In most major cities in the world, there is an active and highly profitable shadow economy in phony consumer goods that generates (in some estimates) upwards of 500 billion dollars a year. If have ever been down to “Counterfeit Alley” in midtown Manhattan, you have seen one of the biggest counterfeit marketplaces in the world.
While many of us spend our waking hours lusting after the latest fashion designs from our favorite designers, there are a lot of people out there who purchase knock-off or phony items without fully appreciating the consequences.

I recently read a book called “Knockoff”, written by a fellow named Tim Phillips. It was an insightful read, with a number of interesting and often disturbing ideas presented. I was particularly interested in the section he devoted to the trade in phony luxury items such as designer handbags. These days, it seems I can’t go anywhere without seeing somebody carrying a fake Prada or Gucci purse. Personally, I have always resisted the urge to purchase a counterfeit purse. I have avoided the temptation mainly because such an action only undermines an industry I have grown to love. When one considers the price of some of the higher-end purses, it should come as no surprise that some people purchase fakes.
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Are you ready for the summer yet? Is your jewelry wardrobe up to date? In order to get prepared for the summer with the right directional colors and styles, you should probably start the research right now.

Necklaces
Big and chunky beaded necklaces are still the focus of this summer. Two schools exist at the same time: organic earth tone beads and colorful and fun tone beads. Organic beads include bone and onyx necklaces. A more prevalent style is the eye-catching colored wood bead necklaces.

Rings
Parallel to the bulky necklaces, designers are fond of enormous finger rings with big faceted gemstones this summer. Bold and sparkling solitaire rings with a huge center stone set on large prongs seem to be the norm in most part of Europe this year. An extremely thick band with many small stones set on pave settings is another popular style that you might want to keep an eye on. Well, you get the idea, just be BOLD.

Earrings
As for earrings, trends are in linear or fringy styles this year. Dangle earrings with geometric designs incorporating loops and chains is the way to go. In fact, these are similar to the chandelier earrings that have been super hot for almost two years.
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