Tag Archives: gem

Are Your Pearls Strung Out?

Pearls are most often incorporated in jewelry as strands. True, there are some more contemporary styles for pearls; Gellner, one of our designers, is a great example of a designer who has taken cultured pearl jewelry to a completely different level. But mostly, you’ll see cultured pearls featured in strands, from 14-inch chokers to flowing…

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Diamond Certification Part I

Most people are familiar with the Four Cs of Diamonds: Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight. Those of you who have purchased a diamond from me know I harp on cut more than anything else because the quality of cutting can make or break the Wow Factor of a diamond. But there is an unspoken…

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Sugar-Coating Drusy

When many people think of gemstones, they think of a transparent faceted jewel sparkling in a ring; often a diamond or some other gem of their favorite color, perhaps a ruby or an emerald. Some people may think of pearls, or gems that are typically cut en cabochon like jade or opals. But there is…

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Glass Isn’t Always an Imitation

Faceted Moldavite

Since the Annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show is this month, some of the more unusual things in the colored gem world are on my mind. I wanted to take the time to comment on a part of the jewelry industry that gets overlooked and has some of the coolest science behind it. Man-made glass…

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60th Annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show

I’m in Tucson! I come here every year to look for cool gems to add to my collection to design with. And every year, I go with a stack of wish lists from my clients. Some want a specific color, and some want a certain gem. Others want me to find them one of the…

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Protecting Your Jewelry in Cold Weather

The cold snap we had the first week of the year got me to thinking. One of my employees had burst pipes in his apartment complex from the extensive and extreme cold. Did you know a similar effect can happen to certain kinds of colored gemstones? Opening your sink cabinets and letting your faucets drip…

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Caring for your Tanzanite

I’m big on making sure people are not only smart jewelry buyers; I like to make sure people are smart jewelry owners. With tanzanite, I’ve found this is especially important. There are a couple of points about tanzanite I think every person who owns, or is thinking of purchasing, a tanzanite should know. Tanzanite is…

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On the 7th Day of Christmas…

Gellner – 30% Discount I work with a number of German designers. Some are gem cutters, like Bernd Munsteiner. Others are jewelry makers, like Christian Bauer, Jorg Heinz, and Gellner. Today, we’re talking about Gellner. Gellner works in pearls. But these are not your grandmother’s pearls. Black rhodium plating, rough-cut gem strands, abstract shapes, and…

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December Birthstones: Turquoise, Zircon and Tanzanite

December sort of has the corner on birthstones nowadays. With the induction of another selection by the American Gem Trade Association in 2002, there are now three official birthstones for December: turquoise, zircon, and the newest, tanzanite. So which way do you go? Well, that depends on what’s important to you in a look, and…

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What defines Aronstam custom jewelry designs?

Designer jewelry is often easy to spot by its trademark “look” or “signature design.” I’m happy to say that hasn’t happened to me. I don’t want to get placed in a certain design category. I like to explore and have fun when I create a custom piece of jewelry. When I am looking at a…

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