Mardon Jewelers at the Mission Inn

There's No Place Like Home

The desire and ability to exploit our environment and to utilize and improve the natural materials we find is rooted in our deepest past, and is in fact, part of the reason we are here today.

I was absolutely fascinated by an article in the August 2010 Scientific American, When the Sea Saved Humanity, that describes findings from an archaeological dig on the Horn of Africa. According to author Curtis W. Marean, his excavations in caves near Capetown show the presence of a small band of early humans during the Ice Age known as Marine Isotope Stage 6 (MIS6).  Somewhere between ~195,00 to ~123,000 years ago, because of the cold dry climate, early Homo sapiens on the mother continent of Africa suffered a severe population crash– the population plummeted from more than 10,000 to a few hundred breeding individuals. Read the rest of this entry »

Those of you who have contemplated, mulled, dawdled, or just plain procrastinated about buying something during our Annual Clearance Sale, be warned– The sale is over Saturday, August 14, 5:30 PM. Don’t miss your chance to buy our first line jewelry at bargain basement prices! Get your christmas shopping done in August and save bundles! You’ll find drastic reductions on colored stone and diamond jewelry, designer jewels, estate jewelry, and Mardon Originals. Sorry, Raincross Collection and custom orders are not on sale.

7.56 ct. Burma Peridot

This is the first of the well received 3 part series we posted about peridot last year.  And the good part is that since we’ve had the peridot shown above for over a year, it’s time to find a home for it– til the end of our Famous Annual Clearance Sale, Saturday, August 14, you can buy this fabulous gem for 30% off!

We often hear statements like “I don’t like my birthstone” from folks born in August. In most cases, these people have never seen a really good peridot, so we make it our mission to show them gorgeous gems like this magnificent Burmese Peridot.

Peridot, pronounced pear-eh-doe, is a magnesium iron silicate mineral that is found numerous locations around the world, including Burma, Sri Lanka, China, and Pakistan. In the United States, Hawaii, North Carolina, and Arizona are sources for peridot–the San Carlos reservation in Arizona is currently a major commercial producer of good to better material.  The gem is often associated with volcanic activity, as evidenced by the famous Green Sand Beach of Hawaii, colored by myriad grains of peridot.

Another name for peridot is olivine, referring to the slightly brownish olive green color of many peridot crystals. The color of the best peridot ranges in tones of light to medium greenish yellow to warm green, with no brownish overtones. The color of peridot shows best in incandescent light–the green is rich and inviting and yellowish tones are less apparent–so it has the nickname “Evening Emerald.”

Peridot may have typical inclusions that resemble “lily pads,” but it is a gem that is frequently very pure and transparent. It takes a good polish and has a fairly high refractive index, so well cut peridots capture light very effectively. Since its color is not dark, peridot is known for its very bright eye catching sparkle.

Another characteristic of peridot is that it is never treated for color or clarity–it’s a gem that is totally natural. Interestingly, peridot is the only gem that has been found in meteorites. We often see peridot in estate jewelry-it’s bright color and sparkle, reasonable price, and ready availability have made it a jeweler’s favorite for centuries.

Peridot forms well shaped crystals of good size, so large gems are not rare in the market place. Prices for peridot are relatively modest– ring sized stones, from 1 to 5 carats, retail for as little as $10 per carat for the lower quality commercial grades. The very best bright apple green stones may bring as much as $350 per carat up to 5 carats. Larger stones in the 5 to 10 carat class that are suitable for beautiful jewelry can be purchased for $100 to $400 per carat. Premium museum quality large gems may top out at $700 per carat or more.

Peridot, a gem of good size and great beauty at reasonable cost, is one of the true treasures of the gem world. We’ll follow up with more blogs about folks who didn’t like their birthstone before they came to Mardon!

Look for fabulous values during our Famous Annual Sale, Tuesday, August 3 thru Saturday, August 14. You’ll find great designer pieces, classic estate jewelry, and unique Mardon originals drastically marked down at true clearance prices up to 60% off.  Here are a few–

Green is In! This exquisite designer ring from Phil Zahm Design, set with a lovely mint green Tourmaline accented with sparkling diamonds in 18K white gold,  marked down 60% from $1375 to a very affordable $550

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Heidi Klum’s signature clover design on these dramatic 37 mm hoop earrings in 18K gold, now $775, will be $387.50

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Other Heidi Klum pieces 50-60% off! These will go fast, so hurry down, give us a call, or buy thru PayPal

Peter Storm’s fabulous Naked Diamonds collection, 50-60% off, like this striking platinum engagement ring for a 1 1/2 ct princess cut center, set with CZ center and 6 princess cut top quality diamonds totaling .50 ct, $4895, reduced 60% to $1958

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This exciting bracelet of 1.96 cts tw high quality princess cut and round brilliant diamonds in 18K white gold, was $6995, reduced to $2800

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Michael Schofield’s stunning designer ring looks like it is set with a 2 carat Asscher cut diamond which would cost $25,000, but is actually a suite of 9 invisible set baguettes & emerald cut center, carefully fitted to give the look of one big impressive diamond surrounded with a border of delicate pave set round diamonds, 18K white gold with 1.03 cts. tw of VVS-VS clarity G+ color diamonds. $3495, slashed to $1747.50

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From our Estate Department: a great BIG look for a small price– the dramatic Retro ring from the 40’s, of 18K rose gold set with natural untreated Precious Coral, was $1195, now $597.50

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In the market for a unique engagement ring at an absolute bargain price?– this one-of-a-kind Celtic Knot ring , a Mardon Original, is set with a dazzling 1 ct. radiant cut diamond, VS1 clarity, E color, GIA cert # 13267276, in 18K white gold. Currently $6495, buy it for $3895. The current wholesale for this diamond according to the Gem Guide price guide is $4775 per carat!

We can’t show you all the discounts in this one blog so check our website listings.  Don’t forget we have many more items than we can show on the website– Give us a call–we’ll be happy to answer your call and find the perfect bargain for you!

Prices are good from August 3 thru August 14. All sales are final. Major credit cards and PayPal are accepted!

Today, the Press Enterprise has the ballot for the annual Reader’s Choice survey– it’s on the back page of the Nation and World section (where the funnies are)– just fill out the ballot  and mail it in.

This time, the link they show for online voting takes you to their website where another link (showing the Reader’s Choice logo) takes you to the online ballot.  You can use that link,

www.pe.com

or the one we posted yesterday which takes you directly to the online ballot– just copy and paste into your browser window,

www.pe.com/readerschoice/

The deadline for voting is 4 PM, Wednesday, August 4. Vote for your favorite Inland Empire businesses and services– we’re all working hard to serve you.  We hope you’ll choose Mardon as the Best Jeweler 2010 — Again!

In our recent blog about voting at the annual Reader’s Choice survey at the Riverside Press Enterprise, we posted a link to the online ballot so you readers could vote easily. We just found out today from a client who tried to vote that the posted link didn’t work.

The link was copied directly from the July 11 Press Enterprise article– guess it’s their error. We fiddled with the original link, trying to link to the ballot page directly from this blog and found out you can’t get there from here! Some arcane web stuff that we can’t figure out– may have to do with the newspaper protecting it’s content.

If you want to vote, copy and paste this link into your browser exactly as you see it– no http // etc.

www.pe.com/readerschoice/

Please Vote Now– We at Mardon would really appreciate your Vote!  Voting ends August 4!

5 ct. Ceylon sapphires

These two sapphires are both from the island of Sri Lanka, both are heat enhanced, both are from the same vendor, both weigh about the same.

5 ct. Ceylon sapphires, v2

Here’s another photograph, same stones, same photographer (myself), same camera, same photo stage, similar macro lens, slightly different lighting. Can you guess which one costs more?

Read the rest of this entry »

Correction July 20- In this blog about voting at the annual Reader’s Choice survey at the Riverside Press Enterprise, we posted a link to the online ballot so you readers could vote easily. We just found out today from a client who tried to vote that the posted link didn’t work.

The link was copied directly from the July 11 Press Enterprise article– their error. We fiddled with the original link, trying to link to the ballot page directly from this blog and found out you can’t get there from here! Some arcane web stuff that we can’t figure out– may have to do with the newspaper protecting it’s content.

If you want to vote online, simply copy and paste this link into your browser window exactly as you see it– no http // etc.

www.pe.com/readerschoice/

Please Vote Now– We at Mardon would really appreciate your Vote!  Voting ends August 4!

It’s that time of the year again– the Press Enterprise Reader’s Choice voting is open til 4 pm, Wednesday, August 4, 2010. Mail in ballots are available in today’s Press Enterprise, on the back page of the Nation and World section– just fill in out and mail it in by the deadline. Even better, vote right now online– see the correct link above!

Last year, Voters chose Mardon Jewelers as the Inland Empire’s Best Jeweler 2009. We at Mardon would appreciate your vote as your Best Jeweler 2010.

We are one of a rare breed- the independent jeweler, knowledgeable, trustworthy, locally owned and operated, community based since 1961. Inland Empire families have trusted us with their most precious heirlooms and treasures for over 3 generations.

Help us fight the good fight against Mall Store sameness!

Where else can you find our combination of exquisitely made fine jewelry, top quality diamonds and colored gems, expert services including custom jewelry design, repair, and appraisals, all in a low key family atmosphere?

We work hard to to help our customers be the smartest jewelry lovers and to keep Mardon the best jewelry store in the Inland Empire. We’ve added great new jewelry like our exotic and value packed Jewels of Shangri La. Our Estate Department offers some of the best deals you will find and fair prices when you need to sell. We’ve published a free gemology course on our website, Gemology 101, for those of you who love gemstones. We’ve added a free calculator along with our blog post, How to get the best price for your gold so that you can know the value of your scrap gold and how to sell it for the best price.

Did we mention our Annual Clearance Sale, coming Tuesday August 3 thru Saturday, August 14, when you’ll find honest discounts of 50% off our everyday year round prices. Use our Wish List , shop our website, target your favorite piece– this year we’ll offer many many bargains, so be ready!

And isn’t this a great blog, if we do say so ourselves!

Help us win the Reader’s Choice Best Jeweler by voting now- your vote counts, especially in these difficult economic times.  Please Vote! get the correct link above!

We completed a most beautiful engagement ring a while back but weren’t able to post this blog till now. It was one of the most challenging projects we’ve ever done!

Our clients Megan and Mike, big fans of antique and period jewelry, fell in love with a 1920’s Art Deco platinum ring in our estate department, set with a dazzling one carat Old European cut diamond. We showed them several loose period cut diamonds, but this particular stone had so much life and sparkle they decided to buy the piece, use the stone for her new ring, and save the mounting for later.

Megan had a general idea of what she wanted– the design had to be lacy and delicate, with triangle-shaped natural blue sapphires on each side of the center. We asked her for design suggestions– she searched the web and came in with about 10 pages of pictures of period rings, all of which had elements that she liked! So the challenge was to get her to focus on what she really wanted.

After consulting with her, we concentrated on floral and ivy patterns, lots of hand engraving, and of course, the diamond and the blue sapphires, to create this first design. Read the rest of this entry »

Art Deco Jadeite Necklace

We’ve been working on an insurance appraisal for this wonderful platinum necklace with diamonds and jadeite from the 1920’s and realized the piece has a lot to teach about grading and valuing jade.

Jade is not well understood by many folks. If I told you that jade can be one of the most expensive of all gemstones, you would probably be surprised– some pieces sell for well into six figures. Even jewelers who really know their way around the faceted stones have a hard time with jade, so we don’t often see really good jade like this necklace.

Jade is actually two different minerals.  Nephrite is the one we see in ancient chinese carvings and artifacts, while jadeite, discovered in Burma (Myanmar) in the early 1800’s, is the more valuable type used in jewelry.

The more vivid and translucent colors of jadeite, especially the emerald green known as “Imperial” or “Kingfisher” are highly sought after, especially in Asia and can sell for truly astounding prices. When we grade jade as a gemstone, we are usually talking about jadeite.

We grade quality in diamonds according to the 4 C’s.  When we grade quality in jadeite, besides grading the color as we do in other colored gemstones, we evaluate what I call “the 3 T’s”– translucence, texture, and tone.

Our Art Deco necklace is set with jadeite stones that blend well for color, but we can see different examples of the 3 T’s. Read the rest of this entry »