Skagen Watches - A Touch Of Nord-European Style

Well, if you ever wondered where this name come from, Skagen is a small and picturesque fishing village in the northern extremity of Jutland, Denmark. Here, the perfect purity and beauty of the north explain where Danish design found its unique qualities, and where the international company Skagen Designs found its name.

Skagen Designs was founded by Henrik and Charlotte Jorst, two natives of Copenhagen on the principle that beautifully designed, high-quality objects can be created at reasonable prices. They came to the U.S. in 1987 from their native Denmark to follow a dream: that of owning and running their own business. In 1990 they founded Skagen Designs, Ltd. headquartered in Reno, Nevada. Their European headquarters are in Copenhagen, Denmark. Inspired by the sheer and simple beauty of the Danish coastal landscape, they worked with well-known Danish designers to create a collection of elegant timepieces distinguished by their clean, pure lines and sophisticated styling. Today, Skagen products are available worldwide in major U.S. and International department stores, in over 3,000 specialty boutique stores.

Skagen Denmark is an Official Sponsor of Team CSC and in commemoration has designed the Team CSC watch collection, a Swiss Made line inspired by the athletes of the world's number one ranked professional cycling team. Two of these new styles, the Ivan Basso Red Signature Edition and the Ivan Basso Yellow Signature Edition, are endorsed by number one ranked rider Ivan Basso and have Basso's signature on the dials and case backs.

Skagen watches have distinguished themselves for their sleek, contemporary Danish styling precision Japanese quartz movements, solid stainless steel and solid titanium cases and scratch-resistant mineral crystals. Many of these watches have screw backs, luminous hands, date, chronograph and multifunction and bands of solid stainless steel or titanium. If the bands are not made of metal, than they are made of top-quality leather or water-friendly rubber.

Skagen watches represent a harmonious blend of spirited design, beautiful craftsmanship, and expert precision. All Skagen watches come with the Skagen Denmark Lifetime Limited Warranty. Taking into consideration the more than reasonable price range, somewhere between $85 and $175, the beautiful design and the high-quality of these watches, you can say that a Skagen watch is a purchase you will never regret. So if you want to buy a timepiece which is not to expensive, full of class, yet perfect for casual wear too, Skagen is definitely the way to go!

Diamonds - Express Your Precious Love With Diamond!

Mantle of the earth is essential for providing the exact amount of heat and pressure. Then only carbon can be transformed in the form of a diamond. To get a diamond from carbon, it has to be placed at a minimum temperature of 725 degrees and under 435,113 pounds of minimum pressure. Suppose if this exact temperature and pressure is missed out, then you can get only graphite. Most of the diamonds are extracted from the countries like Australia, Borneo, Brazil, Russia and several African countries, and South Africa.

If you are interested to buy a diamond, in the market you have to be aware of 4 C's namely:

Cut

Cutting techniques are vital for getting a perfect diamond. These techniques can determine the finished outlook of the diamond.

Clarity

It is possible to list out different clarity levels like flawless, very very slight (VVS), very slight (VS) and slightly included (SI).

Carat

It is a unit to measure the weight and single carat is equal to 200 milligrams.

Colour

You can buy diamonds in various colour and it has colour scale starts from D to Z. Colours are mostly starts with icy white to light yellow which is most expensive among others.

It will be good to consider other factors like lustre, transparency and light dispersion. The cutting techniques are essential for sparking of the diamonds. Normally there are distinct cutting techniques implemented to cut and shape a diamond. The following are some of the vital cutting techniques:

• Cleaving –Technique used to remove the impurities in the diamonds with the help of groove.
• Sawing – A phosphor blade is used for this cutting technique.
• Bruiting – Two diamonds are rubbed against each other to have a rough finish.
• Polishing – To offer a stylish finishing look

A Few Governed For Fashion Plates

The most important postulate says of: decoration, must correspond general style of Your clothes, taking into account make-up. Choosing jeweler decorations it is necessary to pay attention to the price and quality. All must be beautifully harmoniously. Decorations must combine with Your appearance and be his inalienable part. Their basic task - to underline Your beauty and individuality, complement appearance, introduce new paints in it.

If with a rumour to walk up to the question of choice and take into account the above-stated moments you, without doubts, will come into to itself the notice of surrounding people, and will enrapture only. It is also important to take into account, for what aims you acquire to or other decoration. If a corporate evening-party coming you in an informal situation, the merry are fully appropriate will be, bright, not fully ordinary decorations. If you pick up decorations under the business office suit, it is better to give a preference the classics, not very much to the large, not eye-catching decorations.

Also it is not needed to put on too many decorations. In our time surprising plenty of gold is difficult, therefore it is not good similar demonstration of the riches. "If you want to be elegant, will replace an amount quality, and always from put on you better yet to clean anything, what to add", - such rule of carrying of decoration was followed by famous Coco Chanel. And it, as nobody other, understood style.

And the last rule, never mix up in the appearance a decoration from gold and silver. Even the most beautiful decorations lose the attractiveness at wrong combination. Therefore if facilities allow, better at once to acquire wares in a set. In this case the question of compatibility of decorations between itself for you will lose the actuality.

It is important not to forget that style of decorations is directly related to age. Young girls do not need to carry heavy and superfluously dear decorations: massive rings, finger-rings with bulky stone, too long ear-rings. And, vice versa, on a grown man woman scarcely ultra-fashion plastic knick-knackeries will look at oneself appropriately.

It is the most basic rules of carrying of decorations. Following them, you will always look attractively. Pick up the individual style, adhere to it and be wonderful!

Designer Handcrafted Jewelry - From Idea to Reality

Design Sources

People visiting galleries, art shows or boutiques often wonder how designer handcrafted jewelry is created. They often ask, "Where do jewelry designs come from?" or "How does the artist design this jewelry?" In fact, many artists cannot tell you exactly where designs come from, but they can share how they go about designing jewelry. There as many different approaches to creating designer handcrafted jewelry as there are artists working. Some artists have a style or a "branded look" with specific stone combinations or techniques that give a starting point for their designs. Other artists create commissioned pieces where the design marries the specific needs of the client with the specifics of an existing piece of jewelry. Perhaps the most challenging for artists is to start a design from scratch.

Many artists say that inspiration is all around them, all the time. They are aware of the visual resources in their environment. Whether it is the exquisite colors of tropical lizards, the wavy wrapping of a bird's nest, the mechanics of a doorbell or shaped and patterned seashells, the rhythm, color and patterns spark creativity and the beginning of new designs. Even when artists use similar design sources, it does mean they will create the same jewelry product. Two artists using a butterfly theme or motif as their inspiration will generate different approaches to the design process. A butterfly theme may become a brooch encrusted with colorful, faceted gemstones or it may be created from fine silver, then hammered to create relief and patinated with chemicals to create a dark, rich metallic surface. That is why designer handcrafted jewelry is so intriguing.

Design Elements

Looking at the finished product, people also wonder how artists know if a piece has good design. How do artists decide what designs to use? Line, shape, color and texture are basics that most artists consider when designing jewelry. They also consider whether the piece has contrast, balance, asymmetry/asymmetry, a focal point, and proportion. Sometimes the void or the space not filled up, called negative space, is the most important aspect of a design. Artists usually view the piece from many different angles, even upside down, to more easily analyze and isolate the different design strengths or weaknesses. Whether a piece conveys a feeling or mood or how well it functions is also considered at this design stage. Necklaces that are imbalanced, clasps that are uncomfortable on the neck, rings that are too thick between the fingers are issues that artists must resolve when designing.

Of course, there are many different techniques and jewelry processes that can also determine the overall look and feel of jewelry. Forged metal may focus more on line and movement but not color. Texture can be created through hammering or milling. Relief can be created through repousse work or granulation. To create dynamic pieces of jewelry, the piece will have good flow and cause the eye to move all around it. To discover the best of many alternatives, designers have to explore or at least be aware of all the options open to them and then select those that will create the most interesting and beautiful piece.

Fingerprints

The best designer handcrafted jewelry is "fingerprinted"; that is, it bears the mark, the unique look and feel of the artist who created it. As jewelry designers focus their artistic techniques and hone their eye to visual themes, they will develop a completely individual style or "brand" that can often be identified by others. Sometimes what begins as a mistake, a torch melts the edge of silver, or a patina goes darker than expected, can be a point of departure for an artist to work harder to perfect a technique. At other times, the "mistake" leads to new discoveries and new ways of working a media, which then can distinguish the work of that artist. Designs of jewelry artists are original, not just copied from something or someone else. By understanding and using the elements of design, the artists can purposefully change their original inspiration or starting point into a totally new creation. There are no real design "rules", just good design.

Designer handcrafted jewelry is attractive and timeless because the artist who creates it has successfully used visual resources together with highly skilled techniques to create jewelry originals.

Precious And Semi-Precious Deep Blue Colored Gemstones

To Care For Your Opal Jewelry

These somewhat fragile but so lovely gems are unique among the gemstones. I have taken rough material, cut and polished many opals. I cannot count the number of opal stones I have set into jewelry. I do love opals.

Opal advice. Here are the main things to think about when wearing and storing opal jewelry. First of all, opal is not as strong as some other stones but certainly is as durable as most emeralds you see. Opal is not as hard as emeralds but most emeralds will chip easily an due to internal flaws may even be damaged by cleaning! Opal is pretty safe when cleaned properly and is not going to chip or break unless it is give an nasty knock. You do have to be careful not to let the stone run against hard things or knock it around. Then again, who wants to knock around any jewelry!

Opal is a "glass-like" material, very similar to glass with a few particular exceptions: The glass-like structure explains the ability of opal to chip or scratch. Think of opal as glass and you will take good care of it automatically. Then again, although made of the same silica material as glass, opal is quiet different and that difference is what makes this precious stone so wonderful. Imagine taking a bunch of glass marbles and put those into a cereal bowl. Fill the bowl with water just enough to cover the marbles.

This is a simple visual example of how opal is constructed inside the gem. Over time, small spheres (balls) of silica come together and layer together until a complete stone is formed. Between the microscopic beads of silica is some water. Of course, the beads or balls of silica in an opal are much more tightly together than in the "marbles in a bowl" example and the water is much less. Opals may contain up to about 10% water.

The color and fire of an opal comes from the groups of the silica balls. The very size of the balls determines what light is reflected back to the eye. Some groups are close enough to reflect red light while others spaced a bit differently will reflect blue or green light. The balls break up the light and reflect a certain color depending on the size of the silica balls and the spacing of the balls in the gemstone.This is where the color comes from.

The water in an opal is stable, in a stable opal! Some opals are so "water logged" when mined that is a few weeks in dry air the stone will crack from drying out! Gem quality opals do not do this. Opal chosen for cutting into stones have a water content which is contained in the stone and are proven to be stable and safe. These opals should not change from "water loss" over the lifetime of the jewelry. Soaking an opal in water or oil is not needed and comes from old rumors.

General Care. Here is the rest of the care information. First of all, think of the opal as glass, even thought is it not glass but is similar. Keeping this in mind will prevent damage. Cleaning is easily done with a mild dish detergent at room temperature. Use a very soft brush or your fingers to take body oils and soil off the jewelry.Rinse and pat dry. This is an excellent time to check and be sure the stone is secure and tight in the setting. Tap the ring next to your ear to hear a slight "rattle" indicating a loose stone.

Heat and cold may damage an opal. Generally, when very sudden and extreme changes of temperature happen, an opal might be damaged. This is like heating the stone quickly with a flame..zap, like most other stones it will break. Everyday changes in temp will be safe. Do take care in extreme cases like going from a sauna to a dip in a frozen pond! That kind of temperature change could damage the stone. Everyday wear is safe.

I would not jump into a hot shower when coming in from the cold while wearing opals. Simply take the ring off and keep it out of the bath in the first place. This keeps the stone cleaner by avoiding very difficult to clean "soap scum" and the potentially dangerous sudden heat change.

Avoid abrasives. Abrasives are like sandpaper. Things which will scratch glass will scratch an opal. Take the ring off if you are going too wash dishes, working in the yard and when filling a sand box or applying makeup. Yes, makeup is abrasive. Most of the dark smudges folks get from wearing necklaces comes from makeup. The very fine particles in the make up are like microscopic sandpaper, rubbing away gold so fine that the gold looks black. That is the cause of most jewelry smudges, gold rubbed away by the finea "sandpaper" effect of make up.

Opal can be scratched by makeup. The scratches will be so fine you will not notice but will eventually take the shine off of the stone. Please put opals and any and all jewelry on after any make up, hair spray or other things ladies use are finished. Store the jewelry where it will not bounce into or rub against other jewelry. That is about as safe as you can get.