4 Things to Look for in an Engagement Ring

Love

If you’re looking to propose to the love of your life, you are probably asking yourself how do I find the perfect ring? Do I spend a lot or spend a little? There are so many things to consider. Cost isn’t the only consideration when you’re looking for the perfect one to make them say, “I do!” Here are four things to look for when you’re shopping for an engagement ring.

1.      Finding the right style

There are many different styles of rings. From Classic single diamond solitaire to nature inspired to vintage styles. The traditional ring is usually a single setting diamond that highlights the single gem as the focal centerpiece.

If your soon-to-be spouse enjoys being out in nature, there are rings made to inspire the active lifestyle with inlaid settings and swirling vine style molding. For those who cherish the vintage style, there are timeless rings that have intricate moldings and detailed filigree bands. If you’re loved one is more into the contemporary or modern style, these usually are made as bezel settings with thin metal surrounding the gem or tiny diamond chips inlaid throughout the ring in a dual crossed pattern.

2.      Gems

The traditional gemstone for an engagement ring has usually been the diamond, but with newer times and people wanting more affordable rings or just something that will stand out, other gemstones have become popular.

Choosing diamonds is still perfectly fine and you can judge them by the carats. A single carat diamond is quite large and depending on its cut can be as large as 10 mm which is larger than the average ring finger that is 6 to 8 mm. The second most asked for gem is the ruby. The deeply red color conveys your heart’s desire. The ruby is also quite hard with a Mohs scale score of 9.0.

The third most requested gemstone is the nave blue sapphire whose brilliance shows your depth of love as deep as the ocean. It also has a hardness of 9.0 on the Mohs scale.

3.      Handmade or Prefab?

Deciding whether to have the engagement ring handmade or whether you should buy one right off the shelf is an important consideration. Making this decision depends on how much time you have before you decide to pop the question.

If you’re planning to have your ring handmade, cost and time will be what determine when you’ll be able to set the stage for asking. Many people have planned video engagement parties and even asked during a movie. If you’re budget conscious, you may also consider buying something already made. A handmade ring from an artisan is a one of a kind investment that would guarantee that no other person will be wearing your fiancé’s ring.

4.      Material: Gold or Something Else

Traditional rings are usually made of yellow gold and are the most affordable. But with new technologies the industry is able to create rings made of more durable material. But, truthfully, almost any metal can be turned into a ring. If you’re looking for a natural ring, you might consider a ring made of wood.

These don’t necessarily lend themselves to having a gemstone embedded, but they can create a unique ring for your soon-to-be spouse.

Tungsten is an extremely durable material that many men’s rings are made of. Again, they aren’t easily resized and tend to not have gems embedded. The softer metals such as silver, and even platinum make for great rings to have gems settings installed. But gold comes in white, yellow and rose colors that are resizable, beautiful and traditionally long lasting.

Finding the right ring for your perfect engagement entails more than just finding one at the right price. These four things are just a few to consider when you’re choosing the perfect engagement ring. You’ll make that day memorable and special whatever you decide.

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Are You Ready for a Healthier You?

Health & Fitness

Trying to stay in the best shape possible when it comes to your health can be a challenge at times.

Not only do you have work and family responsibilities, but stress may at times get the better of you. So, the struggle can be real for you and millions of others to stay healthy.

With that in mind, what are your options in being the healthiest person you can be?

Is a Wellness Coach in Your Offing?

One option you might go for is working with a wellness coach.

He or she may end up working at one of the top rated wellness centers in the country. If that is the case, you can be the one to benefit.

In looking for the right wellness coach to help you, some factors in play should include:

· Experience – Review each prospective coach when it comes to their level of experience. While there are some solid young wellness coaches out there, it is hard to go wrong with experience.

· Communication – You want a wellness coach who will communicate with you from day one. That means providing you with better health advice. It also means listening to your questions and even any concerns you may have. When both parties listen to one another, the results tend to be better.

· Results – Last, there’s no getting around the fact that results do matter. That said look for a wellness coach who can show you he or she gets results. One way to go about finding such a person is by looking at customer testimonials. When you see other individuals saying they are happy with their results, you are on the right track.

You Have Responsibilities Too

Even with the right wellness coach, there is still much to do on your end.

To start, will you take responsibility for your habits moving forward?

Such habits mean improving the following:

· Diet – Be more cognizant of the foods you put into your body. If eating too much junk food and not enough fruits and vegetables, that needs to change. With a healthier weight, you will feel better and have more energy. Also do your best to avoid too much alcoholic consumption. While an occasional glass of wine is okay, steady doses of liquor can lead to complications over time.

· Exercise – If you’ve not been getting your fair share of exercise up to now, that needs to change too. Having a regular exercise routine can do wonders for your physical health. It can also help you in having a better mental approach to your life. Work with your wellness coach to set up an exercise regimen that will do your body good.

· Laughter – You’ve likely heard that laughter can make people feel better. So, when is the last time you had a real good laugh? Instead of stressing or always looking at a glass as being half empty, look on the positive side of things. There is nothing better than laughing away stress. Although you should take work and family responsibilities in a serious way, don’t let life get the better of you. Laugh and smile more. In doing so, your body should respond in a positive way.

In trying to become a healthier you, are you ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work on it?

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Why Leasing a Car Is The Perfect Choice

Auto

When it comes to getting yourself a new car there are many decisions which you will need to make. Before you begin looking at color charts, engine spec and car magazines however, you first need to decide on whether you will buy yourself that new car, or instead look to lease a car.

In my view, leasing is the ultimate choice when it comes to getting a new car, and for this there are many reasons which we will look at today. Without further ado then, here are just a few reasons why you should go to see a personal car leasing specialist the next time you are looking for a new auto.

Cost Control

When you lease a car, you will be in complete control of the varying costs which are incorporated. The cost of the lease, aside from the investment, is often calculated by the amount of time which you lease it for, and the amount of miles which you may rack up. Both of these factors are completely in your control which can help you to reduce how much you spend on your car.

Disposable

For most of us, there is little valid reason to actually own a car, at the end of the day these are pieces of machinery which we use to serve our needs, and then we get rid of them. Instead of tying up large sums of money in your new car, money which you’ll l so over time, lease a car and keep things as simple as they should be.

Outside The Market

When you lease a car, you are not susceptible to market conditions in the way that you would be if you were buying or selling. Equally, as aforementioned, cars lose value from the moment that you drive it away from the showroom, when you lease a car, you won’t have to worry about losing money or paying too much.

Monthly Freedom

The monthly cost of leasing a car will always bring you better value than paying for car finance. Manufacturers love the leasing side of their business and they use it very often to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors. What this means for the consumer is that you will regularly see hot deals on various cars, which give you the chance to get a great car for a low monthly price.

Tax Deduction

The write off on a lease car is almost 6 times the value of the cost of the ownership. This makes a lease car absolutely perfect for those who own a business, or use their car for business dealings. To break it down in more detail, those using their cars for business use at the moment will receive 54 cents on the mile, assuming you do 10,000 per year, you can write off $5,400. Now, were you to have a lease car in the same situation, you can write off the full 10,000 miles with no payment.

Next time you are looking for a new car, why not go for a lease!

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Valentines Day in the Lake District

Love

Have you planned something special for your loved ones this Valentine’s Day?

Think outside of the box this year and go beyond the usual flowers, dinner and date night…we have the perfect gift for you!

Instead share an amazing experience with your partner that you will never forget. Treat yourselves to the privacy, peace and natural beauty of Eskdale and our stunning corner of the Lake District National Park. Escape the day to day chores and distractions and simply enjoy each other’s company in the comfort of your own luxury cottage, especially prepared for YOU.

Leave your car at the cottages and stroll to Boot village’s many highlights, breathing in the fresh mountain air and soaking up the stunning views of the surrounding mountains. If you would like a challenge, you can hike up England’s highest mountains, Scafell and Scafell Pike. If you would prefer an equally scenic, but more gentle amble, you can walk to Stanley Ghyll Force 60ft waterfall, which will leave you blown away by its beauty!

We have brand new kitchens, fitted less than a month ago, in all our cottages, so you can cook to your heart’s delight and enjoy exclusive, romantic dinners in, or alternatively, you can head out and walk less than 200 yards down the road to sample the local ales and hearty Cumberland food on offer at either of our excellent village pubs.

We also have a visiting Spa Service, My Personal Sanctuary, who provide a range of indulgent treatments and come direct to your cottage.

We still have vacancies this Valentine’s Day with both short breaks and weekly bookings available on all our smaller, one bedroom cottages, so make a change this Valentine’s and make it one to remember!

Choose from one of the following one bedroom cottages at Bridge End Farm:

Whillan Beck Cottage – this cutely contained one bedroom cottage is right next to the river as its name states, so you can wake up and fall asleep to the sound of the water.

Wrynose Cottage – this spacious and sumptuous one bedroom cottage has fantastic fell views from the upstairs bedroom, so you can wake up to the sight of the surrounding mountains. Many also choose this cottage for the exquisite bathroom, with claw foot slipper bath – see photos below!

Stanley Ghyll Cottage – this detached one bedroom cottage stands away from the rest at the end of our cobbled driveway, adjacent to our private walled garden. With a marble bathroom and upstairs living room with fabulous views, you cannot make a better choice!

Hardknott Cottage – this one bedroom cottage has an open plan downstairs living and kitchen area with high ceilings and an upstairs galleried bedroom beneath our 500 year old beams. Take a step back in time and absorb your historic surroundings.

We can also offer all our Valentine’s guests half price chocolates and champagne this year, so splash out and reserve your stay this February!

Visit our website to view all of our romantic Lake District Cottages

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How TD Ameritrade Can Help You Make Money

Finance

When you are looking for an online broker that will help your reach your goals as a trader and an investor, you should be looking at TD Ameritrade. It is a long time brokerage house that got into the online game in the mid to late 1990s, making it one of the most lasting institutions in online brokers and Internet trading.

In the late 1980s, TD Ameritrade began a quote and order entry system over the phone, which established the companies bonafides with modern technology. Then in 1996, TD Ameritrade merged with TransTerra, which owned Accutrade, which was one of the first online brokers in the very early days of the World Wide Web. That knowledge of the industry and early entry into the world of online investing makes TD Ameritrade a great place to start investing online.

When you take control of your financial future, you take control of your freedom. You can create a whole new reality for yourself, when you take money that you make and put it to work making more money for you. The way that capitalism works is that the ones that control the capital can create new worlds for themselves, where they don’t have to answer to the old way of doing things.

But to become a successful investor, you need to stay disciplined and smart. You need to be able to read the market and understand how to move from one trade to another with the company’s fundamentals in mind. Doing your research is very important when you need to be on top of your investments. TD Ameritrade has third party research and in-depth tools that help you make sense of the market.

For more frequent traders, TD Ameritrade offers a platform called thinkorswim that allows traders to make lightening fast trades on their desktop or their mobile devices. There are chat rooms where you can interact with other traders and swap tips or advice. For beginning traders, there are a plethora of learning tools that allow you to learn about the market while you are in the platform, trying out trades and learning as you go.

TD Ameritrade also offers great educational videos and CNBC streaming news that allow you to stay on top of the market throughout the day. Watching breaking news is very important when you want to be an effective frequent trader. There is no substitute for staying informed about the market. And then there is the paperMoney feature.

That is TD Ameritrade’s paper trading platform, which allows you to trade virtual currency  and learn how to trade without risking any real money. That is one of the more valuable tools for day traders that are just starting out. It allows you to game out trades in real time and project what they might start to do without risking real cash. Paper trading is a great way to get good at trading before you start really risking real actual money.

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3 Key tips for a Great Trip to Chile

Travel

trip to chile

If Chile or any other parts of South America have you interested, where do you go to plan a possible trip there? For many people, the Internet is their go-to source these days. Sure, travel companies and newspapers or magazines can help on their next journey. Going online and searching travel sites and watching videos of Chile etc. is your best route. There are plenty of reasons to visit Chile!

trip to chile

With that being the case, are you ready to pack your bags and enjoy some time in Chile or elsewhere?

 

Making Travel Plans Today

In making your travel plans for Chile, keep in mind these 3 key tips for a great trip to Chile:

  1. Research Nightlife and culture – There are plenty of things to do in Santiago de Chile and elsewhere in the country. That being the case, it is best for you to research the city and the country before heading out. From nightlife to learning the local culture, take in all you can during your time there. Before you know it, your trip will be over and you will be kicking yourself for missing some stuff.

 

  1. Look up the Time of the year – When you visit Chile and other portions of the Southern Hemisphere can impact your trip. The Southern Hemisphere has other winter weather than the U.S. Don’t go there in the U.S. winter and expect snow and cold. In fact, you will get some of the warmest temps at that time of year. Also look into when the top times of the year are for tourists. Although you may be fine taking in all there is to see with others around, you may want a little peace and quiet.

 

  1. Look early for the best deals – Even though the idea of a vacation means to relax, what if you feel you’re spending too much money? If so, you may end up having a hard time attempting to kick back and relax. Do your best to leave work and other stress triggers back at home. That also means shopping early for great airfares, cruise ships, hotels and more. This way, you can enjoy all Chile and other countries in the region you may visit.

Get Yourself Physically Prepared for the Trip

In being away from home for a period of time, make sure your body is up to the trip. Too many travelers forget that going on a longer journey can impact their daily rituals. Everything from eating to sleeping can and oftentimes changes. As such, it is important that you prepare for such potential changes.

Before heading off to Chile or elsewhere far from home, remember to:

  • Look to see what foods and drinks will be available

  • Pack all necessary medications, make sure you bring something warm if you plan to head into the mountains!

  • Get a good night’s sleep the night before you leave

  • Leave a schedule with a family member or friend so they know where you plan to be each day                                                 
  • Keep your medical info on a slip of paper in your wallet or purse or on your mobile device in the event of an emergency. It is important anyone treating you knows if you are allergic to any medications etc.

 

So there were are 3 key tips for a great trip to Chile. If Chile or other parts of South America are on your itinerary soon, are all your plans set?

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How to Use Salesforce Event Monitoring Software

Business

For many years, companies would need third party experts to come in if they wanted an event organizing. Their methods were hugely expensive, with some even calling them exploitative. The costs of organizing events were so high, in fact, that many businesses had to significantly limit the number of events they held. However, thanks to salesforce event monitoring software, which is now available online, there is no more need to do this.

What Is Salesforce Event Monitoring Software?

This type of software is incredibly easy to use. It is a type of SaaS (Software as a Service) and it can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection and the right credentials. No extra hardware has to be installed and if you opt for the cloud-based solution, you don’t even have to download software. You also don’t have to worry about downtime because of upgrades and you don’t need any specialized training to use it.

A Brief User Guide

In order to make sure you get the greatest benefits of this type of software, you need to make sure that you understand the different tools and functionalities that it offers. Some of its key features include:

  1. Online event registration, which means you can add numerous events with standard templates. You can also incorporate graphics and content into these templates, so that you develop forms that are just right for you. They are uploaded onto your personal portal automatically and can then be accessed 24/7 by those who can register for the event.
  2. Online payment management, which includes a variety of payment gateways supported by the Payment Card Industry. They are SSL certified, which means they are completely secure. This means that people can pay for their attendance with ease.
  3. Automated emailing, which is a really robust system. It enables you to send out bulk emails to stakeholders and end users, thereby improving communication. It ensures that you can send communications about the event that people have signed up for, but also to keep them informed of new events as and when they happen.
  4. Group registrations and promo code engines. This means that you can offer people special prices and discounts to attend events. Additionally, you can include group registrations, which makes it much easier for people to book as an organization, for instance.
  5. Social media promotion and other forms of online marketing. These tools, including things such as online catalogs and calendars, enable you to send information about events all across the internet and therefore the world. You can link it to your own social media accounts to further spread awareness of events happening.
  6. Name badge printing services, so that those who attend can have their name badge waiting for them at registration.
  7. A lead retrieval system that is smartphone compatible, so that you don’t need expensive scanners anymore.
  8. Report creation, which is a great tool to make sure that you can review how well an event went once it has taken place.
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Corporate Innovation Labs – A Combination of Art and Science

Education

Everything around us comes from us, humans. This is the focal point of innovation: driving us, as humans, to come up with new things. That is only possible if we question and think about our experiences, believing everything is possible. Through corporate innovation labs, it is possible to bring together the artistic (from humans) and the scientific (from experimentation).

Corporate Innovation Labs Bring Together and Differentiate Progress

Art is about making changes. It is about evolution, about bringing together studies of and perspectives on that what already exists. This is true for both what is in the mind and the physical. Science, by contrast, is a lot more constrained because it has to follow linear rules. There is an important place for that, but innovation labs are about bringing those two together. It is about exploration, with art being about coming up with ideas, and science being about turning those ideas into reality.

Science and Art – The Cornerstones of Innovation

Art is known to drive scientific innovation. Similarly, science is an inspiration for art. Essentially, they are innovation’s bookends, their cornerstones. They work together to change how we see the world. One cannot exist without the other, and that is something to be celebrated.

However, people continue to see the two as separate things. Metaphorically, they are the bookends, one being on the right and the other on the left. But we forget that the things in between the two bookends are what actually brings them together. This is where the real breakthrough ideas happen.

How to Get Art and Science to Fuse

Science, engineering, design, and art all have to come together if we are to experience great innovation. Design and art is about getting the compelling stories and analogies together. This is about challenging knowledge and methods, inspiring techniques, and creating alternative structures. This is what then makes people push engineering, technology, and science, who will translate the art and design into reality. It is about pushing boundaries, going beyond what is expected, and that is how the future will be shaped.

At the same time, the digital age has made the world more complex and it is important that innovation tools are in place to benefit from this complexity, rather than make it stop innovation. What corporate innovation labs can do is provide that platform in which art and science can be blended, converged, integrated, and exchanged. Some say that we are in the Renaissance period of innovation. Real progress is currently being made and these are exciting times. The original Renaissance truly changed the world, teaching us so much as humans that the pace of advancement was almost unheard of. But, at the same time, the Renaissance was destructive as well, rather than solely constructive. It is hoped that the new Renaissance, which is as much about art and science as the original one, will be even more constructive in nature, using lessons learned in the past to really drive improvement.

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Finding Wheelchair Accessible Hotels While on the Road

Travel

Today, wheelchair accessible hotels are very common, and so they should be. However, the rooms in hotels aren’t all created equally. Hence, you should do a little bit of research if you need some adapted accessibility. Thankfully, it shouldn’t take you too long to find something. Let’s take a look at some things you should investigate.

What to Look for in Wheelchair Accessible Hotels

  • Do not ask for a room that is ADA compliant or accessible, but ask for very specific features. For instance, if you require a roll-in shower, you need to ask for one, because you can be ADA compliant without one.
  • Do not ask yes or no questions. Rather, ask for descriptions of what things look like and what the rooms offer so you know exactly what you will be getting.
  • Find out whether there are elevators available if you cannot climb stairs. This is particularly important if you are on the road. You would be surprised at the number of motels that have accessible bedrooms on an upper floor, but no elevators. Ask about this before you get your key, therefore.
  • Remember that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not cover bed height. Hence, ask how high the bed is so that you can check whether or not you can safely get in and out. Standard mattresses are now often replaced by luxury models with high tops, which might make them too high for you. You might be able to get a lower roll-away bed instead.
  • Find out whether you can stay near the lobby or near the elevator, so that you do not have to walk or roll long distances.
  • Find out whether there are accessible restaurants either on site or near the hotel. If you are on the road, the last thing you want to do is drive for another hour just to get something to eat.
  • Find out whether there are any Microtel properties that you could consider. These have been built to be accessible and they can be found along the interstate highways. They are slightly more expensive, but only marginally so.
  • If you need to have some laundry done, find out whether that is possible and whether the laundry room is accessible to you if you have to do it yourself. If not, perhaps there is a local laundromat that is accessible?
  • Find out what the parking charges are if it is not included in the hotel. In city centers, you can spend as much as $20 for one day of parking.
  • If you cannot use the shower, you might want to stop at the next Pilot – Flying J truck stop. They are dotted all over the country and a have roll in showers, toilets with grab bars, and roll-under sinks for weary travelers with disability issues. Best of all, their restrooms are completely free to use.

Hopefully, these tips will help you to make sure you are comfortable while resting on a journey, whether you have access issues or not.

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Should You Give up on Gold and Invest through Your Bitcoin Wallet Android App Instead?

Finance

Did you think that gold is a dead commodity that you shouldn’t invest in anymore? If so, you would be wrong. In 2013, Germany started to repatriate gold to it, and at least 50% of it is now stored in Frankfurt. Other parts are stored in Paris and in New York and around 13% is stored in London. But what does this have to do with the bitcoin wallet android app?

The Bitcoin Wallet Android App and Other Cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrencies and digital cash services are becoming increasingly popular. What this also means is that gold seems a bit archaic nowadays. However, gold has a status that it will never be able to lose, and it will always be valuable simply because people want to have it. No other fiat currency, not the Euro, not the Dollar, has this type of security.

The Link between Gold and Bitcoin

You cannot get away from bitcoin and cryptocurrency anymore, but gold isn’t going anywhere either. Both also see quite significant price fluctuations, but they are rising overall and rising a lot. Then, there is the fact that other forms of economy, such as stocks and bonds, are problematic, not in the least because they are so strongly affected by geopolitical events. Consider:

  • There has been an overvaluation of stocks. So much so, in fact, that they must come crashing down soon.
  • President Trump is causing major ripples around the world, and no matter how much he would like to call every negative report about him and his policies “fake news”, the reality is that the world is not happy with his administration.
  • Europe is in turmoil. The United Kingdom has voted to leave the EU, a process known as “Brexit”, and other countries are seeing a popular opinion swaying towards the same thing. Meanwhile, there is a serious swing towards right-winged politics in almost every European country.
  • Nobody can keep track of derivatives anymore, which is precisely what the five biggest banks in this country have tied their interests to, making it very dangerous.
  • The Federal Reserve has now agreed to start rising interest rates again, which has a significant impact on people’s disposable income.

Gold isn’t impacted by this, nor is cryptocurrency. That is because both are available in finite amounts. Both are also tied to supply and demand, with demand rising significantly. One of the key things about bitcoin, however, is that it is decentralized. This means it is not owned by a country or a bank, but rather by its users, which is known as “open source”.

All financial experts agree, all investment portfolios have to be diversified in order to retain their value. They also all agree that precious metals should be an integral part of an investment portfolio. So why not double protect yourself, and purchase precious metals like gold by using bitcoin? Could it be possible that the two investment underdogs are actually the strongest of them all?

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