Daily News posted Wednesday that Amanda Bynes, the well-known actress from "Hairspray" recently spent a small fortune on jewelry. But, this jewelry wasn't for herself. She graciously gave it to Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Southern California (where she was attending school) teachers and administrators, as well as random people she was "hanging around with".

Despite the fact that Amanda is worth over $5.5 million, the amount of money that she was spending on these gifts alarmed her mother, Lynn Bynes, who quickly filed an emergency probate conservatorship over her daughter. The Ventura County, California judge granted the request, which resulted in Amanda's mother gaining control over Amanda's estate and Amanda is now residing in a psychiatric hospital.

Amanda is obviously furious at her mother and not very happy with the situation. Sadly, she had also recently accused her father of sexual abuse and then later recanted it, claiming that the microchip that her father had implanted in her head made her tell the lie. Amanda was diagnosed with schizophrenia last year, but doctors are reconsidering the diagnosis.

What is going on with these "child stars" that make them go absolutely wild and crazy? Is it the money, the fame, or just a desperate need for more attention than they are already receiving? Either way, we hope the best for Amanda Bynes through her struggles.

Are you thinking about purchasing a custom-made piece of jewelry, but have no idea which direction to look as far as selecting the right gemstone? Maybe the person you are buying it for won't give you a clue as to what kind of gemstone they like, or maybe they just don't happen to have a favorite.

Here is a quick rundown of consumer gemstone favorites to help you out a bit:

JTV has come up with the top three gemstones, which are based on their highest selling items. The top three were: tanzanite, chrome diopside, and morganite. JTV is currently working on a voting promotion that will determine the "Gem of the Year" by offering consumers the ability to vote on their favorite of the three gemstones.

To give you an idea of the different properties of these fabulous gemstones:

Morganite was actually named after J.P. Morgan, a gem enthusiast and financier. It comes in either a salmon pink and ranges to a purpley-pink hue, which stems from the manganese presence in it.

The color of chrome diopside can vary in hue from a bright green to a yellowish- or bluish-green.

Another gemstone that comes in a variety of hues, tanzanite ranges from a deep violet blue to a bluish purple to a tranlucent blue. This stone is quite rare, as it is only sourced from Tanzania.

Which one is your favorite?

There seems to be an app for just about anything nowadays! Some apps are specifically made for Androids, while others are made for iPhones. Today, we're going to introduce you to a jewelry app for the iPad.

It is called GIA and it was created by the Gemological Institute of America, which is the organization that came up with the 4Cs categorization for diamonds. Basically, this app is not necessarly for consumers, but geared more toward retailers who would love to have an easy and quick way to educate their customers at the point of sale.

The app provides an interactive method of educating their customers about diamonds and the 4Cs, including guidance on how to effectively use GIA scales for grading, access to Gemological Institute of America grading reports, and information on various diamond treatments. This information has all been condensed into a user-friendly app.

The Gemological Institute of America decided that they didn't want to leave consumers who wanted to learn more about the 4Cs on their own. Therefore, they also created an app for consumers that can be downloaded on the iPad. This app will teach them in-depth information about the 4Cs, as well as how to correctly read grading reports for diamonds and also includes educational information about different diamond treatments.

An article posted yesterday on the Herald Business website claims that while the percentages of burglaries have decreased, the average amount claimed on insurance claims has risen.

One of the first places that home thieves head to once they have entered a home is the master bedroom. This is because the bedroom is where most people keep their precious heirlooms and expensive jewelry. And jewelry are some of the easiest things to liquidate on the street, especially when gold and silver values are high.

In the article, some excellent concepts were covered on how to protect your assets against these thieves. Do you love to share everything on social media? One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to let people know that you are out of town and your home is empty.

If you plan to be out of town, be sure to set up some indoor/outdoor lighting on timers so that it looks like someone is home. It doesn't hurt to let a television stay on for a few hours per day, as well, for added protection.

Ask a neighbor or a friend to pick up your mail and newspapers.

Make sure you post home security system signs on the property - and set your security system in protection mode while you are away.

All of the effort in the world may not stop an intruder from entering a home and getting their hands on your precious, irreplaceable items. In this case, ensure that you have taken pictures and logged each and every item for documentation for insurance purposes. The article also recommends that you keep a video log of your items, as well. This way, in the worst case scenario, you can prove that you did own the items and make the insurance recovery process much easier.

You are in the market for a new, custom made bracelet. The problem? You are not quite sure exactly how (or at which point) to measure your wrist for your new custom made piece. Obviously, you don't want your bracelet to be so tight that it cuts off your circulation...but you also don't want a custom made bracelet to be so loose that it dangles and catches on everything that you wear or come into contact with.

Fortunately, getting the measurement is not as difficult as you would think. You don't even necessarily need a tape measure!

Let's say you do have a tape measure. Simply wrap the tape around your wrist where your wrist bones are. Wrap it right around where your wrist bones are. Not too tight and not too loose. That is your wrist measurement.

Let's say you don't have a tape measure, but you have some string and a ruler. Wrap the string in the same place, around the bones of your wrist, and then measure the string length with your ruler.

No string? You could also use a piece of paper and then measure the length of the paper that you wrapped around the bones of your wrist with your ruler.

Not so difficult, is it? You can add about a 1/2 inch of extra material to your bracelet to ensure a proper and comfortable fit.

If you are interested in having a custom made bracelet crafted by BC Custom Jewelry, we can help walk you through measuring your wrist for it.

It's not a secret that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pretty much everywhere you turn, on social media and in the news, is something about the effort to spread awareness about breast cancer.

If you, or anyone you know, has battled (or is currently batting with) breast cancer, you may want to think about announcing your support of the fight against the disease with a custom-made piece of jewelry to wear. And, you don't have to limit wearing your breast cancer awareness jewelry to the month of October - you can wear it year 'round!

Here's an idea of what we're talking about:

Breast Cancer Awareness Ring

And, you don't have to limit your choices to the ring that is pictured above. That is just an example to get your mind in gear thinking about what you could come up with for a breast cancer awareness custom jewelry piece. You could also try a pendant of a similar style on a necklace, if rings just aren't your style.

Support the effort to spread the word about breast cancer awareness month with a new piece of custom made jewelry. BC Custom Jewelry can help you bring your vision to life!

According to Forbes, 2013 saw a huge dip in gold sales, which left the gold industry wondering whether it would recover from the "gold recession". The 2nd quarter of 2014 showed a 15% increase in gold sales over the same quarter in 2013. Gold coin and bar investments were big, too.

Why the Increase?

There is quite a bit of speculation about why exactly gold purchases are seeing an increase in 2014. Some thoughts are that there is more optimism in the economy, while other people think that consumers are simply spending more on luxury.

Experts are saying that people went haywire selling their gold when gold prices were at all-time highs, and now that the prices are becoming lower, people are starting to spend more again. Much like stocks. Sell when high, buy when low.

The second quarter of the year, which includes the month of May, may have seen an increase because Mother's Day falls in may, brides are planning for their weddings, prom night jewelry is another factor, and even graduation gifts often include gold.

Which Gold?

Yellow gold seems to be the choice pick at the moment, and big, chunky pieces are not only the fad, but also carry their "weight" in gold.

Will you be buying gold this year?

They did it for their last project, and they're back at it again! The guys, Jason Bakutis, Chris Boynton and Matt Kroyner, who came up with Fire & Bone, the tiny, digitally captured skull jewelry, have a new Kickstarter campaign for their Fire & Bone II collection.

Their campaign is smart, as they offer their 3D scanning and printing-made products as incentives to donate to their campaign. Here's a quick look at what they are making:

These little skulls can be either worn as jewelry or they can be set in a special spot in your house, atop their collector stands, to be shown off as collector's items.

They say that because these miniatures are created from molds of the actual skulls of animals, when you wear them as jewelry, you carry the spirit of the animal wherever you go.

This new collection includes the Velociraptor, the Gray Wolf Skull and the Dire Wolf.

Crowdfunding is an excellent way to raise funds to back your ideas and give you the financial ability to put them into motion. This Kickstarter campaign is only open until 16th, but they only set a goal of $6000 and have already raised over $67,000 to date.