Pastor-Genève Advice

By David Bohl

Have you become too comfortable in a life that is not yours? Thinking about breaking up with your girlfriend, your job, or even your lifestyle? Find your true path. These 6 indicators can give you insight on whether to stick it out or throw in the towel.

You’re unhappy.
Seems to be a no-brainer, right? And yet, sometimes we’re so used to being unhappy in a job or a relationship that we never even realize there is any other way to feel.

Do you dread Monday morning by the time Sunday rolls around? Do you find that you have nothing positive to say or even think at your meetings during the week? In your personal life, do you choose to go out with friends because you don’t want to be alone with your wife or girlfriend? These are all signs that you need to either figure out how to improve your situation, or work on getting out of whatever you’re stuck in, and creating something new.

You’re bored
Through the ebbs and flows of life, you can definitely find yourself complacent in your daily routine. Like the changes of the seasons, these periods are worked through as the years go by. In your professional life however, boredom can be a definite sign to look at the other side. When your job not only bores you to tears but also fails to challenge you, it’s more than likely time to reevaluate your career path. There are many rewarding careers out there, and none of them have to leave you feeling like a rat scrambling for the cheese, day in and day out.

You’re stressed out
“Normal” stress occurs if you’re dealing with a major life change, like sending your daughter to college for the first time. Such things can be managed and dealt with. Real, damaging stress has to do with situations that feel like they’re beyond your control.

For example: let’s say you have a boss who’s never satisfied and seems to undermine you at every turn. It’s getting to the point where you’re sick to your stomach at the thought of facing him each day. Your anxiety is affecting your sleep, which in turn is affecting your performance. You’re becoming the very thing your boss is trying to unjustly pin on you.

If you’re in a situation like the one I just described, that’s abnormal, unhealthy stress. All signs point to that it’s time to find a position in a different department, or perhaps a new field altogether.

You’re unfulfilled
When you’re unfulfilled, you’re more than likely also bored. But in addition to a lack of enthusiasm, you may also be feeling that whatever you’re doing now matters little if at all to you or to anyone else. Do you experience emotional lows over the idea that your life’s work has no impact on the greater good? If you’re financially secure, now might be the perfect time to give up that unfulfilling job and go help a third world country! It sounds “out there,” but good people get involved in humanitarian causes every day, and are all the better for it.

You’re neglecting the important things in your life
It’s one thing to feel unappreciated, bored or unfulfilled in your career. But when such feelings interfere with the things that you love to do and the people that you love to do them with, there is a definite problem. The most common deathbed regret is not enough quality time spent with loved ones. If you work yourself to the bone to *barely* enjoy that extravagant vacation that you could not take otherwise… well, that’s the choice you choose to make. But what if you could trade some of your “ambitions and acquisitions” for more quality and fulfillment? You may just find, you’re all the richer for it.

By: Victor Epand
Some peole are a little confused about coloured diamonds; some think that the more colourless they are, the more valuable they are. On the other hand, some of the coloured diamonds are worth more then the cololess ones. You just need to understand about diamonds and how the colored ones are worth more then the colourless ones.

It is true that fine colorless diamonds are generally more valuable than colored diamonds. However there are exceptions. The pink, blue and canary yellow diamonds, they can be more valuable when they occur naturally in nature and are not artificially colored. As for determining the authenticity of your stone I would suggest that you take it to your nearest trusted jeweler for indentification.

There are some people out there that have a hard time to understand What a Window in a Gemstone looks like. Many of the photos I’ve seen of sapphires, tourmaline, amethethyst cut in a round shape appear to have deep color on the outside rim of the Crown but much paler color looking into the top center of the crown. The term window used in the context of colored stones and even diamonds refers to a flaw in the cut of the stone. All crystals of gem materials have a refractive index which is how the stone bends light for reflection and refraction.

If the stone is cut properly the light should be reflected back out of the top of the stone so all you see is sparkle and light reflected. If you look down the center of the stone and you can see right through it, read through, you can read a paper without distortion then you have a ‘window’ you can see through. Properly cut gems should not have a ‘window’ in the middle.

Diamonds are usually the best cut and most of the time you cannot see through a diamond from the back since all the light is reflected back out through the table. Colored stones rarely are cut as well diamonds and they have much lower refractives indices so have to be cut much differently. Most cutters of colored stones try to get the color in the bottom of the pavilion so it will reflect evenly throughout the stone.

The concntration of color on the girdle is because it is the thickest part of the stone usually. Paler color is usualy due to the color zoning in the crystal and sometimes the cut can help but not always. Anyways the window in colored stones has nothing to do with color but mainly with the cut.

Black diamonds are one of the few stones that alot of people would like to have. But i have heard that black diamonds are going to diminish, I am not really sure about the market for black diamonds. I rarely see any one use them. I have had this question asked many times when it comes to colored stones,” Do the colored stones come out of the ground already colored?”

The answer is yes, they are that color out of the ground. Mostly the white stones are more valuable. However some of the large rare colors if they are very clean can demand high prices. It depends on the size and clarity and how pretty the color is and how rare it is. Usually diamond producing areas are quite vast and a number of different variations of colorless to pale yellow and brown or gray colors of diamonds can be found in a certain mine.

There are exceptions. The diamond mineds in Australia have high concentrations of unusually fancy colored diamonds. You can always go on the internet and see what you can find out some mineds that produc only some kinds of colored stones that you are looking for or you can ask your local jeweler about were he gets his and see what he has to say.

I prefer colored gems because there is an infinite variety, and it really uses my skills as a gemologist/mineralogist to identify the stones. Some of the most fortunate people are the ones from Rio de Janeiro, because they live in one of the richest gem producing areas of the world! Brazil is not only on the forefront of mining and fashioning gems but also the sophisticated ways in which colored stones are treated to improve their color and transparency.

Gems can be treated with heat, radiation, oils and polymers to improve their appearance. It is necessary for a gemologist to be able to identify these treatments and pass that information along to the owners or future buyers of these stones.

Diamonds, on the other hand, are a very controlled market. For the most part, their pricing, production and distribution are controlled by one of the biggest monopolies in the world: DeBeer’s Consolidated Mines. Internet sources like Blue Nile have really changed the market in favor of the consumer. Internet diamond dealers have taken much of the mystery out of diamond pricing and grading, and they have forced many retailers to be more honest and transparent with their diamond transactions. This is excellent and good for the buying public.

After a very strong showing at the Basel show, where attendance was up over 5 % and active demand at the first Christie’s and Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewelry Auctions in Hong Kong and New York, global consumers continue to take notice of the strength of the colored diamond market, particularly in the up market jewelry segments of major cities around the world and the strong demand coming out of emerging markets.

The most recent supply figures coming out of South Africa and Australia continue to indicate further pressure and declines, when coupled with the strong demand in emerging markets and global buyers is the main reason why DeBeers has raised prices of diamond rough 8.5 % so far in 2008.  This situation coupled with the weakening US Dollar has led to dealers continuing to raise prices as dealers, investors and buyers recognize that they will have to pay more for rare diamonds in an environment of rising prices.  This is also evidenced by the increasing activity at the auction level as well as dealer

Author: Frank Vanderlugt

Amsterdam is a major historical location for the diamond industry. Walking down the streets you will see a lot of jewelry stores as well as many diamond businesses with prominent security systems and signs reading “guided diamond tours”.

If you go on these tours you’ll see some breathtaking diamonds, as well a chance to see these stones being cut and polished. And if you have some cash to spare, purchase one for $4000 to $400,000.

Amsterdam has an extended history relating to diamonds, and has been a major diamond center since Sephardic Jews introduced the diamond cutting industry to Amsterdam in the later 16th century. Nowadays there are about a dozen diamond cutting facilities in the city, 5 of which offer guided tours. The tours are free and are usually conducted 9am to 5pm each day.

Amsterdam has an extended heritage in the diamond business, and has been a major European diamond center since Sephardic Jews introduced the diamond cutting industry in the later 16th century. Ultra-Orthodox Jews are still prominent in worldwide diamond marketing and distribution, and urban legend has it they hide diamonds in their beards to move them through customs without being detected. Diamonds are not necessarily cheaper in Amsterdam; however prices are fairly competitive. At least you will have seen the stones being worked, and when you purchase from a factory you get an extensive description of the diamond you acquire so you know exactly what you are buying.

The following renowned diamond stores offer diamond-cutting and polishing tours, and sales of the finished diamonds:

Coster Diamonds
Gassan Diamonds
Stoeltie Diamonds

Van Moppes Diamonds, which was the the 1st company to offer guided tours.

Be sure to sample authentic Dutch food at the numerous cafes. If you have a chance eat a “brodje haring” (an open-faced sandwich with salted herring) or try other seafood specialties from the cuisine of this seafaring nation.

The best time to visit Holland is spring or fall when the heat of summer and the droves of tourists have departed and the leaves on the trees aren’t blocking the review of the monumental facades. The winters are penetratingly cold and wet with lots of rain and sleet. Because of the high humidity, it actually feels as cold as the thirty-below winters common in Canada. Come in spring (March through May) and catch the Holland Flower Festival at Keukenhof.

If you’re over 40, make sure you pack a pair of reading/magnifying glasses: museums tend to utilise microscopic lettertypes for their descriptive plaques.

Just here are a select few of Amsterdam’s major attractions:

Anne Frank Home (Anne Frank Huis)
National Museum (Rijksmuseum)
Van Gogh Museum
Red Light District
National Museum of Modern Art (Stedelijk Museum)
Amstelkring Museum (Our Lord in the Attic Chapel)
Museum Het Rembrandt Huis (Rembrandt House)
Jewish Historical Museum (Joods Historisch Museum)
Dam Square
Sauna Deco

Amsterdam sail:
Sail Amsterdam

If you love boats, KNSM Island with its shipping history is the place for you. Every five years this harbor area of Amsterdam hosts the Sail event. Every new edition attracts even more visitors (Sail 2000 welcomed two and a half million people). Every edition also offers even more Tall Ships and even more cultural activities in the area.

The Van Gogh Museum contains the largest collection of works by Vincent Van Gogh, the tragic artist who cut off his ear and committed suicide. You will find more than 200 incredible works from the Master’s hand, as well as 500 drawings and 700 written documents. Together these provide a historic insight into his life and art.

Author: Jill Renee

If you have been thinking about buying or wishing for a fancy colored diamond read this article first! Colored diamonds are the next big trend in jewelry design. The spectrum of colors is as big as your imagination. Choosing what’s right for you can be overwhelming in today’s diamond market. This article will address a few important factors to consider when buying a fancy colored diamond for yourself or a loved one. Most important is knowing the differences between colored diamonds that are formed naturally and ones that are man-made.

Natural Fancy Colored Diamonds

Diamonds colored naturally are very rare and fetch very high prices. There are three ways in which colored diamonds are formed by nature. The first method is when a foreign element is introduced to the carbon material that a diamond is made from. For example, nitrogen can cause a diamond to have yellow or orange hues while boron can make it blue. The second method is when pressure compresses the carbon and creates a red, pink or purple hue. Lastly, natural radiation deep in the earth generates diamonds with colors of green or blue. Green, red and purple diamonds are considered very rare and command high prices. Indeed, there are only six naturally formed red diamonds currently in the market. One can only imagine the prices these stones will fetch. Natural fancy colored diamonds are so rare that there exist at least 10,000 colorless stones for each colored stone.

Synthetic or Treated Fancy Colored Diamonds

Fancy colored diamonds can also be man-made in labs. There are a variety of methods used to color diamonds. Some of these stones are purely synthetic, meaning they were totally created in a lab to simulate the properties of a real diamond. They are formed from carbon just like the real thing. However, these stones can be formed in a matter of weeks where as it takes thousands of years for natural diamonds to be formed. These type of synthetic diamonds are so similar to the real thing that only high tech equipment can detect subtle differences in the crystal formations within the stone to know they are fake.

Another man-made method to produce fancy colored diamonds involves irradiating a natural diamond that possesses an unattractive color. Irradiation is a process in which a diamond is exposed to a source of radiation that changes the position of atoms within the stone thus causing its color to change.

Treated or synthetic diamonds may look very appealing to the consumer because of the price and uniformity of color; however, these diamonds have no value to the serious buyer and have little resale value. Therefore, if you are purchasing a colored diamond for investment it is vital to obtain certification from the diamond seller. The certificate should come from a reputable laboratory and contain the origin of the stone and the natural origin of the stone’s color.

Diamond Certification and the Four C’s of Diamond Buying

Grading colored diamonds presents another set of unique issues for the buyer. Colorless diamonds are graded on the four C’s: Cut, Carat, Clarity and Color. Colored diamonds are also valued based upon the four C’s but another factor weighs most heavily on the value of a fancy colored diamond. This factor is based upon the hue and rarity of the color. Indeed a rare fancy color will garner a much higher price than a colorless diamond of many more carats. Colored diamonds have three characteristics by which they are graded. These are hue, tone and saturation. Hue refers to the dominant color of the stone, tone refers to the light within the stone and saturation refers to the intensity of the hue. Be sure to look for these factors on the diamond certificate.
Having knowledge about the differences between natural and synthetic colored diamonds will help you to choose the diamond that’s right for you. One thing is certain, in today’s marketplace jewelry designers are using fancy colored diamonds to create beautiful and unique designs that consumers want to own.