For many people, the holidays are some of the best times of the year. They often mean a chance to take a little time off of work, gather the family together, decorate, and basically just have fun. Having fun and happy times make the day to day drudgery of the everyday that much more bearable.

Of course, some people dive into the holidays a little harder than others. And everyone has their own personal favorite – some like Christmas with the lights and the gifts, others Easter with cuddly bunnies and chocolate eggs, and then there is Halloween, with scary costumes and more candy than you know what to do with. And for those who dive whole heartedly into the holidays, accessories are just a part of the celebration.

A new trend

Wearing holiday jewelry is a newer trend. Starting with Christmas, it has now spread to the other holidays as well. So while you can have candy canes, nativity scenes, and packages in December, there are other things that you can wear throughout the year to celebrate the other holidays as well. Bunnies and crosses for Easter, snowflakes and snowmen for winter, menorahs for Hanukkah, and flags four the Fourth of July and Memorial Day are all popular additions to holiday accessories.

How you can accessorize for Halloween

While Christmas might still hold the lead for holiday accessories, Halloween is a close second. You can now choose anything from little ghosts, witches, pumpkins, black cats, spiders and more. And these Halloween icons can be found on earrings, pendants, bracelets, and other jewelry items so that you can mix and match your favorites into your everyday wardrobe.

Why do it?

You might wonder what would possess someone to don a pair of skeleton earrings during the month of October, or sport a brooch shaped like a black cat with glowing red eyes. However, it is an easy way for you to celebrate the holiday that you love without being obnoxious about it.

Take, for instance, the average office situation. Chances are, there is probably a dress code that you have to follow involving wearing business attire. So unless your office takes a casual day and allows you to dress up, wearing the clown, monkey, or witch costume to work on Halloween is probably going to be considered inappropriate. However, most bosses will not say anything about a tastefully chosen jack-o-lantern lapel pin or earrings shaped like black cats. So it can be a discrete way to observe the holiday without putting your job at risk.

Halloween accessories can also be that finishing touch that you need to your costume. For instance, what glamorous witch would you be without some flashy bat earrings or a large spider ring to complete your look? Halloween jewelry will add that finishing touch.

If you are looking for a fun, and possibly discrete, way to observe Halloween, or any of your other favorite holidays, choosing some holiday jewelry can be a fun way to do it.

If you are interested in finding a luxurious watch, then the Internet is indeed a good place to start searching. Reputable companies have started to offer their services online, selling some of the most famous and unique timepieces for enthusiastic buyers. Complicated mechanical watches are their favorite and it’s impossible not to be attracted by the array of names presented in front of your eyes, including Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Breguet and many others. Quality and exceptional customer service come together to serve you with everything you need. You can always contact these specialists and request a special timepiece, or enjoy their service when you intend to sell a watch.

Audemars Piguet is definitely one of the most reputed names of the watch industry. A trademark of quality, this brand offers only the best and is impressive through every detail. Genuine Audemars Piguet watches can now be found online, including the Royal Oak Offshore Team Alinghi Chronograph Pink gold watch. What is so special about this watch? Everything. You have the case material and the buckle made from 18 kt pink gold, automatic movements and sapphire glass. Never worn, this authentic wristwatch is waterproof (100 m), has Arabic dial numerals and impresses with the following complications: chronograph and minute register. You will certainly be pleased with the luminescent hands and screw-down crown. The Audemars Piguet watch has engraved a special inscription of the Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi team. Inquire, compare and order. It’s that simple.

Under the same brand you can find another interesting model, the Audemars Piguet Rubens Barrichello timepiece. Titanium case, stick markers as dial numbers and leather bracelet represent three of the many great features of this genuine wristwatch. You can view photos online and read more information, depending on the timepieces you are interested in. And if you are looking for authentic timepieces, then you can always count on Officine Panerai to measure up to your expectations. The Luminor Marina watch, part of this collection, has a case made from PVD and manual movements. The buckle material is stainless steel, the watch being waterproof for 300 m. Produced in a limited edition, the Officine Panerai Luminor Marina is perfect for those who have a passion for diving. Each watch is accompanied by a box and a warranty card. With this watch, you will certainly enjoy the glass made from sapphire, the black dial and the luminous Arabic numerals. The shock absorber is a particular quality.

It’s not hard to recognize a genuine watch when you see one. With the Patek Philippe watches advertised online, you get timepieces made from 18 kt white gold, with perpetual calendar chronograph and silver dial. The bracelet on these watches is crocodile skin and among complications we have to mention the moonphase feature. Breguet comes out strong, with a unique, limited-edition watch made for the 250th anniversary. Yellow gold case material, roman numerals and bracelet made from crocodile skin. It’s impossible not to like it, especially when you notice the Breguet medallion (1747-1997).

We all know that when a bride to be has already spent practically twenty years planning her wedding before she even knows who the groom is, the image that she dreams of is how she will look on her wedding day. Every little detail counts and is carefully pondered upon before making the all important wedding decisions.

The first part of the dream is “The Dress”, the wedding gown, her day, her style. The selection of the wedding gown is one of the most important items a bride to be must decide upon. The dress no matter what the style should always be a selection that the bride to be feels elegant and beautiful in. Whether a bride envisions herself in a simple white gown, a lacy gown or a bright pink gown, the bride’s attitude in the dress is what makes that bride an individual and beautiful bride on her wedding day. The selection of the wedding gown should always remain fun and as stress free as possible, buy what makes you feel beautiful.

Now that the dress has been chosen, you have been measured and the all important deposit has been made, you are committed to “The Dress”, you need to finish off your bridal look for your wedding day. This is where all of the little details that you hem and haw about for hours come together to make a magnificent and magical combination of the perfect bride! The shoes, the garter, the something old something new and last but certainly not least, the bridal jewelry!

The bridal jewelry that the bride to be decides upon should coordinate with the wedding gown she has selected to wear for the big wedding day. Keeping in mind the style of your dress, the bridal jewelry selection must be made with as careful of attention to detail as when choosing your wedding gown. The bridal jewelry chosen by the bride should finish off your look and bring the entire ensemble together.

Some suggestions to follow as to the style of dress you are wearing to match the style of the bridal jewelry you will wear follows.

Open Backed Dress – When wearing an open back dress, adding a bridal jewelry lariat is a great way to add the final detail to show off your beautiful wedding gown. A bridal lariat is a piece of bridal jewelry that the bride wears around her neck like a normal necklace; however; the back of the neck will have a longer dangling piece of jewelry to finish off the look. Depending upon the piece of bridal jewelry, lariats can be purchased that are adjustable, which will be a better fit for any bride with a backless dress. Another great way to show off a backless dress is a bridal jewelry choker or bridal jewelry collar with a hanging jewel embellishment in the back. Bridal chokers have become a very modern and popular choice for brides that want an edgier bridal look and feel that still embraces the classic and elegant bride.

V Neck Dress – When a bride is wearing a v neck style wedding gown, Y- drop necklaces are a very nice touch for bridal necklace jewelry. The Y- drop necklace takes the same angles as the v neck wedding gown line. Bridal chokers are also a great selection for the bride that is wearing a v line dress. The choker gives clean lines and does not distract from the v neck style of dress. Regular simple and double strand necklaces also work very nicely for this style of wedding gown, as they provide a simple but elegant style that compliments the v neck.

Square Top Dress – For the brides that select a very traditional square top wedding gown, simple single strand and double strand bridal jewelry necklaces are a great way to finish off the neckline. They bring contrast and attract the eye towards the cut of the dress. For a very clean lined look, bridal jewelry chokers are the most perfect style of bridal jewelry necklines for the square top dress. The bridal choker has become more and more popular as the years pass, now with so many options available; brides are finding it easier to select the perfect bridal jewelry choker that fits the style of their gowns.

The Sweetheart Gown – The sweetheart gown style of wedding gown is accessorized nicely with a y – drop necklace, as it follows the line of the top of the wedding gown. Also with this style of gown, bridal chokers go nicely, as well as pendant necklace and simple round necklaces. The sweetheart gown is such a nice choice; the bridal jewelry that you select to wear with the gown should always compliment that neckline.

Strapless Dress – When a bride wears a strapless gown, there are many options for the bridal jewelry necklace. A bridal jewelry choker is such a great way to compliment the line of the top of the dress. A choker brings a symmetrical and parallel line, and adding a sparkly pearl or swarovski crystal bridal jewelry choker or collar with a strapless gown is so elegant and sophisticated. In addition to the bridal choker, simple pendant necklaces as well as single strand and multi-strand necklaces make great choices for the strapless style wedding gown. Wearing a strapless gown draws much attention to the shoulders and neck region, so wearing the perfect bridal jewelry that looks spectacular with that line of dress is very important for your bridal look.

Halter Top Dress – The halter top dress calls for a certain type of bridal jewelry. A dangle backed necklace or lariat are perfect for this line of wedding gown. The attention is drawn on the front and the back, making use of the entire wedding gown to compliment your bridal jewelry. A halter dress also looks beautifully pulled together with a y drop necklace or pendant necklace. The y drop necklace was just about made for this style of wedding gown; the y drop centers the entire look and feel of this type of gown.

Off The Shoulder Dress – When wearing an off of the shoulder dress, any style of bridal jewelry necklace works. A regular single or double strand necklace can frame out your entire bridal look with simplicity. If you choose to wear a bridal jewelry choker, that brings the eyes up to the face with ease as it finished off your bridal look. Y drop and lariats work great with the off the shoulder dress. Depending upon how much of your back shows, a lariat can look elegant from behind when standing at the alter, and a y drop necklace really brings focus to the bride with this gown. What ever style you choose for this line of dress, you cannot go wrong.

One Shoulder Dress or Asymmetric Dress – With the asymmetric gown, it is best to choose a great bracelet and pair of earrings, as a necklace will look unbalanced and unnatural.

Diamond shoppers today have more choices than ever on where to buy their diamond engagement ring, diamond earrings and other diamond jewelry items. However, with greater selections come bigger potential risks and rewards. You need to do your homework and understand how to select the best company for your diamond purchase.

The retail diamond market is comprised of three broad categories of diamond sources; jewelry stores, ecommerce diamond companies and diamond brokers.

Jewelry Stores
Until recent years, jewelry stores were the only option for most diamond shoppers. This was especially true for smaller towns and rural areas. These stores had a monopoly, much like Ma Bell with the phone systems during most of the 20th century. Jewelry stores were the only game in town and could set their prices at whatever markup they wanted.

Jewelry stores depend on impulse buying so they focus on having a selection to pick from, name recognition through extensive advertising, and being convenient so shoppers can walk in and make a purchase with no education or knowledge of the product. If it looks nice to an impulse buyer, they will pull out the credit card and have it gift-wrapped. To attract the impulse buyer, jewelers built elaborate stores with polished marble floors, expensive display cases, and lighting that makes everything in the store sparkle.

To pay for the stores, the decorations and all the expensive advertising, jewelry stores must maintain high markups on the items they sell. The more expensive stores have bigger inventory, higher rent and more advertising, which dictates the higher markup necessary to pay for all that overhead.

E-Commerce Diamond Retailers
The online shopping cart of hundreds of jewelry retailers has been one of the big growth areas for e-commerce. Shoppers can shop from the convenience of their home or work computer, look at the pictures of thousands of jewelry items online and place their order without ever talking to a human. E-commerce diamond retailers provide a list of diamonds owned by groups of wholesalers and let the shopper pick the diamond they want based on the specifications in the list. The shopper pays for the diamond in advance and then the wholesaler or the retailer ships the diamond to the consumer.

The online jewelry retailers offer the advantage of much greater selection than you can find in a jewelry store and the ability to ship the items all over the country, which provides greater options for shoppers in small towns and rural areas. Due to low overhead costs, online jewelers can provide lower prices than most jewelry stores. The disadvantage of the online jeweler is that there are few safeguards in place to keep the consumer from making a mistake. Picking the least expensive diamond from a list of options often means there is something less desirable about the diamond. Without an expert adviser to help, the consumer is mostly on their own to make their selection.

Diamond Brokers
There is a third type of diamond retailer, the diamond broker, that differs from the jewelry store or e-commerce retailer. Like most e-commerce retailers, brokers do not own inventory and have low overhead, but they differ in that they work as diamond consultants for the shopper to find the best diamonds meeting the consumer’s requirements.

To attract new clients, diamond brokers rely on word of mouth advertising. They typically have a website focused on online education and shopping advice instead of a list of inventory and the online shopping cart. Diamond brokers work with their client to find the best diamond on the wholesale market and present it to the client in the broker’s office or ship the diamond to the client to examine before they purchase. The result of the lower overhead and personal consultant service is that clients usually get a better diamond at a lower price than with jewelry stores or online retailers.

To determine which company is going to be the best supplier for your diamonds, know what retailer characteristics are most important to you then ask many questions. Be sure the company you select is going to be able to provide the personalized service, expert advice, high quality diamonds and low prices you deserve.

What better way to show the world that you are in love than by the act of giving and receiving a diamond engagement ring? With many actresses and other famous women sporting bigger and sparklier diamond rings, celebrity engagements have become a delight for the jewelry lover. The size of the diamond is not necessarily the key as to what makes some of these rings so famous and recognizable, rather it seems to be a combination of the engagement ring itself and the famous lady it is associated with.

The history of diamond engagement rings

Maximillan I of Austria gave the first diamond engagement ring on record to Mary of Burgundy in 1477. He had the ring commissioned to unite their two houses and make their marriage a unifying symbol to the country.

The smallest diamond engagement ring ever made was given to Princess Mary who was married by proxy to the Dauphin of France in the year 1518. Princess Mary was two years old at the time.

Throughout history diamond engagement rings have become larger, more elaborate, and have included a wide variety of other jewels and metals. Diamond engagement rings settings can be made of silver, platinum, white or yellow gold or a mixture of these elements.

Famous ladies and their engagement rings

Celebrities and other famous people influence the look and style of many aspects in fashion and also set trends. Diamond engagement rings are no exception to this rule. The following is a partial list of the famous ladies and their equally famous engagement rings:

Royalty:

• Queen Elizabeth II received an engagement ring from Prince Phillip that was made from diamonds from his mother’s tiara.
• Grace Kelly was given a 12 carat emerald-cut diamond engagement ring from Prince Rainier.
• Lady Diana was engaged with a ring made of an 18 carat blue oval sapphire that was circled by fourteen diamonds.

Actresses:

• Elizabeth Taylor was engaged to her third husband, Michael Todd, with an emerald cut diamond that weighed almost 30 carats. However, she is more known for her other pieces of jewelry, one more striking than the other: the 39 carat Krupp diamond, the 69.42 carat pear-shaped Taylor-Burton diamond and the 17th century heart-shaped Taj Mahal diamond.
• Priscilla was engaged to Elvis with a 3.5 carat diamond engagement ring that was circled by another 21 smaller diamonds and diamond chips.
• Sharon Stone was given a three diamond, 3 1/2 carat emerald-cut diamond engagement ring by Phil Bronstien.
• Catherine Zeta-Jones’ promise to Michael Douglas was finalized with a 10 carat antique marquise diamond estimated at amost $2 million.
• Joan Collins got a heart-shaped diamond ring in a nineteenth-century setting from husband Percy Gibson.

Pop stars:

• Madonna received from Guy Ritchie an antique Edwardian three-stone diamond ring with a decorative platinum band. The Neil Lane ring was supposed to represent their family: mother, father and son Rocco.
• In the case of Toni Braxton, drummer Keri Lewis designed a stunning 4.5 three-stone diamond ring with an oval-shaped center stone and 2 heart-shaped diamonds on the sides.
• Paris Hilton, even though not a pop star but a diva anyway, received 2 diamond engagement rings from billionaire Paris Latsis, a $5 million 24 carat canary diamond ring and a $2.1 million 15 carat white diamond ring.
• Britney Spears has two engagement rings also: one that she bought for herself before the wedding, a $40,000 4 carat cushion-cut diamond ring with a platinum pave setting, and one that she received 9 month after the marriage from husband Kevin Federline.
• Christina Aguilera became engaged to Jordan Bratman after he presented a $54,000 20-carat diamond engagement ring designed by jeweler Stephen Webster.
• Whitney Houston sports a stunning 4 carat oval-shaped center stone with trillions on the sides which she received from Bobby Brown.

Replica diamond engagement rings

Of course there is the very famous pink diamond ring that Ben Affleck gave to Jennifer Lopez. This 6 carat radiant shaped pink diamond quickly caught the attention of the public and has become a highly sought after replica. It is completed with a platinum band as well as three baguette white diamonds on each side. The pink diamond engagement ring is reported to have been purchased for $1.2 million in 2002. The ring, while easily identified is also very feminine and modern looking.

Replicas of the famous pink diamond ring are now available for a moderate price. The cost of the replicas depends on the quality of the stones and the materials used in reproducing the pink diamond engagement ring.

Some replicas are styled as more antique diamond engagement rings. These rings have an everlasting quality and symbolize tradition and heritage. The recent engagement of Camilla Parker Bowles in February of 2005 featured such an antique engagement ring. The platinum ring has an emerald-cut center diamond with three diamond baguettes on each side. This ring originally belonged to the Queen Mother and is believed to be valued at over $1 million.

Since few people can afford the original item, there will always be a market for replicas of these one of a kind diamond engagement rings. The quality of the replicas varies, as does the price. It is important to note that the styles of diamond engagement rings that are popular with celebrities will soon become the styles that are sought after by the not quite so rich and famous.