The ugly Christmas sweater has become a ubiquitous feature of the holiday season, on par with grumbling about Black Friday or wrestling with the Christmas lights. These tacky garments are now being re-appropriated from their perpetual spot in the wardrobe of great-aunt Edna or your third-grade social studies teacher. Telltale signs of the ugly sweater […]
Tag Archives: topaz
The Carolina Reaper Challenge
With all of the talk about these “pepper challenges” my boss decided that today was the day to challenge the entire company to do the Carolina Reaper Challenge. Since I’m closest, I went first. My first impression of the pepper was ewe, it’s kinda waxy. I hate weird consistencies. It had a slight sweet flavor, […]
The History of Squash Blossom Jewelry
The squash blossom has developed slowly and has roots deep in non-native culture and history. The principle part of the necklace is the crescent-shaped “Naja” pendant, which the Southwestern Indians first saw as iron ornaments on the horse bridles of the Spanish Conquistadors in the late 1500s and early 1600s. Captured or traded, these ornaments […]
Will Palladium Prices Surpass Gold?
Recent record-high palladium prices won’t necessarily mean increased supply since the bulk of the metal is mined alongside other metals, meaning limited reaction to its own price picture, says Metals Focus. The consultancy said Tuesday that it looks for global palladium production to decline by 2% to 6.7 million ounces next year. There is an […]
Why Do You Love Football?
What’s the attraction to football? Each year, every week, a game can be found just about anywhere. While I can understand the game, I wouldn’t call myself a fanatic. If my team happens to do well, great, if not I don’t really care. Now some may say that I’m not a true fan because of […]
Why I’m Truly Thankful
What are you thankful for? Why are you thankful? It’s such a loaded question for some and as easy as a breeze for others to answer. This question requires some serious thought because it’s easy to answer the simple generic “I’m thankful for family, friends, health and food among other things” but you should always […]
How Turkey Pardoning Became a Thing
Since 1947, the National Turkey Federation has presented the President of the United States with one live turkey and two dressed turkeys, in a ceremony known as the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation. John F. Kennedy was the first president reported to spare the turkey given to him (he announced he didn’t plan to eat the bird), and Ronald Reagan was the first […]
How Thanksgiving Came To Be
Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2018 occurs on Thursday, November 22. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated […]
The Winston Pink Legacy Diamond
An exceptionally rare pink diamond of nearly 19 carats fetched 50.3 million Swiss francs ($50 million, 44 million euros) at auction in Geneva Tuesday, Christie’s said, setting a new per-carat record for a stone of its kind. The Pink Legacy, which once belonged to the Oppenheimer family who for decades ran the De Beers diamond-mining […]
The Many Coined Names of Topaz
Topaz of all different colors are used in jewelry, in rings, earrings, necklaces, pendants, and bracelets. The blue, orange, and pink colors are most often cut as gemstones, and colorless Topaz is becoming increasingly popular as an inexpensive Diamond simulant. Gigantic gems and faceted spheres are cut from huge flawless crystals, and these make exquisite […]