Because of their great rarity and value, gems have traditionally been sold by weight. As a result, gem cutters usually cut to retain a maximum amount of weight from the rough material rather than to craft the most beautiful gem.

The color change sapphire shown below is what we refer to as “native cut”, meaning the gem was cut in it’s country of origin for weight, not beauty. We liked the color but the stone just wasn’t very lively.

1.63 ct Color Change Sapphire, top and side view before recut

Note the top view – the center of the stone is dull and doesn’t reflect light very well. This is because the angles in the center of the pavilion (bottom portion of stone) are too shallow to capture the light coming into the stone and reflect it back to the eye. We call this a window, meaning that light escapes thru the bottom and you can see thru the stone.

The side view shows that the pavilion is off center and is somewhat rounded. This is weight retention that you pay for but doesn’t really provide any benefit of beauty or apparent size.

1.45 ct recut Sapphire

Since the crown of the stone was pretty well shaped, we chose to recut the pavilion only. Our cutter was able to close the window by centering the culet (point of stone), removing the excess weight and correcting the angles so that the stone captures light more effectively. We were able to achieve a much better cut without doing more radical surgery- since we didn’t touch the girdle (outer edge), the apparent size of the stone is the same. The gem now has a brighter more balanced appearance and the color shows better.

In this instance, to close the window, we lost about 11% of the original weight, and of course, we had to pay our cutter. Our rule of thumb to attempt a recut like this is 10-15% weight loss. If we think we can improve the brightness or color appearance, the trade-off of beauty for weight is worth it.

Visit our Gallery of Gems or come by our shop- as well as offering fine stones for sale, we provide full recutting and gemstone repair services. We’ll be happy to show you how cutting affects the beauty and value of gems. You’ll see the difference fine cutting makes.

A recent appraisal exemplifies the challenges we face in our appraisal practice. A young doctor contacted us, anxiously inquiring if we were qualified to appraise Rolex watches. He wanted to return a watch he purchased on the internet, but the vendor required a written appraisal from a qualified appraiser. The client had shown the watch to several Rolex dealers who told him the watch was not a Rolex. We’re not watchmakers, but frequently value Rolex watches for insurance. We also buy Rolex watches for resale in our Estate department.

We’re always extremely cautious when appraising or purchasing Rolex watches. The most well known watch brand on the planet, Rolexes are the most counterfeited items we see in our business. Usually, they are very easy to detect, with dead giveaways like glass windows that allow you to see the movement or quartz movements or crude attempts to copy the Rolex marks. This watch proved to be much more of a test.

Our client had purchased the watch on Ebay, where it was represented as a 1972 gent’s Rolex DateJust, stainless steel and gold. It was accompanied by a “Horological Institute” appraisal, which described the watch and and stated the retail replacement value to be $9200.00. Our client told us he paid $2600, so the first flag was the “feel good” valuation. Common sense should tell you that the person you are buying from is not going to give you $6600 worth of value for nothing.

We read the appraisal carefully and noticed several more discrepancies.

The photo on the appraisal and the description did not match the watch, which had a Rolex Oyster style bracelet– photo and description were of the Rolex Jubilee style bracelet.

The appraisal stated the watch was stainless steel and gold– careful examination of the gold colored sections of the bracelet revealed they were gold plated, not solid karat gold as a real Rolex would be.

The appraisal described the dial as custom set with .10 ct of VS G-H single cut diamonds– our inspection showed the stones were not single cut, but fully brilliant cut, and were not diamond, but were CZ .

On opening the case, to our surprise, the movement appeared to be a Rolex Oyster Perpetual– like the bracelet and dial, it had correct Rolex trademarks, and it’s overall quality was excellent. Both of our watchmakers who examined it initially thought the movement was genuine Rolex. Only by carefully comparing the movement with a genuine Oyster perpetual movement were we able to detect subtle differences– the layout of the movement wasn’t quite right, and other small details such as  the notching on the gears, the anodizations and finish, and some of the numberings didn’t match up. A fine quality movement, but not Rolex.

We concluded that this was a high grade counterfeit. We had heard about such high quality fakes, manufactured in Italy and Switzerland, that are so good they can fool even a skilled watchmaker.

Some “Fauxlex” watches are mere imitations, with enough obvious differences from the real Rolex to be easily recognized for what they are. You can find these all over the internet, most selling for less than $100.

In this case, the maker copied the genuine article with precision and skill, with the obvious intent to deceive and cash in on the Rolex brand and reputation. Since the movement in this case was of such excellent quality, we appraised the piece for $300, but nowhere near the $2600 our client paid. We wished him luck getting his money back.

In the course of buying estate jewelry, we run across some very interesting and unusual pieces- witness this necklace that appears to be a rather ordinary Star 0f David, embellished with center round brilliant diamond and single cut diamonds on the points. We didn’t notice the mechanism when we bought the piece but later discovered that the Star opens up to make a simple diamond necklace. Not the greatest design, but definitely not a star.

We know from the information provided by our seller that the piece came from Europe sometime in the early to mid 20th century. The question we have is whether the jeweler who made the Star was just having fun making something for extra utility, a piece that could be worn in different ways or did he have a more serious purpose? Given the persecution of the Jews in Europe during the Holocaust, was his design an ingenious way to preserve a bit of wealth for a Jewish client on the run. Was it a way for the owner to signal his true identity in those dangerous times? We’ll never know, but history certainly gives us some puzzles to contemplate seriously.

If any reader has information about similar designs and their history, we would welcome their comments.  Post directly to the blog or email jim@mardonjewelers.com.

We just finished this beautiful custom engagement ring that showcases a spectacular green garnet, highlighted with trapezoid shaped diamonds and set in 18K yellow gold.

The center stone is a rare green garnet from Africa, known as Tsavorite. These lively and brilliant green wonders of nature are a variety of grossular garnet  discovered by gemologist Campbell Bridges in the late 1960′s along the border region of Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania.

Garnets are a group of silicate minerals that have been used as gems since the Bronze Age. There are six main garnet species which are distinguished by their chemical composition– all have a silicate ion that is accompanied by two metal cations. While the most common colors of garnet are various shades of red, they can actually occur in almost any color but blue.

As with our best custom designs, this piece was a collaboration between our client, let’s call him Brian, and our intrepid design staff, daughter Jenny and myself. Brian and his fiance had been looking in our store at several pieces- he really liked one of our custom Art Deco filigree styles, but she wanted something simpler, with more architectural lines. Brian drew inspiration from one of the most famous of all architects, Buckminster Fuller, and drew this rough sketch– like many folks, he had a concept in mind, just needed our help in making it real.

Jenny translated his design into this CAD rendering- actually, this is the second version– the first was not quite right, so Jenny tweaked it just enough.

The signature feature of his design are the triangular elements down the sides of the ring shank– akin to the structures you see in Fuller’s famous geodesic domes. We think the contrast between the high polished areas and the matte indented surfaces really adds interest.

So you see, it’s not necessary to have a complete picture or idea of what you want for a successful custom design. The real key is communication back and forth. Our CAD system makes the design process efficient and easy– we can show you what your piece will look like before it is made in precious metal.

Last year, after Elizabeth Taylor’s passing, the gem world was all abuzz with the upcoming auction of her famous jewelry collection. Noted auction house, Christie’s, New York would hold an evening sale, December 13, 2011.

When all the bids were in, the sale fetched record amounts for most of her pieces, including almost $12,000,000 for her pearl necklace. A lovely diamond, ruby, and pearl confection by Cartier, the piece features the most famous pearl in the world, a wonderful inch long pear shaped natural pearl known as La Peregrina. La Peregrina was fished off the coast of Panama around 1570, and has been owned by kings and assorted royals.

Natural pearls are and have always been a rarity– in these days of plentiful cultured pearls, we tend to forget how precious and valuable they have been historically. A famous story tells how in 1913, Pierre Cartier traded a single strand of 55 natural pearls valued at 1.2 million dollars for a mansion on Fifth Avenue belonging to banker Morton Plant– that property is now Cartier’s U.S. flagship store at Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street!

I had a secret story to tell about La Peregrina, had thought about it all year, and when the necklace sold for six times the auction house estimate, I decided to share it with Gary Roskin. An old friend and colleague from my days working as a gemologist, teacher, and lab supervisor at GIA, Gary is now a well known journalist specializing in the gem industry, currently publishing the Roskin Gem News Report.

My story is this– In 1981 I left GIA to work with John Latendresse, a noted pearl dealer who was beginning to culture freshwater pearls in the United States. To me, this was an exciting chance to be involved at the ground floor with a truly unique and ground breaking business, so my wife Kaye and I packed our bags and moved with 2 year old daughter Jenny to Tennessee!

John was a real character, leaving the family home in South Dakota at an early age to find his fortune, serving as a marine in WWII — enlisting at age 15! — and working as a casino cashier, boxer, and commercial fisherman, among other things. An avid outdoorsman, he became involved with natural pearls as a byproduct of his main business, Tennessee Shell Company. The shell company supplied many tons of freshwater pearly mussel shells to the Japanese cultured pearl industry– this thick mother-of-pearl shell is the preferred raw material for making the beads used to nucleate cultured saltwater pearls.

I think it was about the time in 1984 that noted photographer Fred Ward visited John’s pearl farm while working on an article about pearls for National Geographic. John talked with me about repairing Liz Taylor’s pearl– he’d met Elizabeth after her puppy dog chewed on La Peregrina– and matter-of-factly told me he’d “doctored” the pearl, removing tooth marks by “peeling” the pearl

Peeling is a time honored technique developed over the centuries, harkening back to the days when pearls were more valuable than emeralds and rubies. Layers of the pearl are gently and carefully removed, after which the pearl surface is smoothed. The person who does the repair is known as a pearl doctor.

I discussed the story with Gary and Gina Latendresse, John’s daughter who had heard the story from John and has carried on his pearl business, the American Pearl Company,  and we decided to work together to tell the story.  You can read the full story at Gary’s website,  The Roskin Gem News Report.

If you’d like to learn more about pearls or see some fine examples, stop by the shop– today’s cultured pearls are very beautiful, of high quality and  won’t cost millions.

Just in time for Christmas, we completed a very interesting and successful sale for a client who had found us via the Internet last spring. She had purchased this wonderful 5.72 ct. Paraiba tourmaline in the early 90′s, just when the first stones from the Paraiba region of Brazil were coming onto the market.

Prices of Paraiba stones quickly skyrocketed, especially since this small deposit was soon mined out. Collectors and aficionados realized the rarity and uniqueness of these gems and began paying astronomical prices for the best material. The “Electric” blues can sell today for six figures per carat!

When she asked me to sell the stone for her, my experience with fine gems told me it would a challenge, for a couple of reasons.

First, the preferred color of Paraiba tourmalines is the vivid slightly greenish blue sometimes called “Electric” or “Neon.” The not-so-grand trade description “Windex” captures the color perfectly.

While her stone had all the attributes collectors look for– large size, flawless clarity, great cut, rarity, and a wonderful vivid slightly bluish green color, it was not that unique blue color that collectors lust for. So we would have to find just the right buyer.

The other issue was the origin. Discoveries of similar copper bearing tourmalines in Nigeria in 2001 and Mozambique in 2004 brought a good supply of new stones onto the market– similar colors but most were not as rich and vivid as the original Paraiba find and certainly not as rare– limited production from Mozambique continues to this day.

Because of the fame the Paraiba material had so quickly attained, the name became a buzz word that was used to market this new African material. Controversy still exists today, but has largely been settled by a bifurcated market, where cuprian tourmalines from Africa sell for one price, stones proven to be from the original Paraiba find selling for substantially higher prices.

I knew from the dates on her original sales documents that the stone was indeed Paraiba. To get the price that this ultra rare beauty deserved, we would have to prove it’s Brazilian origin, so we sent the stone to GIA for this proof of origin document.

We worked with our contacts within the Gem Trade, even going so far as to show the stone at the fall Hong Kong show. With patience and perseverance, we were able to sell the stone and pay her a 425% return over what she had purchased it for– not a bad return for a 20 year investment!

My client’s gem investment was certainly timely– but the important thing was that she bought quality. Fine rare gems can be an excellent investment, but choosing the right stone is the key. Like any investment, luck and timing are also in the mix. She worked with an expert jeweler, bought what she loved, paid a fair retail at the time, and was able to enjoy owning a true treasure until she was ready to sell.

You can read her testimonial on our Testimonials page– It’s the first one at the top of the page.

With our many contacts within the gem trade, we can find good buyers for vintage jewelry, colored gems and diamonds of quality– give us a call if you are ready to “deaquisition.”

Our new Raincross piece for this year is the beautiful Heritage Raincross pendant, a brilliantly enameled version of the well-loved Raincross brand orange crate label. We were a little late in getting it into production, but fortunately, the new piece was an immediate hit—we pre-sold all of our opening order with orders for more to be delivered after the holidays. And then, as luck would have it, because of technical difficulties, our enamelists were only able to complete about 2/3 of the initial order.

Today, we had the very last one on display, but it was already spoken for, when a gentleman walked in, immediately zeroed in on our display piece and asked to buy one. We explained that we were sold out.

His face fell. He offered to buy the display piece, we told him the piece was already sold. He told us his wife had her heart set on having one for Christmas, that was all she wanted, and she had even clipped our ad out and given it to him. He said he had to have it, even offering to pay double or more for the one we had on display. We didn’t feel it was ethical to sell the piece under the circumstances and told him we just couldn’t sell it at any price.

Then he told us the rest of the story—he is a Marine captain, home on short leave from Afghanistan to escort one of his men home from the hospital. The soldier, a Riverside native who was wounded a couple of months ago while spotting targets for a bombing raid, goes home tomorrow. Then, it’s back to Afghanistan for the captain, his fourth tour of duty.

I called and  explained the situation to Amy, who had purchased the pendant. She didn’t hesitate—she was glad to let him take her pendant, saying she was thankful for his service and for the opportunity to help him out.

Just goes to show the Christmas spirit is alive and well in Riverside. We all appreciate the dedicated service of the folks who defend our community, our country, and our way of life.

Merry Christmas!

“Sunburst” descibes this new ring, a one-of-a-kind original design by Jim and Jenny Sweaney of Mardon Jewelers. The center diamond, just under I/2 ct, is a beautiful warm Fancy Yellow color that we’ve accented with a custom bezel of 18K yellow Harmony gold. The 14k white gold mounting supports six marquise brilliant diamonds that radiate sparkle and add drama to the beautifully balanced arrangement of round gems. Our stock # is I-21382 and the total diamond weight is 1.75 cts.

This sister ring of 14k white gold emits cool fire with a spray of tapered and square baguette diamonds that surround the ideal cut round brilliant center. Another original by Jim and Jenny, stock # I-21247, diamond total weight is 1.01 ct.

Both rings are designed for everyday wear—the gems are set low, hugging the finger for a comfortable fit. The open work design allows a really big spread of gems for a grand and glorious look without the weight and cost of a lot of gold. Importantly, all the diamonds are repurposed—our estate buying department has been ultra busy recycling lots of jewelry the last few years, so we’re reusing the better quality diamonds we’ve acquired. Since we buy the stones in the second hand market for substantially less than what we would pay our diamond wholesalers, we can pass the savings on to you. Both rings are big, bold, beautiful and bargains!

Every year for Christmas, we jewelers put our best foot forward, looking to make special pieces that will find their way into Santa’s sleigh. This year, I was able to find some spare hours to make these three special rings that feature one of the world’s most unique gemstones, the American Fire Agate.

This 21.20 ct beauty features a wonderful dome of bright red wreathed with green– a touch of purple peeks out occasionally. I hand carved the wax model to fit the stone perfectly, then cast the piece in 14k yellow Harmony gold. Jeweler Scott Reeves actually has to hammer the gold around the gem to accomplish my proprietary setting style.

This large man’s ring is dramatic and striking, measuring about 21 x 19 mm across the top. The stone came from Bob Beaudry, a major collector of finest fire agates — he says the source was Slaughter Mountain, San Carlos Reservation, Arizona.  Happily, it’s already found it’s way to a new home!

The Fire Agate is a rare cryptocrystalline form of the earth’s most common mineral, quartz, found only in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Mexico. Gemmy stones like these are actually carved to expose the iridescent spectrum colors. The color layers are thinner than a breath of air on a window pane, and they follow the distinctive bubble-like botryoidal forms that characterize this gem material, so the carver must patiently and carefully take away just enough material to bring forth the glowing colors.

For the ladies, I created these two 14k yellow gold rings, one with a crimson twin, one with a holly green gem. Both stones are probably also from the Slaughter Mountain locale, and were cut by Ryszard Krukowski, Fire Agate Studio.

These rings are truly one-of-a-kind original designs, just right for the person who appreciates fine quality unique American gems and hand crafts. We have more great stones in inventory and will be glad to carve a ring just for you. Now Showing at Mard

The latest addition to our Famous Raincross Collection of fine jewelry is simply stunning! We think our fine silver pendant wonderfully captures the unique style and bright colors of the orange crate art from the heyday of California citrus.

Riverside was founded as a citrus colony in the late 1800′s, prospering to the point that around the turn of the century we had one of the highest per capita incomes in the United States! The industry spawned the unique orange crate labels that are avidly collected today.

We were inspired to make this beautiful pendant after working with one of our prominent Riverside families who are local citrus growers– we made them several custom designs using their brand, and were really impressed with the pride and sense of history they feel about the citrus industry.

Our pendant is modeled after this label, probably circa 1930′s-40′s from the McDermont Fruit Company, a grower associated with Sunkist.  What better combination of the logo of our famous Mission Inn and our citrus heritage could we find for this latest creation?

Our wonderful enamelists, the Fusager family of Magick guided us thru the development of the piece, and our Mistress of CAD, Jenny Sweaney, created the design from which we milled the master model.

We knew the piece would be just gorgeous  but it truly exceeds our expectations. In fact, Falcher Fusager, master enamelist said the brilliant colors of the finished original that you see here nearly brought tears to his eyes– and he sees a lot of enamels!

The design has already been a huge success – the first batch is sold out! We will have more available after the holidays, so if you would like one please reserve yours now. They are a very reasonable $295.