Early Roman engagement rings were simple bands with a carved key. There are two theories surrounding this particular style. The romantic version states that the key was to 'unlock' her husband's heart. The more practical version was that the key represented the wife's ownership of her husband's estate. When a Roman woman married, she received half of her husband's wealth.

In 860 A.D., Pope Nicholas I ordained that an engagement ring was a requirement as a statement of nuptial intent. He insisted that they be made of gold to show financial sacrifice on the part of the prospective husband. In Renaissance Italy, silver became a popular metal for engagement and wedding rings. These rings were often very ornate and inlaid with Niello, a method of decorating metal objects with engraving techniques. An alloy of silver, copper, lead and sulfur was rubbed into an engraved pattern on silver or gold and then fired.

Darkened areas remained in the crevices after the object was polished. Elaborate engagement rings of rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and other precious gems became commonplace among the wealthy. Many rings would feature a group of stones to spell out a sentimental word. For example, if one wanted to spell out LOVE on his ring, he would use Lapis Lazuli, Opal, Verde Antique and Emerald. Some husbands-to-be would have a ring fashioned featuring his and his fianc?e's birthstones.

Since the color blue symbolized purity and fidelity, Sapphire engagement rings were quite popular, especially during the Victorian era.The ancient Greeks believed the fire of the diamond reflected the flame of love, while the Romans thought diamonds to be splinters from falling stars that tipped the arrows of Eros, the god of love. In the Middle Ages, these gems were looked upon as charms that had the power to enhance the love between a husband and a wife. However, diamonds were quite rare and only the wealthy could afford them.The tradition of giving a diamond engagement ring began in 1477 with the Archduke Maximillian of Austria, who presented his betrothed, Mary of Burgundy, with a simple gold band with a diamond. Since diamonds are the hardest, natural substance in nature, it was considered an appropriate symbol of enduring love. From that time forward, the royal tradition of giving a diamond engagement ring began to be embraced by people around the world.

In the 1939, a brilliant advertising campaign by the De Beers Company, the world's largest miner and marketer of diamonds, made the diamond THE engagement ring as the only best option to gift to your fianc?e..

The consumer is given step by step advice to simplify the process of selecting and purchasing the perfect ring."Consumers will be amazed at the subtle, yet powerful ways jewelers manipulate them into spending more. This eBook will help them to defend against these techniques and avoid spending too much," says John Yasmer, author of "How to Buy an Engagement Ring: Without Getting Ripped Off!" Purchasing an engagement ring is one of the biggest purchases a man makes, after buying a house and a car.Contact Information:John Yasmer909-949-8281e-mail protected from spam botshttp://www.HowtoBuyanEngagementRing.com.

You will probably take a while just studying all the attributes of the various diamond shapes and sizes. Of course, you can always choose to purchase the setting online and then take it to your local jeweler to have it fit with a diamond.You are the designer extraordinaire! You are not bound by what someone else thinks you will like. So, go ahead and feel free to create your own wedding ring. There's nobody else to please but you.And you will just love the results..

Jewelry cleaning removes any such build-up or residue and restores the original sparkle and shine to make your precious jewelries last a lifetime. Although numerous commercial products are available to clean gold jewelry, most often water and a mild detergent is sufficient to restore the radiance, and a soft brush helps to gently clean intricate filigree designs and stones. Sometimes it can be helpful to soak the gold jewelry in a solution of one part ammonia and six parts water for up to sixty seconds. It is imperative to dry and polish your gold jewelry with a chamois or soft cloth after cleaning.Jewelry polishing cloths are an effective and inexpensive way of keeping your bits of gold glittering and radiant. These essential cotton cloths help to remove tarnish and to buff jewelry to look as good as new.

Avoid wearing jewelry while in contact with household chemicals, such as chlorine bleach as this can discolor or damage your gold jewelry mountings.Proper storage of jewelry when not in use is essential to keep your golden treasures clean and new. When storing your jewelry, be careful that pieces do not tumble against each other to avoid scratching and loss of radiance. Ideally, store your jewelry in a fabric-lined jewel case, or a box with compartments or dividers or store each piece in individual soft cloth pouches.It is important to check the stone settings of your jewelry periodically for any damage to the gold prongs or bezels. Immersing the jewelry in rubbing alcohol for a few seconds will restore the gorgeous sparkle to cloudy stones. It is very important to dry the jewelry thoroughly after cleaning before wearing or storing.

Remember that Pave set (glued in stones) jewelry should never be immersed in water while cleaning gold jewelry..

Also, if you're looking for something a little fancier that can also become a piece of wonderful keepsake jewelry, white gold makes a very elegant engraved wedding ring that can be passed on to future generations.The one thing you need to be aware of when buying a white gold wedding ring is that it will need periodic maintenance in order to keep it's luster.To obtain it's much desired glittering white color, white gold is coated with another alloy called Rhodium (the natural color of white gold is really light gray). Rhodium will wear down after a while, so to maintain your ring's luster, you'll need to visit your local jeweler about every 12-18 months and have it re-plated with a new coating of Rhodium. The cost for this should be very reasonable.Whether you're looking for a plain gold wedding band, or a wedding ring with sparkling diamonds, white gold is an excellent choice for those looking for something a little extra special..

Olivier was delighted with the response he received, "It was a great feeling to hear that people loved the cushions. Although I also kept hearing how they would love to have one of my ring cushions but they weren't having a page boy. I think it is not as common here as it is in Belgium to have a rin cushion at the front of the church. We don't typically use ring bearers and I am hoping that the English will start to follow us on this. I would love my ring cushions to be the hot, new bridal accessory." The idea, which was originally conceived when Olivier was unable to find a designer wedding ring cushion for his own wedding, has grown to a desire to create beautiful luxury pieces.

WeddingRingCushions' philosophy is that while not everyone can afford a luxury designer dress for their wedding each bride should be able to have one luxury designer item. Since each Olivier Laudus cushion comes personalised with the bride and groom?s initials and wedding date, it is truly unique to that couple. As Olivier comments, "I wanted to do something very intricate [hence his "La Ros?e"cushion taking about five hours to bead] using luxurious fabrics and beads, something that the couple could treasure." It was Olivier's desire to produce bridal objets d'art that inspired him to create his Limited Edition Flamenco inspired "La Boheme" cushion which is beaded with red and white Swarovski crystals. With his original signature Swarovski pearl beaded rings on the back of the cushion and handcrafted white stylish presentation boxes, WeddingRingCushions has already created a strong brand identity. Prices start from ?77.00 and a couture service is available from ?85.

For more information contact Olivier Laudus on 020 8374 1239 or see www.weddingringcushions.co.uk..

Its value is a measure of the true wealth and the stability of national currencies the world over. Throughout history, every paper currency has become totally worthless over time; yet gold remains.The precious metal gold cannot be created or destroyed or altered. It forever remains one of the most liquid investments with no geographic boundaries. Gold is bought, sold, traded, and stored in most parts of the free world with complete privacy. Likewise, U.S.

gold coins enjoy many of these unique advantages.In a world where paper currencies come and go, where paper money can be depreciated 25% to 30% overnight, the price of gold cannot be manipulated by any single nation or borrower. On the contrary, gold is the foundation of today's world monetary system.Acquiring U.S. gold coins put you in great company through American history. Prior to 1933, all U.S. paper currency was backed dollar for dollar by gold reserves.

Today, paper dollars are backed only by a government promise, nothing more.For investors who value gold, they recognize the safety, privacy and instant liquidity of U.S. gold coins. As official legal tender, each coin has a guaranteed weight and gold content.Numismatic coins, especially the pre-1933 U.S. gold coins are highly sought after by asture collectors and investors for more than their pure gold content. The Saint-Gaudens, the Liberty series, and the Indian Head U.S.

gold coins are admired and collected worldwide for their historical significance, beauty, and rarity.Unlike gold that is minted by the tons annually, U.S. Gold coins minted prior to 1933 have a fixed and limited supply. No more will be minted ever and the older they get, the more highly prized they become as important pieces of American history.We hope your visit will encourage you to add more rare and valuable U.S. gold coins to your collection and to learn how to build sets that will appreciate in value and be greatly admired for many generations to come..

A friendship promise ring is very common with young girls who get matching rings that say "best friends forever." A promise ring between two friends is a way of showing that a certain friendship is something
very special to you.A Promise of To Be ChasteAlso called a purity ring, this type of promise ring is worn as a reminder to be chaste. This can be given by a boyfriend or a girlfriend but is also frequently given by parents to a child. It is meant to keep one sexually pure until true love and marriage is found. This type of promise ring is a constant reminder to the wearer to remain abstinent until marriage.A Promise of Substance AbstinenceA promise ring can also be used by those who are looking to stay free from alcohol or other harmful substances. This ring can be given to oneself or by someone else as a constant reminder to stay free from drugs and other substances that are harmful to the body.A Promise to Remain Free of an AddictionWhile a promise ring can be a promise to remain free from a drug addiction, it can also be a promise to remain free from other additions as well.

This would
include addictions such as gambling or pornography. It can also be a promise not to take an activity into access such as eating or even video games.A Promise of MonogamyWhen a couple does not to get civilly married they often wear promise rings as a symbol of their commitment to each other. These promise rings have a very strong meaning to the couple and is a way of them expressing their desire to be joined with that person forever.A Promise of SilenceIn ancient times, a ring would be given as a symbol of silence. It was used as a remembrance of the importance of keeping a particular secret. On occasion, a curse was engraved on the inside of what would occur if the secret was revealed.

A Promise of Spiritual CommitmentIn the days of old it was common for prominent church leaders to wear a ring as a symbol of their commitment to the church. Even today many faiths wear rings
as a reminder of their spiritual commitment. A promise ring is not limited for the use of a pre-engagement ring, but can represent a promise between non-romantic friends, a promise to be chaste, a promise of substance abstinence, a promise to remain free from an addiction, a promise of monogamy, silence, spiritual commitment, and much more. One should not keep such a limited view of the promise ring as just being a pre-engagement ring, but see the potential of its other purposes as well. As seen, a promise can symbolize any promise that is made between to individuals or even a promise made to oneself.

A promise ring is simply a physical sign of a commitment..

"Token-Ring is old, out dated junk that has reached the end of its life." "So what?", I responded. "Just because something is old doesn't mean it needs to be replaced." "Come on.", he responded, "Token-Ring completely limits the ability of new applications on the desktop to take advantage of client-server and web-based applications. PC's are useless on Token-Ring networks." "I completely disagree", I argued. "I'll bet you're about to waste some of your company's money on this project." Before you decide to make a blanket switch from a Token-Ring architecture to Ethernet, analyze the costs, benefits, and risks. Show Me The Money"What money are you saving by switching to Ethernet?", I asked my colleague.

"What's the financial justification?". "Like I said", he responded, "Ethernet is cheaper and faster. Over time, our company will spend less on keeping the networks up." Although this may be true, investing $100,000 without quantifying the benefits up front may mean you're throwing money down the drain. We shouldn't rely on our gut to make these types of spending decisions. Unfortunately, many technology professionals attempt to justify projects using qualitative benefits.

Always strive to convert qualitative benefits into hard numbers. "That would be nice, but it would take forever to quantify the benefits" he said. "This is a strategic project. You really can't put a value on this type of initiative." I totally disagree. But rather than argue further, I decided to perform the analysis on the spot with the help of my colleague.

Identify Conversion CostsBefore you can determine whether switching from Token-Ring to Ethernet makes sense, you have to identify the costs of the actual conversion. Usually, these are easy to quantify. My friend provided me with the following figures:Per PC, the conversion costs are:Labor - $75Cabling - $200 (they're running category I cabling and need to convert to category 5)Per floor, the conversion costs are:Ethernet switch - $150 (includes labor)Per site, the conversion costs are:Intra-floor cabling - $200 (includes labor)The next question I asked was how many sites, floors per site, and PC's per floor were in the scope of his project. He again provided me with good numbers:Site A - 5 floors, 20 PC's per floorSite B - 1 floor, 50 PC's per floorSite C - 3 floors, 17 PC's per floorSite D - 8 floors, 22 PC's per floorSo the entire project cost would be calculated as follows:Site A Conversion Cost = $200 + (5 x $150) + (5 x 20 x $275) = $28,450Site B Conversion Cost = (1 x $150) + (50 x $275) = $13,900Site C Conversion Cost = $200 + (3 x $150) + (3 x 17 x $275) = $14,675Site D Conversion Cost = $200 + (8 x $150) + (8 x 22 x $275) = $49,800Total Project Cost = $106,825Identify the BenefitsAfter you quantify the conversion costs, quantify the benefits. At this point, my colleague didn't have an answer off the top of his head.

After a few seconds to think, he said "ethernet cards come built into the PC's we purchase. There's no incremental cost. If we keep Token-Ring around, we'd have to buy a new Token-Ring card for every new PC." Now we're getting closer, but we still haven't justified this project yet. I asked him how many new PCs did he expect to purchase next year. He said about 100 and provided me with the following costs:Card - $150Toke-Ring Cabling - $250Total cost for a new PC = $150 + $250 = $400"See.

I told you. This is a no brainer!" But then I asked him, "Of the 100 PC's, how many were incremental vs. replacements of old PC's ?" He gave me the following information, by site location:Site A - 20 incremental, 10 replacementsSite B - 50 incrementalSite C - 10 replacementsSite D - 10 incrementalThe $250 per PC cabling cost does not apply to replacements, so the costs would only be $150 for each PC replacement. You also cannot replace part of a floor, but you could have ethernet installed on some floors, and Token-Ring remain on others. I asked him to breakdown the PC count to a floor level:Site A- 20 incremental are all on one floor, the 10 replacements are scattered throughout the other floorsSite B - Only one floor in the buildingSite C - 10 replacements are scatteredSite D - 10 incremental are scatteredNow the light bulb started to go.

We figured out the costs of keeping Token-Ring vs. installing Ethernet on a site-by-site, floor-by-floor basis. We came up with the following costs (I didn't bother describing the calculations. You could easily figure it out for yourself using the assumptions made earlier):Site A - Token Ring ($8,000 for one floor, $1,500 for the others), Ethernet ($6,500 for the one floor or $28,450 for the entire building)Site B - Token Ring ($20,000), Ethernet ($13,900)Site C - Token Ring ($1,500), Ethernet ($14,675)Site D - Token Ring ($4,000), Ethernet ($49,800)The light bulb was completely on at this point. The best approach to this project would be to phase in ethernet by converting one floor at Site A and all of Site B.

Let's compare what would have happened if my friend had gone with a full replacement vs. a phased replacement.Full Replacement - Spend $106,000 to save $34,500Phased Replacement - Spend $20,400 to save $28,000My colleague was very thankful at this point. He realized that careful planning and analysis could ensure that his company's money was being spent wisely. Clearly, there are other benefits of changing a LAN architecture that were not even touched upon. Router integration costs and application performance could also help drive the decision.

Take the time to identify all of the possible costs and benefits of a Token-Ring to Ethernet conversion before starting the project. You could be throwing money down the drain! is co-founder of FindMyHosting.com (http://www.findmyhosting.com), a free web hosting directory offering businesses and consumers a hassle free way to find the right hosting plan for their needs. Feel free to contact Andy at andy@findmyhosting.com in case you have any questions or comments regarding this article..

Her information is geared towards all couples, whether buying online or at the local jewelry store."My advice isn't simply geared to engagement ring shopping online, although I fully endorse the Internet as the easiest and most convenient way to go shopping nowadays. After all, you don't have to spend hours looking for parking, battling other shoppers and being faced with pushy sales staff. Couples can browse online at their leisure, and make it quite a romantic experience." Taylor's witty but informational articles are designed to help take the guesswork out of finding the perfect engagement ring, but at the same time retaining the magic of this exciting time in most people's lives. "Your engagement ring is, hopefully, something you will wear for a very long time, so it's not a purchase that should be taken lightly," says Taylor "I've seen too many would-be brides, caught up in the excitement of the moment, choose the first ring they see, only to be disappointed down the track."Taylor has also included a comprehensive section on wedding rings. Many couples are now choosing an engagement and wedding ring set, or matching engagement and wedding rings, so she felt it was important to include both.

The website also features articles on diamonds and diamond jewelry, as well as entertaining articles like "Why Men Are Better Than Diamonds"."Anyone who is about to get engaged, or who has just announced their engagement and are hunting for their engagement ring, should spend an hour or two visiting Engagement Ring Guide before they fork out their hard-earned money. An hour spent on my website could save them many hours of heartbreak afterwards," says Taylor.She hopes her website will appeal to all couples who want to make an informed decision about that very special purchase - their engagement ring.Visit Taylor's website at http://www.engagement-ring-guide.com..