Brandon is available for interviews about Diamond Drought, as well as its hotly anticipated sequel, Diamond Dynasty. Brandon welcomes the opportunity to comment as an expert on subjects such as urban music, the importance of hip hop to youth, the drug culture, and inner-city gang violence. Producers, writers, editors, show hosts or reviewers who wish to receive a free copy of Diamond Drought should contact the publisher, Earl Cox of Writersandpoets.com LLC at (908) 233-2399 or email e-mail protected from spam bots..

Additionally, hundreds (800 estimated) of workers from other states have recently taken classes from the Bay Area Training Corporation (BATC), which is a requirement to work in the refineries in the San Francisco Bay Area. It seems Diamond Refractory Services and Altair Strickland have visions of obtaining more work in this area utilizing out of state contractors and displacing the citizens and businesses that support our communities. Money paid to out of state contractors will most undoubtedly be sent out of state. It is estimated the amount of work to be performed will require approximately 20,000 hours of labor or $1.2 million in compensation to Diamond Refractory workers. This disregard for the community seems to contradict the Valero "Good Neighbor Agreement" and creates an environment that will exploit the standards of wages and benefits of the people that live in the community.Union bricklayers will also conduct another job action on October 22, 2004 if the issue of area standards cannot be resolved.Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers represent represents Bricklayers/Stonemasons, Tile Layers and Finishers, Pointer Cleaner Caulkers, Marble Setters and Finishers, Terrazzo Mechanics and Finishers, and Refractory Bricklayers who work various aspects of the industry in the Northern 46 counties of California.

Refractory Bricklayers line the boilers, benzene tanks, acid tanks, and catalytic crackers. This is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world and poses the greatest health risk to Refractory Bricklayers. We work in one of the most carcinogenic environments in the world. We were recently tested for silicosis and asbestos, and many of our members have tested positive for early stages. We are proud of the work we do and have no complaints.

We are hard working and diligent in our craft..

Contemporary diamond cutters use modern faceting techniques to show a diamond off at its brilliant best. Although a diamond will sparkle even when its been poorly cut, don't expect the same razzle-dazzle you see today from the diamonds in antique engagement rings.Also keep in mind that antique engagement rings were often made with stones that don't stand the test of time. Turquoise is a gem to steer clear of because it has a nasty reputation for discoloration. As do pearls, which lose their sheen and opals, which will gradually wear away.Another thing to be wary of is that lesser-quality garnets were often marketed as rubies in vintage engagement rings, so be sure to have your ring valued if you badly want a ruby-red engagement ring.An antique engagement ring is not a ring you can wear every day in our rough-and-tumble world, but it's preciousness makes it a treasure that, with the right care, will give you pleasure every day for a lifetime..

OM is the universal symbol of peace, life, knowledge, power and strength, representing a sound which encompasses the past, present and future. Chopard's limited edition pendants feature a diamond studded OM symbol suspended between two pieces of sapphire crystal. The pendant is available in two versions. One boasts a diamond bezel surrounding the OM symbol, while the other displays a polished bezel. Both versions will be available in18-karat white and yellow gold.

The Chopard logo is engraved on the rim of the pendant's circle. The limited edition number also appears on each piece, in the form of 001/999. Along with each pendant comes a certificate of authenticity. For additional information please call the Chopard Boutique at 212.218.7222, located on 725 Madison Ave., New York. Or visit www.mandalanv.com.

The late night whispers of "I love you."For most people in love, the culmination of months of togetherness and special friendship comes down to one single moment: The marriage proposal - - featuring a simple, but elegant, diamond engagement ring.Of course, if you're a celebrity, a simple ring may not have enough wattage to suit your tastes. Thus, we see many celebrities sporting five-carat to seven-carat diamond studded engagement and wedding rings.Well, if you can afford it, why not flaunt it, right?Take for instance the recent marriages of Britney Spears and Star Jones. When Britney Spears got engaged to her former back up dancer, Kevin Federline, she promptly bought herself an awesome-looking five-carat diamond engagement ring. (Does anyone really believe that Kevin bought this for her on his dancer's salary?)Britney bought herself the ring she felt she deserved ? nothing wrong with that. Then, she and Kevin quickly made the leap to matrimony in a matter of months with a surprisingly nice (no lip kissing of Madonna) wedding ceremony.As for Star Jones, it's not known whether her stunning seven-carat princess cut diamond ring was bought or donated, but she too happily skipped off to a wedding ceremony with all the trimmings.So, does all this extra diamond wattage mean that celebrities have a better wedding ceremony than everyone else?Absolutely, not.There's absolutely no proof that their multi-carat diamond rings and fancy wedding accommodations gave them any more satisfaction at the alter than Joe and Jane Doe's down right sparse nuptials in a run-down back yard.Buying the biggest and fanciest diamond engagement ring on the planet doesn't guarantee anything but a nice piece of ice jewelry to show off to your family and friends.

Other than that, celebrities have the same odds for a successful, happy union as the rest of us.And that's the way it should be..

The full range of compatible cartridges are available now.inks2u.co.uk is an internet-based company but hopefully we will soon see Black Diamond cartridges available through local stores..

Most people who go into a store today, they are told about cut. But I look at what you can see with a naked eye. I would put cut the last, because most people can't see it."The safest all-round bet is to look for the overall "package", with the levels of cut, clarity, color and size as good as you can get for the price you're willing to pay.Here are my tips to help you get the best value possible:

• Ensure you get a Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or the American Gem Society (AGS) Certificate when you purchase your diamond. A Certificate guarantees that you are getting what you paid for.
• If you are buying at a retail store, ask to see your diamond against a white cloth (or take your own - even a white piece of paper will do the trick!). Jewelers typically use a black felt cloth to display their stones because all diamonds look white against black.
• The American Gem Society says that the cut of the diamond can influence the price by as much as 50%.

  A well-cut diamond, when viewed from above, will sparkle with a brilliance you won't find in any other precious stone.

• Most diamonds have flaws (called inclusions) that developed during its formation millions of years ago. Some are impossible to see with the naked eye, others glare at you. The more inclusions, the poorer the quality of the diamond, and the less light it will emit. But its all a trade-off - fewer inclusions means a more expensive diamond.

My very first diamond had a hairline crack deep inside it, and I came to love that diamond as much for its tiny flaws as I loved my husband for his!.

It might last a year if you take care of it and that's not bad for the price!Other simulated diamonds can be quite expensive. Some are very high quality and set in platinum or 14K rings. These will cost you, but not as much as a real diamond in the same setting. These rings will last a long time and are a good value if you want the look but don't want to spend the money. Most jewelers can tell the difference between a real diamond and even these high quality look alikes, but a new method has been developed that creates a diamond in the lab which is of such high quality that most jewelers will not be able to distinguish it from a natural diamond.

These diamonds that will soon hit the market place will set you back about half the cost of the same size of a natural diamond.So how do you tell the difference?Since you need specialized equipment and training, the average person cannot tell the difference between a real and simulated diamond, unless it is of terrible quality. The best way to protect yourself when buying diamonds is to buy from someone you trust. The other thing is to educate yourself about the 4 C's of buying a diamond so you will know what to look for when you do go shopping.These 4 C's ? color, clarity, cut and carat weight are what determine the value of the diamond. You may pay less for a large diamond that does not have good clarity, cut or color then you will for a smaller diamond of better clarity, cut and color but is it really worth it? The answer is mostly a matter of personal preference but if you deal with a jewelry you can trust, he or she can guide you as to the best value for the money whether you decide to buy a real or simulated diamond..

That's not too much to ask, is it?Well, now there is such a search engine - and you may be shocked by the results. But first, I would like to share a dirty little secret of the online diamond world with you. Did you know that the diamond inventory you see at one online diamond vendor is the same as many other online vendors? How is this possible - these are competing companies, so how can they be selling the same exact diamonds? Simple - they don't have any inventory!!!This is how the online diamond world works - Retailers get lists of available diamonds from wholesalers around the country. Those wholesalers give the retailers a cost price and the retailers decide how high to mark up each diamond. The difference in price between retailers can be as much as $10,000 for a large diamond! The retailers will then post that diamond to their online inventory - the exact same diamond, same shape, weight, cut, color, clarity, table width, total depth and measurements - but the price you pay will be different at each site! When you decide to purchase that diamond, the retailer notifies the wholesaler and that diamond is removed from inventory and is no longer available to any other online retailer.So how do you find the best price for the same exact diamond without spending hours searching through results from dozens of web sites? Simple.

We have developed a loose diamonds price comparison search engine that shows you available diamonds that match your criteria from multiple online vendors. One search will yield results from around the web and you can sort the results any way you like. Give it a try and you will be amazed at the differences in price for the same exact diamond!Good luck in your search..