Jo has pretty much “grown out” of his wedding band. He blames my mom’s cooking - good excuse! Anyway, I decided I would look into having it stretched but the Jeweler said that might not be the best thing because it’s so thin. We don’t have children (unless you consider our cats children, but the IRS won’t let us claim them.. so you know), I still figured I’d do something for him for Father’s Day. It’s really just an excuse to get him that wedding band he’s been wanting for over a year now.

Just Mens Rings has a nice collection of rings like Men’s Wedding Bands, some that are “Jo’s style.” I really like the Tungsten band with thin gold inlay. This is sort of the style we picked out before (not his previous band, I mean in our search for a new one). Jo was just browsing the site with me and his first pick, different from mine of course, is the Titanium band with the black resin insert. It looks really stylish, and like Jo said - “Who can resist that price for such a cool looking band.” I agree.

Just Mens Rings sells more than just wedding bands, like Spinner rings which are also known as Tibetan worry rings, or prayer rings. My oldest nephew is into those kinds of rings, so that would make for a nice birthday gift in the future. Again, they’re also affordable and stylish. I love that they use other materials and metals, other than the normal gold and silver. Some of the metals Just Men’s Rings are stainless steel, titanium and tungsten-carbide.

If you’re looking for stylish and rather unique Men’s Wedding Bands, well rings in general, Just Mens Rings is a good place to start.

This was a paid review.

I love being able to shop, in the comfort of my own home. I don’t have to worry about getting all dressed up when I’m shopping online. I’ve been doing quite a bit of my shopping online lately because I have so many friends and relatives with birthdays coming up, plus Mother’s Day - which is just around the corner. I find this a lot more convenient than running around town, store to store, in search of something that I rarely ever find. I’m usually pretty clueless when it comes to Mother’s Day gifts. I usually do something handmade or go with flowers. I think I’d like to try something different this year; jewelry. My mom loves jewelry, especially turquoise - it’s her favorite.

I hopped over to ShangBy, which was founded in Texas and provides US consumers with access to jewelry markets in Shanghai, China. What I find really interesting about ShangBy is that they provide a unique way for you to get that international shopping experience through their live webcasts (10pm EST) - shopping live with the retailers - and you can get it right in the comfort of your own home, while in your sweats or pajamas. You’ll feel like you’re right there along with the retailers in Shanghai. When it comes to any kind of shopping, the price is always the most important thing - I’m always on a budget. ShangBy’s pieces are definitely affordable, with prices from 40-80% lower than other US retailer prices. Just look for yourself. If you shop between now and July 1st, you can also get 25% off of your purchase when you use the coupon code “pearls”. I think it’s pretty neat that they’ve also been featured on the Rachel Ray show in December.

This will make my search for the right Mother’s Day gifts for my mom and mother in law so much easier. I think my mom would really love the “Turquoise and Freshwater Pearl bracelet”. I’m not so sure about my mother in law though, I’ll have to get my husband’s input on that. I’m sure she’d like anything we’d pick out for her though.

If you’d like to learn more about the ShangBy shopping experience or would like to do some shopping of your own, hop on over to ShangBy and browse around a bit. You can shop by product, material, merchant or even by price (like me). You may even be interested in watching some of their videos or catch up on all the latest ShangBy news at their blog.

I guess I’m not going to have to look any further for jewelry.

As I mentioned yesterday; I’ve decided to run another contest featuring Lori’s jewelry. Last month the featured prize was a turquoise bracelet. This time around, the prize featured is a gorgeous necklace complete with sterling silver links, silver plated floral pendant with both jade and vintage silver beads. The necklace is 30 cms in length (I know some would ask).

I’m willing to ship anywhere, so if you’re interested in participating - please do so.

The only requirements are;

a) IF you have a blog, create a blog entry which will include the paragraph below and have all links in place as they are in the paragraph.

b) leave a comment on this entry and include a link to your blog entry.

c) IF you aren’t a blogger, you may participate by commenting on this entry and letting me know how you learned about the contest.

The paragraph you will need to include in your blog entry is as follows;

Teresa is holding a new contest over at her personal blog. Those entering have a chance at winning a beautiful floral necklace created by Lori Jaclyn. She’s willing to ship the prize anywhere, so anyone is eligible to participate!

This is what you have a chance at winning;

No entries will be accepted after 11:59 EST on February 17th. Once the deadline is met, I will close the comments. I will announce the winner sometime on Monday, February 18th.

Though I’m not much of a jewelry wearer, there are occasions where I see a stunning piece of jewelry that leaves me longing for it. As was the case when I started thumbing through a selection of exquisite black pearls by The Pearl Source. I’ll be honest, I’ve never looked at any piece of pearl jewelry and had a desire to own it. Of course that was until today and before I signed onto Thepearlsource.com. I can suddenly picture myself wearing any of their necklaces, rings and bracelets (I’m unable to wear any earrings) in colors such as; black, white, green, bronze, gold pearls and even lavender, peach and pink from their freshwater pearls. Their combination of stunning colors, with their styles and settings make for such wonderfully unique pieces that I would personally love to add to my own jewelry collection. You know, these are the types of pieces that when you’re not wearing them, they’re stored somewhere safe and kept in families for generations.

The most impressive part of these pearls, well besides the pearls themselves of course, are the prices. While some pieces cost more than my wallet could handle, there are still many within my price range and budget. Just to provide you with an example; one of the pieces I loved the most, the “10mm Tahitian Pearl Ring” has a price of only $549 (add $30 to increase or decrease the size from it’s base size of 6.5). This piece is featured first in the image above. As you can see, the gorgeous pearl is nestled in a beautiful setting featuring 18K gold and diamonds.

The Pearl Source has been in business for more than 15 years, providing these wonderful, rare, South Sea pearls at prices far less than retailers and their online competitors. And if for any reason at all, you are unsatisfied with your purchase, you’ll be happy to know they have a 30 day, 100% money back guarantee known as “The 30 day challenge”. To learn more about The Pearl Source, their 30 day challenge or to browse their collection of pearl jewelry, visit them at Thepearlsource.com.

You know, Valentine’s Day is less than a month away…. I’m just saying..

Just a simple reminder about the contest that I’m running, which will end in about a week. If you like jewelry, especially turquoise, you’ll love what’s up for grabs.

To learn more about the contest or to enter yourself, you can visit the entry by click the image above or by clicking here. The rules/requirements are easy. And hey, even if you don’t win, you may still be interested in other pieces created by Lori!

I’ve decided to run a contest from now until the end of January.

Many of you have read entries about my friend Lori’s jewelry on display over at Lori Jaclyn Jewels. Lori does beautiful work and has a wonderful way of incorporated the right colors with the right materials. Her creations are stunning and I have personally purchased two sets of earrings from her in the past, so I know you’ll love her work.

Contest Requirements;

Step One>>
Simply create an entry about the contest using the following paragraph and leaving the links in tact:

Teresa is running her first contest of the year over at her personal blog. You have a chance to win a beautiful turquoise bracelet created by Lori Jaclyn. She’s willing to ship anywhere and that means anyone is eligible to participate and win.

It measures 8 inches in length!

Step Two>>
Leave a comment here, with a link back to your entry.

It’s as simple as that.

The deadline to enter is Wednesday, January 30th. This would make a great Valentine’s Day gift for a “significant other”, mother, sister or just a good friend. The winner will be announced on January 31st.

When you’ve entered, be sure you go back and check out the gorgeous jewelry Lori has listed at her Etsy.com store - Lori Jaclyn Jewels.

I’m not much of a jewelry person. In fact, the most jewelry I’ve ever worn was a bracelet and my wedding rings, at one time. But every once in awhile I get this wild hair on my head and start longing for new pieces. The only problem is that I’d rather that spend a fortune on it and let’s face it, sometimes jewelry can be rather pricey. A couple of my good friends suggested I go with affordable designer inspired jewelry if I wanted a few great pieces of jewelry but wasn’t interested in breaking the bank to have it.

I think I’ll suggest this to Jo, since he keeps asking “What do you want for Christmas”. I mean, I drop hints along and along but if there’s something I am truly hoping to get, I may as well just come right out and tell him rather than let him keep guessing.

My sister in law loves jewelry. She was browsing around through some wholesale fashion jewelry the other day as I was walking by the computer. One of the pieces up on the page was a Merry Christmas charm that I thought was so adorable.

I am really not that into jewelry, though I occasionally like a ring or necklace (anything against my wrists is uncomfortable) but I am trying to find a horseshoe charm for myself and my youngest sister Nikki (I hope she isn’t reading this). We have both been longing for one of these. Maybe I need to get Colleen to help me search for them!

It is hard to believe that Christmas is right around the corner. Every year I put off my shopping until the last minute, which usually gets me into a lot of trouble because I have a hard time finding those special gifts - they are usually all picked over. I have promised myself that this year will be different and I will start my shopping via the internet.

My mom adores jewelery, specifically anything in gold (both white and yellow). The last couple of years I have managed to find nice gold earrings and a really beautiful gold ring but this year she has put in a special request. She has “dropped” gold necklaces in many conversations between my sister and I on several occasions recently. Since I am on a budget, I figured I would probably have a really hard time finding something for her. I am happy to learn that will not be the case. Overstock.com has a great selection of gold chains, so many that there is no way anyone could or even would walk away not finding something they love. I have just spent the last little bit browsing through 3 pages of gorgeous gold chains, which are available in many different lengths and styles - ropes, figaro and loop, to name a few. I remember my mom mentioning something about a white gold rope chain, so I think I will go that route. Lucky me, I have just come across the “14k White Gold 20-inch DC Rope Chain” (on page 3). It is a stunning piece and at $269.99, a steal! If you will notice on the same page, the two-toned heart pendant, this would make such an awesome gift for my 16 year old sister in law. She loves hearts and since it is two-toned, it is very stylish!

If you are looking for beautiful gold chains, whether in white, yellow, rose or even multi-tones and at affordable prices, then Overstock.com is the place you need to be. They have even made it easy for you to search by offering categories which will help you narrow it down by color, style, length and best of all, price.

I have a few friends and relatives who really enjoy knitting, which is something I have no talent for - believe me, my grandmother tried desperately to teach me how. Since the holidays are just around the corner, I figured I should probably get a jump start on shopping for gifts. I hate being that crazy last minute shopper.

I recently found my way over to Cross Jewelers, where I found their lovely “Knitter’s Collection”. Talk about finding an appropriate gift for someone! The detail of each piece is incredible. Just take a look at the Knitter’s Ring, which got it’s name from one of the staff members of Cross Jewelers. I love that the weave has a Celtic look to it. They have two sets of earrings in this collection - Golden Fleece and Yarn Over. Both sets carry the same gorgeous detail as the ring mentioned above. The Yarn Over set features a beautiful woven effect. You can find pieces available in yellow and white gold, and some pieces are also available in platinum and palladium.

My favorite piece out of the collection is the Knitters Ball Necklace. Notice how the ball resembles a ball of yarn! This is something I think my grandmother would really love. She has been knitting for years and I know she will appreciate the detailed work put into this piece (as well as the others). One of the lockets would make a wonderful gift for one of my sisters who knits. It would be perfect for adding one of the photos of her and my grandmother sitting together while knitting.

I know many of you also knit, so be sure you check out Cross Jewelers’ Knitting Collection!