We completed a most beautiful engagement ring a while back but weren’t able to post this blog till now. It was one of the most challenging projects we’ve ever done! Our clients Megan and Mike, big fans of antique and period jewelry, fell in love with a 1920’s Art Deco platinum ring in our estate […]
28.79 ct. Deer Creek Fire Agate in 18K Gold My mission this year at Tucson included re-establishing some of my connections to the fire agate community– last year I finished this fire agate ring which has been drawing major compliments, so I figured it’s time to try a few new pieces in our market. Over […]
Also filed in Jewelry Industry Information, Jewelry Making
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Tagged Bob Beaudry, botryoidal formation, Deer Creek, fire agate, Guy Paul, Howard Imboden, Larry Grey, Ryszard and Lynn Krukowski, Safford, Slaughter Mountain
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Shangri-La is a romantic name that evokes a vision of a heavenly land where people live nearly immortal lives in total happiness. Our friend, Michael Schofield, discovered a jeweler’s version of Shangri-La while visiting the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, nestled high in the Himalayas. Guided by his interest in indigenous forms of art and jewelry, […]
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
It’s that wonderful week when the gem trade focuses on Tucson, the little desert city that could. For over 50 years now, our friends and colleagues in the colored stone business have been getting down to business in convention centers, under tents, in parking lots, and of course, hotel rooms. Merchants present everything from the […]
Saturday, October 31, 2009
In our latest post to the Mardon blog, we discuss the classification/grading/description of the various play of color patterns in precious opal, focusing on the main pattern types, Pinfire, Flash, and Harlequin. Of course, a picture is worth a thousand words, so we show more than tell. Here are a few morsels, photos that we […]
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Don’t miss this photo gallery of $200,000 worth of opals from Mexico and Australia. ‘Nuf said!
In the final installment of our series on how to evaluate the color of blue sapphires, we examine various ways to choose color, including personal preference, grading, science, and market price. The most controversial issue is whether or not the sapphire has been heat treated. We briefly review the history of heat treatments of sapphire […]
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
We beat the drum again for one of our favorites, the Padparadscha Sapphire. New pricing info and enlarged photos showcase our article on the gorgeous orangy-pink gem– or is it pinkish orange? We discuss the definition of Padparadscha color, countries of origin, Pad look-a-likes and imitations at the Mardon blog.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
This third part in the series explores the relationship between country of origin and the color of blue sapphires. We focus on the “classic” sources for the best blue sapphires, including Kashmir, Burma, Ceylon, and the new kid on the block, Madagascar, discussing quality of color, heat treatment, and values plus information about the geology […]
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Tagged alluvial deposits, artisanal mining, Burma, Ceylon, county of origin certificate, GIA, GRS, heat treatment, Kashmir, Madagascar, Mogok, Sri Lanka
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Thursday, September 3, 2009
Don’t miss this 4 part series on the blue sapphire. We’ll discuss gem grading and market preferences for blue sapphire, the physical characteristics of natural sapphires that affect their color, some of the characteristics of stones from classic sources of sapphire including Ceylon, Burma, Kashmir, Madagascar, Thailand, Australia, and Montana, and the various methods of […]
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Tagged Australia, blue sapphire, Burma, Ceylon, color enhancement, gem grading, heat treatment, Kashmir, Madagascar, Montana, Thailand
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