My latest hobby horse is to support the jewelers that live in your hometown . Before you decide I’ve gone off my rocker, at least take a look at the idea!

As the economy suffers, it makes sense to support the artists, farmers, dairies and so forth that are within an hour or so of where you live. Your economy can be expanded locally, and everyone will benefit. I’ve done some reading lately, and this is the direction I’m going in.

No, I’m not growing out my hair, moving back to the land and strumming a guitar. Not yet, anyway. But I would like to encourage more sustainable purchasing from local (and local might mean your country, as opposed to buying overseas.) It’s a thought!

Recently this wonderfully rich gemstone has captured my attention. I did a little research and discovered some interesting facts about opals .

•    Their color is the result of silica gel and water
•    Some opals are up to 10% water
•    The most, and best opals originate in Australia
•    They were considered quite rare up until the mid-1800s.

The other thing I find especially fascinating about this beautiful stone is the profusion of folklore surrounding their “birth,” as told by the Aborigines. Who knows how well these stories were translated, but I think it makes for a marvelous study!

To me, all gemstones have a wonderful beauty. Many, or most, hearken back to the beginning of our planet, and carry a history that is billions of years old. I think it’s fantastic that we humans have crafted these pockets of our planet’s beginning into things for men and women to adorn themselves with!

It would’ve been quite an adventure to be in on the first California gold rush. And yet…people still search for gold recreationally. I’d try it myself, except I’m positive the romance of the idea would be quickly annihilated by a stiff back and mosquito bites. Do they have mosquitoes in the gold country? I won’t bother to find out.

The real question is; how much gold could you possibly recover in the 21st century? I haven’t got the slightest idea. Surely not even enough for a jeweler to craft an attractive handcrafted pair of gold earrings. But stranger things have happened.

I think I’ll let those serendipitous events fall into the laps of much younger men. But still, fantasies abound. I prefer to watch them do just that from the comfort of my air-conditioned apartment.

What better way to surprise Mom than with a beautiful pendant with her birthstone? Or perhaps a charm to add to her charm bracelet, a gorgeous ring, or a lovely pair of handcrafted earrings made by an artist?

Of course not all moms like jewelry, but I’d wager that the largest percentage would love to have something given to them by their husband or child. My mom was a real sentimentalist, and from the time I gave her a beautiful topaz-encrusted butterfly pendant to the day she passed away she never took it off.

Find out what piece of jewelry Mom has always wanted to own, and make this the best Mother’s Day ever by presenting it to her on her special Sunday, May 10th.