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Are You An Amber Gal?

by: Sher Matsen

Amber is a beautiful gift from mother nature. It comes in many different colors - yellow, orange, red, white, brown, green, blue and almost black. It may be transparent or clouded. Transparent tones range from pale to dark yellow, to yellow light brown. Cloudy amber comes in many colors.
Amber is fossilized resin of ancient trees that grew in �amber forests�. Through various physical and chemical changes the resin becomes Amber. Amber is unique because it is able to preserve the organic tissues in it. It is very common to find pieces of plants and insects, trapped in amber making it extremely valuable to both collectors and the scientists. A beautiful and fascinating gem!

Amber is found in various parts of the world. The largest amber deposits are off the shores of the Baltic Sea. Baltic Amber is the most sought after and valuable for making amber jewelry.
Baltic Amber has been used for decorative items since prehistoric times. A Baltic amber amulet has even been found in Egyptian tombs . Amber was also very popular in ancient Rome during the reign of Neron when: jewelry, ornaments, amulets, and even dice were made from amber. During the Middle Ages, amber prayer beads were exported. From the 16th century into the 18th century item made from amber included jewelry, dishes, buttons, pipe mouth pieces, chess sets and a host of other fine products.

The majority of Baltic amber comes from a 400-square-mile area - the Samland Peninsula, now known as the Kaliningrad region. The Kaliningrad amber mine supplies 99% of the Baltic amber. Up until the 19th century amber was retrieved manually from the sea. During the latter part of the 19th century operations became much more sophisticated as they began dredging and mining for amber. Since then millions of pounds of Baltic amber have been mined.. A small town in the Kaliningrad region has the world�s largest amber mine.

Amber has a special beauty in its ability for each piece to be truly original in nature and content. The downfall to amber is like anything organic it does not last forever. Baltic amber is known to have the longest life expectancy. Taking proper care of your amber will result in enjoyment for many years, sometimes thousands of years as seen with the recovery of jewels from the past.
Some important tips for caring for your amber:

* Never store amber where it may rub against hard surfaces such as metal or other jewelry.
* Do not expose amber to harsh chemicals such as soap, jewelry cleaners, perfumes, hair products.
* Do not expose amber to direct sunshine or heat.
* To clean your amber wash in lukewarm water. Use a soft cloth to wash and dry. To restore the shine polish with pure olive oil.
* Treat your amber like any fine gem

Where amber with pride, add it to your jewelry wardrobe and be sure to make your fashion statement!

About the author:
Sher from Estate Jewelry International has been serving customers for over 20 years, providing fashion, jewelry,and wedding help. Please visit us at

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Current Fashion Trends in Costume Jewelry and Accessories
by: Michael Gietl

Color Trends in Costume Jewelry

The fall fashion trends are ushering in another excellent season for costume jewelry and accessories. Rich colors and bold looks dominate the trend. Teal, amber and amethyst are the important colors with olivine and green used as neutrals. Topaz and peacock are also important and all indications are that rich color will continue into the spring season. Metals are seeing a return to gold, but silver is still stronger.

Bold Designs Dominate Fashion Jewelry

Fashion jewelry thrives when bold designs are in vogue and that is very much the case this season. The high fashion look is popular in necklaces, earrings, and bracelets with natural components contributing to the designs. Wood is continuing its second season of popularity with shell important even in the fall line. But the rising star in natural materials is gemstone, which provides the beauty of natural semiprecious stones to the costume jewelry designs. This will definitely continue and accelerate in the spring line. Also popular in neckwear are 48 inch and 60 inch ropes that are worn extended or doubled. Jet is strong in holiday jewelry and estate looks (antique designs) are becoming fashionable in bridal jewelry.

Traditional Costume Jewelry and Accessories

While costume jewelry in bold designs and rich colors forge the way for leading fashion, there is a larger market that shouldn�t be ignored in more traditional and classic looks. Theme jewelry in pendants, earrings, and charm bracelets has an appeal that goes beyond fashion alone because it identifies with what the wearer cares about. In addition, traditional rhinestone, bridal jewelry, evening bags, and formal gloves have a classic look with timeless appeal. There is a major market for these items that will always be present even as fashion changes.

Accessory Trends

Sequins and buttons are very big in all accessories, especially in handbags and evening bags. Beyond these, the looks of the larger bags introduced by leading designers are the trendy styles of the season. These are the bags the stars are carrying, which goes a long ways towards popularizing the styles. In evening bags, large sequins and buttons are very much in vogue, but traditional looks seem to be carrying the day.

Sunglasses are definitely big and bold with aviators the runaway favorite. Retro looks are also excellent and colored frames with matching lenses are very popular.

Hats and Headwear

In millinery, dress hats are an important part of the market, with ladies hats the dominant player. The looks are very traditional with a new element of pre-made bands allowing for the versatility of custom designs. Casual hats, however, account for the major share of the market and no design in 2005 is more important than the rollup cowboy hat. While the design is not popular in every region of the country, the sheer number of sales makes it the number one hat of the year. This rugged look that is typically American has risen to such popularity that it becomes an important fashion statement. After cowboy hats, the three most fashionable designs are wide brim floppy hats, ladies fedoras, and newsboys. The entertainment field has played a major roll in popularizing these designs and the fashion looks continue into the fall season with felt, leather, wool, and leatherette used as the material for the fall versions.

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