FashionWhy diamonds are forever fascinating
Prized for their lucid brilliance, strength and longevity, a diamond's past is at least as spectacular as its likely future. A "young" diamond is perhaps a hundred million years old; the oldest diamonds date back three billion years, making them some two-thirds as old as the Earth itself. Formed from superheated carbon under unspeakable pressure, diamonds were shot to the surface from up to 400 miles down by exploding volcanoes. Carbon is rare at such depths - hence the scarcity of the gem. However, fresh volcanic activity could even today yield "new" diamonds.
The Romans seem to have been the first culture to invest diamonds with magical potency - a prize for a Caesar to fight over and hoard. In 13th century France only a king could wear diamonds. It took another two hundred years before Europeans fell for the idea of linking diamonds - by now a symbol of fidelity, truth and commitment - with betrothal, in the form of the diamond-embedded engagement ring. India was the prime source of diamonds for 2,000 years until the mid-18th century. The world's largest rough diamond, the Cullinan, discovered in 1905 in South Africa, weighed 3,106 carats - a standard jewellers' measurement deriving from the weight of the seed of the carob tree. The Cullinan was divided into nine major stones, the largest of which, the 550.20 carat 'Star of Africa', is mounted in a sceptre, part of the Crown Jewels, on show at the Tower of London. The so-called four Cs determine the value of a diamond: cut, clarity, colour and carat. Best of all is a colourless stone. Diamonds revealing a strong, pure colour (everything from red and orange to green or blue) are called "fancies" and coveted in their own right. A notable recent discovery was the vivid orange monster of a diamond unearthed in South Africa just before Hallowe'en in 2002. Actress Halle Berry wore the cushion-shaped gem - dubbed the Pumpkin - to her Oscar award for Best Actress that year. Even today people still talk about the blue white Taylor-Burton diamond given by actor Richard Burton to his wife Elizabeth Taylor in 1969. The bauble had cost the wayward Welsh actor £1 million, a staggering sum at that time. It didn't save the marriage, but the couple remarried, briefly, in 1975. (This article first appeared in Darlington Today magazine)
Last season it was blueberries, this season it’s goji berries: the latest celebrity beauty must-have. Looking at the shrivelled little red raisin-like berries, beauty doesn’t spring to mind. The likes of Madonna and Liz Hurley, however, put a lot of faith in this en vogue superfood. They believe that it the humble goji berry will help to keep them young and beautiful from the inside out, slowing the ageing process and improving skin. The hype is that they really are ‘berry’ good. If you have grown tired of eating half a ton of the latest superfood unearthed from a relatively untouched corner of the world in the vague hope of holding back the wrinkles, you are probably a little wary of such seasonal hype. But, if like many, you see hope in the hype, read on. The goji berry has been ‘discovered’ after being used for centuries in Tibet and Mongolia where it is believed to increase longevity and improve quality of life. A folklore hero called Li Qing Uyen is said to have lived to the ripe old age of 252 years after a lifetime of eating goji berries, although that just seems down right silly to most. When it comes to fact and not fiction, there are some scientific facts to warrant the interest in the goji berry. They are said to contain 500 times more vitamin C by weight than an orange. They contain over 20 trace minerals such as copper, calcium and zinc, while containing more iron than a beef steak by weight. They also contain 18 amino acids, including all eight essential amino acids, vitamins B1, B2, B6 and E. They are also a rich source of carotenoids and contain more beta carotene than carrot by weight (though nobody is claiming that goji berries will help you see in the dark). Beta carotene is known to help protect skin from sun-damage as well as fight heart disease and defend against cancer. Nutrition, as sensible people know, feeds the skin, so it would be understandable to assume that nutritionally-packed goji berries may well provide some beauty benefits. More sciency people talk of their action as an anti-inflammatory and their ability to rejuvenate skin cells. They do contain something called polysaccharides, which fortify the immune system and stimulate the secretion of a rejuvenative human growth hormone by the pituitary gland. Dietician Jacqui Lowdon, of University Hospital, Cardiff, says that goji berries do sound “amazing”. However, she has a few sensible words before you gorge yourself: “A serving of one berry is not going to turn your life around. That requires a combination of things: overall weight, attention to fat intake and types of fats, fibre intake, vitamins and hydration. It’s an overall package.” Feet treats without a pedicure Just because summer sandals will soon be slung to the back of the wardrobe, it doesn’t mean that you should neglect your little pinkies. Most women can’t justify the expense of a professional pedicure throughout the year. The result come Christmas is ugly old feet and toes that are more suited to boots instead of party sandals.
If you can only afford to treat your feet to a pedicure in the summer or before holidays, you will need to give your feet an at-home pedicure to keep them presentable, unless you plan on putting a sock on them permanently until the first blossoms of spring appear. Invest in a foot file, a pumice stone, some ergonomically-designed toe nail clippers, a nail file and buffer and you are half way there.
Fortunately, there is also a great selection of at-home treatments to keep your pinkies perky. Here are five feet treats. The Podexine range by Vichy, originally designed for use by chiropodists, is now available to consumers. Their Reconditioning Care for Dry Feet contains ceramides and is an oil-in-water emulsion, rich in glycerine and has a non-greasy texture with a dry finish. The formula contains polyethylene beads to improve the formula’s drying times and limit rubbing inside shoes; sphingolipids and shea butter to help dry skin; and Vichy Thermal Spa Water. Costs £8.00 and available from leading chemists. The Sanctuary Spa Footcare range includes a selection of products to exfoliate, moisturise and revitalise feet, all of which contain tea tree and lavender essential oil. Products include Liquid Foot Powder, a lotion that dries to a powder to deodorise. Pumice Foot Scrub uses pumice grains and seaweed extract to remove dry and rough skin. Leg and Foot Spritzer to help revive tired feet. Foot Soak with seaweed extract and menthol to cool and soothe. Foot Soufflé, a light, non-greasy moisturiser with shea butter; and Foot Salt Scrub to exfoliate and Foot Wipes to exfoliate and refresh. The range starts at £4.00 and available as is available from Boots. Tisserand has recently introduced the Organic White Mint and Kanuka Foot Spray to its range of foot treatments. The product is designed to cool and refresh feet. Along with organic mint and antibacterial kanuka, it also contains organic extracts of green ginger and white nettle. Also available as part of the range is Organic White Mint and Kanuka Foot Balm and Organic White Mint and Kanuka Foot Soak. Foot Spray and Foot Soak costs £4.99 and Foot Balm costs £3.99 and is available from selected chemists and health stores or online: www.tisserandshop.com. Weleda’s Foot Balm combines plant extracts and essential oils and is designed to revitalise tired, aching feet. The product blends essential oils of lavender, rosemary, sweet orange and litsea cubeba, with calendula and myrrh for their anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and disinfectant properties. Weleda Foot Balm is free from artificial preservatives, colourants and perfumes. Costs £4.95 and is available from selected chemists and health store or online: www.weleda.co.uk. The Feet First range by Aromatherapy Gold includes three products. Feet First Foot Soak, which blends spearmint and lemon with essential oils to cool feet and legs. Feet First Scrub that combines apricot extract with peppermint and lemon to help buff away dry skin. Feet First Foot Lotion, which contains calendula oil and vitamin E, along with spearmint and lemon and claims to cool aching feet and legs, reduce swelling and refresh tired feet. A Feet First Foot Care Kit, which contains all three products, is also available. The Foot Care Kit costs £10 and individual products costs £3.50 each and are available online: www.aromatherapygold.com |
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