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Category Archives: Gemstone Tidbits
Rare and Unique, Ametrine
I just returned from the Tucson gem show. While I didn’t post much during my visit, I still took a lot of photos of amazing gemstones and mineral specimens to share with you. In my previous post, I talked about … Continue reading
Amethyst Sister to Citrine
Did you know amethyst and citrine belong to the same gem species? Both amethyst and citrine are members of the mineral species, Quartz. The color is the most obvious difference between amethyst and citrine. Amethyst ranges in color from strong … Continue reading
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Tagged Amethyst, amethyst information, february birthstone information
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One Amazing Peridot
This gorgeous green stone is an amazing peridot mined in Pakistan. It weighs a whopping 100.15 carats and has a price tag of $25,037. Peridot with exceptional quality and color began to emerge from the mountains of Pakistan in the … Continue reading
$308,000.00 and it’s not even a diamond?!
This gorgeous green stone is smaller than a quarter, yet it’s worth more than a house…and it’s not even a diamond! This breathtaking stone is the world’s finest, largest Demantoid garnet from Russia with amazing intense green color and high … Continue reading
This Amazing Aquamarine…
I hope everyone had a blessed holiday season. I wish you prosperity and good health for the new year. I mentioned in a previous post that I have the privilege of touring the gem and mineral collection at the Smithsonian … Continue reading
Tangerine Tango: The Fashion Color For 2012
Sarah Bernard of The Thread just released the new fashion color for 2012: Tangerine Tango. While she doesn’t mention any gemstone jewelry that might offer a great way for you to accessorize in style, consider stylish jewelry made with padparadschas … Continue reading
Affordable Diamond Alternatives
So many of our customers are either green-minded, budget conscious or conflict-conscious and no amount of pursuasion will change their minds…they simply do not want a diamond as the center stone in their engagement ring. For this reason, we’ve prepared … Continue reading
Repairing an 850 Carat Imperial Topaz
Because November is topaz month, I thought this would be a fun project to share with you. I’ve prepared the video below showing the step-by-step process of repairing a chipped table facet on a large 850 carat Imperial Topaz. My … Continue reading
Posted in Gemstone Tidbits
Tagged gem cutters, gem cutting, gem repair, gemology, gemstone cutting, gemstones, imperial topaz
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Happy Thanksgiving
As I sit here smelling the turkey in the oven and imagining the feast that awaits us in a couple of hours, I think of how grateful I am for so many things in my life. I have been blessed … Continue reading
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National Gem Collection
I had a great time touring the National Gem & Mineral Collection at the Smithsonian today with the Curator, Jeff Post. Starting January 1st, I’ll take a break from birthstone tidbits and share with you some fascinating info about various … Continue reading
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Happy Veteran’s Day
It is with heartfelt thanks that I write today to address the men and women of our armed forces. Your sacrifice and bravery is appreciated more than words can say. You put your lives on the line to keep our … Continue reading
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Tourmaline
My plan for the end of October was to tell you a bit about tourmaline and show you some orange sapphire engagement rings in honor of Halloween. However, my father was unexpectedly admitted to the hospital and I was out … Continue reading
Jacques Voorhees in Denver Tonight
Jacques is one of the funniest, most effective speakers I’ve ever heard. Join us for an enlightening evening full of tips for brick and mortar stores to effectively compete against e-tailers…just in time for the holiday season. Everyone is welcome… … Continue reading
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My Favorite Opal Fact
In honor of opal birthstone month, I wanted to share my favorite fact about opal. There are two different types of opal, precious opal and common opal. Precious opal has beautiful play of color while common opal does not. So … Continue reading
October’s Birthstone: Opal
Opal has ignited man’s imagination for more than 2,000 years with the flashes of fire that magically burn within its depths. Its multicolored flame makes it unique in the world of gemstones – giving it more variety of color and … Continue reading
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Tagged october birthstone, opal, opal history, opal information
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Pleochroic Sapphire
Like most gemstones, sapphire is doubly refractive and like many doubly refractive stones, it generally shows pleochroism. Pleochroism is an optical phenomenon that is a direct result of double refraction…when a light beam splits and travels in different directions at … Continue reading
Sapphire Clarity
As I mentioned previously, there are three basic gemstone types in terms of clarity: Type I stones are usually eye-clean…those include aquamarine, green tourmaline, blue zircon and others Type II stones generally show SOME eye-visible inclusions. Those include alexandrite, sapphire, … Continue reading
Round Pink Sapphire & Diamond Halo Engagement Ring
Thanks to some high-profile celebrities, pink sapphire engagement rings seem to be gaining popularity. Pink sapphire is by far, the most common color of engagement ring we sell. She’ll turn heads with this eye-catching 18k white gold pink sapphire engagement … Continue reading
Pink Sapphires
I touched on pink sapphires in my July post concerning the color range of rubies. Many stones that are called “rubies” by some retailers are really pink sapphires because they are too pink and light in tone to be a … Continue reading
Custom Padparadscha with Diamond Halo Bridal Set
This stunning padparadscha and diamond bridal set was a special gift to Karlene for her 15th wedding anniversary. She wanted something special, something that no one else had…a bold and beautiful bridal set custom made from scratch. She started with … Continue reading
