Modern Jewelry Designs

Of gold’s properties, when it was first discovered (probably in Mesopotamia before 3000 BCE), it was the metal’s malleability that was a new phenomenon: the only beeswax, when heated to a certain temperature, could be compared to it. Gold’s molecules move and change position in accordance with the stresses to which it is submitted, so that when it is beaten it gains in the surface area what it loses in thickness. In modern jewelry, gold can take on a variety of hues when it is alloyed with other metals: water green, white, gray, red, and blue.

Metalwork

The basic components of jewelry have always consisted of sheet metal, metal cast in a mold, and wire (more or less heavy or fine). These components take on the desired shape by means of techniques carried out with the help of tools. Gold in its natural state was beaten while hot or cold and reduced to extremely thin sheets (this operation could be performed with stone hammers). The sheets were then cut into the desired sizes.

Examination of the most ancient pieces of jewelry shows that one of the techniques used most widely in decorating metal sheets for jewelry was embossing (relief work). Throughout the centuries embossing techniques have remained substantially unchanged, although in modern times mechanization has made possible mass production of decorative parts of jewelry, with great savings of time and labour but with a corresponding lack of art.

In repoussé, the relief is pressed (in a negative mold) or hammered out from the reverse side of the gold sheet and then finished off on the right side with a hammer or engraving tool. For half-modeled or completely round reliefs, the gold leaf was pressed onto wooden or bronze models. Completely round objects were made in two pieces and then welded together.

Another embossing, or relief, the technique is engraving, which involves impressing designs into the metal with a sharp tool.

Decorative openwork designs can be created by piercing the gold leaf. In the Roman period, this technique was called opus interactive.

Granulation is a decorative technique in which small or minute gold balls (with diameters ranging from 1/60 to 1/180 of an inch) are used to form silhouettes on smooth or embossed metal.

Casting from precious metals has always been rare. When the relief was to be visible only from one side, the metal was poured into the cast and, when hardened, touched up with a graver. When the relief was to be fully modeled, the cire perdue (lost-wax) process, involving casting from a wax mold, was used.

Gold and silver wire, according to its function, can be made into various sizes, shapes, sections, and weights. It can serve to join, to support pendants of varying importance, to make necklaces and bracelets, or to alternate with other decorative components.

From the 3rd millennium BCE through the present day, chains—ranging from the simple type, consisting of a series of round or oval rings, to one of the oldest elaborations, the “loop in loop,” or square, chain—have offered goldsmiths the widest field for decorative imagination.

Tekashi 6ix9ine Writes Remorseful Letter To Judge -- Mentions That His Gang Associate Slept With His Baby Mother And Stole Money From Him

Tekashi 6ix9ine is scheduled to be sentenced next Wednesday. According to some experts, it is likely that the judge will issue a light sentence due to his cooperation to take down a notorious string of New York blood gang affiliates — and that’s exactly what he’s hoping for.

The rapper-turned-informant wrote a letter to the judge on his case where he talked about everything from feeling ‘relieved’  that he was caught to bringing up his idea that this was God’s plan for him to help others.

One of the things that he mentioned contributed to his nightmare before getting arrested was finding out that his baby’s mother, Sara Molina, allegedly slept with his former manager Kifano ‘Shotti’ Jordan and they stole thousands of dollars from him. Tekashi 6ix9ine Writes Remorseful Letter To Judge -- Mentions That His Gang Associate Slept With His Baby Mother And Stole Money From Him.

The snippet reads: ‘Before my arrest, I publicly disassociated myself from Nine Trey but I knew that it would come with a price. I knew from previous incidents that the gang would retaliate against me for denouncing them in public. Prior to my arrest, I was kidnapped by members of the gang, became aware of the fact that the mother of my child was having sexual relations with one of my co-defendants and that they were stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from me.’

This isn’t the first time that the rumor has been spread. However, Molina insists that she’s never had relations with Shotti.

Additionally, Tekashi expresses remorse to the pain that he’s caused to the general public and his loved ones.

‘I now know that I am remorseful for what happened because I was blessed with the gift of an opportunity that most people dream of but I squandered it by getting involved with the wrong people and misrepresenting myself when I should have been true to myself and my fans. I’m sorry to the victims who were affected by my actions, to my fans who up to me and were misled, to my family who depends on me and this courtroom for this mess that I contributed to.’

The 23-year-old is facing 47 years behind bars but some speculate he may be awarded time served.

Take Down An Evil Corporation And Save The Video Game World In SuperEpic, Now Available On Almost Everything

An evil corporation has risen up and taken control of the video game world. Now the only development company in existence, Regnantcorp has enslaved the population by utilizing their incredibly addictive free-to-play games. This is the world of SuperEpic: The Entertainment War, a brand-new Metroidvania game from the developers at Numskull Games, the publisher behind Deadly Premonition Origins, AI The Somnium Files, and the recently-released action platformer Ghost Parade.

In SuperEpic: The Entertainment War, you take on the role of a raccoon and his trusty llama friend as you take on the evil corporation Regnantcorp in order to save everyone and bring back the glory of video games. Throughout your adventure, you’ll explore a massive corporate office in an attempt at bringing down the Corporate Pigs responsible from driving society into the ground. In classic Metroidvania fashion, there will be plenty of secrets to uncover, new abilities to unlock, huge bosses to take down, and more. Take Down An Evil Corporation And Save The Video Game World In SuperEpic, Now Available On Almost Everything.

The game is heavily inspired by the 16 and 32-bit era of video games, with gorgeous sprites and platforming gameplay at the center of the experience. The story if filled with jokes and references to that era of gaming, and offers plenty of satire about the current state of the video game industry. SuperEpic: The Entertainment War also features two unique modes of play, making it essentially two unique games in one.

There is the story mode, which features an epic journey full of hand-crafted levels for you to fight through, upgrading your character’s weapons and abilities along the way in order to face new dangers and overcome new obstacles. Then, you also have a full Roguelike mode, which challenges you with bringing down the corporation in procedurally-generated fashion. Levels, upgrades, enemy placement and more are randomized each time you play, giving the game loads of replayability.

One of the most interesting aspects of SuperEpic is the use of QR codes that will be found throughout your adventure. Upon discovering a code, you will need to use your real-life phone to scan it, which will allow you to play a variety of mini-games that are running in HTML5. Completing these mini-games will let you unlock codes that help you progress in-game. It’s a cool feature that hasn’t really been used by other games, and just another gameplay element that makes SuperEpic so unique.

Numskull Games has officially launched SuperEpic: The Entertainment War on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC for $14.99.

As hard as it may be to believe, April 2020 will see the evocative mechanised world of NieR celebrate its tenth birthday. Square Enix has opened a new anniversary website ahead of the date, which has understandably set fans' tongues wagging as to any possible announcements that might mark the occasion.

A spin-off of the early '00s Drakengard series, NieR launched in 2010 for PS3 and Xbox 360, with Japan receiving the alternate editions NieR Replicant and NieR Gestalt respectively. The action-RPG didn't exactly win over critics, nor set sales alight, but did win over a selection of dedicated fans with its highly-stylised world and characters, the brainchild of director Yoko Taro, himself a co-creator of the Drakengard universe. Square Enix Unveils Website Celebrating Ten Years Of The NieR Series.

Nier would see greater success with its 2017 sequel NieR: Automata, helped by a heavy dose of typical PlatinumGames' hack-and-slash action and its stylish protagonist 2B, who fast brought an army of new fans into the fold. While still maintaining the series dystopian style and sombre mood, NieR: Automata was able to find far more success with critics, fans and cash registers, racking up over four million sales to date.

As to whether Square Enix or Yoko Taro has anything planned for the brand's 10th anniversary, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. But given Nier's new-found popularity since the release of Automata, there's little doubt that the franchise is set to continue in future.

Square Enix unveiled a new website for Yoko Taro’s Nier franchise. The website was revealed as NieR will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2020. The first NieR game launched in April 2010 on Xbox 360 and PS3. In Japan, in particular, each version had a different name, Nier Gestalt and Nier Replicant, with different protagonists and a slightly different story. NieR is also a spin-off of Drakengard, another series by Yoko Taro.

The latest game in the series, NieR Automata, launched in February 2017. NieR Automata is immensely popular. During the PlayStation Awards 2019 held on December 3, the game won the Platinum Prize and the PlayStation 25th Anniversary Users Choice Award. You’ve probably heard it already, but the first PlayStation is celebrating its 25th anniversary, hence why this award was made for the occasion.

I personally believe it’s highly likely Square Enix will be announcing a new NieR game at E3 2020. This will be the series’ 10th anniversary, and NieR Automata was similarly announced at E3 2015. Many fans of the original NieR were actually disappointed with NieR Automata, so maybe this hypothetical new game will be closer to the first one. I’m just hoping Akihiko Yoshida will be back as the character designer. He’s been one of my favorite artists ever since Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre.

You can access the NieR 10th anniversary website through this link. It’s only in a teaser state for now, with no particular piece of info. There are links for goods and the like. Square Enix mentioned additional information will be coming soon. We’ll be sure to tell you more as soon as possible so stay tuned.

If you want to read about Yoko Taro’s latest antics, we’ve translated his video interview for Atlus and Vanillaware’s new game, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. A NieR Automata novel was also announced, and the game is currently in Final Fantasy XIV.

Hillary Clinton Shoots Down ‘Lesbian’ Rumors to Howard Stern: ‘I Actually Like Men!

“I don’t think I’ve ever tried harder to get a guest than I did with Hillary Clinton in the run-up to the 2016 election,” Stern wrote, positing that if his listeners had gotten the chance to hear her through his show, she may have actually beaten Donald Trump.

“To some people it wouldn’t have mattered what we talked about. Just the fact that she had the guts to show up might’ve done the trick,” he added. So why didn’t she? I’ll tell you why. She was afraid. She got tight. She thought it was in the bag, and she thought, ‘I could go talk to Howard and really screw things up.’ She thought it was a gamble. In my mind, the gamble was not coming on the show. I was right. Had she done the show, it might’ve changed the election.”
More than three years later, Stern finally got his wish on Wednesday when Clinton made her first-ever appearance on his SiriusXM show to promote The Book of Gutsy Women, her new collaboration with daughter Chelsea. Hillary Clinton Denies Lesbian Rumors While On The Howard Stern Show - 'I Actually Like Men'

She admitted in the interview that she may have made a “miscalculation” when it came to her campaign press strategy, especially given that Trump had a “constant presence” on television. “I often did not prioritize media the way I should have,” she told Stern.

When he was trying to get her on the show in 2016, Stern promised that he wouldn’t lead with questions about Monica Lewinsky. “The old me would have tried that. That would have been the first thing I said,” he wrote. “Now I see how that could only be viewed as an attack.”
And yet he still managed to end up in some classic “Howard Stern” territory with the former secretary of state.

During a conversation about the man she dated before she “hooked up” with Bill, Clinton started talking about how “handsome” her old flame was. “He looked like a Greek god,” she said to Stern’s delight. “He was very attractive.”

“Well, contrary to what you may hear, I actually like men,” Clinton added, cracking up Stern’s sidekick Robin Quivers.

This set Stern off down a path that was more in line with the “old” him. “Raise your right hand, you’ve never had a lesbian affair?” he asked.
“Never, never, never!” Clinton exclaimed. “Never even been tempted, thank you very much.”
“Unbelievable,” Stern marveled. In the end, he was right. He was able to get something out of his guest that she had never expressed before.

In his combination memoir and book of interviews released earlier this year, Howard Stern lamented the one guest he regrets never being able to book.

Sports Wear

Sportswear is nowadays used as a synonym for casual wear. Earlier, only sportsmen used to be seen in the sports clothes but nowadays, with celebrities taking up the trend, everyone is being seen out in their best workout clothes, even without doing a 5-minute workout that day.

Active wear is an alternative name for sportswear. Athleisure is the term coined to use for trendy sportswear. Most of the sportswear is made in fabric that is comfortable enough to be worn anywhere and stretchy enough to be form-fitting and attractive, without losing its shape

Leggings, tank tops, sports bras, outerwear, polo shirts, yoga pants are all the staples if you want to follow this trend. The major sports brands include Adidas, Puma, Altura, Fila, DKNY, yoga pants from Lululemon and Sweaty Betty. Check out this post for interesting photos of how this style emerged in America, the way most styles do, through celebrities. Evening Black Tiz

This article calls it the formal dress code. It is the formal attire for men with strict specifications – like Tailcoats, tuxedos. Girls get to wear glamorous evening gowns and cocktail dresses. This is the ultimate feminine style – if you like this fashion style you will be wearing mostly pink clothes and accessories and will use a lot of make-up. You will be dressing in skirts, dresses, and blouses with cute details like bows or ruffles, flounces and lace

Supplements For Bulking

Supplements are fast becoming a large part of bodybuilding and justly so. If you estimate what is left of actual bio-active nutrients in today's series of processed foods you can also figure out that you'd need to eat a massive amount of calories to get the necessary building blocks for growth. And sadly, these foods comprise most of our daily intake in the Western World. Supplements may give you those nutrients in an undenatured, concentrated form so that you can focus on your calories, sleep, and training. Alas someone smelled money and the world of supplementation became one of advertising and deception, which in turn lead to many young lifters believing supplementation was the legal alternative to steroids.

Today's supplement industry seems to put anything with even the slightest relation to muscle growth in pills, whether it will work, denature, be wasted, have no effect or any and all of the above. That makes it hard to make a selection and too many times the inexperienced shopper will waste his money. Since we are talking about bulking pills products it makes no sense to spend money on fat-burner, glutamine or HMB. Believe it or not, but these three products were part of FLEX magazine's top 10 supplements for growth. Also spending money on prohormones and supplements of the like makes no sense unless you are an advanced or older bodybuilder who can truly benefit from the effects of these products. Though I have a lot of faith in the efficacy of such products, it takes the knowledge and a lot of patience to make it work. So if you are a 15-year old beginner, the answer is probably, "No, you should not invest in prohormones, they are not worth the money at this point."

So what should you buy? Well, keep it simple and keep it cheap. If it costs too many chances are you won't get enough out of it to justify what you spent on it. And I don't know about you, but I'd hate to go broke over adding a few pounds. This is why, in combination with some other experienced lifters, I made a Top 10 list and dug very deep on how and why you should use them, but above all why that choice is better than alternatives. Note that all the supplements are some of the cheapest and cost-effective if you calculate what all you get for the price of a daily dose. So for your entertainment, and hopefully more, here are the top 10 supplements in order of importance in relation to the goal: PACKING ON MUSCLE AND SIZE!