One of the hottest gems on the market in recent years has been the natural spinel. New finds in Tanzania and Vietnam have stimulated excitement in the gem trade for this sleeper gem. Long thought to be a type of ruby, the spinel in not well known to the public. In truth, this hot coal […]
The rebirth of the Burma ruby production in the early 90’s has all but vanquished the Thai ruby from the market place. What small production remained has been totally decimated by the current economic collapse- the miners have fled back to the rice fields just to survive. Yet, the Thai ruby has a following. A […]
Our client wanted a large wearable ring for her 8 mm diamond, with peirced work and floral elements reminiscent of Victorian and Edwardian times. We found a great matched pair of padparadscha sapphires as accents. Hand engraving was the key to making this design sing- see the finished product on the Mardon Blog!
Actually, more often than not, it is hers and his- we made her custom natural alexandrite and diamond engagement ring first. Then we made her matching wedding band. Then we made a custom wedding band for him, based on the her design. It’s really fun when both bride and groom are involved in the design […]
This gorgeous 6.85 ct. moonstone from Sri Lanka exhibits perfect adularescence. Moonstones like this are sometimes called Adularia, after their discovery near the Adula Mountains of the Swiss Alps. Adularescence is also referred to as schiller (shiller), and is caused by alternating layers of albite and orthoclase feldspar interfering with light. Interestingly, the more closely […]
While reviewing material for a recent blog on the plight of the Japanese akoya pearl farmers, I was struck by one index card from a presentation we made at the 50th Anniversay AGS Conclave in New Orleans in 1984. I worked in the pearl business with John Latendresse in the early 1980’s, and even then, […]
We just completed this challenging design to the delight of our client. Read the rest of the story, Custom Jewelry Takes a Slow Boat to China, on the Mardon Blog
Over the last 40 years or so, with intensifed gem prospecting planetwide, many new gems have come onto the scene. Because of it’s beauty and reputation, the emerald remains our most expensive green gem, but other new stones are equally beautiful and wearable and in some cases, more rare than emerald. Follow our discussion of […]
One of the skills we learn as gemologists is how to evaluate damage to gemstones. Most jewelers know that diamonds can be repaired or recut, but what about other gems, like this emerald? Emeralds are usually enhanced with oils or resins, complicating the process. Our Blog, Recutting Emeralds tells success stories of three different emeralds, […]
To celebrate May Day, we just added this fine natural Colombian Emerald to our collection. Now we just need a great design and a willing customer. Read more about A Fabulous Emerald