Shangri-La Sterling, Opal triplet, ball style, $75

Shangri-La is a romantic name that evokes a vision of a heavenly land where people live nearly immortal lives in total happiness. Our friend, Michael Schofield, discovered a jeweler’s version of Shangri-La while visiting the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, nestled high in the Himalayas.

Guided by his interest in indigenous forms of art and jewelry, Michael was exploring some of the nearby mountain villages when he was fortunate to make the acquaintance of a family of  traditional jewelers reputed to be the best in Nepal. He and the family soon established a working relationship — Michael would supply gems and metal, they would hand fabricate jewelry to his exacting specifications.  Now Michael makes an annual pilgrimage by pack train to these remote workshops, delivering gems and precious metal, then picking up the year’s jewelry production. We are fortunate to be able to bring these fabulous hand fabricated jewels to Mardon.

An especially welcome feature of these Shangri-La gemstone jewelry pieces is their very reasonable price. Amazingly, most of these silver rings sell for only $75, the pendants are usually $95 including chain, and the matching earrings are $125!

This jewelry is interesting and unique for many reasons. It is completely hand crafted using traditional techniques and designs that have evolved for centuries. In fact, Michael told me that when he first began working with these Nepalese craftsmen, they did not polish their jewelry, instead burnishing it by rubbing with smooth stones. Burnishing produces a rather satiny finish rather than a bright high polish– Michael thought their silver jewelry looked like it was made of aluminum. When he introduced them to more modern methods of polishing, the Nepalese were much amazed at the totally new look of their silver work!

An outstanding characteristic of our Shangri-La jewelry is the very precise and exacting craftsmanship. Many of the pieces are decorated with twisted wires and applied beads, like the granulated jewelry made famous by the ancient Etruscans. This photo shows how carefully the twisted wires and the graduated beads are applied– you can see all the decorative elements clearly with no excess solder clogging the design.

This result is possible because the craftsmen of Kathmandu use a blowpipe torch, a time honored method of soldering which produces a perfect flame. The blowpipe technique requires the craftsman to continuously exhale a stream of air thru the blowpipe into a kerosene flame, creating a very hot yet sharp flame. By carefully heating both base and applique to the perfect temperature, the artisans bond these tiny pieces of metal precisely together with a minimum of solder– all done miles high in the thin air of the Himalayas!

Mardon has about fifteen styles of Shangri-La gemstone jewelry available in silver, each design a set with matching ring, pendant, and earring. The matching earrings are made just like high end boutique jewelry, where each side is the reverse of the other so they look proper on the left and right side of the face! Interestingly, even though the silver jewelry is marked sterling silver– i.e. 92.5% silver, they are actually fine silver– 100% silver. Michael has his pieces marked sterling because people are more familiar with sterling than fine silver.

And, you can get any of these styles in your choice of the following gems– Amethyst, Garnet, Blue Topaz, Citrine, Opal triplet, Peridot, Moonstone, Black Onyx, Pearl, Black Pearl, Lapis Lazuli, & Turquoise– If we don’t have it in stock, we’ll get it for you!

Every year for the first two weeks in February, gem dealers and buyers from all over the world converge on the small desert city of Tucson, Arizona. The annual Tucson event has become the Mecca of colored stones, fossils and gem minerals where dealers display such sophisticated and extremely valuable gems like this matched suite of Imperial Jade– valued at over 100,000 dollars

to exotic and rare objects of interest–some of the dealers from Russia have been known to display complete fossil mammoth skeletons. Museum quality gems and objects abound. The work of award winning designers, jewelry makers, sculptors and gem cutters are featured at the top shows. The latest technologies are showcased. Buyers also can see truckloads of mineral, gem and fossil raw materials, table after table of beads and pearls, and tribal art and objets d’ art from all over the world. The variety and quantity of goods are truly astounding.

The original show, the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, still going strong after 56 years, was for serious and not so serious mineral collectors and attracted rock hounds and lapidary dealers from all over the USA. Other shows have sprung up like mushrooms to occupy almost every hotel, motel, and open lot in the city. Because the high value of some of the merchandise creates real security concerns, the best shows are open only to bonafide members of the jewelry trade.

Tucson provides a stage for dealers to introduce exciting new gem finds and treasures–in recent years, South America, Africa and Central Asia have been the stars of the shows. Tucson is also the marketplace where prices of colored gemstones are compared and pretty much set for the coming year.

This year we’ll be looking to reestablish our connections with some of the fire agate miners in Arizona. Fire agate has long been a favorite, and my new ring has attracted a lot of attention. Early in my career, I published an article in the GIA journal, Gems and Gemology, Spring issue, 1979 entitled “Fire Agates of Deer Creek”

Deer Creek Fire Agate in 18K Gold

Other favorites we will look for include fine turquoise, the garnet family, spinels, moonstones, and of course opals. And of course, we’ll see fabulous things we’ve never seen before! Look for some great new pieces later this year.

Your intrepid treasure hunters, Kaye and Jim, will be attending to buy, mingle and just plain ogle. but we also shop for clients. In past years, we have located many fine stones at the Tucson Show, including the exquisite gems shown below. Besides the thrill of acquiring truly special treasures, our clients enjoyed participating in designing a truly wonderful jewel.

Here is a wonderful 4 ct. Padaparadscha sapphire and the custom ring a loving husband designed, with our assistance.

And here is a fabulous Pigeon’s Blood ruby, and the ring in which it now resides.

We also uncover exquisite estate items at Tucson, like this wonderful Kashmir sapphire ring from the 20′s.

Our extensive network of contacts and close relationships with many of the best dealers at Tucson, along with our expertise, taste, and keen eye are at your service. As members of the American Gem Trade Association, we have privileges at the best shows with the best dealers. Please give us a call if you are looking and haven’t found the gem of your dreams–the treasure trove we’ll see in Tucson holds the one you’ve been looking for.