Mardon Jewelers at the Mission Inn

We are back from our fall break and refreshed! What’s more refreshing than this mermaid color Tourmaline? Fresh and minty! It’s a gorgeous gem, also called cuprian Tourmaline for the copper that causes the blue hue in some Tourmalines. The most famous blue Tourmalines can be bright as a swimming pool, with really vivid color. Those were originally mined in Paraiba, Brazil.

This Tourmaline is from Afghanistan and reached us through an American gem trader that works with gem cutters in Pakistan. He made us aware that many Afghan gems are now being mined by former Republican soldiers who formerly fought the Taliban and now have few other options to support themselves and their communities. Here’s an article if you’d like to know more:

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/8/18/the-former-afghan-soldiers-turning-to-gem-mining-to-survive

October is the month we celebrate opal and tourmaline as birthstones, and these are two Mardon favorites! Both have many different appearances and come in a ton of colors, and sometimes *all* the colors! Stay tuned this month and we’ll show you some mouthwatering gems and jewelry, from watermelon to rainbow.

The ring in this video was a custom creation made by us in Riverside with recycled rose gold and recycled diamonds, and we can make you something just as spectacular. The opal is from Ethiopia, a newer source for opal, cut by a Southern California lapidary.

It’s the last day of Sapphire birthstone month so it’s the perfect day to learn about Red Sapphire. Red Sapphire? –But wait, didn’t we tell you that Rubies and Sapphires are the same mineral and the red ones are called Rubies??!? Yes! Yes we did. Sometimes an exception comes along, and this is one. This corundum gem is red, but the red has a strong orangy brown component. It’s not quite the pure red or pinkish red we require for Rubies. What if your favorite red is this warmer dried chili pepper color? Your favorite is on sale, compared to Ruby.

This particular gem was mined in the mid 20th century. This color was coming out of mines in Central Africa then, but we have had a hard time finding similar colors more recently.

There’s one more color of fancy sapphire you need to know about, and it’s purple! Purple sapphire is just as hard as blue Sapphire. Sapphire is the gem name for the mineral corundum. Corundum is so hard they crush it and add it to saws and papers to make intense industrial sanders. It’s also used in industrial bearings, electronics, and as scratch-resistant crystals for watches. If you love purple, then you already know about Amethyst, which is February’s gorgeous birthstone. Gorgeous and purple, yes. But Amethyst is also only a medium hard gem. In rings it gets abraded. So if you’d like to wear a purple gem in an engagement ring or ring you wear all the time, purple Sapphire is a wonderful choice.

Here in Riverside it makes sense to celebrate September birthdays with a sunny, golden gemstone. Yes, Sapphires grow in beautiful yellow hues too! Yellow Sapphires can be pale yellow, the vibrant canary yellow you see in the vintage gems in this video, or mix of yellow and orange or brown. If you love yellow gems you’re probably already aware of Citrine, an affordable form of quartz that comes in golden honey tones. If Citrine is a great color, why would you pay more for a yellow Sapphire? The answer is hardness. The tops of Citrines tend to get scratched when worn in bracelets and rings, giving them a fuzzy and murky appearance. Sapphires are really hard gems, so they scratch much less and stay more sparkly.

While looking for some information on the website recently, I noticed that many of the old blog entries here had been truncated. The hosting for our site has changed many times over the years, and at some point data had been lost. Luckily, I do save our old backups so I was able to restore most of the missing information. While some of them date back as far as 2008, there is plenty of great information here that’s still relevant today.

These days we obviously aren’t doing many blog updates – the internet has moved on to Social Media posting instead. We do post regular updates to our Facebook and Instagram several times a week, so that’s a great way to keep up with us. There are also new inventory items being added to the website all the time!

Recently, we examined an expensive pair of diamond earrings for a new client. She had purchased them from a local “Jewelry Mart” jeweler who provided this “appraisal.”

We easily identified the center diamonds as lab-grown diamonds. Each stone had the wording “Lab Grown” and an ID number laser etched on the girdle. Notice the “DESCRIPTION” supplied by the seller- the stones are not identified as lab-grown diamonds. While the color and clarity are about right, they are just labeled as “2 ROUND DIAMONDS EACH WEIGHT 1.03 CTS.”

The “APPRAISED VALUE” of $14,000 is about 2 1/2 times what she stated she actually paid for the earrings. We see a lot to these “Feel Good” documents– some sellers use them to convince the buyer of a super “deal.” Turns out the price she paid would be a high retail price for similar earrings with lab grown diamond centers.

In a recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ruling, the term “diamond”, when used by itself, should only refer to natural diamonds mined from the earth. For synthetic (man-made) diamonds, the stones should clearly designated in close proximity as “lab grown, cultured, cultivated, man made, etc.” so that the buyer knows what they are buying.

Sellers should disclose the facts about what they are selling, especially when it makes a big difference in the value of an item. The wholesale price (dealer to dealer price) of lab grown diamonds of this size and quality is currently about 30% that of natural diamonds mined from the earth. 1 ct H SI lab grown diamonds currently wholesale for ~ $1400 per carat in our local jewelry district. The Gem Guide price book lists well cut natural mined diamonds of this quality for $5020 per carat wholesale. Do the math!

According to one of our favorite diamond suppliers, producers are flooding the market with man made diamonds, causing substantial price drops. If you don’t think lab grown diamonds are being mass produced, check out these images from the factories in Asia that are making lab grown diamonds.

He also said that some major manufacturers and department stores are using lab grown diamonds in their jewelry. And, now that lab grown diamonds are available in tiny sizes (down to 1 mm), some vendors are mixing lab grown melee into parcels of natural mined diamonds. This influx of lab grown diamond creates a tremendous problem for consumers as well as jewelers selling to the public.

For consumers, we advise asking good questions about a diamond you might buy. Because of the big difference in value, you can see it’s very important to know the origin of the diamond- whether its natural mined or lab grown.

For retailers, identifying lab grown diamonds, especially the tiny ones, is tedious and difficult without the proper equipment. Last year, Mardon made a substantial investment in the latest hi-tech device for identifying lab grown diamonds — see our blog “GIA iD100 Diamond Testing at Mardon Jewelers”, published March 3, 2018. We test any diamond jewelry that doesn’t look natural.

If you’d like more information about lab grown diamonds and colored stones, please give us a call or stop by the shop. One of our four gemologists will be happy to answer your questions.

We’re located in the Canyon Crest Towne Centre, enter from Central into the center parking lot.

Today, consumers in the market for a diamond can choose between natural mined diamonds and lab grown diamonds. Lab grown diamonds, also known as synthetic diamonds, cultured diamonds, or cultivated diamonds are widely available. They are true diamonds in all but their origin — they are grown in laboratories instead of being mined from Mother Earth. Their physical properties, such as hardness, transparency, and ability to reflect light are essentially the same as the diamonds your grandmother wore. Their value is a different story.

A brief history of synthetic diamonds:

Diamond was first described scientifically as a crystalline form of carbon in 1797. As early as 1879, scientists were claiming to have synthesized diamond, but these efforts were debunked as not really diamond. It wasn’t until 1955 that scientists at General Electric were the first to synthesize diamond by a verifiable and repeatable method. Essentially, GE scientists copied the tremendous heat and pressure found in the molten magma of our Earth. Their results were true diamonds but very tiny ones– smaller than grains of sand.

Methods of synthesis:

Since then, major advances have been made in ways to synthesize diamond. One method called HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature) is along the lines of the GE discovery. Another technology is CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition), often used in the semiconductor industry to produce thin films for computer circuitry. Both technologies can grow diamond crystals large enough to facet into polished diamonds for jewelry.

Today, over 30 manufacturers are producing lab grown diamonds for jewelry. Most of these producers are in China and India. Gem grade lab grown diamonds are available in a wide range of qualities in sizes up to 10 carats.

Marketing claims:

Synthetic diamonds are often marketed as “eco-friendly, sustainable, green, innocent, etc.” The pitch is basically that you can enjoy the beauty of the diamond without having a guilty conscience about buying a mined diamond. What many people don’t realize is that natural diamonds support the livelihood of 10 million people globally, including 1.5 million artisanal and small scale miners in Africa and South America.

The makers generally don’t disclose the large amounts of energy required to produce lab grown diamonds. Since carbon is cheap, the cost basis is the technology and the energy required to maintain the process. It’s estimated that on a per/carat basis, lab grown diamonds generate three times more carbon emissions than mined diamonds.

Value of lab grown diamonds:

All gems are valued based on beauty, durability and rarity. Besides their beauty and durability, natural diamonds are unique and rare. Natural diamonds of good quality and size will always have lasting value. They are billion year old precious gems that are older than life itself.

Consumers should know that prices for lab grown diamonds can drop precipitously. Lab grown materials are mass produced so they aren’t rare. As supply increases, unless demand grows, prices inevitably drop. And because they aren’t rare, they don’t have much resale value.

For example, around 2016, as production increased, the wholesale price for lab grown diamonds (~ 1 carat sizes) dropped 30%. Today, prices are about one third the value of a similar natural diamond. Now, a one carat round ideal cut lab grown diamond, graded E color, SI1, wholesales for ~ $2200 per carat, compared to ~$6000 per carat for a similar natural diamond.

We at Mardon Jewelers are committed to telling you the facts about the gems and jewelry we sell. We’re happy to provide lab grown diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires and opals to clients who ask for them. Our gemologists take care to explain the relevant facts about lab grown gemstones.

Lab grown products offer beauty and wearability at a much lower price than natural gems, but they don’t have the intrinsic value of rare natural gems. For those who are looking for lasting value, whether as heirlooms or investments, natural gems are the choice to make.

Fine jewelry, made of precious metals and gems, can be very expensive. We often focus on the dollar value of the item rather than the real personal values conveyed by the jewel. Some things though, are more precious than gold.

We had a wonderful experience with a new client who purchased this fine cloisonne enameled 14K gold pendant. Vicky came into the store, began browsing thru our jewelry displays. She was admiring our collection of fine enamels by Magick, when she zeroed in on this Hummingbird pendant. She purchased it right away and then me told what it meant to her.

Her beloved sister, who died recently after battling cancer, had always loved hummingbirds. She fed them constantly with numerous feeders in her back yard. During the memorial service at the cemetery, while Vicky was eulogizing her lost sister, a hummingbird had flown down and hovered over the flowers on the casket. So now, Vicky wears a very special hummingbird next to her heart to remind her daily of her loved one. This hummingbird pendant can be passed down thru the generations of this family, beautiful in its own right, but completed by it’s intriguing story.

It requires high levels of skill, artistry and patience to create the heirloom quality you see in this pendant. Because they are made from precious metals and high quality enamels, enameled jewels like this will last as long as you take reasonable care of them.

Stop by to see our collection of fine enamels by Magick as well as the fine enameled pieced featured in our famous Riverside Raincross collection. We also have vintage enameled piece occasionally in our Estate Department.

Mardon is open 10 am to 5:30 pm, Tuesday thru Saturday. We’re located next to the Rite Aid drugstore in the Canyon Crest Shopping Centre. It’s easiest to find us by entering the centre thru the main entrance on Central Avenue. Our phone is 951 682-2325

Once again, Mardon Jewelers is asking for your vote as the Inland Empire’s favorite jeweler. The Reader’s Choice survey by the Riverside Press Enterprise is a fun way for you to be involved in the businesses of your community. Your votes single out the best businesses and services available where you live.

Your opinions matter! Small businesses like Mardon Jewelers need the support of their community to be able to compete in today’s complex economy.

Just click this poster to vote. You can vote every day through June 2 — Obviously, the more often you vote, the better chance you’ll have win the $100 weekly prize.

One of our specialties is custom jewelry. We make custom jewelry from scratch– the secret ingredient is you! We listen to your wants and desires, your ideas and goals, then build them into your own personal masterpiece. Whether it’s a ring, pendant, earrings or bracelet, it will always be yours exclusively. Here are a few of our most recent custom jewels.

Vote online at this URL- https://www.pe.com/2019/05/01/vote-for-best-of-inland-empire-2019/

Voting ends June 1, so let your voice be heard. We’re counting on you!