Archive for the ‘Gemstone of the Month’ Category
Saturday, August 29th, 2009
Last August, our client, Meryl, was in our store getting a ring sized when she mentioned that she had never liked her birthstone, the peridot. A challenge like that is hard for a jeweler and gemstone lover to refuse, so I showed her this grand 5.o6 ct. peridot from Burma. She was delighted and entranced […]
Tags: Burma, CAD, Custom Jewelry, jewelry designers, JewelSmith, peridot
Posted in Custom Jewelry, Gemstone of the Month, Gemstones | Comments Off on Peridot- the “I don’t like my birthstone” Birthstone, Part 2
Thursday, August 6th, 2009
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.
Tags: August, birthstone, Burma, green, Hawaii, mined in the US, peridot, San Carlos peridot
Posted in Custom Jewelry, Gemstone of the Month, Gemstones | Comments Off on Peridot- the “I don’t like my birthstone” Birthstone, Part 1
Friday, July 31st, 2009
As a followup to yesterday’s blog, I thought it would be nice to show another side of the spinel family. This lovely 4.28 ct. spinel is chemically a bit different than the classic red stones we looked at yesterday– spinels are members of a family of minerals, all of which are oxides of 2 metals. […]
Tags: gahnospinel, natural color gems, non heated gems, Phil Zahm, spinel
Posted in Estate Jewelry, Gemstone of the Month, Gemstones, Mardon Happenings | Comments Off on Spinels on Sale!
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
A few years back, we found this gorgeous red gem for a close friend. She wanted a rich dark red stone and being a true princess, she wanted it big and dramatic. Rubies of this color and clarity are astronomical in price, usually reaching at least six figures. Even though hubby was very successful, the […]
Tags: Balas Ruby, Black Prince's Ruby, Burma, spinel, Vietnam
Posted in Custom Jewelry, Gemstone of the Month, Gemstones, Jewelry Facts, Jewelry Services | Comments Off on The Other “Ruby”
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009
Within the gem trade, the color of the best rubies has for centuries been called “Pigeon’s Blood Red.” As mentioned in a previous blog, the term has actually become a grading term. Part of the way to understand this color is to know what it it not. For the most part, better rubies from Burma […]
Tags: Burma ruby, flourescence, Thai ruby
Posted in Gemstone of the Month, Gemstones, Jewelry Facts | Comments Off on What is Pigeon’s Blood Red, part 3
Friday, July 10th, 2009
Pigeon’s Blood Ruby always commands a premium- it’s intensity and beauty strikes a chord deep within the human psyche, and naturally, it’s the most rare of rubies. Within the gem trade, the term Pigeon’s Blood is in essence a color grade, denoting the most beautiful and desirable ruby color. And the color is generally associated […]
Posted in Gemstone of the Month, Gemstones, Jewelry Services | Comments Off on Pigeon’s Blood or Not? Part 2
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
Pigeon’s Blood Red – the phrase evokes images of tropic forests, crowded bazaars, and exotic palaces. Pigeon’s Blood Red is actually a traditional name in the gem trade for the finest color of ruby. The term probably originated centuries ago in Burma, for many centuries the source of the best rubies.
Posted in Custom Jewelry, Gemstone of the Month, Gemstones, Jewelry Facts | Comments Off on What is Pigeon’s Blood Red?
Friday, June 26th, 2009
We recently completed the final step for our client Dan- we blogged about creating his engagement ring last November. After his fiance Ileana received her engagement ring, we made a matching wedding band, and soldered the rings together when they were married this spring. Notice how beautifully the rings fit together and how nicely the […]
Tags: alexandrite wedding set, CAD/CAM, celtic weave, Custom Jewelry, maltese cross, natural alexandrite
Posted in Custom Jewelry, Gemstone of the Month, Gemstones, Jewelry Services | 3 Comments »
Saturday, June 20th, 2009
Light has a very special role of gems- in diamonds, it can dance and twinkle, in rubies, it can simmer with vivid passion, or in other gems, it can play tricks. In gemology, we refer to these special gems that magic the light as the phenomenal gems. The soft bluish glow emanating from this beautiful […]
Tags: Cat's Eye, Ceylon Moonstone, feldspar, Labradorite, sunstone
Posted in Gemstone of the Month, Gemstones, Jewelry Facts | 1 Comment »
Saturday, June 13th, 2009
An article I noted in the current AGTA ePrism newsletter refers to the challenges facing the Japanese saltwater cultured pearl industry. Prior to my career with Mardon Jewelers, I worked with John Latendresse, the creator of the American Freshwater Cultured Pearl, and learned firsthand just how difficult, labor intensive and risky the pearl culturing business […]
Tags: Akoya, kaku, pearl culturing, South Sea Pearls
Posted in Gem Industry News, Gemstone of the Month, Gemstones, Jewelry Facts | 1 Comment »