7 Lucky Charms that Make Perfect Irish Wedding Gifts

Giving Irish wedding gifts, as with so many wedding customs in Ireland, is steeped in magical folklore and old-fashioned Irish superstition.

Deciding what gift to give your friends on their big day will be easier once you learn about a few of Ireland's traditional wedding gifts and what they signify.

The Bell
Whether the bell be made of pewter, brass, porcelain, or crystal, it will ward off the evil spirits that may be lurking to trip up the newlyweds.

Also known as a "make-up bell" or "wedding bell", it helps the Bride and Groom stay ever-mindful of their wedding vows and the love they shared on their wedding day. So whenever they are upset with each other one of them can ring the bell instead of walking away.

The Magic Hanky
There is a wonderful Irish wedding custom for the bride to carry a "magic" hanky on her wedding day.

After the nuptials, she keeps it in a special place saves it for her firstborn's christening, to dry her baby's face. A variation of this Irish wedding tradition is for the hanky to be converted into a christening bonnet, then converted back into a hanky for that child's wedding day.

The Wedding Coin
Another old Irish wedding tradition is for the Groom to give his Bride a coin after they exchange rings, as a symbol of prosperity. This custom originated back when the Groom would pay money to the Bride's family to bring them good fortune and joy.

A modern interpretation of this custom is for the Bride and Groom to exchange coins. They say if the coins touch each other during the exchange, the Bride and Groom will be blessed with many children.

The Lucky Horseshoe
The horseshoe has always been associated with good luck in Irish folklore. Brides traditionally carry a horseshoe with them on their wedding day for good luck.

After they set up their home together, the horseshoe is hung over their front door to continue to ward off evil and despair. Just remember, if you give the couple a horseshoe, give it to them with the "U" facing up - this way it stops the luck from draining out!

Other good luck charms that make great Irish wedding gifts include:

• Salt and Pepper Shakers
  So their home will never be without food.
• Wine Glasses
  So they will always have plenty to drink.
• Candlestick Holders
  So their home will always have light.

Giving gifts is an important part of the culture of hospitality in Ireland. So if you have been invited to an Irish wedding, it's important to choose your wedding gifts wisely. Hopefully some of these traditional Irish wedding gifts have given you some ideas.

Deborah Felker is the editor of Fantasy-Ireland.com, featuring in-depth articles about the meaning of Irish and Celtic symbols and many articles to help plan Irish and Celtic weddings

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Residential Art Glass Lighting - Design Trends in Chandeliers, Sconces, & Pendants

Much in the way jazz altered our concept of music, glass art has changed our expectations of residential lighting. In fact, glass art lighting is being hailed as one of the hottest new trends to hit luxury home design. According to 25-year Southern California interior designer Greg Griffith, G. Griffith & Co. of Destin, FL, “It’s emerging as a transitional point for a more energetic look. From Asian to 18th Century, every style and design can incorporate glass art lighting. The fact that these are actual sculptured pieces means you’re adding art to the room without cluttering the wall.”

Aside from aesthetics, the benefit to glass art lighting is that it’s so flexible, it ends up resolving many design conflicts. Take, for example, the story of the Wisdom Window. This stained glass piece was created by a California glass artist to create a welcoming light at the end of a dark, New York apartment hallway. The artist created four matching sconces, but wanted the end of the hallway to feel like a window. He innovated a design where a diffuser sheet will be installed underneath the stained glass piece, and lit from behind.

One New York glass artist developed a unique way to illuminate her bathroom. She created her own mosaic glass sink and lit it from underneath to create a warm, amber glow. It also doubles as her nightlight. To underscore the look of an underlit sink, matching sconces are ideal. Some kitchen designers are commissioning glass art sconces and pendants to match underlit glass kitchen countertops. This creates interesting, ambient lighting in a more finished-looking lighting package.

Glass art lighting can be a subtle accent, or a prism through which the light bathes a room in a swatch of exotic colors. “I find many decorators driving décor based on the lighting fixtures,” says Seattle-based glass artist, Suzanne Guttman. “It’s easy to fall in love with a tentacled pendant light or chandelier and make it the centerpiece of a room.”

The Cost of Beautiful

Investing in gorgeous glass art lighting is less daunting than one may assume. A Bellagio budget isn’t necessary to incorporate museum-quality glass lighting into a residential design. Sconces range from $400 to $1,200; small pendant lighting (suspended by one point in the ceiling) ranges from $300 to $600; larger pendants and chandeliers can range from $1,500 to $10,000. Serious collectors consider glass art an investment as well as being an aesthetic piece, just as they would an original painting, or a piece of antique furniture.

Glass Art Lighting 101

Once a homeowner decides on glass art lighting, it’s helpful to know a little about the glass and where it should be used, based on its physical characteristics. Here are some tips:

Blown glass has some limitations to the size and diameter that an artist can create. Some blown glass lighting utilizes many pieces in its design to create a larger, more sculptural effect.

Cast glass is very beautiful, but quite unusual in lighting because it is very heavy to suspend. One glass artist has created a woven glass technique that takes on the look of woven fabric, and results in a glass art lighting fixture that feels like a glass blanket.

Fused & slumped glass is popular for glass art lighting. Through the use of molds, fusing allows the artist to create large diameter canopied type lighting, thus enabling a single shade to be up to 48” in diameter. This creates consistency in shape and wonderful, unusual textures.

Etched glass is another wonderful medium for flat panel lighting. Pieces such as The Three Graces, by glass artist Margaret Oldman, can be lit with plain or multi-colored fiber optics, depending on the look a designer is trying to achieve.

Mosaic and stained glass are similar, in that they’re both ideal for flat panel lighting. Artists will often incorporate Italian smalti glass, blown sheets of transparent glass broken into small pieces, or dichroic glass, which is coated on one side with a metallic-like mirror finish.

Buyer Beware

One thing homeowners should remember, especially with lighting, is to be sure that the glass artist they’ve chosen understands how the electrical specs will dovetail with the piece, and that they know U.L. standards. As founder of Glass Artists Gallery, I estimate that close to 30% of our first-time customers come to us because they had negative experiences commissioning residential glass art lighting on their own. We are very careful about screening the artists we represent to make sure they understand the technical specifications

In short, glass art lighting choices become a very personal way to reveal a homeowner’s fingerprint on the interior design. As George Bernard Shaw once said, “You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul.”

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Jack Healy is part owner of Functional Art Gallery, LLC - Functional Art Gallery - a growing family of online resources for the designer, architect, builder and discerning homeowner. The company focuses on handcrafted functional & architectural works of art for both residential and commercial projects. The Functional Art Gallery family includes Glass Artists Gallery, Sinks Gallery and Art Lighting Gallery. Together these resources provide the largest collection of artisan and designer products available in North America.

Caring For Your Diamond Pendant

Now that you have that breath taking diamond pendant in order to have it remain a beautiful and sparkling piece for years to come you must give consideration to taking proper care of it. There are many aspects to the care process for such a marvelous diamond pendant. Your diamond pendant is a great investment thus requires a little extra care. This diamond could and should last a lifetime and while diamonds are the hardest compound on earth they still require proper care.

There are special ways you should go about cleaning your diamond pendant. Pendants get dirty simply from day to day wear, so you must clean them periodically. Even oils from the skin can affect your pendant. There are a few ways to take care of this properly, such as giving them a mild soap bath. Use a soft brush to wash away the loose particles, but be careful to do this as far away from the sink as possible. It is a known fact that drains and jewelry are a bad mix and this is one sure way of losing your ring.

Another method of cleaning your during diamond is to soak it in a solution of ammonia and cold water. You should allow it to soak in the mixture for about half an hour. You will still have to use a soft bristled brush to clean it, but remember you can scratch diamonds so be very careful while brushing it. Instead of mixing your own solution you should know there are some fantastic cleaners on the market for diamonds and you might find these to be more to your taste. When using these commercial solutions all you have to do is follow the instructions, being careful you don’t touch the diamonds with your fingers. This only ruins your hard work. Always pick your jewelry up by the edges.

There are also machines on the market for diamond cleaning that are worth considering. You must know how to use these machines though or you risk damaging your diamond pendant.

The setting is another important part of your jewelry and is one of the leading reasons why people lose the diamonds from the pendants. As a precaution you should take your diamond pendant to a jeweler and have the setting checked at least once a year. Taking this step becomes even more important if your diamond is set in soft metal such as 24 karat gold. When storing your pendant it should be placed in a soft fabric covering and placed in jewelry box. If possible your diamonds should be stored in separate compartments. This is because there is only one thing that can cut a diamond and that is another diamond.

Keep in mind you should not wear your diamond pendant when you are doing heavy work. Though diamonds are among the hardest compounds on earth they can still be scratched if it receives the right kind of blow.

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Spot Lights and Pendant Lights for Art Galleries

As a budding and yet to be discovered artist of the 21st century, I'm always on the look out for galleries that will house my fine works of art for a reasonable amount of time and for a reasonable housing fee. One of the qualifications that I always look for is whether the gallery has proper lighting. Without the right kind of lighting, patrons wouldn't be able to fully appreciate my works and understand how much blood, sweat and tears I put into each piece.

But back to what I was talking about earlier; lighting is imperative in show casing my works. With that said, I look for galleries that include spot lights and perhaps even some directional pendant lighting. Spot lights are especially important and I'm not talking about the really big ones they use in Hollywood, I'm talking about the ones that use the small LED bulbs or even compact fluorescent bulbs. The spot lights have to be placed at least six inches away from the wall so that they properly light up my work. The six inches will ensure that the patrons will be able to view the finer details in my work without the light burning any holes through them.

Directional pendant lights are superb for lighting up sculptural pieces and installation art and can work just as well if not better than spot lights depending on the scenario. For instance, if an artist decides to showcase an installation art piece in the middle of a gallery, spot lights alongside the walls probably won't be able to illuminate it, unless the gallery has spot lights installed along the middle of the ceiling. Pendant lights with adjustable directional fixtures will easily solve this dilemma, especially if track pendant lighting is used.

When you work as a professional artist, your work is always being scrutinized, top to bottom. Without the proper lighting, you run the risk of getting a bad review (I speak from experience). But as long as you find a gallery that includes all the essentials you require, then every patron will be able to see all the blood, sweat and tears that you've put into your work (or is that just me).

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