How to Buy Pearls

Pearls are an enduring classic of romantic beauty and sophistication suitable for almost any occasions or celebrations. Pearls may be worn with formal eveningwear, with a business suit, or casually with a sweater and jeans. The official June birthstone provides an ideal choice for brides, young woMen looking for a touch of elegance, or a cherished gift for birthday, Christmas, graduation, sweet-sixteen, anniversary, or just to say I love you.

Once rare and expensive, modern cultured pearls have become an affordable luxury. To choose consider six factors contribute to the value of a pearl: luster, nacre thickness, shape, surface texture, size, and color.

Luster- the Essence of Pearl Beauty
Pearls gain their unique beauty from the play of light reflecting through layers of fine crystalline nacre gradually deposited by an oyster. Nearly transparent nacre gives the deepest luster and the highest reflection. A high-quality pearl will have a brilliant even reflection with a fine warm glow or radiance. Lower quality pearls have a dull sheen.

High-quality Akoya pearls have a higher luster than South Sea or Tahitian pearls, which tend to have a softer, more diffuse reflection.

Color and Overtones
The dominant color of a pearl comes from the main reflection from the pearl surface. The deeper reflected light draws the inner color from the pearl, called the overtone.

Light colored pearls are available in shades of white, cream, and golden. White with pink or silver overtones are generally the most valuable. The most desirable dark colored pearls are black with green or blue overtones. Color matching is also important when buying pearl jewelry. Perfectly matched pearls in color and size are more valuable than poorly matched pearls.

Shape and Surface Texture
The highest quality pearls are perfectly round with smooth surface, very few surface imperfections, and even coloration. Lower quality pearls may be nearly round, or show more surface imperfections, such as wrinkles or large pits on the surface.

Pearl Size and Necklace Length
The pearls in a strand are measured in a range, such as 7-7.5mm. They are strung with the largest pearls at the center of the necklace and gradually smaller towards the clasp. Larger pearls are more valuable and they create a more dramatic look. High-quality pearls larger than 9 mm are scarce and very expensive.

The classic and most common pearl necklace length is the 17-19 inch princess. It is a good choice for a first pearl necklace because it can be worn with many things.

Decide Pearl Types

There are four types of pearls:

1.Classic Akoya Pearls

2.Large Exotic Black Tahitian Pearls

3.Large Golden or White South Sea Pearls

4.Inexpensive Decorative Freshwater Pearls

The above four types of pearls are all cultured pearls. Akoya pearls, Tahitian pearls, and South Sea pearls grow in ocean saltwater so they are also called saltwater pearls.

Akoya pearls are the most popular type for their appealing high luster, luxury and affordability.

Decide Pearl Quality

Pearls usually have four grades: A, AA, AAA, and AAA+ quality. AAA and AAA+ quality are the highest quality.

AAA and AAA+ quality pearls are the most desired pearls for gifts. They have high luster and very clean surface skins.

AA quality pearls have medium luster and slight to medium surface imperfection. They are ideal gifts for someone who will be happy to own a piece of fine pearl jewelry.

A quality pearls have low luster and medium to heavy blemishes. They are not popular for gifts due to their low quality.

Decide where to buy pearls

You can buy cultured pearl jewelry from retail stores, online shops or online auctions. When shop for pearls, it is recomMended to buy pearls from these places: stores that grade pearls carefully; stores that provide certificate and offer money back guarantees.

Provided by PremiumPearl.com.

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What To Use Instead Of White Flour

There are many different types of flour to use in baking and Cooking if you either cannot or do not want to use the usual white, all purpose variety. Gluten allergies also prohibit many people from enjoying the Foods and baked goods they enjoy but using alternative flours is one simple way to solve that problem.

Corn flour comes from milled corn and is often used along with cornmeal for making breads and muffins. Corn flour also works well for pancakes and waffles as does cornmeal, which comes from either ground yellow or white corn.

Soy flour works best when used in conjunction with other types of flour and it offers a distinctive nutty taste. Soy flour also has a high fat content and contains a high amount of protein. Use soy flour for making baked goods like brownies, cookies, and breads with fruits and nuts.

Brown rice flour is valued for its health benefits as it contains bran. This particular type of flour is often used for making muffins and breads and even healthy cookies. White rice flour regularly appears in gluten free recipes for baked goods. It features a bland taste and works well with most all other types of flours. You may also see white rice flour in recipes for Asian dishes and it is sold in Asian markets as well as in health Food stores.

Whole wheat flour is a healthy alternative to white flour but it is often used along with the all purpose variety for adding texture and nutrients. Whole wheat flour is made by using the enTire grain including the bran, which gives it its brown color. Use whole wheat flour as you would other types of flours but remember it has a shorter shelf life than its white, refined counterpart does.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough Recipe

What You Need

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 1 cup all purpose flour 2 packages dry active yeast 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1 1/2 cup lukewarm water 1/2 teaspoon olive oil 2 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons cornmeal The toppings of your choice

How to Make It

Using a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine both types of flour, the packages of yeast, salt, and sugar. Gradually add the warm water while the machine is mixing and knead on the low setting for about 10 minutes or until the dough is firm and smooth.

After mixing, add the olive oil and mix again for about 10 seconds to coat the dough.

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm location to rise for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Just before the dough is done rising preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are using a pizza stone, be sure to preheat it in a cold oven.

Divide the dough in half and place on a flat, floured surface like the kitchen counter. Form each dough section into a ball then stretch into a circle. Use a rolling pin coated with flour to roll the dough out into a large, thin circular shape.

Sprinkle cornmeal onto a large baking sheet and add your toppings. Transfer to the pizza stone or bake on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Repeat the process with the second round of dough or freeze it in a freezer bag for later use.

Makes 2 thick medium sized crusts or 4 thin crusts.

golden berries

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Benefits of Golden Berries

Benefits of Golden Berries

Getting back to basics such as Food bio-products will be consumed by many nutritionists, doctors and health enthusiasts of comparison goods processed and recomMended instant meals. They argue that eating fruits and vegetables in their natural form to maintain the best sources of nutrients that our bodies healthy and free of disease.

Some fruits and vegetables are probably super Foods that are fortified with vitamins and minerals in their natural form. Athe most popular among them the gold organic berries (Physalis peruviana), also known as Inca berries Cape gooseberries, which are eaten as healthy snacks and processed as an ingredient in various recipes. These berries are small nuggets of gold, yellow-orange, with a lemon like the taste of sweet and sour. Incan Berries are found to have a high nutritional value. These berries, whichlarger than raisins, ate a lot of seeds with a grainy texture and often dry.

Golden Berry was the first time in the tropics South America, where it has been found widely cultivated. The Incas cultivated berries and brought them first to South Africa, on the path to the Cape of Good Hope, where the name Physalis born in 1800. These berries were then introduced in Australia and New Zealand and have been widely spread in nature alwayssince.

Fruit eaters in the past may have enjoyed eating the little berries because of their refreshing and delicious sweet taste, but little did they know that the Golden Berry has amazing health benefits like a multivitamin. With its holistic and all-natural ingredients, eating Gold Berries is highly recomMended than taking a multivitamin suppleMent.

The Incan Berry has high content of Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12 and C, along with Vitamin P (bioflavinoids). Vitamin P has antioxidants and contains anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-histamine and anti-carcinogenic components. This makes the little dried fruits act as little soldiers protecting the body from toxins and free radicals that wash out the body wastes.

Also, Golden Berries are categorized as adaptogenic Foods that reduce the body's stress levels. Individuals with diabetes can benefit by eating Incan berries. Pectin, a substance found in these berries, may keep the blood sugar at its optimum level. These berries may help in maintaining the normal cholesterol level, drawing away the possibility of any heart-related ailments. Incan berries have also laxative qualities ensuring the healthy condition of the intestines. Putting Golden Berries in your diet, you can both enjoy their sweet taste with health benefits.

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