Many Faceted

The Stewart Lithia Mine

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Lepidolite and pink tourmaline in the Stewart Lithia Mine, Pala, California
Pink tourmaline and lepidolite on the mine walls

Earlier this month I made my first trip to the Carlsbad area of California, north of San Diego, to take GIA’s Colored Stones Grading and Pearl Grading labs. Before class started, however, I had my first gem adventure: a field trip to the Stewart Lithia Mine in Pala, California. This mine has a long history, over 100 years on and off, first mined for the lovely purple mineral lepidolite (for its lithium, used primarily in grease), and later for a variety of gems (most of them pink.) Pink, green, bi-color and black tourmaline is found here, as well as kunzite, morganite and heliodor (pink and yellow varieties of beryl), and quartz.

San Diego County is known for its pegmatite deposits — lenses of igneous rock with large/abundant crystals, usually a dozen feet thick, give or take — and the Stewart Lithia mine sits in an unbelievably thick pegmatite (120 feet thick, in some places.) The geology was quite interesting driving out to Pala from the coast, with mountains looking like piles of boulders, from a distance. (Okay, so it was interesting to me. Never mind.)

Looking for gems on the slopes above the Stewart Lithia Mine, Pala, California
Looking for gems is hot work!

Gem-finding is hard work under the sun (which got uncomfortably warm, despite the low-for-San-Diego temperatures.) Fabulous gem rough was found, but not by me — a few chunks of gemmy rubellite (pink tourmaline) in the 30-40 carat range, and a gorgeous gemmy bi-color (green to seafoam blue) tourmaline crystal, easily two inches long. We were told to limit ourselves to ten pounds of rock apiece (!!), but I brought home a bit less since I had to fit it all in my suitcase.

Rock finds from the Stewart Lithia Mine
What I brought home. Please excuse my hotel bathroom sink.

After lunch, we toured the mine. I didn’t take many pictures inside (none with flash, out of respect for everyone’s low-light vision), but the workings were quite impressive.

Entrance to the Stewart Lithia Mine
The mine entrance. Peligro!

In the lower levels, we saw a remarkable mineral formation, where white spodumene crystals against a dark grey background formed a perfect Chinese dragon, easily 15-18 feet long (complete with head, teeth, ear, eye and sinuous body.) At the bottom was a lake of pure, ancient water, rich in calcium. (If you breathe upon the water, the calcium absorbs the carbon dioxide you exhale and forms calcium carbonate crystals on the surface. Magical.) The water was quite drinkable, and tasted wonderfully smooth. I admit, the lake was my favorite part.

All in all, it was a wonderful day! If you’d like to see more pictures, check out the set on Flickr.

Joining the Roxy Anns

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Danielle is a Roxy Ann now!
Shiny new membership

Ever since I was in a stroller, I’ve been going to the Roxy Ann Gem & Mineral Society‘s annual rock show in Medford, Oregon. (My dad pointed this fact out to me, at this year’s show.) Based in Central Point, Oregon, the Society operates the Crater Rock Museum with a terrific collection of minerals, lapidary arts, Oregon thundereggs, arrowheads and more. They also have a large workshop and offer classes in cabochon-making (“cabbing”) and silversmithing, both of which I’m interested in exploring. Right now I’m in love with all aspects of the gemstone and jewelry industry, and my interest could carry me in several directions. I’m trying to explore as many different avenues as I can, while I’m still “in school” and at leisure to weigh my options.

Third-largest rhodochrosite crystal in the world, right here in Central Point!
Colossal rhodochrosite!

I joined the Roxy Anns yesterday, my first “rockhound club” — I’m happy to support their activities, and I get access to their workshop and other benefits out of the deal. I was given a tour of the facilities and museum by a volunteer named Jack, who teaches knapping (arrowhead-making, etc); some of this work was on display, all of it lovely. The museum has some gorgeous mineral specimens, most notably (to me) the one seen to your left. Rhodochrosite is a beautiful red/pink mineral that is quite rare in large, crystalline form. The largest and best specimens come from the Sweet Home Mine in Alma, Colorado, and are treasured by the finest museums in the world. Needless to say, I was surprised to see that, not only does Crater Rock Museum have one, it is the third largest rhodochrosite crystal IN THE WORLD. Yes. Third-largest. Right here in southern Oregon! Go see it, you’ll pay no more than $4. Seriously.

I had a great time at the museum yesterday, and made some new rockhound friends. Speaking of rockhounds, below is what was stapled to the front of my membership packet. My question is, are there higher rankings for how fast you lose them? Because if not, there should be!

Become a rock hound
Extra points if you lose them in one day? In one hour? Why are you laughing?

Fall Update

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Phew, it’s been a while! I had it in mind to write “article”-type posts here (read: LONG), which I think may have been a mistake, as I’ve missed several “update”-type opportunities to post over the past few months. And now here it is, November, and interesting things have been happening, none of which I’ve told you about!

Here’s a sampling of what I’ve been up to, since July:

I completed my Accredited Jewelry Professional diploma through GIA, which means I can add the words “dangerous enough for retail” to my credentials. Wait. No. It means I can add the initials AJP to my credentials. Sorry about that.

I started Colored Stones at the end of July, and Pearls at the beginning of September; I am nearly done with Pearls now, about halfway through Colored Stones (somewhat behind, in my original estimate; got bogged down with work this fall, which has curtailed the studying significantly.) I am going to Carlsbad next weekend to take the Colored Stone Grading and Pearl Grading labs. I plan to take the Gemstone Identification lab in late January.

Chatham Created emerald crystal
My prize: a Chatham created emerald crystal (a bit over 1/2" long.) I keep it on my desk.

In late September, I had the pleasure of meeting Tom Chatham, of Chatham Created Gems in San Francisco. Tom was very kind, extremely generous with his time, and quite patient with this googly-eyed gemology student (who spent the entire visit with her fingers in a bowl full of synthetic emerald crystals. Don’t judge me. You wouldn’t be able to resist them either!)

Art Deco 26 Carat Star Sapphire Ring at Lang Antiques
Lavender star sapphire ring, Art Deco. Yes, please.

After my visit at Chatham, I made my way over to Lang Antiques and met some of their enthusiastic staff (hard not to be enthusiastic, working with their inventory every day!) I was happy to finally meet the awesome Barbra Voltaire, administrator and gem-goddess of GemologyOnline.com and the helpful GO Forums. (I visited Lang earlier in September, but she was off that day. I did spend some time ogling the stone to your left, which is probably my favorite piece in their inventory. Not sure, but I think I need to be queen of something before I can wear a ring like this.)

Art Deco Onyx and Diamond Locket at Lang Antiques
The back/inside looks as good as the front/outside.

This visit, I spent some quality time with the piece to your right, a fabulous onyx and diamond locket from the Art Deco period. You really must go look at all of the pictures, because the inside is as beautiful as the outside, and the whole thing is just… dreamy. [swoon] Why is it, that I always like the expensive things? Maybe if you work with expensive jewelry every day, you get over it. (I’d like the opportunity to test that theory…)

For the record, Barbra was swooning over the locket, too.

Last but not least, a week from today, I will be joining the GIA Alumni Association’s Los Angeles chapter on a field trip to the famous Stewart Lithia Mine in Pala, CA. I’m going in a mine!! And then I get to sort through mine tailings and look for gems!! I’m ever so excited about all this. (In case you can’t tell.) I hope to have PILES of gems to photograph and post (but really, I’d be happy with just a small handful.)

There’s more to tell, but that will have to wait for the next post. Stay tuned!

Crowned

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Ring in 18k yellow gold has 1.34 cts. t.w. diamonds; $6,300. Norman Covan
Ring in 18k yellow gold has 1.34 cts. t.w. diamonds; $6,300. Norman Covan

Nearly three months ago, there was a fairly significant wedding, at which time I came across this crown-themed post at JCK. I love crowns and tiaras, so pretty much everything featured was to my liking; these are a few of my favorites.

Crown ring in 18k rose gold has 0.73 ct. rubies and 0.53 ct. diamonds; $6,600. Parade Design
Crown ring in 18k rose gold has 0.73 ct. rubies and 0.53 ct. diamonds; $6,600. Parade Design
Palace ring in 18k white gold has 7.77 cts. t.w. black diamonds and 6.70 cts. t.w. colorless diamonds; $41,000. Siera Jewelry
Palace ring in 18k white gold has 7.77 cts. t.w. black diamonds and 6.70 cts. t.w. colorless diamonds; $41,000. Siera Jewelry
The Princess ring in 14k yellow gold has 0.52 ct. diamonds; $2,450; Kamofie
The Princess ring in 14k yellow gold has 0.52 ct. diamonds; $2,450; Kamofie

Surprised by Diamonds

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Millennium Star diamond

When I first considered the Graduate Gemology program at GIA, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the diamond courses. Diamonds are a big part of the jewelry industry, naturally; but they weren’t exactly my favorite. Frankly, I wasn’t sure I’d like them much. How mistaken I was! I never could have dreamed how fascinating diamonds are; how beautiful and varied their inclusions, and how many colors they come in! The more I study diamonds, the more I grow to love them and the fascinating things found within them.

One of the first things I found interesting was that diamonds can burn. In hindsight this makes sense — after all, they’re made of carbon, and carbon burns — but until I saw a photo of a burned diamond, I hadn’t thought it possible. The diamond had survived a house fire, but came out looking more like an opal than the hardest substance known to man. I was also interested to learn about laser sawing, cutting and engraving, all of which work on the same principle (burning diamond, but on purpose.) It almost seems like a cheat, after centuries of struggle for even the crudest diamond fashioning. Technology marches on, I suppose.

I knew that diamonds frequently had inclusions, but I had no inkling that said inclusions could be tiny crimson garnets, or vivid green chrome diopside crystals… or other diamonds, for that matter. Thanks largely to the amazing microphotography of John Koivula, I was introduced to interior sights that almost seem fictional. Heart-shaped clouds of microscopic inclusions, unicorn-shaped feathers (breaks within the stone), gems within gems. I had no idea diamonds could be like this!

Langerman Selection colored diamonds poster

Another thing I was quite unprepared for was the range of colors diamonds come in. Some I knew about beforehand — it’s hard to escape knowledge of the Hope Diamond’s existence, I’d seen other lighter blue diamonds, pinks, yellows. But greens? Grays? Reds? Cognac and champagne browns? The range of natural color is staggering, and treatments expand the spectrum further! (I’m generally not “for” treatments or treated stones, but I acknowledge that some people want and like them. Don’t be such a snob, Danielle.)

Given all the colors I’ve just described (also seen in the poster image to your left, click for larger version), you’ll probably think me a weirdo for saying this, but I think the color diamond I’d like to own the most is gray. I’m a big fan of gray and silvery colors, and the thought of a gray diamond… I can hardly stand it. I want one. I’m also fond of the medium to dark steel blue colors, and I’d never say no to a pink diamond, or a cheerful yellow. (Actually, yellow is one of my favorite diamond colors. Really!)

The glamour of handling diamonds in person, in the five-day Diamond Grading Lab, wore off more quickly than I expected. This thrill was replaced by the frustration and pain that is the VVS and VS range of stones — “very very slightly included” and “very slightly included”. Or in other words, “there is something in this stone that is almost impossible for a student to find. Knock yourself out.” (I was going to add onto this that the teacher is secretly laughing at your anguish, but my teacher was extremely nice. And she liked the same Sanrio characters I do, particularly Chococat, which was a little odd. But I digress.)

My ring

I’m fascinated by diamond’s tendency to fluoresce, although none of the diamonds I graded exhibited this phenomenon. (Half the stones in my channel-set wedding band, on the other hand, did — and I have a ghastly iPod picture to prove it! See?)

I completed my requirements for the Graduate Diamonds certificate last month, and came away with a greater appreciation for “that stone” everyone seems to want. No wonder diamond is so popular! Not only is it extremely hard (10 on the Mohs hardness scale, which is 140 times harder than corundum, hardness of 9), but diamonds are formed under extreme temperatures and pressures, and endure when many other things would crumble to dust. No wonder it’s a symbol of love and devotion! With a range of colors, clarity grades and sizes, there is truly a diamond to suit every taste. And I love them all.

A Visit to Harry Winston Fine Jewelry

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Fancy Vivid Pink Diamond Ring

Two weeks ago I was in New York City, taking the GIA Diamond Grading Lab, shopping and enjoying the Big City in general. (Yes, I live in California. Yes, GIA’s Carlsbad campus is much closer than NYC. Long story.)

One evening I set out to visit as many high-end jewelry shops as possible (given that I was in class until 5 pm and most places closed between 6-7 pm.) My first stop was Harry Winston Fine Jewelry (they closed the soonest.) I also visited Cartier, DeBeers and Tiffany & Co, but my best memory from the entire nine-day adventure was my time spent at Harry Winston.

At the other stores, I was more or less ignored upon entering. I browsed around a little, but left each store feeling quite unwelcome. Not so with Harry Winston. The entrance was a bit imposing, and I admit, I had to muster up my courage to go in. I was greeted cheerfully, immediately, by a woman at the front desk. Her kindness gave me the nerve to explain that I was studying diamonds at GIA, and came there to see wonderful things, and would she mind if I looked around? Not at all, she assured me, “and be sure you don’t miss the fancy vivid pink diamond in the back, it’s worth nine million dollars!”

I didn’t need further motivation! After (internally) drooling my way around the room, I settled at the case in the middle, staring at what had to be a D Flawless step-cut diamond. I called over a salesman to ask about the carat weight, gave my “I’m a diamond student, please excuse my googly-eyes” explanation again, and to my delight he took me on a “tour” of everything notable in the room.

Cat's Eye Chrysoberyl, courtesy of PalaGems.com

I saw my first Kashmir sapphire — the most desirable color, the blue other sapphires only dream of being. I saw an ideal-color “milk and honey” cat’s eye chrysoberyl. I saw a fabulous necklace of red spinels ($16M), several mind-blowing emeralds, the above-mentioned fancy vivid pink diamond, and other gems, all fantastic.

At one point, my tour guide and I stood in front of a 40-carat fancy vivid yellow radiant cut diamond set in a ring. (BIG. Fabulous.) I shook my head and asked him, “…how could you even lift your hand?” He paused, and replied, “well… you manage.” “True,” I said. “I’m not unwilling to try!” He laughed.

At the end, I asked for a business card (proof that I’d been there) and was given one, and a promotional book of HW jewelry. I was sent on my way with hearty well-wishes — “Good luck on your final tomorrow! You’ll do FINE!!” The whole thing was vastly encouraging, possibly the nicest retail experience I’ve ever had.

I will never forget you, Harry Winston — your staff is as impressive as your gems, and just as valuable. I walked into your store and was treated like a human being; I walked out feeling fantastic. Thank you for choosing to share your knowledge and enthusiasm, and lift up someone whom other stores chose to ignore.

Cocktail Hour

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Piaget's Mojito ring
Piaget's Mojito ring

I admit, until recently I didn’t really “get” cocktail rings. Rings, yes. Big flashy rings, no.

I’ve since seen the light, thanks to these cocktail-inspired rings by Piaget. “Inspired” is right! I’ve posted Piaget’s “Mojito” because I find it impressive both in design and execution.

The lime slice is delectable, carved from a single piece of citrine, and every speck of color is a mounted gem — no enamel, anywhere. (That I know of.) The “drink” is a dreamy tourmaline.

Piaget's Whiskey on the Rocks cocktail ring
Piaget's Whiskey on the Rocks ring

My other favorite from this ring series is “Whiskey on the Rocks”. I love the little rock crystal ice cubes, and the way the gold mounting seems to splash upwards to meet them. The central stone is a perfectly whiskey-colored citrine.

I’ve been looking at these pictures for days now. The detail and planning is evident from every angle. (The details are what matter the most!)

I find the other four rings equally charming; the above two are my favorites. I’m not much of a cocktail drinker, but I admire these clever rings immensely!

Piaget's Blueberry Daiquiri cocktail ring Piaget's Cosmopolitan cocktail ring Piaget's White Tonic cocktail ring Piaget's Blue Ocean cocktail ring

First Look

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Hello and welcome! I’m going ahead with opening this blog, despite lack of customization, so as not to prolong my starting writing about gemology (which after all is the whole point of having it.) I’ll be writing about gemstones, their history and lore, and the interesting things I learn as I work toward my Graduate Gemologist diploma. I will periodically talk about gem books I’m reading (and my favorites), online resources (as I find them) and new additions to my modest gem collection. I’m very fond of photos, and will post some as appropriate, but I don’t intend this to be a photo-blog.

I’m passionate about gemstones and I’m excited to share my passion on this site! Stay tuned!