Women shine as brilliant designers of glistening jewellery

Facets Lanka a glittering showpiece:

Suharshi Perera

It was an evening of glitter. The glitter that sparkled through the glass cases transfixed the eyes of spectators who were trying to catch a close glimpse of the tiny objects gracefully placed on the fabulous and delicate raw silk drape.

The jewellery on display was caressed by spectators, mostly women. Its lustre surpassed the lights of the hall and sprinkled a sense of femininity in the surroundings.

Facets Sri Lanka, the Annual Gem and Jewellery Exhibition held at the BMICH from August 30 to September 2, became the showpiece of the town attracting thousands of foreign and Lankan admirers and buyers, especially the fairer sex.

Women moving from one stall to another were spellbound by the glamour of the showpieces.

Behind glitter and glamour there’s lot of hardwork and creativity studded in the whole effort. The eye catching waist chain made of

yellow sapphire and diamonds meticulously placed on an ivory raw silk cloth at the opening stall of Renelle Private Limited tied down spectators with its glamour.

“This costs around US$ 200,000 as it is a very unique piece. This type of yellow sapphires are very rare and it is exclusive,” designer of the company W.V.C. Subashini explained.

“We specialise in jewellery of untreated sapphires. Most of the pieces are exclusive, fine jewellery. All these are made of natural stones found in Sri Lanka,” the young designer said pointing to a stunning stone studded bracelet.

“This is made of pink sapphires. Since we are focusing on the export market especially Europe, this is designed to be worn with a party dress,” she added.

Subashini was born in Galle and mastered jewellery designing from the University of Moratuwa. She is a past student of Sangamitta Balika Vidyalaya, Galle.

The design of the jewellery is based on the stone, its shape and the colour. The market is also taken into consideration, the designer pointed out.

“Since we cater to Europeans gems suiting their complexion are selected for production. We promote multi coloured sapphires to our market and we hope colour picks up,” she added.

The quality of a stone is decided on its degree of transparency. A stone is rated high if it is neither too dark nor transparent, she said.

Another stall displaying the designs of four compounds of nature caught the attention of exhibition goers.

Diamond pendants made into the shape of sal mal were hanging in a sal mal shaped frame, tiny diamond shaped butterfly earrings sitting on a large butterfly frame, diamond roots penetrating the root shaped frame and beautiful tiny leaves on a leaf shaped frame had a many women admirers around.

“This time we produced nature based designs with white gold, diamond and sapphires,” designer of Ceyital Jewels Achini Indika explained. “We attempt to promote small pieces. A small pendant costs around US $ 1,000 to 2,000. There is a rousing demand from foreigners as well as locals,” she said.

Indika born in Beliatte has learnt jewellery design under a private teacher. She has been designing jewellery for six years.

“I am an artist and have done a lot of paintings. When I was in school I loved drawing sketches. That craving has brought me this far,” the young designer exclaimed.

At the next stall where silver jewellery was predominant three women belonging to the same family caught the

 attention of many locals due to the affordability of their products. “We charge only the cost and we are specialised in silver jewellery,” two girls of the Cassim Jewellers said.

“Our whole family is into jewellery designing and managing our own business,” Mufriha Cassim said while spreading a silver necklace studded with multi- coloured, multi-shaped, semi precious stones on the glass table.

“My sister Munsifa and mother Carrima are also designers,” she said pointing at her mother who was talking to a customer enthraled by the jewellery pieces.

“We all get together before designing a jewel. We convert our imagination into a unique accessory. These days the demand is

is for big chains and pendants. Large designs are in fashion,”

Munsifa said.

Pictures by Palitha Gunasena

Tips for dandruff-free healthy lustrous hair:

Let your hair down

Dietaries for Dandruff

Diet plays an important role in the treatment of dandruff.

* Avoid citrus fruits, bananas, tinned fruits. Well-balanced diet with emphasis on raw foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables.

* Avoid strong tea/coffee, pickles, refined and processed foods

Other Dandruff treatments

* Keep hair and scalp clean to avoid accumulation of dead cells

* The hair should be brushed daily to improve the circulation and remove any flakiness.

* The most effective way to brush the hair is to bend forward from the waist with the head down towards the ground, and brush from the nape of the neck towards the top of the head. The scalp should also be thoroughly massaged everyday, using one’s finger tips and working systematically over the head.

This should be done just before or after brushing the hair. Like brushing, this stimulates the circulation, dislodges dirt and dandruff, and encourages hair growth. Exposure of the head to the rays of the sun is also a useful measure in the treatment of dandruff.

(Courtesy: www.home-remedies-for-you.com)

Low Fat Cooking: Recipe for healthy life

* Get into the habit of measuring the oil you use while you cook, rather than just pouring it out of the bottle. It will be much easier to moderate the amount you use.

* Use non-stick cookware so that you don’t have to use as much, if any, fat. When sauteing, use a small amount of chicken broth or wine instead of butter or oil.

* To make fat-free broth, chill your meat or chicken broth. The fat will rise to the top, and you can remove it before using the broth.

* Many vegetables and fruits, including potatoes and apples, retain many of their nutrients in their skin. So when possible, leave the skin on your fruits and vegetables and cook them whole.

* Vitamin C is destroyed quickly in cooking - so cook your vegetables with Vitamin C in the smallest amount of water possible and for a short amount of time.

* Stock up on spices. One of the keys to cooking low-fat and not getting bored is to spice your food well. When you have finished your recipe, always taste it and adjust the spices to meet your taste.

* Purchase the best (i.e. heaviest) set of non-stick cookware you can afford.

* When cooking a dish with both vegetables and meat (i.e. in stir frys and stews), reduce the amount of meat by 1/3 and increase the amount of vegetables by 1/3. You will hardly notice!

* Thicken gravies with milk or broth blended in the blender with flour. Be sure to cook long enough to remove the raw flour taste. You’ll never notice the lack of fat.

* Use olive oil for cooking when appropriate. It adds to the taste of the dish and is better for you.

Lupus-Part III:

Which parts of the body might be affected?

The skin

It is common for a rash to develop over parts of your body which are exposed to the sun: the face, wrists and hands. However, sometimes these rashes can affect other parts of the body. Poor circulation can cause the hands to change colour, with the skin going white, blue and red in the cold.

The hair

Some loss of hair (alopecia) is common with lupus. This is a minor problem for most people but occasionally you may have quite serious hair loss.

The joints

Unlike rheumatoid arthritis, lupus does not usually cause damage and deformity in the joints, although pain and swelling can be the main symptoms of the disease.

The kidneys

Estimates vary but up to one in three people with lupus may develop some inflammation of the kidneys. This does not usually cause problems unless the disease is very severe.

Blood pressure

Lupus can cause high blood pressure, particularly if the kidneys are involved. Corticosteroid (‘steroid’) tablets in high doses may also cause an increase in blood pressure.

The brain and nervous system

You may feel depressed and anxious from time to time. It can be hard to tell whether this is part of the disease itself or simply the normal reaction to having a serious illness. Migraine affects as many as one in three people with lupus. Lupus can sometimes mimic other neurological conditions such as epilepsy or schizophrenia by causing fits or feelings of paranoia.

The heart and lungs

Occasionally lupus may affect these organs directly. More often, it inflames the lining tissues around the heart and lungs.

This causes pericarditis or pleurisy, both of which cause breathlessness and sharp pains in the chest which are worse when taking a deep breath. Rarely, large amounts of fluid may develop in these lining layers, causing severe shortness of breath. This symptom can be treated successfully by removing the fluid.

Other organ involvement

One of the features of lupus is that it affects the bone marrow, causing anaemia and a reduction in the number of platelets (which help the blood to clot) and/or white blood cells.

It may cause swelling of the lymph glands, for example in the neck, which may cause discomfort. Some people with lupus have a tendency to develop blood clots in veins or arteries. Lupus can, though less frequently, affect the gut, pancreas, liver or spleen.

How can lupus be treated?

Lupus cannot be cured but it can be controlled.

If you have joint pains and skin rashes you can often be treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and/or with an anti-malarial drug. NSAIDs can damage the lining of the stomach and cause bleeding.

(To be continued)

Grilled Cinnamon Carrots

Servings: 3-4

Prep Time: Less than 15 minutes

Cook Time: Less than 15 minutes

Cooking Method: Grilled

Ingredients:

Eight whole carrots

cinnamon

butter

Directions:

Peel the skin from eight large carrots and coat the carrots in butter. Then sprinkle cinnamon onto the carrots. Place the carrots into a sheet

of foil and wrap tightly. Place the foil onto a grill and cook until done ( usually about 10-15 minutes ) The carrots will be very soft and very sweet.

Note:

Serve as a side dish or a different type of snack.