Carol Channing

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Man-made diamonds are well on their way to becoming a girl's new - and more affordable - best friend. The term "man-made" may conjure up images of cheap cubic zirconia and tacky rhinestones. Technically, however, cubic zirconia and rhinestones are "imitation" diamonds. In other words, they are fakes. In contrast, man-made diamonds are actually diamonds. They are the real thing, structurally and physically identical to stones excavated from diamond mines. Even expert graders and gemologists cannot definitively distinguish a man-made diamond from a naturally occurring one without using highly sophisticated and costly machinery built especially for that purpose.

When it comes to precious commodities such as diamonds, consumers tend to associate "man-made" or "synthetic" products with inferior quality. In truth, though, man-made diamonds may actually be superior to their natural counterparts in many ways. While it takes millions of years for a "natural" diamond to form deep underground, a man-made diamond of equivalent size, luster, color, and quality can be created in a lab in a matter of days. Colored diamonds, long prized by jewelry wearers and designers, occur only rarely in nature. The laboratory processes used to create man-made diamonds, on the other hand, are highly conducive to the production of colored stones, which could be a great boon both to jewelry manufacturers and their customers. Structurally and aesthetically speaking, man-made diamonds come closer to being "flawless" than do natural diamonds which generally contain numerous "inclusions," tiny bits of foreign mineral that become trapped within the diamond as it develops. Though found to some extent in all natural diamonds, inclusions are considered imperfections. Because man-made diamonds are created under controlled lab conditions, the best quality ones can lack inclusions entirely.

Man-made diamonds are just as big, just as beautiful, and just as hard as any diamond that comes out of a mine. So what is the difference, really, between natural diamonds and the lab-grown kind? Price, mostly. A consumer who purchases a man-made clear diamond, of the type most often used in fine jewelry, will pay approximately 30% less than he would for an equivalent natural stone. The discount is even greater for lab-created colored diamonds which are often discounted as much as 70 percent relative to prices charged by DeBeers, the South African-based cartel that is the largest source of the world's natural diamond supply. Those who shudder at the thought of African "blood diamonds" can wear man-made diamond engagement rings without any political or moral misgivings. A steady supply of cheap, lab-produced diamonds is also good for science; diamonds happen to have the highest thermal conductivity of any known substance, and it is believed that that diamond-based semi-conductors would function hundreds of times more effectively in high-speed electronic devices than the silicon chips that are the standard in the computer industry today.

As more diamond-producing labs pop up - in the US, the leading labs include Gemesis in Sarasota, Florida and Apollo Diamond in Boston - the supply of high-quality, relatively inexpensive man-made diamonds will increase. That will not make DeBeers and similar business concerns happy; after all, they have been getting rich for years by manipulating the price and supply of the natural diamonds that they provide to the jewelry industry. However, the prospect of more and cheaper diamonds in our future will undoubtedly put a smile on the face of many a prospective bridegroom and give Carol Channing - and diamond-lovers everywhere--something to sing about.

If you are in the market for a precious gem but can't afford the exact one you want, consider looking into simulated diamonds. There are also a wide range of other created gemstones made, such as synthetic emeralds. All are good quality and hard to tell from the real thing.

Start Speaking With Confidence In Public

Speaking with confidence in public can be a tremendously difficult thing for some people. There are a number of things you can do to to overcome your nervousness, but realize that even experienced speakers get nervous.

Instead of trying to eliminate your jitters, turn them into energy you can use to boost your delivery. When Carol Channing was asked, "On opening night, do you get nervous?" she replied, "I don't call it nervousness - I prefer to call it concentration."

Being prepared is the first and perhaps the most important step to speaking with confidence. If you attempt to give a speech without being prepared you should be nervous. So do your homework, make notes and get everything organized to help you make a good presentation. And practice.

Practice in front of a mirror, practice with your spouse, practice with your children or even the cat, but practice. Walk around as you speak, talk the presentation through point by point. You can use these points in your notes to remind you of each part of your speech.

If you're using an overhead or a power point system, test it before your speech. Nothing will make you feel more nervous (and the audience more impatient) than equipment that doesn't work or needs adjustments.

In the thirty seconds before you begin speaking, take a slow, deep breath through your nose, filling your belly. As you breathe out, say to yourself, "Relax, relax." Concentrate on only your breathing until you can feel yourself relaxing. Give yourself a pep talk. "I am a powerful public speaker. I have what it takes to be an effective speaker."

Keep in mind that most stage fright is caused by self-preoccupation. ("How do I look?" "Am I making sense?" "Am I making a fool of myself?") Stop focusing on yourself, focus on the audience and how your speech is going to help them. And keep your speech short and simple. Most beginning speakers try to put too much information in a single speech. Instead, aim to communicate what your audience can understand in the limited time you have.

Practice relaxation techniques for two days before your presentation. Lie down or sit comfortably in a quiet place and breathe slowly with your eyes closed. Scan your body and consciously relax any tense muscles. Imagine yourself behind the podium, speaking powerfully and with confidence.

Make the details as sharp as possible, see yourself accomplishing your goal, hear the applause, bask in the feeling of success.

Just before your presentation talk to a few individuals who will be in the audience. Look them in the eye during your speech, one person at a time. Invariably they will nod in agreement with some point you make during the presentation, increasing your confidence. If you can get your audience to identify with you, your job as a speaker becomes much easier and you can relax.

The only person who will know how nervous you really are is you. The audience can't tell if your palms are sweating or your knees are knocking or your heart is pounding so don't tell them. Use the Alcoholics Anonymous credo: "Fake it till you make it." Hold your chin up and smile. Stick your chest out and speak up. Look confident, even if you don't feel it. After awhile you'll begin to feel it.

Accept that mistakes are part of the learning process. After all what skill have you ever learned perfectly the first time you tried it? Continue speaking in public and soon you will be able to overcome your nervousness and fears and be speaking with confidence. You may even grow to enjoy it so much that you will consider a career in public speaking.

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What address (snail mail) do I send fan maill for Carol Channing?

I want to send a letter via the Post Office.

I would try through her agent: Carol Channing, c/o William Morris Agency, 1325 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019.

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