What Gives Fancy Diamonds & Sapphires Their Colors?

A  rare blue diamond

Diamonds, the element carbon in nature, are usually thought of as clear, transparent, or white. Sapphires, corundums, or aluminum oxide, are abundantly blue in nature. Yet both precious gemstones also come in several fancy colors when trace minerals (impurities) bond within each stone's chemistry as they form over billions of years in the earth's crust. 

Have you ever wondered what gives fancy diamonds and sapphires their various colors? Since I couldn't find charts via Google searches, I created 2 charts for you below, my lovely readers, listing the mineral or impurity present in each gemstone that produces its rare color. 

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First up let's take a look at fancy diamonds --

Diamond is an allotrope (meaning it has molecular modifications) of pure Carbon

Color of Diamond	Trace Impurities or minerals causing the color
Blue	Boron
Yellow and Orange	Nitrogen The Orange weights 14.82 carats
Green	Sulfur
Purple	Has an unusually high presence of Hydrogen
Red and pink DeYoung Red Diamond	No trace elements are present. The color is caused by a distortion in the diamond's crystal lattice produced by intense heat and pressure from all directions after the stone's formation in the earth. A special configuration of molecules lets us see the stone as pink or red as light passes through it.
Black	Clouds of minute mineral inclusions such as graphite, pyrite, or hematite extend throughout the stone. In short, a black diamond is a bundle of inclusions in the stone.

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Next up is our 2nd featured gemstone fancy sapphires  --

Effy Jewelry in common blue and multi-colored sapphires

Below is our 2nd chart listing the trace minerals or impurities that give sapphires their most common and fancy colors.

Sapphire is a corundum, chemically, extremely hard aluminum oxide. Red corundum is a ruby, not a sapphire.

Color of Sapphire	Trace Impurities or minerals causing the color
Blue (the most sold)	Iron or Titanium
Green and Yellow	Iron or low-level radiation within the earth
Orange (padparadscha sapphire) The Natural Sapphire Company	A combination of chromium (red) and iron (yellow) or natural radiation
Purple and Violet	Vanadium or natural radiation
Pink	Chromium
When the corundum is red it is a ruby. All other colors of corundum except red, are sapphires.	Chromium

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Interesting fact: Red gemstones are the rarest in nature often making them the most costly. Red diamonds are extremely rare and expensive. Rubies tend to cost more than sapphires. The jewelry industry has a well-known saying about corundum, "If you're a buyer, you want to buy a sapphire, and if you're a seller you want to sell a ruby." So don't be fooled: Pink corundum is always a sapphire while red corundum is always a ruby. Take heed if a merchant is selling pink rubies!😁

What a fun Van Cleef & Arpels design with emeralds and fancy carnary yellow diamonds! We'd all be dancing if we could afford to buy it.

I hope you find my 2 charts helpful in understating what makes fancy diamonds and sapphires. Fancy is a real term in the gemology world used for the lesser-known colors of these gemstones.

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Mini Refillable Perfume Atomizer Bottle

Although I lean towards botanicals and don't spray myself with perfume often, I still recognize a clever, practical innovation when I see one. The portable Mini Refillable Perfume Atomizer Bottle is a travel tool for perfume mavens. Made of an aluminum case and with a glass interior receptacle, you hook it onto the small cylinder hose under the lifted-off nozzle of your full-sized perfume bottles to fill the mini up, then carry it with you leaving your cumbersome perfume bottles at home. Without the atomizer mechanism, it would be impossible to remove the perfume from a spray bottle. The mini travel-size atomizer bottle is a durable and leak-proof slender aluminum case. 

Since I don't own many bottles of perfume, perhaps I could fill it up with sanitizer or rubbing alcohol ... saving the costs of having to buy travel sizes. This slender spray cylinder will lighten your load on the road. Genius spray tool and a definite for perfumes!

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America's Test Kitchen's Upside-Down Plum Tomato Tart

All photos courtesy of Test Kitchen -The lovely hands of Test Kitchen Cook Elle Simone 

America's Test Kitchen has perfected yet another delicious recipe and since they publish it for free, I feel I can share it with my readers, and I also link it back to the episode. My role is to give you (myself included!) a cheat sheet, namely, the written ingredients and directions, and a place to return to make it whenever you like. This savory tomato tart recipe mimics the same method used to make apple tarts, and it turns out that once upon a time tomatoes were called love apples.🍎🍏🍅 Watch the episode and see the recipe below:

Upside Down Tomato Tart

Ingredients:

2 lbs plum tomatoes, cut in half with seeds and juice removed

1/3 cup sherry vinegar

 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 medium shallot, finely diced

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons thyme, minced

Extra 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

1 store-bought puff pastry or make the tart dough yourself from this recipe.

Directions:

1) Into a 10-inch skillet pour the sherry vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 2 minutes, swirling the pan to dissolve the sugar. 

2) Once the liquid is reduced to resemble caramelized syrup, add the shallot, butter, and thyme.

3) Next turn the heat off and add the prepared tomatoes. Distribute them evenly in the pan and coat the tamhatoes with the caramelized vinegar mixture. Finish off with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. 🍽

4) Bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for 1 hour.

5) Take your tart pastry dough out and on a floured surface roll it out 10 inches. Use a 10" plate as a measure to cut a 10" circle of dough. Chill the dough in the refrigerator while the tomatoes are baking in the oven.

6) After 1 hour, remove the roasted tomatoes and cover the skillet evenly with the chilled tart dough. Press the dough in at the edges of the skillet.

7) Return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then turn the skillet around to bake for another 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, the dough should turn golden brown.

8) Remove from the oven, and wait about 8 minutes before topping with an inverted 10-inch plate over the tart sitting inside the skillet. Quickly flip the plate and skillet over so the tomato side of the tart is face up.

9) Wait another 10 minutes for the tart to cool ... the toughest part of all as you smell the tomato tart aroma!

Sprinkle with more dried thyme. Cut into slices, serve and enjoy! 

We gratefully thank Test Kitchen Cook Elle Simone for perfecting this luscious and savory tomato tart recipe, always the best of the best, since as stated in the show's name, it's tested (and perfected!) for all of us to make at home!

This piece has my name on it. Where are my bite marks?

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Let's Talk Diamonds, White Sapphires And Moissanites

Well Happy Birthday to me!💟🎉

I love gemstones, I think for the right reason. Not for their monetary value but for their connection to mother nature wherein they are created over billions of years ... combined with the modern artistry of wo/man whose skillful hands find, cut, and polish them to best show off their exquisite beauty.

For my birthday I got a set of the huge white gemstones I covet, namely a 4-carat brilliant-cut diamond eternity ring and matching 4-carat diamond stud earrings🤥 ... well to be truthful, not exactly diamond gemstones, but white sapphires. Remember my motto? First a dreamer, then a realistic!

Diamonds would cost a fortune, about $110,000+ for the diamond ring and around $33,000 for the stud earrings. Frankly, it's a foolish sum of money for a regular person to spend.

Although there are distinct differences in shine between diamonds and other white gemstones (a/k/a diamond alternatives) such as white sapphire and moissanite, the latter two are gorgeous substitutes for the wildly more expensive diamonds, so a gal won't have to hock her home nor do without her sparkle!

Photo: Italo Jewelry

White sapphire (corundum, a 9) and moissanite (silicon carbide, a 9.25) are right behind diamonds (carbon, a 10) on Moh's Scale of Mineral Hardness and therefore durable to set in rings. What follows are reasons you might consider white sapphire or moissanite over a diamond when buying a bigger stone ... and I'll briefly contrast their appearances.

The only reason to not buy a diamond is its greater expense IMHO. The big stones over 2 carats put too many zeros on a credit card which would send many of us into debt! In comparison to diamonds, white sapphire and moissanite gemstones are cheap, especially for a big size. All 3 white gemstones (diamonds, white sapphires, and moissanites) have a lovely sparkle, yet they sparkle differently.

In terms of brilliance (white sparkle) and fire (color sparkle), a diamond outshines white sapphires and has warmer flashes of light (a/k/a glitter; shine) than both white sapphires and moissanite which both have a cooler tone. Brilliant-cut diamonds have a rainbow of shine. White sapphires have a grey or silvery sparkle. Compared to diamonds, moissanite, too, has a cool, bluish brilliance and compared to white sapphires, more fire.

Don't buy a ring gemstone below an 8 in hardness if on a budget as you might have to replace it.

Moissanite's high refractive index (how light bends and passes through a stone) will make it sparkle across a room like no other gemstone, so if you're looking for a huge wow factor (like flashing people across a room😄), you can't go wrong with moissanite. 

Like diamonds, diamond alternatives can be either natural (white sapphire) or lab-grown (white sapphire and moissanite). There are enough white sapphires in nature to mine whereas moissanite is so rare that all moissanite in jewelry is lab-grown. Since white sapphires can be either natural or lab-grown, the seller is required to state which one you're buying. My birthday ring and stud earrings are lab-grown white sapphires, which doesn't bother me as I know what I'm getting for less money. Lab-grown gemstones are chemically and physically identical to the gemstones created in nature. They are less costly due to lower demand and production costs.

Each of the 3 gemstones has its own unique beauty. With a good stone cut and jewelry design, you'll enjoy wearing the less in-demand stones without going broke, and only a jeweler will detect which of the 3 is on your finger, neck, or ears. I'm getting loads of compliments and having fun with my great big blingy stones that don't cost a fortune!

Critics (usually people who sell diamonds) will tell you that white sapphires and moissanites don't hold their value like diamonds, but if you haven't paid an arm and a leg for them what do you care? What's more, jewelry isn't an investment as you'll rarely make but often lose money when reselling pieces. Luxuries, including jewelry, are things of beauty, never investments!

Another negative you'll hear is diamond alternatives look fake. But they don't if you expand your idea of beauty. Remember: I love all gemstones! White sapphire and moissanite only look fake if buyers try to pass them off as diamonds. They don't look fake as white sapphires and moissanites!! Girrrlll, can't we love all 3 stones!?🙂

Here's where I got my white sapphires. What's your favorite diamond alternative and why?

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Eau de Cologne 4711

There's only one perfume I associate with my mama ... and it's not actually perfume, but Eau de Cologne 4711. It's the only fragrance she ever buys ... and likely can name. A bottle of it is always on her dresser.

Perfumes and fragrances aren't really my thing. I prefer clean botanical scents, and it's perhaps why I, too, like her cologne. As it turns out, the eau de toilette is German and very old! How old you may ask?

Eau de Cologne was first mixed in 1709 by an Italian perfume maker, Giovanni Maria Farina, who was living in Cologne Germany. Its citrus notes reminded him of "daffodils and orange blossoms in the mountains of Italy on a spring morning after a rain." His recipe was real perfume and, reportedly, became popular throughout the royal houses of Europe. Royalty could afford to buy it. 

Due to legal troubles {Was selling and thus buying the formula valid?}, the Farina name was dropped in the 18th century, and the "perfume" or more accurately the scented toilet water was renamed Eau de Cologne 4711, after the Cologne factory street address at Glockengasse N. 4711 which is still open and also has become a museum. In fact, the original Farina formula was tweaked by Wilhem Mülhens, a later 18th-century Cologne perfumer, and it is he who was responsible for exporting Eau de Cologne 4711 to Paris, France, and Stralsund, Germany eventually creating its worldwide and centuries of commercial success. By this time, non-royals could buy some!

Some of the ways you can wear 4711.

So why do my mother, I, and countless others like it? A splash is clean, refreshing, and invigorating. My Oma (grandma) rubbed it on her temples to ease her headaches. 

Eau de Cologne 4711 is more than 5% pure essential oils. It has top notes of orange oil, peach, basil, bergamot, melon, lemon, and lime. Middle notes include cyclamen, lily, Jasmin, and Bulgarian rose. There's also patchouli, Tahitian vetiver, musk, sandalwood, oakmoss, and cedar in the mix. 

More like a skin freshener, the cologne is distinctive, pleasant, and strong but never, ever overpowering. Also, the scent plays nice after mixing with your own body chemistry, unlike many other famous perfumes. Additionally, the aroma is unisex, worn by men and women.

Wow, both blends of the fragrance, the earlier Farina and later 4711, have endured for over 300 years! Touring the world's oldest still-operating cologne factory (makers of Farina) is the touristy thing to do if ever you are in Cologne, Germany. Here's a blog about the tour.

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Discover The Joy Of A Pareo: A What?

Photo: Facebook via Pinterest

The following blog on style is a quick and dirty blog meaning one I decided to write on the spot. 

Next week I'll publish the blog already written on a sentimental unisex (containing 5% essential oils) cologne. Try to guess its name?😀

Meanwhile back to today's fashion topic: Until I saw it advertised, I didn't know its proper name, a pareo also spelled pāreu -- a wraparound skirt, worn on Tahiti or other Pacific islands. At one time the term only applied to women's clothing, but today it extends to any cloth worn wrapped around the body by either men or women. (Ohh, I learn constantly as a writer!)

Style is very subjective depending on personal tastes and body types. With fashion nowadays, there are fewer rights and wrongs and thankfully less conformity with more flexibility, as well as, individuality. Your personal style is whatever elevates you, making you feel like a million bucks while wearing it.

I'll confess to never wearing pareos. The only way I'd feel comfortable in a pareo is by styling one as a full dress (the last of the trio of images above↗, and this was true of the 18-year-old -- slender with no belly fat -- me.)

Moreover, as I've mentioned before in blogs ... with few exceptions, (personally) I'm not a big fan of asymmetrical or unbalanced attire. If the temperature is boiling (or cool) wouldn't my legs be as hot (or cool) as my midriff? Why would my legs be covered to the ankles while my top half only has on a bikini top? Universally, wouldn't I want to be covered or uncovered to fit the heat or cold? Stylewise, the look -- skimpy on top while completely covered below? Anyway I consider it ... visually, comfort-wise, sunburn-prevention-wise, a pareo just isn't me. 

BTW: I can't pull the pareo-look off like those gorgeous, skinny, tanned Polynesians. Perhaps with a perfect body on a picturesque island  ... you just have to show yourself off.😎

Since not everybody is me, here are some fun, colorful pareos to pursue from Echo. Hey, I might return, too, if ever I look in the mirror to see a body worth showing off. :)

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Swedish Cardamon Cake With Caramelized Topping

Photo of carmelized almond topping courtesy of David Lebovitz

A Swedish cardamon cake is a simple coffee cake, which we're going to bump up a notch by making a caramelized topping, one we can do the easy way by carmelizing it inside the same springform pan as the cake, itself, is baking. Did you expect anything other than a shortcut from THE SAVVY SHOPPER, queen of one-pot or pan dishes? I bet you dislike scrubbing a sink load of pots and pans as much as I do! Nonetheless, the results of this simple dessert will be so scrumptious and fancy that you can use it as a birthday or holiday cake, or bring it as a contribution to summer cookouts! So let's get started, shall we?

Cardamon cake

Ingredients:

For the caramelized topping -- Use a 9-inch springform pan, so you can simply remove the sides of the pan, leaving the cake intact. 

1/4 cup butter - Smear a generous amount of butter on the bottom of the springform pan to start. Thick, not thin.

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup sliced almonds (or almonds brokered into pieces)

For the cake batter:

1 stick of unsalted butter

1 cup sugar (Cut the sugar by 1/4 cup to reduce the sweetness if you wish.)

3 large eggs  

3 cups of all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 pinch of salt

1 - 1 1/2 cup buttermilk (Eyeball the consistency. Start with less and stop if you can easily stir it.)

1 tablespoon of dried cardamom (or you may use cardamon seeds)

1 tablespoon of lemon juice 

Directions for the topping:

1) Generously butter the bottom of a springform pan and distribute the sugar covering the buttered bottom. Next toss in the almonds.  During the baking of the cake, its topping will caramelize. When the cake is baked, you'll flip the bottom over to become the top of the cake.

Directions for the batter:

2) To make the batter, beat the softened stick of butter and sugar together. Next mix in the eggs one at a time.

3) Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Go here for 6 best Swedish bakeries.

4) Pour in the buttermilk, then the cardamon, and lemon juice.

5) Pour over the topping that is already in the springform pan. 

5) Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 50 - 60 minutes.

6) Remove from the oven and let cool. Warm is ok for removing the sides. and transferring it to the serving dish. The bottom of the cake becomes the top.

An easy-to-make cake that looks and tastes like a fancy cake! It's how we roll here on THE SAVVY SHOPPER. Smaklig Måltid!🎂🍦

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Collonil Leather Gel

Note to self: Order Collonil Leather Gel to repair scratches and protect fine leather goods such as shoes, purses, and apparel, as well as, my mother's leather couches that get scuffed. It conditions and won't harm or remove the color while removing the scratches and scuff marks. Also provides waterproof protection and is suitable for all suede and smooth leathers. Sold!

Renapur is another brand loved by Amazon customers to keep on my radar. Ok ... I can return here again to find both ... and so can you, my readers!

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Pond's Anti-Aging Skincare

Everybody knows it's been around forever because your grandma loved using it. In addition to cold cream Pond's was once called vanishing cream and Pond's extract. It was invented and patented in the United States by pharmacist Theron T. Pond in 1846 after he discovered a healing tea extracted from witch hazel could heal skin abrasions. 

Today Unilever owns Pond's, and what's new about the skincare line is its anti-aging ingredients -- namely vitamin B3 and Retinol complex (Alpha Hydroxy Acids and Collegian) that are added to the formula to visibly reduce the signs of aging and wrinkles. This is good news for consumers because Pond's continues to be inexpensive and readily available at the local drugstore, as well as, at Walmart and Target.

Grandma knew the value of time-honored great skincare and now her granddaughters can also save a few bucks by giving the 21st century Pond's elixir with its anti-aging properties in the forms of serum and cream a try. Pond's Rejuveness Serum, Face Cream, and Eye Cream (sells as a trio) for under $25, which is a real steal for potions with anti-aging ingredients. Separately, you'll find the beauty items priced as low as $7.50 depending on which one you buy. 

A good tried-and-true moisturizer just got a little better without breaking the bank!

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Reporters Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein Discuss the 50th Anniversary of Watergate 6/17

Years ago as a Congressional Intern (on the Senate side) I spent months in Washington, D.C., where one day I took a memorable (touristy) tour of the Washington Post. 

I love watching documentaries and interviews on YouTube. What a fortunate time to be alive in 2022 to have access to interesting events and discussions occurring in other cities and not miss them just because we cannot go in person (or are a nickel short and a day late in knowing they are even taking place.😁). These kinds of interviews will suck you in!

I think the topic of the importance and methodology of good journalism as practiced by the two diligent reporters who broke the Watergate story 50 years ago ... news that eventually led to the resignation of a corrupt President is not one single day outdated. The entire discussion is insightful and relevant 50 years later. Like anything good, it's endlessly fascinating.

 

As I wrote in the comment section on YouTube, I also enjoy seeing how Woodward and Bernstein have a lovely sense of humor and enduring respect for one another. Although not mandatory, I like knowing they are close and in touch with each other and have 50 years of friendship.

Allow me to quote their late ace editor, Ben Bradly of the Washington Post, "Good reporting is the best obtainable version of the truth."

Moreover, solid, objective (i.e., do the digging, get the facts), investigative journalism is vital to maintaining a strong democracy. People should want to know the truth ... and be willing to listen, process and accept the evidence ... good, bad, or ugly. Country over political party.

Considering how we're once again examining the actions of (a latter-day) President, and Congress is airing the committee hearings, I hope you enjoy this uploaded timely and compelling discussion.📰🗞

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HIP CHIC Grape Vinegar Rinse

I received a free sample of HIP CHIC Grape Vinegar Rinse for scalp and hair care. Silicone-free, it's created to use after shampooing to rinse your hair of product buildup and impurities to soften, smooth, and add shine to your hair.

As a teenager, I remember being told that cider vinegar is a good hair rinse and vinegar is indeed a traditional hair and scalp treatment.

I will say this rinse has a mild, not unpleasant earthy smell sans the scent of vinegar. It contains vinegar, grape, and raspberry fruit extracts.

The slender bottle and narrow spout make it easy to apply the solution to the scalp. (In fact, the empty bottle is worth the purchase price to keep and refill.) You are supposed to rub the solution into the scape and through your hair, let it soak in for 2 minutes, and then rinse it out with water. Easy enough!

The formula has a light conditioning effect. So if you're looking for ingredients your grandmother likely used such as vinegar (with a few extra ingredients) as a scalp and hair treatment without having to mix it yourself ... this is it. I have a ton of fine hair and was not able to use it as a stand-alone conditioner, but it's not advertised as one. To put a comb through the tangles of my hair, I had to apply a regular conditioner. For everyday care, I'll stay with 2 steps of effort -- shampoo and condition and add this 3rd treatment occasionally.

 The HIP Chic brand is distributed by Clean Story and sells at Walmart for half the price of competitor vinegar rinses.

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