The Wedding of Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger at their wedding in the South of France, July 2013

It is believed that bride on a wedding day should wear the traditional white dress, as white is the color of purity. Black color is associated with the wedding fashion less often. However, nothing lasts forever, especially fashion! Perhaps the most black wedding which the world has ever witnessed, was Avril Lavigne’s: Gothic medieval castle Château de La Napoule in the South of France France, black dress, black bridal make-up, black flower, black cake. The couple married on 1 July 2013 (Canada Day). Her black dress didn’t bring luck in marriage – on 2 September 2015, Lavigne announced her separation from Kroeger. The black wedding dress didn’t make happy other stars either – Marilyn Monroe married Joe DiMaggio in a modest black dress. Years later, after the wedding, the actress Sarah Jessica Parker admitted in an interview that the only thing she regrets in life – a black dress at the wedding.
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Caterpillar luxurious jewellery. Unique 19th Century Ethiopian Golden Caterpillar Robot

This so called Ethiopian Caterpillar is a unique work of Swiss jeweler and watch maker Henri Maillardet. 200-year-old masterpiece of high jewellery, the caterpillar is still in excellent working condition. The realistic automaton was created for some wealthy Chinese aristocrat. When the Ethiopian Caterpillar was sold at auction in 2010, it fetched a price of more than $415,000. It joins five other such caterpillars known to exist, all of which reside in prestigious art collections. At one time, robots were meant for the amusement of wealthy collectors and art enthusiasts. This stunning caterpillar automaton from approximately 1820 is a wonder of both artistry and workmanship. The Ethiopian Caterpillar is made of rubies, diamonds, emeralds, pearls, and turquoise all set in gold. The caterpillar’s eleven jointed ring segments combine to form a “body” that undulates like a real caterpillar, crawling realistically. Its body moves up and down simulating the undulations of a caterpillar by means of a set of gilt-metal knurled wheels.
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Christmas star Poinsettia

On Christmas eve it is customary in European countries to give Poinsettia as a gift. Poinsettia is a very beautiful plant, topped with huge crimson flowers resembling stars. Christmas plant Poinsettia is very elegant and festive, creates a joyful mood. There are varieties of cream, white and pink color, but the most popular is still red. The star-shaped leaf pattern symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem, and the red color represents the blood sacrifice through the crucifixion of Jesus. Poinsettia decorates Christmas homes, churches, offices, stores. In the United States, December 12 is National Poinsettia Day.
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Precious triad Cross-Anchor-Heart

Faith, hope and love – three Christian virtues, mentioned in the first letter to the Corinthians from the Apostle Paul: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13:13)” These virtues are of great importance for Christianity. Three signs of triad – Cross – Anchor – Heart, according to historians, for thousands of years are an allegory to describe the three main Christian virtues: faith, hope and love. Together, they symbolize the Holy Trinity. In Europe, you can meet these designations in architecture, ornaments, patterns. Sometimes artists portray the Virgin and angels that keep the allegorical subjects. Precious triad Cross-Anchor-Heart was often depicted in the works of jewelers of the late 18-19 centuries. It is believed that the jewelry with symbols of the Cross – Anchor – Heart came into vogue in the 1830s, and for decades remained in favor.
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Victorian brooch in the form of a dove and a horseshoe, 1880s, symbolizing luck, peace and love

A friend was visiting the famous atom scientist, Nobel Prize winner Niels Bohr in his home. During the talking, the friend kept staring at a horseshoe hanging over the door. At last, his curiosity made him ask:
“Niels, it can’t possibly be that you, a brilliant scientist, believe the foolish horseshoe superstition?!”
“Of course I don’t,” replied the scientist. “But I understand it’s lucky whether you believe in it or not.”
Belief in lucky horseshoe quality – one of the most common modern superstitions among many people, regardless of religion – Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and atheists. Everyone believes that a horseshoe brings good luck to the house, but not everyone knows where this belief has come from. Here are some interesting facts in Horseshoe jewellery kaleidoscope.
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Symbol of 2016 Monkey in jewellery. The Christmas bell, desktop sculpture of a monkey princess in a Russian folk dress, making photo with a Selfie stick, handmade jewelry by masters of Kostroma

The symbol of 2016 Monkey, to be precise – Fire Monkey, according to Chinese horoscope. Monkey has an artistic and eccentric nature, and at the same time strong intuition. Willful, capricious and unpredictable – it’s hard to guess what it is thinking about at the moment. Its actions are absolutely unpredictable and can change depending on the mood – it is as good and fun as aggressive and angry. The symbol of 2016 likes to travel, mountains, beautiful nature and new experiences. To build serious plans and wait for global change in 2016 does not make sense: the monkey will do everything on its own. Just take it easy, because it is also doing its utmost for love, well-being and prosperity. Although not all like monkey’s antics and whims, after a fairly quiet year of Goat many will have to rebuild themselves for some time, adapting to the unpredictable nature of the Fire Monkey.
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Christmas and New Year’s Gothic Christmas style

It would seem that our favorite holidays – Christmas and New Year’s day are very traditional, homemade, and even conservative. Their symbols are well-known and loved: fluffy green herringbone, flashing garlands, tinsel, glass balls, toys, snowmen, Santa Claus or Santa with reindeer, snowflakes … Some very old decorations are taken out of boxes were stored by generations of parents, grandparents, decorations from their childhood. People buy luxury sets of balls to celebrate this important holiday. The Goths and other fans of dark romance are not the exception. Gothic subculture followers thoroughly decorate Christmas interior filling it with Victorian style, post-punk, neo-Gothic decorations reminiscent of the style of Tim Burton – Memento Mori Christmas.
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