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  If it seems as if you’re buying birthday gifts during September more than any other time of the year, you most likely are. The reason is that it’s the month when most American babies are born. If you do the math, you’ll understand why. “The holidays may not be a popular time for birthdays, but they sure are a popular time for conception,” notes ancestry.com. Trivia buffs will be interested to know that all 10 of the top birth dates are in September. And September 16—the most popular birthday of all—also happens to be shared by Mickey Rourke and...

  Pearls are the perfect, malleable medium for today’s always-changing fashions. But don’t mistake some of today’s modern pearls with Grandmother’s simple strands. By adding a little high tech, color and carvings, you take a classic piece of jewelry straight into the 21st century. With these changes, today’s pearls are appealing to a new generation that is discovering their beauty and luster, while enjoying some amazing new characteristics. If you think that pearls can’t be high tech, you’d be wrong. One designer in California, Chi Huynh of Galatea Jewelry by Artist, is known for creating numerous variations on the cultured...

You can thank Kim Kardashian and Kanye West for setting the bar so high when it comes to getting married. The average cost of a wedding — sans a honeymoon — has now soared to more than $31,000, according to the wedding planning website TheKnot. And experts say the “images of celebrity wedding extravagance,” a la last year’s $12 million “Kimye” nuptials in Florence, Italy, are influencing couples’ spending choices. Another reason for the jump, experts say, are the engagement rings. “People want big rings like the ones celebrities wear,” says Jason Kordvani, president of product development at Davani (davanijewelry.com),...

If choosing the right Mother’s Day gift has been your biggest challenge over the years, try taking a cue from mom herself. Millions of dollars have been spent researching and/or polling what moms desire most, so use it to your advantage! Thank mom, a mother figure or wife for all that she does — from giving you style advice to motivating you when you needed it most — by celebrating your unique bond with a gift she will celebrate for many years to come. Mom has always been there when you needed it, and she deserves the best. Below are...

It may be the only holiday on the calendar that rhymes. We’re alluding to a multi-week span of celebrating both “Dads and Grads,” in which Father’s Day shares the spotlight with all those hardworking students who are jubilantly tossing mortarboards into the air — and somehow you have to come up with gifts to celebrate the hard work of both. Two things are certain: Dad doesn’t need (or necessarily even want) another tie, and gold pens for grads are about as passe as teaching penmanship in school. Here are more ideas to inspire you and get your creative juices flowing:...