Penny-Wise Honeymoons

Let’s get straight to the point: honeymoons are expensive. While some couples have the funds to travel where ever they want and others are gifted their honeymoon as a wedding present, there are those of us who either like to be thrifty or know that our dream honeymoon is just out of reach. So what should those of us who can’t, or won’t, spend the money to jet off to exotic locations do? Tell ourselves honeymoons are just for the rich and famous? Stay a night or two at a nearby hotel? No! Just because we’re penny-pinching couples doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a beautiful, romantic and thrilling honeymoon. We’ve compiled a list of great places to travel, both near and far, for you to visit on your honeymoon while giving you plenty of money left in the bank when you return.

Montenegro

Just because this coastal country is in SE Europe doesn’t mean it’s out of reach. The trick to traveling abroad is avoiding high tourist destinations like Paris, Rome and Venice because it’s typically more expensive to stay, play and eat there. Montenegro, though, offers the European charm on a busboy budget. In Ulcinj, a sea-side city, you can enjoy the serene stretch of Long Beach, which is believed to have medicinal qualities. Take a day trip inland and visit the Ostrog Monastery, which is actually built into the cliff. Or visit Lake Skadar National Park, which has some of the most celebrated panoramas in the country. Try renting a motorbike and travel the country side or even hit up a local market. Plus, stay in the hotels at Contessa, which are suites and apartments with private bathroom and balconies for just $75 a night!

Oahu, Hawaii

Hawaii can be one of the most expensive places to travel, but if you skip staying on Maui or Kauai, you can have an affordable trip. The island of Oahu offers all the same views for far less money than its sister islands. One o the great things about this tropical paradise is that it has amazing attractions like Waikiki Beach, Diamond Head Crater and the Banzai Pipeline surf break, all of which cost nothing or next to nothing to see. Of course, the island is home to the state capital of Honolulu if you’d prefer more of a city lifestyle with a tropical twist. Since this city has a large supply of hotels, the chances of you finding a reasonably priced one goes up. You could stay at the four-star Hawaii Prince for less than $150 a night or try the Waikiki Gateway for less than $100. When you get hungry, explore one of Honolulu’s farmer’s markets or a cozy restaurant in the Kapahulu neighborhood.

Sedona, Arizona

Imagine red rocks jutting up into an almost-always blue sky. This is Sedona. Regularly described as one of the most beautiful places in America, there’s nowhere else you’ll find a landscape as dramatically colorful. Even filmmakers can’t resist this landscape, as many movies have been shot in the area. With over 100 hiking trails, it will be easy for you to be outside all day taking in the striking views. When you’re ready for a break, go to one of Sedona’s many spas where you can experience treatments with a local twist, such as red-clay wraps or a blue-corn body scrub. End your day with local wine as you watch the sun set behind jagged sandstone buttes against purple skies.

Sanibel Island, Florida

This low-key island off the coast of Fort Meyers, Florida is a quaint getaway where casual is the order of the day. The sub-tropical climate gives visitors the chance to enjoy the outdoors and sunshine all year long. Go boating, kayaking, canoeing, water skiing or fishing in the beautiful waters surrounding the island. When you need a break from the beach, practice your swing on one of the 70 gold courses. A trip to Sanibel Island wouldn’t be complete without ‘shelling,’ combing the beach for seashells. The island’s claim to fame is the abundance of seashells that cover every sandy surface in the area. You’ll also find chic restaurants and shops all around the island to enjoy on lazy days.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

New Mexico is made of one part American and one part Mexican to create a state full of fascinating artistic talent. This all comes colliding in the town of Santa Fe, where you can visit Gothic Cathedrals and some of the 16 historic museums where you can learn about the city’s fascinating history. Or try spending your days in the great outdoors by visiting Tent Rocks National Park, or the Pueblos where you’ll get a view into both ancient and modern worlds of the Pueblo Indians. Don’t miss Canyon Road, a historic pathway into the mountains and an old neighborhood that has become the city’s center for the arts with the highest concentration of galleries. Finally, go shopping at The Plaza – the heart of Santa Fe. In this highly historic area, you’ll be surrounded by endless shopping, museums, historic buildings, restaurants and galleries.

For more honeymoon ideas, check out our Pinterest board! And don’t forget to Like us on Facebook!

Understanding Gold

In its purest and most natural form, gold is 24 karats, yellow in color, and relatively soft.

That softness is often a disadvantage in traditional jewelry because of the beating it takes from every-day wear. To make the gold harder, which in turn makes it more durable, the gold is alloyed with other metals. As a way to describe how much pure gold is in an item, the “karat” (kt) system is used.

24kt (100% pure gold) – no other metals have been mixed

18kt (75% gold) – contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of one or more additional metals

14kt (58.3% gold) – contains 14 parts gold and 10 parts of one or more additional metals

12kt (50% gold) – contains 12 parts gold and 12 parts of one or more additional metals

10kt (41.7% gold) – contains 10 parts gold and 14 parts of one or more additional metals

As a result of mixing metals with pure gold, the color of that gold changes. In order to create popular colors of gold, such as white or rose, the metal additions are controlled.

Shades of Gold – a mixture of silver- colored alloys (zinc, silver, nickel) and copper-colored alloys (copper) are added to the pure gold to create different shades.

White Gold – an increased use of silver-colored alloys and a decrease of copper-colored alloys are used

Rose Gold – an increased use of copper-colored alloys and a decrease of silver-colored alloys are used

Green Gold – Pure gold and pure silver are combined to create a slightly green tint. Nickel and/or zinc are sometimes added to make the gold stronger.

Gold has been used in jewelry pieces for centuries, and for good reason. Pure gold doesn’t react with other metals to create tarnish, nor does it often create problems for those whom wear it. Difficult and expensive to extract, gold is one of the world’s most precious metals and can be worked into nearly any shape. The scarcity and many desirable qualities make it the most popular metal for use in jewelry today.

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Mankato Gems – City Art Walking Sculpture Tour

In the city centers of Mankato and North Mankato sit over 30 outdoor sculptures. The year round display features pieces of all styles, types, materials and sizes from a diverse group of regional, national and international artists.

Fat Tire #5
LANCE CARLETON

Each Spring, new sculptures are brought in to take the place of the previous years’ pieces of art. They are promoted within the community for sale and the city encourages community members to walk the tour.

Polar Bear and Cubs
DELLORES B. SHELLEDY

The goal is to provide area residents with engaging public art initiatives. It also aims to have a high quality and artist-friendly feel.

Jumping Through Hoops
JACQUE FRAZEE

The city loans the pieces from each artist for the year and gives them a chance to win cash prizes. Best of Show Bronze, Best of Show Other Medium, People’s Choice Award and Kid’s Choice Award each have cash payouts.

Holy Rabble
MARY JOHNSON

If voted People’s Choice Award, the sculpture is purchases by the City Center Partnership for permanent installation. Each participating artist is also given a travel stipend to get their piece to and from Mankato and 2-day accommodations for Artists’ Weekend in May.

Yosemite
TIM JAMES

Featured in the post are a few of the 2014 City Art Walking Sculpture Tour pieces. To check out the rest of the pieces, visit the city art website and vote for your favorite.

Mr. Eggwards KIMBER FIEBIGER

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Visions of Pearls

Pearls are classic, they’re dainty and they’re beautiful. They compliment anything you put them with and add a touch of romance without demanding attention. It should come as no surprise that they often show up in little ways when it comes to weddings. From the invites to the decor to the bride’s dress, pearls are the perfect accent. We wondered what a wedding inspired totally by pearls would look like, so we put together a collection of photos and ideas that we think would be great for a pearl-inspired wedding.

The Dress

Pearls on a wedding dress are stunning. They add a little bit of shimmer without going over the top. We also think they add a touch of femininity whether they’re scattered across your shoulders or cascading down your back.

The Jewelry

From earrings to bracelets, pearls are often worn during a wedding. These are some of the looks we love.

The Accessories

We love the incorporation of pearls into the bouquet and shoes – but would you be able to pull off a pearl headpiece?

The Venue

As an accent on chairs or just laid across a table, pearls add a delicate touch to any decoration.

 

The Cake

Pearls, even if they are edible, are a fun decoration on cakes. The small beads really dress the cake up and give it an unique flair.

For more wedding ideas, check out our Pinterest page! Plus, shop your favorite jewelry looks on our website and don’t forget to Like us on Facebook.

Memorable Jewelry Moments

Memorable moments in jewelry fashion have been created in a lot of ways: on red carpets, in movies, and following engagement announcements. But these unforgettable (and desirable) jewelry statements don’t have to be reserved for celebrities. Check out our list of the most memorable jewels and how you can get the look!

Princess Diana/Kate Middleton, Engagement Ring

Originally belonging to Princess Diana, this 14kt white gold engagement ring features a 12-carat oval blue sapphire surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds. At the time of purchase, it was neither custom-made nor unique and was featured to be available to the public. Following her death in 1997, the ring was kept by her two sons, William and Harry. In 2010, William presented the ring to his long-time girlfriend Kate Middleton, who wears it today. Following the engagement, designer copies sold worldwide.

Our pick for getting-the-look is a Sylvie Collection 18kt white gold ring. It is set with a 1.72 carat round blue sapphire and is surrounded by a halo of 0.64 carats of diamonds. Although this one is much smaller than Diana’s ring, it is reminiscent of the style and stone setting of the original piece.

Audrey Hepburn, Pearl Necklace

Audrey Hepburn wore this 5 strand pearl necklace with a full diamond embellishment in the movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” We first see Hepburn as she steps out of a cab wearing a black dress and the oversized pearl necklace while clutching a coffee and croissant. As she stops at the store front window of Tiffany’s, one of the most iconic opening scenes was created. The multi-layer pearl necklace has been associated with Hepburn ever since.

We love the diamond embellishment on the layered pearl necklace, but we chose to leave it out of our imitation. We think layered pearl strands would make this look modern and sophisticated while still keeping the charm of Hepburn’s style.

Jessica Biel, Engagement Ring

Since receiving the ring from Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel has kept her 18-karat white gold and black rhodium plated engagement ring under lock and key. Even though they’re now married, mystery still surrounds the famous actress’s ring. Jewelry experts guess that the center diamond is a 6-carat square hearts and arrow cut, which is surrounded by round diamonds. On each side is an aquamarine, Jessica’s birthstone. We do know one thing for sure: Justin did an amazing job of designing this unique and stunning ring.

We picked one of Simon G’s Passion Collection rings as our duplicate of Biel’s jewels. The 18kt white gold beauty is comprised of 76 round white diamonds and gives the band a total carat of 0.56 carats. With your choice of a center diamond, the only thing missing would be the small side birthstones.

Elizabeth Taylor, Taylor-Burton Diamond

This jaw dropping diamond is known as the Taylor-Burton diamond; named for one-time owner Elizabeth Taylor who received it from (former) husband Richard Burton. The pear shaped diamond is a whopping 69.42 carats and was set into a diamond necklace. It made three ‘public’ appearances while in Taylor’s care: Princess Grace of Monaco’s 40^th birthday celebration, 1970 Academy Awards, and on a “Here’s Lucy” episode. After the couple’s divorce, Taylor auctioned the diamond for $5,000,000, which was used to build a hospital in Botswana.

Ok, we know we’re taking a bit of a leap on this one, but 5 million dollars is a bit out of our budget. Our copy-cat choice, although a lot smaller, is just as beautiful as the original. A 2.07-carat round brilliant diamond is surrounded by 0.99 carats of round brilliant diamonds on this 14kt white gold pendant.

Heart of the Ocean, Titanic

The Heart of the Ocean is the name of the fictional blue diamond necklace featured in the 1997 film Titanic. In the film, treasure hunter Brock Lovett searches for the necklace among the boat’s wreckage. He finds a photo of a young woman (Rose) wearing only the necklace who then contacts Lovett and is flown to his recovery ship where he learns the true story of the necklace. At the end of the film, the audience learns Rose still possesses the jewel as she lets it fall from her hand and into the water above the Titanic’s wreck site. A real platinum pendant set with a 171 carat heart-shaped sapphire surrounded by 103 diamonds was created and donated to an auction benefiting non-profit organizations.

Our look-a-like doesn’t feature sapphires as you might expect. We chose this Signature 14kt gold pendant set with a round cut Lapis surrounded by micro pave diamonds. We liked the size comparison between the two necklaces and the striking blue color of the two stones.

Beyonce, 2005 Oscars Earrings

Beyonce wore these Lorraine Schwartz earrings to the 2005 Oscars. Although she changed outfits numerous times throughout the night, she continued to rock these gorgeous earrings. The incredibly flexible and soft-as-silk diamond handkerchief mesh were a show all their own and proved that great craftsmanship and impeccable style go hand-in-hand.

We went with smaller, daintier pieces for our version of Beyonce’s mesh earrings. Although these Hearts on Fire Sweet Dream Halo Earrings won’t have the same flowing movement that Beyonce’s earrings had, they will still give the same amount of sparkle since Hearts on Fire cut their diamonds to perfection. We thought the way the squares dangled were similar to the lay of mesh earrings.

Jennifer Lawrence, 2013 Oscars Earrings

Jennifer Lawrence wore minimalistic drop earrings by Chopard to the 2013 Oscar Awards and looked stunning. These white gold diamond earrings feature 12 carats of rose cut pear shaped diamonds, 9 carats of round cut diamonds and brilliants. She proved that simplistic jewelry wins on the red carpet.

Our rendition of Jennifer Lawrence’s earrings are Hearts on Fire Fulfillment Drop Earrings. We carried over the same drop-earring elements and incorporated the one center diamond surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds. Again, they’re smaller than the originals, but the perfectly cut Hearts on Fire diamonds give them the best sparkle.

Kim Kardashian, Engagement Ring

Kanye West proposed to Kim Kardashian with this larger than life ring after he worked with Lorraine Schwartz to design this one-of-a-kind ring. The rapper wanted the ring to appear as though it was floating on air. The reportedly 15 carat diamond ring holds a flawless D-stone type 2A cushion cut diamond and has said to cost over 1.5 million dollars.

Even though Kim K’s diamond is ultimately flawless, we think this Signature diamond ring is just as perfect. The platinum band holds a 6.01 carat round brilliant diamond and has 1.15 carats of side diamonds. Even though it’ half the size, it’s just as stunning.

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Thrill-Seeker Honeymoons

A honeymoon doesn’t have to be a typical beach front trip laying in the sand and soaking up the sun – unless that’s what you and your new spouse want. Your honeymoon should reflect you guys as a couple and should include activities you both enjoy in a location that suites both of you. For those who like a little more adventure and action, our list of thrill-seeking honeymoon destinations will be bliss.

Interlaken, Switzerland

This picture perfect town has been dubbed Europe’s “adventure capital.” The towering peaks and wild waters create the perfect zone for extreme sports. The spectacular glaciers offer canyon swinging through narrow passages, climbing steep walls with ice picks and crampons and bungee jumping. As you skydive, take in the breathtaking views over the Swiss Alps or plunge from a 440ft gondola toward a crystal mountain lake at Stockhorn Bungy.

West End, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas

Get up close and personal with some of the most dangerous shark breeds in the world. At Tiger Beach, just 20 miles from Grand Bahama, you can share the water with Lemon Sharks, Reef Sharks, Hammerheads and the notorious Tiger Shark, which are known for eating anything and take 2^nd place behind the Great Whites for the highest number of attacks on humans. Hook up with one of the several island tour and recreation companies for a guided tour and cage diving expeditions. Your heart will be racing as sharks circle around you – the best part is that you don’t even need diving experience!

Zambia, Africa

Take a white knuckled ride down the Zambezi River for the ultimate whitewater rafting experience. These Class 5 rapids are an action-packed way to celebrate your marriage. Begin your expedition at the base of Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and navigate the river’s violent currents, sharp drops and steep gradient. If that doesn’t get your adrenaline pumping, then surely the crocodiles will!

Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

Your first stop will be Ushuaia, South America’s southernmost city, where you’ll climb aboard a ship that will sail you to the white continent. With penguins, seabirds, whales and seals as the only inhabitants, you’ll get to experience a place unlike any other. Sea kayak alongside humpback whales and Gentoo penguins and ice camp under the stars. Explore glaciers and icebergs up close from Zodiac craft at Paradise Bay. For the truly brave, take the Polar Plunge and then thaw out in the on-deck jacuzzi with mountain peaks and glassy seas as your backdrop.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio’s landscape of dense forests, lush mountains and white beaches lends itself to adventure. Hang glide or paraglide from Pedro Bonita ramp and enjoy views of the Tijuca Forest, Sao Conrado neighborhood, and the stunning coastline. Challenge yourself and climb to the top of the world’s largest coastal monolith, Pedra da Gavea. You can even go zip lining through the rain forest, rappel waterfalls or hit the beach for some extreme kite surfing.

For more honeymoon destination ideas, visit our honeymoon board on Pinterest. And don’t forget to Like us on Facebook!