Cabochon Cut Gemstones

Photo: 1stdibs - A cabochon cut emerald 

Cabochons are smooth, polished gemstones without facets. They are often cut with a convex (rounded and bulged), i.e. a dome with a flat bottom. A cabochon cut is the earliest known method of cutting gemstones into jewelry. Not until the 13th century were gemstones first cut into facets.

Photo: Raf Jewels - ruby

Nowadays transparent (light passes through) stones are usually cut faceted, whereas translucent (some light passes through) or opaque (no light passes through) gemstones are good candidates for cabochons.

Some of the reasons for cabochons include 1) enhancing a gemstone's color or texture; 2) highlighting its unique inclusions or optical effects; and 3) turning softer stones into jewelry that would fracture if cut into facets.

Tsavorite (a green garnet) cabochon

Below are several more cabochon cut gemstones. Some are costly, others are less pricey depending on rarity and demand for the stones. Clearly natural gemstones are lovely at every price point. Who cares how common it is?

1) Chatoyancy (a cat's eye); 2) Asterism (the star effect) - Real star corundums (sapphires or rubies) are rare and expensive.

(3) Adularescence - has a glow when light bounces off of it (a moonstone); (4) Iridescence - changes color with moment (a white opal); and 

(5) Aventurescence - has a twinkling shine (pink and green aventurine) - These stones can be chiseled into hearts, ovals, other shapes, or left as free form.

According to Barlows Gems, the shape of a cabochon can be symmetrical, calibrated, or free form. "Symmetrical" means a cabochon is mirror imaged on both sides. "Calibrated" is a term used for rounds or ovals as they are standard sized stones measured in millimeters. "Free form" cabochons have no definite shape like the aventurine stones shown above↑.

Photo: Barlows Gems

Now that we'd discussed what cabochon gemstones are and I've shown you a few types, would you splurge on a cabochon? In jewelry do you like cabochon stones: a) better; b) the same as; or c) not as much as faceted cut stones? Tell us why.

Photo: Gem Select

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The Diamond Cluster Jewelry Trend

 

Effy Bouquet 14K White Gold Diamond Cluster Earrings

Fine jewelers will always make diamond stud earrings, as well as, diamond solitaire rings. Both are elegant, classic and wildly popular with the public. But more and more people are turning to diamond cluster rings and earrings, and jewelers are responding to the demand by designing them.

Wouldn't we all love to own a 5 carat diamond ring along with 4 carat diamond stud earrings. Am I outing myself only?😏 Oh c'mon, don't lie to yourself, sister! Where is THAT fairy godmother hiding herself? I've got a long list waiting!! So the obvious question becomes why is the diamond cluster trend happening in the jewelry world at the present time?

Well, it's because we don't wish to mortgage our homes and become panhandlers in order to buy big stones. For one stone (in a ring) or 2 single stones (in earring studs), diamonds get exponentially more expensive and often unaffordable with each increase in carat size. While diamonds (carbon) are common on earth, clean, flawless stones over 2 carats are rarer and harder to find. What's more, the demand for diamonds keeps the price sky high.

One of the reasons diamonds are so popular with consumers is the way in which they catch the light and sparkle like few other gemstones. Tanzanites and moissanites glitter much like diamonds often for less money. Some people buy them as budget-friendlier alternatives. Far from settling, each type of gemstone is loved by collectors for its own unique beauty.

Jewelry examples courtesy of Macy's

If a customer on a budget pines for diamonds, s/he can buy the effect of bigger diamonds without going broke by considering beautifully designed diamond clusters created to give you all the glitter and look -- the effect -- of larger stones. Most observers will pick up on the sparkle, yet not necessarily notice you are wearing a cluster of diamonds. You get a big effect; the beauty; the elegance; the shimmer without spending a huge (in 5-figures) amount of money. Still not cheap, yet a splurge a working person can save up for to buy.

It's a worthy and practical tradeoff on a budget. By buying the effect, you don't have to go without. Enjoy the beauty, skip the pain ... and as a bonus, you'll be less jittery about wearing your gorgeous ice bling every day. By now you know how THE SAVVY SHOPPER feels about buying luxury (which jewelry is, like designer purses) that stays in a box. It's a total waste of money!

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Homemade Nut Bars

I almost bought these Kind bars today, a box of 12, six of each. In my hand and being carted around the store, they were neither expensive nor cheap nor low in calories. So I returned them to the shelf and thought, "Why should I pay $15 for 12 nut bars?" Instead, I could eat 12 nuts chased down with a spoonful of honey for sweetness. I don't need to buy these bars! Surely I can make a simple nut bar at home for less than $15 bucks.

Here's the recipe I came up with ... a step beyond chucking 12 almonds with a bit of honey into my mouth. Fast and easy, we can do it: 

Simple Rustic Nut Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup of almonds

1/2 cup pecans (or walnuts)

1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup of any other favorite nuts you like - hazelnuts or pistachios, pine nuts, peanuts, (or even pumpkin seeds)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

A pinch of salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup honey

1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar syrup (or maple syrup)

Optional: 1/2 cup of chocolate chips or a swirl of melted chocolate if you wish to mimic a Kind bar. Omit the chocolate for less calories.

Directions:

1) In a 350 degree F oven, spread out the nuts on a baking sheet and toast them for about 15 minutes.

2) After the nuts are toasted and cooled, toss them into a mixing bowl. Leave the almonds whole if you wish. Break some of the nuts up if you wish.

3) Next add the other dry ingredients to the mixing bowl.

4) Follow with the wet ingredients of honey and syrup. Mix and coat well.

5) Press into a parchment lined (or buttered) baking pan.

6) Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Hot bubbling honey will bind the mixture together. Don't continue baking too long after it bubbles. Remove from the oven.

7) Let the uncut baked nuts and honey bars cool completely. 

8) Cut into bars. Store what you don't eat in a cookie tin or container.

Enjoy a healthy snack!

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Who Wears Short Shorts?

Photo: Uniqlo High-Rise Denim Shorts

As much as I love summer, I haven't worn shorts in several years! Perhaps because I reside in Manhattan (as opposed to a suburb), I live in Old Navy casual-smart dresses. They slide over your arms and head and voilà you are entirely dressed for the day. A change of shoes with some jewelry will take you from home or an afternoon in Central Park to a night out on the town (before COVID). I love multi-tasking things of every kind including clothes! Unlike Victorians and Edwardians, who dressed in the morning and again for dinner, the right casual-smart outfit in the 21st century is suitable for all the events of a single day!

Many people like having some shorts in their summer wardrobe.

Old Navy styles

At Old Navy the styles of shorts are numerous, continuous and ever changing during warmer months ... not surprising as the merchant specializes in sports and activewear. 

Uniqlo 3/4 length shorts

What's more, Uniqlo holds its own in the activewear and shorts department. Its collection is versatile, upscale and budget-friendly too. Some of Uniqlo's pieces are garden party, casual-smart. Old Navy matches Uniqlo's garden party vibe primarily with its summer dresses.

Uniqlo styles

Between the 2 retailers, there's no need to look elsewhere. Both have an unparalleled winning short selection in many styles including chinos and biker shorts, as well as, in different lengths, colors and styles. I've posted a tiny sampling offered at unbeatable prices even before applied promotions - which Uniqlo and Old Navy are always running. Why pay more?

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10 Foods I Buy Ready-Made

Photo: Fsi.colostate.edu

As much as possible I make or bake food from scratch. Often you use nutritious, cleaner ingredients costing less and tasting better. There are a few items I can't make more supreme for less money than the retailer. Here are 10 foods (most of them staples in my home) I throw in the towel to buy:

1) Hummus - The ingredients to make it myself cost more than the hummus. Plus I can't make it better.

2) Rye or Pumpernickel breads - I bake plenty bread at home, but rye or pumpernickel grains aren't carried as often at supermarkets. I can't buy rye flours in 5 pound bags.

3) Cheese - I can eat cheese until it comes out of my ears, yet I have never tried to make any variety of it. The time and conditions it would take for the milk to turn into aged cheeses, I can't set up in a Manhattan apartment. I'd love to tour a cheese factory one day!

Photo: The Spruce Eats

4) Pesto - I couldn't grow enough or procure enough fresh basil to offset the cost of buying pesto from a good Italian deli. But. If you can in your town, making fresh pesto is easy and delicious. The aroma is spectacular!

5) Tomato sauce - Not altogether true, yet with this one I split hairs. Yes, I can make a delicious sauce from cans of crushed tomatoes, yet I still like some of the supermarket brands a tab better, and they go on sale so frequently, I can easily grab a jar to make pizza from scratch or spaghetti with meat sauce. (Nope, I don't make meatballs ... but if you come to my home for dinner I'll let you. I don't like meatballs more than meat sauce, so I follow the path of less work.🙂)

6) Sausage - Don't even suggest it. As a child, I once watched my mother use a meat grinder somebody gave her, mixing lean meat and seasonings. Before she finished, I knew she'd never make it again. We're not butches or foodies, and we don't care enough. Plus I eat less meat nowadays. As does my Mama.

6) Pasta - I like making fresh pasta from eggs and flour. It's not that time consuming, and yet I still don't want to spend the extra time in the kitchen. Pasta is another dirt cheap item for a tasty staple available at the supermarket.

7) Mexican food - One of my favorite cuisines, it's so delicious because fresh ingredients are roasted, toasted, marinated and grilled before you get started. Usually there are steps upon steps to prepare the ingredients before they go into a recipe to make the dish. I have the best of intentions but honestly at home, I stop at making burritos enchiladas style.

8) Applesauce - I like making homemade applesauce, but pounds of apples are needed, and I can't buy enough apples for the cost to make sense. I tend to buy apple butter more often than applesauce and eat it with a spoon, sometimes with peanut butter. Walmart carries a delicious cinnamon flavored apple butter that's inexpensive.

9) Nut butters - I can't make them for less if buying the nuts. At the health food store, technically I do make it! I turn the grinding machine on to fill up a plastic container.

10) Salsa - Just like basil for pesto and apples for applesauce, I can't buy enough tomatoes to make cost-effective salsa any tastier than I can buy it in a jar. Target sells their own brand, Good & Gather, which is delicious, cheap ($1.69 for 24 ounces), with few ingredients listed. Sold!

My rule of thumb is: If I can't make a food or dish cheaper, better or more nutritious, I buy it ready-made. Time is money! It's ok to select convenience sometimes when it makes more sense!

Do you buy a food or dish over making it because on balance, it's worth it?

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Happy 12th Birthday To THE SAVVY SHOPPER

Photo: Funamada

Moments ago it hit me: I began THE SAVVY SHOPPER 12 years ago today. Facebook reminded me. 

THE SAVVY SHOPPER continues to be primarily a writing, not a photo blog. It's why we're not on Instagram. I don't write blogs on my phone. Moreover, I don't take photos and then decide to write a blog. I write the blog and then find (or occasionally) take photos. 

Thank you, readers, for your emails and support ... and evolving friendships ... a delightful and unexpected bonus.

Let's keep learning, sharing and exploring the world together! As always, let me know if there are subjects you'd like for me to blog about ... and comment freely.

Happy 12th Birthday to THE SAVVY SHOPPER ... and here's to the blog's global readers! xoxo 

Photo: Dinner than Dessert

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The 5 Cardinal Gems Of Antiquity Includes Amethyst

Photo: Laurel

If you long for jewelry on a budget that can't be stretched to include the 4 precious stones of diamonds, emeralds, rubies or sapphires, you might consider an amethyst. It is a gorgeous colored stone in its own right. In fact for centuries, amethyst was one of the 5 "Cardinal Gems of the Old World" and valued as a precious stone ... up until the 18th century when mines were discovered in Brazil lowering its price.

Unlike the other 4 gemstones that become exponentially more expensive (and often unaffordable) as their carat weight increases, you can get a huge amethyst without breaking the bank. As beautiful as in antiquity when amethyst was rare, there is just more amethyst in circulation today because mines in Brazil still yield large depositions of it.

An amethyst is a violet variety of quartz (SiO2), a silicate mineral. It is the most valuable of all the quartz crystals and like all quartz, forms in lava when gas bubbles become trapped, letting crystals form inside the cavities created by the bubbles. Containing impurities of iron and sometimes other trace minerals, the amethyst's purple shade is the result of irradiation (i.e., its exposure to radiation). Just like with other gemstones, it takes millions of years for the earth to make amethyst.

While amethyst can range from a light lavender to a deep purple, today its value is determined by its clarity and depth of purple color. Collectors look for flashes of red in the stone. High quality amethyst is mined in Siberia, Sri Lanka, Brazil and Uruguay. Once undesirable in hue, pale purple (or lilac -- sometimes called "Rose de France") amethyst is also becoming popular thanks to a successful marketing campaign.

Amethyst scores a 7 on the Mohl's Scale of Gemstone Hardness making it very suitable and durable to wear as jewelry. The lovely purple quartz falls sightly below an emerald (7.5 - 8) and higher than tanzanite (6.5 - 7), peridot (6.5 - 7), opal (5.5 - 6.5) and pearls (4.5). 

The ancient world saw the value of amethyst. It's a genuine, gorgeous purple stone, once reserved for royalty, yet fulfills the want of beauty that extends to the common wo/man. This ongoing wonder of nature is a modern day steal! 

[Note: All the jewelry examples uploaded, except the top image, are from Macy's. I'm only a customer and do not get commissions by mentioning them. I love Macy's for their wide selection and price points to fit every budget. Although I only buy fine jewelry -- real gold and gems, I don't think it must be heirloom quality. Affordable commercial quality is fine as long as it's priced accordingly. 

All jewelry is a luxury buy, never an investment. The only true investment is money sitting in a savings account collecting interest over time. A true investment is not a handbag, it's not apparel, and it's not a piece of jewelry. Moreover, I advise against paying thousands of dollars for a name in jewelry that is more than the value of the gold in the piece. For instance, add several thousand dollars to the true value in gold of any piece of jewelry with the Cartier name on it. Ask yourself if the Cartier name is worth an extra $5,000+ (on top of the cost of the gold) before you decide to buy it.🙂 Yes, you can fetch a good price on the resale market, minus 20%, but the reason to buy a luxury good is because you love it, not as an investment.

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English Toffee Pudding

Photo: Omaha Steaks

All the reading and documentaries I'm absorbing on English history is influencing my baking. Why else would I think of making English Toffee Pudding for the first time ever? It turns out this very English dessert may have originated in Canada.

And let's address the English usage of the word, "pudding."  In America, pudding is a cold eggless custard eaten with a spoon. In England pudding is a delicious cake with or without sticky sauce. Think figgy pudding or Christmas pudding, both cut with a knife and eaten with a fork.

My recipe is traditional, but if you want to substitute figs for dates, feel free. In America, dried figs are sometimes cheaper or easier to find than dried, meaty dates. Usually figs are inexpensive, plump and sold as a pound, whereas dates can be puny in size and quantity, as well as, expensive! Why!? Are dates harder to produce, or more perishable than figs? I do not know! In an effort to keep baking simple and not break the bank, use either dates (traditional) or figs (also tasty).

English Sticky Toffee Pudding

Ingredients for the cake:

1 cup chopped dried dates (or substitute figs)

2/3 cup hot boiled water

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1/2 cup dark brown sugar (The Brits use Muscovado sugar - it is less refined with caramel and toffee notes.)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 large egg, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

Optional - If you have golden syrup (or make it) you can add a tablespoon of it for flavor; or molasses; but the recipe is delicious with brown sugar only. Some bakers like to add cinnamon and nutmeg. Chef Jamie Oliver seeps 2 teabags along with the dates into his hot boiled water for extra taste.

Directions

1) Toss the chopped dates (or figs) and boiled water in a blender or food processor and blend. Set aside.

2) In a separate bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, dark brown sugar, salt, and baking powder until combined. Mix in the egg.

3) To avoid a dense texture fold in the flour and vanilla.

4) Spoon the baking soda into the set aside date (or fig) purée which will bubble up, then pour into the batter. Mix until fluffy.

5) Pour the mixture into a buttered square or fluted cake pan. 

6) Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 40 - 45 minutes or until done. The cake will spring back to the touch. 

Ingredients for the Sticky Toffee Sauce:

1 cup dark brown sugar

4 tablespoons butter

Pinch of salt

1 cup of heavy cream (I use condensed milk.)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Toss the butter, dark brown sugar, salt and cream into a sauce pan over medium heat and stir just enough to dissolve the brown sugar, then leave it alone until it starts to turn brown, or else you risk a grainy texture. (If compelled, lift the pan off the flame to give it a gentle swirl instead of stirring.)

2) As the liquid turns a dark amber, try to resist stirring. You can dip a spoon in to see if it coats it. Turn off the heat and add the vanilla.

I dislike making the sauce! Melted sugar gets very hot. Without precision, there's the possibility of failure. If so, nobody will judge you for going to plan B as a topping ... a scoop of vanilla with swirled caramel ice cream. Who's going to complain? Show a complainer the recipe and lead him to your kitchen while you wait ... for sticky toffee topping and an attitude adjustment.😁 Enjoy!

 

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