Q: Adding and closing lines of credit can slightly lower your credit score. If you have good credit and a long credit history, your score will likely dip by less than 5 points and bounce back within a couple of months. If you’re building your credit, your score might take a more substantial hit, but a temporarily lower score could fit into a long-term financial plan.  For example, when you open a new line of credit, the creditor does a credit check (known as a hard pull), which results in a short-term dip. However, a new line of credit can improve your limit-to-balance ratio (your total available credit compared to your debt balance), which plays a major role in determining your credit score. Additionally, if you’re paying off credit card debt, transferring your balance to a card with a lower interest rate can help you save money. While dips in score due to switching cards are usually small and temporary, a decrease as small as 5 to 10 points could affect the interest rate of a mortgage or auto loan. For a major purchase like a house or car, even a slightly higher interest rate could cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. Your credit utilization ratio, or limit-to-balance ratio, compares your total available credit with your balance owed. A ratio less than 10 percent is ideal, but your balance should never be more than 20 to 30 percent of your total available credit. The ratio accounts for almost a third of your credit score, so figure out how closing an account would affect it before making any moves.  For example, suppose you have 3 cards. The first has a limit of $2,000 with a $500 balance, the second has a limit of $5,000 with a $2,000 balance, and the third has a limit of $9,000 with no balance. Your ratio is 15.6 percent (the $2500 balance is 15.6 percent of your $16,000 total credit limit), which is good. However, canceling the card with a $9,000 limit would lower your available credit to $7,000. Your ratio would be 35.7 percent, which is bad, and your credit score would take a big hit. The length of your credit history also plays a major role in determining your overall score. If you have one card that’s several years older than your others, keep it active unless it’s costing you too much money. If its APR and annual fees are too high, ask the issuer for better rates before canceling it. Closed accounts in good standing have the same weight as open accounts for 7 to 10 years after the date they were closed. Suppose you had a single card for 10 years. If you close it, it’ll remain on your report for another 7 to 10 years. However, when it’s eventually removed from your report, your credit history will suddenly look a decade shorter.
A: Plan for a temporary dip in your credit score. Avoid switching credit cards within 12 months of buying a house or car. Check your credit utilization ratio before closing an account. Avoid closing an account that’s older than your other cards.

Q: Determine what kind of alloy a ring is made of by reading labels and talking to a jeweler. An alloy is a mixture of two or more metals, in this case used to make the platinum harder. Platinum rings should be marketed listing the quantity of other metals, especially if there is less than 90% pure platinum in the ring.  A 950PLAT ring will typically be alloyed with cobalt, copper (or a combination of the two), iridium, palladium, ruthenium, or tungsten, which makes up the other 50 parts of 1000. If this other 5% is from the platinum metal group (iridium, palladium, ruthenium, rhodium), the ring can be considered 100% precious.  A 900PLAT ring will usually be alloyed with iridium or palladium. Sometimes it will be listed as IRIDPLAT to indicate a mix of 100 parts iridium and 900 parts platinum. An 850PLAT ring will usually be alloyed with palladium. Less than 85% platinum will often be listed with the quantity of palladium or other metal, such as "585PLAT 415PALL." Once you know the content of other metal present in a platinum ring, you can make choices based on the quality that each type yields. Find an alloy that will have the finish and durability you desire.  A composition of 950 parts platinum and 50 parts cobalt is often considered the finest alloy quality for platinum rings. This combination creates an extremely strong and durable ring with a very bright finish, looking almost as if it has been lit from the inside. A ring with 950 parts platinum and 50 parts ruthenium is very durable and almost scratch-resistant, so it is a very fine quality choice. It also has a high shine mirror-like finish. A 950 parts platinum and 50 parts iridium is perhaps the most common alloy sold in platinum rings, but it is not the highest quality. It yields a softer metal which is prone to scratches, pits, and bends, leading to a duller finish over time. Choose a platinum alloy with a certain type of metal if you have a known allergy to one of the common base metals. Note that any ring with a high percentage of pure platinum should not cause negative skin reactions, as platinum is hypoallergenic.  Avoid cobalt in alloys with a lower amount of platinum, as those with a cobalt allergy may be sensitive. However, in a quality PT950/Cobalt alloy, allergic reactions are very rare.  Copper is also a fairly common metal allergy. Steer clear of rings with copper or copper-cobalt platinum alloys, especially in lower grades, if you have a known reaction. An allergy to any metal in jewelry will show up as a red, itchy rash or blisters on the skin that comes in contact with the jewelry. Test out wearing a piece of copper or cobalt jewelry for 24-48 hours, if you can, to determine if you will have a negative reaction.
A: Find out what metal the platinum is mixed with. Understand what alloys yield the best quality. Consider possible allergens in metal alloys.

Q: Melons can be found in jungles biomes, and savanna villages.  Pumpkins can be found in any biome that has grass block with no plants growing out of it.  You can also find melons and pumpkins in stem farm rooms of woodland mansions.  To obtain melon or pumpkin seeds, break the melons or pumpkins open using your hand or a sword and walk over the seeds to collect them. You can craft a hoe using a crafting table.  Have to sticks and two blocks or bars of the material of your choice, and select them, or place them in the crafting grid in the following positions:  Place a stick in the middle space, and the bottom middle space.  Sticks can be crafted from wood plank blocks, which can be crafted from wood. Place a wood plank block, stone block, iron bar, or diamond in the upper-middle space, and the upper-left space. Click and drag the hoe to your inventory. Equip the hoe and use it on dirt or grass to till the soil. To equip the hoe, open your inventory and place it in your tool bar.  Press the number that corresponds to the toolbar space on your keyboard, or press the right and left shoulder buttons on the controller to highlight the different toolbar spaces.  Place the reticle on a grass or dirt block and right-click, or press the left trigger button on the controller to till the soil. Equip the melon or pumpkin seeds by opening your inventory and placing them in your toolbar. Highlight the space in your toolbar to equip the seeds. Then place the reticle on a tilled soil block and right-click or press the left trigger button on the controller to plant the seeds. The melons or pumpkins are ready to be harvested when there is a melon or pumpkin block next to the plant.
A:
Obtain melons or pumpkin seeds. Craft a hoe. Till the soil. Plant the melons or pumpkins. Wait.