I Love all Kinds of Crystals, including Those in Watches

© Malenkov in Exile

In looking for a graduation gift recently I was looking for a watch online, like luxury watches at watchsea24, and I started to get interested in how watches work. Since I love crystals in most forms, I was intrigued by what the term means precisely in the watch world. The crystal of a watch is, of course, the protecting transparent covering over the actual watch face. I found that there are sapphire crystals, made of synthetic sapphire and which are the hardest type of watch crystal. There are also mineral crystals, which aren't as hard as the synthetic sapphire crystals, but are harder than another type, which is the plastic or acrylic crystal, the least hard of all. It was fascinating learning more about watches, and it made me appreciate more the complexity involved…the complexity underlying the otherwise fashion statement that watches are! I love accessorizing with different watches in fact!

Oil Crystal Jewelry

© rox sm

A local resident in the Gulf Coast city of Roswell, Georgia has found a way to turn an ugly disaster into something beautiful. Rochelle Nation and her business partner Shondra Leigh of Decatur are transforming the oil from last year's Deepwater Horizon spill into hauntingly beautiful and unique crystal jewelry.

The oil from tarballs washed up on area beaches is sealed under crystal quartz, and then encased in refined, 100% recycled silver, gold and refined leathers from vintage coats. Sales of the pieces are also helping the people of the Gulf Coast because the duo is donating a portion of their proceeds to assisting people affected by the spill. Nation and Leigh began making the tarball jewelry in October to assist a fellow artist, Holt Webb, with his non-profit Vanishing America Project. 20% of the profits from their pieces are donate to this project which promotes conservation and raises awareness about environmental issues.

Crystal Bridal Jewelry Line

© Mercury Jane

Nina is a well known footwear brand, but now this company is expanding in a new direction by formally stepping into the world of weddings with Nina Bridal accessories line.

The collection made its debut at the National Bridal Market in Chicago, featuring not just bridal shoes but a full line of handbags, crystal bridal jewelry, sashes, decorative headpieces and veils. The line stays true to Nina's heritage of creating evening footwear for the entire wedding party, and is designed to create a one-stop-shop for all of the necessary bridal accessories. Filigree crystal chandelier earrings, embroidered veils and crystal-embellished headbands are some of the standouts in the collection, with prices ranging form $25 to $1,000. Company designers have specifically created all of the accessories to coordinate with the brand's bridal shoe offerings.