Although traces of jewelry have been found as far back as the Neolithic era, it was the Egyptians who carved jewelry making in history. The brilliance of these ancient Egyptian jewelers is evident in ancient tombs which contain both engraved stones and pieces of jewelry that were kept with the mummies. The jeweler at that time is not only capable of creating pieces for adornment, but is also skillful in metal engraving such as the minting of coins.

The materials used for jewelry making was not limited to a few. A wide variety of minerals were fashioned into jewelry including amethyst, carnelian, jasper, hematite, lapis lazuli, onyx, serpentine, soapstone, turquoise and quartz crystal. The use of a mineral or metal is dependent on the meaning that it carries. Lapis lazuli is associated with joy while turquoise, with delight. Green jasper guarantees rain while gold is connected with the sun and solar deities.

Jewelries produced at this time were almost never used for adornment alone. Most were used as amulets or talismans, and the figure that it carries has symbolic significance. Initially, these amulets were kept with the mummies to ensure protection of the dead. Soon however, these were also used to protect the living. Beads were a major component of amulets – anyone in any order can wear beads but the material used is dependent on what one can afford. The designs on these talismans were symbolic. The Four Sons of Horus were a favorite design for funeral jewelries as they were believed to protect both the dead in their journey to the afterlife and their internal organs which were removed during the mummification process. The eye of Horos on the other hand symbolizes eternity and the fly with the human head gives one the ability to rise to heaven. But perhaps the most famous figure, which had become an ageless motif for jewelry designs, is the scarab or the dung beetle. The scarab represents renewal and resurrection and is used both by the living and the dead.

The scarab can come in many forms and a variety of materials ranging from gold to clay can be used to shape it. It can also be engraved from stone like amethyst, carnelian, jasper or any gem that can be afforded by the owner. From its initial use as an amulet, the scarab evolved to become an official seal. It is usually mounted on the finger ring and was used by high ranking officials in this era.

It is said that the Egyptians mastered the craft of jewelry making, especially of goldsmithing, during the Middle Kingdom. Glass also became a major component of jewelry at this time resulting to more colorful pieces. Glass took the place of stones and was soon popularized when they were placed in rings.

• Related Internet Directory Categories: Jewelry Shopping, Jewelry Designers, Jewelry Watch

Remember the “VHS and Beta war?” It was during those times that people were confused as to what type of player they would need. Most of the time it would lead to frustration since sometimes there are films we wanted to see that were not available in our version. We end up buying another player instead, and spend so much money on entertainment alone. Today, another format war is brewing, and it’s between the next generation sets of DVD. Each side has its own support, and neither has plans of backing down. We compare HD DVD and Blu-Ray to see what the difference and what platforms we may need and what we can do.

Blu-Ray is a HD disc that can store up to 25G worth of memory in a single layer. Blu-ray can work both sides, and therefore it is expected to pack 50G worth of memory. Most of the DVD discs right now average only about 2-5G of memory. Blu-ray was specifically created for HD TVs for maximum enjoyment. This type of disc is supported by famous labels like Apple, HP, Panasonic and Sony who developed the discs. These companies will release movies that are in this format only. Playstation 3 has the internal ability to play Blu-Ray discs. If you are to store a standard movie in a disc, you could place at least 22 hours of movies there. HD movies are played for 8.5 hours.

On the other hand, HD DVD has a memory of 15G on one side and 30G in both sides. The main supporters of this format are Microsoft, Toshiba, NEC, RCA, Kenwood and Intel. The XBOX 360s released in 2006 can play movies in HD DVD format. The upper hand of HD DVD with its competitor is the sponsorship and sole distributor of some of the world’s famous adult labels. Consider the fact that this industry alone racked up $57 billion last year.

If you’re really concerned on what format to support or buy, here is my personal tip: buy the one that’s going to be different with your console. It’s quite bad to have an HD DVD while at the same time having a XBOX 360 that can play the same format. If you have a Blu-Ray player with your XBOX, the format will not be a problem for you. Another consolation is, some movie making companies refuse to the exclusivity so that they wouldn’t incur losses on their end as well. Paramount, DreamWorks and Warner Bros. are some of the companies that release their movies in both formats.

There are even stand alone players being developed that could play both formats without any hassle. As of this writing, there are already three development companies who introduced this kind of technology, and it shouldn’t be long before these players would be available in the market.

Right now, make sure you have both of the format players by using one for games and the other for movies. Though it may hurt you somehow in your pocket, it’s always great to be ready for the next generation of formats.

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