Mardon Jewelers at the Mission Inn

UPDATE June 6, 2014 – A happy ending to the story below– 7 months after returning the emerald to the seller, the couple received their money back.

A retired couple purchased this 1.89 carat natural emerald last December in Cartagena, Columbia while on a cruise thru the Caribbean. The emerald shop they bought from had been touted by the cruise ship personnel as the biggest and best. Out of a room full of similar emeralds, the couple chose this one as one of the best. Upon returning from the cruise, they came to our shop  and asked me to appraise it. As soon as I saw the stone, I sensed this would be a difficult appraisal, because the emerald was at the low end of the quality scale. I knew I would be the bearer of bad news.

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Antique Yogo Sapphire & Diamond Pin

A client inherited this gorgeous antique Yogo Sapphire pin and asked us to appraise it.

Sapphires were known to occur in several areas of western Montana as early as 1865. For the most part, these deposits produced only moderately good sapphires. The discovery of sapphires in Yogo Creek was different. In 1895, famed gemologist G.F. Kunz, working for Tiffany’s of New York, labeled them “the finest precious gemstones ever found in the United States”.

The Yogo stones are prized for their good clarity and wonderful natural color, often called “cornflower blue”.  Unlike the other Montana sapphires, the Yogo gems require no heat treatment whatsoever.

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Spanish Cross of Leon side, 8 reale silver coin

We were thrilled to acquire this pendant featuring an authentic Piece of Eight silver coin from the most valuable sunken treasure ever found.

In 1985, after 16 years of searching, famed (and persistent) treasure hunter Mel Fisher discovered the mother lode of all treasures off the Florida Keys. Valued at over 500 million dollars, the Atocha treasure contained tons of silver coins and bars along with gold objects, jewelry and gems.

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We recently had the pleasure of examining this superb antique chatelaine. Centuries ago, the lady of the house wore the chatelaine, a strap or bag looped over a belt at the waist. Typically, the various tools necessary for her to deal with her daily tasks, items such as keys, scissors, watches, etc. were attached with chains. During the last half of the 18th century, the chatelaine became the in fashion among the aristocracy. This particular piece was obviously for the very wealthy– solid 18 karat gold beautifully decorated with rose cut diamonds, exquisite enameling and pearls. It was made circa 1780, just prior to the French Revolution by the watchmaker Robert Robin, a favorite of Marie Antoinette.

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I-23222 Antique Platinum Necklace

This exquisite necklace from the Edwardian period, circa 1900-1915, exhibits the fine craftsmanship we associate with antique jewelry. The piece was made by fabricating and forming raw metals into the parts of the jewel. The main body and dangles began as thin sheets of platinum. The chain and bezels were made from hand-drawn wires and tubing. Many steps and hours of effort were required to bring forth this dazzling work. This magnificent example of antique jewelry really deserves a close look!

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I-23147 18K gold, French enamel, diamonds and Burma rubies

Just in time for Valentine’s day, Friday, February 14– fabulous new goodies we recently acquired from a large collection of fine jewelry! If you are looking for something really special for that special someone, this group of vintage jewels may offer the perfect choice– we’ll highlight just a few items from over one hundred new pieces.

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I-229501

This spectacular pendant from the early 20th century highlights a parade of items new to our estate department. At 2 1/2 inches long, it’s just killer.

I-22928

We just acquired these beautiful natural Alexandrite jewels from ABC Gems, our supplier who specializes in fine natural Alexandrites. For starters, the delicate pendant above features a round Alexandrite of excellent color change and clarity set in 18K white gold accented with diamonds.

Alexandrite was originally discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia. A controversial story claims the gem was discovered on the 16th birthday of future Tsar Alexander II and so was named in his honor.  Like most myths, the grain of truth is that the stone was indeed named after Alexander, but it’s discovery was almost certainly earlier than the birthday.

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A client brought these three stones to our shop looking to sell them. She had purchased the stones while traveling and was under the impression the two 30 ct. greenish blue ones were aquamarines and the peachy pink stone was morganite.

At Mardon, as gemologists, we always buy gems very carefully and only when we know exactly what we are buying. The first things I noticed– that the greenish blue color was not quite right for aquamarine and the peachy pink was unusual for morganite– told me to proceed carefully.  A preliminary observation with my trusty gemological microscope indicated the “aquas” were not aqua and the “morganite” was not morganite.

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We just completed the most unusual wedding ring we’ve ever done- a Secret Decoder Ring, crafted of 14K white and rose gold and set with diamonds. Greg, one of Jenny’s best friends, an entertainment industry buff, had taken his fiancé Rebecca to a performance of “The Thrilling Adventure Hour”.  Greg and Rebecca had such a great time, the idea for the wedding ring came naturally from this plastic souvenir of the show.

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