The English word rhinestone is a loan translation of French caillou du Rhin, or literally “Rhine pebble,” because these sparkly fake gems were first cut from rock crystal found in the Rhine River. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Laura Maiklem’s book Mudlark: In Search of London’s Past Along the River Thames (Bookshop| Amazon) is a charming memoir about the rewards of scavenging for bits of history along the River Thames. This is part of a complete episode...
Diamond in the rough usually points to unrealized promise, not simply a bright spot among lesser company. Molly in Allen, Texas, encountered a lively split over that distinction, but the older image comes from the diamond trade: a rough diamond has...
How should you pronounce the word jewelry? That prompts a conversation about the transposition of letters and sounds called metathesis— not only in jewelry, but many others including realtor, foliage, larynx, and introduce. This is part of a...
mud suite n.— «“They can be the jewelry of the space,” says the designer, who often includes a message center in what she likes to call the “mud suite.” This area can contain anything from a drawer for keys, to shelving...
sunnies n.pl.— «She was wearing loose jeans, a sleeveless white shirt unbuttoned to her sternum and an even larger amount of gold jewelry than usual. “I keep changing my sunnies,” she said as she fished in her Birkin bag for another pair...