Hamsa Most Gorgeous

The Hamsa is a Middle Eastern symbol for thousands of years representing the hand of G-d.

Chamsa in Arabic or Hamesh in Hebrew is actually five (or 5 fingers as in a hand). 

The Hamsa serves as an amulet to nullify the evil eye (Ayin Harah). 

A Hamsa is frequently decorated with an eye, ornate etchings, beads, and gems. 

This Hamsa that I found in New Jersey by an Israeli artist is actually one of the largest (almost 2 feet) and one of the most beautiful. 

It is made of lacquer over oil paint on wood, and I think weighs about 5-6 pounds. 

Each finger is a different and vibrant color, and it has poetry about the hand in life you are dealt and handling life the best you can. 

It has a big happy and peaceful face with rosy cheeks and a heart on its forehead. 

It is such a magnificent piece that I actually saw it in the window of a fine art store while almost driving by it in a car.

Awesome, beautiful, and G-d should bestow it with the powerful energy to help protect us from all evil and illness, defend us from any bad judgements and dangers, and shower us with his infinite mercy and blessings all the days of our lives. ;-)

(Source Photo: Dori Sobin)

Hamsa Most Gorgeous

Apple Watch M~A~N~I~A

The Apple (Smart) Watch doesn't go on sale for another 2 weeks...

But the Apple stores are streaming with excited customers already.

There are displays lined with the watches from the sports model to the stainless steel and even the 24-karat gold ones.

Ask the Apple salesperson and they'll set you up at the next table for an associate to help you try on the watches including the 38 cm and 42 cm displays and various fashionable bands. 

They have this cute little rag to shine up the watch displays before you try them on over these black mats, just as if you are in a fancy jewelry store sampling diamond rings or something. 

I'll tell you, while there is plenty of well-founded skepticism about these ranging from their not being a killer app to their inherent obsolescence (the battery is like 6 quarters thick on this version), and the watches are NOT intuitive to use, people are STILL going to buy these just to be stay current with the changing technology. 

Right now, I'm pressing down on the display (in my mind) and sending my heart beats to Apple for another transformative technology move.

One of my favorites on this watch is using the voice control to send text messages...Dick Tracy eat your heart out. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Apple Watch M~A~N~I~A

Diamonds And Opals

I just wanted to share this photo of a beautiful ring I found in Santa Fe. 

I like the big diamond in the middle surrounded/lined on both sides by more diamonds.

What seemed really special was that it was inlaid in a setting of beautiful blue, green, and red opal gemstones. 

I asked the jeweler how much this ring was...

Couldn't believe the price tag for this was $35,000!

Probably a little steep for most people, and not exactly traditional, but in my mind, it was definitely a stand out. ;-)

Diamonds And Opals

Now That's A Plug!

So I see this young man with these large things in his earlobes. 

I turn to my wife and daughter and ask if they think it would be okay for me to ask him about them.

After the look at him and me a couple of times back and forth, I get the nod, okay. 

First, I had no idea those disks in his ears were called plugs.

(Now I'm a Jewish kid from the Bronx, and to me earplugs are what I use for swimming!)

I asked innocently, "How did you get your lobes that big?"

He then described this process where you start with an earring in your earlobe and over time, you stretch the hole with larger and larger insets.

He had been doing this for 8 years, but confessed that his holes could've been much larger by now.

I asked, "Do you ever take them out?"

He told me sure at night, and for showering, swimming, etc. 

Curious, I inquired what he does about the big flappy earlobes when the plugs aren't in.

The young man said, "It's no problem....it just hangs there."

At this point, I thank him for talking with me, but now am laughing at the conversation as I read it over, and happy to be a little innocent and even naive to some things. ;-)

 (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Now That's A Plug!

Lucky Earrings

My daughter found these lucky European earrings today from France.

- Queen of diamond playing cards

- Roll of the dice take your chance

- Lucky in love hearts

- Spicy green lucky charm hot peppers

Reminds me of something a colleague told me the other day about when your ears ring...it's right for love, and left for spite. 

Anyway, thought this was pretty good luck just finding these special earrings. ;-)

Lucky Earrings

A Jewelry Kiss

I really like these Hershey's chocolate...earrings!

No, they are not really made out of chocolate., but they are in the shape of chocolate kisses!

There are different colors based on the gemstones of the person's birth month. 

There are also similarly rings and necklaces in the shape of the Hershey Kisses.

What a nice way to tell someone you love them and give them a jeweled, if not chocolate, kiss. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

A Jewelry Kiss

Ushering In 2014

As we usher in 2014, I thought this amazing Fendi Jewel Watch for women was a great timekeeping way to capture the moment.

I took this photo in the Bellagio Hotel in Vegas. 

There was a huge advertisement hanging by the lobby, and it immediately caught my eye. 

I like the different colored stones for each hour around the dial, as well as the overall white diamond ring around the face. 

I found it at their website for $3,000 and it is an absolutely gorgeous timepiece when you first see it.

But it's interesting to me that while it catches my eye, the more I look it, I find that I start to tire of it, and it is not one of those truly timeless jewelry pieces.

Maybe an important lesson for the New Year is that we need to look closely and carefully to avoid expensive buyers remorse, because not everything that glitters is gold--in fact, this watch is stainless. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Ushering In 2014

When a Phone is Not Just a Phone

Vertu = luxury phones, at least on the outside, for now.

The phones are handmade, one at a time, by master craftsmen in England for the luxury division of Finnish phone maker, Nokia.

Made from stainless steel with a sapphire crystal screen making them virtually unscratchable (except by diamonds) and keys that pivot on ruby bearings, the Vertu watches are undeniably eloquent and unique.

Bloomberg BusinessWeek (3-9 October 2011) pegs the average cost at for a Vertu at $6,800 with their Signature line costing more than twice than amount!

Started in 1998, they have sold more than 300,000 phones in the last decade, and have seen "high double-digit sales growth."

The main problem with the phones according to IDC researcher is that they are "remaining decidedly low-tech"--running on "Symbian, the old Nokia smartphone operating system being phased out in favor of Microsoft's Windows Phone 7"--another market non-starter!

Currently, they are seen as more jewelry than smartphone, and so "a lot of Vertu owners have another device for everyday use."

However, another area where the Vertu phone has the special something is in terms of service--concierge service that is. Free for the first year and then costing about $3,0000 a year thereafter, you get a 24-hour hotline in nine languages for handling everything from restaurant reservations to travel planning and sending exotic gifts, such as "a box of live butterflies"--well not something I would do everyday, but I may just not be such a great gift giver :-)

Also, many models come with dual-SIM cards so you can have one phone for example for both business and private use with different phone numbers, networks, billing plans, etc.

Certainly this phone makes a big statement in terms of handsome looks and a very special service offering, but to really be luxury inside and out in the mobile computing marketplace, it's got to do a deal with Apple and/or Android, period.

Vertu customers paying big bucks for a great phone, deserve not only the best looks, but the best smartphone technology.

Another big challenge is that with people upgrading their smartphones every 18-24 months, how do you maintain the Vertu's value over time or is this a luxury purchase to be made on the order of Moore's Law?

Oh baby, that's a lot of Vertu!

When a Phone is Not Just a Phone