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Category Archives: Uncategorized

Art Deco “Marriage”

This Art Deco bracelet was either modified by the original seller or by an owner.  The remnant tubing and center join indicates the middle section of the bracelet may have originated as a pair of clips or a buckle of some type.  Pairs of diamond clips were de rigueur during the 1930’s, especially with the […]

Scammology Strikes Again

Our industry has a real problem with proper disclosure and representation of gem materials. Mother Nature does not create finished gems, so we have always had to shape and polish gem materials to make them beautiful and suitable for jewelry. Along with the process of cutting and polishing, we’ve learned how to enhance these raw […]

A Fun Graduation Project–Another Local Product

One of our local high school teams, the Riverside Polytechnic High women’s water polo team, won the championship for their division so the booster club decided to reward them with a special piece of jewelry. We used our JewelSmith CAD/CAM system to create these Argentium silver medallions on budget and on time! See the entire […]

Niche Marketing Thru Local Products

The Matilija Poppy is a beautiful and very recognizable wildflower found only in Southern California, making it a great subject for what I call “Local Product”.  If you can find an object, a symbol, a graphic, or a phrase that is unique to your community, try using it as a design theme for a line […]

In Case You Hadn’t Noticed, A World Record Price for Gems

May 12– Just as we predicted in our Blog, April 18, Sotheby’s achieved a record price of  ~ 9.5 million US for the fabulous 7.03 ct Fancy Vivid Blue Internally Flawless Cullinan Blue Diamond. Sotheby’s original presale estimate was 5.8 to 8.5 million US. The stone sets a record price per carat for any gemstone […]

Jewelers Note Fall Fashion Colors

From the AGTA Prism At Mardon, we absolutely love colored gems, and were pleased to see the fall colors forecast from Pantone. http://www.pantone.com/downloads/articles/pdfs/PANTONE_FCR_FALL09.pdf One of our jobs as jewelers is to show our clients how to use colored gems with their own particular look. See our latest Blog, http://www.mardonjewelers.com/blog/custom-jewelry/fashionista-alert

Why it’s so Important to Keep your Jewelry Clean!

There are many jewelry owners out there won’t don’t realize how important it is to clean and properly maintain their jewelry.   Without proper upkeep, precious stones and jewelry items can look worn or dull and become very difficult to clean if left untreated. For example, diamonds can attract carbon atoms from lotions and skin oils […]

What makes a True Padparadscha?

When I was a young gemologist, I fell in love….with Padparadscha.  Over my career I’ve had the privledge of seeing and working with many wonderful specimens of this amazing sapphire, and over the years my love has only grown. The recent sale of a very fine natural non-heated Padparadscha inspired me to write an explanation […]

Consumer Confusion with Diamond Grading Certificates

Consumers in search of diamonds will frequently give equal weight to diamond grading certificates, and use them as the basis for price comparison shopping. Since grading reports have a similar look and apparently have the same information, this seems logical to them.  However, this “Buying the Certificate” can often lead the customer to a disastrous […]