The uniqueness and rarity of the color of turquoise make it quite an attraction, especially for women. There are tons of creative pieces that jewelers can do with these precious stones. Turquoise jewelries are popular gift ideas especially for people born on the month of December, as it is their birthstone. Nevertheless, a lot of people no matter which month there are born, are really helplessly in love with the beauty of turquoise.

Turquoise jewelries can really be expensive, specially the high-grade and authentic ones. Because of the popularity of turquoise, you may find a lot of counterfeits. This is why you need to be a little cautious when buying one. If you bought your jewelry at a high cost, it is but right to treat them like your babies and take care of them the best way you can. Here are some tips that can help you preserve their true beauty.

When cleaning a turquoise, you can use your usual silver cloth to wipe away grimes or dirt. This could beautify your stone in two ways. First, it removes any tarnish without actually damaging it. Second, cleaning them with silver cloth can add luster to turquoise stones.

With the absence of a silver cloth, you can use a soft cloth. You can add a little water to dampen the cloth and polish the stone. Make sure that you follow this up by wiping the stone with a soft, and this time- dry cloth. This would remove any trace of moisture after you cleaned the stone. After doing so, allow your turquoise to dry naturally.

Make sure to keep turquoise away from other hard gems, especially diamonds, as they can leave scratches on your precious jewelries.

When remove your turquoise accessories, be sure that you do so by tugging on the metal or silver part of the jewelry. Do not pull on the turquoise itself.

Keep your turquoise jewelry in its proper storage after every use. You can wrap them carefully with a tissue paper or a 100% cotton cloth and place them in your jewelry box or in a zip-lock plastic bag. By doing so, you can prevent tarnishing and the possibility of hard materials scratching your turquoise accessories.

Do not use soap, harsh chemicals or perfume on your turquoise jewelries.

Make sure that you remove your turquoise rings before putting on hand creams or lotion. If you are to use body oils, remove your turquoise jewelries as well. Even your skin's natural oil can affect the color of turquoise stones over time. They may even change their color a little bit.

Turquoise jewelries are really stunning once worn. It can instantly jazz up your total appearnce, especially if you are about to attend a special occasion that you need to dress up for. Turquoise is really not that hard to take care of. With the tips above, make a mental note of the things that you need to do to preserve the beauty of turquoise. With proper maintenance, turquoise can really last a long time and would continue to adorn you for as long as you need them.

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In 1954, Andy Warhol, a renowned cat lover, published a series of 25 cat portraits in book form. Printed on limited edition, hand-colored Arches watermarked paper, the prints were privately printed and made as a Christmas keepsake. He named his book 25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy. He had originally meant it to read "... Named Sam" but his mother, who did the lettering, left off the "d" and Warhol thought that the final version was fine.

In the 1950s, Warhol bought a brownstone where he and his mother resided. And, although they had owned cats for twenty years, his series of cat portraits were not based on the cats he lived with and knew. Instead, they were based on the photographs of New York Cat Photographer Walter Chandoha.

In the 1970s, Warhol 's interest with cats faded and his interest in dogs rose. His boyfriend decided they should get a short-haired Dachshund puppy. They named the dog "Archie". Warhol became so enthralled with Archie that he became his alter ego. As he held Archie during interviews, when Warhol did not want to answer a particular question, he would simply deflect the questions to Archie. Warhol took the dog everywhere - to his studio, to art openings, to dinner, to photo shoots, and to London when his work took him there.

When Archie was almost three, another Dachshund came into the picture. This dog, they called "Amos". The three of them got along famously. Amos and Archie would run around the townhouse barking, chasing and playing with one another while providing constant entertainment for Warhol. All was well, except now Archie would stay at home with his newfound friend Amos instead of gallivanting the city with Warhol.

In 1976, the art collector Peter Brant commissioned Andy Warhol to paint his Cocker Spaniel named Ginger. Andy made two paintings of Ginger, as well as drawings. Peter Brant liked these so much that he thought Warhol should do a whole series of cat and dog drawings. Andy liked the idea too. It would open up a new area of commission portraits and would give him a chance to use Archie and Amos in his work. All he lacked was a cat that would fit the modeling mold.

Warhol liked to work from photographs. He had a difficult time staging his pets and having them remain still. He decided to use stuffed animals for his first cat and dog photos. Vincent Fremont at Artnet called the finished paintings of these stuffed creatures "spooky and macabre". The paintings; however, that Warhol completed from photographs of cats and dogs are said to be vibrant and infused with personality.

After some time he began dabbling in other arts, including underground films that explored the shock value of nudity, greed, and sexuality. In 1976, after his hiatus from regular, mainstream art pursuits, Peter Brant arranged for Warhol's dog and cat series to be shown in New York and in London.

After Warhol's period of drawing and painting cats and dogs, he started on artistic renditions for Campbell soup cans and his focus on pop-culture as seen in his works centered around Marilyn Monroe. After his mother's death, Warhol became more distant from the public's eye. Warhol left his diaries behind that were later published into a book. While many say his entries are "mundane", those who study his art find that they leave a history - a post-modern history much reflective of his beliefs, ties to, and a life dedicated to explorative arts.

Melanie Light is an artist and site owner of Pet Lovers Art & Resources at http://www.artzpet.com and Petz Classic Dog Art at http://www.cafepress.com/petz . Her portfolio site can be found here: http://mlightart.com . You will find more artwork, gifts, and information on these sites.