Our Hopeful Home: Moon Over Miami

Ok, so I'm dreaming of the beach, again. I made this one last night. It's made with gold-plated beachy charms as well as some gold and pearl beads I got from an old pair of barn sale earrings. It's hard to see the beads in the picture but they worked pretty well. And yes, I added the sand this time:) Now, I know you've all been waiting for this.....

WORD OF THE WEEK: Can you say "Vermeil?" I thought I could, but I was wrong. I thought it was pronounced "ver-meal" but it's actually "ver-MAY." Very French. So, what is it? According to our friends at Wikipedia, they describe vermeil as a French word which came into use in the English language, mostly in America in the 19th century, as an alternative for the term "silver-gilt." It is a combination of sterling silver, gold and other precious metals.

To be considered vemeil, the gold must be at least 10 carat (42%) and be at least 2.5 micrometres thick. In the U.S., sterling silver covered with a base metal (such as nickel) and plated with gold cannot be sold as vermeil without disclosing that it contains base metal.

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS: Vermeil is a more expensive version of gold plated jewelry. It wears off less than gold plated pieces, but the price is considerably higher. And be aware that althought the sterling silver layer is covered with gold, it might tarnish and darken the gold layer.

Some cool trivia about vermeil you can amaze your friends with: the White House has a collection of vermeil tableware kept on display (when not in use) in the -- what else -- the Vermeil Room.

You may have noticed my blog page's facelift. I'm still struggling with the techno side of blogging but I'll get there. Bear with me and don't be surprised to find other changes over the next few weeks as I stumble my way through this. Time for afternoon mom duty -- bus stops, car lines, homework, and dinner followed by nightly bedtime rituals. As hard as the job is sometimes, it is still the most awesome job in the world. Ciao.