Throughout the ages, men and women have used gemstones and crystals in personal ornaments and body decorations as bewitching jewelry. Wearing them as charms, talismans or amulets, they were believed to possess the power to ward off evil spirits (or attract benevolent ones), keep one safe from harm, or to find love. To this day, many people of all ages and from all walks of life believe in the magical power of certain gems and make bewitching jewelry part of their everyday attire.

Take pearls, for instance. In the olden days, if a maiden wanted a man to fall in love with her, she would put pearls ground into a fine powder into a glass of wine and somehow get him to drink it. A pretty costly way to catch a man, that method. Nowadays, wearing pearls is believed to enhance ones inner character and bring about peace and serenity. Gold is another example of bewitching jewelry. Since time immemorial, it has captured the fascination of all people, and is one of the cornerstones of the science of alchemy. Gold is used to enhance the power of other gemstones, hence its popular use as a setting. It is also believed to attract wealth and influence, because the wearer is perceived to be strong and powerful.

Bewitching jewelry is not confined to fashionable purposes. The Indian warriors of old used to have swords that were adorned with garnets, secure in the belief that this would bring them luck in battle. Today, garnet jewelry presented as a gift signifies the givers feelings of eternal love and commitment. It can also be worn as a charm to increase sensuality and sexuality. Similarly, diamonds are said to aid in the release of sexual tension and to help the wearer enjoy a fantastic sex life. I wonder what that says about girls who treat diamonds as their best friend?
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Corporate Casual dress for business is a trend that came about for many reasons, but most importantly to attract potential employees and retain current ones. There are many reasons to have a corporate casual dress policy for a business; Not only for employee morale, but also things like increased productivity and perceived benefit. Corporate apparel is also a great idea to spread company awareness.

Employees like corporate apparel for many reasons. Surveys conducted show that employees including improved morale feel they do their best work when casually dressed, and also feel better comradeship between managers and co-workers. Employees even would choose one position over another to receive the benefit of corporate casual dress. In all, employees feel that casual dress allows an overall more comfortable work environment.
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Before the shoeswere sandals. But in some regions, the shoes were first devised rather than the more comfortable and light sandals. Throughout the world, there are artifacts and strong evidences that sandals had been existing since human first inhabited earth. These evidences were not only found in the relics but may also be sighted in the similarities of terminology to connote something that is worn for feet covering. Take for example the Latin word sandalium, or the French sandale and even the Arabic andal. All these seem to be linked by a common idea of a sandal.

The variety of sandal types today attests to mans mastery over sandal making and the use he has found in the item. In the following sections of this article, we will discuss some of the most popular sandal types in the world. Most of the types mentioned here will only be discussed in brief since we will try to focus on the types of sandals traditional to Japanese culture alone.

espadrille – is a type of sandal characterized by the rope sole or rubber sole with a cloth covering for its upper section.

flip-flop – is Japanese in origin and is characterized by being backless. This sandal is held on the foot by means of a thong between the second toe and the big toe.

Gladiator- named after the sandals worn by gladiators of the Roman arenas, straps that are fastened to the flat sole to hold the foot in place characterizes this sandal.

huarache or huaraches – is a Mexican sandal with flat heels and woven leather thongs for straps.

scuffer – is usually worn as playshoes among children and as sportshoe among adults. Scuffers are frequently made out of lightweight materials and are characterized for their sturdy sole.

shoe – is a footwear that is patterned to fit the foot. Usually, the upper is made of leather, plastic or rubber and the sole is made out of much heavier and sturdier material.

talaria – is frequently mentioned in most Roman myths. This is a winged sandal worn by Hermes, a Roman god.

Zori or pusher – originally a Japanese, this is a sandal made of rubber sole and two straps that are held on either side which meets at the upper part between the big toe and the second finger.

Among these general types of sandals, the most popular types are the zori, the huarache and the gladiator.

Japanese sandals

The three of the basic Japanese sandals are the geta, tatami and the zori. Geta sandals are more commonly known among Americans due to the popularity of Geisha women images. There are varieties of geta sandals but two of the best-known are the vinyl and the wooden. The latter is worn during ordinary days while the vinyl geta is worn on occasion. Geta is named as such because of the sound (click clack) they produce when being walked. Read the rest of this entry »

Platinum has become a popular choice for jewelry due to its strength, durability, and marketing efforts of the platinum industry in recent years. Platinum is three times more expensive than gold. Jewelers aggressively market it because they make three times the profit on every platinum item they sell compared to gold. Platinum is a naturally white, lustrous metal that is long lasting. Sometimes the claims of strength and scratch resistance are overstated. Like all precious metals, platinum will scratch. A platinum scratch is different from white gold because it simply plows the metal instead of removing it.

Traditionally, jewelry manufacturers used platinum alloyed with metals from the platinum group metals (iridium, osmium, palladium, platinum, rhodium, and ruthenium). With the proper mix of these platinum group alloys, platinum becomes one of the hardest metals making it a strong and durable jewelry metal. Platinum will not rust or corrode and the platinum family metals make it hypoallergenic and ideal for persons with sensitive skin.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines for platinum jewelry state that only items consisting of 950 part per thousand of pure platinum can be marked stamped PLATINUM or PLAT without more alloy information. From 750-950 Platinum, the platinum group metals must also be indicated. For example, PLAT900IRID for 10% Iridium alloy. Historically, the most common alloys in America were 95% Platinum with 5% Ruthenium or 5% Cobalt and 90% Platinum with 10% Iridium.

There is a misperception that the 950 platinum is better than the 900 platinum. However, pure platinum is very soft and the right alloy mix is what is important. Different alloys and different percentages produce better results for different jewelry purposes. Some alloy mixes work better for casting and some are better for handcrafting like bending the prongs over fragile diamond corners. Many artisans feel that PLAT900IRID is the best general-purpose alloy for diamond rings.

While platinum is best known for its use in jewelry, more than 60% of platinum is used for other industrial purposes such as catalytic converters in autos and pacemakers in the medical field. Because of its rarity and the rapidly increasing demand for this versatile metal, the price has soared in recent years.
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