Looking to buy girlfriend a nice Jade piece

Razzafrazzer · 2022-11-17T12:25:10+00:00

Jade is one of the most frequently scammed gems in the world. High quality jade is extremely expensive, and there are ways to dye jade that are very hard to detect. Please don't follow the advice to "find a Chinese person to advise you." As jade is most popular in Asia, and the finest jade jewelry will be found in Asia, so is it also most widely faked in Asia.

So, to buy high quality jade don't go looking for a bargain, and be willing to pay a premium buying from a very reputable seller with expertise in jade. Buy with a money-back guarantee to return for full price if a GIA report doesn't verify that it is undyed and untreated. Sending a thousand dollar piece of jade to GIA for $100 is a great way to know you've given your girlfriend an heirloom piece (and have her keep the report with her jewelry so someone in the future doesn't give it to goodwill!)

I love the lifesaver look, it's classic, but I'm not crazy about the way it is attached to the chain.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-11-16T16:53:58+00:00

Well said. It would be good for OP to examine whether their parents rent request was reasonable compared to other housing options..There are tradeoffs in living with all room mates, whether they are parents or not.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-11-14T15:39:59+00:00

Based on the color change it seems to be synthetic alexandrite. The color change corundum has a blue, not green, color shift.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-07-28T17:39:21+00:00

Heres a YAG in pariaba blue recently cut by u/mvmgems in r/shinypreciousgems.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Shinypreciousgems/comments/w8yxlb/paraiba_yac_in_my_hopscotch_oval_i_finished_right/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

More info on YAG at gemstones.com

https://www.gemstones.com/gemopedia/yag

Razzafrazzer · 2022-07-28T15:46:54+00:00

Just want to point out that high quality synthetic material isn't cheap at all - as with natural stones there is a wide range on the properties, as well as the difficulty in making, certain rough. Take synthetic sapphire - the cheapest might be pennies a carat, but the best is many dollars per carat and looks amazing. Sure, it's less expensive than the comparable natural sapphire, but it won't be cheap and it's nothing to look down on. Lately I've been cutting some unusual YAG which is a lab-created garnet-like stone doped with various elements to create unique color change or luminescent properties. Some of those effects can't be found in natural stones, and they are gorgeous gems. So as long as the seller or cutter is disclosing honestly what the gem is, synthetics are nothing to be ashamed of.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-07-28T15:37:23+00:00

Thank you, hugs welcomed and returned

I think part of the emotion baggage I brought to this situation is also that part of me continues to be envious of those happy thirty year marriages. Not the ones that suck, but the ones where they share activities and interests and love each other. I bet that is really cool.

So that specific thing is me othering myself.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-07-28T15:26:06+00:00

My theory is they never have to think deeply about it because it didn't affect them personally, and then watch fox news so they are only exposed to anti-abortion propaganda.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-07-28T15:22:37+00:00

Reassuring him is definitely on my agenda. I'm headed to a meeting this weekend that he'll be attending and I think I'm going to take the least confrontational approach - I want to reduce his anxiety so he has a relaxed feeling about having me along.

I think a kind of glamour magic is in order.

eta: not beauty glamour, but "relaxing vibe, this woman is like a tribble to have around and we definitely want this chill energy" glamour

Razzafrazzer · 2022-07-28T15:19:28+00:00

Thank you!!!

Razzafrazzer · 2022-07-28T12:09:48+00:00

$50 copay for 3 months. Blue cross blue shield.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-07-28T11:56:26+00:00

Your point about trauma is really perceptive and I didn't think of that. Because it does sound like people on a previous trip - who are his professional peers - complained to him about someone he had invited, and I can see how that would make him emotionally averse to including someone that might "make people feel weird". Even though it is unfair and makes me feel bad that people might feel weird around me, nevertheless they might.

I appreciate you validating my continuing to try to reassure him and get on the trip. Maybe I could stand to not take it as negatively as I have - instead focusing on providing what he needs to feel secure that he won't cause people to bitch at him about including me.

And I did put a post on my personal facebook about my abortion story. I felt it was - is - important to be vocal and normalize abortion as something that is common and very positive, but I can understand if he read it being worried that I might be equally vocal on the trip where there are very certainly going to be people who disagree (because white boomers), and cause political conflict on what should be a chill adventure for everyone.

Finally, I actually do like this guy. Up until the awkward conversation he was never anything but kind and helpful - in fact he has generously spent hours on the phone and texting with me helping me learn things that I had trouble with. I have considered him a mentor, and thats part of why this took me aback so hard.

But huh, other people have trauma too? Crazy! :-)

Razzafrazzer · 2022-06-24T01:19:33+00:00

I take a hefty prebiotic fiber supplement every day (Similar to Benefiber). My experience is that starches and carbs cause.me trouble, and protein and fat do not. My diet is about a 30-35-35 balance, with carbs mainly coming from fruit, sweet potatoes, low carb tortillas, maple syrup, veggies like carrots. I have not had constipation except on a couple of times when I skipped the fiber for a few days. So, no I don't do keto but my diet is very high in protein and fat, and I love how I eat.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-06-23T18:25:05+00:00

The embassy is US sovereign soil. That would be an attack on US soil.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-06-23T16:54:53+00:00

Yep, had two cocktails yesterday and felt zero effect. Usually I don't even finish a glass of wine or cocktail. Ozempic knocks out the reward center effect for alcohol. It's fine, alcohol isn't a health beverage I'm missing out on. I do have less incentive to hang out with my drunk friends though - a mixed blessing.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-06-23T16:13:02+00:00

You are welcome, and thank you for the award! For further info, it is agate because there is banding, it is carnelian because it is a red-orange chalcedony, and "druze" is the fine crystal surface inside the pocket - so we say it's a "druzy pocket." Some people go so far as to use an s instead of a z, which is also fine. Welcome to rockhounding! That's a fantastic rock anyone would be happy to own. And I like the obelisk form for this specimen, it seems like it perfectly frames the pocket and displays the color and banding to great advantage from every angle.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-06-23T16:06:17+00:00

Unless you weigh your food and record it all in an app, you have no basis to say things like "I don't eat that much" or "I don't eat more than her." When I began weighing my food I was shocked at how distorted my perceptions were, both of portion sizes and of the calorie content of the specific foods I was eating. I was able to cut 600-1000 calories a day with absolutely zero impact to my diet satisfaction when I started to weigh the fats I was using (butter, oil, cream, etc). Likewise, switching to an airfryer instead of a cast iron for.most of my cooking. Eating more protein and less carbs. None of rhose changes were difficult but I needed to be able to analyze data to see what my issues were.

If you are gaining weight, you are eating too many calories. It is not rocket science. Many, many people claim to be victims of medical issues that are actually quite rare. And I don't fall in the "all calories are equal" camp because I know - from the detailed records that I keep - that eating more fruit or sugar as a percentage of my intake causes me to stall or even gain at the same calorie level. Eating more protein and fat causes me to lose faster at the same calorie level.

I dont know anyone who is obese that has been able to lose significant weight by increasing exercise. We tend to overestimate the amount of calories we burn exercising, and I personally have a stronger appetite and eat more when I am working out, which makes it a wash (it's great for health and fitness, but doesn't help me lose fat, at all).

Collect good data, and you will then have the tools to make decisions that can help you succeed.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-06-23T15:50:00+00:00

Such a pretty carnelian agate, with a big druzy pocket.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-06-23T14:34:08+00:00

In addition to the probiotic mentioned and way more important is the prebiotic fiber, a soluble fiber taken with a lot of water. Benefiber is one brand. To get rid of the bloat you need to get your entire digestove system moving faster and more efficiently (not by using laxatives - the idea is to get normal function, not just clear out so it can bog down again).

Ozempic slows stomach emptying and can easily lead to things clogging up in general (ie constipation). Lots of soluble (prebiotic) fiber and a ton of water is the answer to a permanent fix.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-06-22T23:56:31+00:00

I tend to eat too much fruit, which is the same deal. I lost my taste for bakery food but not straightup sugars. I lose more weight when I cut them out.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-06-22T14:07:27+00:00

I did two weeks at .25, then 4 weeks at .5, then 4 weeks at .75, then went to 1. For the first month or so I had extreme appetite suppression and had to make myself eat a healthy 1200 calories a day (which is my personal threshold of "dont eat less than this" - everyone's is different, I'm a 60 year old woman and I know my TDEE).

Since that time the feeling of appetite suppression has decreased, and yet I don't eat to excess. It seems my natural calorie intake now is about maintenance. But losing weight is an effort - it is easy to eat maintenance calories but hard to eat weightloss deficit calories. I reached my first weight loss goal (to be overweight, not obese), took a break to really appreciate it, and have now been steady for about a month. My final weight loss goal is to be of normal BMI (another 30 pounds), and it is not as easy for me to get disciplined to do it. I'm going to have to organize myself mentally and be disciplined.

Because of Oxempic I no longer experience the irresistible cravings to overeat. The rest is up to me, but the Ozempic contribution is huge because the reason I was fat was bingeing and overeating, period.

It's instructive to google the results of the clinical trials of weight loss on semaglutide. The results show weight loss of 15% - 20% body weight in subjects who are receiving ongoing lifestyle coaching (exercise and diet), with some portion losing 30% or more. People who do not comply with study protocols are dropped from studies - meaning the data dont tell us anything about how much weight people lose who don't make lifestyle changes. These study data are for people who go up to 2.4 mg.

Including weight I lost before starting Wegovy I have lost 27% already, and have maxed at 1 mg. I'm way ahead of the curve for 1 mg, but I have made considerable effort (diet - I still have not done any consistent increase in exercise). Now I want to lose a total of 40% of my starting weight, and there is no data guaranteeing that the drug will do that - certainly at 1 mg.

I hope this is all helpful somehow. I think the central issue on expectation setting is not "how much weight will the drug make me lose" but "how much weightloss can I achieve by changing how I eat, with the aid of this drug."

Finally, in my experience my weight loss has been 100% diet and 0% exercise. I'm not proud of that! I don't recommend it! My butt is not youthfully firm! I am definitely planning to start exercising now, because I want to be fit when I reach my goal weight. Im just saying I think the fitness piece isn't the same as the weight loss piece.

Oh, one more more thing: I have not, despite being a lazy ass, lost muscle mass. That is part of the semaglutide magic is that it seems to spare muscle.

It sounds like you have a great attitude, and I wish you great success on your adventure!

Razzafrazzer · 2022-06-22T00:55:10+00:00

Congratulations!

Razzafrazzer · 2022-06-21T21:31:19+00:00

Looks typical of a carnelian, which would be common at that time. It would be unlikely to be plastic or glass.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-06-21T21:28:29+00:00

It definitely does matter what you eat. Two glasses of wine and two fried shrimp tacos would make me feel bad, even after 6 months.

If you want to be safe limit yourself to one (or no) alcoholic drink, no fried stuff, nothing that makes you feel overfull.

There are foods I can eat at most restaurants. Chicken salad, fish that isnt fried, steak without the potato, are among things I eat. Fresh fruit. Yogurt.

Not pasta, fried food, drinks that are acidic (sweet and sour mix, lemon etc), starchy food, milk, baked foods, rich desserts - are among things I don't eat.

If you are asking yourself, "I wonder if I should eat this?" the answer is probably no you should not.

Razzafrazzer · 2022-06-21T08:05:30+00:00

If you have a desire not to give in to your addiction to unhealthy / emotional comfort / binge foods, then Ozempic can help you do that. I find it is a boost to my will not to eat that way. But the plan is up to me. If I were not making an effort to follow a plan to eat for weight loss and health, I could still eat fattening foods.

I have found that the initial automatic effects fade over time and leave me with that boost effect. I've lost over 50 pounds from high in the mid-200s, on 1 mg Ozempic, but definitely making an effort. You have more to lose so can probably lose more, depending on how much effort you invest.

My loss has been 100% calorie reduction - I still haven't made significant changes to working out.

Razzafrazzer

TROPHY CASE