Alexandrite & Pearl, June Birthstones

Alexandrite is the fusion of Garnet, and, by extension, Ruby and Sapphire, Amethyst, and Pearl. If you love magic, especially the magic of science, you’ll love Alexandrite, the color-change gem. Outside in daylight, it is a cool bluish mossy green. Inside in lamplight, it is a red gem with a warm raspberry tone. People say, “emerald by day, ruby by night.” It flicks back and forth by switching from fluorescent to incandescent light. The value of the gemstone increases as the color change becomes more distinct. It is truly spellbinding to see the spectacular changing colors in this wonderful gemstone; someone might feel some of the mysterious magic and lore ascribed to it such as to strengthen intuition, aid in creativity, and inspire the imagination.

Originally, Alexandrite discovered in Russia’s Ural Mountains in the 1830s. Those first gems were of very fine quality and displayed vivid hues and dramatic color change. The gem was named after the young Alexander II, heir apparent to the throne. It caught the country’s attention because its red and green colors mirrored the national military colors of imperial Russia. It’s now found in Sri Lanka, East Africa, and Brazil; but this gem is exceptionally rare and valuable. Most cut gems weigh less than one carat. Larger, higher-quality gems rise in price dramatically.

“Green in sunlight.

Red in lamplight.

Color-changing Alexandrite

is nature’s magic trick.”

Pearls are also the June birthstone. In all of human history, mankind has admired, even worshipped, pearls. Persian mythology called them “the tears of the gods.”

 Ancient Chinese legend claims the moon holds the power to create pearls, instilling them with its celestial glow and mystery. Pearls are unique because they are the only gemstone formed within a living creature. Since natural pearls are rare and difficult to recover from the ocean’s depths, man invented the technique of culturing salt and freshwater pearls from mollusks carefully seeded with irritants similar to those produced by nature. Cultured pearls come in many beautiful colors, from pale cream and white to rose, lilac, green, gold, gray, and black. There are four main types of cultured pearls: Akoya, South Sea, Tahitian, and freshwater each having unique qualities.

Today, pearls are both classic and contemporary; a strand of white pearls can be timeless, but a bracelet of chocolate pearls is more modern. One thing to keep in mind with pearls, no matter the color or size, they can be worn every day or they can complement the most formal attire.

 

The Voice of the Grass

Here I come creeping, creeping everywhere;
By the dusty roadside,
On the sunny hillside,
Close to the noisy brook
In every shady nook,
I come creeping, creeping everywhere.

Here I come creeping, smiling everywhere;
All around the open door,
Where sit the aged poor;
Here where the children play,
In the bright and merry May,
I come creeping, creeping everywhere.

(Sarah Roberts)

Veggies

 

Photographer: Ida Tomshinsky, 2016

 

Radish and Dill 

From the Pantry: 5 Minute Prep

 

Photographer: Ida Tomshinsky, 2016

 

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Rigatoni: Serves 4

Place the tomatoes, garlic, basil, rosemary and cheese in a blender and process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. In a large pan, heat the vegetable broth. Add the pesto and stir on medium heat. Add the rigatoni or any other pasta and 1/4 cup cheese and continue cooking on medium-low for 5 minutes until hot. Garnish with cheese and fresh tomatoes.

 

Vines Wrapped around a Tree

Photographer: Ida Tomshinsky, 2016

 

Triptych Photography Art: Tradiscantia out of the pot in an open outdoor environment

Iconic Handbag Triplet Images

 

Photography: Ida Tomshinsky, 2016

 

Former Prime Minister of Great Britain Baroness Margaret Thatcher's handbag in style that will be always remembered: from suits to iconic handbag in a pin format.

Too cute!

Pick Into the New Book: "Bags & Purses: The Story of Chic and Practicality" by Ida Tomshinsky

The modern woman goes out of her home and carries a handbag. The purses and handbags are essential fashion accessories; a little home for storing private attributes. Purses and handbags are these fashion items that people do not ware, but carry on a daily base. Look around, today women cannot live without their purses, weather carried for utility or as a status symbol, representing chic and practicality.

 

The term “purse” is used in reference to a small bag for holding coins. In British English language, it is still used to refer to a small-size coin bag. For example, the expressions such as “control the purse strings” or “hold the purse strings” are common remarks to point out who is in charge of the money in the business and in the household.

A “handbag” is a larger fashion accessory that holds items beyond currency, such as items of personal belongings and emergency items to survive on. As usual, in United States and Canada, people use both terms “purse” and “handbag” interchangeably. The term “pouch” comes from Medieval Latin and associates with words: “skin” and “hide.” The term “handbag” began to appear in written documents around the early 1900s.

Since both men and women have something precious to carry around with them, handbags have been indispensable to the history of fashion and to the history of fashion accessories, specifically. The ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics display people with pouches carried around the waist, perhaps for the safety reasons. The ancient Greek’s and ancient Roman’s art objects exhibit men and women with small pouches in which they carried coins. The pouches were attached to the belt at the waist area and were called byrasa in Greece and bursa in Rome.

We always search for confirmations in the bible’s text. The bible specifically identifies Judas Iscariot as a purse carrier.

The earliest handbags that have been verified historically were small sacks carried by gentlemen containing pomanders [scented spices and oranges], flint and money. They were called ‘pockets’ and were hung by thongs from the back of the girdle. Pockets were often cut and stolen from behind by thieves and were soon nicknamed as ‘cut purse.’

Peasants in early rural societies used small bags to keep and transport seeds, religion items, and medicine. During the days of King Arthur, the legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries; and according to the medieval histories and romances, the housewives carried the various daily life’s necessities with them in bag or in a pouch. In this time in history, the bag was more as an item of a practical enterprise, and was not an item of vivid fun and chic fashion accessory. The woman needed supplies to accompany her in constant daily journeys without running back to the cottage for medicine or religious artifacts.