Throughout our time at this second remarkable gathering, we had the privilege of connecting with our cherished clients - some of whom seemed like serendipitous encounters, while others were brand new faces, swiftly transforming into our newfound friends. Amidst the backdrop of diverse brands and the resounding energy of the event, even the persistent threat of rain couldn't dampen our spirits. In fact, it only seemed to enhance the enchantment.
Our gratitude extends beyond words to Catarina, João, and their tireless team. They sacrificed their sleep to ensure our well-being and the success of every facet of this celebration. The workshops we had the privilege to attend left us in awe, particularly the sessions on sneaker and furniture repair. These eye-opening experiences introduced us to countless new brands and brought us into the warm embrace of a multitude of fascinating individuals, including newfound friends from as far away as San Francisco, CA.
One significant achievement we're proud to share is our increased silver recycling. (Yes, we do have a silver recycling program!) In a heartwarming twist, we even found ourselves rushing to deliver a second piece to someone who was on the brink of going back to their homeland of Thailand.
However, beyond these incredible moments, what truly resonates with us is the profound importance of ethical practices, encompassing recycling and waste reduction. It's about the small, everyday choices we make to ensure we're contributing positively to our planet. We don't advocate for drastic changes in your life or shopping habits because we recognize that sustainability must be a sustainable choice in itself. We don't need groundbreaking technology to make a difference; we simply need to conscientiously consider our choices, our shopping habits, and the dedicated efforts of small brands committed to doing things right.
It's not an easy path, especially for small brands like ours, but at the end of the day, we take solace in knowing that we're doing our utmost to make a positive impact. This shared commitment to ethical values is what infuses events like Cidade do Zero with meaning and purpose. It's the bedrock of a beautiful love for the future, and it's what makes us truly happy.
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La Blanche et la Noire" by Félix Vallotton portrays two women engaged in an intimate embrace. The painting challenges traditional gender and racial norms, celebrating the beauty and passion of same-sex love. This is an image of contrasts, and we are left to imagine the relationship between the two women.
"Two Nudes in the Forest" is a vibrant and sensual painting by Frida Kahlo, depicting two female figures embracing each other amidst a lush forest. The body language of the two nudes tells the story of their intimacy. This artwork explores the themes of desire and self-acceptance in LGBTQ+ relationships. . Like The Two Fridas, the two female nudes may allude to Kahlo’s bisexuality.
Quaintance as a pioneer of gay aesthetic. Quaintance’s art existed at a time when homosexuality was very much repressed and rejected by society. This was long before the gay rights movement, or the Stonewall riots. Idyll celebrates homoeroticism, androgyny, nakedness & unbounded love. A classical colonnade is a backdrop for a tender, come-hither moment between two Adonises.
Fini, a leading female Surrealist, was proudly bisexual and an outspoken proponent of polyamory. Lesbian lovers were her most frequent subject. As in this work, Fini depicts them delicately caressing each others’ skin or gazing at each others’ half-nude bodies. Fini has conjured up three women floating through a clear, flower-filled body of water—and through time, through space.
Gustave Courbet ‘s “Le Sommeil” which depicts a lesbian couple, is also known as the Two Friends (Les Deux Amies) and Indolence and Lust (Paresse et Luxure). This painting may be seen as a Realist interpretation of the latent lesbianism evident in many eighteenth-century works with the mythological subject of Diana. After this painting came out, more artists began exploring the theme of lesbian love.
This painting features an androgynous couple kissing blissfully unaware of the melancholy that surrounds them. This, Eisenman seems to imply, is the beauty and trouble of love: the ease at which we get lost in it.
Undoubtedly the world of art has been enriched by the inclusion of LGBTQ+ love in its masterpieces. Throughout history, artists have captured the beauty, passion, and complexity of same-sex love, challenging societal norms and inspiring generations to embrace love in all its forms. These famous LGBTQ+ love paintings not only reflect the diversity of human experiences but also serve as a testament to the power of love to transcend societal boundaries. By embracing and celebrating love in all its forms, these artists have helped pave the way for a more inclusive and accepting society. Love truly knows no boundaries, and through these masterpieces, we are reminded that love is love.
]]>Love is Love. Fortunately, in recent years, the concept of gender inclusivity has gained relevance across various aspects of society, including the world of weddings. As couples strive to break away from traditional norms and embrace equality, a new kind of jewelry has emerged: genderless jewelry, just like Wonther. Let’s talk about genderless wedding bands and engagement rings, the significance of inclusive jewelry in today's society, and how couples can incorporate this meaningful trend into their special day.
Genderless jewelry represents a departure from traditional gender roles, providing couples with a symbol of unity and shared commitment that transcends societal expectations. By opting for genderless wedding bands and engagement rings, couples can celebrate their love in a way that is free from gender-specific stereotypes and limitations. This shift promotes inclusivity, acceptance, and a celebration of diversity within the institution of marriage.
With the increasing demand for inclusive wedding jewelry, designers like Wonther have been proudly creating stunning collections of genderless wedding bands and engagement rings. These pieces are meticulously crafted to suit all preferences, with a focus on a design that is made for both brides and grooms. The incorporation of diverse materials, such as yellow, pink, or white gold and precious gemstones, ensures that couples have a wide range of options to express their unique personalities.
The Knot, a leading wedding planning website, acknowledges the importance of genderless jewelry in contemporary weddings. They affirm, "Couples are embracing gender-neutral and gender-inclusive designs to showcase their commitment to equality and inclusivity. Genderless wedding bands and engagement rings are an inspiring choice that beautifully symbolizes their shared love and values."
Love generates love. Beyond the symbolism of gender inclusivity, many couples are also seeking ethical jewelry options. The rise of sustainable and eco-friendly practices has led to the availability of ethically sourced materials and fair-trade practices within the jewelry range.By opting for ethical jewelry, couples can ensure that their commitment to love extends to the environment and the communities involved in the creation process.
Ethical jewelry encompasses various aspects, including responsibly sourced materials, fair-trade practices, and eco-friendly manufacturing processes. By opting for ethical genderless wedding bands and engagement rings, couples can align their values with their celebration of love.
As genderless jewelry gains traction, it is seamlessly integrating into various wedding trends. Here are some ideas on how to incorporate these inclusive pieces into your special day:
Amy and Taylor, a beautiful couple from Chicago, embraced genderless jewelry for their wedding bands. They wanted their rings to reflect their shared commitment and values rather than conforming to societal norms. Amy's ring features a classic design with a twist, combining a solitaire diamond with a minimalist band, while Taylor's ring complements it perfectly with a sleek design. Their choice of genderless jewelry symbolizes their equal partnership and serves as a constant reminder of their shared journey.
Another couple, Alex and Jamie, from New York City, took their commitment to ethical jewelry one step further. They opted for genderless wedding bands made from recycled gold and adorned with ethically sourced diamonds. For them, ethical considerations were a crucial factor in selecting their rings, aligning with their shared values of sustainability and social responsibility. Their rings became a testament to their love for each other and their commitment to making a positive impact on the world.
Rachel and Jordan, a couple from Los Angeles, chose genderless wedding bands to celebrate their union. Their story is a beautiful testament to love and acceptance. Rachel, who identifies as non-binary, wanted a ring that reflected their identity and allowed them to express their love without conforming to traditional gender roles. Jordan, fully supportive of Rachel's journey, also opted for a genderless ring. Their matching bands symbolize their commitment to each other and their shared belief in embracing love without labels.
"We believe that every love story deserves to be celebrated in its purest form. Genderless wedding bands and engagement rings provide couples with a powerful symbol of unity, transcending traditional gender roles." - The Knot.
By choosing genderless wedding bands and engagement rings, couples can celebrate their love without the constraints of traditional gender norms. Incorporating ethical considerations into the jewelry selection process further amplifies the impact of this trend. As we move forward, let us embrace the power of beautiful genderless jewelry and create a truly inclusive wedding culture and representative of the diverse love stories in our society.
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We’ve gathered a unique selection of pieces for all those involved in this special day. With an emphasis on contemporary and genderless style, we'll help complement the desired festive look while offering jewelry of timeless elegance.
For the bride and groom, we’ve designed genderless wedding bands and engagement rings, which transcend conventions and celebrate any union, regardless of gender. Also, if the woman orders it, she will get a special 30% discount.
Brides can enhance their elegance with a pair of relevant drop earrings that complement the bridal look. The Women Tribe collection by Wonther offers sophisticated and timeless options for the bride to dazzle on this unique day, specifically the Lara earrings.
The bride and groom can enjoy a lucky charm on their special day. A Wonther Happiness necklace is the right choice to complement the groom's style and add a special touch to his look.
The maid of honor is certainly one of the most important people at a wedding and giving her look a special touch with the Open Fingerprint earrings - the right look to help her shine.
If the best man prefers a more contemporary style, we suggest a Signet Happyness ring that will highlight her style and intention for the wedding day.
An eye-catching bracelet can be the perfect accessory for any guest to highlight the arms and complement the festive style. Wonther's Stamp It bracelet is a suggestion that adds a standout touch to the look.
In any case, because It’s always an opportunity to shine at a wedding, we also suggest a Life Link Silver bracelet that will add a bold touch to the classic and distinguished wedding guest look.
The mother of the groom is one of the important figures on the wedding day. A hairstyle that enhances the face can be complemented with a pair of earrings that help highlight her beauty. We suggest the Women Tribe collection, the Joy earrings, a reinterpretation of the classic so that the mother of the groom shines even brighter on this special day.
The groom's father is the source of a future example for the family, and nothing better symbolizes family love than a Family Necklace. This Wonther piece will be the right amulet to accompany the father of the groom on this significant day.
At the highlighted moment of the bride's entrance, it is usual for her to be accompanied by her father's left arm. Dad's left hand will be the perfect focal point for a special piece of jewelry, such as a Family Signet ring from Wonther, which represents family celebration and togetherness.
The mother of the bride is one of the stars of the wedding and deserves a piece of jewelry that highlights her face and that, in addition to adding elegance to her look, shows what she wishes for the bride and groom, she will receive in return. Wonther's Boomerang Big necklace is the ideal accessory for the mother of the bride to shine and show off her wish for happiness on this special day.
In addition to offering a diverse collection of genderless jewelry, at Wonther we provide a personalized service that allows our customers to create unique and exclusive pieces for their wedding day, including wedding rings and engagement rings. At Wonther we work with the bride and groom and guests to design personalized jewelry that perfectly complements their style and vision.
By celebrating love and togetherness without an emphasis on gender, Wonther wishes all couples, regardless of their type of celebration, a lovely wedding with joy and happiness.
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Geek conversation on the way: Web 3, also known as the third generation of the internet aims to connect all of the world's data and make it more accessible. Sounds good right? Bear with us: Web 3 runs in a decentralized network enabling a more personalized experience. It allows you not just to read or participate in the web, but also, for instance, to own it.
One interesting aspect of Web 3 is its potential to revolutionize the way we think and act about anything, including jewelry. For instance, through the use of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and their unique technology, it’s possible to transform a piece of jewelry into a unique piece of art that can be showcased digitally and physically.
First, let's define NFTs (Non-Fungible tokens), also known as digital assets, and how they work. NFTs are digital assets that are unique (different from crypto, which are assets that share the same features among themselves). NFTs are stored on the blockchain which uses a decentralized and secure digital ledger that records data and transactions and ensures that this data cannot be altered. Blockchain technology allows this information to be shredded and distributed across a network of computers, as opposed to the traditional data stored in the cloud where all the information is stored on a central server.
An NFT (token) is a unique token that has always a smart contract behind it. A smart contract is a piece of “code” that gives a token its unique characteristics or behavior. Once you mint your NFT (insert it in the blockchain), the smart contract that goes with it will determine what will happen with this NFT: who’s the owner, if it’s a simple PFP (profile picture), or for instance, a dynamic NFT and evolves or changes accordingly to what you prior decide.
NFTs are often used to verify the authenticity and ownership of digital items and have gained popularity in the art world as a way to sell and trade digital art, but they can be much more, because of the technology that makes them unique and traceable. Also, an NFT can also be linked to the real world, as a ticket to an event, or even a way to access or prove the ownership of a physical asset.
A dynamic NFT is a type of non-fungible token that can change. Is also stored on a blockchain and can change or evolve over time. It owns characteristics that allow a specific behavior, adding an extra layer of interactivity and uniqueness compared to a static NFT.
This creates a new level of interactivity that allows the NFT to have a dynamic and interesting value proposition. This opens up new possibilities for digital art, collectibles, gaming, jewelry, etc., where the asset's value is linked to its evolution.
These changes could be triggered by various events such as time, life events, several relevant actions taken by the owner, or even interactions with other NFTs, making the NFT more relevant and valuable. In this way, dynamic NFTs can be seen as a way toad more value to a digital asset.
A phygital asset is a modern term used to describe a physical item that has a digital component or representation, usually an NFT. It is an asset that exists both in the physical and digital realms and offers new ways of thinking about ownership, value, and use.
This concept links the real world with the digital one and allows any asset to be tracked and managed digitally, giving it added value. For example, a piece of jewelry can be given a digital identity, allowing the owner to keep track of its value and ownership history, and the seller to manage inventory and pricing. The digital aspect of a phygital asset opens up new opportunities for ownership and value creation.
In the world of jewelry, phygital assets are becoming more common helping evolve the traditional methods of selling, buying, and owning jewelry.
One great example of a phygital asset in the jewelry world is blockchain-based diamonds. These diamonds are unique, as each one has a unique digital signature, verified and recorded on a blockchain. This means that the diamond can be tracked and verified throughout its entire lifecycle, from mining to sale. This not only adds transparency and security to the diamond industry but also helps consumers to verify the authenticity and history of the diamonds they purchase.
Phygital assets in jewelry are revolutionizing the way we think about jewelry ownership and value. By combining the physical and digital realms, phygital assets offer new opportunities for transparency, security, and innovation in the jewelry industry. As technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see more exciting examples of phygital assets in the future.
Tiffany, the iconic luxury jewelry brand, has taken the world of phygital assets with their collaboration with Cryptopunks. This innovative and groundbreaking collab has set a new standard for other luxury brands.
Cryptopunks, an NFTs collection created by UK-based artists, are a set of 10,000 unique digital characters, each with its unique traits and characteristics. Tiffany partnered with the creators of Cryptopunks to launch a limited-edition series of their own, “Tiffany Cryptopunks,” which was made available for purchase on their website and via the blockchain-based marketplace, OpenSea.
This partnership combined a digital collection of NFTs with a jewelry piece that came with the possibility of designing your Cryptopunk pendant and receiving it inside Tiffany's signature blue box. Holders had a few days to redeem their digital collectible for a physical pendant and chain.
The success of this was immediate and impressive, with the first Tiffany Cryptopunk selling for an eye-popping 12.5 million in the first 20 minutes.
The unique combination of digital art with a physical good added to the allure of these NFTs, making them a must-have item for art collectors and crypto enthusiasts.
At Wonther we will keep working on web 3 while still working on web 2. This means that besides doing regular e-commerce, on every special collection we design, we will provide an NFT version. This allows our customers to be able to buy the jewelry piece physically and digitally, making them able to showcase it on their social media profiles. Additionally, it works as an authenticity tool. This ensures that the jewelry piece cannot be replicated or counterfeited and gives our customers peace of mind: investing in a genuine, one-of-a-kind item that can also be showcased or traded digitally.
This evolution is important because jewelry has long been a symbol of personal style IRL and it allows this style to can be transferred into digital life. Jewelry has also been used to mark important milestones, such as weddings and graduations, and has been passed down through generations as a way to preserve family history and heritage. Can you see the similarities with a digital asset? We totally can.
The technology brewing behind Web 3 including NFTs has enormous potential to change the way we see and act on the internet.
At Wonther jewelry, we believe we need to be a leading example in the space that launches and sells phygital assets in the jewelry business. Therefore, we are embracing and sharing our journey as a brand with anyone interested in it. Ask us anything, just email us or comment send us a DM on social media. Keep in touch because the barrier beyond digital and physical is becoming less and less visible and we love that.
]]>Organic Love is a term that describes a feeling of natural and authentic love between two (or more people). It is characterized by a sense of acceptance as if the love between the two individuals is as natural as breathing. It is a love that transcends superficialities and embraces the truest essence of who we are as individuals. The idea behind organic love is that it should be celebrated and embraced, regardless of who the people involved in the relationship are.
Organic love is rooted in the belief that all forms of love are valid and deserving of acceptance and validation. It emphasizes the value of open-mindedness and a non-judgmental attitude toward love, rather than trying to impose societal norms on relationships and who people should be allowed to love.
It is a bond that is formed without any forced effort, it just flows and grows organically. Not only that, but it is a love that is built on trust, understanding, and acceptance. It is a love that is all-encompassing, inclusive, and accepting of all types of love. It is a love that should be celebrated with joy and wonder. Organic love is a reminder that love comes in all forms and that we should embrace it wholeheartedly.
It's not about perfection, or finding the right one,
It's about accepting and letting love come.
It's not just for the chosen few,
It's for everyone, and it's pure and true.
A bond that forms without hesitation. Love is Love - as natural as the breath we take in.
We have designed a piece inspired in the organic love concept: It's the Organic Love Heart. See more here Organic Love Heart .
]]>Symbol: Two Fish
Element: Water
Ruling planet: Neptune
Birthstone: Aquamarine
Thinks everything is a sign
Dreamers
Excessively romantic
Prone to fantasy
No boundaries
Nina Simone
Gabriel García Márquez
Anaïs Nin
Rihanna
Victor Hugo
Sensitive and intuitive, Pisces have these great skills. Their behavior can change according to their surroundings. If they are surrounded by big personalities, they can diffuse into those personalities, and you won’t notice them. They love to be around people or situations they can experience, such as a sandy beach, where they feel each grain, or next to someone that has a smell or a look that makes them feel a universal connection.
They are likely to not have a clear identity. Imagination is the biggest trait of a Pisces, and also their internal life - traits that are very hard to identify. Pisces are very into themselves, into their interior. They are boundless and they diffuse their presence with agility. They love fantasy and living in a magic existence melded with reality. Because our society usually praises hard skills, Pisces can feel they have no place because they speak the language of feelings instead of practical information. A Pisces will remember how you make them feel, but might not remember the situation. They can see your feelings sometimes even before you do. Very sensitive to emotional information they see the windows of people’s souls. They are detached from the external world, so sometimes you might see them as an outcast of realness. Very into melancholy, they find it pleasurable. They might hang on to a painful feeling because they rather feel bad than not feel anything at all. They are self-defeating and sometimes they can feel like a victim when they are the ones that contribute to that situation.
To seduce a Pisces, look into their eyes, tell them about your deepest fears, and let them know that you were never able to talk like this to anyone before. Send them this information in a letter, handwritten in French. Pisces can be taken advantage of because of their compassion, because they love to attract people to their causes more than to them. So, they can attract people with emotional issues. Pisces long for a love that empowers them and that embraces their sensitivity without taking advantage of them. The Pisces soul mate is someone that will love them but still help them restrain and materialize their personalities. The right partner will be warm and cozy, but not boring.
Pisces usually make friends easily and relate to others very easily too. Pisces love other Pisces and people with a deep emotional connection. They want to be there for friends, but sometimes they are distracted looking at a beautiful sunset and they will miss your call. Great listeners, Pisces sometimes internalize other people’s problems, and instead of helping solve them, they might just make everything worse. Because they attract very co-dependent friends, they might try to find some alone time, and these friends might not see that alone time as something positive. Pisces internalize resentment because they try to blame themselves for the problems. Sometimes they internalize so much resentment that it can come out as a non-expected outburst, and others might find that moment out of context, after all, everything was OK.
To celebrate the Pisces Zodiac Sign, we have designed a jewelry piece that organically embraces and celebrates the universe of Pisces. This is the Gender Neutral Pisces Jewelry Necklace.
]]>Symbol: Water Bearer
Element: Air
Ruling planet: Uranus
Birthstone: Amethyst
Esoteric
Love concepts
More in love with humanity as a whole than individuals
Always feels like an outcast
Fetishizes personal freedom
Virginia Woolf
Frederick Douglass
Michael Jordan
Yoko Ono
Huey P. Newton
James Joyce
Aquarius have a great sense of humor and love to gather friends around their knowledge and theories. Still, they are outcasts, because they love to be weird, they love conspiracy theories, and to create art installations with trash. They love to have the most strange or unpopular opinion possible. They love to be different to prove a point. They always go against the current. They have a world in their heads, even if that world doesn’t match others' reality. They are utopians. They love to think about problems that need to be solved or even to invent new ones. They don’t like normal, they don’t do normal. Rules are for others, and definitions too. They need freedom, they need that space to live between their need for a community and complete detachment. They live their lives as an experimental theory. Life is a laboratory and they will test all the hypotheses about human nature. They love causes, and demand the freedom to fight for them.
For Aquarians, love is a practical philosophy. To be noticed by an Aquarius, dress unconventionally and protest about the political system outside their workplace. When flirting they get nervous and when they try to flirt, instead of a sexy comment a new social theory can arise. On a date, Aquarius can forget to ask others questions and keep rambling about themselves and their vision of life. They love to use humor as a crutch. Aquarius are attracted to intelligence, imagination, and inspiration. If you have a different philosophical view of the world they don’t understand, or the same type of humor, both can be a spark for a love connection. Aquarians are always interested in figuring out people, not about who you are, but what are the facts you have learned, the experiences you have had, and what is your point of view on certain issues that move you. They will idealize the person they wish to have a relationship with. Aquarius want to be accepted, and sometimes they idealize their partners unrealistically. This will make them not accept their partners fully. They hate to feel others have formed expectations of them. They love to be independent and any type of expectations might make them distant and cold. They don’t like clingy partners. They have a very hard time compromising. Aquarius require a partner that can understand their need for space, who is interested in non-conforming types of relationships.
Aquarians are very friendly but hard to be close to. They don’t like to talk about their personal lives and prefer to talk about topics they enjoy, such as the latest environmental law. They don’t believe in prioritizing friends, so they will give a friend the same attention that they might give a stranger on the subway. They love to be the givers, especially to people they feel are in need at the moment, and those people might not be their friends. They like to see themselves as unselfish givers. They love to be surrounded by different types of people, but don’t like to develop a deep relationship with them. They don’t find deep connections interesting because they don’t want to fall into a constructed sense of friendship. If you are in a crisis, an Aquarius is not the best friend to seek. Social injustice or the world not corresponding to their philosophical standards can be very frustrating to Aquarius. They need to feel that what they do, even in friendship, is aligned with their beliefs. Aquarius take everything personally, especially if it hurts their self-image. They will deal with upset feelings with sarcasm and deflection.
To celebrate the Aquarius Zodiac Sign, we have designed a gender-neutral jewelry Aquarius piece that embraces and celebrates the universe of Aquarius. It’s an organic design that was made to be worn by the most amazing Aquarius.
]]>Symbol: Sea Goat
Element: Earth
Ruling planet: Saturn
Birthstone: Garnet
Pragmatic
The responsible friend
Drive by duty
Nothing gets in the way of success
Martin Luther King Jr.
Jeff Bezos
Timothée Chalamet
Michelle Obama
Edgar Allan Poe
Capricorns want respect and not admiration. They don’t desire to be the center of attention, but they want to prove their abilities, especially to themselves. They are masters of discipline, usually workaholics. They love competing with themselves. But they like to be appraised, not worshiped, just simple words about how they did a good job. They can go through adversity until they achieve success, even though they might feel inferior or incompetent. They love structure and goals to keep achieving and to tone down their self-criticism. They are very pragmatic and will get to the finish line, no matter what. They are very driven to success because they fear failure. In a position of power, they will become good leaders because they are very stable. Capricorns will try to fix every problem because they are naturally very responsible. They are the leaders, even though they don’t like to depend on anyone else because they are afraid to be dependable on others.
Capricorns don’t fall in love easily. To conquer a Capricorn, become their best friend and drop a few hints, a couple of years later they realize they are in love with you. Their love adventures can be just platonic ones. They don’t like to depend on anyone, and allowing themselves to be emotionally dependent can be very frightening. They admire self-sufficient people that dominate technical skills. They will also love someone that can explain art or philosophy with style and pose, or tell them historical facts of the ancient world. But they want to take the lead, and like people, that is not very emotional. Because Capricorns aim to be good at everything they do, sometimes intimacy might be a bit mechanical. Love might feel like a need for skill-proofing instead of passion. Capricorns love to fulfill others’ fantasies, so they become sophisticated lovers and understand when to be gentle and intense. They don’t lose interest fast, and they can also be very deep. They value family and stability; they are here for the long run. They love to be responsible for a goal, and sometimes family is that goal. Capricorns love people that share the same values as they do.
Great loyal friends, they expect the same in return. They need to feel secure and they like structure. They will be extremely dedicated to you if you have the same values as them. Work ethic is their biggest trait and sometimes it is hard to work with friends. They are very into the success path but also have a soft side. They are very practical and even if it looks like they don’t care about friends, that’s not the truth, because they will do anything to help them succeed in their goals. If you need help to get your life together a Capricorn friend will be the best one for the job. They are emotionally very dependable, and they won't leave you hanging, because they are very in touch with their values, and being dependable is one of them.
To celebrate the Capricorn Zodiac Sign, we have designed a gender-neutral jewelry piece that organically embraces and celebrates the universe of Capricorn. This is the Wonther Capricorn Jewelry Necklace.
]]>Symbol: Archer
Element: Fire
Ruling planet: Jupiter
Birthstone: Turquoise
Never still, always moving
Loves knowledge
Obsessed with self-improvement
The friendliest person at the party
Jean Michel Basquiat
Jane Austen
Nicki Minaj
Emily Dickinson
Diego Rivera
A Sagittarius loves to experiment, the world is their playground. They want to understand the world where they live but their internal world too. They love to question who they are. They are the zodiac philosophers. They love to experiment and are reckless when they go after what they want. They love the human mind, and the quest of understanding it, while they make their conjunctions about the universe. They love the journey and not the destination. The Sagittarius adores freedom and is one of the most generous signs in the zodiac. They are optimistic and they infect everyone with it. It’s very hard for them to focus, but once they get their mind on something, they will pursue it until they get it. They usually overcome impossible challenges. They don’t fear change and truly enjoy exploring the unknown. Because Sagittarius loves to transcend limitations, mundane life happiness can pass them by. They don’t appreciate the small victories, because they focus on the goal. This might make them dismissive. They love to know everything about everything, they love knowledge. Because they love knowledge and it’s very hard to acquire everything super fast, they have a hard time keeping up with discipline when learning about something. Sagittarius are natural risk-takers, and they don’t look back. This makes them abandon things even before they start, and many times they don’t get anything done. They can get caught up in various projects and won’t finish any of them.
Sagittarius are always trying to figure out what love is, they think about it more than other zodiac signs. They don’t need a person to complete them. To seduce a Saggitarius, talk about your personal life philosophy. Because Sagittarius are very open they tend to fall in love very quickly. They don’t see the point of waiting to get to know someone very well, they calculate the risk super fast. So, if a Sagittarius wants you, you will know right away. They know that love is not forever. They are attracted to novelty, and love at first sight is very common. Sagittarius are very independent and get bored very easily. They love new adventures, so they are constantly seeking a new one. They keep looking for someone to have a good time with, to experience the world with, without being afraid of the consequences. They love someone that also loves life. Sagittarius are attracted to the mind, by people that are intellectuals that can teach them about things they don’t know, and that have a sharp sense of humor. They love people that bring out their inner philosopher. Because they love freedom they are afraid of being vulnerable, so they move to the next adventure easily.
A Sagittarius loves the concept of friendship more than the person itself. They are loyal, but they are not consistent. They love the idea of loyalty but their freedom always speaks higher. So, if you try to retain them and don’t want to have a friendship on their own conditions, they will resent you. Never try to hold a Sagittarius back, put them in a specific box, force them into a shirt that doesn’t fit, because you will become their enemy. Because they love knowledge they hate advice, no one knows more than they do, so their pride sometimes doesn’t allow them to learn from other people.
To celebrate the Sagittarius Zodiac Sign, we have designed a gender-neutral jewelry piece that organically embraces and celebrates the universe of Sagittarius. This is our take on the Sagittarius Jewelry Necklace.
]]>Symbol: Scorpion
Element: Water
Ruling planet: Pluto
Birthstone: Topaz
Good with uncomfortable silence
Eyes that look into your soul
Sylvia Plath
Leonardo DiCaprio
Marie Antoinette
Björk
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Socially they are very popular, but they can also be very lonely. A very complex personality that is not always easy to get to know. Scorpios are strategic thinkers and socialize strategically. They can see behind your façade and are very sure where they stand. Scorpios have this idea of the world that is black and white, losers or winners, power or weakness. Every interaction is a win-or-lose situation. They learn very fast what a person’s weak point is, and they push those buttons in order to win, with no mercy. They can be manipulative, and because they like to win, they can play people against each other. They are not liars, but they always think twice about what to reveal, and every piece of information is very calculated when revealed. They are fierce and they confront problems head-on. They appreciate life because they don’t fear death. They have a huge illusion of control, and that makes them fearful of being vulnerable. They don’t like to open up, because they feel this will give other people control over them. They like to feel in control.
Be suspicious if a Scorpio tells you “I Love You” very fast, it’s just a test, don’t believe it, until you’re sure. Scorpions love to test people, so they can learn about their inner selves. They have no problem getting intimate fast, but falling in love takes a while. To be in love is to lose self-control, and Scorpios don’t like to lose control. But when they fall in love with someone, they can be very possessive, and they will want to know that person just like anyone else does. Scorpios are flirting masters, they have no inhibitions. They love how flirting can make them control the situation, and they love the game. They don’t do small talk, they just go straight to the point and they will say it as they feel it, and most of the time, they will state how you are feeling too. Scorpios have intense looks, and they will test you with their look, and if they feel you’re trustworthy they will attract you as a magnet. You’ll be getting on a Scorpio passion train if you’re someone that pushes their boundaries. They demand true passion mixed with a bit of dark forbidden energy. They don’t hide behind the mask of desire, and they desire someone that does the same. They love to dare and have dramatic experiences. Even though Scorpio loves passion, they also don’t like to be dominated by it, so sometimes their soul mate might be the opposite.
Scorpios are great friends. Loyal and concerned, they like real people because they don’t have the time for masks, just for what’s real. A Scorpio is happy in a friendship if it can dominate the relationship. They want to feel important and even vital to a relationship, when they feel this they will lean into a unique friendship. They will be accountable for the relationship and for the people they care about. They are very good at seeing real emotions, so they will know when you really need them.
To celebrate the Scorpio Zodiac Sign, we have designed a gender-neutral jewelry piece that organically embraces and celebrates the universe of Scorpio. Presenting the Wonther Scorpio Jewelry Necklace.
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Symbol: Scales
Element: Air
Ruling planet: Venus
Birthstone: Opal
Loves to be surrounded by people
Into aesthetic
Social butterfly
Conflict avoidant
Easily hurt
Friedrich Nietzsche
Kim Kardashian
Gwyneth Paltrow
Neil DeGrasse Tyson
They hate monotony and repetitive actions; they are always looking for ways to be inspired or challenged. Libras can look very contradictory, they can be introverted and extroverted at the same time. You can’t see the true character of a Libra right away because they change and mirror the environment. They love to be admired for their allure and love to have everyone gravitate towards them. They can be very indecisive because they value everyone’s sides and don’t want to hurt anyone. Because they value empathy, they can take longer to figure it out themselves. They are always willing to help others and can be easily manipulated. They need to be noticed so they can feel validated. Very positive, sometimes this feeling can be overwhelming because they might not see underlying signs. Libras are afraid of being alone, they love the pack feeling. They don’t like what they don’t know: Libras organize their lives so they don’t get in touch with the unknown. Sometimes this fear of the unknown and being risk-averse will prevent them from achieving their most desired goals. They are very sensitive to criticism because they value themselves with external validation. Libras usually prefer to blame their problems on external factors instead of their internal battles, so sometimes they lash out at others. It can be hard for them to verbalize their feelings, because of their internal turbulence.
To seduce a Libra take them to a party, don’t get any alone time, and say how much you admire their social skills. Libras are very into aesthetics, so they value beauty. They know how to enhance their best features, and they know how to show up well-dressed. They love beauty and see beauty in every detail, and because they love positivity, they believe that anyone can be beautiful even in their own flaws. Most of the time, the Libra’s interior can contrast with their exterior. On the outside you can see a very put-together, stylish, social person, but inside, they can be very murky and insecure. So, if you're into a Libra get ready to deal with these two sides. They need a soul mate that can be there for them at all times, that will show them the light when they don’t see it. They can be emotionally unstable, but they don’t show it, because it will reveal a side of them they don’t like. A Libra’s soul mate is someone that will help them be in control of their emotions, and that will love the dark and the light.
In a friendship with a Libra, the lack of commitment can become a reality. They have a very hard time focusing on one person, so it might be hard to maintain a relationship with them. They love to please everyone and don’t like to take sides. They love to compromise and are very empathic, so they can have a hard time telling the truth to others.
To celebrate the Libra Zodiac Sign, we have designed a gender-neutral jewelry piece that organically embraces and celebrates the universe of Libra. This is the Libra Jewelry Necklace.
]]>Symbol: Virgin
Element: Earth
Ruling planet: Mercury
Birthstone: Blue Sapphire
Perfectionist
Needs to feel useful
Has a quick fix for everything
Judgmental, with good intentions
Marsha P. Johnson
Bernie Sanders
Agatha Christie
Georges Bataille
Antonin Artaud
Virgos are all-around perfectionists. They are detail-oriented and will find patterns where no one else does. They are known for their attention to detail. They can be picky and critical. Clean freaks, Virgos don’t necessarily clean up to an excellent standard, but they can, for instance, freak out if you come into their home with your shoes on. Everything has its own place because Virgos always want to be in an organized environment. Virgos will also fix the lives of those around them and sometimes forget about themselves. They are very motivated to help fix other people's problems. Known for being intelligent, they have an introverted nature. Because of this nature, you might never know how they really think or feel. You might share your deepest thoughts with a Virgo, but you might not receive the same in return.
To be happy, a Virgo needs to feel useful, productive, and contributing to something bigger than themselves. They’re rarely motivated by their own self-interest. They need to feel needed to feel valued. Usually, you can see a Virgo behind the scenes, making everyone's lives easier. They love to-do lists and checklists, and they love setting goals that will cause impact.
Usually modest people, they don’t need grandiose gestures of appreciation. They will notice every detail in everything. They want to be perfect, but because they can’t, they are very insecure, and this can make them very unhappy. They need to be the best to feel their existence is valuable. This can make them lose touch with their feelings and be very rational. Because Virgos don’t know how to express their feelings very well, they can be very harsh or sarcastic.
It takes a while for a Virgo to fall in love. They are not into great passions. Because they need control over their lives, they don’t let themselves be easily infatuated with passion. They can be very cynical. But when a Virgo falls in love, they feel the need to correspond to the perfect relationship. To seduce a Virgo, ask for help with the bed laundry, and casually explain why you like to make the bed with clean, very well-ironed, and perfect Egyptian cotton sheets. A rigid person can be attractive because they can come across as a decisive and confident person. Virgos love to achieve beauty standards that can be very hard to achieve, and they can be very careful with their appearance. Health oriented, they take care of themselves meticulously. Their closets are usually curated, and their bodies are well toned.
The real problem is that when a Virgo falls in love they will look for the perfect experience, something that is not achievable in the real world. Virgos need to learn how to be at peace with themselves, to love themselves, to learn that they are love worthy, and then they will understand that to be in love is not a perfectly achieved goal.
Even though Virgos are perfectionists they are not superficial, they can find beauty in small details only they can see. Usually, Virgos feel attracted to someone that has a characteristic they want to fulfill in themselves. They can feel attracted to a creative person because they want to feel more creative. Virgos tend to be attracted to more unstable people because they like to fix people. Because most of the time this goal is not achievable, this will bring a lot of suffering, and the feeling that they have been taken advantage of. Virgos usually have unrealistic expectations, so they get very critical of others, they feel the need to point out others' flaws as they do in themselves. When they get involved in a relationship, they will always see the biggest potential, and because that is not usually achievable – because everyone has flaws – they can feel distracted, and their hearts lose interest. The mind usually wins over the heart.
Virgos are very dependable friends. They will pick their friends very carefully. They think before they act, so they usually take others’ emotions into consideration. They are the type of person that will call you and will ask if they can help you if they know you need it. Virgos love efficiency, so they don’t like to waste energy, space, or time. They love kind and empathetic people, but gravitate towards analytical people because they love to evolve and they love people who like to do the same. They are usually good at giving advice and love to solve problems. They can be very judgmental because they are always trying to identify flaws or illogical patterns or even hypocrisy.
To celebrate the Virgo Zodiac Sign, we have designed a gender-neutral jewelry piece that organically embraces and celebrates the universe of Virgo. This is the best gift: a beautiful Virgo Jewelry Necklace.
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Symbol: Lion
Element: Fire
Ruling planet: Sun
Birthstone: Peridot
Ambitious
Warm and creative
A big personality
Loving
Very into luxury
Kate Bush
Kobe Bryant
Kylie Jenner
Coco Chanel
Duchamp
Leo has a captivating personality and a theatrical charisma. They are bold and loving. With a talent for words, they can speak about any topic with great eloquence. Ruled by their big hearts, they are very ambitious. Very effortless about life, their actions are based on their instincts, but they love the praise of others. Their anger is a shield to feel protected from others, allowing them to show less of their vulnerabilities and that they don’t need others to feel complete. With a big presence, they can pass as braggers, because they love to share their accomplishments, but expect the same from others. Leos like to feel important, but not necessarily treated with reverence. They love to celebrate their life as they happily celebrate yours.
Leos hate to be bossed around, they like to be in charge of their destiny. They don’t forget acts of betrayal or abandonment, and their pride won't let them forget. Their sense of honor is their biggest flag, and they do anything to protect it. They don’t like to be told what to do, they can only be persuaded to do so. But even if persuaded, it’s not like they won’t resent you for it not being their idea.
Leos desire emotion and physicality. They love to be admired, so they need to feel like the sun in your life. That by choice you adore them. Their charisma is enough to attract you, so they enjoy a bit of submissiveness, but just a dash, because they love partners that are quietly powerful, and that will help them achieve their goals. To seduce a Leo, like their social media post, so you can get into their mind or show them a very important piece of art and say that it reminds you of them. Very passionate, Leos love the same enthusiasm in their partners. They are attracted to the same traits they see in themselves. They like confident and influential partners. If you’re into a Leo, just go after it, no apologies. They will do the same for you. They appreciate sophistication and confidence as the perfect combination. Even though on the outside they look super confident, inside they can be very insecure. All their charms usually compensate for their inner feelings. Because of this, they connect with people that tend to be more spontaneous and free than they are.
Generous, attentive, and loyal, Leos are great friends. They want to be loved for who they are, so they value genuine connections and take a long time to engage in one. They usually give more than they receive. Sometimes Leos are not great communicators of their inner feelings, they don’t realize this is the path to a deeper connection, and sometimes deeper connections fail to exist. Leos have to learn how to be vulnerable. Nevertheless, they will treat their friends like they treat themselves: as a piece of luxury. You can count on beautiful spontaneous gestures, and they don’t demand the same. Friendship means a lot to them. And when you need them, they will drop everything off and will be there for you. They are very proud, so if you hurt their feelings, or betray them, they will punish you with their distance. They value their honor and can feel resentment for a long time, they forgive but they don’t forget. If you want to continue your friendship with a Leo, accept their pain and version of what happened and move on.
To celebrate the Leo Zodiac Sign, we have designed a gender-neutral jewelry piece that organically embraces and celebrates the universe of Leo. This is the timeless Leo Jewelry Necklace.
]]>Symbol: Crab
Element: Water
Ruling planet: Moon
Birthstone: Ruby
Highly sensitive
Forgives but never forgets
Professional cuddlers
Takes on other people’s problems
Emma Goldman
Frida Kahlo
Marcel Proust
Franz Kafka
Very sensitive, Cancers have many emotions, they can feel everything. Change is not something they enjoy, and the comfort of familiarity and routine is their go-to – so no surprises, please. Very into the past, traditions, and even classic art, the past speaks to them immensely. They’re not very into new experiences. Because they have many moods, they can be weighed down by their mood or the surrounding ones. They don’t like to burden anyone with their feelings of pain, and they don’t like to be vulnerable, because they are usually afraid to get hurt. They can have many moods, and some can be very contradictory. They usually pretend to be OK, even if they are not. Also, they carry grudges, because they feel intensely and they don’t forget easily.
They love the idea of being in love. They don’t trust anyone entirely, because they don’t trust the love will last. They need constant reassurance. Hold them in a caring way, but firmly. They fall in love easily. Nevertheless, if a Cancer falls in love, it will carry that feeling for the rest of its life. They are very trustworthy when they are in love. Sometimes they are known to go back to their exes. Their desire for affection and love can lead them to their past and to entertaining the memories of the person they used to be with. To seduce a Cancer, take them on a date to an old castle or a vintage fair, they love history and old stories. Talk about your childhood stories, and about the past, it’s usually a good convo for Cancers. Even though they appear shy, they are very romantic behind their shyness. They also show their feelings easily even if they don’t realize it, in the middle of a conversation, or just in the middle of a story - so pay attention to the conversation, their true feelings might show up there. A Cancer doesn’t fall in love with a person, but with the degree of acceptance and unconditional love that the person is willing to give. So, sometimes for a Cancer, when there is a breakup, it takes a long time to heal, to regain their sense of self because their relationship is very attached to that concept.
They need to be reassured, not just in their love life, but also in their friendships. Great caretakers, Cancers love to take care of others, because they feel more comfortable in charge. Cancers can be stubborn, and sometimes harsh and vengeful to those who have wronged them and they take a long time to forgive. They tend to hold on to the past, even if it would be much easier to forgive and forget.
To celebrate the Cancer Zodiac Sign, we have designed a gender-neutral jewelry piece that organically embraces and celebrates the universe of Cancer. This is our Wonther Cancer Jewelry Necklace.
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Symbol: Bull
Element: Earth
Ruling planet: Venus
Birthstone: Emerald
Best cuddles
Loves to be at home
It’s all or nothing
Hates big changes
Patient and steady
Audrey Hepburn
Karl Marx
Malcolm X
William Shakespeare
They embody stability. They don’t like to take risks, and they are a rock when everything else is in chaos. They are very logical and grounded. They love routine and their own comfort. They are very materialistic because it’s a way of feeling stable and comfortable. They are usually patient and steady. Very appreciative of beauty, they like when everything is very predictable. They can eat the same meal every day and not get bored. Consistency is their middle name. They are great workers, like clockwork, very dependable, but still, they can be very stubborn because they don’t like change.
Tauruses can be very materialistic, and sometimes they get caught up in the path of greed. They can also be very insensitive to the needs of others. They don’t like criticism; they just don’t care about it. They can be very stubborn, and emotionally and physically lazy, because of the status quo they enjoy. They are not the best listeners and are usually unable to see the big picture.
To seduce a Taurus, invite them to a home-cooked meal, and make sure you get a comfy blanket and a movie because that’s their slice of heaven. And don’t forget to talk about how you have your entire financial future planned out.
A Taurus takes their time to fall in love, they like to have strong feelings, so they are in love for a long period of time. They need to make sure everything makes sense and is logical before committing. They like to show love, more than say it. They are dependable and try to do the best they can because they are not very good at expressing their feelings.
Taurus are attracted to people that make them feel comfortable and safe. If you want to conquer a Taurus, be practical, they love a practical quality.
Simple pleasures are their thing, so if you’re into simple home life, this is your person. Also, if you know how to cook, this can be a very big advantage.
Taurus are loyal but expect the same in return. They will only get into a relationship if they get back the same feeling of a strong foundation for the future. They like self-sufficient people, and people that just like them, don’t seek validation from others. Taurus is attracted to strong people that are in control, that have their life figured out.
Usually, a Taurus is everyone’s friend, but they tend to be friends with people that share the same interests. Taurus can take a long time to express their feelings and it’s the same when it comes to friendship. They are very slow to judge and take their time to deal with situations. They usually keep boiling in slow burn until they let their anger explode into a very big outburst. Mood plays an important factor: if a Taurus is in a good mood, they will deal with frustration, resentment and bitterness much better than if they are in a bad mood. Forget about playing passive-aggressive with Taurus, they will not tolerate it, they prefer straight talk and practical conversations about problems.
To celebrate the Taurus Zodiac Sign, we have designed a gender-neutral jewelry piece that organically embraces and celebrates the universe of Taurus. Here is our design of the Taurus Jewelry Necklace.
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Symbol: Twins
Element: Air
Ruling planet: Mercury
Birthstone: Pearl
Loves to tell a good story
Uses humor for day-to-day life
Passive-aggressive language
Loves to talk
Has a lot of knowledge about everything
Kanye West
Kendrick Lamar
Jean-Paul Sartre
Laurie Anderson
Stevie Nicks
Geminis are very funny, great communicators, and pick up knowledge very quickly. They love to ask questions, and they figure out pretty fast if you’re hiding anything from them. Usually, you can count on a few good laughs, because Geminis are very funny and love to know more about others because they are empathetic listeners. Because Geminis love to be around other people, they always long for a companion and have large social circles. Geminis are more reactive to their own feelings, and they will eventually build their own world. Always with their minds filled with thoughts, they tend to never see the end of the road, and sometimes because of that, they don’t like to take responsibility for the environment they create, because they are always looking for something new. They seem to exist in a perpetual state of internal conflict, always fighting between their rational and irrational sides. Very expressive, you can see on a Gemini's face the thoughts that are running through their head.
They will quickly discover if you’re into them. Just give a hint, no need for anything else. Usually, Geminis fall in love fast if they see themselves in the other person. They are unpredictable and love unpredictable people, because of their natural curiosity. As fast as they can fall in love, they can also fall out of love. They can be bored easily, and the fun part of the relationship is usually more important than a long-term commitment. It’s not easy for them to admit they are in a relationship. Because of their dual nature, Gemini are very indecisive and don’t like to make decisions. They need someone that can help them figure out their feelings and that can reach out to their stable side. In their chaos, they want to be understood. If you’re someone that appreciates duality, Geminis will be a great fit. A Gemini soul mate will stimulate their mind and their mundane life with fun times. A mix of mental and physical. If you fall in love with a Gemini you will fall in love with a person's duality, and constant sense of discovery. To love a Gemini you need to love yourself, and the Gemini sees themselves in you. So, to start or even to end a relationship with a Gemini can be a bit of a mess. They may act as a victim and may blame the other person or the environment for the breakup, usually everyone and everything else, but not themselves.
Geminis make friends anywhere and everywhere with almost everyone. Great party people, and also great storytellers. Still, don’t wait for their emotional attachment to you regarding your friendship. They may not be the most reliable friends, becoming very passive-aggressive, addressing the victim part of the story and in the end, you don’t even know how you got into that conversation. Geminis will tell you how they feel about you, but they will not let you know how you really make them feel. They love discord. But, if you’re bored, call your Gemini friends, they will cheer you up with their great stories and social skills.
To celebrate the Gemini Zodiac Sign, we have designed a gender-neutral jewelry piece that organically embraces and celebrates the universe of Gemini. This is the Wonther Gemini Jewelry Necklace.
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Symbol: Ram
Element: Fire
Ruling planet: Mars
Birthstone: Diamond
Easily forgets why it was angry
Has no filter
Is very competitive
High energy
Gets bored very easily
Needs to be in charge
Leonardo da Vinci
Harry Houdini
Mariah Carey
Charles Baudelaire
Aries need to do things their way. They don’t fear competition, honesty, or any conflict. They face a challenge without fear. They know what they want and go after it. Sometimes this quality can cause them a lot of pain. They are moved by a need to prove themselves, and this makes them ambitious and competitive. They are spontaneous and courageous and are constantly proving their strength. They love adventure and have high energy. Aries can be impatient, so time is not something to be wasted. They are very self-aware and they fight to prove their opinions. Because they tend to be impatient, sometimes they get angry because of their lack of self-control. Addicted to excitement and action, they feel everything very intensely and act out of pure emotion. Aries need to learn how to be more patient.
To conquer an Aries, dress in a way that they will notice you, be super sexy, and express how much you need someone to be your lover. Aries tend to fall in love quickly, they are driven by passion. They like to get to any point very fast, so they don’t like to wait around very much. Even though they can take their time to get to know a person, they will decide very quickly if they are into them or not. The same happens when the relationship is not satisfactory, it might end as quickly as it started. Aries are usually attracted to someone that is also high energy and who they feel can keep up with them. If you want to seduce an Aries, just put your cards on the table, and let them be themselves. Aries don’t hide their emotions, and physical demonstration is very important to them. Because they are high on energy, they can be very distant if they feel upset. It’s not easy to love an Aries, but if you’re into big thrills this might be a good match. Meanwhile, you also need to be able to teach an Aries how to compromise, and that their strength can be tamed, or else it can somehow become a dictatorship in love.
For an Aries to feel drawn to you, you need to be very flirtatious, and they love to be caught in flirtation. If you’re into risk, this is your soul mate. They respect someone who stands up for themselves and is outspoken because they don’t sugarcoat their feelings either. Aries are impulsive and love to embrace fears and challenges. Usually, Aries are not traditional people, and monogamy is not their strongest characteristic. But if you impress them in the right way, they can write a love story just with you. If you can enjoy this rollercoaster of emotions, then you can count on a very loyal and emotionally available person. In the end, Aries usually always leaves on good terms.
Aries need to feel they are respected, and if so, they are very loyal. However, Aries can be very set in their opinions, and if they feel disrespected or treated in a way that feels unfair, their respect will vanish. Their friendship love is unconditional for a while, but because they are very unpredictable, they can also change and you might not see your friend for a long time, or maybe ever again.
Aries usually like to be upfront, so when they take the backseat, they don’t really like it. They don’t necessarily need to be in charge, but they need to be recognized as the strongest link, and they don’t trust others to manage their faith. They need to feel they are in control, but they also need constant reassurance. They look brave, but they feel insecure about their braveness. If they feel another person can be in charge, they don’t have a problem with that, but they need to see a highly confident person, so they can feel safe about their destiny, or else they will get back in control.
To celebrate the Aries Zodiac Sign, we have designed a gender-neutral jewelry piece that organically embraces and celebrates the universe of Aries. This is our version of the Aries Jewelry Necklace.
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Did you know that the tradition of giving wedding anniversary gifts made of precious materials according to a wedding milestone has its origins in the Victorian era in England? At that time, it was believed that each gift should gradually increase in value as the years of the relationship passed. The more time that has been devoted to the relationship, the greater the value of the gift, to recognize the success of the marriage.
We have put together a Guide of Wedding Anniversary Stones for Every Milestone. Find out more about them here:
Although gold is not a gemstone, it is the traditional metal for the first anniversary, the most valuable metal on earth. It represents a time of brilliance and prosperity in a couple's life.
At Wonther we have some gold pieces of jewelry to gift on your first wedding anniversary.
The garnet gemstone symbolizes perseverance and strength and is known as a “commitment stone”. So, it is the perfect gift for a second wedding anniversary.
Pearls are quite unique, so they should be worn on special occasions. A perfect gift for a 3-year wedding anniversary!
Blue topaz is a gemstone that represents love and affection, so it makes an excellent 4th anniversary gift. It is also associated with loyalty and love because it symbolizes honesty and deep emotional connection.
Sapphire is a hard, stable gemstone that represents successful love, as well as a marriage that reaches the 5-year milestone.
The gem for your 6th wedding anniversary gift is amethyst, it is the stone of protection, attracting positive energy and repelling negative energy.
Onyx is the elegant stone traditionally chosen for the seventh wedding anniversary, the lucky year, which can also symbolize how lucky you are to have your partner and how special they are to you.
Tourmaline is known as the rainbow stone because of its variety of colors. It is a sparkling gemstone that symbolizes love and friendship, the perfect gift for an 8th wedding anniversary.
The lapis lazuli stone is known to strengthen relationships, help express emotions, and balance positive and negative energies, perfect for the 9th wedding anniversary.
The modern 10th anniversary gift is the diamond. This gemstone is a memorable and special piece that symbolizes strength, durability, and fiery passion, just like a 10-year marriage relationship.
Turquoise symbolizes a prosperous and healthy future, so it is the ideal stone to gift when celebrating your 11th anniversary with your partner, as it represents the power and romance of your love.
Jade is the stone that represents luck, wisdom, stability, and love. This stone ensures a long life, perfect for celebrating a 12th wedding anniversary.
The stunning citrine is the 13th wedding anniversary stone and can vary in color from yellow to brown. It is a stone that repels negative energies and is known as the stone of cuddles, due to its healing properties.
Opal symbolizes love and hope. It is a gorgeous stone used as a focal point in jewelry, the ideal gift for a 14th wedding anniversary.
Red is the traditional color of this anniversary, so red ruby is considered the 15th anniversary stone, symbolizing the passionate love that represents this milestone.
Peridot is the traditional stone to gift on your 16th wedding anniversary. It is a hollow silver stone in stunning green shades that are a reminder of the tenderness and lightness of your relationship.
The gemstone associated with the 17th anniversary is carnelian, an orange-red stone that signifies endurance and is an energy booster, protecting the relationship from bad vibrations.
To gift on your 18th wedding anniversary nothing better than a stone with a unique appearance, such as a cat's eye chrysoberyl.
Aquamarine is a stone that is associated with tranquility, hope, clarity, and fidelity, all of which are important for a successful marriage. Which makes it the perfect stone to mark the 19th anniversary.
The green emerald is an elegant stone that makes a special gift to celebrate the 20th anniversary, a unique milestone in a couple's life. This gemstone symbolizes feelings that a couple hopes to keep after 20 years of relationship, such as strength, duration, and invincibility.
Iolite is the traditional stone for a 21st wedding anniversary. It is ideal for helping to find direction in life, as it supports the thought processes.
Spinel has an enormous variety of colors: red, pink, orange, purple, and blue. For many years, red spinel was confused with ruby, and as a result is one of the most desired colors, which makes it the ideal stone for a 22nd anniversary celebration.
The 23rd wedding anniversary stone is imperial topaz, it is the stone of imagination and goals, typically offered in a reddish orange color. It is believed to be able to revive a person, increasing their positive thinking and expanding certainty and pride in their abilities.
Tanzanite is a relatively new gemstone. Known as the "stone of magic", it has properties that help to relax, calm stress, and improve balance. It is the traditional 24th anniversary stone, usually offered in the blue gemstone version.
The 25th wedding anniversary is known as the silver anniversary, so traditional gifts are silver jewelry, symbolizing the brilliance of a long-lasting relationship. There are endless silver jewelry options that you can gift, and at Wonther we have several jewelry pieces that are perfect for a 25th wedding anniversary.
Natural pearls are hard to find, so they are associated with the 30th anniversary because of the rarity of finding someone to spend your life with. In this way, gifting pearls can represent the beauty and scarcity of such a wonderful marriage union.
On your 35th wedding anniversary, you can take the opportunity to purchase a piece of jewelry with an emerald, the brightest green stone, to celebrate yet another important milestone.
The red ruby has always been the gemstone associated with the 40th anniversary for its representation of solid love and passion that has endured 40 years of marriage.
There is nothing that better represents a great lasting love than a 45-year marriage. This is a special milestone where you can offer a beautiful sapphire gemstone.
The 50th wedding anniversary is a milestone that deserves to be celebrated with gold, as a representation of the prosperity, richness, power, and happiness of a marriage that has lasted a lifetime. Gold also gives you the flexibility to choose any gemstone you want to gift.
"Emerald by day, ruby by night," is the nickname of alexandrite, for its dramatic color change. It is such an unusual and unique stone that it has become a singular gift for a 55th wedding anniversary.
Reaching 60 years of marriage is a milestone that needs to be celebrated. And there is nothing more unique and special than diamonds - a representation of the enduring strength of the love you feel for each other.
Platinum is a very resistant metal, just like a 70-year marriage, making it the ideal gift to celebrate this unique milestone in a couple's life. Choosing this metal also allows you to choose any gem option, as long as it is set in platinum.
Sapphire is a very popular stone that works perfectly in most types of jewelry, making it the ideal stone to celebrate the one and only 75th wedding anniversary.
The ruby is given as a symbol of love and companionship, and what can represent that better than 80 years of marriage? Take this rare love milestone as an opportunity to gift a gorgeous red ruby jewelry piece.
]]>If a child is being raised by a same-sex couple it can feel isolated, the same way that if a person who doesn’t identify as a mother is called one, or even someone who was adopted.
There are foster families, grandparents, unmarried biological parents, aunts, and so many people that stepped into mothering roles, that don’t feel acknowledged on this day. Without forgetting children that might have lost their mother figure and are dealing with loss or are grieving. Also, women that can’t conceive, or those without a mother figure in their lives such as a gay couple or a single father.
There is always space to celebrate everyone and to be mindful that we can all be more respectful of everyone’s feelings. So, let’s not make this day a painful celebration for anyone and respect those that don’t want to celebrate it or can’t. We can all agree that it’s a beautiful day, for sure, but making it better is our duty as better human beings.
We also need to consider that a mother is not always a birth giver, it’s someone that identifies as such. It’s time we consider that not everyone has a nuclear or traditional family, and we should adapt our thoughts and actions to it. A person can have two mothers, a single father, two fathers, be raised by a grandparent or a foster family or transgender parents. A birth parent might no longer identify as a mother. Regardless of the situation, we all need to make sure that these people feel included and are appreciated with the language and gestures we use for Mother’s Day, or other events that include the concept of family.
One way for schools, and all of us, to create a more inclusive Mother’s Day is to refer to it as Happy Your Day, or Special Person Day. We also must assure that if we send a card or wish a Happy Mother’s Day to someone, that person identifies as a mother because there are single dad parents or transgender parents that don’t identify as a mother. So, instead of Happy Mother’s Day, you might wish them a Happy You Day.
It’s about time we all stop saying that having children is something that will complete a woman, it’s just misogynist and judgy. A woman is a person, in her own right without or with children. Also, some women wish to have children and cannot, and saying they are incomplete is a total lack of respect.
We’ve heard those comments that point out that we are all going way too far with inclusivity and getting too sensitive, and too worried. We have all been called or heard a few words that deeply hurt our feelings, and that made us feel at our worst. So, being empathic is the ability to put ourselves in other people's shoes and try to think how much words and names can hurt someone, sometimes for a lifetime. What we say has a real impact on others. So why should our attitude towards Mother’s Day be any different? This is how we evolve as a better society.
It's time to change, to consider other people’s feelings, and to acknowledge a more inclusive Mother’s Day - sometimes just with a simple word change. We all deserve respect and support because our families are no longer a Brady Bunch concept, kids are being raised by single parents, adoptive parents, same-sex parents, or blended families. And they all deserve to be included in Mother’s Day.
Teach your children about all types of families. It’s so important that children learn to respect one another’s differences. For instance, if a child asks if a family can have two moms or two dads, you should say yes. Remind your children that families come in different shapes and forms, but what matters is everyone is cared for and loved.
Sometimes LGBTQ families celebrate Mother’s Day, other times, they don’t. There is not a rule we can expect everyone to follow. If you’re not sure if a LGBTQ family celebrates Mother’s Day or not, just ask, don’t make assumptions. Celebrations could be about Mother’s Day, and Parent’s Day could be about a surrogate, a birth parent, or a donor.
Building a broader definition of what it means to be a family shouldn’t be the responsibility of LGBTQ families alone. You can pick toys and books with diverse characters; you can tell stories that include all kinds of characters such as two parents of the same sex. Emphasize love. We all can help. Ask your kid’s teacher if they are including inclusivity on this day? If not, challenge them to do it and be part of the change. You don’t need to be an LGBTQ parent to ask for this, and to talk about inclusivity - don’t expect LGBTQ parents to do it only, it’s everyone's responsibility.
You can see Mother’s Day as an inclusive day and make it about family, for the families that wish to do so.
If you’re a schoolteacher, make sure you include activities on Mother’s Day that celebrate everyone and every spectrum of families. This day can be very hard, not just for parents but for the children that might feel left out or that they don’t belong. Sometimes children don’t share their family structure with their teachers or other children, so try to be aware of it.
Try to pay attention to children that shy away during this day. Never assume that a child has a mother or a father. Don’t forget to share inclusive stories, because the more everyone hears about these experiences the more inclusive we’ll become.
If you’re in contact with an LGBTQ family and don’t know what to do, just go with the words they use to describe themselves. If you have no idea, ask.
Talk and mention all kinds of families in your conversations, not just on this day but during every opportunity that presents itself. Not every family has a mom or dad, so make sure there is a safe place to celebrate every relationship.
Avoid gender stereotypes, stay away from drawings that only feature one type of family, cards that say that flowers are for mom, and that a car is for dad, or that men are strong, and women are sensitive. Talk about these gender stereotypes, and address mother and father qualities that are not culturally assigned to each gender.
Always take into consideration the children that don’t have a parent, that might have lost one, or that don’t have a relationship with them. So, when planning a celebration such as Mother’s Day, try to figure out which other adult or adults the child has a special bond with, and include them in the drawings, texts, or other activities. Ask their parent or guardian who is the person they are closest to.
Don’t make this day about exclusion, it is supposed to be about love.
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NFTs, blockchain, cryptocurrency, the metaverse of VR, gaming, and internet 3.0 – everything is evolving fast and furiously. Jewelry is no different, it is also evolving beyond the physical world. And so did Wonther. Overall, we as a brand like to evolve, not just in our ethos but also in our creations, and this time it’s all about NFTs. Consequently, we’ve launched a collection with 5 jewelry NFTs that intend to create a real connection in the virtual world. Can this actually make sense?
Real connections are rare and deserve to be honored. We deeply believe this. We wanted to allow anyone to instantly, through jewelry, send this message to someone. So, we’ve created an exclusive jewelry NFT that allows anyone to show a special person that there is a true connection bonding them forever. It’s a celebration of a connection you have with someone in the real world – or maybe even in the Metaverse. Real connections can’t be faked, just as you can’t fake an NFT.
This collection is composed of 5 different jewelry links that can only be bought as an NFT. Even though these are all paired with a real-life jewelry piece, with the same characteristics as the NFT, the truth is that you can gift a Wonther NFT jewelry piece and create a link of real connections. A piece of jewelry can be passed from a mother to a daughter or from a friend to another. So can an NFT, and the registration will be there forever. All the ownerships will be registered on the digital certificate, and you can see the connections history that this jewelry NFT has made through time.
Because NFTs are non-fungible tokens, it means that this is a property title that cannot be defrauded, but can be issued and traded entirely online, efficiently, and securely. An NFT guarantees the ownership of a digital asset or the authorship and licensing in the digital universe, which is an advantage in the face of the scary distribution and illegal reproduction of online content.
NFTs run on a protocol or technology called the blockchain. In short, blockchain is a system that allows you to track the sending and receiving of some types of information over the internet. They are pieces of code generated online, which carry connected information, like blocks of data that form a chain. It is this system that allows the operation and transaction of so-called cryptocurrencies, encrypted, and decentralized. NFTs secure a digital contract with an irrevocable record.
First, you need the design or the NFT piece itself, in our case the collectible. We’ve worked with two designers, our dear sweet Carla that created the 3D design, and the talented Pedro, who’s specialized in motion design.
The purchase and sale of the NFT take place through exclusive digital platforms for NFTs trading. We’ve chosen OpenSea to do the minting (the process of creating an NFT and registering on the blockchain) because it’s one of the most popular and has a huge community behind it.
Depending on the blockchain and the NFT marketplace chosen to mint your NFT, you can expect different costs. The minting puts an NFT on a smart contract blockchain, but you usually need to pay the transaction fees. You must always consider the minting cost and the fuel cost associated (that fluctuates daily). You will also need a crypto wallet to pay for the minting and to store the NFTs that are priced and paid for in cryptocurrencies – typically Ethereum. Ours is also Ethereum priced. After this point, an NFT will be stored on a blockchain and encrypted using a unique code that allows the ownership or the transaction.
Anyone who wants to transact an NFT, it can be a jewelry one, or any other form of art such as music, digital art, or literature, must also have an account on one of these platforms, usually OpenSea, Rarible, SuperRare, Axie Infinity, BakerySwap… and associate it with their own crypto wallet, where the cryptocurrencies are kept – you can find several, such as MetaMask (most used in OpenSea), Keyruptive, Coinbase, Electrum, Mycelium… The crypto wallet used to mint NFT is the gateway pass to a collectible, and it also keeps track of each transaction. Furthermore, the crypto wallet provides access to the NFT via public addresses and private keys.
The differentiation of NFTs is that the idea of collection and value is no longer restricted to rare items in the physical world, it allows the existence of opportunities for digital rarities or collectibles. It’s like the Mona Lisa painting, anyone can look at it in the Louvre, but the painting belongs to the museum.
Even though an NFT can be viewed for free and online, in addition to owning the NFT, you can dispose of it, that is, and depending on its valuation in the market, it can be a good investment.
Find our NFT collection here
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“I wish people would buy clothes with a conscience. I wish they would stop and think what the real cost is for us here.”- The Machinists.
These 14 movies/documentaries are a selection that will make you more aware of our reality. There is a lot of dark in the fashion industry, but there is also hope. We all need to be aware that to create change we need a combined effort: awareness, caring, making the right choices, and putting our money where our values are. So, press play on your values.
Think about fast fashion, and then really think about it. The True Cost is a story about the impact on the people that make the clothes. It’s not about fashion, nor trends, or dissatisfaction about not owning the last trend inspired by the uber influencers or celebrities. It's about how much your dissatisfaction costs.
While clothes are cheaper and cheaper, so are the lives of the people that are making them. The rise of environmental and human rights costs cannot be unseen. Before you buy a $5 shirt or a $10 pair of jeans, think again.
This movie was filmed all over the world, featuring celebrities such as Stella McCartney, Livia Firth and Vandana Shiva.
Watch: True Cost
This documentary is about the real-life and exploitation of garment workers in Bangladesh. This film gives voice to three young people, mainly women, working in the factories in Dhaka before the building collapse in Rana Plaza - the sad tragedy that gave light to the ethics behind the outsourcing practices in the apparel industry.
The Machinists documentary tells the personal stories of three young women who are Dhaka garment workers and the boss of a fledgling trade union in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
You can see the story of a single young mother who lives in a room with her two sisters and seven other family members. Another story is about a young woman whose family sent her from her village to work in the factories when she was only nine years old, earning much less than the monthly cost of living in Bangladesh.
Filmed by Hannan Majid and Richard York you can listen to words such as “I wish people would buy clothes with a conscience. I wish they would stop and think what the real cost is for us here.”
Watch: The Machinists
Fashion name-dropping? Luxury fashion glamour? Not so fast. Let's look into what's behind the curtain: a culture that drives the exploitation and abuse of migrant workers. From coats to handbags. This movie documents an infiltration into factories, farms, and tanneries to really expose the fashion cost that you might be supporting. Gucci, Prada, Polo, etc. Have you ever wondered how are their products produced? Contractors and subcontractors, no regulations and no links between them, make all this a murky industry. From human working conditions to fur origins, animal rights, overall, chocking footages. The brands can no longer pledge ignorance, and you can see why, after watching “Luxury: Behind the Mirror”.
Watch: Luxury: Behind the Mirror
Internationally premiered at the Toronto Film Festival (Canada), this is a movie about women's rights. It shows the bravery of a woman who goes against these norms, facing the lack of liberty, and how the fashion industry is not contributing to change in this scenario at all.
Shimu fled her village as a child when her stepmother threatened to marry her off to a middle-aged man. Now 23 and living in the capital, she works grueling hours for paltry sums at a textile factory while her husband searches for work.
After an accident at work that caused the death of a colleague, Shimu decides to create a union. Committed to improve the conditions of each worker, her life takes on a new purpose at union meetings, where she raises her and other women’s voices, defending their rights.
However, in a world dominated by men, this change is poorly accepted and Shimu is forced to take a stand on two different fronts: at home, with a husband who disagrees with her ideas; and in the factory itself, where bosses discontented with the course of things try, in every way, to put an end to the demands.
Watch: Made in Bangladesh
Have you ever heard about the most polluting industries? Well, the fashion industry is in the TOP 5. Following international river conservationist, Mark Angelo, RiverBlue spans the globe to infiltrate into one of the world’s most pollutive industries: fashion. Narrated by clean water supporter Jason Priestley, this revolutionary documentary examines the destruction of our rivers, its effect on humanity, and the solutions that inspire hope for a sustainable future.
Through harsh chemical manufacturing processes and the irresponsible disposal of toxic chemical waste, one of our favorite iconic products has destroyed rivers and impacted the lives of people who count on these waterways for their survival. RiverBlue brings awareness to the destruction of some of the world’s most vital rivers through the manufacturing of our clothing and also acts as a demand for significant change in the textile industry, from the top fashion brands that can make a difference.
Watch: RiverBlue
It’s about the way we take care of clothes. It’s about how to improve the understanding of what people will use and wash. How can we take care of clothes sustainably today and tomorrow?
It’s an understanding of the evolution and technological development in everything that involves fabrics and how it has been affecting the creation of clothes.
The Next Black brings together designers, innovators, and leaders from around the globe for a discussion on the concept of clothing. It explores ahead of what we are wearing to explore how we produce clothes, how we interact with them, and how we care for them. Each person interviewed has a fresh perspective on the future of the clothing industry - and all of them are using their passions to fuel change.
Watch: The Next Black
Where can our Western clothes go after when we don't want them anymore? Let’s travel to Northern India, more specifically to Panipat, a single place in the world that accepts them and recycles them back to yarn. Every year 100,000 tons of clothes make their way to India to be recycled. This awareness-raising short doc from UK-based filmmaker Meghna Gupta, makes you reflect on overconsumption. Even when we think clothes can be recycled, someone must do it. And where do they go? To places with cheap labor, and underprivileged women. A story about Reshma, a bright, inquisitive young woman working in a textile recycling center who dreams of traveling the vast distances the clothes she handles have.
While Reshma shows us how these garments get transformed, she and other women workers reflect on these clothes. The thread then begins its own journey, inevitably winding back up as cheap imported clothes. And the cycle begins again.
Watch: Unravel
If you care where your clothes are made, this is the movie for you. And if you don’t, it’s also for you. Traceable is a documentary following emerging Fashion Designer Laura Siegel and the journey to develop her Fall/Winter collection using ethical and transparent practices. Fast fashion clothes and their low prices make us disconnect where, how and by whom these clothes are made. Laura Siegel rejects the world of fast fashion and instead opts for something more sustainable. Not only does she believe in offering clothes that are good for the environment, but sustainability also means that it supports and helps the communities that make them.
It would be amazing for the world of fashion if we started valuing the makers of our clothes and the ancient production practices, which have made clothes into remarkable pieces of art.
Watch: Traceable
Nowadays clothes are not created to last a lifetime and fast fashion rarely lasts one season. Before the introduction of fast fashion, there were 4 clothing seasons in one year. Now, there are 52, with new styles coming out every week.
English musician Alex James became familiar with the term “fast fashion” during his days on tour. Rockstars are constantly being sent new clothing, regardless of environmental factors. James found this outrageous and began avoiding fast fashion from the beginning, by negotiating whether new pants and socks were necessary. He began his exploration by slowing down and seeking solutions. By talking to designers, activists, and high street brands, the film shows that there is a wide-ranging and ever-growing thirst for change. The first thing we must do is ask ourselves these 5 questions:
50% of the clothing we own ends up in landfills (washington post), and 80% of what we wear is made up of petroleum, which is non-degradable. Throwing clothes in landfills is an unsustainable option. After asking yourself these questions before purchase, it is also important to come with a knowledge of the clothes you intend on wearing.
Watch: Slowing Down Fast Fashion
This is no exploitative doc, relying on shock value. It started off as a web series, chronicling the experiences of three young fashion bloggers, who spent a month living the life of Cambodian garment workers in Phnom Penh. But after the headlines and articles all over the world, million hits and many inquires, the web series has been re-versioned into an hour-long documentary.
Frida, Anniken, and Ludwig live, breathe, and dream fashion. They spend hundreds of euros each month on clothes and make a living promoting the latest trends. Aside from the speculation that factory workers must be ‘used to’ their hard lives, they have never given much thought to the people who make their clothes.
As well as working in the factories, the workers must survive on 3 dollars a day. These are consequences of cheap fashion. When hip fashion bloggers swap shoes with Cambodian textile workers: that's exactly what you can watch here.
Watch: Sweatshop: Deadly Fashion
This is a documentary film about the worst industrial disaster of the 21st century. How can any of us forget the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh? An 8-story building that housed factories, with no conditions whatsoever, filled with workers, mostly women, that were making clothes for many known fast fashion western companies? More than 1100 people died and 2400 were injured.
Through a series of compelling interviews and unseen archive footage, the film gives voice to those directly affected and highlights the greed and high-level corruption that led to the tragedy. It also provides an insight into how the incredible growth in the garment industry has transformed Bangladesh, in particular the lives of women.
Described by the Telegraph as "blunt and brilliant", the film raises fundamental questions about the global fashion industry and the responsibilities of all those involved.
Clothes to Die For is directed by Zara Hayes and produced by Sarah Hamilton.
Watch: Clothes to Die For
Life, death, oppression, and resistance. 5 years with the women of Bangladesh's sweatshops and their fight for a better life. This is an extraordinary and raw insight into the lives of the female factory workers in Bangladesh. You can look at the struggles that women trade unionists in the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) have faced in Bangladesh over the last five years.
Women make up the majority (85%) of workers in the garment industry in Bangladesh but only under 2% of these workers are in trade unions. Women workers frequently face harassment by male supervisors and can face particular harassment if they are in a trade union. Yet the women in the film will discover that being part of a union is the only way they can overcome the serious problems they face at work with unsafe conditions, low pay, and very long hours. One worker says she only gets to see her baby for one hour a day when she gets home in the evening, and then he's asleep.
UDITA also shows the terrible impact that was caused on families by the Rana Plaza collapse, following one woman whose daughter and stepson were killed in the collapse, who now must care for her daughter's children. In one scene we can watch the children listlessly walking over the rubble of the Rana Plaza factory under which their mother was crushed.
This film underlines the importance of solidarity and support to make sure more women leaders emerge to win dignity at work in garment factories.
Watch: Udita (Arise)
We live in an age of hyper-consumption, and nowhere is this more obvious than the fashion industry. Fast fashion is driven by glossy advertising campaigns and many consumers are constantly buying new clothes. New collections are arriving on the market at an ever-increasing rate. And if you believe the information campaigns run by some of the textile giants, you’d think consumers can now buy with a clear conscience. It’s become trendy for clothing labels to tout their green credentials, advertising eco-friendly labels allegedly made according to strict environmental standards. But is it all genuine? Two reporters go undercover to find out what’s really happening in the textile factories where many clothes destined for the European market are made. They discover the extent of the environmental devastation caused by the industry and how companies are making a profit from the fact that sustainability sells. This is a movie about greenwashing.
Watch: The Clothes We Wear
Do you know where the gold in your ring comes from? This film reveals that glittering gold can have a dark shadow. The Shadow of Gold takes an unflinching look at how the world’s favorite heavy metal is extracted from the earth. The film explores both sides of the industry: the big-time mining companies that dig deep and lop off mountaintops to extract gold from low-grade ore, and the small-time miners – who extract gold by hand, often producing just enough to survive.
From Indigenous people in British Columbia struggling to recover from a spill of toxic mine waste to the brotherhood of Chinese miners, sick with silicosis, fighting a state-owned gold mine for compensation and an artisanal miner in Peru who knows that the mercury he uses to process gold is toxic and polluting, but feels he has no other option.
Being China the biggest producer and gold consumer, at the top of the supply chain, – in London, Dubai, and Toronto – you can watch how conflict gold reaches unaware consumers and how gold-mining corporations are allowed to damage ecosystems with impunity.
The film also shows a better hope for gold with engineers, scientists, and Fair-Trade advocates who work with miners to tackle gold’s worst environmental and social problems. You can even see new technology that replaces cyanide-based processing with a biological process that leaves no toxic cyanide in the waste.
In the end, The Shadow of Gold isn’t all about gold, or even its shadow. The film enters the lives and tells the moving stories of hard-working people who face danger just to go to work every day, in the hope of securing a better life for their families.
Watch: The Shadow of Gold
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Just as a dash of curiosity: did you know that the letters of the modern English alphabet developed from the Latin alphabet, which came from the Etruscan alphabet, which was taken from the Greek alphabet, which was borrowed from the Phoenician alphabet, which evolved from an ancient Semitic alphabet, which in turn was made from symbols borrowed from Egyptian hieroglyphs? Now you know it.
These are interpretations of each initial letter when it is used at the beginning of your name. Discover what the initial of your name means.
A is the equivalent of number 1 and symbolizes confidence. When A is the first vowel in a name, the person tends to be bold and courageous. The letter A resonates with confidence, independence, and leadership. A is one of the most powerful letters of the alphabet, and people who have this letter as their initial are the movers of the world. They are influential individuals. They like to take control and are generally very sure of themselves.
People with the letter A are innovators, researchers, teachers, and people who show others the way. They are leaders, motivators, and visionaries who are aware of their own intrinsic powers.
On the negative side, a person with the initial A can be critical and discouraging of the efforts of others.
B is the equivalent of the number 2 which represents emotions and duality. People with the initial B are very considerate. 2 is also the number of love and this aspect is one of the most important emotions for the B person. Relationships are also very important to the B person. The letter B resonates with the idea of teamwork and cooperation. B’s know how to organize and handle people with care. Peace and harmony are of the utmost importance to them. A person with a B initial is friendly, caring, and sharing.
On the negative side, B can be self-absorbed and a bit greedy at times.
The letter C resonates with the ideas of creative self-expression and being an inspiration. Life is likely to be approached with self-expression, inspiration, and spontaneity. C is good-spirited, optimistic, and tolerant. C is the alphabetical equivalent of the number 3 which represents creative energy, curiosity, and communication. C people are incredibly talented and get along well with others and are also quite social.
C’s are most often optimistic souls who have a genuine enthusiasm about life. A C person is a generally good conversationalist, charming, and very easy-going and. Their ability to communicate can be motivating and inspirational.
The C person is capable of deep love and emotions. The C's popularity can bring many contacts and social situations.
On the negative side, C people can be ruthless and sometimes lack empathy.
The letter D has high willpower and perseverance. It resonates with the ideas of pragmatism, security, and focus. Security and methodology are likely to take precedence. D is also the equivalent of the number 4 which represents balance, security, and hard work. D is very powerful and usually associated with business and wealth. When D is the first initial the person is prone to find success in their lives.
People with D as their initial feel compelled to build strong foundations for themselves and those around them, particularly family.
On the negative side, a D person can be stubborn, often to their own detriment.
The letter E vibrates with ideas of curiosity, entertainment, imagination, and expression of a sense of freedom. The person tends to easily adapt to changing circumstances. A person with the E initial is usually highly flexible and good at accepting change throughout life. With E resonating with the 5 energy, they always seek excitement. E’s are imaginative, and often, through their unconventional way of thinking are quick thinkers and clever observers, analytical and versatile.
On the negative side, a person with the letter E as their initial can be unreliable at times.
The letter F resonates with the ideas of family-orientated, nurture, responsibility, and harmony. The person tends to have a warm heart and prefers to do things that benefit the loved ones such as family and friends.
F is the equivalent of the number 6 and represents love in all its’ forms. F’s are warm-hearted, compassionate, and easy-going who enjoy the company of others. When F is the first initial in a name it carries the vibration of a nurturer.
People with the F initial are responsible, romantic, and artistic. F’s are lovers of children and animals and strive for peace and harmony. F’s have a great depth of compassion and understanding and always want to keep everything harmoniously balanced. This always go hand to hand to protect and take care of others.
On the negative side, F people can be quite self-piteous.
The energy represented by the letter G resonates with the ideas of intuition, instinct, purpose, wisdom, and introspection. The approach to problem resolution is always scientific.
G is the alphabetical equivalent of the number 7, which represents mysticism, spiritual and religious experiences. Imagination, order, high intelligence, determination, joining a spiritual and a scientific view on life.
A G initial person is imaginative, creative, and helpful. When G is the first initial in a name, tend to be a loner.
Those with the G initial have intelligent, quick minds. Very little escapes their observation and deep understanding.
On the negative side, G's do not listen very well to others nor listen to any advice.
The letter H resonates with the ideas of success, business, and material accumulation. The letter H is the alphabetical equivalent of the number 8 and represents creativity, wisdom, and power. The person tends to be precise, practical and well organized. The H and 8 number have much to give the world as they are an efficient, stable, and reliable influence. Life tends to be approached with a material view and personal goals in mind.
An H person has a great deal of business insight and most often can create, establish, and maintain wealth for themselves.
H people tend to see the bigger picture. H’s look at life in a practical manner, using discernment. Being the leader and having authority, H must have a purpose and a goal in life.
On the negative side, a person with the initial H can be self-absorbed and greedy.
Life tends to be approached with a vision of what is ideal. The letter I resonates with the ideas of tolerance, philanthropy, and humanitarianism. It also resonates with compassion and idealism, and both tend to affect life decisions. I is the alphabetical equivalent of the number 9 and represents law and order. The I personality is sensitive, compassionate, and humane. They don't like confrontation of any kind.
9 is the vibration of the ‘humanitarian’, and those with the initial I are generally willing to make sacrifices for those less fortunate than themselves. They are intelligent, dependable, deep thinkers and fighters for justice and causes. The peacemaker, mediator, negotiator, I people work well with others and feel most comfortable when they can give their time and efforts to humanitarian causes.
I’s have a great depth of human understanding, compassion, and sensitivity which enables them to inspire friendships, affection, and love in those they meet and help.
On the negative side, people with this first letter of I can be ill-tempered and moody.
The letter J resonates with the ideas of wholeness, self-determination, and exploration. It also resonates with infinite potential. The letter J is truthful, benevolent, and intelligent.
The letter J is the equivalent of the number 1 and is one of the most powerful and influential letters of the alphabet. The person is likely to approach life demonstrating independence, preferring self-reliance.
People whose names begin with the letter J like to be in charge, whether that be upfront or from behind the scenes. Those whose names begin with J are leaders, motivators, and idealistic visionaries and are generally quite sure of themselves.
They have a creative approach to problem-solving and initiating action. J’s are generally conscientious, well-behaved, punctual, and hard-working individuals who tend to be very detailed and meticulous.
J people can be quite ambitious, self-confident, determined with a strong will.
On the negative side, J can be lazy and lack direction.
People with K as their first initial are strong-willed and influential. K is the alphabetical equivalent of the number 2, which represents someone who goes to extremes. The energy represented by the letter K resonates with the ideas of charisma, spirituality, relationships, and teamwork. There is a dynamism about the energy, generally focused on companionship.
K people must look for balance and harmony in everything they do.
K’s are the mediators and the helpers of the world. They have the talent and ability to work well with others and are very considerate towards others. In many ways, K’s are dependent upon others and seem to function best when in a partnership or a form of group activity.
A person with the initial K, being influenced by the number 2, must always be true to themselves. They must live their truth to feel authentic.
On the negative side, K’s can be quite dissatisfied with life at times and often take their discontent out on others.
The letter L resonates with the ideas of inspiration, exploration, optimism, and creative self-expression. It is inspiring energy that can affect people who move within the letter's energy resonance. The approach to life tends to be both creative and optimistic.
L is the numerical equivalent of the number 3, which represents creativity, action, and communication. A person with the initial L is most often a charitable and friendly person. The 3 energy encourages L’s to be enlivening, youthful and enthusiastic individuals.
Charismatic, cheeky, and sociable fun-lovers, L’s are adaptable to change and adore colorful bright surroundings. The gift of communication is there for the L person, as are an inspiration, cheerful optimism, and joy. The L person loves life and wants and needs to share their enthusiasm with those around them.
On the negative side, L’s can be somewhat accident-prone.
The energy represented by the letter M resonates with the ideas of focus, pragmatism, self-reliance, and creativity. It is industrious energy. Life tends to be approached with the intent to achieve a desired position or circumstances, a secure foundation for the future.
M is the alphabetical equivalent of the number 4, which represents spirituality and solid foundations. A person with M as their first initial is extremely loyal, hardworking with traditional values and high morals and ethics.
M’s do not want to be told what to do and can quickly become argumentative and aggressive when pushed beyond their patience and endurance.
M’s have a great deal of self-confidence and are likely to achieve success. They are generally work-oriented people who have a plan for everything and have a high standard of honesty. M’s are dependable and need to be practical about all that they do.
M’s are cautious people who do not jump into anything impulsively, they need to think things through thoroughly.
On the negative side, people with the letter M as their initial can be workaholics.
The letter N resonates with adventure, independence, and focus. It is energy resonating with both pragmatism and the expression of a sense of freedom.
N is the alphabetical equivalent of the number 5, which represents imagination, freedom, and fun. An unconventional approach to life is common, with originality and creativity and with a genuine enjoyment of life and interacting with others. The 5 energy encourages N’s to be opportunistic and pragmatic, and at times they can be very persuasive.
An initial N person is generally active, daring, non-conventional, and attracted by the physical senses and indulgences.
N is a natural researcher and detective and are a very intellectual, imaginative, versatile, and investigative individuals.
N’s are quite often unconventional and do not follow the crowd or the more accepted modes of life. N’s need freedom to express themselves in their own way. N’s do not like confinement or routine and have the need for constant change and activity in their lives.
People with the initial N are intuitive and communicative, but on the negative side can be predisposed to envy and jealousy.
The letter O resonates with the ideas of patience and responsibility. It is also curious. Along with A, J, and S, the letter O is one of the most influential and powerful letters of the alphabet.
Number 6 symbolizes responsibility and service to others, which needs to be achieved through love, nurturing and protection. 6 vibrations strongly influence people with the initial O. Life tends to be approached with idealism and moral standards. Focused self-discipline and firm willpower are likely to be strong in this approach to life. The number 6 represents truth, order, justice, and economy. O people will have many opportunities in their life to learn their responsibilities and to give service to humanity.
The letter O is a personification of truthful, benevolent, and intelligence, and others are drawn to the loving, magnetic energy of them. O’s will fight for their principles and ideals and are deeply concerned for the welfare of others.
Even though they are sensitive and kind, O’s do not bend over their personal truths
The drawback or negative side of being an O person is a tendency to be a bit of a ‘drama queen’ at times.
The energy represented by the letter P resonates with the ideas of scientific knowledge, spiritual knowledge, wisdom, independence, and family. It is an intuitive energy. There is likely to be a certain spiritual, metaphysical, or philosophical approach to life.
The letter P is the alphabetical equivalent of the number 7 and represents power and spirituality. When P is the initial, the person is likely to consider spiritual matters and be very curious about life in general.
P’s have a deep desire to learn and they possess the abilities that will assist them in being a great teacher in any field.
P people use their natural senses to gain deeper knowledge into the unseen, metaphysical, and spiritual realms. P’s have extraordinarily psychic abilities and tendencies and are natural healers. They are known to sometimes possessing a dry sense of humor. P’s often can be quite introspective and introverted.
Many P people have an air of mystery about them and may not wish for anyone to know too much about them. P people can shut themselves off and make you feel as though they are not remotely interested in what you are doing or saying, but in reality, they are great observers.
On the negative side, people with the initial P can be selfish at times.
The energy represented by the letter Q resonates with the ideas of efficiency, realism, introspection, and independence. It is a business energy. Spiritual understanding is balanced with scientific knowledge.
The initial Q symbolizes genius. Q is also the alphabetical equivalent of the number 8 and represents wealth, originality, and stability.
Q’s have a great deal of willpower, courage, integrity, trustworthiness, and stability, and being influenced by the number 8, Q’s goal is to work for the cause of enhancing humanity and the world.
The Q person has a philosophical nature, and within them, there is a desire to know all about life and its purpose. Q has a strong driving force that persists to achieve goals. The intensity in which they work can at times seem overwhelming to others.
Q’s are loyal, true and dependable, and honest, and they let you know where you stand at all times.
On the negative side, a Q person can be too self-absorbed.
The energy of the letter R resonates with tolerance, efficiency, realism, self-determination, and compassion. R has a humanitarian point of view.
The letter R is the alphabetical equivalent of the number 9 and is representative of tolerance, wisdom and humanity. With the letter R as the first initial of a name, the person will often act as a diplomat throughout their lives. The 9 vibration is one of the healer and educator, acting always for the benefit of others. This strongly influences R people, who look for and find solutions from the inspirational, intuitive and creative worlds.
R people can be highly creative and often the fields of art and culture may interest them. R’s enjoy luxury and being comfortable and have an appreciation of beauty in all its forms.
The person is likely to be stable, approaching life with a business sense and a certain self-reliance, and with goals related to benefitting humanity.
On the negative side, R’s can tend to become short-tempered. R’s can be quick to become tense and stressed as they attempt to solve everyone else's problems.
The energy represented by the letter S resonates with the idea of independence, self-reliance, tolerance, and humanitarianism. S is an energetic energy, a starter, often alone by choice.
The letter S is the alphabetical equivalent of the number 1 and represents new beginnings and personal resources. The creative flow of the number 1 vibration, paired with the need to help all of humanity, allows for the S person to have genuine compassion.
As with the letters A, J, and O, S is one of the most powerful letters of the alphabet. People whose names begin with the letter S are individuals who show others the way.
Life tends to be approached with ambition, charisma, and tolerance, yet with an independent point of view and doing things according to their own decisions rather than consulting with others.
Within relationships, the S person makes for a good companion but needs the support of their partner at all times. In marriage, S’s are extremely loyal, but not particularly romantic.
On the negative side, S people can act impulsively without concern or thought for others.
The letter T resonates with the ideas of relationships, easing disputes, companionship, and teamwork. It has a comprehensive point of view so it is a great negotiator. T loves collaborating with others and feels comfortable as a team worker.
T is the alphabetical equivalent of the number 2, which represents the attributes of growth, harmony, and balance.
The T person has excellent diplomatic abilities. To the T person, balance and equilibrium are their focus as their greatest successes comes through playing a supportive role and being the mediator.
A T person must always be true to themselves. T’s must live their personal truths in order to feel and live authentically. T’s are also called upon to nurture and support others. This will take tolerance, patience, cooperation, and sensitivity.
On the negative side, T’s can become overly emotional and indecisive and are often easily influenced by the opinions of others.
The letter U resonates with the ideas of inspiration and optimism and relationships while maintaining independence. It expresses itself creatively. Social interaction tends to be the primary approach to life. The U person is likely to be charming and kind.
The letter U is equivalent to the number 3. A person with the initial U is generally very lucky. The number 3 is an energy that does not work well with structure or routines. This makes U the creator rather than the worker. U people can find personal fulfillment by using the expressive creative energies they possess, such as music, painting, design, or culinary pursuits.
have a keen intellect and want the best out of life, the beautiful and the luxurious. The U person has a need to be admired and loved by others. But U's are easily hurt emotionally, dislike confrontation and can attract domineering partners.
On the negative side, people with the initial U can be selfish, greedy, and indecisive.
The energy represented by the letter V vibrates with the ideas of honesty, reliability, efficiency, and focus. V is a builder and a team worker.
The letter V is the alphabetical equivalent of the number 4 and represents construction. V is an industrious letter that is hardworking, and efficient. The person tends to approach life with pragmatism and achievement through planning and methodical skills.
People with the initial V are the manager, organizer, the hard worker, and are detail-oriented. They have a natural willingness to work through to completion any project they start, with great patience and an eye for detail, not afraid of hard work.
V’s are loyal and determined, are true survivors and security-seekers. Known as the one who gets the job done, V’s are dependable, reliable and consistent.
On the negative side, people with the letter V as their initial can be quite ruthless.
The letter W vibrates with the ideas of creative self-expression, imagination, curiosity, wit, diplomacy, and a sense of freedom. Life is likely to be approached with a sense of purpose, yet with creativity, versatility, and a love of change.
W is the numerical equivalent of the number 5 and represents self-expression and freedom. People with the initial W are generally very artistic and creative. 5, being the number of freedom, fun, and adventure, encourages W people to live their lives filled with adventure; otherwise, they will create chaos themselves if bored.
People with the initial W generally love pleasure and need to watch for impulsiveness. This impulsive nature can see them enter a situation only to discard it just as easily. W’s do not hang onto anything that creates monotony in their lives and they hate routine.
W’s often have a hard time settling down and have an innate fear of being trapped, particularly within relationships.
On the negative side, people with W’s can be greedy and take too many unnecessary risks.
The energy represented by the letter X vibrates with the ideas of family, nurturing, security, and companionship. A comfortable home and idealism are also part of the letter X vibe.
The letter X is the alphabetical equivalent of the number 6, which represents nurturing, caring harmony, selflessness, love, and sexuality. People with the letter X as their initial are generally very loving, sexy, and sensual. The number 6 symbolizes gives X people the need for stability and a solid home base with comfort and warmth.
X loves tradition, so X is the teacher, the trainer, and the parent and is health orientated. X’s are happiest in conventional and can become opinionated and anxious when insecure. X people prefer to work in a slow and orderly manner, and they do not like to be rushed.
The goal of the X person is to provide for others' well-being and to create security and harmony. Their main aim is to love and be loved.
On the negative side, X’s can tend to be unfaithful, and this is an unpleasant character trait.
The letter Y resonates with the ideas of wisdom, intuition, sensitivity, curiosity, and introspection. There is an innate talent to arrive at viable solutions to problems.
The letter Y is equivalent to the number 7, which has a highly spiritual and intuitive vibration.
People with the initial Y love freedom and self-expression and dislike restraints of any kind. Y’s have sharp, intelligent minds as very little escapes their observation and deep understanding. Y’s are very good at judging and discriminating facts from fiction in all situations.
Y people demand a lot of themselves and others due to their extremely high standards. Y’s need to spend quality time on their own to reflect, meditate and work. They are very independent and introspective individuals and do not always like to join in with others. Y’s often end up teaching others more than they learn themselves.
On the negative side, people with the initial Y can be indecisive and lazy.
The letter Z resonates with the ideas of organization, peacemaking, efficiency, and business. It also resonates with the idea of being realistic.
The letter Z is the alphabetical equivalent of the number 8. People with the initial Z often have strong beliefs to do with hope and peace. The approach to life tends to be dynamic, with compassion, handling of problems that may arise in pursuit of a goal.
Goal-oriented, high achievers people with the initial Z can make considerable achievements in business and positions of power. Z’s have great personal stamina and willpower and seem to attract more wealth than most. Z’s tend to have practical judgment when it comes to money and financial issues so Z’s know how to build and accumulate material wealth.
Z’s have a strong desire to know all about life and its purpose.
On the negative side, people with the initial Z have the tendency to act without thinking and without regard for others.
If you want to make sure you are picking the right piece, observe the person concerned. Does she go for big and bold, or tiny and delicate pieces? You can always ask for help as well - ask other people for advice, or describe your friend (or family member) to the jeweler. Stay away from certain metals, such as zinc and nickel to avoid allergies - sterling silver and gold are usually great choices. Finally, but far from less important: pick an ethical jewelry brand.
Sustainable and ethical are two words making waves these days but do we actually know why are they so important?
Ethical trade concerns the actions taken by companies to ensure that workers’ rights are met across the entire supply chain - from raw materials sourcing to their own operations. Rights such as fair wages, health and safety, and freedom of association, among others. This means that being ethical also involves being sustainable.
This being said, it’s all-important to do research on the brand you are buying from. It’s so easy to be sucked in by brands that are actually greenwashing, making people believe that they are doing more for the environment than they really are - especially around Christmas time.
As an ethical brand, Wonther’s precious metals’ supply chain must strictly comply with the following principles: the materials must not be acquired where there are human rights violations, such as child labor or slavery; worksite conditions must respect workers’ rights and safety; the suppliers must not practice or support criminal - namely money laundering or tax evasion - or terrorist activities; and the extraction and processing of the materials must not present harm to the environment. Read more about Wonther’s Ethical Commitment here.
Giving ethical gifts is not only a thoughtful gesture but can also be a wonderful opportunity to share the beauty of fair trade and earth-friendly brands with loved ones. To help you find the best ethical jewelry gift ideas, here are 5 of our most precious collections:
Wonther’s Good Vibes collection has stolen many hearts and once you get to know the Good Vibes locket necklace, your heart will be too. There’s something quite magical and mysterious about lockets that no one can completely understand. All of them are unique and tell a different story.
Lockets became highly popular as a fashion accessory during the Victorian era and are a “must-have” ever since. They are timeless charms that comfort heavy hearts and celebrate the bonds of love throughout history.
The locket symbolism varies depending on the style, on the occasion, or on what it’s inside the jewelry piece. It’s the perfect gift for a grandma as it will probably take her back years, to a time where her mother or even herself owned a locket with the photo of her sweetheart in it … who knows? These are sentimental pieces, once used by women to hope for the safe return of their lovers, or used by men in battles as a reminder of home.
All the same, these lockets might be the perfect fit for a young mom, who’s looking for a meaningful high-quality jewelry piece to pass on to her daughter. The locket is indeed the perfect heirloom.
The special feature of the Good Vibes locket is the crystals you can add to it. Wonther has precious stones that you can add to the locket to boost the energy you (or the person you are buying it for) need the most: Lapis-Lazuli irradiates confidence, Malachite irradiates leadership, Rose Quartz, love, and Moonstone, feminine energy. These precious stones reflect your mood, your spirit, and your “me time”.
Read more about what makes the locket necklace the best Christmas gift ever in the blog.
Lucky numbers are another collection just as dear to us. Have you ever felt attracted to a number and don’t know why?
Numbers have held symbolic value throughout time and a lot of people believe they have a certain vibration or frequency, hence the lucky feel to them. They speak differently to each person and are attached to individual experiences as memories, so there are no right nor wrong interpretations. Here are a few good luck number meanings:
Zero is an all-inclusive number because it is the only one that symbolizes all that is. Although it’s associated with nothingness, zero relates to infinite possibilities. It transmits a vibe that we are on the right path, working to bring the best version of ourselves.
One is the “first” of all numbers! There is an aura of strength and motivation around this number since it is a pioneer in its willingness to accomplish new things and establish the way for others.
Two represents an admirable feminine force: grace and power. It always focuses on bringing peace and balance to a situation or relationship. Although it is cooperative, it is also very sensitive and has the strongest intuition among all the numbers.
Three is one of the very important single-digit numbers. It’s known as a communicator, and in all forms of expression, it glows. Because it explodes with ideas, dreams, and thoughts, and it needs to share them with the world.
Four is known for its efficiency, productivity, and strength, but also for being a no-nonsense, life, and work-oriented number. Besides being dependable, it can lend to stability.
Five is the middle number, therefore it holds a special place. It can be seen as a crucial point of change. Number 5 is very curious and needs several thrilling experiences to feel accomplished.
Six is the personification of the heart, symbolizing unconditional love, support, and healing. It is an impressive force of empathy and compassion, projecting in us the need to help others.
Seven is the number that represents wiseness. It is related to investigating more and more information to get to the bottom of the question – it naturally searches for awareness. It has a powerful intuition, which is used as a guide.
Eight is the number related to success and karmic balance. It is an achiever and measures life by goals. Number 8 is a symbol for balance, due to its symmetrical shape – for every good thing it receives, it puts one back in the universe.
Nine is the number that represents completion, but not finality. It finishes a cycle, however, it’s just begging for another one. It is associated with transformation, guidance, and empowerment.
Whether it’s a gift for your mom, girlfriend, sister, or friend they would love to have their own lucky number as a necklace. Even though luck is ours to make, having a jewelry piece to remind us of it is never too much. Learn more about the power of each number here.
Why not take advantage of Christmastime to remember the women you love that success is different for everyone and that they are doing great. The Stamp It collection was inspired by the edges of a wax stamp, as a manifestation of your own mark. Just like a stamp is unique and imperfect, so are humans. We can be successful at being a full-time mom, a CEO of a company, or a hairdresser, and regardless of what success looks like for each one of us, we should always stamp it proudly.
Think about the woman you are buying the gift for and choose the piece that’ll suit her the best. Is it a necklace, or a ring? Hoops or studs?
Next, which stamp do you think she’s needing the most? Family, representing the base for unconditional love; balance, for a more balanced life: love, family, work, friends; rest, for some “me time”; own it, symbolizing conquest; or champion, for triumph or success.
You have certainly noticed how a fingerprint is different in every human being. No two are completely alike. No two unlock the same door. The Fingerprint collection was created as an analogy for uniqueness. You are as unique as your fingerprint. And uniqueness is powerful. If you want to surprise special women in your life with a jewelry piece that empowers them, that represents their singularity, their personality, mind, and soul. A piece that says: being you is your superpower. Then, a piece from the Fingerprint collection is the way to go.
These are bold and modern pieces that any powerful woman will love to own and proudly use. You can choose between the Life Link Bracelet, Fingerprint Necklace, Open Fingerprint Earrings, Link Necklace, Fingerprint Earrings, Fingerprint Bracelet, and Life Link Bracelet Silver.
Letter initial necklaces are one of those pieces always trending. From the C Necklace On The Carrie Diaries used by AnnaSophia Robb back in 2013 to the H and M necklace Megan used to declare her love for Harry in 2016, letter initial necklaces are constantly on everyone's lips. And, really, who can judge? Letter initial necklaces are beautiful, classic, and customizable. They are a way to brand one’s identity.
The Identity collection has all the letters you could ask for in two different materials: in 925 sterling silver 24k gold plated and in 18k solid gold. This necklace - each specific letter - carries your identity, story, and personal meaning. And just like with lucky numbers, a letter is attached to individual experiences as memories - you can pick a letter that represents a first name, last name, nickname, or any other letter with a special meaning for either you or the person you are buying it for. Many people choose their children’s initials or go a more creative way with initials to spell out a message, such as “XO” for hugs and kisses.
Which letter do you think the woman in your life will connect more with? If you haven’t made up your mind yet, you can always learn more about it. Read the article about why the letter initial necklace trend is back for the Holiday season in the blog.
Sidenote: Any of these pieces will become even more personal if you custom design it, having it engraved with a date or a special message.
Finally, now that you’ve got an insight into these beautiful jewelry pieces and collections, and to end on a happy note, I’ll leave you with a proposal: This Holiday season, make decisions with the planet in mind - there are lots of ways to create a more ethical and sustainable Christmas. Why not start by sharing this article with friends and make them also choose ethical brands? The plan is to spread the message of an ethical and sustainable Christmas and get to as many people as we can. Plus, I’m sure they too are looking for meaningful gift ideas for the women in their lives. They deserve it.
Let the magic of Christmas bring love, peace, and hope for a better and greener future. :)
]]>As so many of us are rethinking our lifestyles and our impact on the planet, enjoying this time in a more mindful way has become a necessity during the festive season - traditionally the period of peak consumption. From the gift wrapping to the food we eat, it can all make a huge difference.
Read on for ideas to help you make each aspect of the season meaningful while creating a more ethical and sustainable Christmas.
Christmas is usually a time for sharing gifts. Not falling into the excesses of consumption it’s the hardest part, but there are many options that make it possible to keep the tradition within the sphere of sustainability.
If you're choosing to give physical gifts this Christmas, make sure they're good quality and designed to last, so they won't end up in the landfill in a month or a year. At the same time, purchase things with meaning, such as a locket that boosts one’s energy, a letter initial necklace, or a lucky number necklace. Jewelry - from ethical and sustainable brands - is always a great gift, because it’s personal, unique, can be personalized and passed on due to its durability.
On this note, don’t forget about the importance of shopping locally and supporting small businesses. By doing so, you’ll be helping boost a strong, sustainable local economy, plus chances are the person doesn’t already own that special gift, that’s 100% made with love and care.
Homemade gifts are also another amazing sustainable option. Creating a gift for someone means making something special and unique. Artwork, a personalized song or short story, embroidery pieces, a cake, candles, lotions… the options are endless and always thoughtful.
Last but not least, choosing to give an experience works both as a way to build precious memories and help the environment. Take them on a picnic, enroll them in a class you know they’ll love, give them a hand-written voucher for something they would appreciate (a special bubble bath or a home-cooked meal); take them on a horse ride. Self-care is so important and it should never be overrated.
According to an article in The Guardian entitled “I'm dreaming of a green Christmas ...”, Defra estimates that enough wrapping paper is used each year to gift wrap the island of Guernsey. Paper that contains non-recyclable elements like foil, glitter, or plastic and will most likely end up in rubbish bins.
To prevent this from happening there are plenty of alternatives. Reuse gift bags, boxes, paper, and ribbon kept from last Christmas. Go for reusable wrapping bags and if you buy wrapping paper, choose one that’s free of foil or glitter as these cannot be recycled - brown eco-friendly paper is a great option. With a few twigs of eucalyptus tucked into the string, it will look beautiful.
Opting for fabric wrapping is also an idea. Resembling the traditional Japanese method Furoshiki, ditch the paper altogether and wrap gifts in fabric. You can even choose to use a pretty fabric scarf to wrap your gift in and make a 2-in-1 present.
To plan an ethical and sustainable Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day dinner there are so many aspects we need to take into consideration, three of them being: minimize food waste; cook less meat; and avoid disposable cutlery, crockery and cups when hosting.
A shocking amount of food goes to waste every day, especially during the Holidays, so writing a grocery list and sticking to it is a must before hitting the grocery store. If you even then end up with leftovers don’t just throw them in the bin. Make your guests take some with them, give leftovers to neighbors, charity, or homeless people. You can also freeze food and try new recipes later on.
The amount of meat cooked for Christmas dinner is also worth considering. Meat is considered one of the prime factors contributing to the current biodiversity loss crisis and it’s one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases. There are many delicious veggie options out there but if that’s not for you, you can always go for organic or local meat. It’s not just about the food we eat but where we get it from. The farmer near your home will most certainly thank you.
In a similar way, disposable cutlery, crockery, and cups may seem an easy solution if you’re hosting but it’s far from being the most ethical and sustainable choice. Many of those plastic items are non-recyclable and end up going straight to landfill. You can either go with affordable biodegradable dinner plates made from palm leaves or stick to reusables - they are always the safest way to go.
Artificial vs real Christmas trees have always been a subject for discussion and their impact on the planet twice as much.
If you’ve decided on a real tree, look out for FSC Certification as only this will confirm that your tree has been sourced sustainably. Once the Holiday season is over, dispose of your tree in the best way possible. Find out about drop-off points in your area, where your old tree can be recycled into chippings for local parks and woodland areas.
If, on the other hand, you go for an artificial tree, think about buying either second-hand or one that will last a lifetime. Renting a tree locally is also an option.
People tend to travel a lot during the Holiday season: Christmas gift shopping, grocery shopping, visiting family, and then of course… a thousand last-minute “quick” shopping trips.
Why not share shopping trips with family and friends? Public transportation or online shopping are also great options for a more ethical and sustainable Christmas. If you are traveling to see family choose a train or lift-sharing whenever possible and reduce your carbon footprint.
For many of us, advent calendars make up a big part of the build-up to Christmas Day. Pick a reusable advent calendar and have fun while making amazing little handmade products. A few examples are body scrubs, bath bombs, lotion bars, lip balms, facial masks… You can even treat your pet to a calendar too. Be creative.
The majority of people do not write Christmas cards anymore, yet about 1.5 billion Christmas cards are thrown away by UK households each year, according to Imperial College researchers. Luckily, there are beautiful ways to send them without costing the planet.
Plantable cards are one of those ways - when the biodegradable paper is planted in a pot of soil, the seeds will grow, and eventually, the paper will decompose. There are a few embedded with wildflower seeds, others with carrot seed … the options are endless. What truly matters is that we’ll be saving them from landfills and transforming them into something brilliant.
Avoiding sending physical Christmas cards is another simple option for reducing waste. Since we already do so much online, why not send e-cards instead? You’ll be saving resources and people will love them just the same. You can always use a free design app like Canva if you want to get creative.
Decorating our home for the holiday doesn’t need to be costly or wasteful. Decorations made from recycled wood, fabric, and glass make great alternatives to plastic. Go for classic designs so that you won’t get tired of them easily and if you do you can easily upcycle just by repainting it. Also, for candle lovers: choose eco-friendly soy or beeswax varieties rather than paraffin. These are way more sustainable.
Here are two more suggestions: create your own ornaments from reused items and personalize them - little kids can join you on this task and you’ll all be creating fun and lasting memories together. Also, borrow or swap decorations with friends and family to give them a new life in a different location.
When it comes to eco-friendly Christmas decorations, LEDs are far better than traditional twinkling incandescent lights - they use up to 80% less energy, they last longer, and you'll also save on your energy bills. It’s mind-blowing how the simple gesture of swapping a string of incandescent lights for its LED equivalent can save more than 29,000 tonnes of CO2 just over the 12 days of Christmas.
Since Christmas is a time of celebrating, appreciating, and giving love, we must not forget our mother Earth. Simple gestures can make all the difference.
Plant a tree or buy from brands like Wonther who plant trees when you make a purchase. Use water mindfully, say no to plastic and repurpose things whenever possible. Most importantly, don’t forget to educate yourself on the impact we have on a daily basis. We’ll leave this short video as a suggestion: One Planet | Our Planet by Netflix.
Keep the planet in your mind every time you make a decision. Following these 10 ways to create a more ethical and sustainable Christmas is a great way to start. Have the Merriest Christmas. :)
]]>Letter initial necklaces are one of the most fashionable ways that monograms show up in today’s latest trends, but it’s far from being something new. Many historians agree that monogram jewelry comes from early Roman and Greek rulers. Then, during the Middle Ages, monograms were used by local artisans and craftsmen to mark their work. It was during the Victorian Era, however, that monograms were first utilized for personal use - sewn to linens so they would not get lost during the wash. Later on, monograms kept the symbolism of one's aristocracy but started to be used for decorative purposes, including silverware, and objects like lockets. It was then that monogram jewelry was first created.
Nowadays, everyone from celebrities to the everyday mom can be seen walking around with letter initial necklaces. Rather than showing off the full name with a name necklace, a monogram necklace adds an air of mystery and intrigue - it keeps people guessing, it’s a conversation piece. Contrary to a necklace representing your zodiac sign or birthstone, letter initial necklaces have enigmatic appeal. Everyone wants to know just what those letters stand for. The letter itself might reference your own name, or someone else’s as a mark of affection. Aside from that, there are so many other reasons why the letter initial necklace trend is back for the Holiday season. Here are a few of them:
One of the reasons the letter initial necklace is a trend this Holiday season is due to its personalization and customization - we love making things our own. You can choose a letter that represents a first name, last name, nickname, or any other letter that has a special meaning for either you or the person you are buying it for. Many people choose their children’s and lover’s initials or go a more creative way with initials to spell out a message, such as “XO” for hugs and kisses. The personalization options for a letter initial necklace are basically endless.
Besides, there’s little else as thoughtful as a personalized gift. It has meaning, it’s unique, and it tells a story - the story of your relationship is forever etched on a thought-out gift that can last a lifetime.
What started as a strictly personal way of identifying personal belongings, has now evolved into a way to brand one’s identity - your sense of self. Our identity is the storyline of us, the memories, expectations, the people who surround us… And a letter initial necklace carries that identity and personal meaning. It’s the materialization of it all.
These are timeless pieces that you can style in your own, unique way.
The feeling of joy, warmth, and nostalgia is almost tangible during the Holiday season. Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and we celebrate family and friends. That’s also why the letter initial necklace trend is back for the Holiday season. The sentimental value of initial jewelry makes it the perfect gift. It’s a reminder that someone tenderly thought about you and your love becomes attached to the piece turning it into something worth passing on - a family heirloom if you wish. The person who receives it will have a permanent smile on their face every time they wear it.
Just as they were once used in high society, monograms are now also a symbol of high fashion with many of the renowned designers taking on the monogram as their signature design, such as Louis Vuitton and Coco Channel.
Was this not proof enough that monograms are on everyone's lips, celebrities are wearing letter initial necklaces non-stop, making their popularity skyrocket. From Miley Cyrus, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Taylor Swift, to Megan, Duchess of Sussex they are all fans of the personalized letter initial necklace. The latter used an initial necklace with simple "H" and "M" letters on the chain, back in 2016. With no words, just a simple gesture she confirmed that she and Prince Harry were a couple. Later, Megan also honored her son Archie with an “A” necklace.
The Holiday season is a time of gathering, giving and receiving, and sharing. We all want to surprise our loved ones with a lovely gift, but above all, a gift that they will appreciate. One that they’ll want to keep for the rest of their lives, and of course, one that will actually last.
Quality jewelry lasts a lifetime. Wonther’s Identity collection has all the letters you could ask for in two different materials: in 925 sterling silver 24k gold plated and in 18k solid gold. And because true shine and quality come from materials with principles, what really seals the deal for most people is that these letter initial necklaces (and every other Wonther piece) are made with materials from suppliers certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council, whose origins we know respect human rights and the environment.
More than giving a pretty gift this Christmas, choose a piece with meaning, made with love, principles, and values that both you and the person who receives it can be proud of. This Holiday season let’s think long term, think greener and as a side to the traditional gift let’s offer people and the planet a chance of a better future. Christmas is all about love and legacy after all.
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You know, nothing adds an extra sparkle to the holiday season like embracing festive traditions, whether those be wearing a cute ugly Christmas sweater, or sitting down to watch the classic Home Alone on Christmas day. But a beautifully classic piece of jewelry can have a similar effect, too - especially if it has a special meaning to it.
That’s where the locket necklace comes in. What makes it the best Christmas gift ever? Keep reading to find out. The locket necklace might seriously have everything you didn’t know would make the perfect jewelry gift... until now.
Even though the locket necklace is always meant to hold something special, it doesn't necessarily mean it has to hold a picture or a portrait. Actually, if we look up the word “locket” in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary we’ll find the following definition: “a small case usually of precious metal that has space for a memento and that is worn typically suspended from a chain or necklace.” It could be a love letter, lock of hair, a prayer or wish, a music box, medicine, herbs, dry flowers, perfume scents, good-luck charms, or, of course, energy crystals.
Its symbolism can change depending on the style, the occasion, or what it’s inside the jewelry piece. Yet, lockets always represent love regardless - love for a friend, a family member, a lover, or self-love. In addition, it conveys a sense of magic and mystery that will not go unnoticed by anyone. People can even use them to mourn a loved one, show loyalty, keep a loved one close or honor a friendship.
Lockets are timeless charms that comfort heavy hearts and celebrate the bonds of love throughout history. On that note, isn't the Holiday season the personification and celebration of love? Being all about tenderness, adoration, and legacy? So it’s a beautiful locket.
Jewelry lockets can make us dream and sometimes even imagine a romantic and dramatic scene such as a couple separated by a heart-breaking circumstance with only a locket as a remembrance of each other. Well, while this might have been the case for many lovers (because they are indeed sentimental jewelry pieces), the fact is that the locket’s origins might not be as romantic as one might think.
It’s thought the lockets evolved from the Middle Ages’ amulets and pendants. The first lockets held herbs or medicine, some held perfume to help mask odors arising from less-than-thorough hygiene, and some even held poison. So many stories, but there is always a locket in them…
They did quickly evolve into mementos though and one of the earliest known examples of a locket with a picture in it is the locket ring of Queen Elizabeth I. It dates from 1575 and contains a portrait of herself on one side and her mother on the other - it’s said she has never taken it off.
In the 18th century the lock of hair became a visible part of the jewelry, often curled or braided. It was appropriate for young lovers to exchange locks of hair as signs of their affections (if you read the Sense and Sensibility novel from Jane Austen you might have noticed this happening). It wasn’t until the Victorian era though that lockets of glass also became popular. The hair could be seen inside without needing to be opened, and it was often plaited or woven to create a design, rather than being hidden away.
The Industrial Revolution, the advances in technology, manufacturing, and widespread photography changed everything. Documenting people and moments in time became easier with each passing year and even though after the war lockets were considered out of date, today, they’re back in fashion. How could they not? There’s something special about wearing a cherished piece close to your heart.
Certainly, we can all agree that lockets - especially locket necklaces - hold a meaningful place in history and people’s lives. They are sentimental pieces, once used by women to hope for the safe return of their lovers, or used by men in battles as a reminder of home. Each one of them has a history and personal story to it that you can pass onto the next generation. That’s the fun and beauty of it: lockets are the perfect heirloom, making it the best Christmas gift ever.
Finding a meaningful Christmas gift is not easy. We live in a time and age where fast fashion prevails, consumerism is increasing, and we are swayed by information all around us, especially during the holiday season in which the most asked question becomes: What makes a perfect Christmas gift? And the hassle of finding the perfect one began. People rush in and out of stores, browsing around, not really knowing what they are looking for.
In the midst of it all, we forget about the meaning and essence of the gift. When selecting it, think about something that could be cherished forever, with a unique touch to make the person feel extra special. A good vibes jewelry locket necklace has it all.
The Good Vibes Locket works as a token of celebration and intention. What makes it so unique though? - you ask. It was created as a reminder of your “me time”, it's about celebrating yourself. It comes with precious stones that you can add to it to boost the energy you need the most. Like they say: a crystal a day keeps the bad vibes away. And let’s be real, isn’t self-care and good energy all we need these days? It will become even more personal if you custom design it, having it engraved with a date or a special message.
Don’t you think that everything looks better when you have an amulet that helps you set the right vibe throughout the day? As we’ve said, our Wonther Good Vibe locket has unique stones that you can add to your locket depending on the energy you (or your loved one) might need.
If you are looking for a powerful crystal, malachite is your stone. It has been said that malachite puts you on a path of success and prosperity, it radiates protection, leadership, and confidence (a powerful, positive, and energizing vibe).
If you are looking for a healing crystal, lapis lazuli is your stone. It’s said to sharpen your intuition and guide your desired path. You can even sleep with this crystal because it’s said that it can induce a peaceful rest. Pick up the stone, set your intentions for a good night’s rest and put it under your pillow, or just sleep with your Good Vibes Locket on.
If you are looking for a calming loving energy crystal, rose quartz is your stone. It’s a great crystal for practicing gratitude, it helps you resolve issues regarding self-love and acceptance, and it’s also used to attract love.
If you are looking for a feminine energy crystal, moonstone is your stone. It represents sensuality, fertility, and motherly protection; it’s even used by many women to help during pregnancy and the menstrual cycle. Its power can nourish and awaken your feminine energies, while re-energizing both mind and body, washing negativity away.
Now that you’ve been introduced to the beauty of the locket necklace jewelry piece and the wonder of the crystals, we hope to have somehow lightened this special (but also stressful) task of Christmas gifting. Always bear in mind that this is a time to have fun, celebrate love, and be close to people dear to us above anything else. :)
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Nevertheless, there have been different types of sexual and romantic feelings and orientations for as long as humanity itself exists. It’s important to remember LGBTQIA+ figures who changed the world when times were even more constricting and people more closed-minded. May they inspire you even more. Here are 8 of them:
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Born in 1930, Harvey Milk served in the U.S. Navy before working at a Wall Street investment firm. Even though he realized he was gay at an early age, he kept it has a secret until much later in life.
Milk moved to San Francisco in the early 1970s and established himself as a leading political activist for the gay community. He has then emerged as the first openly gay elected official in the United States when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Milk’s revolutionary political perspective serves as inspiration for today’s activists. He advocated for gay rights at a moment when the political climate was deeply hostile towards the LGBTQIA+ community and managed to pull many LGBTQIA+ people out of the closet and into the streets. But, as many people that fought for their beliefs, he was assassinated at age 48, in 1978, by an ex-coworker. Knowing the risks and almost predicting this outcome, ten days before his assassination, Milk recorded himself in a tape to be played in the event of his death by assassination: “All I ask is for the movement to continue, and if a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door.” And over forty years after his death, Harvey Milk's legacy still lives on. |
On the morning of August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to about 250,000 people attending the March on Washington gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. And, while Dr. King spoke, another man stood behind the scenes - an indispensable force within the movement. It was Bayard Rustin. He was the one who encouraged Dr. King to accept pacifism as a way of life, mentored him, and organized the landmark 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Rustin was an African American leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights. He chose to be open about his sexuality while pursuing social justice work that put him in the public eye, during the crushing oppression of the pre-Stonewall era. The fact that he remained in the background and is little known today in comparison to other leaders of the civil rights movement has everything to do with him being gay. In 2013 though, President Barack Obama awarded Rustin the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his unyielding career in civil rights activism, saying: “For decades, this great leader, often at Dr. King’s side, was denied his rightful place in history because he was openly gay. No medal can change that. But today, we honor Bayard Rustin’s memory by taking our place in his march towards true equality, no matter who we are or who we love.” |
Virginia Woolf was born in 1882, as Adeline Virginia Stephen. She was an English novelist and essay writer and is considered today one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century. Even though she married writer Leonard Woolf in 1912, many biographers have concluded that Woolf's sexuality was directed toward women. In 1922, Woolf met Vita Sackville-West, an English poet, starting an affair that lasted through most of the 1920s: “Much preferring my own sex, as I do,” Virginia Woolf wrote in a letter to a friend in the 1920s. In 1928, Woolf presented Sackville-West with Orlando, a fantastical biography in which the eponymous hero's life spans three centuries and both genders. Orlando came out of the closet as a lesbian text in the 1970s and remains out as critics continue to discover and celebrate its lesbian strategies. It mocks “compulsory heterosexuality” and challenges homophobia decades before society would come to accept same-sex love and nearly a century before the law would. |
Josephine Baker was a well-known performer of the Jazz Age and identified as bisexual, who sought equity for queer people, women, and people of color throughout her life. Born in 1906, Baker didn’t have an easy start in life. She witnessed and experienced intense racism, suffered physical and sexual abuse as a teen, and experienced periods of homelessness. So, once she made her way to the top, becoming one of the most successful African-American performers on the stages of France, Baker used her voice and position to the benefit of the Civil Rights movement. She ended up speaking at the 1963 March on Washington and was even offered a leadership role within the movement by Coretta Scott King after her husband Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. |
James Baldwin was born in Harlem in 1924 during its intellectual, social, and artistic Renaissance. He was an American novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and activist, writing about racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western society during the mid-twentieth century. Baldwin's characters are often but not exclusively African American, and gay and bisexual men frequently feature as protagonists in his literature. Being black and gay in America, many define him as intersectional and say he is the reason the word even exists. Through his writing, Baldwin influenced many LGBTQIA+ people, and there’s probably not a single black gay writer of literary fiction or nonfiction that has not been influenced by him on some level. |
One of the world’s greatest living artists, David Hockney has been openly gay and exploring the nature of gay love in his portraiture throughout his career. Born in 1937, became a founder of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, in 1979. Hockney looked at oppression not as a threat, but as a challenge to shock, and shake up heteronormative structures and according to an article in The Guardian his art “made a splash when it mattered.” His 1966 painting entitled Peter Getting Out of Nick's Pool won the John Moores prize in 1967, the year homosexuality was decriminalized in Britain. It represents courage and a dream of love. Painting things and feeling as happy and guilt-free as Hockney did is not as easy as one might think, and that’s why he continues to influence many LGBTQIA+ artists and others. |
Oscar Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright born in 1854, best known for his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. In 1884 he got married to Constance Lloyd and had two children. The only problem was that he wasn’t happy. Homosexuality was illegal back then and his own homosexuality was an open secret. By 1893 he and Lord Alfred Douglas - described as a handsome and spoilt young man - started an affair. When the man’s father found out, however, everything went down the drain. Wilde ended up facing a criminal conviction for gross indecency for consensual homosexual acts in "one of the first celebrity trials", and imprisonment - being incarcerated from 25 May 1895 to 18 May 1897. Wilde’s legacy is vital in both the literary sphere and in terms of his impact on gay rights and culture. |
Frida Kahlo is another incredible woman who continues to inspire many artists, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ communities to this day. She is considered one of Mexico's, if not the world's, greatest painters. In 1925, at the age of eighteen, Kahlo suffered appalling injuries in a streetcar accident, when she was impaled by an iron handrail smashing through her pelvis. It was then that Frida turned her attention away from the study of medicine to begin a full-time painting career, mostly self-portraits. In 1929 she married the painter Diego Rivera, the love of her life, but this was no traditional marriage and each of them had affairs. The openly bisexual Kahlo had affairs with both men and women, including her husband’s mistresses. Her painting Two Nudes in a Forest clearly shows her attraction and love for women. Frida Kahlo was “rediscovered” in the 1970s feminist movement, hailed as an icon of female independence and artistry. |
If you are looking for more articles to educate yourself and celebrate Pride Month, here are a few suggestions: 10 ways to help end homophobia and transphobia; 44 Best songs to celebrate LGBTQIA+ pride and why; and 30 LGBTQIA+ terms you should know. Remember, love is love and is never wrong. :)
]]>We’ve put together a list of inclusive terms to help build that bridge. In order to help end homophobia and transphobia, learning to be an ally without saying something offensive is key.
Here are the LGBTQIA+ terms we think you should know to describe different types of sexual and romantic feelings and orientations. These will help you understand the many ways people identify their sexuality.
The term is used when a person experiences no attachment to any gender.
A term describing someone who experiences sexual attraction. This term is used to normalize the term asexual and provide a more specific label to those of aren’t asexual.
Being an ally to LGBTQIA+ individuals is the process of working to develop individual attitudes, institutions, and cultures in which LGBTQIA+ people feel they are valued. An ally wants to end homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, heterosexism, and cisgenderism.
Asexual identity or orientation includes individuals who don’t experience sexual attraction to others of any gender. Some people may only experience sexual attraction after many months or years of knowing someone, and some may never experience it.
The term is used to describe people who are exploring bisexuality. It’s usually about being curious about one’s romantic/sexual attraction towards people of the same gender (or different genders).
This term refers to a person attracted to two or more genders. As the community’s understanding of gender has grown, the term has expanded in its usage beyond the gender binary. It could be a person attracted to men and women, attracted to men and nonbinary genders, or attracted to their own gender and a few others.
A person whose gender identity is consistent with their sex assigned at birth. This term comes from the Latin “cis”, which means “on the same side of.”
According to an article in Transgender Studies Quarterly, “cisgender” was coined by transgender activists in the 90s.
The theatrical performance of a gender (or more than one gender) that’s not your own. Most drag performers are cisgender and they are called Drag Kings and Drag Queens.
It refers to a man sexually and/or romantically attracted to other men. The fields of medicine and psychology previously referred to this sexual orientation as homosexual, but that term is now viewed by many as outdated (and even offensive).
The process of making a social, legal, and/or medical change to recognize one’s gender identity. These changes include changing one’s pronouns, clothing, sex designation, legal documents, hormones, and/or surgery.
Distress that’s experienced by some people whose gender identity doesn’t correspond with their sex assigned at birth. It’s the feeling of your appearance not matching your gender identity. It happens among transgender and gender-diverse people.
It has to do with how you present/communicate yourself or your gender to the world through mannerisms, clothing, behavior, speech…
When a person’s gender expression doesn’t correspond to the gender they were assigned at birth. You may still identify as a woman, but you may dress only in men’s clothes, for example.
This term describes a person whose gender identity falls outside the traditional gender binary of male and female. People who are genderqueer often experience their gender as fluid, meaning it can shift and change at any given time.
Younger generations are increasingly identifying as genderqueer. It is one of the most common identities under the transgender umbrella.
Also known as straight, this term describes people who experience sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction to individuals of the “opposite” gender. A man attracted to women, or a woman attracted to men. Cis and trans people can be heterosexual.
This LGBTQIA+ term refers to the idea that comprehensive identities are influenced and shaped by the interconnection of race, class, ethnicity, sexuality/sexual orientation, gender/gender identity, religion, etc. It happens when forms of discrimination combine and intersect.
It describes people born with reproductive or sexual anatomy and/or a chromosome pattern that can't be classified as typically male or female. Those variations are also sometimes referred to as Differences of Sex Development (DSD). Learn more about it from the Intersex Society of North America.
This term refers to a woman who is sexually and/or romantically attracted to other women. Some women who are lesbians may also refer to themselves as gay or queer.
Acronym for lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual and/or Ally.
This acronym is constantly being updated and it refers to all of the identities commonly associated with gender and sexual identities that are outside of the heterosexual norm.
The term "gay community" should be replaced by this acronym, as it does not accurately reflect the diversity of the community.
The + symbol in LGBTQIA+ refers to the fact that there are many sexual orientations and gender identities that are part of the broader LGBTQIA+ community but aren’t (until the moment) included as part of the acronym.
The act of either deliberately or accidentally referring to someone by the wrong gender assignation, the wrong pronoun, or other gendered terms, such as Ms. or Mr.
Pronouns are words that we use to identify ourselves instead of our names. According to an article in The New York Times, a neopronoun can be a word created to serve as pronouns without expressing one's gender, such as “ze” or “zir.”
These are not very frequent yet. According to a study among 40,000 LGBTQIA+ young people conducted by The Trevor Project, most said they used common pronouns (she, he, or they). Only 4% said they used neopronouns.
A term used when someone who doesn't identify exclusively as female or male. The terms genderqueer and agender can have similar but more nuanced associations. If someone tells you they are nonbinary, it’s important to ask what does it mean to them. Some people experience their gender as both male and female; others experience their gender as neither male nor female. Some nonbinary people identify as transgender, while others do not.
It describes individuals who can experience sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction to any person, regardless of their gender, sex, or sexuality.
A term referring to society’s perceptions of someone’s sexuality or gender, more commonly used to discuss the frequency an LGBTQIA+ person is assumed to be straight or cisgender. Stonewall defines it simply by “If someone is regarded, at a glance, to be a cisgender man or cisgender woman.”
Some LGBTQIA+ people have the desire to pass and others don’t. Many people experience discomfort and discrimination for being perceived as straight or cisgender.
Gender-neutral pronouns are used by some nonbinary or genderqueer people to identify themselves in the third person. When seeking that information ask them what their pronouns are. The singular “they” can be used to describe someone who identifies as neither male nor female - it is usually used by people who have a non-binary gender identity.
The term queer - the Q in LBGTQIA+ - describes individuals who aren’t exclusively heterosexual. It acknowledges that sexuality is a spectrum as opposed to a collection of independent and mutually exclusive categories.
Once considered a pejorative term, queer has resurfaced as a common and socially acceptable way for LGBTQIA+ individuals to refer to themselves and their community.
It’s used to refer to someone who is not sure (or is exploring) what their gender identity or sexual orientation is.
Romantic orientation is the way one experiences emotional attraction. It may or not line up with one’s sexual orientation. Panromantic and aromantic are examples of these LGBTQIA+ terms.
While panromantic embrace individuals who can experience romantic, or emotional (but not sexual) attraction to any person, regardless of that person’s gender, sex, or sexuality, aromantic embrace people who experience little or no romantic attraction, regardless of sex or gender.
A term used when one’s gender is different from the one you were assigned at birth. Some transgender people take prescribed hormones, others also undergo surgery, but many can’t or won’t do any of that. A transgender identity is not related to physical appearance, it has much more to it.
The term describes a person who embodies both a masculine and feminine spirit. It is a term used among Native Americans, American Indians, and First Nations people.
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Did you know that malachite contains 58% copper? Malachite is a green copper carbonate mineral that forms at shallow depths within the Earth, in the oxidizing zone above copper deposits. Basically, it forms after the copper has been weathered and oxidized. So, the green color comes from an alternative form of copper, has an opaque transparency, and the patterns of malachite are also incredibly unique.
Malachite is the stone of protection that helps eliminate negative energies. It is also the stone of transformation, as it can grant you courage and help you step out of your comfort zone. It is a gemstone that builds inner strength and positive change, opens the heart chakra and brings you into alignment.
If you find the need for a powerful stone by your side, this is the stone for you. You can also see Malachite as a lucky stone; if you need a bit of luck in your life, this is the one. This is also a heart chakra stone, so use it over your heart chakra so you can eliminate past heavy baggage.
This is a powerful precious stone; it’s also known as the power stone. It has been said that malachite puts you on a path of success and prosperity. It’s a strong, decisively aggressive energy.
It’s a great stone to help you break a bad habit or break a bad tie. It’s also recommended if you want to become more independent, more successful, and have a more abundant life.
Malachite is a very beautiful and elegant stone that should be on display, either as jewelry or as home or office décor, since its healing properties will be easily felt wherever the stone is present.
This stone has a lot of power, both physical, spiritual, and emotional, so malachite can serve in many ways, such as regulating the menstrual cycle, facilitating childbirth, clearing unwanted thoughts, or regaining strength after a period of illness.
A good way to use it is to place it at the entrance of the house or in a specific room, serving as protection against bad energy and preventing it from entering. Keeping the stone on your work desk can awaken the creativity you need.
The best way to feel the vibrations of the stone is next to your skin, preferably in a piece of jewelry, since it has direct and continuous contact with your body. An excellent way to wear it is on a necklace – this way the malachite will be close to the Heart Chakra area.
Another way to use malachite is to carry a stone with you in your purse or pocket every day, so when you feel stressed you can use it as a touchstone to reassure yourself.
When we talk about gemstones, the healing properties are the first things we think of. In the case of malachite, it is no different, this stone has quite calming benefits in its composition.
Malachite is widely used in therapy, genetic healing, and chakra balancing.
It’s recommended that you use malachite over your heart chakra so you can release any blockage. Malachite can help realign your heart chakra: just lie down with a malachite stone placed over your heart and clear your mind. Relax and let the malachite do its work. It also causes impact in the solar plexus chakra, your emotional center. If you use it over the plexus chakra it will open the door to the heart chakra, relieving emotional pain.
Malachite's greatest power is emotional healing, since one of its strongest elements is the power of protection. By eliminating all toxicity and heavy energies from your life, it gives you courage, confidence, and inner strength, enabling you to deny any emotional blackmail.
Malachite is also known as the Transformation Stone, inviting you to step out of your comfort zone and move on with your life when something is not worth your effort. This stone does not let you lose your balance, keeping you calm and able to approach emotional decisions with ease.
It’s also a great gift for a friend or family member because it helps strengthen your bond. But, if you are an empath, the powerful malachite energy crystal should be balanced with a soft, gentle energy crystal, such as rose quartz. You can wear this crystal with your Good Vibes Locket to always remind yourself of your transformation goals.
Malachite is a copper mineral whose outstanding physical property is its green color, in addition to its high specific gravity ranging from 3.6 to 4, making it an easy mineral to identify.
All specimens of this mineral are found in various shades of green, ranging from a pastel green to a bright green, to an extremely dark green that is almost black.
Malachite is rarely found in crystal form. Its crystals are bright green, translucent, with a glassy to adamantine luster. The non-crystalline malachite minerals are, on the other hand, opaque, with a dull luster.
With a hardness of 3.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale, malachite requires gentle care, e.g., gross temperature changes, ultrasonic cleaners, chemicals, and exposure to extremely high temperatures can damage the stone.
Malachite is a relatively soft stone and can be easily scratched by something harder.
Malachite should be cleaned with care, so avoid harsh chemicals or high temperatures.
A simple soft cloth will do the work. You can also briefly rinse it under cold water. Although it shouldn’t be left in the water for long periods of time, especially if it’s hot water.
To energetically clean a malachite crystal, you should use brown rice because salt may scratch the surface.
Malachite is not a birthstone, however, there are ways to associate it with signs. The zodiac sign of Taurus is the one that is most associated with Malachite, however, it is also quite connected with those born under the signs of Capricorn and Scorpio.
One obvious way is to use the natural chart by virtue of color. With a beautiful moss green color, malachite is suitable for people born between April 19 and May 20 under the sign of Taurus, which will bring you much success, increased energy, and physical healing.
Capricorns use Malachite to encourage them to be bold in their choices. This helps them to grow and change in a healthy way. This stone gets rid of negative energy that suppresses their dreams and goals. It can also have a positive influence on the psyche and helps bring balance and joy so that the Capricorn can enjoy their free time to the fullest.
The Scorpio sign is a water sign that is constantly changing in its energy. Malachite protects them from getting lost in this constant movement. Malachite is a travel stone, and Scorpio always seems to be setting out on some adventure.
It’s always fun to learn things such as: the Russian Tsars often used malachite to decorate their palaces and the green color does not fade… Here are some more interesting facts:
Also called "the merchant stone", malachite is believed to attract richness, therefore it is favorable to traders and businesspeople.
Malachite was the metal of Venus and the ancient followers of the goddess attributed important powers to the stone.
Malachite was used as a mineral pigment to create green paint until the 19th century (just like ultramarine from lapis lazuli).
In the Middle Ages, malachite was hung on children's beds and worn by adults to ward off evil spirits and dark magic.
In Rome it was named the peacock stone, which was the emblem of the goddess Juno.
You can still see an amazing 16 tons of malachite at St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
It was used as an eye paint, a pigment for wall painting, in glazes and the coloring of glass.
Russian tsars and princesses have dedicated national tales and entire halls of their palaces to this gemstone.
It is also used as an anniversary gemstone for the 13th year of marriage - what a lovely gift.
Malachite is not an official birthstone, but it can be a natural birthstone for those born in mid-spring (April 20 - May 20). Green crystals bring you renewal, success in new ventures, and good health.
Malachite can be a tricky gemstone when working with other crystals. Its power can amplify spiritual powers found in other gemstones that will be detrimental to Malachite's own influence. That said, the millennial combinations of Malachite are Lapis Lazuli and Onyx, which together make a stronger and more effective team.
The Wonther Good Vibes Locket can incorporate several stones or crystals, and one of them is malachite, one of most powerful stones. It’s a stone used in jewelry pieces since ancient times. Please take care of the necklace and the stone. This is a “soft stone”, meaning it can chip easily. No stone is like another, so your stone is unique and… yours only. Remember, this stone is exclusive, and it will bring you spiritual healing and power. If you feel attracted to this stone, this is your stone!
Somehow, everything looks better when you have a secret amulet that helps you set the right vibe throughout the day. If you are seeking leadership, Malachite is the crystal you need.
A crystal core with Malachite is said to radiate protection, leadership, and confidence (a powerful, positive and energizing vibe).
More about the Malachite Crystal:
Diameter: 10mm
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