i knew a lday who wore mumu's because they were the only thing that fit (she was a rather large woman)....

The one I wore yesterday (and got to give John a hug and kiss - f rom both of us, Wolfie) is sleeveless and has a hig neck with a a ruffle around the bottom... and around the square bodice, It is fitted till just above the waist and under that square. From there down I could fit a team of linebackers in with me. Hides a multitude of sin, as they say...

i dunno, i can't picture myself in a mumu (thanks for that hug & kiss to John)...are they prettier these days?

I have one quite lovely and form-fitting with an almost off-the-shouder look to it with a big ruffle - then a little flare at the hem so I can walk in it. Quite elegant also is my brocade Chinese style one....

A form fitting mumu, who knew? Marcia, just when did you hide a team of linebackers under your mumu? Wolfie, if you can't see yourself wearing a mumu, maybe your wolflings could use it as a pup tent? Ouch. Sorry for that pun.

that was my thought exactly!! didn't know you could get mumus form fit!

Hi Wolfie! Have you seen any beautiful pearls lately?

nope! you?

You haven't been to Walmart lately, either???? Oh dear, if I tell yo when I hid linebackers under my muu I will have to kill you...and I like you too much for that =) Mu'umu'u here is simply something either in Hawaiian print fabric or anything dress to the floor which doesn't look like a prom dress. They can fit or be styled in loads of ways. will post some pictures in the Travel Conference under Hawaii topic!

Wolfie, I did see some beautiful cultured pearls in a jewelry store window. They were having a 25% sale on Mikimoto pearl jewelry. Mostly classic round cream pearls, but they did have an ethereal soft luster. Marcia, forget I asked about those linebackers...I'll have to check the travel conference.

me too and the local wal-mart!

Oh yese... haven't gotten that done yet... must do that... get off IM and Yahoo and to travel to post. Sorry! Mikimoto I can afford a seed at a time and grow my own. Even the air in the stores is to expensive for me! Lovely stuff, though!

HAPPY GRADUATION, LANCE The peart expert of Geo has a brand new college degree and I sent maile to him for the part of his heart still remaining in Hawaii. This time he gets orchids freshly picked from the volcanic soils near Hilo.

Lance will return. Newly endowed with all the rights and privileges appertaining thereto his degree from Guilford College. I could not be prouder.

congratulations lance!!! can't wait to see you here again!

Today Lance goes through the tassel-switching ceremonies. He did ask last week for the url for this topic. I told him we have been very busy. I think he will be surprised and delighted. Since he cannot wear orchids for the ceremony, I sent him a Maile lei from the slopes of Mauna Loa to wear as they do here. It was the "graduation present" request when I insisted in sending him something. I hope it arrived safely yesterday as planned.

Congratulations Lance!

Marcia, how does a maile differ from a lei?

Maile is an aromatic vine with glossy green leaves. They use it to bless new establishments (commercial or private) and it is never cut. Rather it is entined and unentwined to keep the blessings and healing qualities intact. Even dried it retains its aroma. Old leis are usually put into linen storage closets or drawers. Maile is never strung on string as gflowers are and never worn with the ends tied. It hangs gently around your neck and down either side of your torso to about waist length. Maile Lei The exotic Maile Lei is made from a vine having 1-3 inch long oval, leathery, pointed leaves that grow in pairs. The bark and the leaves of the Maile vine have a vanilla-like fragrance. The lei is fashioned by twisting or knotting the bark and leaves together in an open horseshoe style. The maile vine is becoming increasing rare due to its exotic appeal. It is frequently a favorite with men due to its masculine appearance and sensual light scent.

To CherylB, Wolfie, and most especially Marcia H: Thank You all so much for your kind words. Yes, I have finally graduated, and now will have time again to join in on topics. I look forward to exchanging quips, quotes, other such bon mots with everyone.

Of all the precious organic gems in this topic, Lance is the most precious! Welcome home, Dear!

You'll have to wait until the end of the week to get that hug up close and personal. I can hardly wait!

so good to see you back lance!!!!

Poor Lance was running full tilt last night till 3 AM getting reacquainted with Geo and other places on Spring where I seem to appear. It is very good to have him return to us. He can make me laugh whenever I am completely burnt out.

Congratulations Lance! I will add my warm welcome for your glorious return in Geo. I am newer than you here and I live in Greece. Your heart is golden if I understand well. Have a good career in your science. John

I visited with Lance this past day and he can tell you better than anyone else how well my actuality compares with my virtual reality. It was very good to talk with him again. In fact we were so wrapped up in sharing what had happened since last we met that all I seem to remember eating was a shared pizza. There are times when food no longer matters. The conversation and the company is everything. This was one such time. John, I told him about you, and caught him up with the new members and how the regulars are doing. He will return but he will also be out of computer range for some of the rest of this month, so be patient.

Marcia was so right about that! Hi, John; nice to meet you, as Marcia has spoken VERY highly of you. I believe that Marcia has created an online persona that is only a small fraction of the totality of who she is. 'Ware this woman, oh ye of oerweaning ego! She can puncture a balloon as easily as brainstorm with someone to new heights. Quite a gal, our Marcia!

By the way; Wolfie and Cheryl: Have you seen the new freshwater pearls coming from China? Some are gorgeous. I picked up a baroque pair of earrings for a young friend that were so beautifuly colored, I had to look very closely to see that they were not small Tahitian blacks. Plus, because they were freshwaters, I got the earrings from a crafter at the Hilo Farmer's Market for only $7/pair. Good bit of thickness of nacre, for what they were, too. Going to see if I can work up a connection for myself. Anybody got craftiness hiding in their repertoire?

Hi Lance, Wolfie and Cheryl Marcia is very interesting and able woman. We know only a small part of she�s abilities and knowledge. It is not coincidental that she has created this perfect Geo conference almost from nothing. She has to say something correct for everything. She has spoken VERY highly of you too. I am glad to meet you here anyway. I have also only good words for all geo-friends around the world. Now about the Chinese freshwater pearls. If pearl farmers can grow cultured pearls that test as naturals, the market may be in for a wild ride ...Once again the Chinese have radically altered freshwater culturing, making saltwater and freshwater techniques indistinguishable. They have also introduced a new type of culturing, nucleating with small tissue-nucleated pearls. Some of China's new pearls are all-nacre, some have nacre-coated nuclei, all are unmarked. After one experimenter used small off-round naturals as nuclei, he sent the resulting freshwater pearls to a gem lab and received a report identifying them as "naturals." If pearl farmers can grow cultured pearls that test as naturals, the market may be in for a wild ride... http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pearl/freshwater.html John

I am sorry for the above image. I will try to post it again. John

hang on a sec---a pearl is the result of an irritant inside the oyster. so how could a pearl test as unnatural? ok, and i have another question, at disneyland, we came across a kiosk with oysters and you were supposed to pick out an oyster and pluck the pearl (for $12). then, you could choose a setting for them (i don't think that was included in the $12). are these "real" if we go with what i asked above, then they are real just planted pearls, right? since it takes a long time for the oyster to cover the irritant, how is it that the farmers make them so quickly? do they put something the size of a pea inside the oyster?

oh, hi lance!! welcome back!!!!

Hi Lance! Lovely to see you back amongst us and Big Hugs of congratulations for your brand new college degree. Take a well-deserved bow. Btw, about those pearls in the Hilo flea market, Of course I missed them due to lack of means to get to them. Next time buy them and I will reimburse you! China is fast beating all markets in all manner of things. How nice they are making beautiful pearls affordable! *SIGH* (I think what Lance said about me is flattering. He should know. He hugged me just a few weeks ago! and he has know me for over 20 years...)

The cultured black freshwater pearls you bought sound beautiful, Lance. What a great price, as well, $7.00 for the pair! The pearl market may well be in for a wild ride. As for Marcia, well she is the Goddess of Geo, or an avatar, atleast.

Hi Cheryl I can answer that we are small Gods, all of us. We are a miracle of the nature but we need a miracle to save Nature from us. As for avatars, they are counterbalances for our nervous system. Each one of us is rated on his efficiency. But for good or not good feelings main role has the personality. John

Avatar or not, this little lady is incredibly unhappy. I have my computer back and all is swift and working well. Except for AOL which is determinded to keep mme from both thenet and geo and sending email from my aloha.net address. Worse yet is the difficulty with Yahoo. I could access it yesterday and even talked to Julie there and left messages for others including John. Alas, today it is not the case and I am back on w 95 thanks to Don's old reliable computer which seems able to handle just about any indignity AOL sends him. My thanks to his generosity so I can get caught up with Geo again. It feels so good to be home!

what is an avatar exactly? does yahoo have instant messaging?

YES!!! Yahoo has excellent IM. I highly recommend it very highly.

See your troubles from the hopeful side Marcia. Destiny it gives you time to reorganise your time and think what else you have to do for you. See it as a test. The Wheel of Life is travelling us where only destiny knows. So do not worry and be happy. This situation is also a test for all Geo-members and visitors. I expect that the result have a degree upper of the base. So, Geo-mother must be pleased and free for explorations. Avatar is a live figure that is sitting higher between us. Wolfie. Avatar is also something live that we admire or that we envy its luck. John

This current adventure is a first for me.I have always been very conservative. However, this has been both spiritually satisfying and intellectually illuminating. Despite the effort of security to make it miserable, they were quite unsuccessful!I amdelighted to be where I am despite the thunder in the background. On the mainland of the US, that does NOT mean snow will be on the mountains. Not this time of year! I consider John Geo's avatar of seismic events. Demi-god? Absolutely!

Hi John! That was a very interesting observation about small gods and avatars. As for Marcia being an avatar, I do admire her and hope that AOL and Yahoo are treating her better. Wolfie, Yahoo does have instant messaging.

Hi Cheryl! Big happy smile that I am back with the living and communicating with the world! Yahoo IM has been a life saver. Ask thepeoplewith whom I communicate directly. Where else could I afford to talk live with voice with Greece, New Zealand, UK, and various other far reaches? Nowhere!

Hello Marcia! The world has missed you and is glad to be in communication with you again. Okay, I can only speak for my small part of the greater world.

I am much closer to your part of the world.Is Pittsburgh as hot as Louisville?Will you get our thunderstorms? (It sounds like the intro for "As the world turns" and it might as well be!) You are our fine arts specialist. We all have roles to play in life - even as lurkers.Enjoy! Meanwhile I will try to post my prize geode I found...

It's hot and humid here. We're supposed to get thunderstorms overnight and/or tomorrow. Unfortunately, the rain will probably just bounce off the ground here. We are down for rainfall this summer and all the grass is yellow or brown and the ground is as hard as cement. Atleast the rain will cool it off a bit, though. Love to see that geode.

The grass is yellowing here too, and the earth looks parched and baked to a light tan brown instead of a rich moist mixture. I wonder how any plants can survive! We also could use a good soaking rain. I wonder when they put us on water rationing. It is happening in California...

Ok, folks, some news from the world of pearls. Perle de Tahiti has had a huge showing with some very trendy designers, and all should look for real and fake Black Pearl jewelry to be a very hot thing in fashion for the next several seasons. And i am talking BIG stones, and LONG strands of them. If you can afford them, Bold and Black is an 'in' thing. Check National Jeweler for some items.

I'm building the http://bonitapearl.com site on our server now. It's pretty basic. I have to add the shoppping cart and go to a design phase on it. Should I suggest that these folks carry this line of pearls?

Welcome back, Lance! We have missed you. I am still sans pearls of any sort grown by oyster, but maybe I can have one small one before I die. That definitely gives me plenty of time!!

Terry, the site you cited is amazing. I'd have holes poked through my ears for any of them. Lovely!!!

I have posted some pictures of quartz crystals that I'm selling at http://lemurianquartz.com . . . these pictures were taken in my backyard on a sunny day and there are some remarkable specimens weighing 2 lbs. and more.

Terry, those pearls look to be of fairly good quality on your site. Perle de Tahiti is the largest dealer/grower in Tahiti, but tends to be consistantly dark of color, as well as expensive. Robert Wan is simply a kingpin type, who gets things the way he wants. If your people are looking for good color variations, have them ask where a suppliers pearls are grown. The slightly warmer water around Manihi is the home of some of the wildest variations known without chemical treating. Also, all the way out in the Gambier islands does the same thing occur. Suprisingly, there are some farms in the Marquesas and in the Philippines, around Cebu, that have produced nice pearls, but in smaller sizes, so the consumer gets a price break.

Terry, those quartz crystals are lovely. In your back yard? All I have is lava! Of course, lavas contain every element found on earth!! It just is not as pretty as it will be after reforming it through metamorphosis, hearing, water percolating, and millions of years to gtow the crystals. *sigh*

They come from Ruand S America. I just did the photos in the backyeard. I may have a sale on one today.

Did you mean the lower info in black (rather the the blue links above them) to be Kb or is it the weight of the crystal and should be Kg???? Mexico was blessed with lovely things. I have a huge piece of a geode of amethyst. The large geode I found was a pale citrine. Like champagne diamonds.

It's the weight in pounds. 1.75 is 1.75 lbs. I need to clarify the descriptions and provide more information, like the dimensions, size, weight,circumference, presence of rainbows, triangles, ridges, baby crystals, bottom configuration, etc. I had a great talk on the phone with Debra, who has a crystal shop in Pennsylvania, and she enlightened me as to the proper way to photograph and display these crystals. She's pretty seasoned at this stuff, and was impressed with the size and the low prices on these specimens. I've got one of them listed on ebay, and I need to get shopping cart software running on http://stonedom.com and on http://lemurianquartz.com

Talking trade is alwys a good way to gather information. I can get some sort of scale when looking at your hand holding each one of the large ones. http://www.arizonaminerals.com/specimens_amethyst-north-am.shtml This site above can show you how some do it.

Cool I'll bring that up.

Just be certain you are in a position where your flash will not reflect off a crystal face and ruin your picture. It happens more than you can imagine!

I don't use a flash at all, just sunlight. I have to redo those http://lemurianquartz.com pictures, I did an inventory with pricing today: http://lemurianquartz.com/quartz05.html

OK!!! Makes sense.

http://lemurianquartz.com/quatzinv.htm is the current version, I need to rephotgraph all these stones and name the jpgs with a code that matches the inventory. I'm finally making sense out of some of this, but still need to master some of the terminology and learn how to describe the pieces better.

YOU? Having programming problems? Can you imagine the mental gymnastics I went through when I was given a blank space to fill the day Geo was created?! Programming is in your blood. You'll be fine! Meanwhile I want some of those colored Russian diamonds!

Lance, come back with your pearls. I think Tennessee has none of them.

Come back, little Lance.

He will. I talked to Lance last night on Instant Messenger and got him acquainted with how to find conferences special to him. This is definitly one. He is the staff expert on pearls.

That's great, because with the http://bonitapearl.com project as one of our client websites, it's become more relevant. Maybe we can get these folks in on the dialog on pearls.

ok before i check the site, gotta a question--are these the pearls with the irridescent aura to them? i've been seeing "black" pearls all over the place lately.

Wolfie, Black pearls are, indeed, from all over. Tahiti, the Society islands, the Marquesas, the Philippines, and China. But, only those labeled Tahitian Black Pearls are the real thing. They come only from one species of oyster, and will come from many different islands, but are from the right oyster. This is important, as China and Japan have made "black pearls" for years, using dyes injected into the oyster at implanting, or about six months before harvest, depending on the quality sought. The old "Pearl Factory" shops in Hawaii and the West Coast used a different technique. They used dye at several stages, and the older the pearl, the more dye collected, and the color range was brilliant. Now, as the Chinese perfect the use of shell fragments for nucleus usage, the more you will see dye and irradiation used. Also chemical peels can make spectacular results. I have a friend in South Carolina that has a ring I selected for her that has a chemical peel treatment, but the pearl is so irridescent an striking in its multi-color spendor that it doesn't matter what was done to it. Burgundy, Green, Blue, and Bronze over a deep green/black background. Many beauties are no longer found "only" in Tahiti.

OOOH Good! Dialog!!! Thanks, Lance! *Hugs* They are even making tinted fresh-water pearls which are also beautiful - even if temporarily. Lance, do you know the longevity of the color on these dyed ones?

Depends on the Ph of the wearer and the frequency of wearing. It's possible to last 20 years, maybe more.

I did know that wearing pearls is the best way to make the nacre more beautifuland to preserve it. Keeping them in the drawer for generations makes them chalky and they eventually disintegrate!

If anyone is interested in what is being done with pearls, check out and go to the pearls section. The strands are B grade or less for natural pearls, but the colors they are dyed are fantastic. And these are cheapies sold for beading and inexpensive jewelry, not good ones. If they go to this much trouble with cheapies, think what they are doing with the top pieces!

Where do we go, Lance? Needing the url... I have a set of fake pearls which are beautiful, but have nothing real... yet...!

AARRGGHH!!! The top section disappeared!! I wrote out Sorry about that!

is the place.

AARRGGHH!!! Not again!! Let's try: www.firemountaingems.com.

Http://www.firemountaingems.com You forgot to put the http:// to make it a hot link. Thanks for posting it!

I got a strand of cultured pearls as a gift recently. They're cream colored, so nothing much to tell you about them colorwise. Still, they are real, even if they are cultured.

I am not particular. If they are real pearls, it matters not, to me, who inspired the oyster to make them. Wear them, Cheryl. You will make them more beautiful if you do (and will make you more beautiful by wearing them).

Marcia is right, Cheryl. Cultured pearls are just as real as non-cultured. the only difference is that the starter seed was put there by man, and is not an accident of nature. Wear them with pride.

I definitely will, Lance. They are beautiful.

I now have my first REAL pearl. I started at the top of the ladder of aspirations as you will see. My gift is from the resident expert and a black pearl of exceptional qualities. This is the loveliest thing I have ever held in my hand that was organic in creation - other than my son. *;) 8.5 mm of extraordinarily beautiful deep luster, this is like no other I've seen. It is mounted even better than I could have imagined it myself. A classically modern setting with pave diamonds in three swoops of uellpw gold. I must have been V E R Y good !! Thank you, luv!

Oh dear, I was so overcome I neglected to see what I did to YELLOW as in yellow gold. Lance, you should see me wearing this !!!

you must've been very good! do post a pic when you can!

I'll do it!! It should make for interesting comments when house male re-enters the scene. I can't believe I was alone for all of Christmas and New Year's Eve. On the other hand, maybe I was terrible but word just hasn't gotten around !

This is the one Lance said has gone missing. It is on my geo/all list to it is available to anyone wishing to post. Lance, get thee hither !! Post !

See the other topic where I posted the url to get here. How is your connection to Geo? Marci and anyone else? Fast? Slow? Normal? Sporadic? Constant?

The connection for me using slow dialup is excellent. In years past, it was slow and somewhat sporadic. The connection is fast and efficient. I trust you are getting similar comments from others.

Nope, the drooleuses are crawling.

I wonder if they are continuing to load the entire topic each time. That is a waste of cybertime and no one wants to read it all back to post number one each time they go there. I wonder why more people are not using the /new additive. I learned it early on and have used it exclusively ever since.

new is good.

Terry, I tried unsuccessfully to post a comment. I dumped RAM and came back to see if that made a difference. If you can read this, it was a RAM problem. If not well, none of us can see it!

Guess it was my problem but it has been slow the last week or so posting at times. I always assumed it was my maxing out the memory by multitasking.

i've been slow too, marcia!

I did manage to get rid of a pesky self-downloaded adware spyware cleaner which took over my msconfig. I had to go in there and disable it before I could delete if from my hard drive. I was offended, and it is seldom that software gives me such feelings. BTW the Tennessee Pygmies have been addressed by the resident archaeologist on the Americana topic. It has turned into a scholarly treatise of more than 300 pages but way more than just about pygmies real and supposed.

Is this pygmy treatise published on the net?

The Tennessee Pygmies article is Not published on the net. It is part of a forthcoming book and as such it is still copyrighted. I was delighted to get a peek into the book written by Don especially for Geo. Instead, you can find more information by googling Mary Noilles Murfree who wrote the popular novel about them, In the "stranger People's" Country

went out to Natural Bridge Caverns where you can buy a bag of dirt and pan for rough gems. of course, you pay for what you get but me and the kids had a blast filtering out the "planted" gems. we even started panning the stuff that others dropped in the water! we're going to have some fun trying to figure out what we have. garnets, quartz, topaz, amethyst, etc. are among the few rough stones we found (probably nothing "gem worthy"). my youngest pup suggested we find someone to tell us what we have and whether or not they can be mounted into a setting after polishing. some of the stones were loose and some were still very much bound in their matrix. am gonna try a black light and see if any glow.

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