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Posts Tagged ‘dating’

Golden Wedding Rings

August 13th, 2010

The most frequently used element for wedding rings and engagement rings is gold. White gold is even more exclusive. Gold wedding rings look good whether the design is just a simple, plain band or an engraved band like a Celtic Knot. Gold rings can be given on other occasions too of course. Some people give their children a gold ring for their coming of age birthday.

Until not so long ago, it was conventional for the man to give a gold ring when he asked for his girlfriend's hand in matrimony. However, nowadays it is more common for the couple to go shopping for the engagement or wedding ring together. This makes good sense, even if it is less romantic, because the wearer can get the design that she likes.

Gold symbolizes purity in many cultures and that is one of the reasons why it is given to brides and brides to be. The symbolism is all but lost though in today's consumer society in the West. For many people though it still represents the hope that they will stay true to each other, until the day they die. It is a way of showing that the wearer has taken vows and intends to stick to them.

There is a huge variety of gold rings available. However, the variety lies not only in the design but also in the purity of the gold. Logically, the purer the gold, the more pricey it is. In the UK, most gold rings are either 9 or 18 carat. In the USA, most gold rings are 14 carat, but in Thailand, not many people would buy gold that is less than 18 carat and 22 carat is the norm for women. Pure gold is 24 carat, however pure gold is so malleable that you can mould it with your bare hands.

This might sound fine, but it is not. A 24 carat gold ring goes out of shape every few hours, just by you doing what you do every day and then it can pinch your skin. Opening a door can buckle the ring. This means that you can not set stones in pure gold, because they would soon fall out. Pure gold rings are best not even engraved because the design would soon rub off.

Therefore, the best place to begin, if you want a gold ring, is to think about what style you want. Do you want precious stones set into it? Then you cannot really go above 18 carat. If you cannot afford 18 carat then 9 or 14 carat is for you. If you want something like a Celtic Knot ring, that is one with an engraved pattern, then anything up to 18 carat for you too, depending on your finances. If you want a pain band of gold, then a thick ring of 22 carat gold would be great, but not if you do a lot of manual work.

If you really want something special, why not have a gold ring crafted to your own design? It is not so expensive as you might think and you will end up with something unique, especially if you provide your own stone to be polished too. Such a gold ring would become a family heirloom and could stay in the family for generations.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with theCeltic Knot wedding ring. If you have an interest in wedding rings too, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring

The Wedding Ring

July 13th, 2010

One's wedding ring is often a person's most essential item of jewellery, because of the huge significance that it has for its wearer. It is intended to denote the love that exists between two people. In most countries, the wedding ring is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand - the ring finger, although in Norway, Germany and Russia, it is worn on the fourth finger of the right hand.

It is usually a good idea to have your finger measured by an expert, before buying an expensive ring, because fingers swell and shrink over the course of a life span and a good jeweller will know how much slack to allow. If the change in the size of your finger is likely to be permanent, it is a good idea to have the ring resized, this is so that it will neither cut into you nor fall off your finger easily.

These days a lot of couples like to go shopping for wedding rings together, because they want to get a pair of identical rings that both of them likes. However, it does not have to be like that. In fact it never was, because the man bought the ring for his fiancee as a surprise. So, if you do not have the same tastes, do not worry about it.

There are hundreds of styles to choose from and several kinds and qualities of metal too. Yellow gold is still the most popular, but there is white gold and specialist golds too like Welsh gold, which is very rare. Besides gold, platinum and titanium are very popular too.

A fast emerging trend is for a couple to design or have designed a unique pair of wedding rings. At first, you would think that this would be very expensive, but it is not inevitably so. If you keep your design moderate and the stones, if any, equally so, then the rings might only cost 10%-20% more than those off the shelf.

Gold is still the most prevalent metal for a wedding ring, but silver is starting to gain ground too, although it was always looked on as the poor cousin before. Likewise, diamonds are the still the number one stone of choice, but sapphires are also very popular nowadays. Or you could go for plain bands with something like a Celtic knot design.

Shopping for wedding rings can be fun, but it is easy to go over the top and spend much more than you intended to. You could determine how much you can afford and stick to it, not that that always works either. Expect to pay a lot more for the bride's wedding ring than the groom's. This is because the bride's ring usually contains diamonds, whereas the groom's is often a plain band of gold.

You could further personalize your wedding rings with a dedication and a date. Personalized, or unique wedding rings often get handed down through the generations. Maybe, yours will too. Or, if you want to wear your grandmother's handed-down ring, you could personalize it in some way, so that it is both old and yet something of you as well.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with Celtic Knot rings. If you have an interest in wedding rings too, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring

Saving Money In The Sales

July 12th, 2010

Everyone loves to take advantage of the lower prices during the holiday sales. In fact, the best day to go shopping for special offers is the day after the actual holiday is over.

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and it is the busiest shopping day of the year. You will get huge savings, but you will have to get up early, be ready to queue and jostle.

Another example is jewellery and St Valentine?s Day. Many men buy their wives or girlfriends jewellery during this period as a St Valentine?s Day gift. However, in the weeks after St Valentine?s Day, you can save a minimum of 30% on the very same pieces of jewellery that were on sale a week before. This is a clear indication that we are being hood-winked on these holiday occasions and that we ought to wait until the actual holiday is over.

OK, it may not be so romantic to wait, but it must be better to be able to get 30% more gold for your money or to give the same present, but be able to go for a meal too. If I were a woman, I know which alternative I would take!

Or, instead of a nice silver or gold ring, you would be able to afford gold instead of silver or white gold instead of yellow. You could get a exquisite Celtic knot or a Claddagh ring instead of a simple band.

Beautiful Easter clothing is also expensive before Easter. However, why not buy the items you want after Easter and either use them next year or use them for parties, special occasions or church? You can save a bundle of money in this way, just by using a little forward planning.

In order to help cut down on how much money you spend on Christmas gifts, why not try buying them all year long as and when you find something nice in the sales? How many times have you come across something in a sale and said to yourself: 'that would be the perfect gift for so-and-so'? It is better to take advantage of these opportunities and keep the items aside for when the right event comes up.

Then there are those post Christmas sales too. The Boxing Day sales are a great opportunity to pick up items that you can give as presents later in the year. And why not buy something for yourself too while you are at it? You can save a fortune on your favourite perfumes. Buy enough to last you the rest of the year!

You can make your funds go a lot further if you take advantage of the post holiday sales. Rely on providence. Buy opportunistically and you will not only save yourself a lot of money, but you will never be stuck for a present at the last minute either.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with theCeltic Knot wedding ring. If you have an interest in wedding rings too, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring

Investing In Gold - The Basics

July 5th, 2010

A very diversified investment portfolio has a small space for a position in gold. Some people think that investing in gold means holding gold coins, usually South African Kruger Rands, which are one troy ounce in weight. Other speculators purchase gold futures on the commodity exchange.

However, futures contracts are extremely risky because you are betting that the value of gold will rise or fall in the future. The contract itself requires a relatively small up front payment, but you will have to put up guarantees called margin to take care of daily changes in cost.

The reason investors are attracted to gold at the moment is because often in the past, when the stock market is down, the gold market is up. Weakness in the dollar frequently brings a rise in the price of gold too.

Another route to investing in gold is through stocks and precious metal funds, which can be bought through a stock broker. However, you will need to choose your adviser very carefully, because this field of investing takes highly expert expertise.

The following suggestions are meant as examples only as you will want up-to-the-minute information, if you are thinking about investing in stocks, shares and funds. One of the names that will come up in any investigation is Agnico-Eagle Mines, which trades on the NYSE and the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker AEM. They have 30+ year history in the mining of gold and In that time, they have produced 4,000,000+ ounces of gold.

Gold has made massive profits for investors in gold since the late 1970's. However, the key to making profits from gold is knowledge of the different resistance points in the price and the evaluation of the global market for the use of gold. It is used primarily in jewellery and electronics and some other types of manufacturing.

The biggest markets for gold jewellery is India and other Eastern countries. China's new-found prosperity is also having an effect on the markets, although manufacturing is still of prime significance there.

You will have to have a good stockbroker or adviser, because the gold market is so complicated. If you are investing in gold as a hedge against a vulnerable dollar, you are taking gigantic risks and you will have to to look for any increase in the dollar like a hawk. A fairly sensible approach is to set yourself realistic goals. For example, are you happy with a 10% profit or are you going to hang out for a 25% gain?

Gold can be affected by seasonal events. Check out when people in India get married. It is seasonal and around Christmas time. Then St. Valentine's Day is a realistic stimulus too, but you or your adviser will have to study the trends and the graphs.

You can get into gold mining stocks for fairly small money, but it is not the cost of the share certificate that is important, it is the yield on those shares. Be on your guard with small mining companies, because the expenses of exploration are ruinous. Likewise, profits on hitting a big seam would be wonderful for a small company.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Clogau Welsh gold. If you have an interest in wedding rings too, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring

Advice On Dating

June 13th, 2010

Dating advice is abundant on the Internet, in magazines, books, newspapers and on TV. There was even an eight year old kid who wrote a book filled with sound dating advice. (That kid really is pretty clever and must be pretty popular with the girls, because although fairly basic, all of his dating advice is good sense. |If you read the book, you will be forced to agree that that eight-year-old kid does know what he's on about and that he keeps it simple. And that is the point really: when it comes to dating, keep things simple.

Leave your past behind you. It'll only get you bogged down. The first thing any dating-counsellor would advise you is that a fresh start is important for a date to go well. Talking to your date about how your ex mistreated you is definitely not the way forward. Sometimes it isn't even necessary to talk, and a person who has been hurt once may be over suspicious of any new relationship and this could show in their attitude toward their date.

'Just be yourself' is probably the best dating advice possible. Sure, people like to show themselves in the best possible light and impress their date, but if they are not behaving their usual selves, not only will they feel uneasy, but their date will pick up on the uneasiness too.

Tempering your expectations to be neither too high nor too low is also very good dating advice. Expecting too much out of just one date or of the person you are dating, is bound to end up disappointing you (both). Let's face it, your date is only human and so are you; and first dates are notoriously a bit awkward.

A question that crops up time and time again is: who should pay? The general consensus of opinion in dating advice circles is that the one who invites, pays. But, others argue that it is always better to go 50/50 every time to avoid embarrassment. Furthermore, there is yet another school of dating advise though, that reasons that a man is not a gentleman" if he doesn't offer to pick up the bill. The best thing to do in this scenario would be to settle for something that you and your date are both comfortable with.

Probably texting your date before your meeting is smart dating advise as it puts him or her at ease and allows you to discuss interests or hobbies in a much more informal way and less tense environment than your first date would be. That would allow you to use this as common ground when things get awkward (as they generally do on the first few dates unless there is an instant rapport) and get the conversation going again.

At the end of the day, just bear in mind that, no matter how much dating advice you have under your belt, eventually, it is all up to you. No date is the last date, so if one doesn't work out, don't worry, there can be another one and if it still doesn't work, there are always other people to meet.

If you want to know a bit more about dating, just go along to our website called Carefree Dating Crowd

categories: dating,relationships,personals,how to,self help,marriage,divorce,family,free,advice,entertainment,oap,seniors,other

Seniors And Dating

June 9th, 2010

A 'senior', by definition, is someone older than yourself or, more broadly speaking, an older member of the community. 'Dating', by definition describes the courtship between two persons - which is usually romantic in nature - who are either looking or not looking to get married.

So, 'senior dating' is the romantic courtship between two persons who are considered older members of society, or the romantic courtship of two people where at least one partner is an older member of society. When referred to as 'senior', this doesn't necessarily mean that the person must be over the age of maybe - 60 years of age. People of above the age of, for example, 40 years are also thought of as 'seniors', since people are thought to live 'three score years and ten' (70 years), half of which is 35.

Depending on which of the many senior dating agencies used (especially by means of online senior dating), the age group targeted may vary. However, generally - senior dating is for those who are above 40 years of age.

Senior dating allows seniors, who could be divorced, widowed or still single, a chance to meet people of a similar age bracket and to share ideas and interests or, if a deeper bond is established between the two, a more meaningful relationship. This allows seniors to enjoy their life, just as they did when they were younger. Therefore, there are various senior dating services provided on the Internet.

In these senior dating services, which are of course intended for seniors, there are few photos in the profiles - which gives those who have uploaded their photos an obvious advantage. Also, some of these senior dating services offer additional services such as anonymous email, instant messaging, chat rooms and forums.

When you use these online senior dating clubs, you should be able to make new local friends, and communicate with each other politely, so that compatible friendships can be found. Additionally, if you are meeting outside the online website, you should be certain that the meeting is in a public place - especially if you are meeting one another for the very first time and do not know each other well.

Another precaution you could take would be to tell someone you can rely on about where you're going and with whom. However, if, for any reason, you start feeling uneasy with the person you are with, make sure to be polite and make your exit.

Although these precautions and safety measures are general knowledge, it is better to repeat them again here, since it is better to be safe than sorry. You would do well to stick to them as well. In this way, senior dating will prove to be a successful and safe method of permitting those who are divorced, widowed or have children, to be able to reconstruct their lives and enjoy friendship with the opposite sex again.

If you want to learn a bit more about dating, just go along to our website called Old Fiddles Crowd

categories: dating,relationships,personals,seniors,self help,marriage,divorce,family,free,advice,entertainment,oap,seniors,other

Black Hills Rings? What Are They?

May 23rd, 2010

Most people have aspirations for the future. Some people plan out their lives in elaborate detail from an early age, while others just pray that their dreams will come true. I think that that depends on the attitude to life you have as much as your personality. I definitely remember that when I was a boy, some of the girls I knew were planning what they would do when they got married to so and so movie star.

They did not know anything about marriage or what being married was like, they were just role playing, but some of those aspirations might have stuck.

None of the boys I knew thought about their future much at all. I did not either really although I knew that I wanted to go to university and travel after that. I studied French and German for three years and passed my exams.

After finishing university, I began working for an international firm and did some traveling. I have always liked jewellery although I do not wear a lot at the same time. I suppose I collect jewellery, but I like to wear it as well.

It was a custom of mine to buy a piece of jewellery wherever I went, if I saw something I liked and if I could afford it. Anyway, I met a young woman while I was in America and I told her about my craze for collecting jewellery and rings in particular. I showed her a couple of rings that I had taken with me. One was a ring with a Celtic Knot design and another was an Irish Claddagh ring.

Anyway, we got on well and so she offered to take me to a jewellers that she knew. We went to a small back street jeweller, who had a choice of rings I had never heard of before. They were called Black Hills Gold Rings and they looked very distinctive. They have quite a range, including a lot of the common designs, but they also have a few kinds that I had never seen before. I was hooked and wanted one.

My friend really fell for a women's wedding set. She had seen it in the window for months, but did not have anyone to give it to her. The engagement ring had two leaves and a grape cluster with a small diamond nestled in the middle of it, while the wedding band had two additional leaves and a grape cluster. This meant that when worn together, the two rings would fit together to enclose the diamond completely. It was very nice.

I had to agree that it was very beautiful, but felt it necessary to point out that I had not known her long enough to propose. She was a good sort and did not feel affronted. I bought a striking white gold ring with the Black Hills gold roses inlaid on the top two thirds of the band, leaving the bottom of the ring plain. It was a lovely addition to my collection. As for my guide, well, she did not get a ring, but I took her for an expensive meal and she seemed happy enough with that.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with theCeltic Knot wedding ring. If you have an interest in wedding rings too, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring

The Wedding Dress

May 22nd, 2010

The wedding dress is just about the most crucial item in the wedding ceremony except the vows and the rings. The bride wants to look her best and the groom wants to look his best too. A gorgeous wedding dress will help the bride's aspiration to look dazzling come true.

Therefore, it is imperative to select the wedding dress with care, as every bride knows. However, there are a few items that are not as clear as the wedding dress just looking stunning and we will list the most significant of these below.

Besides individual taste in fashion, the most important consideration has to be the time of the year. Which season are you going to get married in? What temperature is it likely to be? Could it rain? If it is likely to be cold, you ought to wear a heavier cloth than if it is likely to be hot. You might also permit the season to have an influence on the colours you wear, but that is a matter of personal taste. For example, winter colours might be slightly darker than summer colours.

Another vital factor when choosing the colour of the wedding dress is the skin colouration of the bride. This consideration is also true of the accessories. The bride will also need a head-dress, a veil, gloves and a bouquet, all of which should flatter the wedding dress and the bride's hair and skin colouration.

Try to get a wedding dress that fits perfectly. This sounds obvious, but it is easy to think that you can make minor changes yourself later on. However, making alterations is not as easy as it sounds and you could end up making matters worse rather than better. In any case, you do not want to be worrying that a stitch you made will break or come undone at the wrong moment. It is far better to get a good fitting wedding dress than to get the precise colour that you want.

It is imperative to bear in mind the quality of the image of the wedding dress, if you are buying or hiring from a catalogue or website. You also should leave plenty of time to be able to return the dress if need be. The fact is that photographs are not always true to life and packers do make mistakes, so if your selection is not what you expected, when it arrives, you will need to have a couple of weeks to return it and obtain a new one. Allow at least three weeks for the exchange; longer if possible.

White has always been the most popular colour for first time brides, but it is not a rule. Off-white or pastel shades look very good too and they will set you apart from the norm. Apple white or blush pink are very effective colours for a wedding dress, but as I said before, everything should be colour co-ordinated with the colour of the bride's skin and hair and the bouquet, if you are dead set on carrying a certain bouquet of flowers, like, say, gardenias.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with Celtic Knot rings. If you have an interest in wedding rings too, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring

Growing Online Dating Relationships

May 2nd, 2010

Just like with regular real-world relationships, online relationships have to be tended and to be allowed to grow over time. Here are a few quick growing tips:

1. Take Time and Make Time: Does your online date email you regularly? Do you do the same? Neglecting virtual meetings can be considered rude, so treat each other's time with respect. If it's lacking, it could mean that it is time to move on.

2. Communication Needs to "Feel" Right For Both of You: If one of you is too hasty about having a meeting, for instance, that can create uncomfortable feelings. So, please, don't rush things; just take your time to learn more about each other and engender trust.

3. Respect Each Other's Privacy: Don't share the other person's email addresses or digital photos with your friends online, for example; especially if your online date sent you the information in confidence.

4. Share Special Online and Offline Fun Times: when online: send online greeting cards; links to favourite sites to upload digital photos of your favourite pet or car; download music and video clips; post on favourite forums of interest. When offline: if you're exchanging addresses or post office boxes, send printed greeting cards and postcards and/or small items from your area (like a key chain with your state tree).

5. Share Recipes: People get tired of talking about the weather, so a popular subject to take refuge in is food. Sharing information about favourite foods and recipes helps to break the ice and even helps create friendships over your culinary skills, or the lack thereof, and tastes. Search your favorite search engine for free recipes to share and take photos of your culinary creations and share them with your date as well.

6. Bidding at Auctions: Ebay auctions sell anything and everything! So, surf about and enter searches like the dates you were in middle school. Share nostalgic photos of old games and toys from when you were a child or when your parents or grandparents were small.

Online dating should be an educational and fun experience. So, go on, learn more about each other and have fun while youre doing it! Take a cyber-stroll down ol' memory lane together and see what's cookin'. Tend your online friendship, water it with care and over time it can sprout and grow.

Are you a senior dater or have you been out of the game for a time?? If so, get some online dating advice at Old Fiddles Dating

Inexpensive Wedding Favours

April 16th, 2010

If you are holding a large wedding, that is one with many guests, the cost of wedding favours can be quite considerable, if you do not set a strict budget. One immediate method you could use to cut the cost of your wedding favours is to give one to each couple or single, rather than one to everybody who comes. The first decision to make is how much can you afford in total and then divide that by the number of guests in total and then divide it by the number of couples and singles.

This system will make it easier for you to decide what you are going to do: buy for everybody; buy for couples and singles and save the rest for something else or give to couples and singles but buy more expensive presents. If you still find that there is not a lot of money to go around, you will need to look for lower-priced wedding favours. I will offer you a few thoughts below to get you started.

Candles can be very effective, inexpensive wedding favours. If you buy in bulk, you can get some really lovely candles at very reasonable prices. You could get scented candles, maybe with the same smell as the bouquet the bride carried. You could also consider purchasing personalized ribbons to tie pretty bows around the candles and the ribbons could have your names and the wedding date on them.

Candy or chocolate is another type of low-cost wedding favour. There are many ways to go down this route. You could have the wrappers of popular candy bars custom-made; you could buy quite expensive chocolate in bulk and wrap it up in a special way yourself or you could buy small boxes of connoisseur chocolate.

Giving packets of flower or vegetable seeds is also an inexpensive way of giving a practical wedding favour. Again, you could give seed packets of the flowers in the bride's bouquet. The seed packets could be wrapped or boxed with your own special logo, names and wedding date. You could give them in a pot or tray too in order to make it even easier to sow the seeds.

A pen or pen and pencil set is also a fairly economical way of giving wedding favours. These pens can also bear your wedding details such as names and date.

However, I am Welsh and so my favourite wedding favours are love spoons in miniature, say four inches long. Love spoons were given in Wales by a suitor to his beloved for hundreds of years and many love spoon makers will make mini versions by hand for a small amount of money. These love spoon wedding favours can also be inscribed with the wedding details as they are typically made out of wood.

Another lovely touch is to insert a stamped, self addressed envelope to your wedding favour present, with a short note asking the recipient to get in touch with you soon, so that you do not let too much water go under the bridge.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Welsh love spoons, and Wales in general, please go to our website at Welsh Products Online, if you are too.