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Author Archives: james l. sweaney cga fga. gg

Water Loving Opal from the Deserts of Ethiopia

We just acquired this gorgeous crystal opal from Ethiopia. Full of fiery reds and oranges, as well as golds, greens and  purples, this beauty will be the perfect drop of color for a magnificent necklace. While it’s been known for various unusual types of opal since the early 1990’s, Ethiopia burst onto the gem scene […]

Restoring Antique Opal Jewelry

We immediately fell in love with this sweet little opal and diamond pin of gold and platinum that was offered to us as part of an estate. A blend of Late Victorian, Art Nouveau, and Edwardian styling, the construction of fabricated platinum overlaid onto 14K yellow gold indicated the piece was made right around 1900. […]

A Custom Opal Parure

This beautiful opal ring is the final piece of a set of custom jewels we just completed. A frequent visitor of art and gem shows, our client had collected an eclectic mix of opals over several years. The ring showcases a dramatic cabochon of crystal opal from Ethiopia measuring ~ 3/4 inch long. The simple […]

An Opulent Amethyst Cameo

We just acquired this striking Amethyst cameo from an estate. Measuring almost an inch and one half long, the piece is not for the shrinking violet. Imagine the drama of making an entrance wearing this grand purple adornment! Stone cameos have a long history dating back as early as 3rd century BC. The defining characteristic of […]

Mardon Introduces FireMark to the Inland Empire

Mardon is proud to introduce the FireMark Princess Diamond to our community. We know this very special diamond will quickly make fans because of it’s outstanding beauty and value. A recently granted U.S. Patent protects the unique features that separate FireMark from all other Princess cuts. A true gemological breakthrough, FireMark’s innovative cutting results in unprecedented […]

Recutting Colored Gems- Closing the Window

Natural colored gemstones come from rare mineral crystals that are found within the earth’s crust. Mother Nature “cooks” various ingredients according to her own unique recipes into crystals of different sizes, shapes, colors and physical properties. For centuries, man has sought out and fashioned these treasures into dazzling objects of beauty and value. Because of […]

Jeweler’s Ingenuity or Camouflage

In the course of buying estate jewelry, we run across some very interesting and unusual pieces- witness this necklace that appears to be a rather ordinary Star 0f David, embellished with center round brilliant diamond and single cut diamonds on the points. We didn’t notice the mechanism when we bought the piece but later discovered […]

Liz Taylor’s Adventure with the Most Famous Pearl in the World

Last year, after Elizabeth Taylor’s passing, the gem world was all abuzz with the upcoming auction of her famous jewelry collection. Noted auction house, Christie’s, New York would hold an evening sale, December 13, 2011. When all the bids were in, the sale fetched record amounts for most of her pieces, including almost $12,000,000 for […]

“Deacquisitioning” Gems- A Mardon Specialty

Just in time for Christmas, we completed a very interesting and successful sale for a client who had found us via the Internet last spring. She had purchased this wonderful 5.72 ct. Paraiba tourmaline in the early 90’s, just when the first stones from the Paraiba region of Brazil were coming onto the market. Prices of Paraiba […]

Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose– Diamonds!

“Sunburst” descibes this new ring, a one-of-a-kind original design by Jim and Jenny Sweaney of Mardon Jewelers. The center diamond, just under I/2 ct, is a beautiful warm Fancy Yellow color that we’ve accented with a custom bezel of 18K yellow Harmony gold. The 14k white gold mounting supports six marquise brilliant diamonds that radiate sparkle and […]