Next month marks a year since President Obama handed down a 12-month extension to the ban on gemstones exported from Burma. Why is that important to a jeweler in Indiana? Well, Burma (Myanmar) is historically the source of the finest rubies and jadeite in the world. The jewelry market has been starving for legitimate access…
The moniker “The King of Gemstones” sounds pretty impressive, doesn’t it? Do you think it belongs to diamond? It doesn’t; ruby got that name when diamonds were still largely unmined and unusable as gemstones because the technology did not exist to fashion them. The phrase actually comes from the Sanskrit word for ruby: ratnaraj. Anything…
Summer has finally settled in. Summer activities abound with the sun out, so it’s worth mentioning that some jewelry needs to be treated a little differently during the fun things we all love to do when it gets beautiful outside. One of the most common jewelry problems I see during (or right after) summer is…
Something that is steadily growing in popularity is moonstone. Moonstone, however, is not a newly discovered gemstone, and it’s been entrancing beholders with the mysterious, silken light of a full moon for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Ancient Hindus and Romans once believed moonstone was actually crystallized moonlight. Every myth and legend associated with…
Have you ever seen a gemstone change from one color to another right before your eyes? If not, you’re in for a treat when you see your first fine alexandrite. Raspberry red in tungsten light or firelight, teal green in direct sunlight or fluorescent light – fine alexandrite is the color-change gemstone against which all…
The prime consideration for emerald quality comes down to color, more so than for almost any other gemstone. The rarity of large, cleaner emeralds of top color has logically led to sky-rocketing values. The finest emeralds are among the rarest and most valuable gemstones in the world, on par with top rubies, and dwarfing all…
Pliny the Elder, the great naturalist of Antiquity, once wrote, “Nothing greens greener than emerald.” He was not wrong: to this day, emerald is still the green gem against which all green gems are compared. For over three thousand years, emerald has been treasured above many other gemstones for its rarity, and its largely unrivaled…
A lot has been said about diamonds over the years, both positive and negative. In the spirit of inclusiveness, here’s a quick rundown. Diamonds are beautiful, perfectly suited for use in jewelry, and every single natural diamond is unique to itself no matter what detractors may say. Diamond as a material substance represents the extremes…
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…
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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