According to the Wikipedia, “Jewellery (Jewelry in American English) is any piece of fine material used to adorn the human body. Jewellery has probably been around since the dawn of man; indeed, recently found 100,000 year-old Nassarius shells that were made into beads are thought to be the oldest known jewellery.” For most of us, however, when we hear about rings of gold & silver, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, pearls, precious stones, engagements, weddings, anniversaries, holidays, etc., our imaginations sweep us away into worlds of starry dreams & adventures. The dazzling beauty of jewels, gemstones & precious metals thrill the emotions, evoking many passions of love, virtue, jealousy, greed & delight.

“Personal adornment and the use of bright, shiny items to attract a mate is as old as time. Jewelry is our way of showing off, spreading our ‘peacock feathers’ to make a hit with the opposite sex. Put on jewelry and you’re putting on protection……What we call jewelry is really the evolution of personal adornment that has its roots in power-bestowing charms and talismans.” “The gift of jewelry speaks a thousand words: it talks about the seriousness of a relationship, the seriousness of one’s intentions, and the amount of thought and passion invested in a gift selection.” Diamonds, emeralds & rubies are the hallmarks of devotion, in the language of love and affection. Gifts like necklaces, broaches, cameos, earrings, bracelets, pendants, birthstones, rings, etc., all convey significance of meaning, fondness, warmth, love and desire.

Brilliant novelists, story-tellers, and Hollywood have all fueled our obsession of love, romance and jewelry. It, of course, started with treasure hunting & fortune seeking stories like, King Midus and the Golden Touch, The Story of Aladdin, and Alibaba and the Fourty Theives. Silent film began the movie craze with, The Gold Rush, starring Charlie Chaplan, but quickly moved on to, The Thief of Bagdag, with Conrad Veidt & Rex Ingram, and, Treasure Island, with Jackie Cooper & Lionel Barrymore. Then comedies, like the original, Pink Panther, with Peter Sellers & David Niven, a funny skirmish over the burglary of renown jewels, and Michael Douglas’ adventure over the notorious heart shaped emerald in, Romancing the Stone. Next, consider the intrigue of Roger Moore in the James Bond thriller, Diamonds are Forever. Finally, can anyone ever forget Gollum’s golden “precious” in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings? Fantasy may be entertaining, but for all the hype, how are patrons influenced?

Research finds that the jewelry industry, in the US, is a very big business indeed, demanding as, “the world’s second largest gold jewellery market by volume (around 350 tonnes) and the largest by retail value (around $16 billion).” Diamonds score another “$12.5 billion in retail value.” This doesn’t take into account the numerous other gemstones, pearls or precious metals available. These statistics are quite staggering; I guess that’s literally putting one’s money where one’s mouth is. So, with so much esteem placed on these earthly mineral elements, should we ask ourselves, “Are our devotions to carats misplaced? Are our fancies base covetousness, or can we ascribe a higher meaning and purpose?”

Let’s consider another perspective, what say the great thinkers of various ages on the topic of true riches:

“Genius without education is like silver in the mine.” Benjamin Franklin

“The words that enlighten the soul are more precious than jewels.” Hazrat Inayat Khan

“The price of wisdom is above rubies.” Bible, Job xxviii. 18.

“Dive into the sea of thought, and find there pearls beyond price.” Moses Ibn Ezra, Shirat Yisrael

“No pressure, no diamonds.” Mary Case

Wardrobe adornment; expressions of love & beauty; engagement, wedding & holiday celebrations; unfortunately, a source of vanity, greed & malice; jewelry evokes the passions of men and women like no other. When all is said and done, I believe we can all agree with Elizabeth Taylor, who was quoted, “I adore wearing gems, but not because they are mine. You can’t possess radiance, you can only admire it.”

Online dating seems easy and simple, until you try. Then it becomes a journey of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Following are tips on how to find a date online:

1. Type of relationship: What type of relationship are you seeking? Knowing this will help in eliminating dating sites that don’t serve your need as well as finding the right one for you. You see, different dating services are designed to meet different needs.

2. Choice of dating site: If a serious relationship or marriage is what you want, a matchmaking service might be right for you. If you just want a date with or without long-term goals, one of the popular dating sites might be the best for you. If you are looking for casual sex and other forms of erotic activities, then go with an adult dating site.

3. Interests: Have a passion that you just can’t live without? In that case, your partner must be prepared to share it with you or, at minimum, support you fully in its pursuit. You have two choices 1) you can go with a popular dating site and include your passion as a “must have” in your profile as well as one of your search criteria, or 2) you can go with a specialty or niche dating site that serves your interest group.

4. Signing up: Next, you will sign up for a free trial with your chosen dating service. If the dating site has no free trial period, move on. Find one that does. The reason is that find out if it is good fit for you. In fact, it might be a good idea to sign up for a free trial with more than just one site.

5. Write a dynamic personal profile. A winning profile must be accompanied by a good photo and screen name. Each of these (profile, photo and screen name) is subject of its own article. But one thing is for sure; a dull personal profile will not win you a date.

6. Initiate contact: This goes for you ladies too – forget what a certain book about online dating “rules” says. Online dating is a two-way traffic. By initiating contact, you might just land the right person whom you might otherwise have missed altogether. Unfortunately, you will not be able to make contact while on a trial period on most paid dating services.

7. Communicate: Before meeting your date in person, talk on the phone and/or chat on web cam. This might give you an idea of the type of person your date really is. Just don’t be too critical the first time, as some people get nervous. And make sure to use a number that cannot be traced back to you, at least the first couple of times or until comfortable.

Get the latest online dating news and updates about the online dating scene, plus

When the wedding is over – after the music, the food, and the celebrating with your family and friends dim to memory, it’s time to start the honeymoon. After you’ve given those Swarovski Crystal and Pearl Bracelets with Engraved Monogram Charm to your bridesmaids and a Moon Shadow Jewelry Set, like the set you were wearing during your ceremony, to your maid of honor – after all the details that make up your wedding day are complete, it’s time to begin what should be the trip of a lifetime – your honeymoon.

Oh, no doubt you’ll take other trips on which you may have more money to burn and perhaps even more time to travel, but your honeymoon is a trip you will remember long after the other’s have faded from your memories. That’s just the way it is. So enjoy it. Make the most of it.

Making the most of your honeymoon opportunities means taking a little time to dream and research the possibilities. Yes, you could let your husband to be take care of all those details like once was the practice, but for the same reason that you worked to get him involved in the decision making process of planning your wedding you should be involved in the process of planning your honeymoon.

What is that reason? Simple. It’s your honeymoon. Both of you are going to look back on the wedding and the honeymoon as something “we” did, so make the planning of your honeymoon something “we” do too!

What sounds good to you? When you think of your honeymoon what comes to mind? White sandy beaches? Eating seafood on a deck overlooking the clear aqua blue waters of the sea while the warm salty breeze filters through your hair? Perhaps you think of lush tropical foliage on a hillside overlooking the sea. If so, perhaps a Caribbean honeymoon package is for you!

Imagine long lazy days in your honeymoon beach front resort sitting on a beach in the Bahamas listening to the waves with the one you love at your side. Imagine strolling hand in hand through the Jamaican marketplace while listening to local music before heading back to your all inclusive Caribbean honeymoon resort. Imagine capturing a glimpse of a dive to recover sunken pirate’s treasure. Imagine the adventure of exploring a culture so different from our own, yet strikingly similar too. Imagine sharing all of these experiences with the person you love most in the world.

That’s a honeymoon.

Perhaps you would prefer to spend your honeymoon exploring the exquisitely manicured grounds of Parc des Floralies or the Morne Rogue Cathedral, both of which are just a small sampling of the rich history of culture and beauty that is Martinique – and we’ve only touched on a few of the many islands of the Caribbean for you and your new husband to spend your honeymoon exploring and, more importantly, building honeymoon memories that you will cherish for a lifetime.

Jeanette Shinn is the co-owner of Your Exciting Wedding Favors ExcitingWeddingFavors.com ExcitingWeddingFavors.com a website dedicated to helping brides realize their wedding day dreams with tons of tips, ideas, and the latest wedding news stories from across the country, as well as offering wedding favors, and accessories to enhance the entire wedding experience. Jeanette is also the founder and edible design artist behind Layer By Layer, frostingonthecake.com frostingonthecake.com, a special order bakery serving weddings and other special occasion needs of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area.

In this sixth of a series of articles about planning your wedding we’re going to pick up with what to do starting 1 month before the big day.

We are getting to the home stretch here. Just 30 days until your wedding. These are the things that should be taken care of at this time.

The first thing is to choose wedding rings. This is something you and the groom need to do together unless he decides to go with a one ring ceremony. Discuss this with him first. If you feel strongly about him wearing a ring you should let him know about your feelings.

Now is the time to mail invitations. One month prior should be plenty of time for your guests to respond as to whether or not they will be able to come.

You’re also going to have to make room reservations for any out of town guests that you’re planning to have. You don’t want these people fending for themselves or sleeping on the streets. Make sure the accommodation is clean and comfortable.

Check the wedding party clothes. Make sure that everything is just right. This will still give the fitters time to make any last minute corrections if needed.

Get together with the band and make sure you have all the musical selections worked out including your first dance and any other special music that you want. You don’t want to micromanage this, as most wedding bands will play appropriate selections. Just make them aware of any special songs that you definitely want played.

Make the reservations for the brides maids luncheon. Don’t skimp on this. They deserve to be fed well.

Make sure all the last arrangements for the rehearsal dinner are in order. Discuss this with the guests and the caterer handling the dinner. You want everybody on the same page here.

There is going to be a wedding shower that your maid of honor is going to throw for you around this time. Make sure you make yourself available during this month. Most likely they will try to make this a surprise. Most likely if your maid of honor or one of your friends starts acting strange on a given day you won’t be surprised. Fake it. They’ll love you for it.

Make sure that you apply for your marriage license. Each state is different so you are going to want to get all the information that you can before you do this. The last thing you want is to make it to that day, not have a license and not be able to go through with the ceremony. Laws are very strict about these things. No license, no marriage. Of course you’re also going to need a blood test before you can get married. Make sure that this is taken care of as well. You probably want to schedule a trip to the doctor for you and the groom on the same day.

In the next article in this series we’ll be going over what needs to be done 2 weeks before the big day.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to wedding.guide-for-you.com/ Weddings
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