The Radiance of Knowing

The recession has made us rethink our fashion statements. It’s been well remarked that the downturn in the economy has heavily affected the fashion industry. Although downturns in the economy are nothing new, this current one we’re experiencing is going to have a long-term impact on how we see fashion. We are living in a very practical period these days. Prior to these pragmatic days we’re now living in, we delighted in the frivolity of fashion - nothing was really too excessive or too pricy - you could only be accused of being too dull. It’s different today though : the labels and fashion catwalks are copping bad publicity. And now that everyone’s mindful of globalization, even bargain-priced fashion labels are receiving a bad press for employing sweatshops to produce their garments! Is it that everybody suddenly become so very hard to please?

Firstly, fashion is very much thriving and forever will be. In fact, looking on the internet there is stiff rivalry between online shop retail merchants (e.g. searching for wholesale marcasite or Adidas watches) - a signal there is still strong demand and supply. It’s the old way we viewed that is dying its death - being told what’s now cutting-edge by the big brands. Fashion has always followed the public instead of vice versa, and today many factors are turning us off big fashion brands. First Of All, people are now very much more conscious of globalization, and showing off your clothing labels makes you look egotistical and uncaring in many peer groups nowadays. Second, we’re broke! Style has invariably been a luxury, not an essential. In a recession, luxury items are the first to be left on the shop shelves. Finally, people define themselves a lot more individually these days - peer groups are a lot more tightly knit, the days of huge TV show ratings are through, and fashion demands that sort of groupthink to trade in numbers.

How does the future look for the fashion industry? Like always, they must adapt to exist - create a broader range of fashion lines to supply to more niches of the market. If you’re a tiny store selling individual fashion lines at an affordable cost, the future looks bright for you in spite of the subdued economic days we are experiencing. These days, individuals are shuffling their styles, buying from markets and more personal, bargain-priced fashion shops.

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DKNY (Donna Karan New York) is a young fashion label owned by the American designer Donna Karan. Together with her husband Stephen Weiss, she founded the label in 1985 in New York, USA. Karan was born on October 2, 1948 in Forest Hills, Queens, USA. She grew up in Long Island and visited in 1966 the New Yorker artist school “Parsons – The New School For Design”.

A lot of inspiration came from Donna’s husband

Donna Karan worked as head designer and created the typical style of DKNY. Her aim was to merge comfort and rich elements. While she was evolving her 1st collection, Donna Karan orientated herself on the requirements of her family. Especially her spouse gave her a lot of inspiration and so Donna Karan was able to release her first menswear collection “DKNY Men” in 1992.

The opening of their premier flagship store took place in London in 1997. Two years later the famous shop at 550, 7th Avenue in New York followed. At the moment, there are more than 70 DKNY stores worldwide including affiliates in China (Shanghai and Hong Kong), Canada (Montreal and Toronto) and even Dubai.

Wrist watches are an essential part of the DKNY collection

The products of the company range from dresses to purses, baby stuff and shades and include almost all varieties of clothes and accessories. Wristwatches are an important part of the DKNY collection, too. Donna Karan sells different collections for women and men. Few unisex products are produced by DKNY as well.

Designer watches of DKNY are famous for their interesting price-performance ratio. They are inexpensive and ensure also high quality. All the wrist watches are crafted and built with quality materials like real stainless steel, silver, gold or leather. The so named “stainless steel watches” belong to the most renowned collection DKNY wristwatches. The wrist watches are as elegant as their fashion clothes and accessories are. Apropos: Since 2007, wrist watches are along with jeans and underclothing the only products of DKNY, that have been online available for men. ladies wristwatches

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What was at one time, in the earliest years of portable wirstwatches, considered to be unsuitable for men and only for ladies, has built today into a fashion utensil that every man wants. Meantime, the wristwatch is more than a instrument to tell the time.

The turn of the 20th century on the wrist

With the turn of the 20th century, another level of technical progress was made, which made it possible to put the mechanisms in an even smaller space. It was now possible to design the clockworks in such a way that people could fasten them to a wristband without a problem. The practical application of this innovational discovery let the pocket watch to be quickly substituted by the wrist watch. It rapidly became the fashion to wear a wristwatch. It looked like the models sprouted from the ground and the variety grown with great speed. In the early years, however, wrist watches were used only by women. Gentlemen did not wear timepieces on their wrists. It just wasn’t done. The war brought a change of mind concerning this. The soldiers quickly recognized the advantage of a watch on the wrist, which didn’t have to be pulled out of the bag first. And in this way, the wrist watch prevailed with the male sex.

Away from the mechanical - on to electronics

While the first watches were still being wound, some innovations developed in relation to the mechanics. The automatic wristwatch emerged, which no longer had to be wound by hand, but was wound automatically through the movement of the wrist watch. Afterwards, at the end of the 20’s, the quartz watch was invented. Time was indicated here by the so-called electronic oscillating circuit. women watches

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From pocket watch to a fashion accessory. What was once, in the earliest years of portable watches, considered to be unsuitable for gentlemen and only for women, has developed nowadays into a fashion utensil that everybody has. Meanwhile, the wristwatch is no longer only a instrument to tell which time it is. It is a designer piece and can indicate much more than the time.

A great deal of mechanics in a small housing

The first confirmable portable timepiece was made in 1500. This was not a wristwatch, but more of a pocket watch. Through technical progress, which made it possible for people to house mechanics in an increasingly smaller space, the needed parts of the clockworks were able to be brought into a manageable form. In this way, the first pocket watch was born, which at the time was still the size of an egg.

The computerized wrist watch from Japan

A entirely new wristwatch came onto the market in the 1970’s from Japan, which had built its own watch industry. The new wristwatch from Japan was no longer set on a mechanical basis, but on a computerized control. This wristwatch expanded its range of capability quickly. The watch no more just showed the time. The tiny timepiece on the wrist now also knew the date, the day of the week and even knew whether a leap year was involved.

The wristwatch as jewelry

Now, the wristwatch is much more than a watch. The wristwatch has become a fashion accessory. Wristwatches come in all colours and shapes thinkable. One can also get compatible watches from every fashion collection. The current watches are dominated by the correct fashion trends. Despite these various trends, there is something for every taste. The tiny watches, which require spectacles to tell the time, and the extravagant giant watches, which make it difficult to walk upright. By all means, one thing is clear: science is still likely to make so much progress - that the wrist watch will be found on the wrists of people for a long time, to answer the question as to what time it is.

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A prison to some living things and a precious stone to others, amber is indeed a fossilized resin. While some consider it a gemstone, others think that it cannot be called a precious stone because it isn’t of mineral provenience. However discussed this issue might be no argument can stop people from wearing amber jewelry. Part of the amber charm consists mainly in the fact that it immortalizes something inside it. It acts like a cryogenic pod, keeping the insects body in great shape because it doesn’t allow the bodies to decay. Some pieces of amber jewelry have prehistoric organic matter captured in their resin adding mystery and charm to the wonderfully colored jewels.

Amber jewelry has become a common thing for all people nowadays, but for a long period of time only nobility could afford it. Because it was thought it had miraculous powers their price was very high. In time, more and more people could afford to purchase amber jewelry. Today things are a little bit different. Anyone can afford amber jewelry, but the prices go from a few dollars to thousands of dollars, depending on what the buyer is looking for.

The first thing one has to decide when purchasing amber jewelry is the wanted metal for that specific piece. If it is crafted in silver the jewel can be cheaper, but if gold or platinum are used, the price can raise because these metals are more expensive. Then there is the problem of the stone. Amber stones don’t come only in the yellow-brown color. They can be yellow, red or even blue and green, but the most expensive and valuable are the transparent, clear ones. Although the brown normal stones won’t cost too much, the green ones are more expensive. The green amber isn’t different in any way compared to the brown one. The only thing that differentiates the green stones is that they’re harder to find than the brown ones.

Amber is a lot softer than any other precious stone which makes it easier to shape by jewelers. The price is influenced by the amber shape also. A stone in its original shape is cheaper, but if you want a special design the price will rise. It’s almost impossible to wear amber jewelry with a big stone on it, especially if that jewel is a pin, a pair of earrings or cufflinks. Sometimes amber has a piece of tree bark or a small insect trapped in it. A long time ago, wearing amber jewelry with something imprisoned in it was considered disgraceful and those types of stone weren’t used. Now they’re valuable and the insect or object that is trapped inside it makes a huge difference. When making amber jewelry, the jewelers try to make the inclusion as visible as possible. This makes the jewel more valuable.

Another important aspect in amber jewelry is the provenience of the stone. Jewelry with stones from the Baltic area knows a wider and more rapid spreading than other. The stones from that area are the most common, because this is the largest excavation site were amber was found. Stones from the Dominican area are also very common. They’re a little bit softer than the ones found in the Baltic area. This is the place were the blue and smoky green stones originate from.

Jewelry can usually last hundreds of years. Amber jewelry is no exception and it can be a great inheritance for the generations to come. There is only one thing you should do: keep them in perfect storage conditions. Because the stone is very soft it’s easier to scratch or chip than other precious stones, like diamonds. So, you should keep your ambler jewelry wrapped in a soft cloth. Each piece of jewelry has to be wrapped in a different cloth because, if you put them together, they might rub one against another and get their shiny surface destroyed. The stone itself has to be stored in similar conditions, away from the metal of the chain (in case it’s a pendant).

mber jewelry has to be protected from the sun and from any heat sources which will damage the gem. For cleaning purposes, amber jewelry has to be rubbed only with a soft flannel cloth and with water. Rubbing the stone with olive oil and whipping any remains from its surface will give back that extra sparkle to the piece of amber jewelry you posses. One should never use hot water, steam cleaners or any type of soap and detergent to clean amber jewelry. If that happens, there is a high risk to destroy a beautiful jewel.

In the past amber was thought to have curative proprieties and was administered internally as a powder. To keep alive the traditions and beliefs people wore amber jewelry in the aching area. These superstitions may actually be true because of the energy the stone acquires. It is said that it can heal minor illnesses like throat ache, or head ache. So, if you have a soar throat you should try wearing a necklace and it’s possible the pain will go away.

Amber jewelry is indeed much appreciated nowadays and knowing some facts about the piece that you might be wearing right now can be quite interesting. Wrapped in mystery and beauty at the same time, this gem can fascinate anyone who is interested in it. For those who want to know more, amber jewelry is just a click away.

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