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Just Posted: Our Pentax K2000 / K-m review

Just Posted: Our full review of the Pentax K2000 (or K-m to the Europeans amongst us). Pentax's latest baby DSLR enters the ring with much of the K200D's capability slimmed down into an even smaller, lighter, more use-friendly format. But the flyweight end of the DSLR market is home to some plucky competitors, so can the K2000 do enough to fight its corner? Read our 35 page review to find out.

Source: www.dpreview.com

Post switch makes for price reduction at The Touch

February 06, 2009

New York--Jewelry designer Steven Edward The Touch is changing things up at the company's manufacturing facilities.

From now on, all sterling silver, vermeil and rhodium-plated earrings will feature hypo-allergenic surgical stainless steel posts instead of 14-karat yellow gold.

The change will lower prices for earrings by $4.00 a pair. For retailers who prefer their posts in yellow gold, the 14-karat option is still available, priced at an additional $4.00.

Steven Edward The Touch is well known for its nautical-themed offerings, including cable and braid jewelry, as well as "Sailor's Valentines"--a medallion-like design crafted into pendants, bracelets and rings.

The company creates its designs in a variety of metals, including 14-karat yellow and white gold, sterling silver and vermeil. Earrings in titanium and stainless steel were recently added to the mix.

For more about the company, or for a peek at the designs, visit Steven Edward The Touch's Web site, The-Touch.com.

100-carat diamond gets its name

Named by its new owner for his wife of 16 years, "The Shizuka Diamond" is a 101.27-carat stone mounted into a tiara for its sale at Christie's in May 2008.

Hong Kong--The rare, 101.27-carat diamond sold at Christie's spring 2008 Hong Kong auction is now known as "The Shizuka Diamond," Christie's announced on Thursday.

The giant stone's owner selected the name as a gift for his wife of 16 years.

The Shizuka diamond netted $6.2 million at "Jewels: The Hong Kong Sale" in May 2008 and, according to the release from Christie's, is the largest colorless diamond ever sold at auction in Asia. At the time of its sale, it was also the largest colorless diamond sold at auction worldwide in nearly 20 years.

Mounted into a tiara for the auction, the F-color Shizuka was cut from a 460-carat piece of rough and is shield-shaped with 92 facets.

According to the release, "The sale of this important gem in Hong Kong, rather than in New York or Geneva, was a testament to the vibrant Asian market and the growing number of collectors in the region."

According to the release, Christie's 2008 jewelry sales totaled a record $383.5 million in 2008, up from $394.7 million in 2007.

This included the December 2008 London sale of the historic Wittelsbach diamond, which dates to the 17th century.

The cushion-shaped, deep grayish-blue, 35.56-carat diamond sold for $24.3 million, making it the most expensive jewel ever sold at auction.

Christie's auctions take place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Geneva; Hong Kong; London; New York; Paris and Milan, Italy.

Out We Go

"Summer evening in Vasiliki - Lefkas - Greece. 30C, wind just died off, photo taken from a small fish tavern on the water". Taken by Mike

Source: planetearthdailyphoto.blogspot.com

Breuning expands silver offerings

These sterling silver rings are part of Breuning's new "Silver and Diamonds III" collection.

New York--Jewelry manufacturer Breuning is expanding its sterling silver offerings with a new collection of friendship rings.

The line, dubbed "Silver and Diamonds III," features 12 matched pairs of rings either in silver only or silver paired with yellow or rose gold inlays. Half of the rings in the collection also feature diamond accents.

Breuning is offering retailers the line, plus a complimentary display to showcase it, for under $1,000. Delivery time on re-orders is two to three weeks.

The brand's silver offerings already include the "Silver and Diamonds Collections I and II," plus the "Branded Silver Collection."

Sterling silver was a hot topic over the holiday season and at the JA New York Winter Show, where a number of retailers interviewed by National Jeweler said they were seeking out silver designs so that they might offer a lower price point to customers.

Designers at the show in turn, appeared to have heard silver's call, with many introducing new silver collections or expanding their silver offerings.

For more information on Breuning's Silver and Diamonds III line, call (866) 872-2842.

Catalog in Motion show set for Tucson

Rio Grande will hold one of its popular hands-on showcases for jewelry-makers in Tucson this year.

The Catalog in Motion show is set to take place from Feb. 6-9 at the Tucson East Hilton in Tucson, Ariz.

Hosted by Rio Grande, this hands-on tools, equipment and techniques showcase for jewelry-makers is being held during the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. Through a combination of product demonstrations, seminars, classes and face-to-face conversations, attendees will have an opportunity to get their questions answered as they see and try out the latest tools and techniques alongside industry experts.

This year, topics include new BRONZclay, Argentium Sterling, wax-carving, stone-setting, bench tips and engraving. In addition, the show will host free demonstrations of techniques such as glass-bead fabrication.

Participants can also register for affordable, limited-size classes to learn new hands-on techniques and increase their skills. Class topics include PMC and BRONZclay, bench skills, soldering, stone-setting, pearl stringing and more; class sizes are limited to ensure a personalized experience. PMC certification classes are also offered through Rio Rewards.

Admission to the show is free. Pre-registration is now open and on-site registration begins on Feb. 6 at 8:00 a.m.

For more information, call (800) 545-6566 or visit CatalogInMotion.com.

Watch phone from LG

LG GD910 watch phone : LG Electronics, a worldwide technology and design leader in mobile communications, intros the worldвЂ™s first market-ready Touch Watch Phone (Model: LG-GD910) with 3G Video Telephony (VT) service and GSM Quadband Network capabilities. This chic, wearable mobile phone is a follow-up to the prototype that LG introduced at CES 2008 (Consumer Electronic Show Las Vegas) and includes a number of upgrades, including a full touchscreen interface, 3G capabilities and video calling. Most importantly, this watch phone will actually be available for purchase. The wrist watch phone also includes stereo Bluetooth and a built-in speaker for playing back music files. A large phonebook and scheduler help with organization.

LG Watch phone
вЂњOur new 3G LG Touch Watch Phone is stylish, sophisticated and the height of technology, but itвЂ™s also undeniably fun. How else can you reenact those scenes from your favorite sci-fi or spy movie?вЂќ said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. вЂњThe new LG Watch Phone also demonstrates LGвЂ™s technological leadership, proving that we can bring all the components in todayвЂ™s most advanced mobile phones down to a very small scale.вЂќ

LG GD910 watch phone features
At first glance, LGвЂ™s new Watch phone appears to simply be a high-end timepiece. LG used materials and stylistic elements found in watches from top manufacturers to ensure that people will be comfortable wearing it for any occasion. The LG GD910 watch phone has a curved tempered glass face, high quality metal casing and is a mere 13.9mm thick. The 3G LG watch phone is as technologically advanced as it is stylish. It is the first touch watch phone in the world to feature 7.2 Mbps 3G HSDPA compatibility, enabling high-speed data transmission and video phone calls using the built-in digital camera.

LG Touchscreen watch phone
LG did not sacrifice functionality in favor of size and the Wrist Watch Phone is fully capable of sending text messages, making phone calls, and, of course, keeping accurate time. This is all achieved using the phoneвЂ™s touchscreen interface on its 3.63cm (1.43-inch) screen and LGвЂ™s intuitive Flash Interface. Voice recognition features, which can be used with or without a Bluetooth headset, make it easier to place calls and look up contacts. Text to Speech (TTS) reads text messages and other information out loud for even greater convenience.

LG GD910 watch phone
вЂњThis LG Design Watch Phone is the result of a great deal of research and development, something that is very important to us at LG. We will continue to invest in creating innovative new products and technologies like this and setting trends in the mobile phone industry,вЂќ Dr. Ahn said. At the CES show in Las Vegas, LG will demonstrate some of the Watch Phones main features including its Flash Interface, MP3 player, Voice Calling, Text messaging and Text to Speech. The LG Watch phone is set to go on sale in Europe sometime this year.

Source: www.letsgodigital.org

The Earth Matrix

"In memory, a very adorable JizЕЌ". Japan. Taken by QuimdoportoF.decorate(_ge('photo_notes'), F._photo_notes).notes_go_go_go(3084933992, 'http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3068/3084933992_3db9af2c02_t.jpg', '3.1444');

Source: planetearthdailyphoto.blogspot.com

Colored stones, hoops top picks at SAGs

Jane Krakowski wore dramatic drop-hoop style earrings from Bochic to the 2009 Screen Actors Guild Awards. The earrings are crafted in 22-karat yellow gold and feature ruby studs and rubies at the center. Photo: Courtesy of D'Orazio and Associates.

Los Angeles--It seems First Lady Michelle Obama has set a new style edict--one that's extending all the way to Hollywood--with a number of starlets following her inaugural lead and choosing one-shoulder gowns to wear to last night's Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.

To accentuate the look, actresses such as Teri Hatcher, Laura Linney and Evan Rachel Wood avoided adorning their necks and instead paired their asymmetrical gowns with drop earrings, rings or bracelets on one wrist.

Hatcher chose jewels from Neil Lane, including earrings with lapis, onyx and diamond, plus diamond and sapphire rings, and a huge diamond and rock crystal bracelet, all set in platinum. Wood went with Lane too, pairing a large lapis and gold bracelet with a platinum and diamond eagle pin featuring emerald and ruby accents. She topped it all off with a diamond, ruby and emerald ring.

Linney, meanwhile, winner of the SAG award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a miniseries or television movie, picked Cathy Waterman diamond bracelets, earrings and two diamond rings.

Another trend that made a mark on last night's red carpet was a proliferation of hoop earrings, which ranged from oversized and statement-making to small and simple.

Samantha Who?'s Christina Applegate went the statement-making route, pairing massive drop-style diamond hoops from Lorraine Schwartz with stacked diamond bangle bracelets and diamonds-by-the-yard necklaces. And actress Jane Krakowski also wore a drop-style hoop, pairing the 22-karat yellow gold and ruby earrings from Bochic with a matching bracelet.

On the other end of the spectrum, Angelina Jolie paired a relatively subdued gown with small hoops from Tiffany and Co., and 30 Rock's Tina Fey, one of the night's big winners, chose simple diamond-studded hoops from Judith Ripka.

Among the sea of diamonds, colored gemstones also held their own, from Lorraine Schwartz sapphires on Desperate Housewives' Marcia Cross to Bochic aquamarine cabochon earrings on Lisa Rinna. Nominees Amy Adams and Taraji P. Henson each looked to H. Stern for their color fixes. Adams picked the brand's "Nature" diamond earrings with amethyst and rose quartz drops, while Haraji chose the "Sunrise" bracelet and earrings in varying shades of citrine, from golden yellow to dark amber.

Jewelry designer Caroline Ballou closes up shop

January 26, 2009

Difficult economic conditions have forced Attleborough Falls, Mass.-based designer Caroline Ballou to close up shop, the company announced late last week.

Attleborough Falls, Mass.--Jewelry designer and manufacturer Caroline Ballou LLC is the latest member of the jewelry industry to fall victim to the economic crisis.

In an e-mail distributed on Friday, the Attleborough Falls, Mass.-based company announced that it was going out of business and will be conducting a closing sale this week.

The sale is open to everyone through the close of business on Jan. 30. Credit card is the only accepted form of payment.

"We are sorry to say that the dramatic impact of the current economic crisis on our industry and the expectation that it will continue throughout 2009 has caused us to discontinue the Caroline Ballou business," the e-mail stated. "Thank you to our loyal customers: We appreciate the support you have given us through the years. We've enjoyed seeing you at the shows and felt particularly fortunate when we were able to visit your stores. We wish you the best of luck in 2009 and beyond."

The sale includes sterling silver and sterling silver/18-karat gold jewelry at 60 percent off and 20 percent off 18-karat gold jewelry.

There is no minimum purchase requirement even for first-time customers, but all sales are final.

Also, there is no stock balancing. Standard shipping and insurance charges apply.

Orders will be based on availability and there are no back orders or custom orders.