A busy November...

OK, how did it get so busy all of a sudden. There I was, in post-holiday glow, enjoying slowly getting back in to things and then BAM all of a sudden I have so much on, bespoke orders and pieces to rejuvinate into something else and am surrounded by gems, pearls and all things gorgeous. (Of course, I cope admirably with being surrounded by all the pretties!)

I haven't forgotten about the Italian diaries - I just haven't had time to refine them, but I'll get there eventually :)

The show at Muswellbrook was great fun. It was a manageable drive over there (even if we got home after midnight) there were many other stall holders with different items and the organisers were lovely. A few ladies were thrilled with some new jewels for summer and I think I will be warmly welcomed back in that district.

The "Balabudgee" garden weekend was extraordinary - sublime weather, a garden that all at once made me feel inspired and depressed (inspired because it looks achievable... and depressed because I just know that I won't do it!!), and such genial hosts. It was busy with people both days and lots of lovely ladies got to take home quite a bit of new jewellery with them!

I had planned to attend TAS last weekend (The Armidale School's Spring Fair) but unfortunately one of my girls came down with high temps and a headache the evening before and it just wasn't possible to leave her with someone else the next day when she felt like that. Hubby was off at the NSW Aerobatic Championships in Temora so couldn't be on dad duty. But that's what happens I guess. On a high note, hearty congratulations to my hubby who is now the NSW Aerobatic Champion! Woohoo :D

I have a busy show schedule for November - the Dunedoo Central School is holding its ladies shopping night on Friday, 11 November from 5-8pm. Enquiries to the school. The Tamworth Christmas Fair is on Saturday, 19th November at Tamworth Racecourse from 9.30am-4pm and then I have my annual summer show in Coolah on the 25th November.

The last couple of years I have held my show at the local dance studio, but have been offered to hold it the air-conditioned comfort of Noni B's Giftware this year - given the heat we've experienced in past years, I'm looking forward to a comfortable temperature this year! I will have a special preview the day before (24th November) for clients and will be sending invitations out to people in the Coolah area - if you're outside the district and would like to come, do let me know and I will pop off an invite to you!

I am trying to get to the website this week to update with some new stock - a few technical things are holding me back that will hopefully be resolved soon!

Today's photo is of a stunning pair of amethyst and mixed gemstone (blue topaz, pink topaz and peridot) earrings.

Till next :)
Annette

Hot Weather, Sydney, Shops, Peaches and an Award.

It has been so hot the last few days - everytime I moved an eyebrow I broke out in a sweat. (I could say perspiration, but, no.... it was sweat). I'm really not made for the hot weather but this last week has been a scorcher.

We were in Sydney for a few days and I don't think I've ever felt that hot in the city before - usually there is a sea breeze, but not this week. The skies were constantly blue, the sun was hot and the humidity completely did me in. I can take the heat if there is relief in the shade, but with humidity there's just no escaping it. When we got home to the farm on Thursday night, the house was so hot it was like walking into a dry sauna. Apparently it had been 44C that day and with the house locked up it was STILL 44C.

Sydneysiders seemed to be enjoying the hot weather on Australia Day and the city - in particular Circular Quay and Hyde Park - was packed with people enjoying the entertainment. After our satisfying walk around the city in December, we decided to do it again. Here's a pic of Centrepoint Tower, taken as we just got out of the train station at St. James.



Now that all the Xmas decorations were down and the need for pressies was less, I came to the conclusion that there were too many shops in the city selling 'women's stuff' (as my husband so eloquently put it) and the prices most were charging was astronomical. Obviously people in the city get paid better than farmers. I do envy Sydneysiders their access to choice - often in regard to furniture and so on but I can happily say that our country shops do a sterling job on the 'women's stuff' front.

Naturally, we can't always GET to these shops regularly. I need to travel over 100km to get to a clothes shop, but when I do, these boutique owners really have to buy well - they can't afford to purchase and then not sell it. Of course, I do still use online shopping - it's so easy, always open and I don't have to drive an hour or more to get there!

We are fortunate in our little town to have a nice 'stuff' shop though - I have watched the owner expand and refine her range and move into larger and larger premises as people appreciated her selections.

On the farming front, things are drying off with the successive hot days. I've even had to resort to watering the roses and some trees! Our peach and plum trees had some gorgeous fruit this summer. For the last couple of weeks, we've been going out every morning and picking a few pieces of fruit for the day. The blood plums have been huge and so juicy. The peaches have been the same - making one peach a nice handful.



I've been keeping an eye out for parrots, waiting for them to find the fruit trees - so that I can leave them on the tree for maximum ripening but save enough for us! It appears that they took advantage of our absence for a few days as I've returned home and hardly a peach was left. This one managed to be missed by both the parrots and the children.



I did manage to get back to my bench for a couple of days last week and now that the kids will be back to school this coming week, I am looking forward to creating again. After I've covered all the school books of course. Not looking forward to that one.

On a high note, the gorgeous Julia from BushBelles awarded me with the Stylish Blogger Award last week. As part of accepting this award I need to share 7 things about me that you probably won't know and then pass the award on to three other stylish bloggers ^^.



So, here goes:
1) I'm starting piano lessons next week. We have a gorgeous grand piano that we bought for the children and frankly I'm completely jealous that they can play and I can't.
2) I'm allergic to most cats - they make me sneeze. Of course, that doesn't stop the children owning outside cats - that I pat and feed and worry about.
3) Snakes completely freak me out. Totally. Even seeing them on the road makes me cringe. (Yes, I know, I make such a suitable farmer's wife).
4) My son, at age 12 has just pipped me in the height stakes. How am I supposed to be a disciplinary force when I have to look up at him?
5) I'm a voracious reader and love the classics. I started reading Austen at age 9 and Dickens at age 11. Hmmm, must give them to the girls to read.
6) I often break out in song, much to the disgust of my son and the amusement of my daughters.
7) I dreamed about my hubby about 2 years before I met him. Fate?

Now, to the new award recipients!
Millie from The Laurel Hedge. Her blog always has gorgeous photos - I love to hear about her renovations and enjoy her view on the world!
Melissah from Scrapbook who, even though she is only a new blogger, is inspiring new people every day.
Melanie from Whimsical Creations - this is one talented woman, have a look for yourself!

Well, look at that, they're all M's!

Till next :)
Annette

Shows - the trials and tribulations

OK, I think I need to just stop. For a few minutes anyway.

This time of the year is unbelievable - even one of my girls last night asked when my next show was, and the next, and the next and the next.... Her eyes got bigger at each one I mentioned. Luckily they're kept busy at school and when they're home they're playing together, doing piano practice and reading. Lots of reading (I think I gave birth to book worms not children sometimes!). And I have a husband that is flexible enough to look after them (and if he is not available, then, thankfully, there is always Grandma!).

I love doing shows - I love getting out and about and meeting people, sharing my passion for gems and pearls and hopefully brightening people's day with some 'pretty' jewels. Even better when I can extend that happiness by having someone take something they love home.

I have another outing this afternoon - just a small one, in my neighbouring town, Dunedoo, about 45min drive away, for a 'ladies afternoon'.

Last weekend I wended my way to Armidale with my friend Trista in tow (to keep me awake as well as help me at the show) for the TAS fair. We had a wonderful time, met some lovely people and sold some jewels, but, as often happens, there was just too many people selling jewellery for any of us to do really well and the poor people attending the show had glazed eyes at the literally hundreds of strands of necklaces that must have been there. Of course the quality, material and styles varied immensely, but at first glance, all people saw was "more jewellery".

This, I must admit, is one of my pet peeves about doing shows. I realise that these shows are organised by time-poor volunteers, but as organisers they CAN and SHOULD dictate what people can sell. In the case of last week, two stall holders mentioned they sold jewellery amongst a myriad of other things (such as clothes, shoes, homewares etc.) but they displayed mostly jewellery. The result is that the show isn't as successful as it could be - the stall holders don't sell as much as they might if there were less of the same category there, and the attendees get limited variety and boredom sets in early.

Of course, some shows are very well organised in this department and they are usually very successful and enjoyed by everyone. These go on to run year after year and I'm fortunate to be a part of some of them. I noted on the Business Mums Blog a week or so ago that some of the markets/shows in Melbourne do great promotion for their participants too. Ah, sometimes I want to live in a city and get those sort of benefits. But then, I love my peace and quiet and rural life too much!

I also noted on the Busy Mum blog, that she's wishing for summer to hurry up and come. Given the cold weather we keep getting here, I'm wishing for a bit of summer too!

Well, I must dash and put my busy hat back on. I still have to finish packing for my outing this afternoon and I only have an hour and a half left before I leave! Today's photo is of pearls - I've felt a bit 'pearly' the last week or so, so made this strand up a few days ago. Rich dark brown pearls with a peacock sheen, enhanced by the addition of some rhodolite garnet, amethyst, iolite and peridot. Yum!

Till next :)
Annette

Spring jewellery, shopping and entertaining!

Can you believe it’s spring! We’ve had a couple of beautiful warm days when the when the jumper came off, leaving me in a short sleeved shirt and all the doors in the house were open with a lovely warm breeze flowing through. Bliss. Then the next day it turned Cold (with a capital ‘C’!) and then the rain started. Again. Now as I’m married to a farmer, I can’t complain about the rain at all – but it’s staggering how much we’ve had this year in comparison to the last decade! I’ve even slid sideways down my dirt road to the front gate. Please imagine a look of intense concentration as this was happening LOL. Luckily it dries out fast so we're back to cool but sunny weather and driving down the track is just fine!

I’ve been incredibly busy on the jewellery front thus my absence from the blogging world. I’ve finished the spring-summer collection and have been loading it onto the website, so if anyone was checking in on the site, there’s been lots of new things to look at every day. I’m close to finishing now, just in time for my first spring outing at Quirindi Show this weekend on 11 and 12 September. The following week is Merriwa Show on 17-18 September – so a very busy fortnight in store.

Apart from jewellery I’ve also been a ‘gardening fairy’! I was the recipient of this gardening goodness recently having three wonderful girls come and help me prune roses, weed and plant white agapanthus at the front of the house (which has been kept very bare due to the lack of my gardening talent).

Last week it was time to return the favour – three of us attacked one of the other girl’s gardens, digging up and planting a huge circle of agapanthus (purple this time!), pruning lavender and chopping down and removing the debris from four large (15 foot high) shrubs. We did have her husband’s help with the chopping down part though! It’s amazing how much work you can get done in a few hours with a few of you. Another stint as a garden fairy in a couple of week’s time – the rush is on now spring is here.

We had the pleasure of a wonderful lunch with friends on the weekend. It's been so long since we entertained, I had forgotten what a great time we have getting together. I'm almost considering hosting a Christmas or New Years party, but well, we'll see about that when it all gets a bit closer.

I've also enjoyed the pleasure of quite a bit of online shopping in the past week. With both a beach holiday and wedding to attend in the near future and a lack of suitable clothes available in town (I looked!), I took the plunge and must say I'm happy with my purchases. I can see why people love to buy from me too - the buzz when the mailman delivers and then finally trying the goodies on that you were trying to picture and measure if they'd be right is immensely satisfying!!! And all without going to town. It's times like that when it hits home how the WWW has changed our lifestyle.

Today's pic is from the new Under the Sea range, with soothing colours reminiscent of the seashore or with corals and pearls from a mermaid's treasure box! This necklace is made with faceted aqua amazonite and lots of sterling silver - perfect to make a summer statement!

The pre-spring merry-go-round

Life is a merry-go-round at the moment. And that merry-go-round is spinning faster and faster and won't let me off! Even blogging suffered when I couldn't find time to sit down and write here for an hour or so last week.

I've been totally caught up in creating for the past couple of weeks - designs have been flying out of my head and I have to get them down on paper before they flutter away! I've been making as many up as I can but even I have my limitations - too many late nights and overloaded days and I turn into a grumpy mother and wife, regardless of how well the design side is going along!

I still have a few things I want to try but the majority of designs for spring and summer are basically finished. There are summer brights in pink, green, yellow and purple; bold statments in red, orange, black and teal, stunning red-carpet worthy creations in sparkly aqua, straw yellow, lavender, white and icy clear; some solid pieces in earthy tones and some lustrous pearl and paua designs too. Sheesh. No wonder I've been busy!

It can be pretty full on in this pre-season rush to be ready but I guess I make up for it at other times of the year when I wind right back - its just hard to remember those times at the moment! I also want to re-organise my existing pieces into collections in line with the new stock and to change my display quite dramatically according to these collections. Considering my first spring show is less than two weeks away, it might not happen that way unless it's at the last minute (or even while I'm there!)

I'm glad to see, however, that others go through similiar things - we all get busy, don't we and hurry through before some sort of deadline? I love to read Amanda's blog Busy Mum 2010 (aptly titled!) and my life seems positively tame compared to hers!

I've done a bit of a sneak peak on my spring/summer range in the photo above - there are so many new pieces its hard to choose just one to feature this week!

Right, I need to get my nose back to the grindstone!

Till next :)
Annette

Farmer Piper on Duty!

I've been MIA here I realise. But life, which was already chaotic (see last week's post!) has been raised to a whole new level this week with my responsibilities increased to 'farmer' status by my husband's absence overseas.

This week has included checking troughs, fences and moving stock - with the help of the younger man of the house of course :) I also had to do the farm bookwork which I hadn't done for the last 5 months (ooops). And, I almost forgot, my first time doing my new P&C (school) responsibity of working in the local saleyard canteen! I even got up at 6.30am to bake some fresh blueberry muffins to take along. Yep, a bit keen I admit LOL.

So, it has been a busy, busy week!

Needless to say there hasn't been much happening in the jewellery department. I did help a lovely gentleman find an aquamarine necklace for his wife's birthday and took on some remodelling jobs, but that was about it. I did, however, receive some gorgeous gems from a supplier I only deal with occasionally. I am thrilled with my selection and look forward to the beautiful new pieces that I can feel will spring from these wonderful gemstones.

Summer is almost at an end here with autumn due to start on Monday. The last week has been much cooler in the mornings and some days were a pleasant, mild temperature all day. Quite different to a couple of weeks ago when we were still in the high 30s/low 40s.

I love autumn - the crisp feeling to the air and the cooler days mean you can enjoy the sunshine without feeling like you are going to shrivel up! And cool, almost cold nights mean we can use our duvets again. Time to snuggle up with a good book - reading is a challenge when even sitting there means you break out in a sweat.

I looked out at dusk this evening and saw the bright moon in the still blue sky, with a little high cloud. I grabbed the camera quickly so I could share the sight with you. Isn't it lovely.



It will be busy again this coming week as I play farmer again, then hopefully I can get back on track - I can feel my bench calling me.

Today's pic is of a stylish pair of earrings - a bit longer than I normally make but perfect for a special dinner with your hair worn up? A large oval white freshwater pearl linked by chain to a bright apple-green chrysoprase pebble, more chain and then to stud fittings.

Till next :)

Blog changes and chocolate brownie

Exciting changes ahead my friends – I am setting up a new blog on my site with a refreshing new look and… shock, horror… changing over to wordpress. Eeeek. But I know blogger so well….*warning Will Robinson*… steep learning ahead!

Gosh that takes me back – Lost in Space. Isn’t it amazing how famous lines from old TV shows and movies make it into the common vernacular! Is there a line or two that you say frequently in your house that has a similar origin?

I am also guilty of breaking into song for what my husband considers no apparent reason. Yes my house is a bit like a musical at times. The children sit there, either laughing at or ignoring me as I burst into a refrain set off by something they have said. Sad, I know….

Well, LOTS of comments regarding my cooking burst last week. Particularly, it seems, anything to do with chocolate. Chocoholics of the world unite!!! I have some dietary intolerances, however chocolate is one thing I can still have – thankfully! As my chocolate brownie is in demand all around the neighbourhood – any one who tastes it always asks for the recipe - I shall share it with you all so you can enjoy the chocolate overload with me :) . I will give fair warning though – it is NOT low fat OR low calorie, but is sure tastes great and even better it only takes 10 min to make (plus cooking time).

Annette’s Chocolate Brownie Recipe

12oz butter, chopped
12oz block dark cooking chocolate, broken into pieces
6 eggs
12oz sugar
splash of vanilla essence
8oz plain flour
4oz chocolate chips

1.Preheat oven to moderate / 160 degrees. Line baking dish or large square cake tin with non-stick baking paper.
2.Melt butter and cooking chocolate by your preferred method, stir till smooth. In a bowl, beat eggs with hand whisk and slowly whisk in sugar. Add vanilla and mix. 3.Pour butter/chocolate mix into egg mixture and mix well with wooden spoon. Fold in flour. Stir in chocolate chips.
4.Pour into prepared tin immediately and bake till top is no longer wobbly (around 40 minutes but this will vary with your oven).
Do not overbake!

PS If you are gluten intolerant I have used plain gluten free flour in this recipe quite successfully!

Whilst on the topic of baking, if you’re after some great baking tips and cake decorating ideas, check out A Piece of Cake Decorating ;) And then – totally different tangent of course (my brain works like that – here one minute there the next), check out Bags by Melanie , particularly this one – I think I may have a bit of a slight addiction to handbags recently - I seem to keep getting drawn to them LOL. She has a very readable blog too!

I have been very busy at my bench – I finished off those fun multi coloured pieces I was working on for our upcoming summer here downunder. Easy to wear and the focal of a white summer sundress, the necklace pictured above is one of my favourites – very bright and fun – using bright red bamboo coral, yellow calcite, lime green chalk turquoise and black onyx, with just a sprinkling of sterling silver for extra gleam.

Now I’ve turned all girly and feminine and have been making delicate, AAA-grade gem earrings. Sparkly rock crystal quartz, African amethyst, smoky quartz, lemon quartz…set off with a mixture of peridot, pink topaz, prehnite, aquamarine…. you get the picture I’m sure ;) YUM!

Working up to spring and summer brights

I'm feeling all summery. I think the weekend of glorious weather - bright, sunny and mild - after some very cold, grey days. Plus the fact that I managed to spend a good proportion of that spring-like weather outside in the rose garden (weeding - yuk! and pruning - ouch!) may have had an effect. Now that I've recovered from the sore back from bending over and the stiff hands from gripping weeds, of course! A good dose of Vitamin D perhaps?

I'm currently finding myself being drawn to all things bright and cheery - like this gorgeous clutch by TiLT Creations and these pretty earrings by Kandi-o Designs and even this swimsuit that Brittany featured on her blog.

To match my mood, I've pictured some earrings made with natural apple green turquoise with fat white freshwater pearls. A fresh, bright mix, perfect for spring/summer!

I'm ordering new stones for summer designs at the moment and of course I'm being drawn to lime green (variscite, green turquoise, peridot), Aegean blue (Peruvian amazonite, Peruvian blue opal, turquoise, larimar, aquamarine) and some coral pinks too .... I love how colour can affect your mood and outlook.

I'm not the only one loving brights - in the latest jewellery news, I've heard that a very rare 5 carat vivid pink diamond is due to go on sale with Christies Hong Kong office in December and they expect it to reach a "stratospheric" price! Ahh to have that sort of cash lying about. Vivid pink is pretty hard to get in natural gems and the colour of this particular beauty is stunning.

Down on the farm, the heifers are almost finished calving and weeks of checking them three times a day is thankfully going to stop! The calves are terribly cute though :).

Of course, after calving we start thinking of our annual holiday. Yes, I know we've only just had term break, but hey, we can dream! I found a great post on the Tilda Virtual Services blog about surviving the school holidays - darn it, should have read it a month ago ;)

I guess I should get busy and before I know it spring will be here :) Have a great week everyone!

Earrings galore for the SAG awards

Last weekend saw yet another glittering affair with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. This event, at least for those of us peering at the jewellery, was a night of earrings. Small earrings, long earring, and even some HUGE earrings.

Very few necklaces made an appearance - instead, imitating them were bejewelled necklines instead. Although I must say that most of the ones I saw didn't come up to the sparkle and glamour that a statement necklace could have made. Ah well. It is the awards season, so I will keep my eyes peeled for the next event and may be rewarded ....

The children have finally gone back to school after their summer holiday and it is amazing how quiet the house can actually be! I can hear the birds trilling again - well I hear them in the mornings when its not too hot. I think they go and find a cool place to hang out during the heat as all I can hear then are cicadas! That loud buzzing sound really reminds me of my childhood summers.

The heat also makes me tired and that means I keep putting off getting back into the swing of work. Does it have that effect on you? Elena of EP Designs is taking matters into her own hands and is throwing herself back into work. She has a talent for recreating old treasures into new - I love the brass planter pot that she has made into a very attractive trinket bowl.

I have made some progress on my website and have been uploading information on gemstones. I now have information - facts, lore and some pictures - on agate, amazonite, amber, amethyst, andalusite, anyolite (aka ruby zoisite), apatite, aquamarine, avenunturine, azurite, beryl, carnelian, chalcedony, charoite, chrysocolla, chrysoprase, citrine, coral, diamond, dumorterite, emerald, fluorite, garnet, hawk's eye/ tiger's eye, hematite, hemimorphite, howlite, hypersthene and iolite. Phew. And I've got a lot still to go!

The picture for today was selected since 1) they're earrings and the SAG awards attendees (or their stylists!) seem to love earrings so much 2) they're able to make a statement all by themselves and 3) they're green. And you know how much I love green! Yes, I know, it's almost an addiction ;)

Because they're a longer style, these earrings would look great with a lower neckline or an off the shoulder/strapless design, particularly in black, white, cream to taupe, or most shades of green. The pearls have an incredible lustre and definitely aren't small so wouldn't get lost - even if you have your hair down.

Ciao till next time!

Melbourne Cup and green amethyst earrings

It always seems as if I'm busy these days. Even though my calendar is fully booked for the next few weeks, I'm already looking forward to summer when I can sit back and just be a mum (well, most of the time, anyway!).

I did have a lovely day off this past week on Tuesday when I attended a girl's luncheon for the Melbourne Cup. If you're not in Australia this is our 'national' horserace and it is tradition to have a bet or a sweep, perhaps get dressed up in the best race inspired fashions (including the hat) and watch the cup (yes, most business in Australia stops for a few minutes on the first Tuesday in November each year)! The state of Victoria even has a public holiday to celebrate it ;). So this year it was lovely to be in the company of some great women who live around here and have a good old chat and a few laughs!

As this is only a quick post (my time management skills are severely lacking this week!) I will get straight to the pic of today.

I was very fortunate recently to get a shipment of AAA-grade gems. They are absolutely delicious and I have made a few of the absolutely stunning long faceted drops into some very classically styled earrings. The pair pictured above are green amethyst that I have matched with smooth and lustrous freshwater pearls. They sparkle and just exude quality and I'll be loading them onto my site soon.

OK, back to my 'to do' list...hope you're having a great day!

Australian Summer and Amethyst

We've just been to Sydney and its a long, tiring drive. We made the journey to see my dad while he was there as he lives on the north coast of NSW which is even more of a drive!

We left very early in the morning, just before there was light in the sky and the children thought it a great adventure to see the sky gradually lighten and change colour. By the time we made it to the Blue Mountains, the sun was high in the sky and blazing down from a bright blue sky.

Driving along, with chattering children in the back, and engine noise from both our and others cars, the cicadas in the bush were still loud and a definite reminder of the Australian bush. My husband and I spoke about how that sound reminded us of summer in Australia - hot days in the bush and that constant buzz of cicadas. I just saw this post on the Rainbow Designs blog, and it is so true! We certainly are fortunate to be able to be so close to nature in this big country. Remember my holiday post and the kangaroos in the front yard! ;)

The response to free worldwide shipping has been great and I am so glad I can now more easily share my jewellery, in reality, with the rest of the world. Its a great feeling and makes the additional cost to me very worthwhile!

Today's picture is a very stately, classic necklace. Made with big faceted lilac coloured amethyst and set off with natural lilac freshwater pearls and tiny little Karen Hill Tribe silver faceted balls. Although you can't see it, the silver clasp is in the shape of an adorable ribbon bow. Very feminine!

Amethyst is a beautiful stone and comes in every shade of purple from lilac through to the deep purple favoured by royalty (they're featured in the British Crown Jewels). It is the stone of the Buddha and Catholic Bishops wear rings of amethyst. Some tribal shamans used amethysts as a talisman and object of power. Egyptian solders wore amethyst into battle to retain their courage and the Romans made goblets of amethyst as it was believed to protect against drunkenness.

The Romans had a wonderful myth for explaining the occurrence of this lovely rock. The god Bacchus had been insulted by a mortal and furious, swore that the next mortal that crossed his path would suffer his wrath. A young maiden called Amethysta, who was affiliated with the Goddess Diana was the next mortal he saw and in his anger killed her. Diana took pity on Amethysta and changed her into crystal. Bacchus soon repented his act and wept on the crystal, whereupon his tears turned the crystal purple.

Metaphysically, amethyst is still considered a powerful and protective stone. Among its many attributes are: a natural tranquiliser, helping you feel more focused and in control; enhances acceptance of new ideas; dispels anger and fear; alleviates sadness and grief; opens intuition and enhances psychic gifts; brings intuitive dreams when slept with; tunes metabolism; cleanses the blood and eliminating organs; heals bruises and swellings, poor hearing and skin conditiouns; treats insomnia and brings restful sleep.