It is found in many countries, including the United States, mainly the west and southwest areas. The best grade turquoise is from Iran (formerly Persia), Tibet and China. The southwestern United States boasts high-grade turquoise as well but in the U.S. where it is predominately mined, (mainly Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado) the mines are either closed or fairly depleted. Therefore, most turquoise is imported from Tibet and other parts of the world.

The biggest use for turquoise today is by Native Americans to make jewelry.Turquoise is a mineral, a hydrous basic phosphate. It is comprised of copper and aluminum, which is formed as water trickles through a "host" stone for what is said to be about 30 million years. Yes, 30 million! That water, over time leaves a deposit in the stone. The stone can hold onto moisture or dry out. If it dries out in sunlight it can change colors, anywhere from bright blue the medium green.

The colors can vary too, depending on the mineral components. More aluminum equals a green to white color range. More copper equals a bluer color range. If there is an addition of zinc, a yellow-green color will appear. There is not a best color in general; it is a matter of personal taste, as is a matrix.

Matrix, as it is called forms because the turquoise stone itself takes on colors from the host stone it forms in. The host rock has been seen in black, rust, brown and even darker shades of blue or green. The most commonly seen matrix is black. You can see it well as it often resembles a spider's web and adds to the beauty of the stone, making it more sought after in jewelry.Turquoise can come in a variety of grades. The high end is harder and not very porous, and also more expensive.

The lower end is soft and fairly, if not almost totally porous. This can cause the stone, over time to absorb oils and grease, mainly from human touch. The more porous stones are normally apt to changing color with skin oils and actually make the turquoise change to a beautiful conglomeration of colors. However, some like to prevent this so a treatment called stabilizing is performed. It's actually quite simple because the stone is merely soaked in or sprayed with a liquid plastic-polymer material and then allowed to dry.

This plastic when hardened seals the pores and prevents oils and grease from affecting the stone. Stabilizing also deepens the color making the low-end turquoise look high-end. In actuality, all natural stones (untreated or unstabilized) are porous to some degree and are apt to change colors due to human handling and normal wear. As with what is known as "natural" turquoise, no coating or alteration is added to the stone. Each stone is cut or faceted and then polished for use or sale, as with any "natural" stone.

And so, turquoise as we all know it is still very much alive and being used in many original and imaginative ways. It's best and often seen in jewelry pieces pared with sterling silver. Ah, what a classy yet laid-back look!This article may be reprinted and/or republished provided it is not altered in any way, and proper credit is given to the author..

Concerned about all people with disabilities in general, Zosia was fascinated by the work Homes for Our Troops is doing. Intelligirl Jewelry Maker is hopeful that by spreading the news the company can raise a lot of money to help soldiers who have given so much in the line of duty. Intelligirl Jewelry Maker will be donating to Homes for Our Troops through October 31, 2005.For further information or to see the "I Love the USA" bracelet kits, visit http://www.intelligirl.com or contact Zosia Zaks at e-mail protected from spam bots. Phone: (646) 256-7479.Contact:Zosia Zaks, PresidentIntelligirl, Inc.45 Mayflower DriveTenafly, NJ 07670Phone: 646-256-7479http://www.intelligirl.come-mail protected from spam bots.

Each bracelet is hand strung and includes a special silver charm next to the toggle. Along with the bracelet comes a card with the poem or inspirational saying. Many customers and gift recipients end up framing the message card that comes with the piece of jewelry. Abernook feels that the bracelets are becoming popular because of the message that is included with the gift item. It allows a gift buyer to give two gifts in one.

The bracelet takes on a very special meaning because of the message. "Some of us find it difficult to express in words how we feel." says Abernook staff. "The Messages of Love Jewelry ? line make it easy to give the perfect gift ? message and all."The line has recently expanded to key chains and purse loops. The purse loops are a fun way to decorate your purse, jeans, rear view mirror, etc. A purse loop is a mini bracelet that can attach to anything ? most commonly a purse strap.The biggest compliment Abernook received on the line is when a customer asked if they can be purchased at a Hallmark card store, says Gina Mahony.

There are many designs/themes to choose from including Birthday, Teacher, Friend, Secretary, Mom, Comfort, Live Laugh Love and more. With the wedding season quickly approaching, Abernook is gearing up for wedding sales through their bridal party bracelets and bracelets for mom of the bride/groom..

Design research has proved that a few features implemented into man white gold rings would make them look great for men. Some of these features are good suggestions for men's white or yellow gold rings. (1) Good gold weight is the beginning of a good white gold ring for men. The good weight ensures that the ring gets a full and masculine feel. It also helps to make the ring sturdy and increase the long term durability of the ring.

The good gold weight will also ensure that the gemstone remains firmly mounted in the ring. White gold male rings if made with low gold weight, would most likely appear to be dainty and feminine. (2) Single gemstone designs are ideal for man white gold rings. A fairly large single gemstone set in a white gold ring for men creates an impression of being solid and assertive. This goes well with the personality of most of today's men.

Many small gemstones instead of one large gem make the ring look cluttered and also need more looking after. The large gemstone in your man white gold ring need not be an expensive gemstone. Stay within your budget and go for affordable gems. London Blue Topaz, Onyx, Jade, Red Garnet, Citrine are some of the possible medium price gemstones. (3) When choosing a gemstone for your white gold ring, choose darker shades of your favourite gems.

Deep blue topaz, deep red garnet, very deep yellow citrine, smoky quartz are such medium priced gemstones. If you prefer rubies then remember that white gold male rings look better in square or octogonal shapes. With blue sapphires almost all shades are fine and the important thing is to keep the gemstone a bit large. One small note here, ensure that the gems are not very dark as that would make them appear almost black when contrasted against the white gold. (4) Keep a broad ring band width throughout.

You would have noticed many male rings where the head height of the ring is around a centimeter (10mm), the band width reduces drastically for some reason and ends up at a mere 2mm to 3mm behind the finger. This may save you a few grams of gold but also ruins the overall impression of the ring. Ideally a man ring with a ring head height of 1cm should have a band width behind the finger that is at least 5mm to 6mm. Besides being vital for the overall impression of the ring, this feature also helps in adding durability to the ring. (5) Solid gemstone mounting is another important factor.

Prong settings for gemstones make the ring appear a bit delicate and light. Prongs also tend to get stuck in pockets and other places. This causes the prongs to open up and loosen the gemstones. Ensure that the gemstone is well protected and bordered with gold. This will give your man white gold ring a broad and solid feel and also protect the gemstone from side impact.

(6) Remember that 14k white gold is much harder than 18k white gold. Given today's active lifestyles that men lead, we would strongly suggest 14k white gold for your man white gold rings. 18k gold is softer than 14k gold and that makes the work of your jeweller a bit easier, but the idea is to get a jewel that is strong and durable so take note of this suggestion. The above are some of the best advice that you will ever get. Few jewellers reveal all these facts as they prefer to play to market trends and beliefs rather than, educate buyers.

There is an oft repeated phrase for jewelry buyers and that is '... to value the jeweller before you value the jewelry'. Shop from a jeweller with a reputation for service and an experience in high end jewelry.You can see a few suggested designs for man white gold rings at:http://www.kaisilver.com/male-white-gold-rings.htmWill be back with more informative articles on gemstones and jewelry.Thanks and God Bless.Regards.Ms.Tukhttp://www.kaisilver.com.

in Booth J31. Ms. Rexroth says, "We invite everyone to join us and watch our glass artist, Geoff Rexroth, demonstrate his glass bead flamework. Geoff makes all the glass beads by hand which we use in our new handcrafted jewelry collection. We have had a tremendous response from the shoppers at The Barnyard who watch Geoff's bead work and everyone has either learned something new or just had a good time watching their custom beads be made in front of their eyes."Folks can still shop our gift shop via the web at http://mountainmanorgifts.com or place orders via telephone or email.

We are also happy to schedule appointments for consultations for any custom gift baskets or custom jewelry designs.If you would like more information about Mountain Manor Gifts please visit our website at http://www.mountainmanorgifts.com or contact Carla Rexroth at (803) 600-4117; Email: e-mail protected from spam bots.

The human body is not merely a body, it is a piece of art which has its own innate beauty and body jewelry is the perfect way to enhance the beauty of your body. Not only can you decorate your body with it, but you can also use it to bring into focus certain parts of your body or to enhance the beauty of certain parts. Body jewelry items are usually for particular places on the human body. These more common places for body jewelry include the nose, eyebrow, nipple, ear lobes and naval, along with ear plugs (both curved and straight barbells). As fashion trends keep changing, the various parts where you can use body jewelry and the manner in which you can use it also keeps changing.Nose body jewelry comes either in the classic captive circular barbell, or in the form of a nose screw.

The nose screw can either be jeweled or plain, depending upon your preference. Eyebrow body jewelry is similar to that of the nose, in the sense that the eyebrow body jewelry also has the small captive barbell. This is now being made with a dangling, sparkling charm to hang from the upper most part of your eyebrow barbell. The eyebrow body jewelry can be either curved or straight with a charm of any style or color dangling from the top. Nipple and naval body jewelry is one of the more popular types of body jewelry, it sis especially popular amongst the youth or the more adventurous in spirit.

Nipple body jewelry includes the nipple barbells and the nipple shields. Naval body jewelry designs are also endless. Whatever kind of body jewelry you use or wear it is important to keep some pointers in mind. Such as what kind of material is that specific body jewelry made off, is your skin allergic to it and is the piercing for the body jewelry done in a sterile and antiseptic environment. This kind of jewelry is available for almost every conceivable part of your body.

There are endless styles, designs, colors and textures in which body jewelry is made. What ever your budget, whether it is low end or high end; body jewelry is available in every range to suit your pocket as well as your tastes. Body jewelry is not merely a decorative fixture; it is also a personal style statement. You can use it to bring attention or to take away attention from a specific part of your body. It is quite in vogue these days and has been in existence since time immemorial.

If you have the attitude and the panache you can carry of any kind of body jewelry..

It is harder to photograph jewelry than other crafts. For jewelry there are many other options for setting up a small photography studio.How to Make My $15.00 Photo Studio http://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com/jewelry-photography.htmlLapidary Art: Basic Jewelry Photographyhttp://www.lapidaryart.com/projects_2.htmlPhotographing Jewelry for Print and Webhttp://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/lessons/vault/index.htmlCamera settings:Each camera comes with their own terms. You will have to read your manual to decide what term they use for each of these settings. There are a few settings that you need to make on your camera.Quality - I use the middle setting. This takes really nice pictures, but does not use up as much disk space.Picture Resolution - My camera has either High (1760 x 1168 pixels) or Standard (896 x 592 pixels).

Use the Standard setting.Using a scanner to take pictures - Use the highest setting for you scanner to scan your pictures. Then edit as you would pictures that you have taken with a camera.Editing for Website: ?Before we begin editing your photos there are a few things that you should know:Do NOT save your photos in JPEG format until you are DONE editing. JPEG files do not take any changes very well. If you save it as a JPEG, then change the size, the picture quality goes down. Each time you open and change it, the quality keeps getting worse.

Save all of your original files in your photo editing programs format such as .psd for Photoshop.Save all of your website pictures in the size that you will use them on your site. Do NOT change the size of them once you get them onto your website. This will cause them to lose their quality. I like my "thumbnail" pictures to be 125 pixels x 125 pixels. The smaller the picture, the quicker it will load.When you use the "thumbnail" tool, you are VIEWING the picture smaller, but your file size is still large.

This causes your pictures to load just as slow as when you put the large picture on that page. This is why you save your picture?the size that you want it to appear on your website. If you want a "thumbnail" sized photo, save it that size.I recommend Photoshop or Photoshop Elements (the less expensive version approximately $80 at Buy.com) photo editing. There are many more products out there that are less expensive.Following are the steps to take to edit your pictures for you website.1. Once you have taken your pictures, download them to your computer.

Save these files in your photo editing programs format. Since I use Photoshop, I save them as .psd files.2. Open your photo editing program and open your picture. Crop your picture two sizes.-Crop one picture for the "thumbnail" sized picture. I crop at 125 pixels x 125 pixels for square or 140 pixels x 125 pixel.

You will have to decide how large or small you want your pictures. Just remember that the larger that they are, the slower they will load. (crop, save this file, then click "undo" to crop your next picture)-Crop one picture for the larger picture that people will see once they click on the thumbnail. I use 300 pixels x 300 pixels, or 300 pixels x 275 pixels.3. Use your photo editing tool to sharpen, and adjust brightness.

These are all tools that you will have to play with to get the look that you want. I suggest that you read the tutorial on the photo editing program that you are using. Once you have the setting that you like, write them down and use them for most of your pictures.4. Once you are happy with the appearance of your picture, it is time to save it for your website. In Photoshop they offer an option to "Save for Web".

Once you have clicked Save for Web, it will take you to a tool that allows you to save it at the quality that you want. You can save most pictures for websites at 60%-80%. You will also have to play with this to find the right balance between picture quality and load time. For example:-Picture saved at 60%, not real clear, loads in 3 seconds-Picture saved at 70%, pretty clear, loads in 4 seconds -- Best Bet!-Picture saved at 80%, very clear, loads in 10 secondsIf your program does not offer, Save for Web, you will have to read the directions on saving for a website. **Just make sure that you save all of your website pictures in the JPEG format.**5.

Always keep a copy of your original (saved in your photo editing programs format). You may decide to go back and change it..

Double wrapped necklaces worn, one strand hugging the neck, the other hanging long.Flats are everywhere. Embellished with a buckle, flower, stones, or crystals. It's all good.Fur: Sorry animal lovers, but fur is strong yet again. However, this is not to say we cannot wear faux fur. In fact, we recommend it.Jet Black and Tiger's Eye Beads garlanded on pendants, necklaces and bracelets are the fresh stones of the season.Layered Necklaces are picking up steam.

The celebrities started this trend last season and it is stronger then ever for Fall.Long (beaded) Necklaces were in vogue last season but, for Fall, they seem to be getting even longer. We are seeing them hang below the waist with chunky beads, pearls and turquoise.Metals: Brassy and vintage-looking metals are chic. They can be hammered or adorned with vintage-looking motifs. Try mixing your metal jewelry with jewelry made from earthy materials and brightly colored gemstones. Military jackets, blazers, and suits are staple for Fall and Winter.

Oversized pendants sparkled in a variety of hues, reinforcing the luxe look of the designer's fur-laden designs in shades of eggplant, lavender, espresso and caramel. Santa Fe Style: Beginning last season, southwestern style clothing and accessories continue to govern through Fall. Sixties Style: This Fall, take inspiration from sixties peasant dressing. Revel in fringe, velvet, tassels, embroidery, embellishment, full skirts, and chunky jewelry. Anything goes.Turquoise and corals are holding strong for Fall! Look for chile colored coral beaded jewelry and belts.Yellow gold jewelry is hot.

Though we have been talking about it for an entire season, it is finally official.Hobo and classic frame bags with brass studs and hardware or romantic rosettes are Fall's "It Bags"Flat boots in any denomination are graceful (and comfortable) for this season.Platform heels have made their pledge and are back with gusto.TheFinerBlings.com carries the latest fashion trends so the average woman can be as hip and stylish as the A-list celebrities without having to spend a fortune. In order to stay on the cutting edge of the latest trends, The Finer Bling's experts observe fashion shows and study trend forecasts around the world..

The heart comes in an assortment of amazing and charming colors as well as with a girl's best friend-Diamonds.Celebrities who wear the Basha designs with true heart include Britney Spears, Heidi Klum, Celine Dion, Madonna, Faith Hill, Demi Moore, Melanie Griffith, Paula Abdul and many more.For the men, hook him up with the latest fashionable styled 18k cufflink cars, voted by the Robb Report to be the ?best whimsical cufflink'. Celebrities names from P. Diddy to Lee Iacocca sport these racy gems that come in black, navy/light blue, diamond cab/sapphire which retails for $ 3,600.00For singles out there looking to be lucky in love there is the ?Love Bug ? ladybug collection that Britney Spears sports around (see ring). The ?Love Bug" collection also includes bracelets, necklaces, and pendants and comes in many fantastic colors. The evil eye bracelets/charms are always popular to ward off any unwanted suitors and attract the right mate.Synonymous with LOVE, Aaron Basha has been setting style with his adorable Baby Shoe charms, which is always a classic gift.

There are many beautiful new pieces in this named brand collection to choose from to express your true love this Valentine's Day.Aaron Basha Jewelers have been delighting their customers with his personal expressive jewelry internationally ever since its patriarch and namesake began designing and retailing jewelry in the 1950's. Come visit the Aaron Basha boutique located at 680 Madison Avenue, plus there is also a good chance that on a visit to the boutique, Aaron Basha himself will greet you, or a member of his family who all share the same passion for the jewelry. Aaron Basha jewelry is also available at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and fine jewelry stores worldwide. For more information, go to www.aaronbasha.com..