Thursday, June 10, 2010
I had opened my email inbox a few days ago and found a message from an unknown source which captured my attention. It was sent by a lady all the way from Woodstock, Georgia ( USA ) walking in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure this October in Atlanta. Her name is Carolyn. She needed support as she takes an amazing journey in the fight to end breast cancer! The Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure is a 60-mile walk over the course of three days. Net proceeds from the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure™ are invested in breast cancer research and community programs.
Carolyn is so proud to be walking in memory of her mother, Anne Forcier Watson.
However, Carolyn needs some help ~ in fact, she's collecting donations of items that she may sell in order to help her reach her goal of $2,300 for the breast cancer fund. She'll be hosting a wine tasting event this coming July 17th with her good friends at Kingfisher Wineshop located in Woodstock, Georgia. Personally, I don't know her at all but I thoroughly read her message from top to bottom and was touched by her great commitment to the cause.
It's not the 1st time I got approached by someone from charity. I had given help several times and this event is surely not one to be missed at all. I replied to her by email that I would be sending some items for donation. She sounded very happy when I got her next message . Just like what I always say to everyone :
It Doesn't Cost Anything to be Nice to People !
The day after I got the message from her, I started making some Wine Charms in relation to her wine tasting event next month.
I got some spare Ring Holders ( normally used for cards but this time I'll make use of them as charm holders , why not ? ) , wire-wrapped some Celestial crystal rondelle beads with non tarnish silver beading wires and attached some metal charms with jumprings to the main ring holder.
I made the wine charms in a set of 4 pieces with the combination of different colored crystals ( Sapphire Blue, Lt Topaz Brown, Clear Crystal AB , Lt Purple & Lt Pink ). The Metal charms include some nature themes from the sea , garden & animal creatures. below photo shows how they would look like when attached to the wine glasses . Awesome right ?
I also made some Angel inspired key Chains like the ones shown below ( This design was part of my Angel's Touch Fundraising items. ).
These sparkling beauties can also be hanged by the rear view mirror of one's car to act as a guardian angel in every road trip ( I 've got one hanging by my car mirror and I even got 1 more in a much bigger size with nice silver lace ribbon hanging by my beading light infront of my beading table . I simply like the feeling of having an angel watching over me while I make my jewelries ~ see photo below ) . All you need is just add a string to hang it. See, Isn't it lovely ?
Anyway, The Key Chains I made and donated for this lady's fundraising event were so pretty with Clear AB & Pink AB Crystal Beads . I'm sure people would like it and I would be more than happy to make some more to raise more funds for the Angel's Touch Fund Drive and other charities I would like to support now and in the near future like the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure , Bantay bata 163 ( Philippines ) , etc. !
If you have a facebook account, please take a look at the temporary sale site that Carolyn ( Lady from Georgia ) had set up on facebook . There you would see some nice stuffs from other donors too. Here is the link: : http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=122318571139016
Let's support Carolyn and all those walking for a cause just like her.
Now is the time to give a hand to Charity.
Your support to this Great Cause would be much appreciated !
~Thank You ~
Friday, June 04, 2010
I had been slowly sorting out most of the cabinets & drawers of our house in between errands and beading tutorials during the last few days and weeks. Undeniably, I had found so many things piling up everywhere ( after all these years ! ).
Electrical wires ( from all sorts of electrical stuffs like phone / pc chargers ) , shoe boxes ( I had saved them for kid's school projects ) , even a collection of assorted hotel room key cards being brought home by dear hubby from his trips abroad plus a whole lot more to be categorized later once i got them recycled into something else. That's if I get lucky to have a chance to do so . I doubt that I will have the necessary time but I would try slowly though !
So ok . Let me say that these stuffs would either go to the garbage or keep them as they are. Balancing a few things in my head about throwing away ( + or - effects to the environment ) or keeping them at home ( + or - effects in our place ). Still undecided when something caught my eye and and an idea suddenly blinked somehere in my busy brains.
I found this small Ziploc plastic bag containing a Brand tag made of cardboard paper , a string attached to the Tag and a piece of button. What would you normally do with this ? I hardly keep this kind of stuffs coz I don't normally use them . I don't have the habit of loosing my buttons anyway .What happens after I got them is to just put them somewhere and not to care much about it then later on it would just be thrown away. But after seeing the 3 key factors of recycling known as the " 3 R's " Reduce , Reuse, Recycle recently in the internet I had decided to do something out of this " something " that's just there right infront of me. What was I thinking ?
1). Doing a Key Chain / Bag Charm :
First, I took the string out and did a hemp style while attaching some wooden beads ( I had found in my drawers ) as I go along the lenght of the cord. Doing a few simple basic knots ( macrame ) on the cord. Then, I had added a leaf charm to dangle at the bottom to give it some weight coz the wooden beads are very light even with the cord . Finally, I cut a part of the card tag to use as a gift tag ! So, here's what I came out with :
A key Chain !
Got it packed nicely for better presentation !
It serves as a Pretty Bag Charm too !
@). A Beaded Ring with Button Base :
Now, what I had left to recycle is the single button ( the Ziploc bag was already used to keep some small beads locked in place ) . I started to choose the Pearls and Seed / Delica beads. Trial and error for the beads until I get the best sizes for the button base. I Took my size 12 beading needle and nymo thread and began stitching after I had chosen some gold color pearls and some delicas. see how I had used the single button as the base for the ring below.
I just love the look & feel of this ring !
Recycling is an excellent way of saving energy and conserving the environment. So don't just throw things easily to the garbage bin. You're probably getting rid of your source of Gold instead of junk !
Better Think twice !
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Pearls ... Pearls ... Pearls ...
Pearl is a Birthstone for June, and for the astrological signs of Scorpio and Cancer. It is the traditional gift for a 30th anniversary (reflecting its historical high value), although in the modern lists Pearls are to be given for the twelfth anniversary.
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes of pearls (baroque pearls) occur. The finest quality natural pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries, and because of this, the word pearl has become a metaphor for something very rare, fine, admirable, and valuable.
Valuable pearls occur in the wild, but they are very rare. Cultured or farmed pearls from pearl oysters make up the majority of those that are currently sold. Pearls from the sea are valued more highly than freshwater pearls. Imitation or fake pearls are also widely sold in inexpensive jewelry, but the quality of their iridescence is usually very poor - and generally speaking, artificial pearls are easily distinguished from genuine pearls. Pearls have been harvested and cultivated primarily for use in jewelry, but in the past they were also stitched onto lavish clothing. Pearls have also been crushed and used in cosmetics, medicines, or in paint formulations.
Freshwater and Saltwater pearls
Freshwater and saltwater pearls may sometimes look quite similar, but they come from different sources.
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Natural freshwater pearls form in various species of freshwater mussels, family Unionidae, which live in lakes, rivers, ponds and other bodies of fresh water. These freshwater pearl mussels occur not only in hotter climates, but also in colder more temperate areas such as Scotland: see the freshwater pearl mussel. However, most freshwater cultured pearls sold today come from China.
For those who love the look of pearls, but don’t enjoy the price tag, Freshwater pearls are the least expensive, while remaining quite attractive. They are especially desirable for rope necklaces made of several strands which are twisted about each other or long opera-length strands.
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Another advantage of Freshwater pearls is their innate durability, which naturally resists chipping, degeneration, and wear.
Saltwater pearls on the other hand grow within pearl oysters, family Pteriidae, which live in oceans. Saltwater pearl oysters are usually cultivated in protected lagoons or volcanic atolls.
Natural pearls have always been deemed rare, and are universally costly. They are most commonly sold by their carat weight, however, most of the natural pearls on the market today are vintage pearls, as virtually every pearl producer now relies on cultured pearls. Natural pearls are simply too risky, rare, and expensive to find and sell.
It is recommended that if you do have the opportunity to buy a natural pearl, you should refrain from buying it unless it comes with an official gemological x-ray certificate, which proves that it is natural, and states its quality. For something so rare, expensive, and beautiful, a little security is a must.
Pearl is a Birthstone for June, and for the astrological signs of Scorpio and Cancer. It is the traditional gift for a 30th anniversary (reflecting its historical high value), although in the modern lists Pearls are to be given for the twelfth anniversary.
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes of pearls (baroque pearls) occur. The finest quality natural pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries, and because of this, the word pearl has become a metaphor for something very rare, fine, admirable, and valuable.
The unique luster of pearls depends upon the reflection, refraction, and diffraction of light from the translucent layers. The thinner and more numerous the layers in the pearl, the finer the luster. The iridescence that pearls display is caused by the overlapping of successive layers, which breaks up light falling on the surface. In addition, pearls (especially cultured freshwater pearls) can be dyed yellow, green, blue, brown, pink, purple, or black.
Freshwater and Saltwater pearls
Freshwater and saltwater pearls may sometimes look quite similar, but they come from different sources.
.JPG)
Natural freshwater pearls form in various species of freshwater mussels, family Unionidae, which live in lakes, rivers, ponds and other bodies of fresh water. These freshwater pearl mussels occur not only in hotter climates, but also in colder more temperate areas such as Scotland: see the freshwater pearl mussel. However, most freshwater cultured pearls sold today come from China.
For those who love the look of pearls, but don’t enjoy the price tag, Freshwater pearls are the least expensive, while remaining quite attractive. They are especially desirable for rope necklaces made of several strands which are twisted about each other or long opera-length strands.
.JPG)
Saltwater pearls on the other hand grow within pearl oysters, family Pteriidae, which live in oceans. Saltwater pearl oysters are usually cultivated in protected lagoons or volcanic atolls.
Natural pearls have always been deemed rare, and are universally costly. They are most commonly sold by their carat weight, however, most of the natural pearls on the market today are vintage pearls, as virtually every pearl producer now relies on cultured pearls. Natural pearls are simply too risky, rare, and expensive to find and sell.
It is recommended that if you do have the opportunity to buy a natural pearl, you should refrain from buying it unless it comes with an official gemological x-ray certificate, which proves that it is natural, and states its quality. For something so rare, expensive, and beautiful, a little security is a must.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Philippines in the 1970's , 7:00am ... I remember waking up early to tend to my things and my younger brother's stuff for school. At the tender age of 9 years old, I would carry full buckets of water to fill up containers for our cold shower . I would always have to fight for my turn in the long queue of empty buckets when someone tries to cut in the line. I would always immediately voice out ~ Hey ... 1st come , 1st serve ! The nearest manual public water tap outside our house is always busy at night so I try to go very early in the morning to get that much needed water reserve for our bathroom . I can already cook simple things before and after school like boiled rice , fried egg, fried fish , do my own laundry during the weekend and do budgeting & marketing for the household . Why is that ? We were raised with fear by a single parent ~ my father. My mom couldn't take the physical / moral abuse, domestic violence in our house and I couldn't blame her for her painful decision to run away with my youngest brother who's at that time only about 5- 6 years old. I cried my heart out the moment I saw her sneaking out of the house with my little confused brother in tow. She can't take all of us coz she doesn't even know where she's exactly going at that time. I was questioning myself repeatedly : Where are they going ? The moment I saw the door closed behind them, I bursted into tears. I told myself that my life as well as that of my other siblings' would change big time without her. I had cried each and every nights after she left. I would be crying my eyes out thinking about her and my little brother until I fall asleep . My father would always ask me whenever he caught me crying at night on the mat on our wooden floor " What's the problem ?" I would always say ... Where's mom ? Are they coming back ? He never gave me a reply . He would just tap my hair and tell me to go to sleep. Thinking I have no mom to take care of me and my elder sister and my younger brother is a reality that is frightening me . During those early stages, I was scared, lonely and confused with the situation. I can't say anything against my father , about his physical abuses and why he had to beat my mom and even us when he gets mad. In my young mind, I just don't understand why ...
My father works for The Philippine National Railways ( PNR )
He travelled weekly and left me and my siblings alone in the house without any adult to look after us most of the time. That's one good reason why I was very independent ... a survivor ! My sister was 2 years older than me but she's a typical spoiled princess. She is the authorised boss of the house when father was at work and gone for 3-4 days sometimes almost a week bound to the Bicol region south of Manila . The place where he met my mom years ago.
Often times he would get stranded in the provinces of Bicol region due to heavy typhoons. We had no choice but to manage on our own till he 's back from his trip. He normally comes home with loads of food stuffs. A cage of live chickens ( that I had to slaughter later on ... OMG! ) , A container of mudfish ( dalag, hito and guess who's gonna clean them ? Yours truly of course who else do you think ? ) , dogs which I thought are for pets but oh no ... my uncles would take care of these poor creatures and I would just see their parts boiling in a big pot later on .Shocking ... What a sight ! Yes, my family eat dogs but I don't mind. That was then when I was young I had eaten it too. But Now, I don't even want to think about eating it anymore ... never again !
Anyway, when father is gone on a trip , big sister would just sit the whole day and read a book while I do mostly ( if not all sometimes ) the housework and would still get beaten up at the end of the day when house is not tidy enough. She would pinch me so hard on my chest . So hard that I get black & blue marks on my skin.
Sparkling clean is a must in & out of our home especially when meticulous father is at home who checks the top cupboards and under the cabinets for dust , I must be careful even more ! He's got no mercy ! Oh well , I got no time for playing at that stage. The 2 storey house we had gave me so much job to do ... one rug in one hand, a broom on the other, clean here, mop there, try to get rid of marching ants anywhere, need to manage with our school uniforms ( wash / press) , organize our snacks and things to take to school , etc, etc. . Life is not easy without my mom around ... sigh !
He travelled weekly and left me and my siblings alone in the house without any adult to look after us most of the time. That's one good reason why I was very independent ... a survivor ! My sister was 2 years older than me but she's a typical spoiled princess. She is the authorised boss of the house when father was at work and gone for 3-4 days sometimes almost a week bound to the Bicol region south of Manila . The place where he met my mom years ago.
Beautiful & Majestic Mt. Mayon found in my mother's Bicol province .
Often times he would get stranded in the provinces of Bicol region due to heavy typhoons. We had no choice but to manage on our own till he 's back from his trip. He normally comes home with loads of food stuffs. A cage of live chickens ( that I had to slaughter later on ... OMG! ) , A container of mudfish ( dalag, hito and guess who's gonna clean them ? Yours truly of course who else do you think ? ) , dogs which I thought are for pets but oh no ... my uncles would take care of these poor creatures and I would just see their parts boiling in a big pot later on .Shocking ... What a sight ! Yes, my family eat dogs but I don't mind. That was then when I was young I had eaten it too. But Now, I don't even want to think about eating it anymore ... never again !
Anyway, when father is gone on a trip , big sister would just sit the whole day and read a book while I do mostly ( if not all sometimes ) the housework and would still get beaten up at the end of the day when house is not tidy enough. She would pinch me so hard on my chest . So hard that I get black & blue marks on my skin.
Sparkling clean is a must in & out of our home especially when meticulous father is at home who checks the top cupboards and under the cabinets for dust , I must be careful even more ! He's got no mercy ! Oh well , I got no time for playing at that stage. The 2 storey house we had gave me so much job to do ... one rug in one hand, a broom on the other, clean here, mop there, try to get rid of marching ants anywhere, need to manage with our school uniforms ( wash / press) , organize our snacks and things to take to school , etc, etc. . Life is not easy without my mom around ... sigh !
School life is not that fun either in my early schooling years eventhough I got special honors and medals from different subjects. Every time the school year ends, it was either my class adviser or my Auntie ( my father's eldest sister ) who would be more than happy to act as proxy for my parents. They would proudly come up the stage to pin my medals on me or receive my awards . None of my parents ever came when I was in that elementary school ... so sad !
Same situation with my elder sister who's also getting honors & school awards. It's such a pounding heartache seeing other students with their proud parents attending the ceremonies. Why don't we have such chance to be with our parents , make them feel proud of us just like the other students ?
Below is my Gold Medal I had kept all these years. I was happy I was able to keep it eventhough the ribbon and my name tag had already been lost.
Below is my Gold Medal I had kept all these years. I was happy I was able to keep it eventhough the ribbon and my name tag had already been lost.
I attended an Accelerated Class under Mr. Wilfredo San Juan / Ms. Lolita Ventoza for 2 years ( Year 1975-1976 / Year 1976-1977 ) at P. Burgos Elementary School along Altura St. in Sta. Mesa, Manila. The accelerated class made me skipped a year in the elementary grade. So instead of 6 years, it only required me 5 years to finish elementary school.
I can still recall that some of my female classmates ( each and every letter of their names are clearly embedded in my brains until now ) would bully me for not taking my books with me ( I forgot sometimes ! ) or wearing clean uniform to school. My fault I know coz I didn't have enough time to check my own stuffs and wash my uniform during school days or sometimes, I just simply forgot that I had spilled something on me during recess time the day before . My excuses were either I was so busy or too occupied at home doing house chores or running errands or didn't really want to wash them coz they won't dry especially when it's rainy season. So, chances are I would end up wearing the same and the same uniform top blouse & skirt for 2 days, sometimes 3 , shame but during those times what do I care ! I only had 2 sets alternating during the week! Nevertheless, my classmates would envy me when the teachers like and appreciate my presence and participation in the class. It was so obvious that I always end up as a teacher's pet , not once but more than twice ! Geeee ... I guess because I'm smarter than any of them ha-ha !
I remember my Home Economics teacher Ms. Ildelfonso giving me a beaded Resin choker as a reward for my good grades in her class after submitting a crocheted rose doily she had put on display in her classroom. Just too bad that I had allowed my classmate Luzviminda to borrow the graduated choker from me one day and she never returned it back . Despite of several requests to have it back, she just said she had lost the parts coz it broke accidentally. Somehow the bead's shape looks like this only with more bold colors of plain red, orange, yellow & black tubular beads alternating on the cord with screw type clasp.
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Being around with rich classmates is also something I hate so much during those days. They always try to point out that I don't belong in a designated group mainly because I was so different mentally , physically and materially ~ they often say my personal things were cheap, my shoes were old and with holes, my books had torn out pages without any cover , my snacks were not packed nicely like theirs , that I hardly attended any school field trips ( father won't allow us to participate in those kind of activities for financial reasons ) , that I was fat and my face is as round as an airport ... blah-blah-blah . Oh well, I just ignored all their abusive behaviours until one very memorable day , I snapped out of the blue and hit the leader of the pact who's the daughter of the Superintendent of the City Schools of Manila. Ooooppppsss! I was not scared of who she was anyway. She can do what she wants, she can say what she wants but she has no right to tell me that I looked like a beggar coz I don't have a responsible mother taking care of me ! That's it , no one talks anything negative about my mom ... they have no right to say so ! Hearing that from her, I suddenly saw everything in black & white with flying stars and I just raised my hand . Sure enough that it landed straight unto her face ! Bingo ! She was stunned ...
Although deep inside my heart, I know what I did to her was wrong. We both ended up in the Guidance Councilor's office to tell our own side of story and I sincerely apologized to her , I had to. Our Parents were called in . When neither parent of mine came coz I have no parent available to meet my teacher / guidance councilor , I had sensed that they pity me in the end and reconsidered my good character history . They gave me some advices and told the girl to behave herself as well.
From then on , she never came near me at all . Good coz I got rid of her group's verbal abuses . What a relief coz they had stopped from bullying me !
Anyway, The lesson I would like to share to all of you is
~ Never be afraid of anyone.
Whether You're Rich or Poor ,
We're all born equal.
No matter what !
Respect others the way you respectyourself
Respect others the way you respectyourself
and the world would be one nice,
peaceful place to live in.
This is just part my childhood memories.
I 've got more stories to tell but I'll for now reserve them for the next time ...
So don't forget to visit my blog again soon !
Thanks a Lot for Dropping By !
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Do you remember any of your high school mates 10, 15, 20, 30 or more years ago ? Ever wonder what they're doing now and if they ever think of you too ? I used to have 2 favorite friends while in Senior High School ( Batch 1981 ) at " The National Teacher's College " located in Manila. They're Analene C. Deacosta & Heidi Espiritu . I always wonder where they are now and what they're doing . Finding them is like looking for needles in a hay stock. I had searched a lot of networking / friendly sites like Facebook, Friendster, Tagged, Myspace , I even tried Twitter but still couldn't find them anywhere. But luckily, a schoolmate found me and that's how some of my other school mateswere found too. We're all so happy to communicate and we're now on a mission to search as much people from our class so we can gather and have a Class Reunion this year. That would be very exciting ! How I wish my missing friends ~ Analene & Heidi would be informed about it too by word of mouth. How I really hope to see them there and bring back old memories, our laughs, our secrets, our giggles , so on and on ...
Some of my classmates are now connected to my network on my Facebook site . It's really amazing how this site gathers people from all over the world into one venue .. the internet. This technology is a super break through . My only regret about the internet was we didn't have it before in the Philippines 30 years ago . The time I was in High School. I would have been able to save datas of my friends and have updates and could communicate with them from time to time. What a big miss !
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Here comes another time to celebrate - The Month of May.
this is the month when Mother's Day became a public holiday on May 9, 1914.
Mother's Day was first observed in 1908. It was designated by Presidential proclamation, and was recognized officially by Congress and the President in 1914. It is celebrated in honor of Mothers on the second Sunday of May.
Mother's Day is a special day for everyone! We use this day to honor our mothers all over the world!
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A Mother's Love
There are times when only a Mother's love
Can understand our tears,
Can soothe our disappoints
And calm all of our fears.
There are times when only a Mother's love
Can share the joy we feel
When something we've dreamed about
Quite suddenly is real.
There are times when only a Mother's faith
Can help us on life's way
And inspire in us the confidence
We need from day to day.
For a Mother's heart and a Mother's faith
And a Mother's steadfast love
Were fashioned by the Angels
And sent from God above.
~Author Unknown ~
**************************************
May Quotation
Then came fair May, the fairest maid on ground,
Deck'd all with dainties of the season's pride,
And throwing flowers out of her lap around.
~Edmund Spenster ~
Lilium bulbiferum
Friday, April 30, 2010
Only few minutes from now , April would be moving away . Without any choice or option , a new beginning would be here for all of us. The New month of May. I'm not sure if I should be happy or not to see the new month coming my way since some problems from previous month of April were not totally solved yet. When & How I will have the answers to all my problems ... I don't have any idea . No one knows what lies ahead on our lives ayway.Good things can never be good if there are no bad things we can compare and associate it with. As Chinese people say , Yin always come with Yang or vice versa . There is a perception (especially in the West) that yin and yang correspond to good and evil.
Although , somehow in some ways I should be feeling more happy & lucky realizing I'm still here and able to see another day & time . Whether they bring happiness or more heartaches to bear , only thing I can say is bring them on. Life is worth living only when we could overcome things no matter what they are and what they bring.
Well Anyway, that's basically all my opinion for my personal part.
Although in general, what's here to know really for the Month of May ?
EMERALD
Emerald derived from the word "smaragdus," meaning green in Greek via the Old French 'esmeralde', was mined in Egypt as early as 330 BC. Today, most of the world's emeralds are mined in Colombia, Brazil and Zambia. This stone is believed to empower the owner with foresight into the future, good fortune, youth and rebirth.
The Emerald ~ is a member of the beryl family of minerals. The green crystals grow slowly within metamorphic rocks and are restricted in size by the rock, making large Emeralds rare and costly. Although this gemstone is relatively hard and durable, it must be protected from blows because the inclusions found within make it susceptible to breaking.
" The green of life and of love " ~ The green of the emerald is the colour of life and of the springtime, which comes round again and again. But it has also, for centuries, been the colour of beauty and of constant love. In ancient Rome, green was the colour of Venus, the goddess of beauty and love. And today, this colour still occupies a special position in many cultures and religions.
Emeralds are fascinating gemstones. They have the most beautiful, most intense and most radiant green that can possibly be imagined: emerald green. Inclusions are tolerated. In top quality, fine emeralds are even more valuable than diamonds. My Emerald Ring pictured here wasn't that big in size but great in sentimental value . It was bought as gift for me in the year 1990 . Whatever the occassion is at that time it was presented to me , I already had tried to forget and erase that moment in my mind . Why ? A hint is ... the supposed occassion didn't materialize! Although thinkin about it and picturing it in my imagination today, I'm happy it didn't happen ! Surely , I had no regrets ...
" The World's Famous Emeralds "
The two most famous emeralds are the Devon shire and the Patricia. The Devon shire is a 1383.95-carat, uncut Colombian crystal of fine green color. It was given to the sixth Duke of Devon shire by Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil in 1831. It is on permanent loan to the British Museum of Natural History.
Duke of Devonshire. It is highly included and could not withstand cutting because of these inclusion. It is two inches square and weighs 1383.95 carats. It has a deep green color .
The 630-carat Patricia Emerald is another crystal of fine color that resides in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Emeralds as well formed and as large as the Museum's Patricia Emerald are exceedingly rare. Indeed, due to its form, color, and size -- 632 carats -- this specimen is considered to be one of the world's greatest emeralds. Moreover, while most uncut emeralds have six sides, the Patricia Emerald is dihexagonal, or twelve-sided. The emerald was found in the Colombian Andes in 1920, in the Chivor Mine. It is named for the mine-owner's daughter.
Other Well Kown Emerald Gems :
~The Mackay Emerald Necklace ~
The stunning 167.97-carat Mackay Emerald was mined in Muzo, Columbia. The largest cut emerald in the National Gem Collection, it is set in an Art Deco diamond and platinum necklace designed by Cartier Inc. In 1931, Clarence H. Mackay presented the necklace as a wedding gift to his wife, Anna Case, a prima donna of the New York Metropolitan Opera from 1909 to 1920. The piece was donated to the Smithsonian Institute by Mrs. Anna Case Mackay in 1984. Source: The National Gem Collection by Jeffrey E. Post.
Photo by Chip Clark
~ The Chalk Emerald Ring ~
The superb clarity and deep green color of the 37.82-carat Chalk Emerald ranks among the very finest Columbian emeralds. According to legend, it was once the centerpiece of an emerald and diamond necklace belonging to a maharani of the former state of Baroda in India.
It originally weighed 38.40 carats, but was recut and set in a ring, where it is surrounded by sixty pear-shaped diamonds (totalling 15 carats), by Harry Winston Inc. The ring was a gift to the Smithsonian Institute by Mr. and Mrs. O. Roy Chalk in 1972. Source: The National Gem Collection by Jeffrey E. Post.
When Emerald is the Birthstone For May, on the other hand,
the Birth Flower is the Lily ( Lilium )
The genus Lilium are herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs. The Lily flower symbolizes purity and refined beauty. Based on the colour or type, the Lily flower can convey different meanings.
( This Photo of the Lily Flowers above was taken in my Beadroom last Januray 2008 ~ It was a birthday present from a neighbor of mine . )
Thanks again Jackie & Jamie for these beautiful flowers !
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