Perfumes have been a special choice for many people, especially women. The sweet smell has a power to entice everyone, particularly, men. Sometimes, the choice of perfume reflects the personality of the person who wears it.
Each kind of perfume is unique in its fragrance and it adds to the personality depending on the occasion when you wear it. Moreover, there are special techniques of applying perfume on the body.
The use of perfume dates back to the ancient period in the history of mankind. During that period, perfumes were pure extracts of flowers. The tradition of perfume has never changed till date though the formula and techniques of preparing perfumes have taken a great change in due course.
Today, there are several companies manufacturing perfumes and making the world a great place for scents. According to a school of thought, perfume was an accessory manufactured mainly for the fair sex. Some refute this belief saying that perfume has always been gender neutral. However, in the modern days, perfume manufactures packaging perfume by dividing the gender. Hence, based on the gender, different forums are available for men and women.
Perfume is one of the most sought-after accessories women want to improve and express their personality. Hence, it brings a great deal of joy to them. It is the perfume that makes a woman sexy, mystical and desirable among men. It is no wonder then why the perfume is referred as magic spray. To make sure that this spray is used with optimum effectiveness, a couple of tips would do you a world of good. Here they are:
1. It is a very common practice for many women to apply perfume on their wrists. This is actually a very effective technique as the wrist is a pulse or pressure point and it is extremely beneficial for perfume application. However, many women rub their wrists together as it reduces the effectiveness of the fragrance.
2. Some people lose perfume because of their lack of knowledge on how to use it. Many perfume user forgets to secure you lead of the bottle tightly. As a result they let the precious perfume evaporate in the process.
Perfume, like any water substance, can evaporate if exposed to sunlight. Hence, the best way to make your perfume last longer is to ensure that the lead of the perfume bottle is secured when it is not in use.
3. A perfume is as good as it smells. After this is why women use it for. This is precisely why women spend a fortune on buying their favorite perfume. Sadly, perfume has a way of fading away during the course of the day. Usually, the perfume particles diffuse away leaving nothing on your skin or dress.
However, should you need to ensure that the fragrance last longer, you can reapply the perfume to make its fragrance last as long as you want. As a thumb rule, you should use it once in every four hours.
The significance of female perfumes has always been considered with utmost seriousness. However, it has further increased in the modern days because we are living in a cosmetic world where the very first impression is made by the way you come across to others.
Apart from the a decent dress code appropriate to different specific occasion, perfume also figures prominently among a wide range of accessories that women adore.
Hence, the importance of perfume becomes extremely critical in making a first impression as well. This is why it is important to follow the above tips on how to use a perfume and make the most of the fragrance that emanates from it.
When shopping for pearl jewelry, whether online or in a jewelry store, you are going to see and hear some industry terms that you may not be that familiar with. You’ll be told that the nacre of this pearl is thick, it’s luster is excellent, it’s surface is clean and that is why it retails for $999. The only thing you might recognize from that description is the price! So educating yourself on the terminology used to describe pearl jewelry before you begin shopping will allow you to accurately compare pearls from one another, understand their value, and can lead you to making a very good purchase on quality pearls. You may even end up saving a few dollars just by knowing a few terms!
Cultured vs Natural
Let’s start with knowing the difference between Cultured Pearls and Natural Pearls. While both are real pearls, the way they are created is what sets them apart. Cultured pearls are harvested on pearl farms in controlled conditions. With the assistance of pearl farmers, they insert an object into the mollusk to jump start the creation of the pearl. The end result is still an authentic pearl that carries the same properties as a natural pearl.
Natural pearls by contrast are those found in their natural environment. They are pearls that have been stumbled upon by chance. Therefore, natural pearl jewelry may carry a heavier price tag than cultured pearl jewelry because of the unique, natural quality they have. Cultured pearls tend to be more affordable because of their ability to be mass produced. However, each is still very similar in their qualities and authenticity.
Shape
As you study the pearls that interest you, pay close attention to the shape of the pearl. The closer each pearl is to a perfect sphere or being perfectly round, the higher in value the jewelry will be. Round pearls are pretty rare to come across and only account for a small percentage of the pearls coming out of pearl farms.
From there, you will see the term Near-round to describe pearls that are not quite perfectly round, but close to it. Oval pearls look just as they sound. Button style pearls are pearls that appear to be thinner, or squashed by comparison. Drop pearls have the appearance of a tear drop.
Lastly are Baroque pearls. These pearls are irregular in shape and are non-symmetrical as well. In fact, the actual shapes of a baroque pearl can range from simply being semi-round to stick or cross shaped. Many times however, a strand of baroque pearls will be similar to each other thus creating a uniform strand. Incidentally, Tahitian and South Sea baroque pearls are also very unique as the process to create them takes much longer. Therefore, their value may be considered greater.
Nacre / Mother-of-Pearl
Nacre, or mother-of-pearl, is a secretion of calcium carbonate and conchiolin that a mollusk will release to cover an object such as a grain of sand that has entered the mollusk. This object acts as an irritant and triggers the secretion to begin. Layers and layers of nacre will build around this object and leads to the production of a pearl. In fact, a real pearl can be identified by its layers of nacre present. The thicker the nacre, the higher quality and more durable your pearl is against nicks, scratches and overall wear and tear.
Luster
Luster is a term used to describe a pearls ability to reflect light. The more translucent each layer of the pearl, the greater its ability to reflect light. You can visually determine a pearls luster by its ability to show your reflection or have shine to it. If the pearl is dull or really doesn’t have a reflection, then it is considered to be poor in quality.
Surface
A pearls surface can be described as clean, blemished or marked. The surface is basically how you see the pearl. Looking at it, do you see any marks or discolorations in its coating or color? If you do, these are the pearls blemishes or marks. If a pearl does not appear to have any, then it is described as clean. A pearl with a clean surface is considered to have a higher value than a pearl with a blemished surface. If you have your eyes set on a strand of clean pearls, be sure that the strand is uniform and that each pearl has a clean surface. While blemished pearls are considered to be lesser in value, they are still considered to be of good quality. Pearls whose surface is so poor generally do not make it to the jewelry stage.
Color
Colors of pearls vary from bright whites to rich shades of black. The color of the pearl will depend on the types of pearls you are looking at. For instance Akoya pearls generally come in whites with cream or pink overtones. Tahitian pearls on the other hand are most likely black or shades of gray. South Sea pearls meanwhile are generally associated with golden pearls.
The color of pearls really doesn’t affect the pricing of it. However you will want to be sure that all of the other quality factors still apply to the pearls you are considering. Your choice of colored pearls should be chosen carefully to compliment your skin tone. As a rule of thumb, people with tan or darker skin tones tend to find darker pearls or pearls with cream overtones to compliment their skin best. Women with lighter, fairer skin will find that pearls with pink or rose overtones work well.
Grades
With so many terms used to describe pearl jewelry, it’s not a wonder we felt the need to write this article! However, all of these characteristics can be combined and defined with a simple grade. Yes, pearls receive grades based upon their quality. There are three grades that can be assigned to a pearl ranging from A to AAA.
A pearl with a grade of AAA means these pearls are of the highest quality and greatest value. It means all of the characteristics listed out above are of the best conditioning. You can expect these types of pearls to be higher in price.
Pearl jewelry given a grade of AA is your middle of the road pearl. The pearls generally will be round or near-round shape and may have slight blemishes here and there. These and the rest of the qualities will either be considered of high quality or slightly below.
Lastly, pearl jewelry given an A generally means you’ll find a few more blemishes, a lower luster quality, and either a near round or semi-round shape. It is important to note that pearls with a lower grade do not necessarily mean they are not worth the investment. They are still quality, authentic pearls that have been matched with each other to create a uniform, cohesive set of pearl jewelry.
Perhaps you may not be able to remember all of the terminology, but knowing the significance of a pearls grade will ensure you will be able to select a quality piece of jewelry that is worth the asking price. Now you hopefully will be able to go into a jewelry shop, online or off, and will have a clear advantage to make a smart purchasing decision. Couple this information with knowing the different types of pearls available and you will be all set!
