Live your dreams, be your "true self"

Live your dreams, be your "true self"

You should love what you do. Never give up on being your “true self”. Ask yourself, am I living my life being true to myself? If not, find a way. You’ll be amazed how your life will change.

Ladygemologist is just a gal who's finally living her dream. I've always loved jewelry & gemstones. I’d play in my mother's jewelry box for hours at a time.

As an adult, like many others, after eleven years of marriage, I found myself divorced with a two year old daughter. In retrospect, I was evolving into a strong woman, and continuing on the road to my destiny. The saying.."Everything is the way it should be" is so true, even if it doesn't seem like it in a life changing moment.

I’ve spent many years existing, never living my “true self”. It wasn’t until 2008, that I finally realized my calling, and frankly, I had spent so many years just making a living and getting by that I didn’t even realize it until I stumbled across it. Although, deep down inside I knew that something was missing from my life, I could never really pin-point what it was.

An unexpected change occurred and I relocated to Arizona. I had no job, no plans, just a few meager savings in the bank. Not long after moving I discovered that the largest gem show in the world was being held in Tucson, AZ., about 60 miles from home. I knew I had to go, no matter what.

After a couple of months of excitement & anticipation the day finally arrived and I drove to Tucson. I found myself happier than I'd been in years, it was like being a kid again, digging around in my mom's jewelry box. My eyes were amazed, my heart beat like a drum. I walked for hours, looking and loving every moment. I met a gentleman who was representing the International School of Gemology. I stopped and spoke with him for a moment, took a flyer, and kept walking. Not enrolling on the spot, questioning myself, as if it would lack good judgment. Why wasn't I allowing myself to do what I love? It played over and over like a record in my mind, not letting go. The next day, without hesitation, I enrolled in the International School of Gemology, and have never regretted it. I had finally found my "true self" and love every moment.

Even though it took me many years to find my "true self", I wouldn't change the growth and experiences along the way. They made me who I am. Remember: it's never too late to live your dreams and be true to yourself.

My favorite quote, "On the road of life, sometimes your destiny is found on the road you took to avoid it".

Happy trails
Janet

Express Your Unique Style

The world of fashion seems to change with dizzying speed. One season, hem lines are up, shoulders exaggerated, the next, it's ankle-grazing skirts and natural silhouettes. Fortunately, well-selected colored gemstone jewelry can look as fashionable and beautiful years from now as it did when it was first purchased. This timeless quality allows you to use gemstone jewelry as a personal statement to enhance your wardrobe season after season. Whatever the current fashion, your colored gemstone jewelry is your unique signature.
You can select the perfect colored gemstone jewelry to make a fashion statement which is uniquely yours. Here is how you can select the colors and related gemstones to enhance your personal style.
Today's soft, rich colors can provide the perfect background for colored gemstone jewelry. Turn it up with a pair of hot pink Tourmaline earrings or a vibrant Tanzanite pendant, and your clothes will dance before you even hit the floor. Cool it down with a bold, cultured Pearl ring and you will radiate with romance. Be a whimsical free spirit with a necklace or pin that mixes two or three colored gemstones with contrasting hues, and you will be ready for whatever life has to offer.
Taking an opposite direction are shapes borrowed from men's wear but with a softer silhouette. Master tailors such as Giorgio Armani and Yves Saint Laurent are showing suits with wide, soft pants or long, full skirts. Jackets fit slightly looser but have softly sculpted shoulders and nipped waists that define the female silhouette. Accent the lapels with bold pins or brooches set with colored gemstones in cabochon and fancy shapes. These will provide focal points to your clothing backdrop.

The strong lines of suits can take bolder jewelry. Bangle bracelets and stackable rings, each set with a different colored gemstone, can bring your personal flair to the ensemble.
Designers favor the long and lean look, with long, clingy skirts and knitted column dresses for both day and evening: jackets lengthened to past the hipline and straight-cut coats for the illusion of height.
As fashion goes long, jewelry can go short. The best jewelry for this look is a choker necklace with either groupings of colored gemstones or a dramatic center motif made of several colored gemstones. For those bare evening looks, choose long, dangling earrings with gemstone drops, an armful of colorful bracelets or one large, conversation-stopping cocktail ring.
In today's world, for every tailored look, there must be an equal number of relaxed styles. Designers are calling these "comfort clothes," and they include a range of soft knits, loose-fitting pants and oversized sweaters.
For this more casual mode, go for small colored gemstone earrings or tiny hoops set with one or two gemstones. Give that plain gold chain a stylish accent with a colorful gemstone pendant in a fancy shape such as a marquise or a triangle.
Day or night, designers continue to alter our notions about what is proper to wear during different times of the day, showing cashmere sweaters and plaids in the evening, sequins and beads in the day. Related trends include the use of luxurious trims such as velvets, real and faux fur and the return of metallics - for all times of day and night.
Pick up the playful mood with your jewelry, and use the boldness of colored gemstones whenever you choose. With cool metallics, go for cool colored gemstones: blue Sapphire, green Tourmaline and Aquamarine. For warmer colors, pull out all the stops with Ruby, Fire Opal and Red Garnet. Enhance pastel colored cashmeres with Peridot, Emerald and Amethyst.

Information provided by American Gem Trade Association via member Janet Myers

BUILD YOUR GEMSTONE WARDROBE

Today's stylish woman has opportunities open to her that the great beauties of time would have envied! Even Catherine the Great's wealth or Cleopatra's power couldn't bring them the selection of colored gemstones available today. The best part is you don't have to be a queen or empress to afford them!

Colored gemstone jewelry is elegant, affordable and available in an infinite array of colors and combinations. Armed with a little knowledge and a minimal investment, you can create a colored gemstone wardrobe that reflects your personality and makes an unforgettable statement about you.

Building a wardrobe of colored gemstone jewelry is an exhilarating experience - as well as a lasting investment. Like the perfect navy suite, leather pumps and white silk blouse that form the foundation of your wardrobe, so too, are the basics that make up the building blocks of your jewelry wardrobe.

To build your colored gemstone jewelry wardrobe, begin with the items you will wear most of the time - a ring, a pin, a pair of earrings or perhaps a pendant or necklace.

Ask yourself: what colored gemstones will best complement the clothes I wear? If you wear a lot of black, navy and gray, why not jazz up the outfit with a fiery red gemstone such as a Ruby, Garnet or hot pink Tourmaline? The gemstone's brilliant color will be a punctuation point for the muted tones.

Is your wardrobe based on classic earth tones? Liven up your outfits with jewelry of Citrine, Peridot, Garnet and Topaz. Do you love the soft elegance of pastels? Enhance them with cultured Pearls, Aquamarines, Tourmalines and Peridots.

Do you prefer hot colors or cool? You can use colored gemstones that match your wardrobe colors, or you can experiment and create excitement using colored gemstones that contrast with the hues.

If you would like to match the colors in your wardrobe, you can create excitement by wearing a combination of Sapphire, Emeralds, Amethysts or Iolites complemented with Pearls and Moonstones. If you want to contrast the colors, have fun by wearing your Sapphire earrings with a bright red suite or your Citrine ring with your green dress. Be daring and mix contrasting colors in a piece of jewelry the way an artist would mix colors when creating an exciting painting. Wearing colored gemstone jewelry will make your statement of style your very own.

Use colored gemstones to complement the tone of your skin, the color of your eyes and the highlights of your hair.

Choose a colored gemstone necklace or earrings to bring rich color closer to your face.

Want to draw attention to those baby blues? How about earrings set with Aquamarine or blue Topaz? Are you a brunette with golden or red highlights? Accentuate the richness of your hair with earrings of yellow Sapphire, Rhodolite Garnet or Citrine.

After you've put together the basics, it's time to branch out to additional jewelry pieces that either match or contrast with what you already own. Consider a stylish bangle or necklace combining several different colored gemstones that can complement other pieces in your collection or can be worn alone to make a strong fashion statement.

Building a wardrobe of colored gemstone jewelry is easy, affordable and fun. Consider your colored gemstone jewelry your best fashion investment - one guaranteed to give you a lifetime of wearing pleasure.

Article provided by Janet Myers, AGTA Member, from the AGTA Website