#gold name necklace UK

[dvbabybracelet]

Make a Statement: The Allure of Personalised Name Necklaces in the UK

For centuries, jewellery has held a special place in our hearts. It adorns our bodies, tells stories, and reflects our unique personalities. But what if your jewellery could go a step further? Enter the captivating world of personalised name necklaces – a trend taking the UK by storm.

More Than Just a Name: A Celebration of Individuality

Forget generic pendants. Personalised name necklaces elevate jewellery to a whole new level. They're not just accessories; they're personalised statements that showcase your name, a loved one's name, or even a meaningful word. Whether it's a classic script, a trendy block font, or a birthstone accent, you can customise your necklace to reflect your unique style.

The Power of Personalisation: Gifts that Last a Lifetime

Imagine the look on someone's face when they receive a necklace with their name delicately inscribed. Personalised name necklaces make the perfect present for any occasion, from birthdays and anniversaries to graduations and holidays. They show you put extra thought and effort into the gift, creating a sentimental treasure they'll cherish forever.

Endless Options to Suit Every Taste

The beauty of personalised name necklaces lies in their versatility. You can choose from a variety of:

Materials: Sterling silver, gold (plated or solid), rose gold, or even hypoallergenic options for sensitive skin.

Styles: From dainty and minimal to bold and statement-making, there's a necklace to suit every taste.

Fonts: Playful, elegant, or anything in between – the choice is yours!

Where to Find Your Perfect Personalised Name Necklace in the UK

With so many jewellers offering personalisation services in the UK, finding the perfect piece is easier than ever. Here are some things to consider:

Reputation: Look for a jeweller with a proven track record of high-quality craftsmanship and customer satisfaction.

Customisation Options: Explore the variety of materials, styles, and fonts offered to ensure you can create a truly personalised piece.

Price: Personalised necklaces can range in price depending on the material, complexity of design, and jeweller. Set a budget and shop around to find the perfect fit.

So, are you ready to embrace the trend? Personalised name necklaces are a timeless and meaningful way to express yourself or gift something truly special. With endless possibilities and a plethora of talented UK jewellers, finding your perfect piece is just a click or shop visit away.

Bonus Tip: For an extra personal touch, consider adding a birthstone or engraving a special message on the back of the pendant.

[gaysindistress]

Things that I feel like would happen when you’re in a relationship with Simon Riley.

Simon Riley masterlist

1. First off he hates the word ‘boyfriend’.

Maybe it’s because he’s in his mid thirties or something but he can’t stand being called your boyfriend. He’s more than that but also not at the same time. You live together, have access to each other’s bank accounts (which is only because he hates it when you try to fight him about him giving you money), and you’re each others emergency contact. He thinks of himself as your husband. The man wears a silicone ring when he’s home and a necklace with the ring that’s totally not a wedding band when he’s working. Price has seen the chain once or twice and smirks, shooting him a knowing look but never says a word.

Simon cannot stand it when people get nosy and want to know what your relationship status is. You’re together and that’s all that matters. No one needs to know that you’re the beneficiary of his will and life insurance policy or that he’s put you on all of his accounts. No one needs to know that he buys you anything you want but has only ever bought you two rings; a thin gold band with a flower engraved on it and its twin a matching emerald ring. No one needs to know that when he gifted them to you, there were tears and promises of safety, love, and happiness whispered against feverish skin. No one needs to know that he has your name woven into his chest tattoo.

No one needs to know any of that because your relationship is between him and you only.

2. You are not some submissive little house wife. You are a strong independent woman and he prefers it that way.

I know this one goes against what most people say but hear me out on this. Simon has been independent since birth practically. He’s only had himself to count on for years. Even in the military, he’s only been able to rely himself. Sure the others watch out for him but if it came down to it, he’s the only one who’s going to get himself out alive.

The thought of someone else relying on him in that way is terrifying. He can’t even fathom what it would be like to look at another person and fully trust them in that way. Half the time he feels like he can’t even be trusted to take care of himself let alone another human. In theory a sweet docile housewife is great with the meals and clean house but not for him. He needs to know that you can hold your own. He needs to know that you can be independent and carry on without him if something happened while he was working. He needs to know that you will be okay if he doesn’t come back.

You have to be okay without him no matter how much it pains him to think about it.

Like I said before, he’s made you the beneficiary of everything so he knows you’ll be set financially but that’s not enough. He’s made Price promise to keep an eye out for you. He’s made you promise to let Price do that and you agreed because it’s Simon who’s asking but you’d tell anyone else to fuck off.

In addition to all of that, he’s installed the best security system the government has to offer in your house. You have a very expensive and large safe in your shared closet that he’s instructed you to only open if you feel unsafe. While you might not like it, you agree to go shooting with him so he can sleep at night knowing that you could protect yourself if he’s not home. He’s gone as far as to make sure you have all of the licenses and certificates that are needed to legally own firearms in the UK.

He’s not leaving any opportunity for you to be vulnerable or have your ‘safety checks’, as he calls them, taken away.

3. Simon Riley is a godless man…until he meets you.

Now this is entirely my own headcannon with no evidence to support it so bear with me.

Simon had a shitty childhood where his mom would pray to a god who never listened and his dad would shout verses at him when he was drunk. God was a mythical figure that he was told stories off with nothing to show for it. He did believe at one point but then his dad never got better, his mom wore bruises of every shade, and his brother found comfort in drugs.

He found himself praying when he was being tortured by the Mexican cartel. Between the flashbacks of his abusive past, he prayed to a god who had failed him so many times before to help him. He prayed again as he dug himself out of that Texas grave with the major’s jaw bone. He wailed his prayers when he found his family executed after Sparks tried to kill him.

After that he deemed himself a Godless man. Years of praying had passed with nothing. This god had decided that Simon was not worthy of a miracle so why would he continue to worship him?

That was until he met you. He finds himself praying before every mission, every time he has to leave you, every time he’s on his way home, and just about any other time he thinks of you. He doesn’t know what exactly he’s praying for other than for you to be there when he gets back.

He whispers his prayers to an absent god against your skin as he worships your body, soul, and heart. He promises to be devoted to you until his last breath and vows to find you again in whatever afterlife awaits you. He pledges to find solace in you and only you when his haunting nightmares return. He makes an oath to your heart that it will never weather another storm alone again for his will take whatever beating that comes your way. He shows you that he will love you in the same manner as a Hozier song; putting you above all else because you have become his religion, his faith, his beliefs, his life.

You have become all that he is and he thanks the god he once believed in for you. He prays again but to you, his heart, his love, and his beacon through the enteral storm of life.

[theloverstomb]

‘Fragile Microbiomes’ by bio-artist Anna Dumitriu

1. SYPHILIS DRESS- This dress is embroidered with images of the corkscrew-shaped bacterium which causes the sexually transmitted disease syphilis. These embroideries are impregnated with the sterilised DNA of the Nichols strain of the bacterium - Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum - which Dumitriu extracted with her collaborators.

2. MICROBE MOUTH- The tooth at the centre of this necklace was grown in the lab using an extremophile bacterium which is part of the species called Serratia (Serratia N14) that can produce hydroxyapatite, the same substance that tooth enamel is made from.

The handmade porcelain teeth that make up this necklace have been coated with glazes derived from various bacterial species that live in our mouths and cause tooth decay and gum disease, including Porphyromonas gingivalis, which can introduce an iron-containing light brown stain to the glaze.

3. TEETH MARKS: THE MOST PROFOUND MYSTERY- In his 1845 essay “On Artificial Teeth”, W.H. Mortimer described false teeth as “the most profound mystery” because they were never discussed. Instead, people would hide the stigma of bad teeth and foul breath using fans.

This altered antique fan is made from animal bone and has been mended with gold wire, both materials historically used to construct false teeth (which would also sometimes incorporate human teeth). The silk of the fan and ribbon has been grown and patterned with two species of oral pathogens: Prevotella intermedia and Porphyromonas gingivalis. These bacteria cause gum disease and bad breath, and the latter has also recently been linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

4. PLAGUE DRESS- This 1665-style 'Plague Dress' is made from raw silk, hand-dyed with walnut husks in reference to the famous herbalist of the era Nicholas Culpeper, who recommended walnuts as a treatment for plague. It has been appliquéd with original 17th-century embroideries, impregnated with the DNA of Yersinia pestis bacteria (plague). The artist extracted this from killed bacteria in the laboratory of the National Collection of Type Cultures at the UK Health Security Agency.

The dress is stuffed and surrounded by lavender, which people carried during the Great Plague of London to cover the stench of infection and to prevent the disease, which was believed to be caused by 'bad air' or 'miasmas'. The silk of the dress references the Silk Road, a key vector for the spread of plague.

5. BACTERIAL BAPTISM- based on a vintage christening gown which has been altered by the artist to tell the story of research into how the microbiomes of babies develop, with a focus on the bacterium Clostridioides difficile, originally discovered by Hall and O’Toole in 1935 and presented in their paper “Intestinal flora in new-born infants”. It was named Bacillus difficilis because it was difficult to grow, and in the 1970s it was recognised as causing conditions from mild antibiotic-associated diarrhoea to life-threatening intestinal inflammation. The embroidery silk is dyed using stains used in the study of the gut microbiome and the gown is decorated with hand-crocheted linen lace grown in lab with (sterilised) C. difficile biofilms. The piece also considers how new-borns become colonised by bacteria during birth in what has been described as ‘bacterial baptism’.

6. ZENEXTON- Around 1570, Swiss physician and alchemist Theophrastus Paracelsus coined the term ‘Zenexton’, meaning an amulet worn around the neck to protect from the plague. Until then, amulets had a more general purpose of warding off (unspecified) disease, rather like the difference today between ‘broad spectrum’ antibiotics and antibiotics informed by genomics approaches which target a specific organism.

Over the next century, several ideas were put forward as to what this amulet might contain: a paste made of powdered toads, sapphires that would turn black when they leeched the pestilence from the body, or menstrual blood. Bizarre improvements were later made: “of course, the toad should be finely powdered”; “the menstrual blood from a virgin”; “collected on a full moon”.

This very modern Zenexton has been 3D printed and offers the wearer something that genuinely protects: the recently developed vaccine against Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague.

[loudblonde]

Could I request anyone in the 141 with a non military/detective s/o who just finished a dangerous case. and like how they react to it idk 💀

thanks 👍💪

In honour of Sherlock Holmes becoming public domain, you dear Anon will get more than just one of the boys with a detective s/o. Male!Reader is vaguely if not outrightly stated to be a Holmes much like Sherlock Holmes, he is not BBC Sherlock.

Warnings: mentions of child porn, human trafficking, and torture. Canon typical violence.

Hurt/comfort and some fluff

All stories are under 500 words long, so they might just be drabbles.

Male reader,

~ Captain John Price ~

John Price was sitting in his office with the small radio turned on low, just filling out paperwork from work from his most recent mission with the team. It had been a success but he still had a ton of paperwork. John never quite paid much attention to the radio until a familiar name came up, (Y/N) Price. 

John abandoned all thoughts of paperwork as he turned the radio on. 

“-great news to announce that Detective (Y/N) Price has once again done the impossible after disappearing off the radar for two weeks, (Y/N) located and personally gathered information on a human trafficking ring, allegedly going undercover despite being a very well known man.” One of the hosts said. 

Price sucked in a deep breath and listened carefully, his mind filled with static as gore filled images of his husband getting brutally tortured and killed because he was discovered crossed his mind, Price knew the reality would be that, he knew that (Y/N) wouldn’t have made it out alive had it not been for his husbands sheer dumb fucking luck. 

“I know right, Kelley,” The other host said. “From what we know, Detective Price is a married man, he wears a gold wedding band, I sure wouldn’t wish to be married to someone who just disappears all of the sudden for weeks on end!” The hosts laughed together and John looked down in his hands.

They both had a tendency to disappear for work, rarely ever saw each other but when they did, between missions and cases, especially with (Y/N)’s freelance work, much like his older brother. 

Price reached over and grabbed his phone, dialing his husband's number. He placed the phone to his ear and listened as it dialed 3 times before it was picked up. “Hmmm, John it’s 3 in the night here.” His husband's groggy voice came through. 

Price smiled a bit as he turned the radio off. “I heard the news about your latest case.” 

(Y/N) chuckled, voice sounding rasped. “I wasn’t alone, despite what they say, my brother was with me and not Sher.” 

“Ah, so the oldest Holmes made it out of his fancy office to help, that is at least somewhat comforting.” He said. 

(Y/N) hummed for a moment. “It was scary, I won’t lie to you, I knew this kind of work was gonna take a lot but wow… I can’t imagine your mission being easy either.” 

“Hmm, no my mission wasn’t easy but we all made it through, minimal injuries and we recovered the intel.” Price said. “I have some saved up vacation time, why don’t we take a break, the both of us and go somewhere just the two of us?” 

(Y/N) smiled. “I would like that, just the two of us, it would be nice… I love you John, you know that, right?” 

John touched his necklace where the ring was. “I love you too, with all my heart.” 

< Simon “Ghost” Riley > 

Simon was sitting with the team watching some telly when the news came on, the picture of his husband looking stoic as ever came on as the reporter smiled. “Today the Brother Holmes were successful in taking down a child porno ring that extended as far into minor positions of our government. The brothers went undercover while posing as people who could give access to child porn, they worked closely with Scotland Yard in catching over 150 pedofiles in the UK alone. It has been reported that both their lives were at risk during it and that (Y/N) Holmes was almost killed several times during this investigation, though I am happy to tell you that any hospitalisation lasted less than 24 hours and that the young detective is not in any danger.” The reporter finished and ads started playing. 

Simon sat, staring blank at the screen, (Y/N) had mentioned a case that had been dangerous but he was never told his life had been in danger. Logically he knew that (Y/N) was a capable man who could not only keep up with his brothers and their crazy shit, but also knew his way around several fighting styles and weapons, Simon logically knew all that and still hearing his husband, one of few people who knew Simon’s face, who Simon trusted with all his life, had been in danger and almost killed… it made his blood boil. 

Simon stood up, spooking Soap who cursed after him, But Simon didn’t care, he couldn’t care, he was just making a beeline for his room and as soon as he got there he took out his phone and called one of few numbers even saved in it. Their house phone, a secure line.

“Holmes Residency, (Y/N) speaking.” A pained voice came out. 

“Are you okay?” Simon asked before anything else. 

“Ahhh, Simon, yes, just a few bruised ribs.” (Y/N) said and Simon could hear his smile. 

“He was also poisoned.” Came Mycroft ever so helpful. 

“And stabbed, twice, I have him on bedrest.” A much clearer Doctor Watson said. “Well, as much as you can keep a Holmes on bedrest.” 

Simon took a deep breath. “(Y/N)... you are single handedly going to make me go grey before Price.” He knew his comment would make (Y/N) chuckle. 

“I am fine Si and I love you too.” (Y/N) said as he chuckled. “I love you more than I could ever express to you…. I love you more then (favourite food/movie).” 

Simon smiled a bit. “I love you too… but be careful, I don’t want you getting killed… I can’t lose anymore people.” 

(Y/N)’s smile softened a bit. “Don’t worry Si, I won’t take a case until I am healed. Apparently there is a high reward for people who help out with catching criminals, who would have thought?” 

) John “Soap” McTavish (

John was sitting in the police room as (Y/N) finished up whatever he was doing. The mission had been too close to his own line of work for comfort. Laswell had gotten the 141 to bring out (Y/N) Holmes from a person who had kidnapped him. His own husband had been kidnapped and he didn’t even know. 

Sometimes John hated their line of work, it was cruel and left little contact with loved ones. 

“Relax Johnny.” Ghost said from beside him. Both still in full gear. “Nothing is gonna happen while we sit here.” 

John looked at Ghost and cracked a small smile. “Yeah I know, it’s just two weeks in a long time.” 

Ghost looked at him and slowly blinked. “Yes it is, but he is a Holmes, I thought that was a given or they were trained for that.” 

John shook his head. “No, no they aren’t, they are just civilians who everyone thinks are-” John stopped talking as (Y/N) stepped out of the room, looking worse for wear, but with a big smile on his face. 

John instantly stood and walked over, hugging (Y/N) close and a tad too tight. 

“John, my ribs.” (Y/N) groaned as he hugged back. 

“Oh right sorry.” John pulled away and took (Y/N)’s face in his hands. “Don’t ever do something like that again!” He said loudly. “I was worried sick when I heard you had been missing for 2 weeks!”

(Y/N)’s eyes softened. “I didn’t mean to get caught, but Sherlock managed to get away and get to safety, he ensured that I was kept alive.” 

John rested his forehead against (Y/N)’s. “Remind me to thank him when we see him.” John chuckled a bit, just happy to have his husband back in his arms. 

“Hmm, you can thank him at the wedding in 7 months. Him and Watson are finally tying the knot, I won the bet between everyone by the way.” (Y/N) said, smirking a bit. 

“I love you so much,” John said. 

[ Kyle “Gaz” Garrick ]

Kyle was just standing and talking with Soap as he saw his long time boyfriend (Y/N) walk up with a newspaper in hand. Kyle tilted his head slightly and stopped talking, causing Soap to turn and look at (Y/N). “Hey, why is a Holmes walking directly towards us? Is he even allowed on base?” Soap asked. 

Kyle shrugged. “He should be. Hey (Y/N)!” He called out as (Y/N) got closer. 

“Kyle!” (Y/N) said happily as he practically bounced over. “May I?” 

Kyle nodded and they hugged close. Kyle missed (Y/N) whenever he went away but he couldn’t exactly stop (Y/N) from taking on case after case, they paid far too well. 

(Y/N) showed Kyle the newspaper from that morning. “I just finished a case for the king of Sweden, didn't even know it was the Swedish king, he is very… eccentric but normal. He is just a person, it was nice.” 

“Soooo.” A certain Scottish man broke through their conversation. “How do you two know each other?” 

“(Y/N) meet Soap, Soap, this is my boyfriend, (Y/N) Holmes.” Kyle said. 

(Y/N) smiled brightly and shook Soap's hand. “I have heard a lot about you lot and the 141.” 

“Only good things I hope.” Soap said. 

“The best of things. Oh and Kyle, no reason to worry, a doctor that wasn’t my brother's close friend cleared me. I am not injured even though you will undoubtedly hear about a very large fall I had in tonight's news. I just wanted to tell you that before you hear it from someone that isn’t me.” He said. 

Kyle’s eyes widened. “(Y/N) you promised to be careful.” 

“I was… ish… okay maybe not as much as I should, but I was safe during the whole thing, no large injury or bed rest needed.” 

“No case for at least 3 days, please.” Kyle said. 

“... Okay, no case for a week. I love you, alright? I am always going to return home to you.” 

Kyle smiled at that. “Good. I love you too.”

[mostlysignssomeportents]

A link-clump demands a linkdump

Cometh the weekend, cometh the linkdump. My daily-ish newsletter includes a section called "Hey look at this," with three short links per day, but sometimes those links get backed up and I need to clean house. Here's the eight previous installments:

https://pluralistic.net/tag/linkdump/

The country code top level domain (ccTLD) for the Caribbean island nation of Anguilla is .ai, and that's turned into millions of dollars worth of royalties as "entrepreneurs" scramble to sprinkle some buzzword-compliant AI stuff on their businesses in the most superficial way possible:

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/08/ai-fever-turns-anguillas-ai-domain-into-a-digital-gold-mine/

All told, .ai domain royalties will account for about ten percent of the country's GDP.

It's actually kind of nice to see Anguilla finding some internet money at long last. Back in the 1990s, when I was a freelance web developer, I got hired to work on the investor website for a publicly traded internet casino based in Anguilla that was a scammy disaster in every conceivable way. The company had been conceived of by people who inherited a modestly successful chain of print-shops and decided to diversify by buying a dormant penny mining stock and relaunching it as an online casino.

But of course, online casinos were illegal nearly everywhere. Not in Anguilla – or at least, that's what the founders told us – which is why they located their servers there, despite the lack of broadband or, indeed, reliable electricity at their data-center. At a certain point, the whole thing started to whiff of a stock swindle, a pump-and-dump where they'd sell off shares in that ex-mining stock to people who knew even less about the internet than they did and skedaddle. I got out, and lost track of them, and a search for their names and business today turns up nothing so I assume that it flamed out before it could ruin any retail investors' lives.

Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory, one of those former British colonies that was drained and then given "independence" by paternalistic imperial administrators half a world away. The country's main industries are tourism and "finance" – which is to say, it's a pearl in the globe-spanning necklace of tax- and corporate-crime-havens the UK established around the world so its most vicious criminals – the hereditary aristocracy – can continue to use Britain's roads and exploit its educated workforce without paying any taxes.

This is the "finance curse," and there are tiny, struggling nations all around the world that live under it. Nick Shaxson dubbed them "Treasure Islands" in his outstanding book of the same name:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780230341722/treasureislands

I can't imagine that the AI bubble will last forever – anything that can't go on forever eventually stops – and when it does, those .ai domain royalties will dry up. But until then, I salute Anguilla, which has at last found the internet riches that I played a small part in bringing to it in the previous century.

The AI bubble is indeed overdue for a popping, but while the market remains gripped by irrational exuberance, there's lots of weird stuff happening around the edges. Take Inject My PDF, which embeds repeating blocks of invisible text into your resume:

https://kai-greshake.de/posts/inject-my-pdf/

The text is tuned to make resume-sorting Large Language Models identify you as the ideal candidate for the job. It'll even trick the summarizer function into spitting out text that does not appear in any human-readable form on your CV.

Embedding weird stuff into resumes is a hacker tradition. I first encountered it at the Chaos Communications Congress in 2012, when Ang Cui used it as an example in his stellar "Print Me If You Dare" talk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njVv7J2azY8

Cui figured out that one way to update the software of a printer was to embed an invisible Postscript instruction in a document that basically said, "everything after this is a firmware update." Then he came up with 100 lines of perl that he hid in documents with names like cv.pdf that would flash the printer when they ran, causing it to probe your LAN for vulnerable PCs and take them over, opening a reverse-shell to his command-and-control server in the cloud. Compromised printers would then refuse to apply future updates from their owners, but would pretend to install them and even update their version numbers to give verisimilitude to the ruse. The only way to exorcise these haunted printers was to send 'em to the landfill. Good times!

Printers are still a dumpster fire, and it's not solely about the intrinsic difficulty of computer security. After all, printer manufacturers have devoted enormous resources to hardening their products against their owners, making it progressively harder to use third-party ink. They're super perverse about it, too – they send "security updates" to your printer that update the printer's security against you – run these updates and your printer downgrades itself by refusing to use the ink you chose for it:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/ink-stained-wretches-battle-soul-digital-freedom-taking-place-inside-your-printer

It's a reminder that what a monopolist thinks of as "security" isn't what you think of as security. Oftentimes, their security is antithetical to your security. That was the case with Web Environment Integrity, a plan by Google to make your phone rat you out to advertisers' servers, revealing any adblocking modifications you might have installed so that ad-serving companies could refuse to talk to you:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/02/self-incrimination/#wei-bai-bai

WEI is now dead, thanks to a lot of hueing and crying by people like us:

https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/02/google_abandons_web_environment_integrity/

But the dream of securing Google against its own users lives on. Youtube has embarked on an aggressive campaign of refusing to show videos to people running ad-blockers, triggering an arms-race of ad-blocker-blockers and ad-blocker-blocker-blockers:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/where-will-the-ad-versus-ad-blocker-arms-race-end/

The folks behind Ublock Origin are racing to keep up with Google's engineers' countermeasures, and there's a single-serving website called "Is uBlock Origin updated to the last Anti-Adblocker YouTube script?" that will give you a realtime, one-word status update:

https://drhyperion451.github.io/does-uBO-bypass-yt/

One in four web users has an ad-blocker, a stat that Doc Searls pithily summarizes as "the biggest boycott in world history":

https://doc.searls.com/2015/09/28/beyond-ad-blocking-the-biggest-boycott-in-human-history/

Zero app users have ad-blockers. That's not because ad-blocking an app is harder than ad-blocking the web – it's because reverse-engineering an app triggers liability under IP laws like Section 1201 of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, which can put you away for 5 years for a first offense. That's what I mean when I say that "IP is anything that lets a company control its customers, critics or competitors:

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

I predicted that apps would open up all kinds of opportunities for abusive, monopolistic conduct back in 2010, and I'm experiencing a mix of sadness and smugness (I assume there's a German word for this emotion) at being so thoroughly vindicated by history:

https://memex.craphound.com/2010/04/01/why-i-wont-buy-an-ipad-and-think-you-shouldnt-either/

The more control a company can exert over its customers, the worse it will be tempted to treat them. These systems of control shift the balance of power within companies, making it harder for internal factions that defend product quality and customer interests to win against the enshittifiers:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/microincentives-and-enshittification/

The result has been a Great Enshittening, with platforms of all description shifting value from their customers and users to their shareholders, making everything palpably worse. The only bright side is that this has created the political will to do something about it, sparking a wave of bold, muscular antitrust action all over the world.

The Google antitrust case is certainly the most important corporate lawsuit of the century (so far), but Judge Amit Mehta's deference to Google's demands for secrecy has kept the case out of the headlines. I mean, Sam Bankman-Fried is a psychopathic thief, but even so, his trial does not deserve its vastly greater prominence, though, if you haven't heard yet, he's been convicted and will face decades in prison after he exhausts his appeals:

https://newsletter.mollywhite.net/p/sam-bankman-fried-guilty-on-all-charges

The secrecy around Google's trial has relaxed somewhat, and the trickle of revelations emerging from the cracks in the courthouse are fascinating. For the first time, we're able to get a concrete sense of which queries are the most lucrative for Google:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/1/23941766/google-antitrust-trial-search-queries-ad-money

The list comes from 2018, but it's still wild. As David Pierce writes in The Verge, the top twenty includes three iPhone-related terms, five insurance queries, and the rest are overshadowed by searches for customer service info for monopolistic services like Xfinity, Uber and Hulu.

All-in-all, we're living through a hell of a moment for piercing the corporate veil. Maybe it's the problem of maintaining secrecy within large companies, or maybe the the rampant mistreatment of even senior executives has led to more leaks and whistleblowing. Either way, we all owe a debt of gratitude to the anonymous leaker who revealed the unbelievable pettiness of former HBO president of programming Casey Bloys, who ordered his underlings to create an army of sock-puppet Twitter accounts to harass TV and movie critics who panned HBO's shows:

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/hbo-casey-bloys-secret-twitter-trolls-tv-critics-leaked-texts-lawsuit-the-idol-1234867722/

These trolling attempts were pathetic, even by the standards of thick-fingered corporate execs. Like, accusing critics who panned the shitty-ass Perry Mason reboot of disrespecting veterans because the fictional Mason's back-story had him storming the beach on D-Day.

The pushback against corporate bullying is everywhere, and of course, the vanguard is the labor movement. Did you hear that the UAW won their strike against the auto-makers, scoring raises for all workers based on the increases in the companies' CEO pay? The UAW isn't done, either! Their incredible new leader, Shawn Fain, has called for a general strike in 2028:

https://www.404media.co/uaw-calls-on-workers-to-line-up-massive-general-strike-for-2028-to-defeat-billionaire-class/

The massive victory for unionized auto-workers has thrown a spotlight on the terrible working conditions and pay for workers at Tesla, a criminal company that has no compunctions about violating labor law to prevent its workers from exercising their legal rights. Over in Sweden, union workers are teaching Tesla a lesson. After the company tried its illegal union-busting playbook on Tesla service centers, the unionized dock-workers issued an ultimatum: respect your workers or face a blockade at Sweden's ports that would block any Tesla from being unloaded into the EU's fifth largest Tesla market:

https://www.wired.com/story/tesla-sweden-strike/

Of course, the real solution to Teslas – and every other kind of car – is to redesign our cities for public transit, walking and cycling, making cars the exception for deliveries, accessibility and other necessities. Transitioning to EVs will make a big dent in the climate emergency, but it won't make our streets any safer – and they keep getting deadlier.

Last summer, my dear old pal Ted Kulczycky got in touch with me to tell me that Talking Heads were going to be all present in public for the first time since the band's breakup, as part of the debut of the newly remastered print of Stop Making Sense, the greatest concert movie of all time. Even better, the show would be in Toronto, my hometown, where Ted and I went to high-school together, at TIFF.

Ted is the only person I know who is more obsessed with Talking Heads than I am, and he started working on tickets for the show while I starting pricing plane tickets. And then, the unthinkable happened: Ted's wife, Serah, got in touch to say that Ted had been run over by a car while getting off of a streetcar, that he was severely injured, and would require multiple surgeries.

But this was Ted, so of course he was still planning to see the show. And he did, getting a day-pass from the hospital and showing up looking like someone from a Kids In The Hall sketch who'd been made up to look like someone who'd been run over by a car:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorow/53182440282/

In his Globe and Mail article about Ted's experience, Brad Wheeler describes how the whole hospital rallied around Ted to make it possible for him to get to the movie:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/article-how-a-talking-heads-superfan-found-healing-with-the-concert-film-stop/

He also mentions that Ted is working on a book and podcast about Stop Making Sense. I visited Ted in the hospital the day after the gig and we talked about the book and it sounds amazing. Also? The movie was incredible. See it in Imax.

That heartwarming tale of healing through big suits is a pretty good place to wrap up this linkdump, but I want to call your attention to just one more thing before I go: Robin Sloan's Snarkmarket piece about blogging and "stock and flow":

https://snarkmarket.com/2010/4890/

Sloan makes the excellent case that for writers, having a "flow" of short, quick posts builds the audience for a "stock" of longer, more synthetic pieces like books. This has certainly been my experience, but I think it's only part of the story – there are good, non-mercenary reasons for writers to do a lot of "flow." As I wrote in my 2021 essay, "The Memex Method," turning your commonplace book into a database – AKA "blogging" – makes you write better notes to yourself because you know others will see them:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/09/the-memex-method/

This, in turn, creates a supersaturated, subconscious solution of fragments that are just waiting to nucleate and crystallize into full-blown novels and nonfiction books and other "stock." That's how I came out of lockdown with nine new books. The next one is The Lost Cause, a hopepunk science fiction novel about the climate whose early fans include Naomi Klein, Rebecca Solnit, Bill McKibben and Kim Stanley Robinson. It's out on November 14:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865939/the-lost-cause

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/05/variegated/#nein

[curs3ds]

a  study  of  being  trapped  in  your  own  labyrinth  of  a  mind,  learning  to  enjoy  the  taste  of  blood  a  little  less,  no  longer  staying  in  wait  but  sprinting,  running  after  what  you  crave.

(   victoria  pedretti  .  cis  woman  .  she  +  her  )       —       blasting  prodigal  daughter  by  lights  down  main  street  we’ve  spotted  ivy  finch  sporting  their  personalized  gold  locket  necklace.  the  thirty  year  old  werewolf  who’s  been  in  town  for  a  week  often  can  be  seen  taking  a  walk  with  her  hands  on  a  stroller,  in  a  hurry  from  one  place  to  the  next  while  sporting  a  large  cup  of  coffee,  thriving  in  whatever  chaos  the  day  brings  despite  any  exhaustion,  or  working  as  a  veterinarian  at  portum  veterinary.  people  say  they  display  courageous  and  pugnacious  traits,  but  we  rather  trust  their  vibes:  the  dog  that  weeps  after  it  kills  is  no  better  than  the  dog  that  doesn't  -  insatiable  hunger  that  threatens  to  bubble  into  a  snarling  anger  attempting  to  destroy  everything  in  its  path,  echoing  high  pitched  laughter  throughout  an  empty  room,  coffee  stained  clothing,  often  meeting  acts  of  kindness  with  a  familiar  bite.  also,  we’ve  heard  they  love  marshmallows  !  aren’t  they  fascinating  ?

one    :    basic  information.

full  name:      ivy  rowan  finch.      nicknames:      ives.      age:      thirty.      gender  +  pronouns:      cis  woman  +  she/her.      orientation:      bisexual.      date  of  birth:      april 3rd.      originally  from:     manchester,  uk.      spoken  languages:      english.      accent:      grew  up  with  a  nasally  manchester  accent  but  in  an  effort  not  to  stick  out,  she  slowly  learned  how  to  lose  it.      species:      werewolf.      occupation:      veterinarian  at  portum  veterinary.      education:      general  associate's  from  an  online  community  college,  bachelor's  in  biology,  graduated  from  vet  school.

two    :    physical  information.

faceclaim:      victoria  pedretti.      hair:      naturally colored dark chestnut, for the past few years has had lighter chestnut with warm honey highlights - grew up with a length around her hips but as the years pass, more and more gets cut making her current length just a few inches past her shoulders.      eyes:      big blue almond shaped eyes that have a signature sad, longing look.      height:     5'3"     build:     slim.      scent:     thanks to her perfume, always smells vaguely of florals & strawberry.      dominant  hand:      right.      piercings:      has both earlobes pierced with various ear piercings ( conch on one side, helix on the other ) & a belly button piercing that has since closed.     defining  features:     big smile & sad eyes.

three    :    personality.

enneagram:      type three: the achiever.      moral  alignment:      neutral good.      horoscope:      aries.      virtues:      courageous, energetic, ambitious, confident, passionate.      vices:     pugnacious, blunt, impatient, competitive, temperamental.      favorite  hobbies:      gardening, baking, hiking, keeping herself busy with work & taking care of herself and percy.      character  archetype:      the explorer.      temperament:      choleric.      inspiration  from:      hayley marshall ( tvd / to ), derek hale ( teen wolf ), spencer hastings ( pll ), anakin skywalker had he never gone to the dark side ( star wars ).      element:      fire.      deadly  sin:      wrath.

four    :    connections.

parents:      ??  finch,  father  (  status  unknown  )  &  norma  finch,  mother  (  status  unknown  ).      siblings:      elspeth  finch,  maren  finch,  jasper  finch.      birth  order:      oldest.      relationship  status:      single.      children:      percy  harmon  finch,  six  months  old.      pets:      none  currently.      other  relations:     n/a.      past  relations:      lucas  harmon,  late  fiance.

five    :    background.

subject to change / be added to upon plotting !!

trigger warnings : death, murder, emotional/physical abuse, pregnancy.

for a long time, ivy was her father's golden child who did anything asked of her. a daddy's girl to a t, all she ever did growing up was anything that would make him proud. she never had time to question the bite that came too soon and the monster that she would inevitably become. none of what was thrust upon her was even thought about for decades, only twisting the form of control into a sort of familial love. when they were young, she would physically shield her siblings from harm - up until the point came where she realized if she was to stand in between them, harm would always come to her. from then, ivy was always the distraction, never the comfort reassurances that her siblings seemed so much better with. when problems arose, she always had to be strategic and that exhaustion grew into resentment for her father as she grew older. she wanted to be softer but life had different plans.

so, she embraced her inner wolf in the worst ways possible. no remorse for her actions come morning because that was supposed to happen and any sign of weakness would be smelled for miles. no pain, no gain. the way she would snap at anyone who questioned her methods or the distance that would be put between anyone who dared to make sense of what was going on. shame was a powerful motivator but as long as her father was happy, as long as she was being true to who she really was and succeeding... what else really mattered ?

she knew why they had to go to new york but she hated the move. she hated having to meet new people and start all over again in a shitty apartment in a terrible city. though never spoken any sentiment of the kind aloud, her siblings helped keep her sane throughout family issues or anything else happening and when jasper left, a part of her left with him. she realized then how important connection was to her and how isolated she felt, even more so when powerless was added to the list. she would not be able to save her sisters or her mother or anyone - but she could save herself, even if the guilt has eaten her alive since the night she left.

lucas was a knight in shining armor. they met through friends when ivy was couch surfing and when he offered to oblige, she ended up staying with him for months. while still in the state, he lived on the outskirts of the city which was far enough to let her feel safe, like it was a successful escape. she would go on work trips when needing to shift and would return back like nothing happened the next day. things became normal living with luke and she was surprised how much she adored it all. they lived like that for a few years, ivy being a homebody who would occasionally run groceries while luke would go to work and come back with hundreds of stories about his day. they planned to settle down somewhere warm and luke even proposed. it was the last night she would go away on her own before telling him everything - but when ivy returned home, she returned to a crime scene.

a robbery gone wrong was the official report, but ivy has always had her suspicions about her father potentially having a hand in her fiance's murder. her paranoia couldn't convince her it wasn't her fault and so ivy packed up every single thing she had, loaded up her car, and drove. a bit of an impulsive road trip, driving as far as she could go, she spent a year on her own - in which time she gave birth to a son who she found out about a few months in. a few months after her son, percy, was born she decided things needed to get serious and they needed somewhere to settle down... which just so happened to end up being portum.

she's still confused but there's something about portum that sings to her soul and she wants to stay to raise her son. ivy sees potential in portum to finally be the person she's always wanted to be and has already started putting down roots, such as landing a new job at portum veterinary and renting a small house for the time being. she's an extrovert so she is enjoying meeting new people but be warned, she has an intense bark and bite but is trying to change <3

six    :    wanted  plots.

babysitter for percy ! will probably trust her siblings to watch him once things settle but this will be someone ivy met initially when arriving because she searched for someone to babysit <3 will have to be someone who is cool with a nightmare helicopter mom

neighbors ! ivy is currently renting but things could become permanent reeeeal quick - plus she already has an herb garden set up so she's outside for chatting sometimes !

clients at the vet ! she might have just started but she's like a dog whisperer... how does she get them to settle like that. it's actually because she challenges their authority - i mean, she gives them treats.

new friends, new enemies, a crush, anything !

[greenwayinc]

HEADCANONS, PART TWO:

🇮🇪

(God help me when I have to write part 3...)

No worries about misgendering this guy... because they don't know. They would've forgotten it long ago anyways at this point, so they just don't give a crap what gender they are.

Their name is Kelsey Windsor. It used to be Dermot Windsor but they had it legally changed.

As a human, they're a very pale-skinned person of average height(5' 9"), with curly, blondish-red hair(yes it's a weird colour, but they manage to pull off the look). And they're absolutely saturated with freckles. Everywhere you look, it's just freckles, freckles and more freckles.

Usually wears Aran knit sweaters, jeans, bomber jackets and flannel shirts. They're still living in the early to mid-2000s fashion-wise.

This motherf***er is BUILT. Seriously, they might be neutral but God almighty are they stacked. They'll be up for anything, from US-led invasions to UN peacekeeping missions. For any large military operations they usually serve with America or UK, but they're always happy to just do peacekeeping work. More about this later.

Tiny scars are dotted across their neck and shoulder. Those are the remnants of a shrapnel bomb that exploded behind them during one of his many tours in the Troubles. There's more scars from where they've been grazed by bullets, beaten by batons and worse. They wear them like bravery medals though- each scar is a sign of their continuous luck.

Speaking of luck, they HATE it if you say "luck of the Irish" in a positive light. He is extremely self-conscious of the term's origins.

Much of their history has been them trying to rebel against England, and latterly, UK. As a result their relations could be described from a historical context as "strained"(top 10 greatest understatements in history coming up). However, since the 1960s, they've gotten along with each other and have left their previous animosity behind them... for now. Brexit has not gone over well with Ireland, it must be said(!).

The Famine screwed up their body greatly- mainly, they can't eat specific foods because of the irreversible damage to their digestive system caused by hunger. Mainly, they have to stay away from most fast food and fizzy drinks(although they've never liked the former much).

But, thanks be to the Lord, alcohol is on the safe list. They've said many a time that they wouldn't know what to do were it not for Guinness. As is to be expected, they drink like there's no tomorrow. One time they got so drunk that a SWAT team had to be called to contain them. But usually it ends up in him passing out in the street or having a one night stand with some other country.

They like to travel. A lot. And I mean A LOT.

Absolutely has PTSD from the amount of wars they've been in, plus the abuse from England, etc.

Tea addict. UK's influence definitely rubbed off on them in this aspect.

Jewellery. Oh my lord the jewellery. This fucker absolutely LOVES jewellery and anything gold or silver. They have ear piercings, they've got gold necklaces, silver rings, etc. Bling is this person's passion.

Also a good singer. Has recorded a few albums, which have found rather unlikely success internationally. As a result of this they work with South Korea and Japan on music projects a lot.

The music fame has also landed them roles in a good few movies.

Was a Formula One driver for a few years during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and again in the 1990s. Surprisingly good at it, too.

Has multiple Irish wolfhounds.

If you confuse them with Ivory Coast, Italy or Mexico... well God help ya.

(related to a previous statement) They've been in the wars. Surprisingly often, as it turns out, because they were in both world wars, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Falklands, Vietnam- name a war in the past 100 years and they've probably been fighting in it at some stage.

They and Northern Ireland are estranged. They don't talk to each other WHATSOEVER.

Generally regarded as the "partier" of the EU, and has gained notoriety within the organisation for their drunken exploits.

Good friends with America, Canada, Chile, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Finland and Sweden. And all the ex-commie Central European countries.

Knows English, Irish, Polish, Lithuanian, Romanian, Czech, Finnish and Latvian. Currently learning Spanish so they can stop embarrassing themselves while on holiday in the Canary Islands.

In a relationship with Finland’s twin sister(will explain later). They met at a party in Helsinki back in the 1970s and have been together since.

Always has the best Halloween parties. Yes, it sounds childish, but they've been hosting those parties since the beginning of time. And everyone attends for the party, the dressing up... and the copious amounts of alcohol consumed at these events.

[captainfantasticalright]

Because someone asked if I could add the text in a more accessible way: I don’t think I’ll be able to to this for all of my posts though, so I am terribly sorry about that.

Charles' whole outfit is inspired by ska, mod, and Rude Boy subcultures.

Following on from the mod revival of the late 70s, the UK witnessed a revival of rude boy and skinhead fashion due to the popularity of ska punk, oi! punk rock, rocksteady, and two tone music during the winter of discontent.

THE STORY OF SUBCULTURE: THE RUDE BOY (& RUDE GIRL)

The Rude Boy has been amalgamated, appropriated and assembled in numerous subcultural strains; but to truly understand the Rude Boy, one must begin in post-war Jamaica.

Jamaica's first youth culture movement; the Rude Boy was borne from dissatisfaction, poverty and rising unemployment following Jamaica's independence in 1962. Kingston was overpopulated; masses of young men had moved to the city seeking work and instead found cramped living conditions and strains on basic necessities. Survival involved cunning and underground activities: The Rude Boy was forged in the shanty town gangs of the West Indies. An embodiment of their nation's independence, the original Rude Boy was self-assured and street-wise.

Loafers and Socks

Their dress and behaviour were inspired by the fashion of American jazz musicians and Hollywood portrayals of western outlaws and gangsters. They also emulated the The bad boys of cinema.

Punk morphed with reggae in 2 Tone, and its fans took the name Rude Boys. The figure sporting a decent suit and pork pie hat on the 2

Tone record label was known as Walt Jabsco and the drawing of him was based on a photo of the Wailers' Peter Tosh, these 2 Tone rude boys skanked in a mix of mod and skinhead fashions to up-tempo songs that often had downbeat subject matter. This swept up many pop fans but, as ever, reggae was doing its own thing.

If you wore fred perry polos and loafers then you'd like 2-tone and the jam.

2-Tone was a checkerboard of black and white; the fusion of white punk and black ska illustrated and immortalised by the label's logo: a man in a black suit, white shirt, pork pie hat, white socks and black loafers.Straight cut trousers were usually cuffed to show off the white socks.

Charles is wearing Fred Perry leather loafers in the show.

Polo Shirt

As costume designer Kelli Dunsmore tells Tudum, his signature red polo (from the comics) turned burgundy in Episode 3, to reflect his turbulent emotional state.

"Then we find out that beautiful whole story of Charles past, and it goes black, she says. In the middle [of the season, he goes all black - his Harrington jacket is black, his polo is black." A subtle but very strong idea of "a way to visually track Charles and his slide into self -doubt even though his base costume remains constant."

Fred Perry polo shirts were the staple attire and uniform of the British rude boy.

Dunsmore also made a decision early on that Charles and Edwin wouldn't change their outfits, but would layer on top of their main looks. Charles' hero color is very much red, in honor of his comic book counterpart's red sweater.

And if you look in Episode 4, you'll see Crystal and Niko wearing red clothing, to support Charles in his pain by donning his hero color. But as Charles continues his healing journey, his shirt "slowly goes back to burgundy. By the end of the [season], he's back in his red again," says Dunsmore. "So he goes full circle."

Suspenders, Chain and Earring

Braces or suspenders were all the rage.

Popular SKA & 2 Tone Fashion: Martens, straight-leg high-ankle jeans, braces, and simple, checked shirts were the staples of Ska fashion. There was also considerable crossover between mod fashion and the skinhead subcultures in the 60s, with British skinheads incorporating the fashion of both the Jamaican rude boy and mod subcultures.

Gold jewelry (bracelets or necklaces) was layered over a shirt.

His little cross earring and chain on the outside of his shirt are meant to be homages to the 80s.

What was with the hanging cross earrings back then?

It was a trend from the 80s. Back then, there was also a sort of code that by piercing your left ear just meant you were trendy, piercing the right meant you were gay. Eventually, that code evaporated.

Pants and Accessories

Some of the recurring motifs of Rudeboy style include:

•fitted shorter trousers, or skinny pants cuffed and rolled (the better to show off shoes, socks, and spats)

•pocket squares

•badges, pins

Charles is wearing Sta Press trousers.

Harrington Jacket

A Harrington jacket is a lightweight, waist-length jacket made of cotton, polyester, wool or suede. Designs often incorporate traditional Fraser tartan or checkerboard-patterned lining.

Hair

It was common to buzz or partly shave your hair.

Pins and Patches

In response to the racism of white power skinheads, 1980s rude boys wore checkerboard motifs to signify that both black and white people were welcome.

Charles Rowland: an outfit analysis.

I had previously focused only on his pins and patches, but this is a more complete breakdown of his whole attire.

From the 1980s to Edwardian wardrobes, I also broke down Edwin’s outfit.

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Why Choose a Personalised Name Necklace?

A name necklace is more than just a piece of jewelry—it's a statement, a story, and a symbol of identity. Whether you're gifting a loved one or treating yourself, a personalised necklace with a name adds a meaningful touch. From elegant custom name necklaces to double name necklaces, each piece is thoughtfully designed to reflect personal connections and timeless style.

Our Range of Name Necklaces:

Classic Name Necklaces: Simple yet sophisticated, these necklaces feature a name beautifully inscribed in your choice of font, making them perfect for daily wear or special occasions.

Customised Name Chains: Opt for a bolder look with a personalised name chain, available in a variety of materials like sterling silver, gold, and rose gold. These pieces are ideal for those who want a modern, eye-catching design.

Kids' Name Necklaces: Celebrate the love for your little ones with our children's name necklaces. Perfect for new parents or as a thoughtful baby gift, these necklaces are delicate, durable, and forever sentimental.

Double Name Necklaces: Can’t pick just one name? Our double name necklaces allow you to feature two names, whether it's your children’s names, a couple’s initials, or any combination that holds special meaning.

Pearl Name Necklace: For those who adore timeless elegance, our pearl name necklaces offer a graceful blend of classic pearls with a personalised touch.

Handcrafted in the UK

Each name necklace at Dolce Valentina is handcrafted by skilled artisans in the UK. We pay attention to every detail, ensuring that every letter and curve is crafted with precision. Our dedication to quality means that your customised name necklace will be both durable and beautiful, standing the test of time.

A Perfect Gift for Every Occasion

From birthdays and anniversaries to christenings and holidays, a personalised necklace with a name makes the perfect gift. Whether it's a baby name necklace for a new mother or a ladies’ name necklace for a stylish friend, these pieces are thoughtful, personal, and timeless.

Explore Our Collection Today

Dolce Valentina offers a wide selection of name necklaces, with styles ranging from personalised name chains to elegant name pendants. Each piece is customizable to reflect your individuality or to represent the ones you love. Explore our collection and create a piece that’s truly yours, because at Dolce Valentina, your name is more than just a word—it's your identity, your story, your legacy.

Visit Dolce Valentina today to find your perfect name necklace and make a lasting impression with every piece of jewelry you wear.

[onlinesikhstore]

Gold plated punjabi sikh khanda stunning pendant car rear mirror beads hanger Gold Plated Punjabi Sikh Medium size Khanda No Stones Stunning Pendant Car Rear Mirror - Brilliant Finish with hanging colourful beads Good £uck Charm pendant for car rear mirror as shown in the photos. Khanda Pendant Size 4 cm x4cm Please note thread or chain may Vary subject to availability in stock. Colour of beads may slightly vary due to these items being assembled by hand that makes every item unique as workers may have put beads in different order. FREE GIFT BAG with Every ITEM We are UK based supplier smartfashions.co.uk. Items can be collected from our shop in Rochester, Kent, UK. We have 100% positive feedback. Please bid with confidence and check our other fantastic listings. If you are not happy with your purchase we will give you 100% refund on return of item. No hard and fast rules for refunds and returns. Free Royal Economy Mail Postage in UK. Postage discounts will be given to International buyers for multi-buys. We suggest you to opt for tracked and signed delivery if you require tracking numbers. These are covered by our insurance as well. Economy/standard delivery we always keep proof of shipping (having buyers door number and postcode/country name) and will be provided to buyer on request. However, RoyalMail have QR square on these standard/economy stamps and they can verify the delivery on their end whenever the claim arises. Last but not least, honesty is the best policy and it help us keep the prices of our items low plus donate more to the charity as we run this shop to backup couple of charitable works (free ration/food and shelter for needy/underpreviliged) in India. Any questions please do not hesitate to contact us. WhatsApp 0044-7883024604 Facebook and Instagram #OnlineSikhStore Email Email Brand: OnlineSikhStore Style: Necklace & Pendant Metal: Steel Material: Gold plated Alloy Length (inches): 20 cm Theme: Religious Main Colour: Gold Country/Region of Manufacture: India EAN: Does not apply http://www-onlinesikhstore-com.myshopify.com/products/gold-plated-punjabi-sikh-khanda-stunning-pendant-car-rear-mirror-beads-hanger

[dolcevalentinaofficial]

Personalised baby bangels UK

As a new parent, you are always on the lookout for things that can make your baby feel special and loved. One of the ways you can achieve this is by gifting your child with personalised baby bangles. These items are not only cute and adorable, but they also make a statement about the love you have for your child. In this article, we will explore the benefits of personalised baby bangles, the different types available, and why they make perfect christening gifts.

What are Personalised Baby Bangles?

Personalised baby bangles are special pieces of jewellery that are designed for infants and young children. They come in a variety of designs and can be personalised with the child’s name or initials. These bangles are made using high-quality materials such as sterling silver, gold, and platinum, and are designed to be comfortable and safe for young children to wear.

New Born Bangles

New born bangles are perfect for parents who want to celebrate the birth of their new baby. These bangles are usually small and delicate, and are designed to fit the tiny wrists of newborns. They can be personalised with the baby’s name or initials, and can be made using different materials depending on your preference.

Children’s Personalised Jewellery

Children’s personalised jewellery is becoming increasingly popular as parents look for unique ways to show their children how much they love them. Personalised jewellery can come in different forms such as bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. They can be designed with the child’s name or initials, birthstone, or even a special message.

Christening Gifts

Christening gifts are special presents that are given to a child during their baptism. These gifts are usually personalised and are meant to commemorate the child’s baptism day. Personalised baby bangles make perfect christening gifts as they are not only sentimental but also practical.

Dolce Valentina

Dolce Valentina is a UK-based company that specialises in personalised baby bangles and children’s jewellery. They offer a range of personalised baby bangles that can be designed with the child’s name or initials, and are made using high-quality materials such as sterling silver and gold. They also offer a range of children’s personalised jewellery such as bracelets, necklaces, and earrings that are perfect for birthdays, christenings, and other special occasions.

Baby Bangles UK

If you are looking for baby bangles in the UK, there are many options available. You can find them in online stores such as Amazon and Etsy, as well as in physical stores such as jewellery shops and baby boutiques. When buying baby bangles in the UK, it is important to ensure that you are buying from a reputable seller and that the bangles are made using safe and high-quality materials.

Personalised Baby Bangles UK

Personalised baby bangles are a popular choice among parents in the UK. They offer a unique way to celebrate the birth of a new baby, and can be personalised with the baby’s name or initials. When buying personalised baby bangles in the UK, it is important to ensure that you are buying from a reputable seller and that the bangles are made using safe and high-quality materials.

Benefits of Personalised Baby Bangles

There are many benefits to buying personalised baby bangles for your child. Here are some of the main advantages:

They are a unique and special way to celebrate the birth of your child.

They can be personalised with the child’s name or initials, making them a special keepsake that can be treasured for years to come.

They can be made using high-quality materials such as sterling silver, gold, and platinum, ensuring that they will last a lifetime.

They are safe and comfortable for young children to wear.

They make perfect christening

Types of Personalised Baby Bangles

There are different types of personalised baby bangles available in the market. Here are some of the most popular types:

Name bangles – These bangles are personalised with the child’s name.

Initial bangles – These bangles are personalised with the child’s initials.

Birthstone bangles – These bangles are personalised with the child’s birthstone.

Engraved bangles – These bangles are engraved with a special message or quote.

Charm bangles – These bangles come with different charms that can be added or removed as the child grows.

Personalised baby bangles are a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of a new baby and make perfect christening gifts. They are unique, sentimental, and can be treasured for years to come. When buying personalised baby bangles, it is important to ensure that you are buying from a reputable seller and that the bangles are made using safe and high-quality materials. Dolce Valentina is a UK-based company that specialises in personalised baby bangles and children’s jewellery, and offers a range of options that are safe, high-quality, and unique. Invest in a personalised baby bangle for your child and watch as it becomes a cherished keepsake for years to come.

[sjscollection]

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[thepastisalreadywritten]

This is a tiara rooted in tragedy. Princess Mary of Teck was engaged to be married to the future king, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence & Avondale, in 1891.

But just a few weeks after the engagement was announced, he died of influenza.

His younger brother, Prince George, Duke of York, became the heir to the throne. He was also unmarried. Prince George had proposed to one of his cousins, who he was in love with, but she turned him down.

He turned his attention to Princess Mary, and she accepted. The couple were wed on 6 July 1893.

The tiara was a wedding gift to Mary. The name came from the committee of women, led by Lady Eva Greville, who raised the money for its creation.

They purchased the piece from Garrard in 1893. At Mary’s request, the remaining money from the fundraising event was sent to a fund to support widows and children of sailors who died in the HMS Victoria disaster, which killed 350.

Mary didn’t wear the piece on her wedding day - instead choosing one given to her by Queen Victoria - but it became one of her favourites. She chose it for one of her first official portraits when George ascended to the throne in 1910.

When her granddaughter Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947, Mary decided to gift her the tiara. It is reported that the Queen still calls the diadem “Granny’s Tiara” because of this.

Like Mary before her, Elizabeth loved this item and wore it often - including one for her first public appearance after her father’s funeral.

She had chosen it for portraits and at many official events over the years, marking it as her signature tiara.

Made by Garrard, this diadem features festoon and fleur-de-lys designs. Made of diamonds set in silver and gold, the original version was topped by 14 pearls.

It also came with a second frame, allowing it to be worn as a coronet. It could also be taken off a frame entirely and worn as a necklace.

Mary tweaked the tiara in 1914, removing the top row of pearls and replacing them with 13 diamond brilliants.

The pearls found their way to the Lover’s Knot tiara instead. The base of the tiara was also removed, and Mary wore it a separate bandeau.

Elizabeth put the two pieces back together in the 1960s, which is how it remains now.

Commenting on the tiara for Express UK, James Constantinou, owner of Prestige Pawnbrokers of Channel 4’s Posh Pawn, said:

"This tiara was a wedding present from the 'Girls of Great Britain and Ireland' to the Duchess of York, later Queen Mary in 1893.

It was purchased with money raised by a committee chaired by Lady Eva Grenville who became one of Queen Mary’s ladies in waiting."

"In November 1947, Queen Mary gave the tiara as a wedding present to her granddaughter Princess Elizabeth.

The Queen has worn the tiara regularly throughout her reign. She is depicted wearing it on certain issues of British and Commonwealth banknotes and coinage.

Due to the historic attachment to Queen Mary, this spectacular piece would most likely not come onto the open market, but hypothetically, if it did, it could certainly sparkle interest of up to £20 million."

How many tiaras are there in the royal collection?

There are dozens of priceless tiaras owned by the Queen and other members of the Royal Family. Many of the British aristocracy also own tiaras, wearing them at state banquets and on wedding days.

As well as tiaras currently in existence, there are a couple which have been dismantled to make other diadems. This includes The Surrey Fringe and The Nizam of Hyderabad.

Some tiaras have formed part of iconic moments in the history of the Royal Family.

The Cartier Halo, for instance, was worn by Catherine Middleton on her wedding day to Prince William in 2011.

And it is the Lover's Knot tiara that is most often seen today, as it is a favourite of the Duchess of Cambridge.

It was closely associated with Diana, Princess of Wales, during her marriage to Prince Charles, so it holds a special significance for Catherine.

Edited

[atamantj]

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