Diamonds in the Ruff: How to find a good personal trainer.

The question of how to find a good personal trainer is as old as the industry itself. In fact, it usually gets transformed into an even bigger question - should you even HIRE a personal trainer? Conveniently enough, the answer to one of those questions will dictate the answer to the other one - every time! The short and simple truth of the matter is that you should only hire a personal trainer if you can find an effective one that is right for you. Here are several things to consider before you decide! Professionalism The term professionalism should cover our prospective trainer's skills, as well as his/her ability to act in a professional manner. Both are critical to the training process, and if a trainer is lacking in either department, it will spell doom for your program eventually, either in the short term, or later on down the road. The days of personal trainers just being jocks with a certification are (thankfully!) coming to a close. Today's personal trainer needs to be a consummate professional with regard to his/her actual skills, as well as ability to treat their clients in a professional and business-like manner. For now let's just agree that if your trainer doesn't have a clue about how to get you in shape, you probably don't want to hire that trainer! What about their level of professionalism? A good personal trainer will always maintain their professional bearing. They don't need to be some stick in the mud with no personality, but there are several things that a trainer should NOT be doing during a training session. These include things like staring at themselves in the mirror, daydreaming, excessively talking to other people, talking on their cell phone, checking out members of the opposite sex, and just generally not focusing on you during the workout. Your trainer should look professional as well. Although the actual clothing standards vary widely, some things that you should not see are excessive body jewelry, the latest fashions such as arm bands, beanie caps, combat boots, etc., or any clothing or accessories that are worn simply as decoration or because the style is in. The latest styles have absolutely nothing to do with your training program! Credentials Which level of personal training certification is the best has been and continues to be a matter of extreme debate. This article will not propagate that debate with further discussion of the details. However, what you should take home is the fact that regardless of your fitness goals, your trainer should be qualified to train YOU. For general health and fitness, any of the top 10 nationwide certification agencies offer acceptable programs. A brief list includes - but is not limited to - the International Sports Sciences Association, the American Council on Exercise, and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. There are others, and your trainer should be more than happy to point you to the website that governs his or certification, so that you can learn more on your own. For more specific considerations like training for a sport or athletic competition, your trainer will need a higher degree of expertise. The American College of Sports Medicine has a great program and is one of the most recognized certifications for sport specific training. You should ask very specific questions about how a potential trainer is going to tackle the particular issues that you want covered during your training program. Facility Regardless of your potential trainer's credentials and professionalism, you need to know where you are going to train. The industry standard of only working out at a gym is being challenged more and more these days. It is possible now to find a trainer who will come right to your house and train you, or possibly meet you outside, or in your housing area community fitness center. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you have to go to the gym if you want a personal trainer! Schedule One of the biggest issues for trainers and clients alike is scheduling. After all, you both have to be in the same place at the same time for a minimum of 30 minutes, and possibly as long as 90 minutes. A good trainer will try to find a way to fit you into their schedule. It won't always be possible, especially with a highly sought after trainer, but if the trainer truly wants to help you, they will do their best to fit you in. Rapport Having a good rapport with your personal trainer is crucial! If you and your trainer don't get along, it's a waste of time for both of you. You will likely end up more frustrated than ever, thinking that even a professional couldn't help you! Working with a personal trainer that you like is necessary, and on the flip side, the trainer should like you as well. You don't necessarily need to pick out curtains together, but you should at least be able to carry on a comfortable dialogue while you exercise. Most good trainers are good communicators as well, but if the two of you aren't very comfortable with each other, then it will cause tension and increase the risk of your program meeting with failure. A good personal trainer will agree to meet with you face to face before you actually sign up for a training program. Some trainers offer a free or low-cost initial consultation, and that is the perfect time to size up your trainer to make sure they fit your needs! You should take home the fact that the definition of a good personal trainer is someone who is not only a professional, but is also appropriate for your specific personality, needs, goals, and desires. You may be working with this person for awhile, so choose wisely!

Ten of the Most Famous Diamonds and Who Owns Them

here are more than three hundred fifty named diamonds famous for their histories.

The Cullinan, is the largest cut diamond in the world. It was found in South Africa and was named for the owner of the mining company. The Cullinan diamond was 3106 carats, and was cut into 105 stunning diamonds. The largest was named the "Star of Africa" and is 530 carats by itself. In 1907 this diamond was given to King Edward VII of England, and set into the Royal Scepter. It is kept, along with the other Crown Jewels, safely in the Tower of London.

The Cullinan II is 317.40 carats. The color is white and is the cushion-shaped diamond in the center-front of the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain. It is also in the Tower of London with the British Crown Jewels.

The Dary-i-Nur is 186 carats, is pink and is in the Iranian Treasury. It is the largest uncut diamond in the world. Its name means "Sea of Light".

The Dresden Green is 41 carats; it is green, and a very rare type ila diamond of extraordinary quality. It gets its name from the city of Saxony where it had been on display for 200 years. The Dresden Green is now on display at the Albertinium Museum in Dresden.

The Hope Diamond is 45.52 carats, is blue, and is in the Smithsonian Institute. According to legend, a curse was placed on the large, blue diamond after it was stolen from an idol in India. Whether you believe in curses or not, the diamond has had a fascinating past � it was owned by King Louis XIV, stolen during the French Revolution, sold to pay gambling debts, owned and worn almost daily by an American heiress, sold and worn to raise money for charity, and finally donated to the Smithsonian Museum.

The Hortensia is 20 carats, is peach colored and is in the Louvre. It is one of the crown Jewels of France, and was owned by Louis XIV. It was named after Hortense de Beauharnais, Queen of Holland, who was the daughter of the Empress Josephine, the stepdaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte and the mother of Napoleon III.

The Kohinoor is 108.93 carats, white and is located in the Tower of London. As with many of the most famous diamonds, there is a curse of death and destruction attached to it. Its name means "Mountain of Light" and legend has it that it actually comes from another diamond also rife with legend, called the "Great Mogul" which was said to have weighed 244 carats and mysteriously disappeared in 1665. The Kohinoor was owned by the first sultan of Mogul, and passed down through generations, until it was given to Queen Victoria. It was recut and now rests in the crown of Queen Elizabeth.

The Orloff is 189.62 carats. It is thought to have weighed about 300 carats when it was discovered. For a while, it was confused with the Great Mogul diamond. One of the legends of the Orloff is that it was set in the eye of a god statue in the temple of Sri Rangen, and stolen by a French soldier dressed up like a Hindu. He is said to have escaped by swimming down a raging river during a storm. It was eventually sold to Prince Gregory Orloff. In an attempt to win back her heart, he gave it to Catherine the Great, who collected lovers and precious gems with equal passion. She had the diamond mounted on top of the double eagle in the Imperial scepter. It is in the Russian Diamond Fund, Moscow.

The Spoonmaker Diamond has many legends associated with it. (It supposedly got its name when the owner--who is said to have found it sitting on top of a pile of garbage --bartered it to a spoonmaker for three wooden spoons.) More likely is that it was purchased by a Frenchman named Pikot, who bought it from the Maharajah of Madras in India. He took it to France, but was robbed. The diamond ended up at an auction, and was bid on by the notorious Casanova. It was finally bought by Napoleon's mother, Letizia Ramolino, who later sold her jewelry to help her son escape from Elba. It was bought again by an officer of Tepedelenli, and put into the treasury. When Tepedelenli was killed during a revolt, the entire treasury went to the Palace of Turkey, and the Spoonmaker's Diamond, now called the "Kasicki" is there.

The Taylor-Burton Diamond is a 69 carat pear-shaped white diamond that was originally called the "Cartier Diamond" after the jeweler paid $1,050,000 for it at an auction. Richard Burton purchased it the day after the auction for Elizabeth Taylor. She later renamed it the Taylor-Burton diamond. Ms. Taylor wore the diamond publicly at a party for Princess Grace's 40th birthday party in Monaco. She sold the diamond in 1978 and used the funds to build a hospital in Botswana. The diamond was later purchased by Robert Mouawad.

Read more about Diamond Myths, Legends & History at HomeGiftShopper.com

� 2005, Kathy Burns-Millyard. This article is provided courtesy of Home Gift Shopper: A premier resource for quality Gift Ideas. This article may be republished as long as it remains unchanged, this notice stays intact, and all links are made live.

Synthetic Diamonds - An Extremely Viable Jewelry Alternative

The love of diamonds in our jewelry is a modern phenomenon. It has really only been since the 1930s that diamonds have been so desired as a jewelry stone. And with diamonds came synthetic diamonds. Synthetic daimonds will always be worth considering as an alternative to diamonds whilst real diamonds are so expensive, and synthetic diamonds are so good.

Diamonds have a number of natural qualities. They are, for example, the hardest of any natural product. Synthetic daimonds needed to have similar qualities to compete with the natural product. In jewelry a diamond has beautiful sparkle,and is very hard. Any synthetic diamond that is to compete with the real thing has to exhibit similar qualities. And synthetic diamonds do this admirably.

The first synthetic diamonds were produced in the 1950s in Sweden and then not so long after the synthesis of diamonds was reported a second time by researchers at GE. Even De Beers, the worlds larget producer of natural diamonds experimented with synthesising diamonds and succeeded.

Modern synthetic diamonds range hugely in their quality. Some come very close to real diamonds in their physical properties, and some do not.

There are many synthetic diamonds which do not exhibit anywhere near the qualities of diamonds, and some which come very close.

And there are some sythetic diamonds which can readily be distinguished from diamonds by experts, and some which cannot.

Even glass has been used as an alternative to diamonds and to many yields a reasonable result in costume jewelry. But it can be easily distinguished from real diamonds by anyone who knows what they are doing. Cubic Zirconia is a synthetic diamond which does not stand up for long to inspection by experts.

There are, however, many excellent synthetic diamonds which are so close to real diamonds in their physical properties that they are very difficult to distinguish from real diamonds indeed.

Prime amongst them is Moissanite. One of the newer of the synthetic diamonds, moissanite, is in fact a naturally occurring product, and it is therefore arguable whether it is a synthetic diamond or just a jewelry stone which is very close to diamond in it's qualities. It was first discovered in tiny amounts in a meteor that landed in Arizona in 1893. It was discovered by Dr Henry Moissan, after whom it was named. It has only been recently produced synthetically, because it does not occur in sufficient quantities naturally to be commercially viable, so it was necessary to devise a way to synthesise if it was to be available in jewelry.

Moissanite is extremely close to diamond in it's natural qualities. Whereas diamond is the hardest of all the jewels, rating at 10 on the hardness scale, moissanite is not far behind at 9.25, and harder than other natural jewelry stones such as ruby (9) and sapphire (9) or emerald (7.5)

There are other comparitive scales used to rate jewelry stones. In brilliance, which is a measure of it's refractive index, diamond is 2.42. Moissanite at 2.65 is superior to diamonds, and far outperforms ruby and sapphire at 1.77 and emerald at 1.58

In fire diamond rates at .044, moissanite at .104 ruby at .018 sapphire at .018 and emerald at .014. So again moissanite outperforms diamonds on this scale. Similarly on the scale used to assess luster moissanite outperforms diamonds and the other well known jewelry stones.

So it can be seen that there are very viable modern synthetic diamonds on the market. Many cannot be told apart from diamonds except by the most experienced jewellers, and moissanite cannot be told apart from diamonds by most jewellers without the use of specialised equipment.

And of course synthetic diamonds are available at a considerable cost savings to the real thing. That is why they are synthesised.

Any diamond merchant will tell you that synthetic diamonds are just junk. He is trying to protect his product. The reality is that for many, synthetic diamonds are a very viable alternative to real diamonds and it is highly unlikely that anyone could tell the difference between the two in any type of jewelry. And as the synthetic diamonds are much cheaper than the real thing they are extremely attractive to the jewelry buyer.

And the best amongst all the different types of synthetic diamonds? Moissanite.

Find out more about Moissanite as well as Moissanite Engagement Rings and other types of Moissanite rings at Peter's website, The Magic of Moissanite.

Is Bigger Better? The How-To's When Shopping For Diamonds

Buying a diamond can be an exhilarating but daunting adventure, especially if you're a newbie.

If I could offer only one piece of advice it would be this: "Learn as much as you can about the 4Cs before you go shopping."

For the uninitiated, that's cut, color, clarity and carat weight. And I like to add one more - common sense.

Choosing the perfect diamond (and there's no such thing as the "perfect" diamond, although a few have come close) is as much a matter of personal taste as it is a matter of the diamond's characteristics.

Some couples are willing to forego quality for size, others prefer the brilliance of a flawless blue-white diamond over a larger stone with less clarity.

You be the judge - but not until you're clear about those characteristics I mentioned. I suggest you read our Diamond Buying Guide, or go to one of the quality online jewelers such as www.bluenile.com or www.mondera.com.

Talk to any jeweler and they'll all give you a different opinion as to what they believe is the most important quality of a diamond.

According to Mayer Herz, Vice President of Diamond Acquisition at Mondera.com, "Cut is the most important consideration if you're on a budget. You can make up for low color and clarity if the stone is well cut."

However, Joseph Schlussel, Publisher of Diamond Registry Bulletin, says "I personally believe that color is the most important thing. Most people who go into a store today, they are told about cut. But I look at what you can see with a naked eye. I would put cut the last, because most people can't see it."

The safest all-round bet is to look for the overall "package", with the levels of cut, clarity, color and size as good as you can get for the price you're willing to pay.

Here are my tips to help you get the best value possible:

* Ensure you get a Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or the American Gem Society (AGS) Certificate when you purchase your diamond. A Certificate guarantees that you are getting what you paid for.

* If you are buying at a retail store, ask to see your diamond against a white cloth (or take your own - even a white piece of paper will do the trick!). Jewelers typically use a black felt cloth to display their stones because all diamonds look white against black.

* The American Gem Society says that the cut of the diamond can influence the price by as much as 50%. A well-cut diamond, when viewed from above, will sparkle with a brilliance you won't find in any other precious stone.

* Most diamonds have flaws (called inclusions) that developed during its formation millions of years ago. Some are impossible to see with the naked eye, others glare at you. The more inclusions, the poorer the quality of the diamond, and the less light it will emit. But its all a trade-off - fewer inclusions means a more expensive diamond.

Knowledge is power, and the more you understand about how diamonds are graded and how that determines the price you'll pay, the better you'll be able to judge what is good value.

Above all, remember that you'll be the one wearing it, and hopefully for a long time, so the final decision is yours. My very first diamond had a hairline crack deep inside it, and I came to love that diamond as much for its tiny flaws as I loved my husband for his!

Alex Miller has been involved in the jewelry industry for more years than she cares to remember! She lists her passions as "diamonds, diamonds and more diamonds" and has turned her passion into an informative website. You can find more great articles about diamonds, engagement rings, bridal jewelry, honeymoons and more at http://www.Engagement-Rings-Guide.com. The place to go BEFORE you shop for jewelry online.

The How-Tos When Shopping For a Diamond Online

One of the most frequently asked questions by visitors to my site is "Is it safe to buy a diamond online?"

My answer is unequivocally YES!

We're all getting much more comfortable these days with the ease and security which the majority of Internet sites provide when shopping for whatever we fancy online, so why not diamonds?

Shopping for a diamond is like shopping for a car. You wouldn't buy a car without knowing what specifications you were looking for, and what your budget allows, would you? It's the same with diamonds. Learn as much as you can about the all-important 4Cs before you go shopping for a diamond, whether shopping online or offline.

I recommend you start with the Diamond Buying Guide on my website.

And just like car salespeople, there are the quality diamond websites and the (ahem!) "less than quality" websites.

My favorites are www.bluenile.com and www.mondera.com. They are both extremely high quality online jewelry retailers and both offer amazing value for money.

Bluenile.com is the largest retailer of certified diamonds on the Internet and has been voted Forbes Magazine's "Favorite Online Jeweler" for the past five years.

Its powerful diamond search tool lets you search through over 50,000 diamonds for shape, color, size, carat, clarity and price, and all their diamonds come with a GIA or AGS grading report - your guarantee you are getting what you paid for.

Mondera.com is an equally high-quality site. Mondera features a diamond search tool where you can choose your diamond by size, clarity, color, cut and value and the GIA or AGS report is available when you purchase.

Mondera also offers a great diamond education center, where you can learn everything you need to know about purchasing diamonds beforehand.

Both Bluenile and Mondera offer same day FedEx shipping for in stock diamonds, and a 30-day money back guarantee.

I've never had a negative testimonial from visitors to either site, and the majority of happy customers tell me that they saved as much as 30% to 50% on normal retail prices.

And if great value and great service isn't enough, think about what a breeze it is to shop for your diamond online. You don't have to leave home, traipsing from store to store, looking for carparking and being hassled by over-zealous staff.

So grab a cup of coffee, get comfortable in front of your computer, and start shopping!

Alex Miller has been involved in the jewelry industry for more years than she cares to remember! She lists her passions as "diamonds, diamonds and more diamonds" and has turned her passion into an informative website. You can find more great articles about diamonds, engagement rings, bridal jewelry, honeymoons and more at http://www.Engagement-Rings-Guide.com. The place to go BEFORE you shop for jewelry online.

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Everything you wanted to know about diamonds and the global diamond business, industry, and trade.

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Jewelry Wholesale - Diamonds

There may come a time in your jewelry making career when you need to select diamonds for a special piece you are working on. Buying diamonds is much like buying any other gem - you find one that is the right size or shape for the piece you are making and you purchase it. WRONG. Much more thought and consideration must go into purchasing a diamond. After all - Diamonds are forever, and you want your jewelry wholesale to last forever too. There are four C's when it comes to buying a diamond: cut, clarity, color, and carat weight. All of these must be considered because you want the diamond used in your jewelry wholesale to be as beautiful as possible. Remember that the diamond should not overpower the entire piece, but it should be the main attraction and compliment the rest of the piece as well. The cut of the diamond does not refer to the shape of it. It refers to the way that it was cut - the quality of the cut. The shine and fluorescence of the diamond is determined by how it was cut. The shape of the diamond is only a second factor - or an after thought - in terms of the quality of the cut. The clarity of a diamond does not refer to how clear it is. Instead, it refers to how perfect or flawless - or imperfect - a diamond is. There are internal imperfections and external imperfections. A diamond that has no imperfections is flawless - and expensive. Diamonds come in many colors. The most common are white and yellow. Other colors are available, but they are rare and expensive. The only color you should never consider is a 'blue white' diamond. A jeweler may try to tell you that this is a rare quality diamond, but it is in fact an inferior diamond, and you have no use for it. The carat weight of the diamond will be important to your customer. Large diamonds should come with a certificate. You should request this from the company that you are purchasing the diamond from. If they refuse to give you a certificate from a reputable grading company such as GIA, walk away. The chances are good that you will put more work and thought into purchasing diamonds for your jewelry wholesale than in any other gem or stone. Diamonds are by far the most popular gemstones in the world - and with good reason. Not only are they the most beautiful stones, but they are also the most durable stones on the face of the earth - or under the earth for that matter!