

It is possible to lose 20 lbs. of bodyfat in 30 days by optimizing any of three factors: exercise, diet, or drug/supplement regimen. I’ve seen the elite implementation of all three in working with professional athletes. In this post, we’ll explore a variation of the “slow carb” diet as used by Dean Karnazes, an ultramarathoner famed for completing 50 marathons on 50 consecutive days in 50 different states. The most impressive part of this, for me, is that he did so, not with the typical anemic marathoner build, but with a well-muscled mesomorph body.

In the last six weeks, I have cut from about 180 lbs. to 165 lbs., while adding about 10 lbs. of muscle, which means I’ve lost about 25 lbs. of fat. This is the only diet besides the rather extreme Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD) that has produced veins across my abdomen, which is the last place I lose fat (damn you, Scandinavian genetics). Here are the four simple rules I followed…

Rule #1: Avoid “white” carbohydrates

Avoid any carbohydrate that is — or can be — white. The following foods are thus prohibited, except for within 1.5 hours of finishing a resistance-training workout of at least 20 minutes in length: bread, rice, cereal, potatoes, pasta, and fried food with breading. If you avoid eating anything white, you’ll be safe.

Rule #2: Eat the same few meals over and over again

The most successful dieters, regardless of whether their goal is muscle gain or fat loss, eat the same few meals over and over again. Mix and match, costructing each meal with one from each of the three following groups:
Proteins:
Egg whites with one whole egg for flavor
Chicken breast or thigh
Grass-fed organic beef
Pork

Legumes:
Lentils
Black beans
Pinto beans

Vegetables:
Spinach
Asparagus
Peas
Mixed vegetables

Eat as much as you like of the above food items. Just remember: keep it simple. Pick three or four meals and repeat them. Almost all restaurants can give you a salad or vegetables in place of french fries or potatoes. Surprisingly, I have found Mexican food, swapping out rice for vegetables, to be one of the cuisines most conducive to the “slow carb” diet.

Most people who go on “low” carbohydrate diets complain of low energy and quit, not because such diets can’t work, but because they consume insufficient calories. A 1/2 cup of rice is 300 calories, whereas a 1/2 cup of spinach is 15 calories! Vegetables are not calorically dense, so it is critical that you add legumes for caloric load.

Some athletes eat 6-8x per day to break up caloric load and avoid fat gain. I think this is ridiculously inconvenient. I eat 4x per day:
10am – breakfast
1pm – lunch
5pm – smaller second lunch
7:30-9pm – sports training
10pm – dinner
12am – glass of wine and Discovery Channel before bed
Here are some of my meals that recur again and again:

Rule #3: Don’t drink calories
Drink massive quantities of water and as much

unsweetened iced tea, tea, diet sodas, coffee (without white cream), or other no-calorie/low-calorie beverages as you like. Do not drink milk, normal soft drinks, or fruit juice. I’m a wine fanatic and have at least one glass of wine each evening, which I believe actually aids sports recovery and fat-loss. Recent research into resveratrol supports this.

Rule #4: Take one day off per week
I recommend Saturdays as your “Dieters Gone Wild” day. I am allowed to eat whatever I want on Saturdays, and I go out of my way to eat ice cream, Snickers, Take 5, and all of my other vices in excess. I make myself a little sick and don’t want to look at any of it for the rest of the week. Paradoxically, dramatically spiking caloric intake in this way once per week increases fat loss by ensuring that your metabolic rate (thyroid function, etc.) doesn’t downregulate from extended caloric restriction. That’s right: eating pure crap can help you lose fat. Welcome to Utopia.

I was approached by a really nice couple recently who were new to the real estate market in Toronto. They had a pretty good idea of their needs but were confused as to what they should chose – a condo or a house?

The housing market is flooded with condo variants – condo apartments, condo townhouses, condo bungalows, freehold townhouses and new breed of condo freehold townhouses where a condo corporation is formed just to deal with a private road and lighting. The house itself is freehold. These are some of the pros and cons of condos vs. freehold.

Condos
Pros:

• The apartment building may feature many additional security features, such as a concierge or security cameras and convenient amenities like a pool, gym and party room

• The monthly expenses are relatively predictable and usually cover utilities and maintenance – no shovelling the drive way or mowing the lawn

• Usually located in an urban centre close to public transit, work and amenities

• Suited for singles, empty nesters or professional couples who would prefer a minimal commute

• Condo townhomes are usually in a suburban setting and are cheaper than freehold houses

Cons:

• In addition to your condo fee, you may face additional expenses for repairs, improvements and upgrades to the building. The Condo Board takes a decision on the work and the cost is shared between unit owners through a ‘Special Assessment’

• You are living in much closer proximity to neighbours which can equate to more noise

• Living space is small and storage can be at a premium

• Most condo buildings come with some restrictions – only white curtains or no satellite antennas in the balcony to state a few

• Though they are easier to get into, resale of older condo townhouses can relatively take longer than a freehold

Freehold Houses:

Pros:

• You don’t have to pay any additional fees for amenities and services you don’t have and need

• You can renovate and personalise your home as you please

• The appreciation in property value is usually more than that of a condo

Cons:

• You have to maintain your own property

• Your expenses are not always predictable

• Affordability often equals to a longer commute

There are benefits and pitfalls to both houses and condos – especially for the first time home buyer. One should weigh the pros and cons before making a choice.

Menopause and Bioidentical Hormones

Most women begin to experience at approximately the age of 35 to 40, a gradual loss of hormones which are vital to their well being and health. Other hormone imbalances can occur whereby estrogen levels can suddenly increase, resulting in excess estrogen levels which are extremely dangerous to one’s health. If left unchecked, excess estrogen can cause a multitude of health problems including breast cancer. The loss of hormones causes aging and the increased risk of health problems. What should we do? We should replace the loss of hormones with natural bioidentical hormones.

You are probably aware that synthetic hormones, such as Prempro and Premarin, which were extremely popular and a cash cow for the giant pharmaceutical companies up to the year 2001, were revealed to have dangerous health consequences such as breast cancer, stroke and heart attacks. What happened in 2001? The Women’s Health Initiative was a research study on the use of synthetic hormones – was abruptly stopped in 2001 due to results showing that synthetic hormone use increased breast cancer, stroke pulmonary embolism, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, and hip fractures.

Women who experience severe menopausal symptoms such as sleep disturbances, hot flashes, weight gain especially around the belly, depression, etc., suddenly had no choice but to suffer. For some women, the answer came in the form of natural supplements such as black cohosh and phytoestrogens, but for many others, these natural supplements were not enough to deal with the symptoms of menopause.

What other choices are there for women who suffer from the severe symptoms of menopause? The answer came from Europe where women have been using bioidentical hormones for the last 55 years.

Natural bioidentical hormones are natural hormones made from plants such as wild yam and other plant sources and then synthesized in the laboratory. These natural bioidentical hormones are exactly “bioidentical” to the hormones we produce in the body. Estrogen, estradiol, estriol, progesterone, testosterone and DHEA are bioidentical hormones which are prescribed by a doctor who understands bioidentical hormones and treating declining hormone levels in men and women. You should note that natural bioidentical progesterone is not the same as progestin which is a synthetic hormone. Bioidentical hormones come in individualized prescriptions for creams or lozenges (troches) and are obtained from a bioidentical doctor. Once you have obtained a prescription, you can get this prescription filled at a compounding pharmacy.

Bioidentical hormones are used in a monthly cyclical pattern. A woman should expect relief from her symptoms in about two weeks. Men also use natural bioidentical hormones, such as progesterone and testosterone, once they experience the symptoms of andropause, but they do not use them in a cyclical manner. Health and well being as we grow older can be maintained by replacing the hormones we are losing with natural bioidentical hormones..

Marilyn in Banff

Rare photos of Marilyn Monroe show her relaxed in Banff, posing with grizzly bear, riding a ski-lift, snuggling with Joe Di Maggio. Monroe travelled to the Canadian Rockies in August 1953, to film and, while shooting a scene in the river, she injured her ankle and retired to the Banff Springs Hotel to recuperate.

In the summer of 1953, life was looking up for Marilyn Monroe.
Her iconic star-turn in Gentlemen prefer Blondes, released that July, garnered great reviews and string ticket sales. Legendary baseball player Joe Maggio who had nine World Series wins was courting her.

Cast in River of No Return, an Otto Preminger-helmed Western, she travelled to Canadian Rockies to film. That August, while shooting a scene in the river, Ms Monroe injured her ankle and retired to Banff Springs Hotel to recuperate.

John Vachon, a Look magazine photographer sent to shoot the set, took about 200 photos of the 27-year old actress as she recovered at the hotel and toured the town, gaining unusual access to the star.

We see her pictures of waving to the camera from an open, one-seat chairlift, suspended high over the evergreen-covered valley; in another, she poses with a stuffed grizzly bear in what is believed to be Banff’s Indian Trading Post store; in others, she snuggles with Mr. DiMaggio, whom she would marry the following year, in front of the window looking out onto a mountain vista.

If you are conscious about the health aspect of your food, but do not want to compromise on the taste, you may find this place an ideal spot to spend a cozy afternoon. It is – literally – a small corner of heaven – the Ginger Restaruant. Strategically placed at the Parliament & Carlton intersection, with a very friendly staff and a wide variety of dishes, Ginger will make your mouth water every time you remember it – one visit is enough to get you addicted. My favourite dinner: tofu coconut mushroom soup (I even added the photo below), lemongrass tofu with pad thai and jasmine tea to aid digestion. The flavours combine into utter perfection, the atmosphere is homely and the prices are amazing (read: “amazingly affordable”). On the downside though, some may find it less than sparkly clean; however, I have experienced the reality that this particular feature does not interfere with the quality of the product…. to conclude, the upsides are: friendly staff, affordable prices, healthy and tasty food, very fast service; the only downside found so far: the cleanliness of the tables. Your decision…. give it a try; it’s worth it.