3G2S Turned 7! Let's Celebrate with 'Gifts That Give!' from UNICEF Market!

Thank you to UNICEF Market for providing a gift code for us to shop and for providing an additional gift code for our giveaway prize.  All opinions expressed are my own.

This March, 3G2S turned 7!  Since I am now a part time blogger and have far less time to write, I have to make each post count.  That's why this blogoversary seems like the perfect opportunity to share the new sister site to Novica.com, UNICEF Market, with 3G2S readers.

As you may have noticed over the years, I have a soft spot for triple garnet silver jewelry.  I love wearing it to represent my three January babies.  That's why I absolutely fell in love with the Garnet and Sterling Silver 'Waterfall' Necklace I found on UNICEF Market.  This necklace was handcrafted by an artisan named Carmen Granados from the Andes in Peru and displays three round garnets in a graceful, yet modern design.

To make UNICEF Market jewelry even more special, each piece comes in a drawstring jewelry pouch and is accompanied by an artisan storycard, which allowed me to learn a little bit about the woman in Peru who created my necklace.  Every UNICEF Market purchase is packed with a postcard with a handwritten thank you.  In addition to all these special touches, you can feel good about giving artisan-made gifts because, not only are you supporting the artisan, but you are also helping UNICEF save and protect children in impoverished areas around the world.  Each product page gives you an example of how your purchase could benefit children.  For example, the purchase of this necklace may have provided 18 doses of measles vaccine to vulnerable children.

I have to admit, I love giving 'gifts that give' as much as I love receiving them.  While shopping for myself on UNICEF Market, I began looking for Mother's Day gift ideas for my mother, grandmother, and sister.  On the top of my list so far are the beautiful scarves and shawls, plus some of the ornate hand carved jewelry boxes.

Thinking of shopping UNICEF Market for your next gift purchase?  Each gift purchase comes with a free greeting card containing your gift message plus there is the option to upgrade to Premium Gift Boxes for jewelry purchases.  For each item, you can click on "Delivery Estimate" to find the cost of shipping (which is surprisingly affordable) and the approximate number of business days it will take the item to travel from its point of origin to your front door.

Learn more about the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and the UNICEF mission here.

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Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S residents only. You must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

A Custom Hand Stamped Personalized Sterling Silver Toggle Necklace for My Birthday!

Thank you to Like Mother, Like Daughter for providing a sample custom hand stamped silver necklace for us to base this review upon and for providing a gift certificate for our giveaway prize.  All opinions expressed are my own.

It's September!  That means the two sapphires of 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires had birthdays this month . . . one of which was me.  Yes, I turned forty *cough* one this month.  Somehow turning 41 seemed to impact me more than 40.  I wouldn't say I'm feeling old . . . just older.  Regardless, nothing cures the birthday blues better than jewelry.  Well, not just any jewelry.  It needs to be something special . . .

No piece of jewelry could be more special than one that was crafted just for me.  While browsing this charming hand stamped jewelry boutique on Etsy, called Like Mother, Like Daughter, I saw this sterling silver washer toggle necklace and I kept coming back to it.  I admit I have an affinity towards larger circular pendants, but I just wasn't sure this was the one for me.  Then I realized that I could make this the perfect necklace for me because it can be customized!

What did I come up with?  Why, it's this mommy necklace that has the names of all five members of my beloved family stamped into the sterling silver washer plus a silver family tree charm dangling in the center.  I just love the way this necklace turned out!  If you do too, you can order this custom necklace here.  It would truly make a cherished gift for a special mom in your life.

Now, I'm one to leave my jewelry on 24/7.  Just as stated in the shop information, this type of silver will develop a patina when exposed to air.  If you aren't a fan of an antiqued look, then I recommend that you keep these pieces stored away safely protected from the air while they're not being worn.  It's also helpful that each piece comes with a polishing cloth to help keep your jewelry looking like new.

To view all the wonderful offerings in hand stamped necklaces, bracelets, and earrings (in sterling silver, bronze, copper, and aluminum) visit Like Mother, Like Daughter on Etsy!  Now it does take some time for your custom pieces to be created, so plan accordingly if you're purchasing a gift.  For me, it was totally worth the wait!

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Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Sphere of Life "Bring me Spring" Sterling Silver & 18k Gold Necklace

Sometimes I feel like I am on an endless search for the ideal necklace.  I do not change my jewelry daily like some people.  I want to wear jewelry that I love, is unique, tarnish-free, and looks great with just about anything I wear.  That way I can put the jewelry on and forget about it.

I recently discovered Sphere of Life necklaces and am now wearing their Bring me Spring spherical necklace, which is very close to being the ideal necklace for me.  If you are looking for a unique piece of well-crafted sterling silver jewelry to gift for Mother's Day or to add onto your own Mother's Day wishlist, I highly recommend that you visit SphereOfLifeJewelry.com to see what they have to offer.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Before the recipient even gets to the necklace, she will be floored by the presentation.  The necklace is carefully placed in a drawstring mesh gift bag, which is then nestled in a bed of satin inside a silvertone sphere with "Sphere of Life" engraved on the outside.  This sphere sits inside a sturdy ready-to-wrap gift box.  Opening this gift will be an experience of anticipation, luxury, and feeling loved combined.

Although Sphere of Life offers several other jewelry collections, the Sphere of Life Silver collection alone has over 70 styles of necklaces and earrings to choose from.  Each sphere is made of highly polished sterling silver and comes with an 18" silver chain that can be adjusted to a 16" length.  Although it may take awhile, you will be sure to find the necklace that exudes the right sentiment for you or the person for whom you are shopping.  Each necklace actually has a small gift tag enclosed with a message printed on it.  I chose the "Bring me Spring" necklace because I have always admired the grace and beauty of butterflies.  In fact, I even have a butterfly tattoo.  The message that came with this necklace was "It's your time to blossom."  What a wonderful gift this particular necklace would make for someone who will be graduating from high school or college this Spring!

The only thing that kept this necklace from being the ideal necklace for me is the length.  At the 16" length, the sphere does not seem to sit right on me since it does not really dangle.  At the 18" length, the sphere sits perfectly with high or low necklines, but it sometimes sits on the neckline of the tops that fall in between.  I think this necklace at 17" would be ideal for me.  Although this necklace is adjustable, it does not have large rings for the entire length of the extender.  There is a ring at the 18" mark and one at the 16" mark.  I would love it if they added a third ring at the 17" mark.

In the end, this necklace is just lovely, from the presentation right through to the workmanship.  You can shop online or find out more about Sphere of Life jewelry, by visiting www.SphereOfLifeJewelry.com and Sphere of Life on Facebook.

Thank you to Sphere of Life for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing a second product for our contest prize.  All opinions expressed are my own.
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Good luck in the drawing!

Review: Pop Expressions . . . Interchangeable Silver & Crystal Jewelry Collection

A new collection of interchangeable jewelry has been added to Helzberg Diamonds' Expressions for Helzberg line called Pop Expressions.  This collection features sterling silver jewelry frames, which can take specially designed magnetic crystal centers so you can easily change the look of your jewelry to match any outfit, occasion, or mood.  There are a variety of sterling silver bracelets, rings, and pendants (silver chain included) to choose from.

For someone like me, who is too . . . let's call it lazy . . . to change my jewelry very often, the Pop Expressions are a perfect solution.  I have several favorite pendants, one of which is red, that I rarely wear because it just does not go with everything.  I wish I could just magically change the color of that pendant to match my outfit, then I could wear that necklace, which was a special gift from my husband, all the time.

I received the Pop Expressions Swirl Pendant with the Light Blue & White Crystal Pop to wear.  I wore it out to dinner and received many compliments about it from people who did not know this pendant's secret . . . that I can just pop the center out and replace it with a different one.  Helzberg Diamonds does separately sell a key-shaped tool that can push the Pop out of the frame from the back of the pendant. Since I did not have one, the tip of a closed retractable pen worked just as well.  The magnet is very strong and the Pop does need to be literally pushed out of its frame.  In fact, the magnetic attraction is so strong that, when I placed the two pieces next to each other to take a photo, they actually snapped back together all on their own.

Every style of jewelry frame is available as a "Starter."  Each Pop Expressions Starter comes with a jewelry frame, in the form of a bracelet, necklace, or ring, and one center so it is ready to give as a gift.  This Pop Expressions line makes gift-giving so easy.  Once you have gifted a Pop Expressions Starter, which range in price from $49.99 to $299.99, you can give a new interchangeable Pop, each priced at $49.99,  for nearly any occasion in the future.

Top left:  Classic Heart Rolo Bracelet with White Crystal Pop

Bottom right:  Heart Bracelet with Light Blue & White Crystal Horseshoe Pop

From left to right:  Crystal Frame Ring with Fushia & White Swirl Pop

Crystal Frame Ring (with no Pop)

Square Filigree Ring with Fading Blue Swirl Pop

To learn more about this new jewelry collection, visit Helzberg.com and Helzberg Diamonds on Facebook.  For a limited time, you can receive a free Pop Expressions Compact to hold your Pops and Key when you purchase two Pop Expressions.  If you make your qualifying purchase online, you will receive a free I Am Loved Pop in addition to the Compact.



Thank you to Helzberg Diamonds for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Ruby Tuesday: An Early Valentine's Day Gift

Look what my husband surprised me with last week!  You see, I not-so-subtly hinted about how much I loved this Red Glass Heart Marcasite Necklace by putting it on my Valentine's Wish List on my homepage here on 3G2S and by blogging about it on A Blog of Goodies.  I'm not sure if my husband meant to give the necklace to me early, but I could not help but notice a package had arrived from Amazon.com addressed to him.  Being extremely curious, I asked him about it and the rest is history . . .

If you'd like to see more Ruby Tuesday photos, go visit Mary at Work of the Poet!

Holiday 2010 Giveaway: Twilight-Inspired Fire and Ice Necklace [CLOSED]

I am a huge fan of artisan jewelry and am always proud to wear a special piece that shows off a jewelry crafter's imagination and skill. I wore this Twilight-inspired Fire and Ice Necklace from Bella Bejeweled to go out to dinner to celebrate my husband's and my 10th wedding anniversary. I only had it on for a few hours and received several compliments about it, including ones from our preschool-aged daughter and our server at the restaurant.

Bella Bejeweled offers handcrafted rings, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets in sterling silver and other metals. The jewelry is artistic and unique, especially the Twilight-inspired jewelry collection. You may also be interested to know that Bella Bejeweled also offers one of a kind jewelry pieces, as well as custom orders. If you are planning on giving jewelry this holiday, keep in mind that knowing yours is the only piece of jewelry of its kind adds quite a bit of value to a gift and makes it that much more special.

My sterling silver Fire and Ice Swarovski Crystal necklace came in a ribbon-tied pouch that was wrapped and ready-to-give. This is perfect for anyone who needs to ship a gift directly to the recipient.

I am not a fan of high-glitz jewelry (unless a special occasion calls for it). I actually asked for a smaller diamond solitaire for my engagement ring. In my opinion, Swarovski crystals catch light beautifully and offer a subtle brilliance. I love my Fire and Ice necklace and think that it will be the perfect necklace to wear to any Christmas celebrations I will be attending this year. Considering that red is my favorite color, I suspect I will be wearing this necklace all year round.

This 17" necklace can be created in a custom length. In silver-plated, the Fire and Ice necklace retails for $34.99 and for $44.99 in sterling silver. Visit BellaBejeweledShop.com and Bella Bejeweled on Facebook to view the entire selection of artisan jewelry.

Thank you to Bella Bejeweled for providing us with a complimentary sample necklace to base this review upon and for providing an additional product for our contest prize.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive one Bella Bejeweled item up to a $50 value (Winner's choice).

Limitations:

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.

How to Gain Entries:

Browse the selection of artisan jewelry offered by Bella Bejeweled. Then leave a comment telling me the name of the item you would choose as your prize if you won this contest. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2)

For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) For 10 extra entries, sign up to receive the Bella Bejeweled newsletter by email (on left sidebar). Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments telling me you did so.

4)

For 1 extra entry each, if you are a Friend of mine on Facebook and/or if you have "liked" the 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires Facebook page, then leave a separate comment here telling me so with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) For 1 extra entry each, follow Bella Bejeweled on Twitter and/or "Like" Bella Bejeweled on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment for each with the link to your Twitter or Facebook profile. You may also earn an extra entry by following Bella Bejeweled on Google Friend Connect (on bottom left sidebar) and leaving a separate comment telling me that you did.

6)

Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

7)

Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8)

Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9)

Subscribe to A Blog of Goodies' feed (the sister site to 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

10)

Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

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(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)


Random Drawing:

This contest will be closed on Monday, November 15th, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!

Giveaway & Review: Things Remembered Silver "Miracle of Life" Necklace [CLOSED]

Right in time for Mother's Day 2010, Things Remembered has a long list of Mother's Day gift ideas to offer. One of my favorite gifts to receive is personalized sterling silver jewelry, so I was very excited to be able to review the Sterling Miracle of Life Necklace, which is adorned with CZ crystals and comes with a free keepsake box.

This is the filigree keepsake box that comes free with this and many other jewelry pieces from Things Remembered. It even has an engravable oval plate that can be personalized and added for an extra charge. This ornate jewelry box could even become a separate gift if you have more than one mother to buy for this year. The necklace itself comes in a Things Remembered logo velvet pouch.

I am not usually one to wear heart-themed jewelry unless it is a unique piece. I think that the center of this pendant is well-designed to represent motherhood and love that the heart behind it can be personalized.

The product photo on the Things Remembered website shows the engraving on the heart to be located on the front. Mine is personalized on the back instead. I'm uncertain if this was done in error or if you are able to specify when placing your order online or at your local store. I chose to have my 3 children's names engraved on the pendant, which I think is a safe option if you cannot think what to use for the personalization.

This sterling silver pendant comes on an 18" box chain and retails for $55. If you'd like to order this necklace online, make sure you check the shipping estimates which are shown on the bottom left of each product page. You can also visit your local Things Remembered store to make the purchase.

Want you and your kids to be featured in a Things Remembered e-mail?

In addition to my giveaway, Things Remembered is asking moms to submit their favorite family photo in the Mom Memories Picture Contest, along with an engraving they’d pick to go with it on a picture frame. Ten moms will receive free personalized frames, and the best photo/engraving will be featured in a Things Remembered e-mail!

Thank you to Things Remembered for sending us a sample necklace free of charge to base this review upon and for providing a second necklace as our contest prize.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive a personalized Sterling Silver "Miracle of Life" Necklace (ARV $55).

Limitations:

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing. You are not eligible to win this contest if you have won another Things Remembered giveaway in the past 90 days on this or another website.

How to Gain Entries:

Brows the Mother's Day gift ideas available from Things Remembered. Then leave a comment telling me what item you would love to give as a Mother's Day gift (other than the necklace reviewed in this article) AND tell me how you would have it engraved. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) For 2 extra entries, "Like" Things Remembered on Facebook AND post the answer for your mandatory entry on their Wall. Then leave a separate comment with the direct link to your post or to your Facebook profile.

4) Friend me on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) For 2 extra entries, follow Things Remembered on Twitter AND Tweet the following:

“I'm following @Tremembered thanks to @_Karen of 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires.”

Then leave a separate comment with the direct link to your tweet.

6) Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

7) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9) Subscribe to A Blog of Goodies' feed (the sister site to 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

10) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

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(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)


Random Drawing:

This contest will be closed on Monday, May 10th, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!