Mardon Jewelers at the Mission Inn

.96 ct. Broken Old European Cut Diamond

Our client sadly thought this family heirloom .96 ct. Old European cut diamond had little or no value– after years of wear, it had been cherished almost to death and looked like it had been through the garbage disposal. Mardon to the rescue!

A close inspection in our gemological microscope revealed that while the stone was badly chipped on 3 sides, the heart of the diamond was intact, and in fact, was of very good quality, well worth saving. Read the rest of this entry »

1.24 ct. Ruby Engagement Ring

Celebrity brides are becoming known by their engagement ring choices, and the colored gemstone ring is very much in the limelight. Princess Kate, in the wedding of the decade, wore “The Ring“, her famous heirloom sapphire and diamond ring, Penelope Cruz is setting style with her sapphire and diamond ring, and Jessica Simpson is stunning in her gorgeous ruby and diamond ring.

There is no question that the colored gem engagement ring makes a statement of style and individuality, but there are other compelling reasons to make this your choice, including beauty, rarity, durability, and of course, affordability.

Compared to diamond, a truly beautiful colored center stone is well within reach of most couples. This wonderful 1.24 ct. natural unheated ruby appears in size like a one carat diamond, yet its price is much less than half that of the diamond.  The price of a better (not best) quality GIA certified one carat round diamond, say SI1 H color, is about $7000 just for the diamond.  The total price of our 14K ring including 1.24 ct. ruby, and .39 ct VS-SI near colorless diamonds, $2450! Read the rest of this entry »

Just a reminder that the annual Press Enterprise Reader’s Choice voting ends this coming Friday, August 5.

We always love the stories that go along with our jewelry, especially the ones about the special engagement or wedding rings of our customers. I just received this picture via email from a client in London, England, showing the magnificent ruby his bride is now wearing. Read the rest of this entry »

Want to own a piece of historical art jewelry? We are pleased to showcase this wonderful handmade Modernist brooch/pendant of 18k yellow gold set with diamonds and a fabulous red fantasy cut tourmaline weighing 10.05 carats, created by the brilliant lapidary artist, Bernd Munsteiner. Read the rest of this entry »

If you wish to vote online for your local favorite businesses (ahem!), follow this link and take the survey– very quick and easy! You don’t have to fill in all the spaces, just the ones you care about. Voting ENDS August 5. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that time of the year again when you can vote for your favorite community businesses and services– the Riverside Press Enterprise will be publishing ballots for it’s annual Reader’s Choice on Sundays and Wednesdays. Read the rest of this entry »

The Mardon team created this very special ring just in time to celebrate the 86th birthday of Harold Swanson, my father-in-law. Like many of his generation, he left high school as soon as he was of age and enlisted in the military to fight WWII. As a Navy sailor, he trained for  submarine service, but a broken nose kept him above the water– he couldn’t tolerate the pressure of underwater duty. He was assigned to the USS Wilkes (DD441), a navy destroyer that came to be known as the Lucky Ship because while it was in numerous fierce battles in both the North Atlantic and the South Pacific, not a single sailor lost their life while on the Wilkes. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday, a young man, just graduated from dental school, came to the store to sell us a small batch of casting gold leftover from his casting classes. We tested his gold as 14K, then weighed and valued it for him. He left the store to get his identification so we could make the transaction, but when he came back, he told us that he had called a pawn shop in Orange county and they had offered him $40 per gram for the gold, more than double what we had valued the material.

We told him that didn’t make sense because the day’s spot value for 14K gold was only $28 per gram. For example, according to Kitco, one of the largest gold sellers in the US, the spot gold market closed yesterday, June 10, 2011, at $1532.10 per troy oz, (and the gold price has been at or near that value all week).

We did the math to show him– divide the daily spot price of gold by the number of grams in a troy oz (31.104), then multiply by the percentage of gold in 14K gold (58.5% gold). That means that 14k gold would have a maximum spot value based on the June 10 price of $28.81 per gram. Read the rest of this entry »

International Flags Fly at GIA Symposium

Recently, daughter Jenny and I spent a memorable Memorial Day weekend at the 2011 GIA International Symposium. This year, Symposium was divided into two tracks, one focused on current scientific research in the field of gemology, while the other concentrated on the future of business for the jewelry industry.

This year’s keynote speaker was noted publisher, economist, and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes, whose highly successful Forbes Magazine and related publications have proven him to be a keen observer of the world economy. He noted how the rapidly growing Asian middle classes have increased demand and competition for luxury items, particularly gems and precious metals. We certainly see this in the current scarcity and sky rocketing prices for fine gems and precious metals.

Steve Forbes holding forth

Mr. Forbes spoke at length how the value of money has become unreliable, how this instability drags down the global economy, and he predicted a return to a gold standard as a basis of monetary value within the next five years.

Sunday morning, we heard from notables including Ken Royal of the influential Gallup organization, and representatives from the famous jewelry house Van Cleef and Arpels, rising star Dhamani Jewels, and Pandora, all of whom presented a window on the changing role of luxury in the new economy.

The afternoon session on Jewelry Design was one of my favorites, featuring Wallace Chan, a modern sage and acclaimed genius of jewelry making.  His pieces are truly astounding, many of which showcase his groundbreaking work in the use of titanium, allowing large showy pieces that are lightweight and comfortable to wear. Here are a few samples

Pleasure- titanium pin with Imperial Jade and Green Garnets

Read the rest of this entry »