wealth | lifes creative process

My View of the Secret

Posted on June 29, 2017 by smaneli

If I have offended some of you, I am sorry. I think all along the way I began to feel like something is wrong here, some of this shit is like way out there, and I believe that a lot of assumptions have been made and presented as fact. I lost the ability to become excited about writing anything about the Secret, it was a chore, and it says the same things over and over. So I decided it was time to make a confession and state how I feel about it. It is positive thinking on steroids, now the genie just adds to the comic relief. Think about it.

I also intend to research why the Secret is suddenly responsible for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. How would anyone on God’s green earth know that as fact. Or for that matter anyone else who is listed as knowing “the Secret” We have William Shakespeare, Robert Browning, William Blake, Ludwig von Beethoven, Socrates, Plato, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Pythagoras, Sir Francis Bacon, Sir Isaac Newton, von Goethe, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo da Vinci, to name a few.who were brilliant and did well, all because of the Secret? The Incas, Aztecs, Mayans for example were advanced, and the Secret is responsible or is it convenient to give credit to the Secret. Then the secret society of those who know the Secret and don’t want to share it, lunacy.

I do believe in thinking positive, and it can have positive results, but this thought has been around for centuries and then some. I am simply curious why the Secret is suddenly responsible for the greatness achieved by the aforementioned list of individuals. Not only that but religions such as Hinduism, Hermetic traditions, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all practice the Secret. The ancient Babylonians and Egyptians delivered it through their writings and stories. All this attributed to the Secret.

One of the men quoted in the Secret said those who have great wealth used the Secret whether they knew it or not. So, if someone attains great wealth, we are going to overlook the fact that they worked hard, maybe had a couple of failures but persisted in attaining their goals, so they had nothing to do with this, they visualized this great wealth and drum roll please, presto, millions in the bank. Hogwash

If anyone is interested get a copy, book or on you tube, of the men who built America, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Mellon, Vanderbilt,JP Morgan, and Henry Ford are credited with being the men who built America. These are all men who rose from obscurity, worked hard and laid the basis for what is America today. No secret here, it’s called hard work.

Opposition to the Secret

Posted on June 26, 2017 by smaneli

I am forced to admit almost two years later asking the question, isn’t the Secret just another self help book? Every generation has one Norman Vincent Peals, The Power of Positive Thinking in the sixties I want to say, then Tony Roberts, Unleash the Giant Within You, in the eighties, and now comes The Secret another self help book. Having an advanced degree in psychology has made me think about many aspects of the Law of Attraction. Any book with sound principles in the self help category is not all bad, especially those who are hungry for it and committed to helping themselves in a positive fashion that will enrich their lives.

One troubling thought in the Secret is that working hard to achieve goals is not necessary. I would think most would agree , most people work hard to get what we want in life, regardless of what it is. It was not given to us nor did we get it because we visualized it over and over. This type of thinking could lead someone to really believe that one does not have to work in this life to attain their goal, and then time goes by, and more time and then the realization comes to mind, yes you do have to work for what you want, and they find themselves out there hustling for a job, any job. My boss is an Army Ranger, now that is an elite group of men similar to the Navy Seal, but more demanding in several areas than the Navy Seal, and he spent four and one half years in Afghanistan and Iran, as a sniper. The mental and physical requirements for both of these Special Forces will separate the men from the boys, literally. Easy, of course not, it’s called hard work. Before he was deployed he found his niche in sales, confident and excellent at his job. He is only 34 and has brought 2 national companies to hit all time sales records and substantial growth. I commented that he was born confident and had a knack for sales, He said , not so, I worked at it daily over and over and still do. He is one of the most level headed feet planted firmly on the ground individuals I have ever met. Hard work brought him what he has already attained at such a young age. To suggest he visualized his success is asinine, and totally absurd.

The Secret suggests visualization too frequently, and an example was the young man who visualized a feather.Days later as he is entering a building in NYC, he spots a feather at the entrance of the building and there is the feather he had visualized. Whatever type of feather he visualized, it must have been in the pigeon family, no exotic birds in NYC to the best of my knowledge. Visualization comes in handy when you are picturing in your mind how you want a project to turn out, whatever it might be. But you will have to do more than visualize to bring it to fruition.

You also can’t bury feelings of negativity, you have to deal with them with whatever means you have available. 85% of families in the US are dysfunctional in some capacity. You can’t blame whatever went on for your inability to move forward in life, in this case you have to deal with it, burying the feeling does not work, for one day it will rear its ugly head in ways you never imagined. This does not mean some gut wrenching, turning yourself inside and out for months or years at a time. It means tackling it head on, and for once put it away. Let’s face it, you have the choice to either blame the past or deal with it. So the suggestion that having negative feelings will bring more, I find rather scary, of course an individual who has had some severe trauma in their life is going to think about it upon occasion, This does not mean that if you do, something bad will happen. This is a frightening concept.

There are those who prefer the negative and do not see much positive in life, well, these people will never be happy and do not even recognize how negative they really are, so everything that happens to them will be interpreted as bad.

Another concept I have a problem with is the explanation that some people do not get what they want in this life because they don’t feel deeply enough. I simply find this outlandish. Again, asking for whatever you want in life is a one time deal. You ask , and that is it, an example why you do not need to ask again is simple. If you order a car, you order it once, if you order airline tickets, you only have to order once., so when do I do all this feeling . And all the talk about the genie, I am forever picturing the genie popping out of the bottle, your wish is my command and he is so dumb he supposedly doesn’t know a good wish from a bad one. I do not have time to examine every thought that goes through my mind, and if there happens to be a negative one like, damn I am going to be late, well the genie says your wish is my command and you will be late.

I got into reading this and understanding the way the Secret works, but the more I read and listened the more I began to see a lot of things that are counter productive, and admit I feel rather stupid at the moment that after I read it I didn’t chalk it up to what it is, another self help book for this generation. I see some good, positive thoughts, kindness, don’t hate, show generosity and love your enemies, love period. These are great attributes we should all have, but they are not new concepts .

Well , now that I have started this, I am going to continue with what I find a tad dangerous in the teachings of the secret. Maybe I was at a point in life where I needed something to believe in. And this is the best I could come up with, although my daughter and best friend are very high on the Secret. It’s their fault. LOL

Secret Summaries

Posted on June 19, 2017 by smaneli

These are just a few of the summaries in Law of Attraction that I hope you find interesting or one that has meaning for you.

Like Aladdin’s genie, the law of attraction grants our every command and it does not distinguish between good and bad, that’s the part that will trip you up. The Creative Process helps you create what you want in three easy steps , ask, believe, and receive.If you are asking the Universe for what you want, this will make it clear in your mind what your goals are and once they are clear in your mind, you have asked.

This part is a bit more of a challenge for some, Believing involves acting, thinking, and speaking of what you want as having already received it. When you emit a frequency of already having received it, the Universe moves people, events, and circumstances for you to receive it.Receiving involves feeling the way you would feel once you have what you asked for. It makes you feel good and puts you on a frequency of what you wanted.

Create your day in advance by the thinking the way you want it to go. and you will create your life intentionally.

Many are involved in trying to have a relationship, so in this case make sure your thoughts, words, actions, and surroundings don’t contradict your desires.Your job is you, you need to fill yourself up first , or you will not have anything to give to anyone. Treat yourself with love and respect, and you will attract people who show you love and respect.

If you feel badly about yourself, you block the love and instead you attract more people and situations that will continue to make you feel bad about you.Focus on the qualities you love about yourself and the law of attraction will show you more great things about you.To make a relationship work, focus on what you appreciate about the other person, and not your complaints. When you focus on the strengths, you will get more of them.

It is hard for many to love themselves, because of events or persons in the past, but if you continue to look in the past you are moving in the wrong direction. Whatever it is, it must stay in the past, and everyone things whatever has happened to them or whatever unwise decisions they have made are worse than the next person, not so, everyone has events in the past they are not proud of, or feel they made some stupid decisions about their life, or many other negative feelings, we are all in the same boat, get over it and move on. Until you do, nothing in your life will move forward.

Many consider loving yourself or thinking of what you need is being selfish, it is not. Caring about you, and your needs is not selfish, to do otherwise will cause you more grief than you ever anticipated. Caring about yourself will benefit everyone around you get you to the place you want to be. There is nothing wrong with loving yourself, but there is a lot wrong in not loving you.

The Secret to the World

Posted on June 12, 2017 by smaneli

What you resist, you attract, because you are powerfully focused on it with emotion. To change anything, go within and emit a new signal with your thoughts and feelings. I know we can all relate to this. I was so focused on something I did not want to do, and I tried, I thought , very hard to just not think about it or to give it a positive emotion. I continued to dwell on how much I did not want to do this until the last minute and then it turned out ok. I let the past experience with this particular event to take over. It was so bad I did not sleep for two days previous to what I had to do. This has been one of the toughest things for me to do, give positive thoughts to something I was resisting.

You can’t change the world by focusing on the negative either. As you focus on the world’s negative events, you not only add to them, but you also bring more negative things into your own life. We should be informed of current events but not to the point where we dwell on it and spiral into the negative, this makes no sense, when you think about it. You can’t change it, recognize it for what it is and go on.

Instead of focusing on the world’s problems, give your attention and energy to trust, love, abundance, education, and peace. Some of you may think this is selfish, but again there is nothing you can do to stop world the negative in the world, You can be briefly sympathetic, but then go on. We all know someone who always complains or is sick with this that or the other. Don’t play into it, change the subject, and talk about something positive or if possible avoid this person altogether as these people thrive on not feeling well or complaining about anything and everything in their lives.

The truth is life is meant to be abundant, it’s not like you don’t deserve good things, and for sure the Universe will never run out of good things, Remain focused on those good things you want and accept that you already have it. You have the ability to tap into the unlimited supply through your thoughts and feelings and bring it into your experience. If you have the ability as I pointed out to use your power to make yourself miserable over something you choose not to do, it can be reversed and the power used for getting what it is you desire.

if you praise and bless everything in the world, and dissolve negativity and discord and align yourself with the highest frequency-love, only good things can happen. This includes not only love, but not wishing ill will on anyone, because I assure you it will fall back on you. Karma is a bitch and it will get you every time. So love your enemies, look for the best in any situation and count your blessings. This is not to mean being a Pollyanna, but changing your attitude is not changing who you are its changing how you look at things and going for the positive can’t be wrong. You are not an ostrich sticking your head in the sand and ignoring the negative in the world, you are choosing to understand that you can’t change it and therefore dwelling on it will only harm you.

Being kind to others does not make you weak it shows your strength. Just a smile to someone you pass during the course of your day could make someone’s day. A kind word could make all the difference in the world to someone. You may give hope to someone that the world is not that bad after all, that there really are people who are capable of acts of kindness. Do it from the heart, not because you expect something in return, this is worse than doing nothing at all. Be kind to someone in your own life who in reality is not so nice, if nothing else it will drive them nuts.

The Secret to Money

Posted on June 10, 2017 by smaneli

Money is not the most important thing in life, but it certainly is way ahead of whatever is in second place. It is necessary to live. The love of money is the root of all evil is the correct verse, meaning those who turned from God and made money their God. Money can be a problem, too much or the lack of it. If your desire is to make or have more money then this is something you need to visualize having and believe that you will.

I am the worst person when it comes to a budget, I am not even sure I can spell it correctly. So one month in particular it was like I see, I want, I buy. Well the only bill I had left for the month was my car note. I thought well, its due and man this is just cutting it too close, and I was not going to take it out of savings or borrow on a credit card, so I was like, well we pay for our mistakes. I knew I would have it by the skin of my teeth literally. I check my mailbox every other night after work, so this day when I figured out where things stood, I go to the mailbox, pick up the mail and when I got inside I opened a few pieces, nothing special, then I see one from Wells Fargo, where I banked years ago. Inside was a check for over $600, it appeared that Wells Fargo had made just a few errors with my account charging me for over drafts after I closed the account, and someone decided to, I promise true story, reopen the account to charge a bunch of overdrafts, no big surprise it was Wells Fargo. The point is, after giving Wells Fargo a well deserved shot, is this money popping up at the right time. And it has happened quite a few times.

In the secret is the story of the man who wrote Chicken Soup for the Soul. He was making hardly any money, just enough to keep going when he came upon the Secret. He decided that the amount of money he wanted was $100,000, and he printed out a check made out to him from the Universe for $100,000, and placed it on the ceiling and this would be the first thing he saw each morning. Well, long story short, as he was showering one morning it came to him a month or so later that he had written this book and had never done anything with it. So he decided to sell it for 25 cents a copy and if 400,000 people purchase it, bingo, $100,000, well he came close, well over $900,000, was he disappointed, of course not.

If you have ever had an idea and felt inspired by it act upon it. It could be another Chicken Soup for the Soul type of idea. Visualize your goals, whether its new car, new house, new job, whatever it is, visualize it daily. When you think about it its not that far fetched, the power of positive thinking can move mountains. The operative word is power. We have it within us and just don’t act upon it and use it.

If more money is your desire, then think of abundance rather than not having enough, the constant, I can’t afford it, I don’t have enough money to do that, staying focused on the negative will surely keep you without the rest of your life. The brain has a way of wanting to focus on what we don’t have rather than what we do have, and that’s what prevents many from achieving their financial goals. We worry and worry and before you know it there really will be something big to worry about.

This is a minor example but a true story. A few months ago I got my hair “trimmed”. Now I have long hair and this person who trimmed my hair decided to do what she wanted rather than what I asked for. When I got home and saw my hair I came close to going back to the salon and killing her and tell God she died. I carried on and on and on to the point that my cats were like get over it hair grows. Well all I could do is complain about this hair cut and wham the next day an employee quit without notice and my boss asked me to fill in at that location until a replacement was found. Now I really had something to complain about as I am not fond of this location at all. I had to stay there almost 4 solid weeks until I could go home to the store I liked to work in. And my hair is fine and yes it grew and looks great…..now.

it’s all about being aware, being thankful, and visualizing your dreams, that’s not hard is it?

Challenge of remaining positive

Posted on May 17, 2017 by smaneli

This is not an easy thing to do. There seems to always be something that is not quite right either in our personal life, or at work. The problem is one of these has to go fairly smoothly, can’t have big problems with both, or you will never find peace and quiet anywhere.

In my opinion, there are more things in our control with our personal lives. If there is someone you know who truly is detrimental to your well being, get rid of them. A lot of us feel badly when we just cut someone out of our lives, and we tend to put it off. You have to write down the pros and cons about this person and figure out should they stay or go. This is the person who never seems to be satisfied with anything, complains all the time and just doesn’t seem to find any positive things to say about anything. You know who they are, tell them something good and I promise you they will see the negative and it doesn’t matter what it is, Each time you think you might be able to get them to see the good, it won’t happen. They probably have a dozen stories or so about their parents, or their childhood. or anyone they can think of for wherever they are in life. Trust me they don’t see it but everyone else does. Don’t fall into the trap of feeling sorry for them or you will do yourself an injustice, dump them now, and see how your life becomes a little brighter just knowing you don’t have to deal with them. Get rid of anyone who is controlling, negative, opinionated, jealous, prejudiced against just about everyone for a variety of reasons, whether its race, age, religion, whatever it might be, this person will never change and will only bring you down. It doesn’t matter how long you have known them, don’t put it off another minute. You will feel better. If its a significant other who is not treating you as they should, get out of the relationship. It is better to be alone than to be with someone who could do you harm. No one said these are easy things to do, just know you have to do them to save your own mental health. With people like this in your life you will think about how you can bring them around and they will suddenly become these positive individuals who are a blessing in your life. Not going to happen.

Look carefully at what is in your personal life that is bringing you down, write it down, and look at it from every angle, and you will be in a better place to change it, whatever or whoever it is. These are not snap decisions, but well thought out with a plan. Moving, changing jobs, dropping friends, getting rid of significant others, taking a course in money management, child rearing, a different occupation, self improvement, exercise classes, dance classes, join a church, there are so many options out there that can promote positive thinking and help us feel better about ourselves and make better choices in our life. When you feel better about yourself you tend to be a more positive person and it will come naturally.

I have not said anything new, but the new thing may be actually following through and doing something about it.

Not as much control on a job as personally, but if you are really unhappy get out. You are not doing your boss any favors by sticking around unhappy and and not being a productive person on the job. It isn’t fair to either. This is a little harder, research what you are passionate about and get paid for it. This takes a lot more investment of time. The world does not stop turning while you are considering a change of job, funny, bills still have a habit of coming in at the same time, and you have gotten used to eating everyday so secure what you are going to do, give proper notice and don’t skip a paycheck unless you are one of those who has put 6 months salary away.

When you are getting paid for something you feel passionate about, that is the ultimate to strive for in a job. On the other hand if you are in a job because you have to be and you really do not derive much pleasure in it, then this is drudgery. Big difference.

The end result is, figure out what is not going right in your life, and guess what if you concentrate on what you want instead of what you don’t want, it will happen. The Secret can bring it all to you, you must believe.

It is human nature to stress the negative, and when you do that I promise you the negative will happen,. Be thankful for what you do have and proceed to think of the things you do want and leave the negative out of it. Remember your life right now are your thoughts manifested. You may think you did not dwell on the negative or things going badly, or wrong choices but you did, or things wouldn’t be what they are today. So if you want positive changes change your thoughts, get rid of the excess baggage and people, and concentrate on the good in life.

Do something for someone else without expecting something in return or recognition for your good deed, because then it no longer becomes a good deed.

Emerald, birthstone for May

Posted on May 2, 2017 by smaneli

Emerald is the bluish green to green form of Beryl, a mineral species that also includes Aquamarine, and Morganite. Gem experts differ on the degree of green that makes one stone an emerald and another stone a less-expensive green beryl. Most gemologists, gemological laboratories, and colored stone dealers call a stone green beryl when its color is “too light” for it to be classified as emerald. Even among that group, however, there’s a difference of opinion about what’s considered “too light.”

As the gem of spring, emerald is the perfect choice as the birthstone for the month of May. It’s also the gem of the twentieth and thirty-fifth wedding anniversaries.

ANCIENT EGYPT

The first known emerald mines were in Egypt. It is believed that these mines were worked as early as 3500BC.

Emerald sets the standard for any green gemstone. The oldest known Emerald is 2.97 billion years old and it is from South Africa.

Emerald has many special qualities, but colored stone professionals generally agree that emeralds are, most of all, about color. Emerald has been the standard for green among colored stones for thousands of years.

As with other colored stones, it requires a well-trained eye to recognize the sometimes subtle variations that make significant differences in emerald value. This is especially true in the higher qualities.

The intensity of the green in a fine emerald is without its equal in nature. There is nothing like it. The most desirable Emerald colors is blue green to green, without inclusions, and clear, no zoning. Emeralds typically contain inclusions that are visible to the unaided eye. Because of this, trade members and some consumers understand and accept the presence of inclusions in emeralds. Eye-clean emeralds are especially valuable because they’re so rare.

Four characteristics of emerald crystals make them difficult to cut. First, almost all emeralds have significant fractures (sometimes called fissures in the trade). A cutter must design the cut to minimize the effect of those fractures on the finished stone.

The second factor is due partly to those inherent fractures: Emeralds are more brittle than a gem like corundum. This makes them vulnerable to damage during cutting, polishing, and setting, or even during careless daily wear. The emerald cut can help protect against damage because the vulnerable corners are faceted and provide a comparatively safe place for prongs. emerald earrings

Third, because color is so important in establishing an emerald’s value, the cut must maximize the effect of hue, tone, and saturation. The cutter can affect color by adjusting an emerald’s proportions and number of facets. The cutter can darken a pale stone with a deep cut, a small table, and fewer facets, or lighten a dark stone with a shallow cut, a large table, and additional facets.

Emerald Cut Ring

As the name suggests, the emerald cut is the most common cut for emeralds. Courtesy Ronald Ringsrud Co.

Fourth, the bluish green to yellowish green dichroism of many emerald crystals encourages the cutter to orient the table so it’s perpendicular to the crystal’s length. That way, the more apparent color in the cut gem is the bluish green that so many emerald lovers prize. diamonds and tsavorite

Colombian rough is especially challenging due to the distribution of coloring agents during formation. Its color is more intense closer to the surface. Without careful planning and cutting, the finished stone might be much lighter in color than the original material.

Carat Weight
Fashioned emeralds come in a wide range of sizes. There are emeralds in museums and private collections that weigh hundreds of carats. At the other extreme are tiny emeralds that weigh fractions of a carat. emerald

The Sandawana emerald mine in Zimbabwe is known for its tiny, yet vividly colored stones. Its emeralds are as small as 1 mm square, but they’re still intensely green. The mine’s cut stones average about 0.05 to 0.25 carat, and rarely weigh more than 1.50 carats. Popular jewelry sizes are usually somewhere in between.

61 Ct. Emerald Stone Necklace

The emerald center stone of this necklace weighs 61 carats. Courtesy Ronald Lee Schultz.

The smallest sizes range from 1 mm to 5 mm, with weights from 0.02 to 0.50 carat, while 1 to 5 carat stones are popular as center stones. Prestigious pieces of jewelry can include emeralds that weigh over 20 carats.

Quality-for-quality, the price of emerald can rise dramatically as the size increases. Courtesy GIA.

Popular Gemstone, the Sapphire

Posted on August 25, 2016 by smaneli

Intensely saturated and velvety blue, the Kashmir Sapphire sets the standard for blue. This color is so rich, the stone appears to be lit from within. Royal blue, the color or Kate Middleton’s engagement ring and Princess Diana’s Sapphire.

Necklace in platinum with 1 blue sapphire 118,36 cts, pear shape diamonds 38,27 cts, round brillant cut diamonds and baguette diamonds

The Padparadscha Sapphire is a pinkish orange sapphire that is very rare and is named from the Sinhalese lotus blossom. It is a pinkish orange like no other color of any other natural gemstone in the world.

Blue sapphire belongs to the mineral species corundum. It can be a pure blue but ranges from greenish blue to violetish blue. The name “sapphire” can also apply to any corundum .

Besides the blue sapphire and ruby, the corundum family also includes so-called “fancy sapphires.” They come in violet, green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, and intermediate hues. There are also “parti-colored” sapphires that show combinations of different colors. Some stones exhibit the phenomenon known as color change, most often going from blue in daylight or fluorescent lighting to purple under incandescent light. Sapphires can even be gray, black, or brown.um that’s not red and doesn’t qualify as ruby, another corundum variety.

Sapphires and diamonds (ring and two bracelets). Michael Schofield.

Fancy Sapphires are generally less available than the blue Sapphires. In addition it is rare to find a large stone in the fancy Sapphires. Nevertheless fancy Sapphires offers a rainbow of options for those who favor something out of the ordinary.

The mineral corundum is composed of aluminum and oxygen and it requires a growth environment free of silicon, but silicon is a very common element making pure corundum hard to find, in its purest state corundum is colorless. Colorless corundum could be used as a substitute for diamonds. They are now making a comeback and used as accent stones. The white sapphire has a lot of brilliance and sparkle and make beautiful jewelry.

When trace elements of iron and titanium occur you have blue sapphires.The more iron in the corundum the bluer the sapphire. Chromium causes red, hence the ruby and pink sapphires.

In 1990’s discoveries in Madagascar and East Africa brought widespread popularity of colored Sapphires.This brought about orange, yellow, pink and purple Sapphires. All the colors appealed to jewelry designers everywhere.

Corundum can also show a phenomenon called asterism. When the corundum is placed in the light a six point star is seen, and this is from the white light reflecting from the tiny oriented needle like inclusions within the stone, hence the star sapphire and star ruby.

Another phenomenon is the color change sapphire which is different colors depending on the light source. This adds a special dimension to the already amazing corundum family of gemstones.

The blue and fancy sapphires come from mainly Tanzania, Madagascar, Australia, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar , formerly Burma.

Sapphires are part of the corundum family of gemstones, ranking 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness. This is a durable gemstone, but care should still be given to any natural gemstone. It is the birthstone for September.

Sapphires are relatively clear gemstones but even those of value with high color concentration with inclusions can still bring a high price, but for sure have far less inclusions that the ruby.

The fact we get phenomenal gemstones of every color from earth has always been such an overwhelming factor and then add as years go by the new discoveries that have been buried for million of years. You do not have to even like jewelry or gemstones but the sheer miracle of these gorgeous minerals found in our earth buried for millions and millions of years has to astound anyone interested in what our great planet Earth has to offer.

Courtesy of GIA

Sterling silver vs gold

Posted on August 22, 2016 by smaneli

Sterling Silver is shiny and is the most reflective of all the elements, which makes it useful for mirrors, telescopes, solar cells, and microscopes. Polished silver reflects 95% of the visible light spectrum, but a poor reflector of ultraviolet light.

Silver was one of the first metals to be discovered and around 3000 BC mankind learned to separate it from lead, although silver objects have been discovered as far back as 4,000 B.C. It is believed silver was first discovered around 5,000 BC.

Silver can exist in its native state. In other words, nuggets or crystals of pure silver exist in nature. Silver also occurs as a natural alloy with gold that is called electrum. Silver commonly occurs in copper, lead, and zinc ores.

Silver metal is not toxic to humans. In fact, it can be used as a food decoration. However, most silver salts are toxic. Silver is germicidal, meaning it kills bacteria and other lower organisms.

The most common form of silver is 92.5% meaning the balance is usually copper. The primary source of silver today is the New World. Mexico is the leading producer, followed by Peru. The United States, Canada, Russia, and Australia also produce silver. Around two-thirds of the silver obtained today is a by-product of copper, lead, and zinc mining.

It is considered a precious metal but sells for far below the other two precious metals, gold and platinum. There was a time when silver was more valuable than gold, but at present it sells for far below gold. Today at this moment gold is $1346.10 per ounce for .999 pure gold and silver is $19.74 for .999 pure silver. This is the reason it can be used so cheaply in jewelry making. Although there are some designers who can still sell their jewelry at top dollar because of the name. Tiffany, David Yurman, John Hardy, Lagos, to name a few. Their designs are known throughout the world and have a hefty price tag when compared to non brand silver jewelry. Jewelry lovers are willing to pay for example, $750.00 for a David Yurman ring that is 90% silver with a touch of gold, and gemstones, and if there are diamonds in the setting the price can go to over $1000.00. You are paying for a name, although the items are beautifully designed and are a substantial number of grams, you are paying for a status symbol.

If you have the money to spend and you love sterling silver these are the designers to go to for a top notch piece of jewelry. Jewelers have somehow convinced a major portion of the public that silver being a precious metal is close to the value of gold and they will try to sell it as such. Certain well known jewelry chains do just that. The fact that a ring may have 10 grams of silver and a gemstone does not justify hundreds of dollars, but they will charge it anyway and when the buyer considers selling his item down the road he finds out that the metal is worth a few dollars. Only the previously mentioned designers can bring about a decent price when selling a pre owned item, the name of the jewelry store chain has no bearing whatsoever on the value of the item.

Jewelers also use diamonds in silver jewelry because it is more affordable to the general public when an individual would never be able to afford said item in gold. They charge less than they would for a gold ring, but what they charge for silver is still outrageous. Silver is still silver no matter who is selling .

If a jewelry lover prefers silver, all the better for them as they will spend far less money than the same bracelet, ring, earrings, or necklace in gold. The same for gold or silver bullion. An ounce of pure silver will be whatever silver is selling for that day plus a premium, same for pure gold, it’s all a matter of what one can afford.

So silver is a precious metal but the price tag is very cheap when compared to gold. Gold simply has and for most of history has much more appeal and even sells for more than platinum these days, another little known fact among purchasers of precious metals, whether it is jewelry or bullion. The truth is the higher end jewelry items in silver are more detailed and will retain more value through the years.James Avery is another example of Sterling Silver jewelry that is detailed, made in the US and charms is the main focus of the line. The items can be sold for more than silver weight because it is James Avery. When it gets down to it, it is still up to the buyer what precious metal he or she prefers, and can afford.

The Beauty of Rose Gold

Posted on August 19, 2016 by smaneli

Rose gold’s history goes back to Russia in the 19th Century. It was called Russian gold. It’s popularity spread across Europe, and in 1921 Jewelry lovers fell in the US fell in love with rose gold when Cartier introduced the Trinity ring. A luminary writer of that era, Jacques Cocteau gave high praise for the Trinity ring composed of rose, yellow, and white gold bands in one ring.

Then the monochromatic style came into favor and platinum’s popularity rose and yellow and rose gold were no longer favored. The “icy” white of platinum with diamonds became the trend. Then when Germany invaded Poland in 1939 Platinum became a strategic mineral in the war effort and many countries prohibited its use during the war. Hence, gold was back in favor with designers and jewelry lovers.

There has been a large rise in the popularity of rose gold today since the retro period. Rose gold looks good on every skin tone. It is especially lovely with certain gemstones. It brings out the beauty of a Morganite, that is peachy pink in color, and in rose gold it compliments both. Because of this stone’s peachy pink tones it is washed out when set in silver or yellow gold, the rose gold is reflected off the stone and vice versa, this is a stunning combination. An aquamarine in the Beryl family of gemstones as is the Morganite is equally beautiful in rose gold. Because of it’s light aqua blue color, it is especially vivid set against rose gold, the gold and the aqua become more intense in color.

Tiffany today has seen the popularity grow and devoted an entire line of jewelry strictly in rose gold. They have taken some of their classics and made them in rose gold as well as creating newer pieces in rose gold. Rose gold and diamonds is another lovely combination. It gives the diamond a softness rather than a cold austere look. It is the warmth of the the rose shade that is flattering to most natural gemstones.

One of the prettiest combinations is the Ruby and rose gold. It is a combination that is breathtaking The beauty of the red Ruby and the rose gold is most flattering, as is the pink diamond set in rose gold. Tanzanite, especially the blueberry Tanzanite is gorgeous in the rose gold setting. Emeralds, especially the Colombian emerald and rose gold is a very flattering combination.

LeVian a designer of high end jewelry pieces known for their chocolate diamonds in their items, have been using rose gold for years and have been very successful. Rose gold has an understated elegance, and not the bling factor of white or yellow gold. It would seem that any solitaire stone set in rose gold does not need any additional stones, just the hue of a natural faceted gemstone and the rose gold says it all. It is a combination that is hard to beat.

When the haute couture runways showed jewelry in rose gold, it started the trend back to the popularity of rose gold. Jewelry designers at all levels are using rose gold in bracelets, pendants, rings, earrings in combinations of all kinds of gemstones, something to please everyone. There are degrees of pink in rose gold, the choice is yours.

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