Happy Stories From our customers

Okay, okay…we’re getting to this a little late. We’re midway through November and just now addressing its beautiful gemstone, citrine. Well actually, topaz is considered November’s primary birthstone but since citrine and topaz look so familiar, they’re often confused.

Citrine is a variety of crystalline quartz and range in color (yellow to red-orange). It was often considered a lesser-than gem due to its over abundance.

But in the last few decades, this gem has increased in status. This is mainly due to the fact that fashion trends have consistently focused on earth tones and citrine pairs so nicely with that color family.

As usual in the gemworld, shade matters. Less intense colors fall into the lower range of value (pale or smoky citrine, for instance) whereas the most desired gems are richly saturated (yellow, orange and reddish).

Citrine is commonly referred to as  the“healing quartz,” because legend has it citrine promotes energy and vitality in whomever wears it. Citrine also helps foster wealth and abundance.

Like other collectible items, hatpins have a detailed history of both functionality and craftsmanship.

Hatpins have been around since as far back as the 1400’s. Their heyday was between the 1880’s and 1920’s. (Hair styles became short after that, making the pins unnecessary.)

They generally ranged in size between 6 and 12 inches long (depending on the size of the hat they needed to secure to a woman’s head–sometimes the hats were quite big).

Hatpins were either practical or quite ornate, made from material such as precious metals, gemstones and plastics.

Did you know: In 1908, an English judge, fearing that their hatpins could be used as weapons in his court, ordered a group of suffragettes on trial to remove their hatpins and hats.

Did you know: there’s a hatpin society in existence today? Check them out! 

Most jewelry lovers have a piece that stays on them no matter what (excluding wedding rings for the married folks). Sometimes its a school ring or a simple but meaningful pendant necklace or smart stud earrings that look good with just about any outfit.

But is it good to wear your jewelry all of the time? Is it hygienically sound? Does constant wear harm your jewelry?

An article in Self has this to say:

According to Marina Peredo, M.D., F.A.A.D, Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and founder of Marina I. Peredo, M.D., P.C. Dermatology and Spatique Medical Spa in Smithtown, N.Y., continuously wearing jewelry really isn’t a big deal — as long as you clean it regularly and the materials don’t irritate your skin.

“You can potentially damage your jewelry by constantly wearing it, but there are no major health risks to wearing jewelry every day, which includes sleeping and showering,” she says.

So while it feels right to wear your favorite pieces day in and out, its often important to give your body (and your jewelry) a break. Dirt and bacteria can irritate the skin and constant wear can damage the jewelry.

So take some short holidays from your favorite pieces: take them off and clean them properly. Tend to the skin that’s always covered by your jewelry, whether that means cleaning your piercings well or slathering some moisturizers on skin that hasn’t seen the light of day in a while!

Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha. Photo by U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Eric

Did you know that since 2006, veterans have been encouraged to wear their hard-earned medals on civilian clothing?

 

“The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) encourages all military veterans to wear their medals and decorations during Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and other patriotic holidays as well as formal occasions such as a parade honoring the military, retirement ceremonies, funerals, or weddings.

“Wear them when you go play golf. Wear them when you go to the store. Let America know that you took that oath and served.”

Of course, there are rules defining how to wear your medals. According to Army regulations:

“You can wear either the full-size or miniature-size medals. You should place the medals and decorations in approximately the same location and in the same manner as for the Army uniform, so they look similar to medals worn on the Army uniform.

We like this more lax rule on medal wearing. People who have served our country deserve to display their service proudly and frequently.

Remember: thank a veteran you know or meet. It doesn’t need to be Veteran’s Day!