Gemstone for Business Success: How to Get Started

One of the oldest minerals in the world—gemstones, are known to rarely depreciate in value. Usually, supply determines the value of gemstones. For example, compared to other gems, diamonds are low in supply, albeit by limited production or companies trying to monopolize the industry, resulting in them being expensive.

You cannot produce natural gemstones, and therefore start-up costs are also high due to the low supply, however, selling these precious gems can be quite profitable.

Making money with gemstones is perfectly feasible, but you’ll need to consider the following helpful tips.

You’d need to be willing to invest your time and your money, leveraged with a considerable amount of patience. Either way, cut or rough, gemstones can be quite costly. It generally depends on the stone, with diamonds and sapphires being the most costly, and aquamarines, tanzanite and topaz more on the lower end.

Travelling directly to where gemstone mines are located in remote locations like Tanzania, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, the cost of rough gemstones will be lower. But make sure you bring along someone who knows gemstones and has a keen eye; or else you might end up paying over the odds for poor-quality gems. And one more thing: The more parties involved in the transaction and shipping of the stones, the higher the price.

Trade shows are a good place to purchase gemstones. In fact, one of the best known is the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. If you want to make money with gemstones you’ll need to have contacts. Trade shows provide that platform, so don’t overlook this.

Success in the gemstone industry is only achievable over time. So don’t expect things to happen within a month or just a couple of years. Longevity in the business is the key, and you’ll require contacts, experience and a whole lot of patience while your business gains a strong reputation. Be willing to reinvest any initial sales back into the business.

Be meticulous when choosing the type of gemstones you want to sell. Do you want to purchase only a few sapphires at a higher cost, or perhaps buy more tanzanite instead? Your decision should be based on how much money you can afford to invest.

Also make sure you determine the condition of gemstones you wish to sell. For example, you could buy rough gemstones at source like Madagascar, and resell to the United States and Europe at a premium. Or, you could buy uncut gemstones, hire a professional gemstone cutter and retail your merchandise on the retail market. Alternatively, you could buy cut gemstones, mount them onto pieces of jewelry and go as a jewelry store operation.

The highest profit margins come from retail sales, but then the initial capital required may be higher, as you’ll need a gemstone cutter and machinery. And what’s more, gems may not sell as fast as you’d like, and that’ll tie you down in terms of cash flow. And of course, these gems will need certification from an external party like the Gemology Institute of America.

If you decide to go in the direction of selling cut stones, then you need to find a quality gemstone cutter. Your cut could add hundreds or even thousands of dollars to the price tag, or on the flip side, it can depreciate the value of the stone when done poorly. Michael O'Donoghue explains in the book "Gems" that cutting lighter-colored stones like diamonds and pink sapphires requires extra attention than darker stones.

Whatever you do, making money on gemstones requires that you determine your audience. Are you selling to high-end retailers or retailing loose stones online? Or is your target the investor? If your aim is to get into gemstone for business success, select your audience and cater to their needs.

My Recommendation...

To find out How to Become An International Gemstone Dealer, WITHOUT previous experience and NO Start-Up Capital! Nada. Zilch. Zero! Read The Gems Report.


Anthony J. Namata
Freelance Creative Writer

Why Jogging Is Good for You, and HOW it can make you Happy

If you’re feeling rather tired, despondent and pretty much unhappy about the way you feel or even perhaps how you look for that matter, maybe something is missing that can seriously change your entire outlook on life AND your self-esteem  in as little as 30 minutes. 

Every time I’m feeling a little down myself, I would step out to the beach for a run (fortunately I live near the beach), and within minutes I’m not only feeling better, I find that my faculty of ideas opens up and before I know it, I’m in high spirits and working out my business and life plans to fruition. 

Sometimes you just need that little nudge to trigger what brings about a sense of wellbeing and purpose in life. This article will explore the feel-good factor in jogging and how that can make you happy.

Why jogging is good for you?

Aerobic exercises like jogging will improve your cardiovascular fitness and the ability for your body to deliver oxygen to your muscles. It also helps your muscles to become more efficient at using that oxygen. And so in essence, the more you exercise, the better your heart works, and needless to say, this reduces the risk of you getting a heart attack.

How Running Can Make You Happy?

The genetics of men, for example, have evolved to a high threshold for lactic acid over time, allowing our ancestors to chase the world’s most dangerous predators and strike them down for food. After finishing off their prey, they would drag pounds of meat back to camp for dinner. I’m sure you’ll agree, that’s an extraordinary level of superhuman fitness that fed thousands in their tribe. 

You’ll be amazed to discover that there is a link to high intensity physical exercise on a lactic threshold level, to the release of endorphins in the brain. Endorphins act as your natural "drug" that make a person more energetic, more awake and, yes, most definitely happier. 

Endorphins would usually kick in during a run, after a workout or both, and are generally referred to as a "runner's high."

The U.S. National Library of Medicine recently published a shocking article confirming that testosterone levels are lower in endurance running males than in guys who don't even workout. The Study also said endurance training can damage the male reproductive system.

So basically, if this report is anything to go by, it implies that you’re better off sitting on the couch all day and NOT running if you want to preserve your precious testosterone levels. 

Which brings me to my next point, that jogging or running for the sake of running doesn’t bring about the fitness results that most men would desire. 

I’ll summarize this very simply and quickly for you. 

When you look at the physiques of long-distance runners and compare that with 1,000 meter runners, you’ll observe that their physiques are completely different… the sprinter looks muscular and ripped, whereas the long-distance runner—for lack of a better definition, looks rather scrawny.

My Recommendation...

You’ll be amazed to discover that running to the lactic threshold for 30 seconds will increase your growth hormone by 530% with only a 16 minute run per week. To find out more on the benefits of anabolic running, click here! 

Anthony J. Namata

Freelance Creative Writer

Waterfront Vistas and Seafood Gourmet on Dar es salaam’s Most Breathtaking Bay

Sitting on the terrace of the Waterfront you can’t help but pause to take in the breathtaking view of the bay, dotted with yachts and fishing vessels on water for as far as the eye can see. The view is absolutely stupendous—and makes being here worth every minute. I’ve eaten at this restaurant a few times before, but each of my visits took place in the evening when the sun had already set. This time around, however, and for the purpose of this article, I chose to take on the waterfront restaurant over lunch to present you with a different angle.

First off, unlike evening time, when the restaurant is heaving with punters from a very cosmopolitan cross section of the community, this afternoon I see a very sparsely populated deck with staff members almost outnumbering patrons. But it really didn’t bother me. If I’m honest, the less onlookers for me the better. So, let’s get back to the restaurant and what to expect over the lunch hour.

The ambience is great—with wooden deck chairs and tables with a blend of converted fishing dhows for tables in places, and cushioned lounge chairs spread out on the edge of the terrace to one side—an eclectic mix that completes the setting to great effect.

The waiter was quick to welcome us to the restaurant, and when we were seated they gave us the menu, comprising mainly soups and salads, light meals and bar snacks, fish and seafood, meat and poultry. Just to give you an idea on pricing, in the soups and salads menu you would pay 9,000 shillings for Garden Salad—which is mainly mixed greens in season and French dressing. The Greek Sala, which includes tomato, cucumber, onion, feta cheese, black olives, dressed with olive oil vinaigrette is 13,000 shillings. Other selections ranging from 13,000 to 17,000 shillings on the soups and salad menu include marinated salmon, Caesar’s salad, octopus salad, French onion soup and Bongoyo seafood soup.

Light meals and bar snacks are the perfect treat for those that would much rather snack and take in the view of the bay. Nothing comes simpler than that. Focacceia—a wood oven-baked pizza bread with garlic butter and oregano which will set you back only 5,000 shillings. Four beef samosas served with kachumbari salad is priced at 8,000 shillings, and a seafood platter with tempura prawns, fried calamari, and grilled tuna served with side salad and sweet chilli sauce is priced at 19,000 shillings.
And if you felt like sampling some carnivore delights, there’s the grilled mishkaki, spare ribs and chicken priced at 16,000, 18,000 and 12,000 respectively to whet your appetite. I settled for one of the more expensive meals—jumbo prawns in garlic butter at 39,000 shillings. This dish is served on a bed of rice noodles and accompanied by side salad. However, I have to confess. This is my favorite meal at this restaurant, albeit I was a little disappointed this time around.

In Summary: Dar es Salaam's most popular seafront restaurant offers stunning sunsets over the Indian Ocean. The menu includes fresh seafood, grilled meats and a variety of Pizza from the wood-fired oven. The bar is well-frequented by both locals and tourists and therefore always a friendly meeting place. Open noon to midnight.


Anthony J. Namata
Freelance Creative Writer

Find Out Why You Don’t Have to Leave the House to Make Money

If you’ve ever desired to make money from home, then let me tell you this. It is absolutely possible and a lot of people just like you are earning a comfortable living without having to leave the house. It really is just a case of planning and structuring what it is you want to do with your skills to generate an income from the comfort of your own home. This article will offer tips on how to look to yourself AND your marketable skills to make extra money or EVEN an entire living working from home.

I can assure you, nothing is more refreshing than to get out of bed in the morning knowing that you don’t have to leave the house to go to work. That your workspace is inside your place of residence and that it pays the bills just like any regular job to which you would have to spend hours in traffic, perhaps, to get to. I have firsthand experience with this because I make money from home year in year out and I have absolutely no intention of quitting. Now let’s take a look at how you can make extra money working from home in the first place.

You’ll come across a minefield of income opportunities online. So beware. You cannot make fast money without putting in an ounce of work. It simply doesn’t work like that. So avoid the too-good-to-be-true schemes that will be popping up on your screen from time to time. There are some REAL jobs online that pay really well, and this is how to find what works for you.

First things first: What marketable skills do you have? I’ll throw you a couple of ideas to mull over. Are you good with graphic design; are you a skilled writer; are you a great editor; are you a skilled proofreader; are you a good tutor—with this you can allocate a room in your house to provide tuition. A lot of vocal coaches work from home very successfully, as do piano and guitar teachers all around the world. Are you a good web designer; fashion designer; accountant and so forth, you can provide such services to a growing demand for home-based workers regardless of your geographic location. Businesses are looking to cut their overheads, and as a result the outsource marketplace is quite literally booming. I hope these few examples help you realize the scope of your potential to make money from home.

So now let me show you a couple of simple steps to finding the ideal work-from-home job for you. You’ll need to find a marketplace for freelancers online, where you can sign-up for free to provide your services. You shouldn’t have to pay a single dime to join any of these freelance job marketplaces. They take a commission on your earnings. Period! I thought I’d better forewarn you on that. Another really exciting way to make money is with affiliate marketing, which is basically selling other peoples’ products for lucrative commission. However, this may take a while to kick in, so my advice to you is that you go for marketing your own skills for cash and while you’re at it, do the affiliate marketing thing on the side to increase your potential to make money from home. But be sure to keep an open mind and LEARN as much as you can. Internet marketing forums like The Warrior Forum are a really good place to mingle and learn from people who already make money fast using the internet.

Anthony J. Namata

Freelance Creative Writer

Alicia Keys Continues Her Makeup-Free Movement at the VMAs

Picture this: Kim Kardashian in minimal clothing. Well, nothing new there, right? Kanye West in a T-shirt, doesn’t surprise anybody, wouldn’t you agree? Ariana Grande wearing a high ponytail is a look we’ve come to expect on the MTV VMA white carpet. But what we didn’t expect? A star without a single visible stitch of makeup, which is exactly what Alicia Keys stepped in front of the spotlights without to present the award for best male video.

The star first made her makeup-free red carpet debut at the BET Awards, when her makeup artist Dotti Streeters shared a photo of the star, writing “#nomakeupmakeup”. Taking her bare-faced look one step further last week, she appeared on a season preview of The Voice totally slap-free.

Before hitting the carpet, the singer shared a photo of herself and husband Swizz Beatz, writing, “We ready… #VMAs.”

And according to the essay that she penned for Lenny earlier this summer, it’s a look that she plans on sticking to for a while. “I hope to God it’s a revolution,” Keys wrote about her makeup-free mantra. “‘Coz I don’t want to cover up anymore. Not my face, not my mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles, not my emotional growth. Nothing.”

I certainly think she doesn’t look like the same person at all. Unimaginable how makeup can change looks, without which in the end you cannot live without. Not too sure, however, that this will create a “revolution.” She’ll get away with it AND generate the headlines in the bucket loads, but I find it hard to see the average girl even getting noticed. So I think makeup it is, full speed ahead, regardless of how much Alicia Keys parades herself bare-faced in public. What do YOU think of Keys’ makeup-free movement?



Anthony J Namata
Blockbuster Articles

Love Your Potato Meals? Hold It! Go Easy on Your Add-ons, They’ve Just Been Linked to High Blood Pressure

Potatoes—we all love them don’t we? Think of the delicious baked potatoes, mashed or even the fried variety and your mouth will literally begin to salivate. And it’s understandable. They’re typically your American staple, and all around the world in one way or another.  And hey, we love our food!

However, a Harvard research report just out suggests that it raises the risk of high blood pressure. I know, it does sound a little over the top, doesn’t it?  But hold your horses. Let’s first find out more about this dreaded report, and then we’ll try to ascertain whether or not we really have something to worry about.

I will cut to the chase on this. There’s no need to dress this up anymore than we should just to fill column inches. The bottom line is hypertension and other diseases have been linked to high consumption of potatoes.

What constitutes high consumption?

Well—believe it or not, four or more servings of potatoes a week is considered high. And if we had to break it down to what percentages for each meal, then it works out at roughly 11 percent for baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes and 17 percent for fried—compared with eating less than a single serving a month. But what’s really baffling is that according to the researchers’ findings, potato chips didn’t appear to increase the risk.

Puzzled?

It doesn’t surprise me, because I was too until I also found out the following vital information.

According to one dietitian, putting the blame on potatoes wasn’t quite right. And they go on to suggest that more likely than not, the add-ons people load onto their potato servings… like sour cream, bacon bits and so forth, played a major role in bringing on high blood pressure.

Now let me wrap this up.

Remember the weird findings that suggested that potato chips didn’t appear to increase the risk for high blood pressure? Well there you have it! The only difference here is that we never ever throw any add-ons to potato chips.

I suspect all the potato consumers around the world will have a good night’s sleep after all. Phew!


Anthony J. Namata
Blockbuster Articles

Potato-Heavy Diet Linked to High Blood Pressure—But It’s More Complicated than You Think

A new study suggests that popular American staple—the potato, when eaten in large quantities—whether boiled, baked, mashed, or fried—may quite possibly raise the risk for high blood pressure.

The Harvard conducted research suggests that an increased risk for high blood pressure comes about with the consumption of four or more servings of potatoes a week, notably 11 percent for baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes and 17 percent for fried, as compared with eating less than a single serving a month. Surprisingly, according to the researchers’ findings, potato chips didn’t appear to increase the risk.

“We hope that our study continues the conversation about potatoes and the risk of hypertension and other diseases,” said lead researcher Dr. Lea Borgi, of the renal division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

But the blame shouldn’t rest with potatoes, says one dietitian not involved with the study, suggesting that it possibly had more to do with the add-ons people load onto their potato servings—commonly, sour cream and bacon bits.

The study conducted by Borgi and her colleagues, who followed more than 187,000 men and women who took part in three large U.S. studies over a period exceeding 20 years. During that time, participants filled out questionnaires regarding their diet. The study reveals that none of the participants had high blood pressure at the beginning of the study. And in point of fact—according to the study, potatoes have a high glycemic index when compared to other vegetables, that alone will likely trigger a sharp rise in blood sugar… which would explain Borgi’s findings.

Borgi also pointed out that this study didn’t prove potatoes cause high blood pressure, only that they seem to be associated with an increase in risk. The researchers went on to suggest that when you replace one serving a day of potatoes with a non-starchy vegetable, it stands to considerably lower the risk of high blood pressure.


Anthony J. Namata
Blockbuster Articles