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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Plantagenets, Tudors and Stuarts

Photo: Carae - Elizabeth Woodville, Queen Consort of England, mother of the princes in the tower.

The question of the day is: How are you spending your extra pandemic hours at home? 

I have stepped into the past to watch history documentaries, as well as, historical fiction -- dramas that combine facts with inventions, including The White Queen, The White Princess and The Spanish Princess. As long as I can google known facts to learn what really happened or to flesh out the true characters of kings, queens and power players at court, I will accept the historical fiction story I'm watching as entertainment, and yet often I think the truth doesn't need the invention, as the real history was dramatic and fascinating enough. The old saying applies, life is stranger than fiction.

Photos: Henry VII & Elizabeth of York, the elder sister of the Princes in the tower - their marriage (happy) ended the 30 year Wars of the Roses.

Overall, I notice the 3 historical fiction series listed above get the outlines and major events right, but sometimes mess with the timeline, minor yet important details, or motivations of a character, getting them wrong by making a confident historical person weak or needy, or a righteous person of the past calculating and unrighteous. I understand the need to composite characters into one for reasons of time or storytelling, but I dislike when producers change the nature, or established deeds of a historical person. While watching you must go with it to enjoy the series ... then look the person up later to know what is real and what liberties are taken.

Catherine of Aragon & how she'd look today

In school I took required Western Civilization history courses ... and yes, learned some things ... however, I have never cared to take an extended look at Plantagenet, Tudor or Stuart England thereafter ... until 2020. Mores change in a millennium, so I didn't think I could relate. But you can relate when studying the past, and I am re-examining English history in reverse order:

The 5 eldest children of Charles I by Van Dyck
1638 - Mary, James, Charles, Elizabeth and Anne

1) Stuarts - Mostly like them despite their faults. The Stuart Kings were good fathers and (except for faithful Charles I) philandering husbands, but who protected their wives when needed. History is hard on James II, who had become a Catholic. His chief flaw was his stubbornness. James lacked the charm of his older brother, Charles II. As King, James passed laws showing tolerance of Catholics and Quakers alongside the Church of England, reforms unwanted by segments in the Church of England who had benefited from the previous history of stripping the Catholic Church of its property; and it lead to the loss of his Crown. James II was followed by his 2 Protestant daughters: Mary II and Anne (skipping over his infant Catholic son from his 2nd marriage). Queen Anne's death ended the Stuart line.

2) Tudors - Dislike Henry VII and Henry VIII. What a bloodthirsty, greedy, miserly dynasty.

Like Catherine of Aragon and Mary I, who were both victims of their tyrant husband and father, Henry VIII. Dislike Anne Boleyn (What somebody will do with you, they'll do to you ... and worse ... as she discovered!) Catherine, the wife married to Henry the longest, remained popular with the English people who considered her their true Queen and recognized her worth until the day she died in spite of Henry and Anne's efforts to erase her. Anne lasted 2 short years as Queen and never earned the love of the English people regardless of her Englishness. Have great sympathy for the other wives. Jane's reign was short, dying in the childbirth of Henry's only legitiment living son. Anne of Cleves got a raw deal, then negotiated a lucrative divorce. Poor young Catherine Howard was in over her head and lost it; and Catherine Parr married an overweight, ulcerous King and outlived him. Haven't gotten in-depth into Elizabeth I ... but will likely think she's ok.

Richard III - face
created based his skull.

3) Plantagenets -  I'm now watching every documentary about them. Lots of family infighting and betrayals happening. Tough times. Divided country. Family feuds with money and retainers!! Generally, I understand and like them. I like (English born, German) Empress Matilda who became a claimant to the English throne, and Eleanor of Aquitaine rocked! I like Elizabeth Woodville and Henry IV well enough. Richard III ... did he kill the princes in the tower as has been accepted for 500 years? Well, maybe not, I'm unsure. It could have been directed by Henry Tudor or his wily mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort. We will likely never know who killed those boys. Richard III was the last of the Plantagenets. Defeated by Henry Tudor, the new King (as Henry VII) spent his reign hunting down potential Plantagenet rivals whom he feared had a better claim to the English throne.

Photo: The Telegraph

My ancestors have the same Norman roots and took the same English paths of migration as the Plantagenets, but after 600 - 1,000 years how would you truly know if you are related? I'm skeptical when people say their gateway ancestor was a long-ago royal. Without a meticulous paper trail that stretches all the way back, you're only guessing. But you know what? I still hate those Tudors! The revisionists of history.😏 What a cutthroat bunch of murderous paranoids ... and nasty to their own family to boot!💂👑

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Max Factor A Century Of Stellar Makeup

All Max Factor photos property of Max Factor 

Unfortunately Max Factor is hard to find at your local drugstore nowadays. The company was sold in 2015 to Coty of P & G, the makeup is still being manufactured, and the quality is still amazing. 

Previously featured on THE SAVVY SHOPPER, Max Factor, the cosmetologist was the makeup artist to the stars during Hollywood's heyday while his brand became the cosmetics of makeup artists the world over. Max Factor's Pan Stik is the best cover stick ever made, and I'm never without one for under eye coverage of my dark circles. If applied in the morning, it stays put all day.

If you've never tried the Max Factor Masterpiece Palette in Cappuccino Nudes, you'll love it for its top-notch ingredients, beautiful hues and exceptional lasting power.

Moreover the Max Factor Facefinity Compact Foundation glides on smooth with completely natural, light and full coverage.

Marketed as "Glossfinity," the 26 signature nail colors are vibrant and fun, too, if you polish your nails.

Max Factor, the man, is the founder of modern makeup. Max Factor, the brand, has a century of prominence in the makeup world. More than over-the-counter quality, it's professional quality makeup at drugstore prices. Well-worth hunting down in the aisles of your local drugstore ... if only it's there to find!

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Sending Valentine Hearts To My Readers

Plato

"Every heart sings a song, incomplete until another heart whispers back."

William Shakespeare

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."

Vincent van Gogh

"Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence."

Frank P. Jones

"Love doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile."

Robert Frost

"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."

🌹♥♥♥♥💋♥♥♥♥♥💋♥♥♥♥♥💋♥♥♥♥♥💋♥♥♥♥♥💋♥♥♥♥🌹

"People come and people go,

In and out of your life and so,

When one shines bright among the rest,

And is there when needed, you’re truly blessed.

That is how I see you, friend of mine,

And why I’m sending this Valentine."

By Karl Fuchs

Happy Valentine's Day Peeps! Spend it well. xoxo

Valentine's Day Truffles

All photos: Wallpaper unless noted

Mostly I stick to baking and skip candy making. Making candy is tricky ... more precise. You need a candy thermometer to control temperature. It's easy to end up with messy, uneditable goo, or ruined pots and pans due to how blazing hot melted sugar gets. I don't want 1st degree burns either. But featured today is a candy we can make without all the hazards, fuss or failure. 

Luscious Valentine's Day truffles are ultra easy to make, and the ingredients are few! My kind of homemade candy, lets's get stared!:

Ingredients:

Photo: Gina Mork

12 ounces of dark chocolate (semisweet or bittersweet)

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon butter 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or half vanilla/half rum, your choice)

Directions:

1) Break up (if needed) chocolate into small pieces and toss into a saucepan along with heavy cream. Add the butter.

2) On low heat, melt and whisk together the chocolate, heavy cream and butter until uniform and creamy. If you have a double boiler, use it; if not, follow my slow, low-heat, in a pan, on a stovetop, with continued whisking method.

Photo: wallpaper

3) Turn off the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. If you want to add some rum or bourbon for flavor, now is the time.

4) If you select the right sauce pan, you can cover and place it directly into your refrigerator without having to transfer the chocolate mixture into another dish that needs to be washed. Hey, it pays to think ahead!🙂

Photo: Gina Mork

5) Refrigerate for 2 hours. If you allow it to get too hard (because you forget the time), let room temperature soften it some so you can scoop and form into balls.

6) Use a tablespoon or small scooper to make 1-inch balls.

7) Roll the truffle balls in (1) rich cocoa powder, (2) crushed nuts, (3) shredded coconut, (4) crushed peppermint, (5) crushed English toffee, or (6) candy sprinkles ... whatever you like. Some of each looks lovely.

8) Plate your truffles and keep cool in the refrigerator until ready to eat!

Hugs and kisses, xoxo.

Happy Valentine's Day, my lovelies!💋

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10 Essentials To Have In Your Medicine Cabinet

Readers, LIVE it looks organized and a lot better than it photographs!

A doctor on a morning news talk show said 5 essentials should be in every medicine cabinet. I checked a few more medical sources to create a list of 10 that include hers. 

Above is a photo of my medicine cabinet. Is your medicine cabinet a hot mess of skincare, makeup and grooming tools like mine? Let me cut to the chase, most of THOSE vanity items are not on any of the good doctors' essential lists! 😏🙂

Here are 10 important Items to Stock in Your Medicine Cabinet:

1) Pain relievers - Aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and Naproxen (Aleve) are over-the-counter medicines. Aspirin and acetaminophen reduce fever, as well as, pain.

2) Antiacids - Treats sour stomach and heartburn.

3) Antiseptic ointment - To prevent infections of everyday cuts and minor wounds, the mishaps of life.

4) Sunscreen - Select a SPF 30 (the latest recommended strength) to wear every day of the year to prevent skin cancer and aging skin.

5) Antihistamine - Allergy medicine for hay fever and sometimes hives. It dries up hives.

6) Bandages - For life's minor missteps and kitchen mistakes involving a sharp rogue cooking knife.

7) Tweezers - To remove splinters, as well as, to stop the formation of a unibrow in its tracks. Nobody wants to see that! It makes a person look wolverine and mean.🐺

8) A digital thermometer - Especially in COVID times, as well as, flu season, to let us know if we are sick before we're sure.

9) Anti-itch cream - Cortizone is a common one for insect bites, hives or other skin rashes.

10) Petroleum jelly - a true multitasker: Serves as lip balm; skin protection against dryness; holds a renegade strain of hair in place. In winter, I sometimes layer petroleum jelly over body lotion.

I have 7 of the 10 items in my medicine cabinet, plus a whole lot of other stuff, as you can see. What is missing are bandages (I keep a box of 100 in a big closet), anti-itch cream (big closet), and anti-acid (which I have as pills in my nightstand by my bed). The skincare and makeup I use every day (the makeup not so much anymore due to my pandemic face mask), so 'tis why they are in my medicine cabinet  ... to grab easily after I shower. Understand: I need a mirror and don't have to walk back and forth if skincare and makeup are stored inside my medicine cabinet.

Do you have the doctors' essentials in your medicine cabinet?

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How To Be A Successful Saver

Photo: SmallBusiness.co.uk

I'm a member of the United States Senate Federal Credit Union because years ago I was a Congressional intern and I thought it wise to keep the account. A credit union is a good place to seek loans for big purchases such as a car or house, etc. Often the rates charged to payback the loan are lower than at a bank. So monthly I receive a newsletter with helpful investment tips from the credit union. I will sum up one of the stories for you, my lovely readers: 

The Habits of A Successful Saver We Can Adopt

Photo: Anthony

1) They pay themselves first - Along with your bills, commit to your future and set a monthly sum aside in a savings account as if it is a bill. Pay yourself first before any discretionary spending.

2) They automate their savings - Make your savings automatic so it comes out of your paycheck before you have spent it.

3) They know the difference between their wants and needs - Figure out what's important to you ... both for now and in the future. Don't live paycheck to paycheck. Match your lifestyle to your future goals.

Photo: K. G.

Well now ... it's what the THE SAVVY SHOPPER preaches, isn't it? As much as I love designer goods and jewelry, I browse far more often than I buy ... and I never buy merchandise overpriced for the name. For these reasons, I'll never own a Birkin or Chanel double flap bag, and I never buy the huge diamonds, sapphires, rubies, or emeralds I covet. That's not to say we can't save up for quality leather handbags or gems of more modest sizes to bring a bit of sparkle into our lives. Material things should always fit our budgets and lifestyles. 

4) They live below their means - To reach your goals, pay attention to what's going on with your money so you keep your priorities in line. With an eye on both your present and future, be practical like THE SAVVY SHOPPER.😉

5) They don't waste money -- ever - Wasteful spending includes paying for convenience like ATM fees; eating packaged sliced and diced fruit; or buying merchandise without comparing prices and/or deals.

6) They find deals everywhere - Cheaper car insurance, low-cost cell phone plans, lower rate credit cards, cheaper prescription drug prices and groceries.

7) They keep track of things - Know how much money is coming in and exactly where it goes out. Track your spending and hold yourself accountable, Sister! Mister!!

Photo: K. G.

8) They know when to say no - Asking yourself one simple question every day can have a huge impact on your money — both now and down the road: Is it worth it? For me personally, on Chanel or Hermès handbags, or a 10+ carat gemstone, the answer is no. But how I love playing with them!

9) They don't care what other people think or do - Live a life that involves the right people, habits and behaviors. Don't worry about the trends that other people spend their money on. 

Let me add the wisdom of Eleanor Roosevelt, who once said: "You wouldn't worry so much what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do."🙂

I hope you find my summary of the article worthwhile. It puts us in the right mindset to become better savers and responsible with our money. Simple, understandable, not as dry as the original ... and doable. You're welcome, my lovelies!💋xoxo

Photo: She Saves She Travels

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