I knew my wife and I would be facing a lot of special “senior moments” this year. I’m not talking about forgetting things. Unfortunately, as people in our 40s, we already do those things quite regularly. 

I’m talking about those senior moments that come with having a 17-year-old daughter in her final year of high school. The problem for me is the school year just started, but we’re already dealing with those reminders that her time at home is about to come to a close. 

For example, this week, the flier came home explaining about caps and gowns for graduation. It also talked about class of 2014 jewelry, shirts and graduation announcements. There was a catalog with tassels, hoodies, shirts, stationary and other goodies.tungsten jewelry is making a revolution in the jewelry industry by introducing unique types of designs,Did I mention the school year just started? I mean, come on! Shouldn’t parents get a chance to work up to this kind of stuff? 

Apparently not. And I understand why. First of all, Jostens has to stay in business. These folks have totally cornered the market on all things graduation. Whomever in that organization decided to get into that business was a genius. Not only did we have to put down a height to ensure our daughter’s gown will be the right size, we also had to select a kind of jewelry that comes with her graduation pack, with each one tastefully displaying 2014, of course. And it all costs plenty of money — well worth it, of course. 

I know it’s been a long time since I went through that process,Costume and fashion online wholesale jewelry Jewelry designs, but I don’t remember getting this kind of info — short of the class ring solicitation — this early in the year.Leavenworth High School circa 1990 didn’t have special T-shirts for us to order until the very end of the year. I don’t remember having to pick a piece of jewelry — masculine-looking or otherwise. And I don’t think we even filled out anything related to our caps and gowns until after Christmas break. 

I could be wrong. Like I said, it was a long, long time ago. But this does seem pretty early. Heck, with some of the people in my school, my guess is they waited until after Christmas so the administrators would have a better idea of to whom they didn’t have to give the paperwork because, well, graduation simply wasn’t happening for some of my classmates. 

There’s still a long way to go this year. There are dances to fret over, friends to hang out with and a whole basketball season to play. Along the way, there are college applications to fill out, more scholarships to apply for and myriad other details to tend to as the calendar marches forward. 

Turquoise jewelry is far from a ‘new’ trend. Closely associated Native American culture, this beautiful stone has been used is jewelry and other accessories for centuries. And although the American Southwest may not be known for haute couture like the Paris’ and Milan’s of the world, turquoise is a very real contribution to high fashion from this region. And right now, turquoise is moving back into the limelight. 

Whether you’re a department store shopper or a salvager, turquoise is at your fingertips. With designers like Ippolita, Dannijo and John Hardy showing an insistence on this stone in their most recent collections, all you have to do is hit “ship now” and this trend will arrive at your front door. But as someone who has brought raw turquoise back form Seville, Mexico and turned it into a bold necklace, sometimes the hunt can be more fun. Find your local antique stores, you’ll be surprised by how many of these amazing stones you find. And get creative, find a stone you love in a cheap setting, take it to your local jeweler and you’ll have a custom piece! 

Many of the more mainstream jewelry designers tend to use the genuinely “turquoise” colored stones with few imperfections or veining. Truthfully, the more transparent the stone looks, the higher the quality it is likely to be. But turquoise comes in many forms and hues. As a turquoise lover, I have found that “imperfections” can be beautiful as well. Varying from translucent, sky blues to greenish hues with black and white veins, turquoise comes as refined or as raw as your personal style. 

With SoLux simulated daylight, customers have been reporting increases in sales ranging in industry from clothing retailers, jewelers, and even surfboard shops. A landmark study conducted by the Heschong Mahone Group found 40% higher sales with the addition of natural daylight in a retail environment. This was found with 99% statistical certainty regardless of the items sold. 

In a recent interview, Vic Bannayan, owner of Burke and Bannayan Jewelers stated, “SoLux is true daylight. SoLux is very comfortable on the eye, it makes the jewelry pop. It shows everything very sharp and clear. I show my diamonds, rubies, pearls, all under the same light, SoLux. I used SoLux in my previous shop and when I opened this new shop, I made sure to order more SoLux lights. I’ve been using them for 10 years. I wouldn’t use any other light source. We love SoLux.” 

“Retail giants like J.C. Penny, Macy’s, and Sears could increase their sales by an average of 40% by simply changing their lighting,” according to Phil Bradfield, Vice President of Sales at Tailored Lighting, inventors of the SoLux bulb. Bradfield states that consumers that make the journey to malls and outlet stores want to see and feel what they are buying rather than see a 2D picture of it online. The current lighting in most stores doesn’t represent colors and textures the way they look outdoors or in a consumers’ home. 

Energy efficient lights tend to mute and distort colors by emitting only a few colors visible to the eye in the attempt to save on the electric bill. In fact, light sources like SoLux that emit some heat actually save money in over 90% of retail establishments in the US where more energy is spent heating than cooling indoor spaces. 

Chris Rule, owner of the Surfindian Surf Shop in San Diego, CA recently reported that they’ve been extremely pleased with the use of SoLux in their art gallery and the performance of the bulbs and fixtures. They also decided to invest in SoLux for the surf shop to boast their surfboards and feature them in the best light possible. 

“Retailers that are using SoLux are giving their customers a HD experience and are capturing more walk-in sales,” states Kevin McGuire, President of Tailored Lighting and inventor of the SoLux Daylight Bulb. “The use of anything less than SoLux to display goods is like an electronics store using basic cable service to demonstrate their high definition TVs.Wholesale stainless steel pendants and steel jewelry line with bold new designs.” 

The SoLux bulb is acknowledged as producing the most accurate simulation of natural daylight rendering colors to near perfection. SoLux is also the most specified bulb in the museum and art industry illuminating more famous works of art than any other single brand of light source.

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