You Lucky Devil!!!!

I would like to pose the question does luck play a part in business? If it does, is it possible to increase your luck?

How often have we heard entrepreneurs stand up and take complete credit for their success? Is it possible that there is always an element of chance in business, and therefore there is always an element of luck?It could be luck of timing, the luck of someone elses mistake or a multitude of other so-called coincidences.

Or is luck nothing more than getting a return on all that intangible work you have put in? Perhaps luck is about ensuring that even the smallest stone does not go unturned.

Or perhaps luck is nothing more than a self-fulfilling prophecy? i.e. if you believe you are a lucky person or that you always get lucky breaks, it may well change your behavior, your level of confidence and your psychology, which in turn may actually make you luckier. Therefore you seize opportunities that may once have appeared too risky. Whereas if you “ feel” unlucky you probably won’t seize the opportunities or pursue things.

I would like to believe it’s the latter; that believing in luck is a self-fulfilling prophecy and is about recognizing opportunities when they arise. But it’s very possible I am wrong.

What’s your view on the part luck has played in your success?

Wear them with pride!

Pearls are expensive, around $1,500 (that's a conservative guess!) for a 16" necklace. Fashion/costume pearls however are perfectly acceptable. Jackie Onassis wore her fake pearls with pride. As long as you look like you can afford the real deal, few will tell the difference.

Wear them anytime-whoever said that pearls and pajamas don't go? Lounging around in silk pajamas, wearing strings of pearls, eating chocolates and watching old movies. Now that's style!

A Woman Should Have.............................

I just LOVE this poem from Maya Angelou!



A woman should have one old love she can imagine going back to, and one who reminds her how far she has come.

A woman should have
enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own

even if she never wants to or needs to.

A woman should have
something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her dreams wants to
see her in an hour……..

A woman should have
a youth she is content to leave behind.

A woman should have
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to retelling it in her old age.

A woman should have
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill and a black lace bra.

A woman should have
one friend who always makes her laugh and one who lets her cry.

A woman should have
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family.

A woman should have eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored.

A woman should have
a feeling of control over her destiny.

Every woman should know
how to fall in love without losing herself.

Every woman should know
how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and comfort a friend without ruining the friendship.

Every woman woman should know
when to try harder….and when to walk away.

Every woman should know
that she can’t change the length of her calves, the width of her hips or the nature of her parents.

Every woman should know
that her childhood may not have been perfect……but it’s over.

Every woman should know
what she would and wouldn’t do for love.

Every woman should know
how to live alone……even if she doesn’t like it.

Every woman should know
whom she can trust, whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t take it personally.

Every woman should know
where to go……..
be it to her best friends kitchen table…….
or a charming inn in the woods………..
when her soul needs soothing.

Every woman should know
What she can and can’t accomplish in a day…..
a month……and a year.

Maya Angelou

Be a diamond!

"Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known.Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life"- Ralph Emerson

Are you a Diva?

"Decadence for Divas" is the tag-line for our on-line boutique. And this tag-line has been met with mixed reactions. Some people just "get it" immediately, and love it. Others see it in a more negative light. To them a "diva" is somebody negative.

But, hang on a minute!

The true meaning of the word “Diva” means a highly successful female singer. However, nowadays it seems the original meaning of the word has changed, and it now seems to conjure up completely different connotations; that of demanding, spoilt, rich, precocious women (with usually very little related to any kind of talent).

When the famous mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson died she was spoken of as going “from triumph to triumph, yet never became a Diva, never lost her sense of purpose, or her sense of humor about herself”.

However, is there any shame in remembering the original meaning and connotations of the word diva; classy,style, glamorous, at the top of her game etc?

I thought that I would never want to be tagged as being a Diva or Prima Donna. That I definitely didn’t want to live 100% of my life center stage. However there are times when we need to be center-stage; times when we need to openly speak our mind and champion what we believe. Times when we need to step up to the bar.

Does this mean you are a Diva? If so, is there anything wrong with being a Diva?

For me it’s more important “how” we take center-stage that matters; how we blow our own trumpets and how we treat those around us.
More than being remembered as a Diva I would prefer to be remembered as perhaps a selfless child/daughter, a life-long learner, an honorable partner, a graceful friend and a business-woman of integrity.

What about you? Would you like to be remembered as Diva or in some other way?

I mustn't forget to buy moisturiser!

"Jewellery takes peoples mind off your wrinkles"-Sonja Henie

I just love this quote, and it's so true. In amongst all the wonderful "life-lines" this lady has, I noticed her earrings!

A lesson to us all. Take the time to "adorn".

The birth of Luxuria

OK, so what is an ex-Criminal Psychologist doing running an on-line jewellery boutique.

Well here's a little background about the birth of my "baby".

When I moved to Spain, one thing I noticed time and time again was that Spanish women knew how to accessorise, whether it be to go to the supermarket, to work or to the beach (yes, they really do accessorise to go to the beach!) Fashion jewellery really was an important part of getting dressed in the morning. My Spanish friends would literally gasp in horror if I turned up to meet them without putting on any earrings, or a bracelet; lets not even mention if I forgot to put on my wedding ring. That was just an unspeakable crime. I've had Spanish clients ask me "were you in a hurry this morning?" simply because I wasn't wearing any jewellery. I suppose they looked at jewellery like I looked at my lipstick and perfume; never leave home without it!

Also, despite a world-wide recession, I noticed that Spanish women were cutting back on clothes, but not on fashion jewellery. They were spending less on their clothes but buying wonderful pieces to change the look of what they were wearing. At a time when the economic crisis was taking a grip, it now seemed vulgar and inappropriate to be dripping in diamonds and "in your face" jewellery.

Hence, I decided to introduce this "affordable glamour" to my friends and business clients. More and more of my friends and clients from the UK were asking me about some of the pieces I had acquired since moving to Spain, which is how the idea of showcasing Riviera-inspired, Mediterranean designers came about (also after much pleading from my friends).

And so LUXURIA was born; the sight bringing "Decadence for Divas" without the heft price-tag!