23 JEWELRY

my American friend

M - Our topic today is JEWELRY! C – Hey, Marta, why have you decided to talk about jewelry today? Have you had Breakfast at Tiffany's lately, like Audrey Hepburn? M – No, I love that movie, but I prefer having breakfast at the Waffle House! C – Oh, ok then…Grits instead of gold? Bacon in favor of BAUBLES? Toast in trade of TIARAS? So what have you been up to? M – Last week another American friend came to visit me here in Italy. We talked all about jewelry because she works as a rep (=sales representative) for a brand of silver jewelry. C – Does she? You definitely need to introduce me to her! Jewelry collecting is one of my favorite hobbies! M – Well, even better, I will introduce her to you & our listeners in just a little while. C – Great! So have you discussed jewelry-related vocabulary with your friend? M - Sure: BRACELET, BANGLE, NECKLACE, EARRINGS, RING and also SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES & GEMS. C - Like TURQUOISE, AMETHYST, EMERALD, RUBY, SAPPHIRE or DIAMOND. M – And someone would say : (singing) Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. C – Is it true? M – Well, I'd still prefer the Waffle House menu when hungry in the morning... C – Ok, you made it clear, Marta, you must be starving today, you just can't get those waffles out of your head!! We'll have a sandwich as soon as we're finished recording this episode, ok? Now, back to your friend...what's her name? M – Michelle. C – Ok, back to Michelle, have you learnt anything about jewelry and accessories that you didn't know? M – yes!! I eventually got to know the name of that sort of strange bracelet I had seen in the movies. C – Which bracelet? M – The one made of flowers... C – Oh, you mean the CORSAGE ! M - Exactly! C - Yeah, girls wear corsages around their wrists or pinned to a dress for special occasions, like prom or homecoming dances for example. And mothers and grandmothers usually wear a corsage for weddings as well. M – Is it really like in the movies? Is the guy supposed to buy the corsage for the girl he's dating? C - Uh huh, I mean- not out for a burger or anything...- but for special occasions and dances, yes. That's how it usually works, and he will wear a BOUTONNIERE matching her corsage or dress. A BOUTONNIERE is just a smaller version of a corsage, maybe with just one rose and a bit of greenery. M – That's sweet. C - Hey, another word our listeners should know about is BLING. M – Bling, yes. C – It's an American slang word used to define the kind of big, excessive, showy jewelry encrusted with diamonds and big gems. It’s worn by rappers or hip hop stars...even Hollywood actors can rock a little ‘bling’ from time to time. M – And making reference to our episode about Superstitions, some people choose to wear a special jewel because they think it brings them good luck. C – That's an AMULET. A protective charm. Do you have one? M – Not really. And you? C – Not now, but when I was younger I used to wear a charm in the image of a smiling, shining sun. I didn’t necessarily wear it to bring good luck, but it was cute and it made me happy just to wear it. M - Now it's time to introduce our guest, hey, Michelle, welcome to my American friend! Michelle: Well, hello everyone! This is Michelle, here, and I'm on line now from Ludington, Michigan. I'm an independent rep with Silpada Designs Jewelry. C - Michelle, could you tell our listeners something about the different types of rings we have in America? Michelle : Here in America we have a lot of rings, when it comes to relationships we have a lot of rings that we give. Well, the first ring would be the PROMISE RING. That is a promise that's made, that you're committing yourself to the relationship, to that other person. M – Ok, promise ring. What's next? Michelle - An ENGAGEMENT RING, the next stage in moving towards wedding or, you know, that type of commitment. Then you move into the side of the world where the WEDDING BAND would come into play, on that special day: your marriage. The wedding band will of course fit on the same finger as your engagement ring. This is very special and very sentimental. M – Yeah, sure. Michelle – Later down the road, you know, we look for an ANNIVERSARY BAND which is just a token of love. You could be anywhere, from one year, five years, ten years... Well you can accumulate all kinds of rings, you know, during that course of lifetime. M - So... Michelle - ….so several different rings to wear and symbols of love, that's for sure. M – Wow, it seems you end up collecting a lot of rings over a lifetime... Oh, that reminds me of FAMILY JEWELS, Cindy, is that what you call the collection of jewels a family inherits from grandparents and other relatives? C – Yes, but watch out, you are treading a thin line, Marta... there's also a double meaning to the term ‘family jewels’. It can also refer to the external male sex organs. M - Ooooh really ?? C - Yep! Let's move on, Michelle, since you are an expert in silver jewelry and accessories, do you have any special suggestions for our listeners? Michelle: When it comes to jewelry I would definitely say you need to accessorize! Accessorizing anything that you're wearing will bring out the best of you. You could be wearing just a simple T-shirt and a pair of jeans and adding that little bit of accessory would bring it out and would bling you up. Eventually you could make your way up to, you know, an extreme amount of layers: earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets... Men and women, that's for sure. So, I would say, definitely, shine like a rockstar! M - Thanks for being our guest Michelle! Michelle: Thank you, ladies, so much for having me on line with you! C - Bye Michelle, come visit us again! Michelle - Bye everyone! Bye bye! C - I know I say it every time, but it's great having guests here at my American friend. M – Yes, again a big thank you to Michelle. One last thing, Cindy. C - One last thing and then we go out for a sandwich, right? M – I couldn't agree more. I've heard an idiom related to jewelry. C – Which one? M - “to BE THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN”. C - Oh, when someone is the jewel in the crown it means they are the best among a group. For example: Marta, you rock. You are a jewel amongst chicks that make the Rock world go round. We salute you! M – Oh, come on, Cindy! Don't make me blush! :) give us another example. C – Ok, since you mentioned it before, Marta, we know that for you the Waffle House restaurant is the jewel in the crown of American breakfast establishments. M - Yeah! M – Ok, folks, that's it for now! C - Thank you for listening! Check out the transcript of this episode either on our blog or on our facebook page or on podomatic.com and you can also follow us on twitter! M – We await your comments and feedback on www.myamericanfriendblog.com C - Marta... there is one idiom I didn't tell you about... it goes like this: “Speech is silver, silence is golden”. M - Do you mean it's time for us to shut up? C - yes, it's time for that sandwich! Bye everyone! M - Bye bye! ************************ the spelling : JEWELRY (Am.E.) or JEWELLERY (Br.E.) jewelry-related vocabulary used in this episode: BAUBLES= costume (fake) jewelry TIARAS= a delicate and ornate crown worn by women, for example, in a beauty pageant. Tiaras can be made of real or fake stones. Some brides enjoy wearing a tiara for their wedding ceremony. BRACELET, BANGLE= jewelry worn on the wrist. Can be made of anything from plastic to metal. NECKLACE= jewelry worn around the neck EARRINGS= jewelry for the ears. Earrings that require a hole in the earlobe are called "pierced" and earrings worn without requiring a hole in the earlobe are called "clip ons" or " clip" earrrings. RING= jewelry for the fingers SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES= stones of lower value but still of great beauty for example: turquoise, amethyst, topaz GEMS: stones of high value (still varying much in price according to clarity, color, cut..etc...) like diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald. CORSAGE= flowers worn by a girl or woman, pinned to her dress or worn bracelet-like, for a special occasion like a wedding or dance. BOUTONNIERE= small bouquet of flowers (just one flower and a bit of greenery) worn by a man or boy for special occasions. The boutonniere is worn pinned to the lapel of the suit jacket. BLING= excessive, big, sparkly, showy jewelry. Often worn by rappers, hip hop stars AMULET= a protective charm usually worn on a necklace FAMILY JEWELS (watch out!!!)= a DOUBLE meaning here! 1. inherited jewelry passed down from generation to generation. 2. A slang term referring to the external male sex organs. PROMISE RING= a ring given as a "promise" of the future. For example, teenagers may exchange promise rings as a commitment to eachother with a "promise" of marriage in the future. ENGAGEMENT RING= when a man (or woman) asks their partner to marry them, an engagement ring is given to symbolize they are commited to marriage. In America, an engagement ring usually has at least one diamond in the setting and is made of either white or yellow gold. WEDDING BAND= the simple band slipped onto the bride & groom's ring finger of the left hand during the wedding ceremony. ANNIVERSARY BAND= a ring given at any stage in the marriage to celebrate an anniversary. Idiom - “to be the jewel in the crown”= the best among a group Idiom - “speech is silver, silence is golden” If you're interested in Silpada's silver jewelry, you can contact Michelle at: [e-mail]