Sunday, May 31, 2009

Dragonflies for 11th July

Before


After







This is for my sisters bride maids. Just a sneak preview because they aren't ready yet.
A blue one, a yellow one and two pink.
Hope you like it, bridemaids!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Diamond Shopping Online

The Benefits of Diamond Shopping Online

If you are in the market for an engagement ring, recent advances in Internet technology have given you the upper hand when it comes to buying an engagement ring. Instead of heading to your local brick-and-mortar store and being dependent on the selection, prices, and advice jewelers are willing to offer you in your location, you can now hop online and reap multiple benefits. These include: price breaks, better selection, and more education on how to value the purchase.

Price Breaks

Shopping online can come with large price breaks because there is no middle man between the diamond supplier and you. Overhead costs which can be substantial for brick-and-mortar stores (like shop rental, lighting, and inventory) are much lower for online stores. Instead of renting square footage to house a small collection of diamond engagement rings, they have the power to offer them virtually from a warehouse of wholesale diamond merchants. Less upfront costs can mean savings for you when it comes time to purchase your diamond ring.

Better Selection

The fact that the diamonds can be offered virtually means that online merchants can offer a better selection. They even can showcase that selection in unusual ways like providing a diamond ring builder that lets you create a custom diamond ring from the stock of loose stones and settings they have displayed on their site. This makes the selection even broader than brick-and-mortar stores and also empowers the buyer to create anything they dare to imagine.

Higher Education

If you walk into a brick-and-mortar store, you may feel a sense of intimidation from sales clerks that are paid on commission to get you to buy the jewelry. While you can ask some questions, most clerks want to sell the jewelry, not talk about it. Online, you can get a much better education regarding your purchase as online retailers are keen on showing buyers why they can get a better deal online. Many have a large, searchable, archive of articles on any facet of the diamond purchase and technicalities that you can think of to ask. It's also available 24/7 for anyone with a computer terminal and Internet connection in their home.

Expect a miracle

Today I was at an O.R. clinic. There was a small piece of white card like a visiting card saying "Expect a miracle". Maybe a sign. Maybe an encouragement for the patients. But was at the yard view window. Can't be seen from the inside. You go there, you see the card and you hope.
So let the miracle begin!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Ring size vs. finger size

Ring size is not the same as finger size. A professional jeweler can determine proper ring size using a set of steel gauge-rings. These "ring sizers" come in narrow and wide widths. Fingers change over the course of the day due to diet or work affecting the results using gauge rings.

Other methods, such as measuring the finger with a strip of paper, or slipping the finger through pre-cut "measuring holes", are inaccurate. It has been recommended that fingers be measured at the end of the day, when they are at their largest diameters. Existing fitted rings can also be measured for increased accuracy. Other factors that can affect ring size include: the menstrual cycle, temperature, humidity, water-retention and exercise.


The best strategy for measurement is to purchase calipers that measure inside diameters. A tightly-calipered measurement should then be taken of various rings that fit; these should be noted and the corresponding size recorded. The MANDREL, the tapered ring-measuring rod, should be regarded as only half-accurate. Different jewelers will employ the mandrel in different ways. For instance, one jeweler may use the mandrel and take an edge-of-the-ring reading; others will take the measure that corresponds to the largest finger the ring can fit.

It is best for the consumer to know and be firm about finger dimensions, because every jeweler or ring seller will think his/her method the "best" ring-measuring method. It has often been suggested that the entire world switch to using inner diameter (the diameter of the finger) as the only size-number standard.

A wider band can be worn more loosely. Large knuckles/hands should wear a slightly loose ring, while slimmer knuckles/smaller hands will require a tighter ring. Some rings can be re-sized, but many cannot. Rings made of titanium or tungsten steel, stone-set rings with complicated or precise mountings, extremely thin/wide rings cannot be re-sized.

A good way for a "rough-and-ready" measurement is to find a ring that is just smaller than the second knuckle of the finger. This way the fit is comfortable but will not slide off the finger. The method of trying on a ring and shaking the hand violently, to see if the ring comes off, is inadvisable and not very accurate.

Furthermore, every ring size chart will vary slightly in its standards. This always occurs unless one company has copied another company's size chart. Even the ISO, ringsmiths and jewelers use different sizing standards, assigning different numbers to the same measurements. On one chart a diameter of 20.65mm may equal a size 10 3/4; on another chart, a similar number, such as 20.62mm, may read out as size 10. It is wise to keep all of the above firmly in mind when ring shopping.

click to enlarge

If ordering from catalog or internet, always demand that the seller provide the inner diameter of a ring.
There are several systems for denoting the sizes of jewellery rings in use around the world[1]:

* In the United States and Canada, ring sizes are specified using a numerical scale, with quarter and half sizes. An increase of a full size is an increase of 0.032 inch (0.8128 mm) in diameter, or roughly 1/10 inch (more precisely, 0.1005 in or 2.55 mm) in inside circumference.

Generally, sizes in quarters and halves will not relate conventionally to anything on any known ruler. Also, on one finger alone a person may vary more than a whole ring size- depending on time of day, work performed, and other swelling-inducing activities/conditions. Therefore, in most cases quarter-sizes are meaningless unless one needs precise accuracy with a particular ring.

* In Europe (excluding Ireland and the United Kingdom), ring sizes are specified using a numerical scale, with half sizes.
* In Ireland, the United Kingdom and Australia, ring sizes are specified using an alphabetical scale, with half sizes.
* In Japan, ring sizes are specified using a numerical scale, that only has whole sizes.
* In Switzerland, ring sizes are specified using a numerical scale, with quarter and half sizes.
* In Germany, ring sizes are specified using actual internal circumference in mm. (the same as ISO)

The ISO standard for ring sizes is ISO 8653:1986, which defines standard ring sizes in terms of the inner circumference of the ring measured in millimetres.

How to determine your ring size

1. Wrap a piece of string or a strip of paper around your finger.
2. Mark the point where the two ends meet.
3. Measure the string or paper against a ruler to get the circumference of your finger.
4. Divide that by 3.14 to get the diameter of your finger.

check here

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Contest!

My amazing wedding ring.
Send pictures with your wedding ring, I'll publish them and then you can vote for the best wedding ring!
Winner(s) will have the story of the ring published here.
Let's see amazing wedding ring!
Good luck!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Pictures with the shoes! As I promised!

Remember that picture with the Benvenuti shoes?

Here are the ordered shoes(modified for the bride):


A groom's guide to engagement rings


So, fearless man who is getting serious, the time has come for you to pop the question. If you're thinking of going down on one knee and asking her to marry you in the traditional way, you'd better have the engagement ring handy. You'll be surprised to know, however, that much in the way of marriage proposals has changed over the past decades, and in lockstep, so too have the options when it comes to engagement rings. This is a good place to start learning.

While it's becoming more popular for couples to decide to become engaged in an off-hand manner and then venture down to the jeweler to choose the engagement ring together, many women still feel there's something special about wearing a ring that their beau has chosen especially for them. Accordingly, you'll want to make the right choice when it comes to an engagement ring.

Making the Right Choice of Engagement Ring
Before you can even consider looking at rings, you need to find out a few basic things about engagement rings in general, but most importantly, the potential preferences of your girlfriend:

- What is her ring size?
- Does she prefer platinum, yellow or white gold? Do you know?
- Does she prefer simple styles or would she prefer an engagement ring that will be instantly noticed?
- Do you know what kind of cut of stone she prefers?

By studying the kind of jewelery your bride-to-be (yes, that's what she'll become!) generally wears, you can find out a lot about her tastes. If she wears simple jewelery, this may be a sign that a diamond solitaire may be more appropriate than a flashy engagement ring carrying a cluster of gems.

Be aware of any jewelery she admires, especially engagement rings. If she appears to be particularly impressed by a certain ring, make a mental note of the cut and shape of the stone and the color of the gold.

The ring you choose should reflect her personality—she'll be wearing it for a long time, after all.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

On Thursday - luxury underwear day!

On Thursday I was in Heaven, I was here
Damn! How I wish I have a lingerie factory like this.All I can say it's...amazing! I saw the prototype for this summer swim suits,lots of bras and panties and corsets,lace,tull,satin....
I got there on business but I'll certainly come back and buy some things.

On Friday: shoes or how can you have your dream shoes

You saw your dream shoes but you can't buy them for more reasons: too expensive, can't find them in your country, can't find your size and bla bla.
Or you want some shoes that do not exist. Yet. So you can draw them. Or you have a picture with them.
First: find a shoe maker.
Second: show him the drawing/ picture.
Third: ask for the price.
I found a shoe maker. I chose the heel,the colour, the shape. Cheap and fast.My size. In three days my dream shoes are ready. 100% leather. I even can see the transformation from a piece of leather to a super pair of shoes. And they are especially for me.
How cares about the brand when you can have your "to die for" shoes?
Pictures soon!

original picture (Benvenuti shoes)

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Yummy birthday cake: car



Thursday, May 7, 2009

About tungsten


Tungsten (pronounced /ˈtʌŋstən/), also known as wolfram (/ˈwʊlfrəm/), is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.

A steel-gray metal, tungsten is found in several ores, including wolframite and scheelite. It is remarkable for its robust physical properties, especially the fact that it has the highest melting point of all the non-alloyed metals and the second highest of all the elements after carbon.Tungsten is often brittle[citation needed] and hard to work in its raw state; however, if pure, it can be cut with a hacksaw.The pure form is used mainly in electrical applications, but its many compounds and alloys are used in many applications, most notably in light bulb filaments, X-ray tubes (as both the filament and target), and superalloys. Tungsten is also the only metal from the third transition series that is known to occur in biomolecules.
Physical

In its raw form, tungsten is a steel-gray metal that is often brittle and hard to work. But, if pure, it can be worked easily. It is worked by forging, drawing, extruding, or sintering. Of all metals in pure form, tungsten has the highest melting point (3,422 °C, 6,192 °F), lowest vapor pressure and (at temperatures above 1,650 °C) the highest tensile strength.Tungsten has the lowest coefficient of thermal expansion of any pure metal. Alloying small quantities of tungsten with steel greatly increases its toughness.

Tungsten wedding ring


If you're a groom after a wedding ring that will permanently maintain its shine and look just like it did on the day your wife first slipped it on your ring finger, tungsten makes for a great - and economical - choice. That said, despite their low price point and cool look, tungsten wedding rings have some drawbacks.

FYI - your bride's diamond engagement ring won't be tungsten

Tungsten is not traditionally used as a material for use in an engagement ring. Nothing prevents the groom, however, from wearing a non-matching tungsten wedding band.

What is Tungsten?

Tungsten comes from the Swedish language meaning heavy metal. And yup - tungsten is heavy. Unlike white or yellow gold, tungsten is never going to scratch nor tarnish. Companies use tungsten in metal working, mining and oil exploration. Nuff said. Tungsten is about ten times harder than 18k gold. Because tungsten rings are so tough, it makes it difficult for jewelers to use it.

Pure tungsten is not typically used in wedding rings, but rather tungsten carbide. This is because elemental tungsten rings have been known to crack when dropped and are far less durable than tungsten carbide. Unfortunately, even tungsten carbide rings are not indestructible. tungsten ring broken

Tungsten can't be resized if you gain 30 pounds during married life and can't be engraved with an emotionally-charged saying. What you see in the store is what you'll get.

Tungsten rings often come with an inlay - that is to say - a strip of yellow gold in the middle of the ring. Look for them at your local jewelry store or online.

Perhaps the best part about tungsten wedding rings, aside from the perma-shine and their potential for highly unique wedding band styles, is the price. Tungsten wedding rings can be had for less than $200, and even less than $100.

And while you're bride isn't going to want to have a tungsten wedding ring to match yours nor are you going to even be able to find a decent looking tungsten and diamond engagement ring, of the alternative metals to platinum and gold, tungsten is right up there.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Today: kinder party!




Somebody is threatening me!

Yes, on the phone. First option: go to the police. Second option: go to the police. What would you do? I know the person and we ...were friends. Not anymore.
Advice: don't trust anyone! Only your parents, sister/brother, wife/husband. That's what friends can do. Know things about you and use them against you. Maybe that's the reason they are called friends and not relatives.
I am not talking about my real friends here. Just for the ones that are pretending to be friends.

So, take care of you!
I'll be back soon with new posts.

Friday, May 1, 2009

We have a new home!

So, we changed our home so these days I was busy to pack up, clean up the new home and unpack our things. But it's great! It's good to be home!

Your Real Wedding