With the party season almost upon us, us ladies are already conjuring up mental images in our minds about how fabulous we intend to look at each and every event. However, December is already a very expensive month for obvious reasons and it seems slightly unpractical for us to be buying a whole new outfit every time we step out of a taxi and into a Christmas party. So, what is the alternative? Obviously we cannot attend every party looking the same- heaven forbid! The answer then - accessories! Wearing the same dress in different ways with different jewelry, shoes and even hair and make up can really open you up all manner of outfit opportunities.

First of all, we need to find the dress. Before you head out hunting for a new 'goes-with-everything' frock, check your wardrobe! The four dresses you bought last year maybe up for the job. Once the dress is decided upon, the fun really starts. Perhaps you have stayed safe an opted for a little black number which has always served you well? That's great, the options, then, are endless.

For look no.1, think Audrey Hepburn. Simple and elegant, her iconic style still inspires many even today. So, what do you need to achieve such a look? Well, its pretty simple really. You need an immaculate up-do (perhaps watch a few online video guides), you need a fabulous pair of sparkly earrings and, you need a set of pearls and, for the extravagant among you, a lavish cigarette holding prop might be the perfect finishing touch.

For look no. 2, think festive. Color and sparkle can work wonders
alongside that staple black dress; these are Christmas parties after all! The easiest way to add a bit of color to your outfit is in the shoes or the tights. Perhaps you could team your black dress with a pair of show stopping shoes; the amazing women's shoes available this season should provide you with many options. Following such, a few pieces of costume jewelry - a few coloured bangles and a ring or two - and perhaps even some hair accessories - bows and flowers, etc - will really set off the outfit.

For look no.3, think natural goddess. This look is all about making the most of what you have. Beautiful, natural make up, loose wavy hair, and a few understated pieces of jewelry can sometimes be the boldest statement of all.

So, enjoy the party season, and make the most of that little black dress!

- Emily Patterson

From last year, but worth watching:

Sapphire is a kind of mineral known as Corundum. There are many types of sapphires, depending upon their colours and other properties. When a sapphire is red, it is called Ruby, and a pinkish-orange sapphire is called Padparadscha, which means lotus blossom. A sapphire other than blue is called a fancy sapphire.

Pink sapphires are usually known as girly sapphires because pink gives a feminine look. Sapphire jewellery became very popular after Paris Hilton was seen wearing a pink sapphire ring and a yellow diamond pendant. After this, people are taking interest in sapphires and the demand of sapphires is increasing day by day. The current trend is towards the large knuckle-type rings that are paved with tiny pink sapphires.

Sapphires come in about all colours depending on the quantity of impurities in them. Elements such as Titanium, Chromium and Iron can all change the hue of the transparent mineral into variety of colours such as green, pink, orange, yellow and variety of blue. Sapphires are also available in black and grey colours as well.

Sapphire is a hard mineral. It has a melting greater than 2000 deg C and is also insoluble and infusible. It is widely used in sapphire rings and other jewellery items. Besides this, it has other practical applications as well.

Sapphires come in two different varieties: synthetic and natural. As it is clear from the name that natural sapphires are mined naturally, synthetic sapphire is grown through different procedures developed in 1902 by Auguste Verneuil. Due to the advancement in the creation of large scale synthesizing of sapphires, sapphires today are available at very cheap rates. Due to their affordability, they became more valuable for use in both jewellery and industry. Different types of sapphires are available all over the world.

Besides the colour differences, sapphires are also differentiated due to their shapes and appearance. A star sapphire is named due to the appearance of the star-shaped pattern. This star-shaped pattern is the result of asterism. Asterism is a phenomenon which can be found in different types of gems. In star sapphires it is due to intersecting needle-like impurities. Star sapphire jewellery is dependent upon the colour and the asterism intensity.

Usually the sapphires used in jewellery are synthetic sapphires because they are more affordable. Natural sapphires are expensive because they are rarer. Both types of sapphires look the same. Only jewellery experts can distinguish between natural and synthetic jewellery. The price of the sapphires also depends upon the clarity, size, cut, quality and colour of the sapphire.

Sapphire jewellery exists in a wide range of forms. But the most popular of them are sapphire jewellery rings, such as engagement rings and eternity rings. The most valuable sapphires available on the market are blue sapphires. Sapphires having a cornflower blue shade are the most popular stones, known as "Kashmir Sapphires". Besides this, Padparadscha sapphires are also high in price and popularity.

- Imran Ali

In the first decade of the twentieth century, several new gemstone varieties were discovered in Pala, California. They include kunzite, the pink variety of spodumene; and morganite, the pink variety of beryl. Kunzite was named after the famous American gemologist, George Frederick Kunz, who spent most of his career as the chief gemologist at Tiffany and Co. Morganite was named in honor of the legendary financier and gem collector, J.P. Morgan. In fact it was Kunz who suggested naming the newly discovered beryl after Morgan, who was Tiffany's largest customer.

Morganite belongs to the same gemstone family as emerald, aquamarine, golden beryl and bixbite. Among these beryls, morganite and the raspberry-red bixbite are the rarest. In fact bixbite is only found in the state of Utah in the USA. Morganite is not quite as scarce, but still counts as a rare variety.

There has been some attempt in the jewellery trade to change the name of morganite to "pink emerald." But this should be seen as just a marketing ploy to bring pink beryl to the attention of the public. The official mineral name for pink beryl continues to be morganite.

Like the other members of the beryl family, morganite is aluminum beryllium silicate. The source of the pink colouration is not well understood. Some scientists attribute morganite's colour to traces of manganese, while other sources attribute the colour to the element caesium. Morganite's colour can vary soft pink to violet to salmon or peach.

In common with other beryls, morganite has very good hardness, with a rating of 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale. Unlike emerald, which tends to have significant inclusions, morganite is usually quite clean.

Morganite is routinely heat treated to improve its delicate colour and remove any yellow tones. Heating is done at relatively low temperatures (about 400 degrees centigrade) to achieve this effect.

Morganite deposits are found in Afghanistan, Brazil, China, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and the USA (California and Maine).

- AJS Gems