My next post will be all about gorgeous drusy! It's our bestselling gemstone!Monday, March 10, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Tim Gunn loves pearls for spring!
I just got next week's issue of TV Guide (yes, we still subscribe!) and there is an article about Spring fashion trends. Flats are back in, thank goodness!
The list was made by Project Runway mentor Tim Gunn, who hosts his own show "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, and he listed PEARLS as a must-have accessory for the spring season.
Whenever you come into Masterpiece, you can see that Tracy and I also love pearls! We have the largest selection of diverse genuine pearls in the area- in all colors and styles, from single strands to multi-strands to intricate patterns to illusion necklaces... the list is nearly endless.
So if, like Tim Gunn, you love pearls as much as Tracy and I do, please come in and check out all the beautiful and affordable designs just perfect for making you look stylish!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's Ring Rot!
Imagine this: It's just before your wedding day, a time when everyone asks to see your engagement ring, and you can't wear it because you've developed an uncomfortable rash on your ring finger! Well, that was me in the spring of 1998, and I had a case of "ring rot."
I'm sure dermatologists have a fancy Latin name for it, but in the jewelry business, ring rot is what we call a red, itchy sometimes blistered area that occurs on the finger directly under a ring. Although clients often think the ring itself is the cause, perhaps assuming the ring isn't "real gold," the true culprit is moisture.
Ring rot occurs much more often in wider bands and in people who wash their hands a lot. (Nowadays, that's most of us!) But sensitive skin might contract ring rot under even thin bands. Ring rot doesn't discriminate.
The Treatment: I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on this blog, but I have had my experiences with ring rot. When you see the symptoms described above, first of all, stop wearing the ring! No, no, not forever, but until the rash clears up. Do not put the ring back on until the ring rot has cleared up 100%. Not 95%. Not 99%. The area must be completely healed or the ring rot will come right back! Trust me on this.
Prevention: If you have experienced ring rot, then your skin is prone to it. One of the easiest way to prevent it is to take your rings off at night to let your skin breathe. Now yes, I know that some folks feel that after your wedding ring was slid onto your finger at the ceremony it is not to come off again, so that option may not work for you.
And obviously not washing your hands is not an option (unless you like having a perpetual cold!) Try this method that has worked well for me: Wash your hands, then when drying them, scoot your rings slightly toward your knuckle, dry under them, slide them back into place and dry the area near your knuckle.
Resist the urge to take your rings off completely before washing your hands! I have heard too many sad stories about rings accidentally left behind in a public restroom or knocked down the drain when sitting on the sink area at home.
It's been ten years since that fateful pre-wedding bout of ring rot, so my methods have worked for me, and I'm sure they'll work for you too.
If you are reading and thinking "Gee, that's a long article about a little skin rash'" then you, my friend, have never had ring rot!
I'm sure dermatologists have a fancy Latin name for it, but in the jewelry business, ring rot is what we call a red, itchy sometimes blistered area that occurs on the finger directly under a ring. Although clients often think the ring itself is the cause, perhaps assuming the ring isn't "real gold," the true culprit is moisture.
Ring rot occurs much more often in wider bands and in people who wash their hands a lot. (Nowadays, that's most of us!) But sensitive skin might contract ring rot under even thin bands. Ring rot doesn't discriminate.
The Treatment: I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on this blog, but I have had my experiences with ring rot. When you see the symptoms described above, first of all, stop wearing the ring! No, no, not forever, but until the rash clears up. Do not put the ring back on until the ring rot has cleared up 100%. Not 95%. Not 99%. The area must be completely healed or the ring rot will come right back! Trust me on this.
Prevention: If you have experienced ring rot, then your skin is prone to it. One of the easiest way to prevent it is to take your rings off at night to let your skin breathe. Now yes, I know that some folks feel that after your wedding ring was slid onto your finger at the ceremony it is not to come off again, so that option may not work for you.
And obviously not washing your hands is not an option (unless you like having a perpetual cold!) Try this method that has worked well for me: Wash your hands, then when drying them, scoot your rings slightly toward your knuckle, dry under them, slide them back into place and dry the area near your knuckle.
Resist the urge to take your rings off completely before washing your hands! I have heard too many sad stories about rings accidentally left behind in a public restroom or knocked down the drain when sitting on the sink area at home.
It's been ten years since that fateful pre-wedding bout of ring rot, so my methods have worked for me, and I'm sure they'll work for you too.
If you are reading and thinking "Gee, that's a long article about a little skin rash'" then you, my friend, have never had ring rot!
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