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With so many celebrities getting press these days for the births of their babies, an old tradition has been rekindled, albeit with a new millennium name – the Push Present – or more eloquently, a birthing gift to honor the hard work of labor for the mother of a new baby. Traditionally, a birth bauble was something a well-to-do husband gave his wife for producing his heir, in India gold necklaces or other gold jewelry, in England a lavish ring, but now it’s begun to be seen more as an acknowledgement of the woman’s role of bearing the responsibility of carrying the baby for nine months. And the trend is starting to take off, overwhelming fathers-to-be who feel the pressure to keep up with what mom’s friends were given.

However, the good news is that the one thing etiquette experts agree on is that this is a deeply personal gift and there are no standards to follow. So consider these three gold necklace ideas or use them for inspiration, this is a precious time to acknowledge and only you know what is right for your new mom.

Over the top

This is an opportunity to really wow her with something completely over the top that she’d love to have but would never ask for and never buy for herself. Has she eyed a fancy gold pendant or elaborate gold necklace with gemstones in the past with ooohs and ahhs? This could be the time to pull out all the stops and splurge on something that will amaze her. Gold necklaces along these lines can be a part of special occasions throughout her life and even become treasured heirlooms to pass along to the little one she just carried.

Mother’s jewelry

Mother’s jewelry is a great choice at this time, particularly for first time mothers. Birthstones look lovely on gold necklaces, whether yellow or white gold. You can choose to use the baby’s birthstone alone to represent the new addition, or have the necklace include all of your birthstones symbolizing the family together.

A gold necklace is perfect to hold special charms designed along this baby themed line such as the currently popular enameled baby shoe charms available in a wide variety of colors and encrusted with different gemstones. Another version of mother’s jewelry is an elegant cameo pendant with an image of a mother and child, lovely to pass down through the generations.

Gemstones just for her

If mother’s jewelry isn’t the right thing and over the top just isn’t her style or not practical at this stage of your lives, then choosing a gold necklace with a gemstone in a size and setting that fits her personality and you know she’ll love is the perfect solution. Whether her own birthstone or another that she likes, perhaps in her favorite color, be sure to select a gold necklace with an adequate weight to support the pendant you choose and with a strong clasp if not choosing a one piece gold necklace that is crafted with the stones directly mounted.

Again, what’s most important here is the personal nature of this gift between the two of you, you want it to be something she’ll treasure and that she knows you put thought into. If you feel you need guidance because you want to be sure you’re right on the mark with something she’ll love, check in with a trusted friend or family member that will know her style and will tell you the truth. Giving the gift of gold necklaces has been a tradition throughout history with some of the earliest gold jewelry being dated back to 3000 BC. With a track record like that, you should be sure to make one new mommy feel even more special than she already does when you mark this priceless occasion by honoring her and the love you feel for her at this time.

Copyright 2006 Lulu Bells Treasures

Millions of inventors and entrepreneurs set out every year with good ideas and great products, but what separates the many from the few is executing the fundamentals. One of these basic tenants that many businesses struggle with is setting the right price on your product and achieving the delicate balance between making a profit and keeping merchandise competitive.

There are many factors that go into pricing your product. Many companies will over-estimate or under-estimate how much a retailer is willing to pay for a quality product, as well as what the end-consumer will pay.

Here are a few key tips to competitively pricing your product to retailers:

1. Know your target consumer – Who are you selling to and why would they want your product? Take your time to do thorough market research before deciding the value of your product. Many companies will hire outside companies to help in this crucial step.

2. Know all your costs – This includes expenses like your sales and marketing team, cost of labor and materials, salary expenses, as well as your company’s future growth plans, your expected profit margin, and a realistic revenue goal.

3. Know your competition -Making a head-to-head comparison between your competition’s prices and costs can be very helpful when determining how to price your product. You can bet that any retailer you are selling to will check out your competition to gauge your prices.

4. Know your market – Are there new laws being considered that may affect your business? Or maybe the price of your materials has been on the rise? Consider the future stability of your market when making price decisions.

Everyone wants to sell to big-box retailers like Wal-Mart and Best Buy, but don’t forget that bigger retailers might mean a higher sales volume, but don’t expect to make a high profit off of them. Smaller retailers, on the other hand, will accept higher prices, but offer small sales revenue. Knowing who you are selling to is key to setting the right price for your products.

Lastly, after you set the right price, don’t forget to continuously monitor your prices after you get into stores. Keep an eye on the market, your competitors and the profit of your products. Be ready to shift the price of your product when it is necessary.

Striking the right balance between earning a profit and remaining competitive can be difficult, but with the right tools and know-how the task can become a little less daunting and help set your business up for success.

In past negotiation lessons, I’ve highlighted strategies and tactics that you can use when negotiating. I’ve discussed the value of being able to read and interpret body language (nonverbal signals). I’ve elaborated on the virtues of being mindfully astute when it comes to deciphering nuances that occur when negotiating. The one thing I haven’t touched on in any great length, in any lessons, is the value ‘hope’ plays when negotiating.

I don’t wish to sound whimsical nor capricious, but there’s something to be said about faith, belief, and ‘hope’, when you negotiate. Of course, you still have to prepare for any negotiation by doing your due diligence when it comes to gathering background information on the other negotiator, creating a plan for the negotiation (your road map), and determining what you’ll do if the negotiation doesn’t go the way you want. Nevertheless, you can add an additional dimension to the negotiation by having faith in your abilities and giving consideration to the role ‘hope’ will play.

Let me state, I’m not a huge fan of the law of attraction, but there are ‘things’ that occur in the universe that none of us are truly aware. That being the case, might ‘hope’ really be a viable resource that you can use to enhance a negotiation? There will be setbacks and heartbreaks when you negotiate. Things won’t always go the way you planned, but if you can keep yourself from feeling beaten, downtrodden, and discouraged, you’ll keep ‘hope’ alive.

Have you ever thought that something you wanted very badly would never come to pass? Then, when it didn’t, your first thought was, I knew it wouldn’t happen. Think for a moment. In the instant you thought about a negative experience, it occurred. Maybe part of its occurrence came to fruition,partly due to the thought process you manifested. I’m not suggesting you can will something into existence nor will it away, but if you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right! The direction in which you think, will be the direction in which you’ll move.

When you negotiate, instead of being pessimistic, try to be optimistic. Allow ‘hope’ to replace doubt. Allow ‘hope’ to replace fear. Let not your imagination be your downfall, due to your lack of belief, faith, or conviction that you have about your negotiation position and the outcome you seek.

The next time you’re in a tough negotiation situation and you’re not sure if you’ll be able to acquire the outcome for which you search, close your eyes, while at the negotiation table, and quietly start thinking or chanting out loud, ‘I have ‘hope!’ By doing so, you will enhance the chance that the negotiation will turn out to be more positive for all involved. This may not work, but if your chant is heard by the other negotiator, believe me, it will get his attention. Upon seeing and hearing you, he may give consideration to helping you achieve what you need and want from the negotiation.

Even if using ‘hope’ in your negotiation doesn’t bear fruit, it won’t leave you bare. You will have discovered another tool that will cause pause in a negotiation. During that pause, the negotiation can be reshaped, revamped, and redirected. Done right, with the proper timing, you’ll throw the other negotiator off his game. At that time you’ll have a momentary advantage. Use ‘hope’ wisely and you just might shift the power of the negotiation to your advantage; after all, who knows? With ‘hope’ the unimaginable may become reality … and everything will be right with the world.

The Negotiation Lessons are …

· When you’re handed a plate that’s broken into a million pieces and all you have is a single rubber band to put it back together, what else can you do except ‘hope’. When negotiating, don’t discount the value of ‘hope’.

· While negotiating, pay close attention to the dynamics that are occurring. If the other negotiator is faith based, or one that can be easily mollified, you can use flowery language such as, ‘I ‘hope’ we can achieve the outcome we’re seeking.’ This type of negotiator will be more impressed by such language and easier to assuage.

· It’s been said that “Chance favors the prepared mind.” When your negotiation plans fail to bring forth the outcome you seek, or it’s not going in the direction in which you’d like, use ‘hope’ and always try to keep ‘hope’ alive.