Tip of the Day: Choosing a Gemstone Engagement Ring – Tip 1 – Think Outside the Box

18. November 2015 · Comments Off on Tip of the Day: Choosing a Gemstone Engagement Ring – Tip 1 – Think Outside the Box · Categories: Blue Zircon, Gemstone Engagement Rings
Breathtaking 4.94 ctw Round Blue Zircon and Diamond Ring in 14k white gold

A Blue Zircon and Diamond Gemstone Engagement Ring. Blue Zircon is the birstone for December. Since zircon has a high refractive index, its sparkle is similar to that of a fine diamond.

Tip #1-Think outside the box. You already are, in fact, if you’re considering a gemstone engagement ring. Diamonds are beautiful and rare, but it’s so much more eye-catching and unique to wear a gemstone engagement ring. There are many approaches that you can use to select the perfect gemstone. You could choose her birthstone or your birthstone. Or you could find a gemstone engagement ring that incorporates both birthstones. At MyJewelrySource, we make most of our jewelry in house so if you would like to incorporate two gemstones in one of the rings you see on our website, we can definitely do that for you. How about a blue or green gemstone that matches her beautiful eye color. You can also choose the gemstone of the month you’re getting married or even of the month you first met. Or simply choose her favorite color! Gemstones are available in just about every color so you will have a lot of engagement ring options no matter what choice you make.

Fun Fact: Rubellite Find during Final Week of a Six Month Dig

18. November 2015 · Comments Off on Fun Fact: Rubellite Find during Final Week of a Six Month Dig · Categories: Fun Fact, Gemstone Mining, Tourmaline · Tags: , , ,
1.41 ctw Rubellite Tourmaline and Diamond Ring in 14k white gold

Rubellite Tourmaline from MyJewelrySource.com

One of the world’s renowned mining areas is the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The location produces some of the finest tourmalines, aquamarine, morganite, chrysoberyl, and emerald, just to name a few. Mining is a very risky and difficult task as it is always a gamble as to whether or not exceptional gem deposits will be found. One amazing story involves the Jonas mine located in Minas Gerais. In 1978, the mine was thought to contain large deposits of rubellite tourmaline, but after 6 months of digging with absolutely no good results, the miners only had financing for one final week of digging. One of the miners had a premonition of a huge gem pocket which encouraged the miners not to give up and to keep digging. As luck would have it, they found a truly magnificent pocket that once excavated was 8 by 10 feet in size. It had almost 450 pounds of spectacular rubellite tourmaline crystals. One crystal was large enough to yield a million dollars worth of cut gems. A smaller second pocket was also found but it was not as spectacular as the first. Although mining at this location was essentially exhausted after a couple weeks of excavating, the miners hard work sure proved to be worth it.

It is interesting to think about all the things what could have happened to cause the difference between a 100% loss of their investment and their big payoff. The pocket containing the crystals was on 8 by 10 feet. Imagine how easy that would have been to miss. Imagine how many gem containing pockets have been missed by other miners in the past and how many must be out there.

Fun Fact: The Natural Pearl Industry was a by-product of the Button Industry

18. November 2015 · Comments Off on Fun Fact: The Natural Pearl Industry was a by-product of the Button Industry · Categories: Fun Fact, Pearls · Tags: ,

Today, nearly all pearls, whether they are Akoya, freshwater, Tahitian or South Sea, are cultured, meaning that a pearl formed as a result of human intervention. Prior to pearl culturing, which began around 1900, pearls were completely natural. They were formed by the mollusks on their own as a result of an irritant getting inside their shell. The farming of natural pearls was not a business in and of itself because divers would sometimes have to recover hundreds and hundreds of mollusks just to find one pearl. It just wasn’t cost effective.

9.7mm Tahitian Pearl and Diamond Ring in 18k white gold

Stunning 9.7mm Tahitian Pearl and Diamond Ring in 18k white gold

The natural pearl business was actually a by-product of the button business. Buttons were once made from natural mother of pearl, the nacreous layer inside the shell of a mollusk. Whenever the mollusks were harvested and a natural pearl was present, it was set aside. Natural pearls were a symbol of status and wealth and were highly coveted. By the 1920′s, the button business had transformed and buttons were being manufactured in mass quantities from plastic. This caused a huge decline in the natural pearl market since the mollusks were no longer being harvested. Today, it is too costly to dive for natural pearls and the business isn’t really viable. So natural pearls are very very rare. Today almost all pearls in pearl jewelry are cultured pearls. This includes all pearls sold at MyJewelrySource.

Myanmar (Burmese) Rubies and Sapphires

18. November 2015 · Comments Off on Myanmar (Burmese) Rubies and Sapphires · Categories: Gemstone Mining, Gemstones, Ruby, Sapphire · Tags: , , , , ,
2.46 ctw Burmese Ruby and Trapezoid Diamond Ring in 18k white gold

Myanmar (Burmese) Ruby set with trapezoid diamonds in white gold

Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) is known for its exceptional rubies. It is not widely know that Myanmar also produces very fine quality sapphires.

Sapphires from this country command very high prices for the top quality gemstones with intense or vivid saturation with rich royal blue color. The best sapphires maintain their exceptional color under all lighting conditions, incandescent, daylight and fluorescent, something you rarely see in sapphires. These sapphires do not have the velvety appearance that Kashmir sapphires are known for. Just as with any origin, not all sapphires from Myanmar are so outstanding. Some sapphires are dark or even very light in color.

Fine Burmese Sapphire (from Myanmar)

Fine Burmese Sapphire (from Myanmar)

Rubies and sapphires have been mined in Myanmar for about 800 years. Sapphires are about 10 percent of the output. Mining has been sporadic over the years due to the remote location. Even today, political and economic troubles limit mining activities. Mining is done by government-run and private businesses using both mechanized and primitive techniques. Once the rough is mined, it often heads for Thailand, where the majority of sapphire and ruby fashioning (treating and cutting) is done. Some gems leave Myanmar through unauthorized channels and smuggling is common.

Most Burmese sapphires are heat treated to remove or reduce the silk inclusions. Heat treatment improves the luster and clarity and it can also lighten the darker stones. Because of their origin, fine Burmese sapphires do command higher prices than sapphires of other origins like Madagascar or Montana, but identifying the origin can be difficult if not impossible. Origin identification is most often possible through the identification of that origin’s characteristic inclusions. But since inclusions can be significantly altered by heat treatment, identification can become impossible after heat treatment has been performed.

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