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Year of the "S"?



 
 
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  #11  
Old November 26th 07, 06:21 PM posted to rec.crafts.jewelry
Al Balmer
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 25
Default Year of the "S"?

On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 22:42:17 -0800, "Sterling"
wrote:

OH MY GAWD! Another woman who like me, despises all the hoopla of diamonds -
they are so very blah!

Give me a Sapphire any day!! Yeah, I have two diamond rings, but I wear my
sapphire 99% more than those diamonds.

I'll really shock the newsgroup - in spite of having altogether too
much money invested in diamonds, my wife's particular favorite is a
pink CZ cut in Jeff Graham's "Trap Swirl" design :-)

CZ is really a remarkable gemstone. Too bad it's so cheap it gets no
respect :-)

Sterling


"C Ryman" wrote in message
news : The "S" wouldn't be so bad if it was set with high quality Emeralds,
Rubies,
: or some other nice colored stones. Diamonds are just so bland.
:
: --
: Connie Ryman
: Cryman Studio
:
: "mbstevens" wrote in message
: ...
: Sterling wrote:
: Basically, I told him that a kiss does not begin at
: Kay's, and if I found that ugly necklace under the xmas tree this year,
I
: would be very very disappointed.
:
: Both Kay and Helzberg sell them here, each slurping down about the same
: amount of air time with their ads. You have to wonder if one has a
patent
: suit against the other. If companies can patent human genes,
: why not the sparkly-S?
:
:


--
Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ
Ads
  #12  
Old November 27th 07, 08:18 AM posted to rec.crafts.jewelry
Abrasha
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 298
Default Year of the "S"?

Al Balmer wrote:


CZ is really a remarkable gemstone. Too bad it's so cheap it gets no
respect :-)


The CZ (Cubic Zirconia) which you speak of is NOT a gemstone.

It is the cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), is a
mineral that is widely synthesized for use as a diamond simulant. The
synthesized material is hard, optically flawless and usually colorless,
but may be made in a variety of different colors. It should not be
confused with zircon, which is a zirconium silicate (ZrSiO4).

Cubic zirconia is extremely rare in nature.

--
Abrasha
http://www.abrasha.com
  #13  
Old November 27th 07, 08:18 AM posted to rec.crafts.jewelry
Abrasha
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 298
Default Year of the "S"?

Peter W.. Rowe, wrote:


Happy Thanksgiving to all in the group, or at least to those who observe this
little U.S. tradition. It's easy. Today, eat way too much food, especially
turkey and stuff.


This year my family and I spent Thanksgiving at Tentokuin temple on the
sacred Mount Koya, Japan, eating a simple vegetarian dinner as well as a
vegetarian breakfast the following morning.

Watch some football, maybe a parade or two.


No football for us, we spent the morning visiting the Okunoin Cemetery
viewing the graves of such notables as Miyamoto Musashi, and the
Tokugawa shoguns, as well as a number of remarkable temples of the
Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism.

--
Abrasha
http://www.abrasha.com
  #14  
Old November 27th 07, 08:24 AM posted to rec.crafts.jewelry
Peter W.. Rowe,
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 355
Default Year of the "S"?

On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:18:22 -0800, in rec.crafts.jewelry Abrasha
wrote:

Peter W.. Rowe, wrote:


Happy Thanksgiving to all in the group, or at least to those who observe this
little U.S. tradition. It's easy. Today, eat way too much food, especially
turkey and stuff.


This year my family and I spent Thanksgiving at Tentokuin temple on the
sacred Mount Koya, Japan, eating a simple vegetarian dinner as well as a
vegetarian breakfast the following morning.

Watch some football, maybe a parade or two.


No football for us, we spent the morning visiting the Okunoin Cemetery
viewing the graves of such notables as Miyamoto Musashi, and the
Tokugawa shoguns, as well as a number of remarkable temples of the
Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism.


Sounds like a remarkable, amazing trip. Someday I'd like to see Japan. So
far, it's still just on my wish list.

Did the current low level of the dollar, and corresponding exchange rate for the
yen make your trip excessively costly, or are things basically inexpensive
enough underneath it all that the rise in dollar costs doesn't hurt so badly?
For my family in Germany and Switzerland last summer, that exchange rate coupled
with already high prices even in the local currencies, made the costs rather
daunting...

Peter
  #15  
Old November 27th 07, 06:39 PM posted to rec.crafts.jewelry
Al Balmer
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 25
Default Year of the "S"?

On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:18:05 -0800, Abrasha
wrote:

Al Balmer wrote:


CZ is really a remarkable gemstone. Too bad it's so cheap it gets no
respect :-)


The CZ (Cubic Zirconia) which you speak of is NOT a gemstone.

It is the cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), is a
mineral that is widely synthesized for use as a diamond simulant. The
synthesized material is hard, optically flawless and usually colorless,
but may be made in a variety of different colors. It should not be
confused with zircon, which is a zirconium silicate (ZrSiO4).

Cubic zirconia is extremely rare in nature.


I'm perfectly aware of what it is. I use it to make gems (rarely
colorless, and none that pretend to be diamonds). My definition of
these terms may or may not agree with yours, but I think a bit of
research will show that both our definitions are within the wide range
of meanings commonly used.

From the IGS:


"However, defining what a gemstone is has proven to be a major
challenge. Not for everyday people with common sense, but for those
lexicographers who have a need to precisely define each work (sic) in
our language."

and:

"To heck with the definitions, if it makes your eyes light up, it is a
true gem!"

--
Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ
  #16  
Old November 28th 07, 06:09 PM posted to rec.crafts.jewelry
Abrasha
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 298
Default Year of the "S"?

Peter W.. Rowe, wrote:
On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:18:22 -0800, in rec.crafts.jewelry Abrasha
wrote:

Peter W.. Rowe, wrote:

Happy Thanksgiving to all in the group, or at least to those who observe this
little U.S. tradition. It's easy. Today, eat way too much food, especially
turkey and stuff.
This year my family and I spent Thanksgiving at Tentokuin temple on the
sacred Mount Koya, Japan, eating a simple vegetarian dinner as well as a
vegetarian breakfast the following morning.

Watch some football, maybe a parade or two.
No football for us, we spent the morning visiting the Okunoin Cemetery
viewing the graves of such notables as Miyamoto Musashi, and the
Tokugawa shoguns, as well as a number of remarkable temples of the
Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism.


Sounds like a remarkable, amazing trip.



It truly was. My wife and I tried to come up with a name for our trip.
Something like "Ten day Tour of Ten Temples, Tofu and Tricky
Toilets". I had been in Japan before, 21 years ago, and it was fun to
take my family to some of the same places I had visited then.


Someday I'd like to see Japan. So
far, it's still just on my wish list.

Did the current low level of the dollar, and corresponding exchange rate for the
yen make your trip excessively costly,



No it wasn't excessively expensive, just expensive.

Travel to Japan was free, since we used airline miles to get there for
all four of us. We stayed with a friend of mine in Tokyo. Meals in
restaurants are not very different in price than in the US. However, if
you are not careful things can get out of hand, and certain places which
are frequented by tourists, like in the Gion district in Kyoto, will
take advantage of you and charge more than necessary. This happened a
couple of times to us, and it did not diminish our joy of the trip.

And you can eat very inexpensively too, for instance when you eat
noodles in any noodle restaurant (udon or soba).

Getting to Kyoto with the Shinkansen was expensive, as well as staying
in ryokans (traditional Japanese inns), which charge per person per
night instead of per room per night. However, Kaiseki meals for dinner
and breakfast were included. After our first ryokan, where we ate all
the traditional meals, we skipped the dinners in our second ryokan and
opted to eat out. My oldest son craved food he "could recognize", and
we all complied. Getting around for one person can be inexpensive if
you take local trains and buses. If you stay in Japan long enough, it
is worth it to get a Japan Rail Pass, which will get you on all JR rail
trains (there are several railway companies in Japan). Since we were
four we took mainly taxis in Kyoto for the convenience. This was just a
little bit more expensive than buses, but obviously a great deal faster
and more convenient.


or are things basically inexpensive
enough underneath it all that the rise in dollar costs doesn't hurt so badly?



Well, I haven't added it all up yet, we just returned yesterday, but
that certainly was the feeling, at least as far as food was concerned.
The main costs of getting there and staying somewhere will be high, if
you don't have miles or a friend or relative to stay with.

I'll put some photos online, when I get to it. I took well over a
thousand photos, mostly crap of course, but there will be a few good
ones in there also.

Some of the highlights of our trip were visiting the Tsukiji Market in
Tokyo, Todai-ji in Nara, the largest wooden building in the world, and
Ryoan-ji, Kinkaku-ji, Nanzen-ji, Kyomizu-dera, and Sanjusangendo, all in
Kyoto.

--
Abrasha
http://www.abrasha.com
  #17  
Old November 28th 07, 06:09 PM posted to rec.crafts.jewelry
mbstevens
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 165
Default Year of the "S"?

Al Balmer wrote:

From the IGS:


"However, defining what a gemstone is has proven to be a major
challenge. Not for everyday people with common sense, but for those
lexicographers who have a need to precisely define each work (sic) in
our language."


Nicely researched; you're a gem, Al.
  #18  
Old December 31st 07, 10:03 PM posted to rec.crafts.jewelry
Abrasha
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 298
Default Year of the "S"?

Peter W.. Rowe, wrote:
On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:18:22 -0800, in rec.crafts.jewelry Abrasha
wrote:

Peter W.. Rowe, wrote:

Happy Thanksgiving to all in the group, or at least to those who observe this
little U.S. tradition. It's easy. Today, eat way too much food, especially
turkey and stuff.
This year my family and I spent Thanksgiving at Tentokuin temple on the
sacred Mount Koya, Japan, eating a simple vegetarian dinner as well as a
vegetarian breakfast the following morning.

Watch some football, maybe a parade or two.
No football for us, we spent the morning visiting the Okunoin Cemetery
viewing the graves of such notables as Miyamoto Musashi, and the
Tokugawa shoguns, as well as a number of remarkable temples of the
Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism.


Sounds like a remarkable, amazing trip. Someday I'd like to see Japan. So
far, it's still just on my wish list.


After having gone through "reverse culture shock" for the past several
weeks, I finally slogged through over the mostly crappy 1300 photos I
took.

I have put several online. Take a look at
http://gallery.mac.com/abrasha if you want.

Warning, they do include a number of sappy family pics.

--
Abrasha
http://www.abrasha.com
 




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