Technology and Gadgets Online

 A 22ct diamond ring is the prize offered by New Zealand born jeweller, Michael Hill, in a contest to find the “World’s Best Couple”  launched by reality TV star, Kim Kardashian last month.  

In a bid to win the prize and title are my husband and me: Steve and Kathleen Nyssen (“Nyssen Kind”) from Whangarei, New Zealand. 

Ironically, Whangarei is the birthplace of  the Michael Hill empire. He is lauded as one of New Zealand’s most successful specialty retailers, having cracked the market at home and in Australia; as well as, the States and Canada. The competition is open to couples in these same countries. Each couple is required to complete challenges on-line, then garner as many votes as possible – a very clever marketing move by Mr. Hill to help breathe new life into the business amidst a stagnant economy.

At this stage in the competition, only votes move the couples up the ladder. On December 2, 2010 the top 6 couples – the couples with the most votes – will be invited to the next phase of the competition: judging.

Little is revealed about this stage of the contest, but Michael Hill and Kim Karashian are said to be on the panel of judges, along with as-yet unnamed “experts.”  

Steve and I entered the competition late – a full two weeks after it opened. Still, out of over 10,000 couples we are hovering around the #17 spot. We are definitely underdogs – older than many (if not all) of the couples ahead of us by at least a decade (I’m 40; my hubby, 39). We are not at all savvy in the ways of marketing ourselves. The internet, Facebook, Twitter - and reality TV for that matter - remain mysterious horizons that we tend to scratch only when time permits. But we are learning! We’re also not accustomed to competitions. Ours is more of a “grass-roots” campaign, to be sure.

Nevertheless, we are in it to win it. My husband was diagnosed with cancer last June. Our decision to enter is largely due to this fact. We’re finding this competition to be an excellent way to distract ourselves from the often dismal reality of the cancer. We’re creating memories for ourselves that we will treasure forever – with or without the ring. 

It is strange to be this close, yet still so far from entering the top 6. The faces there haven’t changed much, so we are trying to come to terms without “giving up.” We have to take a few steps back every so-often in order to continue to enjoy the ride in this strangely nerve-wracking contest. I realized the other day that I was equating Steve’s prognosis to the outcome of the contest – a dangerous thing to do. 

Instead, I’m viewing this as an opportunity to embrace life and to celebrate our incredible Love Story. And I am grateful to Michael Hill for the opportunity to do so.

If you are interested in reading more, or to vote for us visit:
www.my22ct.com/profile/6677

Before you are tempted to buy any new clothes for the Fall or new fashion jewelry rings for your next date, take a few minutes and analyze what you have (and don’t have!) in your closet with this handdy fashion list. It includes the 10 things every well-dressed woman needs to have right now. If the list seems a little boring, remember, these are the “basics.” It’s important to build a wardrobe, but in order to do that, you have to start with the foundation. The fun stuff comes after you’ve taken care of the basics. We’ll be covering all of that too, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

A few key accessories can turn 10 basic pieces into 30 different outfits! Here’s your shopping list. First, you need a great bag . This doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Oversized purses are in right now and that’s great for moms. Pick a color and fabric that will work with all you “basics.” Second, you need a trendy belt – Skinny ones, wide ones and everything in between. Pick something fun to create a new look for a basic outfit like a set of fashion jewelry rings for each hand. Third, you want classic pumps since you’ll wear them with your classic suit, your black dress pants, your little black dress, etc. Go for a least a 2 inch heel. Fourth, you will be grateful to have an evening purse that is cute and small! Have some fun with this one. This can give personality to your little black dress. Fifth, choose classic fashion jewelry in the form of diamond earrings or a sting of pearls (and they don’t even have to be real, just classic). These will last you a lifetime and will dress up any outfit.

Below is a list of the last five basics (#6 to #10) for a fashionable experience. Of course, this list os not the “know all” of the fashion industry, but rather a few tips to get you moving in the right direction.

6. Ballet flats – Very in style right now. Comfortable and will work great with casual pants and skirts.

7. Fun jewelry – Wooden, beaded, there is so much to pick from. Select a necklace, bracelet and earrings that coordinate and can be mixed and matched. (Hint: This can really spice up the crisp white shirt.)

8. Open toe strapy sandals – These can dress up your black pants or your sundress. It’s okay to wear them in the winter, just paint your toes first!

9. Coat/jacket – If your budget allows, one long coat and one jacket is best. Base the fabric and style on your climate. But, the longer coat should work with your dressy pieces, i.e. black slacks, suit, black dress, etc. The jacket is for your jeans, casual pants and skirts, etc.

10. Sweat suit – A must have for every soccer mom! Go for comfortable but stylish in a color that you’ll love to wear, because you’ll wear this a lot!

Accessories add life and personality to your wardrobe. If you stick with classic clothing and fashion jewelry pieces and put your money into trendy accessories, you’ll spend less and always be in style.

If you are interested in opening your own business, think about the jewelry industry. Did you know, you can purchase at wholesale prices? If considering this unique business, think about purchasing in bulk, the items you are interested in selling to the public. This will save you more money in the long run and be most profitable. Consider the option of buying wholesale fashion jewelry for your customers that want trendy pieces to wear but don’t want to spend a rediculous amount of money. You can do that.

Quality of your jewelry is very important. Always buy from a reputable dealer. I recommend attending a jewelry market show. This venue will give you the chance to meet the wholesalers face to face and scope out what they are selling. These shows always have the latest trends in fashion jewelry design. Remember to keep in line with the change in seasons.

Wholesale fashion jewelry, is a great way to spice up your wardrobe. By adding just a piece or two of something fashionable and trendy, you can create an outfit that looks not only amazing, but your friends will think you spent alot of money. When in fact you spent very little.

Visit a department store sometime and go to the jewelry section. Their you will find the latest trends, offering you the very finest of diamond and gold selections of affordable wholesale jewelry.

Economic times, have called for cutting back on spending the least amount of money people can afford. We still want to look and feel good about ourselves. Their is nothing wrong about that. When looking for that special purchase without breaking the bank, think about what you want ,and how it should look. Chances are, that you will find it when you discover the art of the wholesale world. You will find it to be very affordable.

Wholesale fashion jewellery has a strong and a wide grasp on the fashion business and it is only growing by the day. More and more fashion jewellery enthusiasts and aficionados are stepping into this profitable business of fashion jewellery wholesaling.

Fashion jewellery is a wide and fascinating business domain, because, jewellery wholesaling is one business which does not ever see an unprofitable phase. Many of these wholesalers have gone online with their jewellery, which gives the fashion jewellery wholesalers a much wider range of potential customers. Starting a jewellery wholesale business is not very difficult and anybody can start one. That being said though, if you do not have the knack for telling good jewellery from the bad and knowing about what is in and what is outdated, you cannot expect to become successful in this business. The first step is to get hold of a very good manufacturing source and then only good quality and good priced merchandise will flow into your business. Once you have found your manufacturer, you have essentially gotten over one of the toughest bridges to entering this business. Never settle for low quality merchandise, because, quality is what will finally determine your image and how customers perceive you. Good quality helps any kind of business through the thick and thin, because you have a solid and unwavering factor to fall back on and that is the quality.

Pick the genre of jewellery that you know, and are passionate about. For instance, if you have a liking and an eye for gemstone jewellery or costume jewellery, focus on that, so that you know exactly what will work and what will not work. That being said though you can take a more broader approach as well as there are various fashion jewellery wholesalers who sell many different genres of jewellery at the same time. If you think can handle that variety, then go for it.

Fashion, and especially fashion jewellery, is never constant and keeps changing in its style, character and customers. Let us consider the current style and taste of people in jewellery today. The youth now tries to accessorize itself minimally with funky and unconventional styles and designs. What worked maybe a few years back, will not sell now. So, a wholesaler should know and sell exactly what the current customers demand. If you are a jewellery enthusiast yourself, then it won’t be difficult to keep track of what is in fashion and what is not.

Pricing is another important factor which a fashion jewellery wholesaler must give serious thought to. Over pricing of products is a major turn off to customers. Always give your customers the right quality at the right price. Once they trust you and your wholesale quality, then you know that they will be coming back to you the next time they want to make any jewellery purchases.

Wholesale fashion jewellery is not very difficult to venture out into, and thanks to e-commerce business opportunities, it has become very easy. So, if you are passionate about jewellery, and have the basic entrepreneurial skills then venturing out into this business will come naturally to you and success will follow.

Looking for amber drop earrings to match the beautiful ring you got for Christmas? If so then you will be happy to hear that you can get exactly what you need without having to travel to Eastern Europe to get it. These days the finest Baltic amber can be purchased Online from the comfort of your home and delivered to your door.

The truth is it can be hard to get your hands on quality amber earrings even in Europe unless you are wanting something in an antique setting. The reason the Internet allows you to get whatever you are looking for is simply down to the fact that all the jewelers are available to you in the one place. In days gone by most of the easily available amber jewelry was set in pewter or strung on rope to produce a cheap product. Amber was always easily available after all, so it wasn’t seen as precious. The problem is that many of us who love amber like to get something that is set in gold to produce a very special piece that will last us a lifetime, rather than a little piece of throwaway costume jewelry.

We don’t want the pieces of amber that are simple chips of the precious stone made with fashion jewelry in mind. You have to be careful however when looking for earrings made with the finest pieces of amber. Because in the past amber was set in cheap metals, usually silver, often times amber earrings are have simple closures, making them far to easy to lose.

Even the special amber earrings that you find online, if you can find them, are still reasonably cheap due to the easy availability of this gemstone. If you are looking for something unique you shouldn’t have any problem in sourcing something that suits you as many designers only make small runs of each design. I recently found some nice examples with a Celtic design which was totally new to me and quite stunning.

If you are looking for any sort of amber jewelry at all, or even just want to browse what is available I suggest you stop by Andzia’s Amber Jewelry Shop to see what is available, you might just find something you can’t resist.