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Your sister or best friend is getting married. You have been assigned the task of planning her bridal shower. Don’t be panic. You have been so busy planning the shower that you haven’t given thought to the idea of buying a gift for the bride. Now it’s time to be panic! Bridesmaids are not limited to just throwing the bride a bridal shower. Traditionally, they present the bride with a special gift as well. Aside from choosing a great theme for the bridal shower, selecting a unique bridal gift can be just as challenging. The bridesmaid’s gift to the bride usually holds some sort of sentimental value. It may be something old, something new, something borrowed, or something blue. Because the bridesmaids are the closest friends to the bride, it is important for them to choose a special gift. The bridesmaid’s gift to the bride should reflect friendship, love, and gratitude.

Planning a bridal shower can be stressful enough for any bridesmaid. Deciding on a gift for the bride-to-be just got easier. Here are a few ground-breaking gift suggestions for the special bride-to-be in your life.

Bridal Jewelry-Presenting the bride with a bridal tiffany jewelry set is an exceptional gift idea. Not only will it have a significant purpose on her wedding day, it will also hold sentimental value for the bride for years to come. Bridal jewelry is an important element in each bride’s life. Every bride looks forward to the moment when her mother places a beautiful bridal tiffany necklace around her neck as she prepares to walk down the aisle.

Honeymoon Bridal Jewelry Set-Some brides forget to pack jewelry for their honeymoon. Beach themed jewelry is a wonderful idea for a bride and groom going to a beach or resort location.

Travel Gear- Any bride would appreciate a personalized travel case, tote bag, silver jewelry box (especially if it is filled with some of her favorite items). When it comes to traveling, a bride can never have too much luggage or cheap tiffany jewelry!

Throwing the bride-to-be a bridal shower can be fun in many ways. Depending on the theme of the shower, it just might be the topic of discussion for years to come. Unlike the traditional finger food and games of the past, party planners have raised the bar on bridal celebrations by conjuring up more creative themes. Additionally, bridesmaids are getting more innovative with the gifts they are selecting for the bride-to-be. Bridesmaids have gone an extra mile to make bridal showers a memorable occasion. Whether the gift is something old, something new, something borrowed, or something blue, the bridesmaid’s gift to the bride is symbolic of friendship, love, and gratitude.

http://www.silverlandjewelry.com/Bridesmaids-Gift-For-The-Bride.html

For the last six months, I have been working with Diane Fitzgerald on her Bead&Button exclusive series about designing beadwork (read part 1 of her series here). In her fourth installment of the series (coming in our August issue), Diane mentions tiffany jewelry she saw in a museum exhibit, jewelry from the infamous Bactrian Hoard.

And I’m sorry, with a name as mysterious and compelling as the Bactrian Hoard, I just had to learn more about it! Here is the story of a most unusual collection of accessories from the Middle East.

Some 2,000 years ago, a nomadic tribe from Bactria — a province of modern-day Afghanistan between the Hindu Kush Mountains and the Amu Darya River — entombed one man and four women within the walls of a 4,000-year-old temple. But the tomb held more than the dead…

In 1978, while excavating the former Bactria region, Russian archeologist Viktor Sarianidi stumbled across the tombs in the temple. And interred with the bodies were no less than 20,000 gold ornaments, including cheap tiffany jewelry, beads, buckles, belts, medallions, coins, mirrors, crowns, and daggers worn in life by those buried with the treasure. The location of the excavation was called the Mound of Gold, or Tillya Tepe.

But after only a few months of excavating, Sarianidi had to flee when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. The so-called Bactrian Hoard was taken to the Kabul Museum. Over the next 10 years, the hoard was shuttled from one location to another, and wisely so: The museum was occupied by the Ministry of Defense, and thus bombed heavily

In 1989, the Bactrian Hoard was secretly moved to a vault of the Central Bank in the presidential palace. The doors to the vault were locked with seven keys, each of which were necessary to open the vault. The keys were then distributed to seven talwildars, or keyholders, who in traditional Afghan fashion were held personally responsible for the safety of the hoard. For further security, the keyholders’ names were not recorded and they stayed abroad.

When the staff of the museum returned in 1996, there was no sign of the Bactrian Hoard. Stories began circulating that the collection had been taken to Moscow, sold on the black market, or even melted down. It now seems that some of these stories were intentionally circulated to protect the true location of the hoard. Regardless of the origins of the rumors, the Bactrian Hoard was assumed to be lost, a great cultural blow to Afghanistan.

Then, in August 2003 when the President Hamid Karzai arrived at the presidential palace, the mysterious vault was discovered. Could it contain the Bactrian Hoard? Since the anonymous keyholders had long since dispersed or disappeared, the president appointed a judge from the Ministry of Justice as the substitute keyholder. The vault was opened and the hoard revealed.

Now, items from the Bactrian Hoard, like the Tiffany Rings shown here, are traveling the world in the exhibit Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul. The exhibit is currently at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston through May 17, 2009, and will then be on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from June 23 through Sept. 20, 2009.

In today’s day and age, it’s nice to be able to boost the mood of those around you and to have a smile on your face when times get tough. Inspirational jewelry can do just that. With messages of optimism, sterling silver bangle tiffany bracelets can carry a happiness factor that will act as a constant reminder throughout the day. These friendship bracelets can be adorned with messages of optimism such as ‘Believe’, ‘Hope’, ‘Faith’ and ‘Strength’. Featured on The View, these bracelets also make a great gift for Mother’s Day with phrases like ‘Wisdom’, ‘Love’ and ‘Inspire’. These good tidings are sure to bring enjoyment to any recipient, especially a close friend or mom.

If you can’t find a ready-made piece of jewelry with the saying you’re looking for, then order a custom piece online. Engravable sterling silver is affordable and very versatile, with a variety of designs from which to choose. Inspirational messages can be written on tag bracelets or added as charms to a necklace or bracelet. If you’d like to keep your thoughts private, then consider engraving the inside of a ring, a bracelet or a sterling silver locket with your message.

For a beautiful and encouraging tiffany necklace, look for pendants with multiple charms that carry words of good cheer. These are uplifting and heartfelt, as the recipient of this gift can wear the piece anytime. In the 60s and 70s, giant peace sign pendant necklaces were all the rage, as these flower children rocked bohemian free-spirited style that spread the message of unity and harmony. Today, peace sign charm necklaces are still fashionable, but the style is more feminine and delicate than designs of the past.

Whether bought as a gift to oneself or a given to a friend, inspiration tiffany jewelry is sure to make a great statement.

Valentine’s Day is creeping up on us once again. Guys let me give you a bit of a subliminal message: Buy your girl a diamond heart pendant, and keep your self out of the dog house for sure! After all this is the holiday where you show your significant other, just how much you love and care about them.

Now we have all heard the expression, “It’s the thought that counts” but truthfully we all know that if we don’t handle this just right, someone may be very upset with us! Jewelry is usually a very safe bet, when it comes to purchasing a Valentine’s gift for your special someone. This year the diamond heart tiffany pendant may be the most wished for piece of jewelry among women all over the world.

Think about it, what’s the first image that pops into your head when you think about the words Valentine’s Day? It should be a heart, because Valentine’s Day is a holiday in which we are expressing our love to some one special. So now that we have figured out that jewelry is a safe bet, and preferably something in a heart shaped form, now all we have to figure out is what heart shaped piece of jewelry would be best for our significant other. Guys here’s that subliminal message again: Buy your girl a diamond heart pendant for Valentine’s Day, to avoid disaster!

While just about any piece of heart shaped jewelry will save your hide on Valentine’s Day, only a few rare pieces are capable of making it an extra special holiday. Now all you have to do is seek out that perfect piece. We all know that a dog is suppose to be mans best friend, right? Well the saying for us ladies is, “cheap tiffany jewelry is a girl’s best friend“.

So now let’s recap this article a bit. We have learned that it is important to find a very special gift for your girl on Valentine’s Day; We have also found jewelry to be a safe bet. We are looking for something in a heart shaped form, and we know that ladies love tiffany jewelry. Ok guys, here comes that subliminal message again: Buy your lady a diamond heart pendant for Valentine’s Day, or you may be sorry that you did not!

Gentlemen, I hope you have been paying attention to this article! And I don’t mean to insult your intelligence, but just in case you may have missed a line or two: Buy your special someone a diamond heart pendant for Valentine’s Day, think about how great the night might end! Ok here’s your last subliminal message: Your girl will love a diamond heart pendant for Valentine’s Day!