6 Thoughts to Bring You Inner Peace
Happiness, joy, contentment, being able to appreciate a wisp of cloud tracing a line across the sky … these things come only when we have found a way to feel good about who we are. That kind of inner peace is important to everything in our lives, from finding love to excelling at our jobs.
But there are wiser people than us who have had more insightful things to say about the topic. Here are six quotes that stick with us:
“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
The simplicity of Gandhi’s statement does not diminish its power. Think about what he is saying here. He is saying that you are more powerful than you realize; that you are in control of how you feel, no one else, and only those who you’ve let in can have an effect on you. It’s an emboldening thing to consider.
“The best fighter is never angry.”
― Lao Tzu
Taken from the Tao Te Ching, the meaning here is simple: don’t let your emotions take charge. Being a strong, assertive woman means understanding your own strength and using it to your benefit rather than letting it use you.
“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”
― Gautama Buddha
The beauty and joy of artistic expression comes from within, so should it be any surprise that true peace comes from that same place? We don’t find joy in external things, but rather in the way we internalize external things. In other words, it’s not the full moon’s light playing off the water of the lake that swells our heart, it’s what we take from that image. It comes from inside. True happiness, real happiness, does not come from diamonds or men, it begins inside you.
“We don’t realize that, somewhere within us all, there does exist a supreme self who is eternally at peace.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love
We all know that this person is inside us, the trick is finding them. At Andrea Lopresti Fine Jewelry, we’re blessed to be able to reach out to that person and express that sense of peace, boldness, and joy in our handmade jewelry. You might need another path, but make no mistake, the path exists. No matter what’s happening in your life, somewhere inside you is the person you long to be: At peace with yourself. Calm. And open to all the world’s possibilities.
“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.”
― Dalai Lama XIV
None of us are without turmoil in our lives. It’s impossible to avoid it entirely. How the ups and downs of life affect us, though, depends on how well we’ve managed to accept who we are. All your power as a woman stems from it. Your confidence. Your creativity. Your ability to take life’s lemons and make lemonade. It all begins by being comfortable with who you are.
“Nothing external to you has any power over you.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
We’ve talked a lot about being comfortable with who you are, but the world doesn’t always make that easy, does it? You’re told you have to look a certain way. You have to act a certain way. You have to take certain jobs. But none of that is true. The world can ask what it wants of you, but far more important is what YOU want of the world. All those messages bombarding you to be a woman you don’t want to be? They only have power if you let them.
Get outside, breath the open air, dance. Embrace who you are and everything that follows becomes better as a result.
To learn more about Andrea Lopresti Fine Jewelry, look at our handmade jewelry on Etsy, and follow us on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.
The Secret Link Between Jewelry and Confidence
It would be hard to overstate the power of confidence. There is a reason why the image of a strong woman is so powerful, powerful enough to inspire and also powerful enough to instill fear in those frightened of strong women.
It’s because confidence is not only our ticket to a happier life, a better life, and a stronger sense of control over our own destiny, it’s also because confidence is FREE. The trick is learning how to grab hold of yours.
One of the secrets to improved confidence might be right in your closet.
Don’t believe us? Consider these three ways your jewelry is a potent tool for building confidence:
The Ability to Change
Jewelry and clothing does for us something few other things can do: it allows us to change ourselves at a moment’s notice. We all have certain outfits that only fit certain moods. We all have tops that, whether consciously or unconsciously, brighten our mood the moment we put them on, or pieces of jewelry that make us feel dazzling. Most important of all, our clothing allows us to choose who we are going to be on a moment-by-moment basis – and that is incredibly empowering.
Do we want to be a sharp, intelligent professional? An arty wild child? A demure lady with a mysterious side? Any one of a million personalities can be expressed through our jewelry and clothing, and that’s a wonderful thing.
It Can Be An Emotional Sponge
Your sense of fashion is more than the jewels, colors and patterns you drape across your body. It’s an extension of who you are. An aspect of that philosophy many don’t consider is that clothing can be used as a way to enhance or dampen certain emotions. This will sound strange, but hear us out: when a date goes badly, let your top soak up those bad vibes. When you’re feeling great, that feeling will stick with the clothing you have on. Getting rid of clothing you associate with a boyfriend gone bad helps you feel better. And so on. Makes sense, right?
We’re not the ones inventing this notion, either. There is science behind what we’re saying. A 2008 report in Qualitative Research in Psychology, for example, noted that even just thinking about certain wardrobe items could give someone a boost in confidence if that piece of clothing had previously been associated with good feelings (a promotion at work, getting compliments, etc.).
Jewelry As Memory
More than a tool for change, more than a place to deposit your emotions, in many ways jewelry is our own personal time capsule. Every piece has memories attached. Every pendant was there with you during days both good and bad; every set of earrings framed your face during moments you won’t forget. Important days, important moments, important successes and accomplishments, all of them are intertwined with memories of what jewelry you were wearing that day.
What does this mean? It means your jewelry has power in your life you probably don’t realize it has. It’s woven into the fabric of who you are. Therefore, through that power, you can tap into the same strength and spirit you had during the best moments of your life. Embrace the idea that your jewelry is a time machine and find strength in that.
Conclusion
The next time you open your jewelry box, closet or wardrobe, look inside and see your handmade fine jewelry and garments for what they really are: pieces of you embodied in precious metal and gemstones that are capable of helping you tap into the best part of yourself.
That’s a powerful thing.
To learn more about Andrea Lopresti Fine Jewelry, look at our handmade jewelry on Etsy, and follow us on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.
Does Fashion Really Make The Woman?
When we think of fashion, we think of it as living, breathing art; as a means with which we can express ourselves, and as a way to empower ourselves by choosing the way the world sees us.
But perhaps we are a bit biased. At Andrea Lopresti Fine Jewelry, we are immersed in the world of fashion every day. It is our passion, especially when it comes to handmade fine jewelry. Regardless, the question is worth asking: when you dig a little deeper, is there any truth to the idea that the clothes make the woman?
It turns out there is.
As reported in 2014, a study by Professor Karen Pine from the University of Hertfordshire found that changes in our wardrobe can actual change our mental processes, altering how we think, how we perceive ourselves, and how we act.
In other words, there is power in fashion.
For example, in one test she conducted two groups of women were asked to take math tests, one group while wearing swimsuits, the other while wearing more formal clothing. The latter group performed better than the group wearing swimsuits.
At Andrea Lopresti Fine Jewelry, we’ve always known that jewelry is more than some metals and jewels. For us, handmade jewelry is expression. It is art. It is a daydream turned real. It’s gratifying to discover, then, that science supports our belief that what you wear can help influence who you are.
Celebrity stylist Elizabeth Stewart told She Knows that feeling good about your wardrobe can translate to feeling good about yourself. “Learn your body, learn what looks good on you,” Stewart told the website. “Pick your go-to pieces … There must be something in your wardrobe that you always go to and I really believe in getting repeats of those things — getting your favorite things in variations.”
Building confidence in that way is important, too, because for modern women, far too many opportunities fall by the wayside when we’re not ready to grasp them. A recent survey by a major department store found that a whopping 75 percent of women had declined to take advantage of an opportunity presented to them because they lacked confidence. That’s a big number. Way too big, in our opinion.
Feel good about yourself and what you’re wearing, however, and things can change,
A survey by body language expert Dr. Lillian Glass reveals that 58 percent of women feel stronger and more confident in higher quality clothing.
Reporting on the topic of fashion and confidence, Vogue magazine writes that “assembling an outfit is like selecting social armor, and that what we wear has power over others.”
The message here is unmistakable. Yes, clothing really does make the woman. It can make you feel great about who you are. It can tell the world that you are bold and capable. Without you even realizing it, it can even completely alter the way you think, allowing you to tap into parts of yourself you didn’t realize you had.
That’s a pretty powerful thing.
Is it any wonder, then, that we wax poetic about the power of jewelry and fashion in our lives?
To learn more about Andrea Lopresti Fine Jewelry, look at our handmade jewelry on Etsy, and follow us on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.
7 Easy Tips To Become A Confident Woman
No woman can truly be the confident woman she was meant to be without having the confidence to be strong, secure, and savvy.
The problem is, we’re not all blessed with the inborn sense of confidence some women have. Many of us have to work at it.
The good news is, confidence IS something you can develop, even if you’ve never been all that confident before. Here are seven simple ways to do that:
- Do Something Good For Someone Else – It doesn’t matter how big or small the deed is, the fact is that good deeds gives us a tremendous dose of inward-focused good will. And when you feel good about who you are, it’s easy to be strong and confident.
- Play A Role – Believe it or not, half the confidence you perceive in others is just them pretending to be the strong person you think they are – except after a while, it ceases to be pretending and becomes real. So play a role. Put on a fantastic outfit that makes you look strong and confident, and pretend to be the confident person you want to be. Before long, fantasy will become reality.
- Smile – It’s that simple. Smiles are a powerful thing. They influence those around you, and they also have an impact on the way we feel about ourselves. Put on a smile for no reason at all and you WILL begin to feel good about who you are.
- Put On A Bold New Outfit – Few things are as invigorating as putting on a great new outfit and hitting the town. You look good, you feel good, and those good feelings extend to every other part of your life.
- Frequently Try New Things – We’re not necessarily talking about skydiving or learning to fight bulls. Even small, simple things such as trying a meal you’ve never had before or wearing a style of top you’ve never worn before can have a big impact on your self confidence. New things embolden you, and when you’re emboldened, you feel good about your ability to take on anything the world throws at you.
- Be Who YOU Want To Be – If you feel as if you are constantly trying to live up to the image others expect of you, you are not alone. That feeling is something women have to deal with every day. But wait, let’s correct that: We don’t HAVE to deal with it, not if we don’t want to. Instead of being who others want you to be, proudly embrace who you ARE. You’ll be amazed at how good you feel about it.
- Be Judgment Free – One of the best ways to alleviate the sting of judgment is to be free from judgment ourselves. Accept others for who they are and be more open about embracing the incredible ways in which women can differ from one another, and you’ll find those feelings begin to transfer inward, too. Free yourself from judgment and self-confidence will follow.
The beautiful thing about these suggestions is that not only do they actually work, they are something you can easily start to incorporate into your life right NOW.
So what are you waiting for? Become the woman you were always meant to be!
To learn more about Andrea Lopresti Fine Jewelry, look at our handmade jewelry on Etsy, and follow us on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.
5 Ways to Feel Better About Life
We all want to live better. We want happiness. We want to look in the mirror and know the person staring back at us is amazing (and trust us, she is).
That all begins with feeling better – and not just physically, but mentally, too. Life can be stressful. That’s just the way the world is built. But all that stress can melt away and be replaced by something far more powerful only if we’re able to change the way we react to the world.
Of course, getting into a better frame of mind is important, but perhaps more important is how you get to that place. It’s not enough to just feel good. You have to feel good about your journey there, too.
So how do we get there? How do we reach a place where problems become minor distractions on the way to being the amazing you that you deserve to be? Here are five simple things you can start doing right NOW:
- Eat Right – Eating right is its own reward in many ways, but maybe the best reward is how good you feel when you eat right. It’s nice to be healthy and it’s great to feel good about how you look, but most important of all is the inner sense of well-being that comes with living a healthy life.
- Get A Massage – Relaxing. Being pampered. Having the tension released from your body. We all need these temporary respites from the stress of our daily lives. Tiny escapes like these allow us to recharge our mental energy, which in turn allows us to face any challenge life throws our way.
- Take a Tea Break – We love a cup of coffee as much as the next person, but the next time you need to take a five-minute break from your stressful afternoon, try a cup of tea instead. Herbal, please. The warm liquid and heady aromas can help you clear your mind and bring you a much-needed sense of relaxation. Philosophies focused on inner peace come from the same part of the world as tea for a reason, after all.
- Stretch in the Sun – It’s the simple things that improve our lives the most. If you don’t believe us, try incorporating something as simple as a morning stretch in the sun into your day. There is no need to make it complicated. Just step outside – onto your porch, into your garden, onto your balcony, or wherever else you can – reach your arms to the sky, and stretch out your tension. Be sure to linger outside for a few minutes after you do to soak up some sun. You’ll not only feel renewed each morning, you’ll be getting some vitamin D, too.
- Get Creative – There are few ways of understanding ourselves better and of developing a sense of well being that are as powerful as having a creative outlet. At Andrea Lopresti Fine Jewelry, we’re blessed to have an opportunity to be creative every day when we design our handmade fine jewelry. For others, it’s simply a matter of finding a little time each day and the right way to occupy it. You don’t have to devote yourself to painting or other such pursuits (unless you want to, of course). Even something as simple as artfully arranging flowers allows you to get into a frame of mind you may not usually explore – and that’s something worth pursuing.
These are simple things to incorporate into your life, but the results will not be simple. They will be positively transforming.
To learn more about Andrea Lopresti Fine Jewelry, look at our handmade jewelry on Etsy, and follow us on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.
Proof That Jewelry and Fashion Can Change Your Outlook
There is power in jewelry and clothing. It should come as no surprise that at Andrea Lopresti Fine Jewelry we believe fashion is more than clothing, style, and accessories. It’s also a form of artistic expression that can be deeply personal. It’s a way to speak to the world about who you are.
What may surprise you is that there is strong scientific evidence that not only are we correct to think of jewelry and fashion in this way, but that we might not be taking that thought far enough.
A Reflection of our Inner Self
A study by Professor Karen Pine of the University of Hertfordshire indicates that fashion choices can have a significant impact in boosting confidence levels. Pine’s book, “Mind What You Wear,” outlines her findings in detail. She says we are all aware that our clothing has an impact on what others think of us, but we’re now learning that that same jewelry and clothing also has a subconscious impact on how we feel about ourselves.
Pine said her book includes “tips on how to feel happier and more confident with the right clothes, explaining not only that we are what we wear, but that we become what we wear.”
JEWELRY AS A Way to Boost Your Confidence
A study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology came to a similar conclusion, showing that our choice of outfit can boost our confidence, make us feel better about who we are, and make us feel more capable of facing life’s challenges.
Dr. Samantha Boardman writes, “When you wear something that makes you feel great, the effects may be subtle — the way you tilt your head, your facial expressions and your body language — but they matter. It sends a message that you care about yourself. When we look good, we feel good — and vice versa.”
A Means to Change Ourselves
Clinical psychology Jennifer Baumgartner wrote the book “You Are What You Wear,” which outlines not only the idea that our choices in clothing reveal something about ourselves – that’s obvious to anyone who loves fashion – but also explores the notion that we can help ourselves overcome inner difficulties by changing our wardrobe.
“When you dress in a certain way, it helps shift your internal self,” explains Dr. Baumgartner. “We see that when we do makeovers, and even actors say that putting on a costume facilitates expression of character. That’s just as true for everyday life.”
What all of the above means is simple: if there is power in art, power to move us and shape up and change how we think, that same power extends to fashion, too.
But since clothing and jewelry are as legitimate an art form as painting, film or photography, that should come as no surprise. So open your closet or jewelry box and realize that what’s inside can change who you are for the better.
To learn more about Andrea Lopresti Fine Jewelry, look at our handmade jewelry on Etsy, and follow us on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.
Happy 4th of July!!
The summer is in full swing! The weather here in New York has been beautiful. We are all ready to celebrate the 4th with family and friends. The only thing better than watching fireworks is wearing them! Our Sapphire-works add sparkle to any outfit! Bursting with color, they are a feast for the eyes!
Sapphires are available in so many fancy colors, not the least of which are these shown here. The traditional blue as well as white and red are a great way to get your sparkle on!
And coming soon…matching bails with sapphires to kick your bling up a notch!
As always, all pieces are available in yellow and white gold and sterling silver. Please contact us for pricing information.
Have a great holiday!
Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy Mother’s Day to all!
Mothers daughters, aunts, sisters, grandmothers, godmothers… Everyone enjoy the day! Our heirloom pieces span generations and family ties. Both the Lotus and Fiore collections are available in two sizes, perfect for a mother and daughter.
Large Fiore Pendant
Petite Fiore Pendant
Please inquire about pricing for using your birthstone or a stone or color that has special meaning to you.
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Andrea
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