It’s Cool to KNOW HOW TO SHOP FOR A ROCK.

002houston’s debonair groom meets up with (DO #1) highly reputable jewelers, Zadok Jewelers. The family-owned company has a vast selection of loose certified diamonds, settings and more ­– plus they’ve been in business for over 34 years and we’re super comfortable with all of our shopping experiences with their knowledgeable team. Gilad Zadok shares his or herinsight to make this task a little less intimidating for the groom. 7 generations as silver and goldsmiths, www.ZadokJewelers.com Post Oak Blvd @ San Fe.

DO your homework! Don’t just walk into a jewelry store without doing your due diligence. You’re obviously not going to become a gemologist, so Gilad shares a basic understanding of the 4 Cs of Diamonds: The key characteristics of diamonds are Clarity, Color, Cut and Carat weight.  Because diamonds are so valuable, it’s essential to have a universal grading system for comparing their quality. In the 1940s and ‘50s, GIA developed the Four Cs and the GIA International Diamond Grading System™ to objectively compare and evaluate diamonds. This will arm you with the knowledge to know the exact quality of the diamond you’re considering, ensuring you’ll be confident that you’re paying a fair market price for it.

Know her ring size! If it’s a surprise, a good way to get some helpful advice is to ask a sister or her mother.  Just make sure that the person you ask for advice knows how to keep a secret!

DO remember that this diamond ring is really for your special someone and that she will want to cherish her ring for a lifetime, possibly for generations to come. Even if the process might be frustrating at times, enjoy the art of looking for the best diamond and always make an effort to stay positive.

Don’t spend beyond your means…and don’t be a cheapskate. Find the right balance between what you can reasonably afford without sacrificing the overall beauty and quality of the diamond and engagement ring.

Make the perfect presentation and DON’Twait to shop for your engagement ring at the last minute! With a rushed purchase you are likely to spend more and settle for less. Finding the right diamond for the right price might take some time and most settings must be special ordered according to the center stone that you pick and your loved one’s finger size. Give yourself at least six weeks to start the process before you plan to propose.

DON’T choose a diamond by color and clarity alone, because “cut” is the most important factor. A diamonds overall quality is based on the cut and polish. These are the two most important aspects when selecting a quality loose diamond. The quality of a diamonds cut is what gives a diamond its beautiful brilliance, fire, scintillation and dispersion of light. A diamond can have a high color and clarity grade but look boring and lifeless.

Good luck! But before you a go a few helpful tips:

DON’T be fooled by the words “wholesale”! Just because someone says they are a diamond wholesaler or is located in a business building without a storefront, doesn’t mean that you are getting wholesale prices.

On the other hand, DON’T throw your money away on a name brand either. You can find the same quality diamonds at other reputable jewelry stores while saving thousands of dollars.

DON’T buy a diamond without a GIA certificate, even if the jeweler guarantees that the diamond will be certificated by GIA as stated. If the diamond is good enough to be certified, it should have a GIA certificate. Remember, it only costs $98 for a one carat diamond to be GIA certified.

As taught to 002houston’s gardening novice by the Urban Harvest’s Education Director, Gary Edmundson and demonstartion by Michael godoy. A beautiful Satsuma (available at Wabash Feed Store on Washington) will be this novice’s first attempt at planting a fruit tree during the perfect season. Inspired to plant your own? The Urban Harvest is having their 11th Annual fruit tree sale January 5, 2011, at the University of Houston’s Robertson Stadium (Scott Street & Holman Street) 9am–1pm or until sold out. For more information, visit www.urbanharvest.org.

Photographt by Jaime Lagdameo

DO Pick the right spot! Pick a location that receives at least six to eight hours of full sun. The exceptions are most citrus, which can have as little as 6 hours of sunlight and still be productive. DON’T pick a spot that has sitting water after a rain, and, if needed, DO plant on a mounded area.

DO dig down below where the roots will be planted before you plant – and chop up the soil with a shovel. Prune off any broken roots or shorten very long ones, and set the tree in the hole.

Who better than the woman behind realmeals365 (and modern day renaissance woman) to teach us how to make the perfect shake post-workout! Ivonne Hallard takes time out of her busy day to share some tips! When Hallard isn’t at the helm of 365, she’s busy with her latest venture www.mydailydeals.com, A local version of Groupon where she snags the ultimate deal for you!

Start off with a liquid such as Soy Milk or Almond Milk. Soy Milk is a great source of protein, calcium and isoflavones and has no lactose or cholesterol. Add your protein powder, a great way to increase your protein intake. We recommend one without aspartame. There are many popular brands that come in different flavors, and vanilla blends right in with the taste of most fruits.

DO have fun with the mix-ins! Here is where the magic begins. In our version we added peanut butter and a dash of pure almond extract. This is your chance to put your brand on your smoothie. Testing new combinations is fun and creative. Mix-in options: flaxseed meal, coffee, almond butter, vanilla extract.

If you have more fresh fruit than frozen, you may want to add a few extra ice cubes to give the smoothie a cooler temperature and better texture. Mixing ice with fruit makes the smoothie cool, delicious, and refreshing in the summertime heat!

How to Blend
Blend ingredients until the contents have been liquefied. Depending on the make and model of your blender, it can take anywhere from 5-30 seconds or longer if the jar is full. Make sure you don’t have too much in your jar or your blender will never achieve proper circulation, even with the most powerful motor.

DON’T add sugar; stick to natural extracts and other natural sweeteners.

Bonus Tip: Buy many of your favorite ingredients in bulk at major retailers such as Costco or Sam’s Club and you’ll save significantly. Some vitamin and nutrition stores also offer great deals on all your favorite protein powders!

Remember, you are only one meal away from getting back on track!

be fit for the summer!

Summertime will be knocking on your door in no time and your calendar will be swamped with invitations to pool parties, days at the beach, luaus and many more body-exposing soirées. Never fear, 002houston’s exercising aficionado get his derrière off the couch for five easy-to-do-at-home and dummy-proof exercises direct from fitness extraordinaire Shaun Eckhardt. No more excuses, here’s to getting your body in tip-top shape.

Run for your life! This is the perfect warm-up exercise. For low impact, you can power walk or use an elliptical machine.

Do: Always warm up and control your breathing.

Push it!

Modified push-ups provide body strength, tone and tighten your chest, triceps and shoulders, giving great definition.

Do: Body must be straight as a board.

Planktastic! The plank is a must to strengthen your core. A weak core can cause many problems including lower back problems.

Do: Always keep your back straight and remember to breathe. Don’t arch your back.

Do: Make sure the chair has an incline so it targets the upper body.

Don’t come all the way down. Keep your elbows at back level and don’t pick up too much weight.

BE INCLINED! Incline chest presses target your upper chest, triceps and shoulders.

ONE LUNGE AT A TIME!

Walking lunges are one of the best lower body exercises you can do. It gives you amazing definition to the legs.

Don’t let your knee go over your toes.

Musts:

1- Always warm up.

2- Do keep you movements slow and controlled to prevent injury.

3- Never work out on an empty stomach.

4- Stay hydrated during your workouts.

5- Set goals to stay motivated.

6- Remember to always breathe properly.

By Pixie Ibañez

Photography by Jaime Lagdameo

Shot on location at Weight Control by

Shaun Eckhardt. www.shauneckhardt.com.

It’s Cool to … find your inner Picasso

as told to 002houston’s budding artist. How many of you have thought at one point or another in your life that you’d like to learn to paint? Well, we’re teaching you how…OK, artist Amy Elizabeth Wright is. She’ll explain how they do it at Pinot & Picasso. Bring your own wine (or whatever you want to drink and eat). Have fun painting along with your friends and a local artist who leads you step-by-step. Make it your own and leave with your masterpiece. Check out her portrait of 002′s Picasso in the finished result. For more information on Pinot & Picasso, visit www.pinotandpicasso.com.

• Acrylic paints – red, blue and yellow are primaries and can’t be mixed, so are good colors to get if you’re only getting a few. Purple, orange and green can be mixed from these. Also good to get white and black paints.

• Water in a plastic cup.

• Variety of brushes. [Small (0-4), medium (6-16) and large (18-24).] Rounds and filberts are good for portraits; flats work better for geometric or getting straight lines.-Canvas already primed with white gesso. 16×20 inches is a basic size.

Get Your Painting Started:

Lay out composition with quick painted sketch. Use a lot of water to thin paint and achieve a lighter value, thus it won’t show up through the painting. (Pencil marks are harder to cover than paint.)

DON’T You’re supposed to drink that! Don’t confuse your wine with water.

DON’T Don’t clean your brush in the wine.

A wine to try…

A chance meeting of two Houstonians in another country turned into the poetry of a lifetime. Sandra and Jerry happened to be vacationing at Ikal del Mar Hotel (now the Tides) in the Riviera Maya in 2001 and hit it off quickly. The two had much in common, including travel, and on a trip to Argentina with a group of friends, while on a hiking trip they were inspired by the region to start their own vineyard. And so, Ikal 1150 was born. The name, inspired by their meeting, and the Mayan word poetry also describes the signature body and distinct flavor described by many as poetry in a bottle. About 1000 cases are produced for the US yearly. www.1150wine.com

Color Mixing:

• With acrylics, mix your colors as you’re painting instead of beforehand because acrylic paint dries so quickly. It’s easier to make colors darker than lighten them up so add small amounts.

• Complimentary colors like orange and blue, purple and yellow, and green and red make a greyish brown when mixed together, so you can dull any color with its complimentary color. Yellow usually brightens any color.

Tips:

• Keep your brushes clean when switching from color to color (unless the color is a similar shade) so your color isn’t muddy.

• You can erase mistakes with water if the paint underneath is wet. Otherwise, just wipe wet paint off, rather than trying to fix on top of wet paint.

• Don’t wear fancy or new clothes.

• Don’t hold back. Use your imagination, creativity and let it loose!

Save the details for last and use a small brush.

Photography by Jaime Lagdameo