Embracing The Blues

December lays claim to three beautiful birthstones; Zircon, Tanzanite and Turquoise. Each of these gemstones are available in various unique blue tones. So embracing the December blues might not be such a bad thing when it comes to gemstones!

Sensational Zircon

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Zircon Diamond Gold Dangle Earrings, OFFERED BY SIXTH AVENUE FINE JEWELERS

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Retro 8 Carat Intense Blue Zircon Platinum Ring, Offered By Rive Gauche Jewelry

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Matched Blue Zircon Gold Princess Dangle Earrings, OFFERED BY SZOR COLLECTIONS

Tantalizing Tanzanite

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Dangling Tanzanite Tear Drop Diamond Gold Earrings, OFFERED BY TAKAT

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Beaudry Diamond Tanzanite Platinum Enagement Ring, OFFERED BY DOVER JEWELRY

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Barbara Heinrich Tanzanite Gold Necklace, OFFERED BY SZOR COLLECTIONS

Terrific Turquoise

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Late Victorian Era Turquoise Old Diamond Halo Ring, OFFERED BY ERAGEM

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Turquoise Diamond gold Ear Clips, OFFERED BY JACOB'S DIAMOND & ESTATE JEWELRY

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French Turquoise Diamond Gold Locket, OFFERED BY BELL AND BIRD

Sparkling Times at Crater Of Diamonds

It's safe to say that at lease a couple visitors to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas are having a pretty good year so far. The park has been making headlines as visitors continue to "strike it rich" in the world’s only diamond-producing site that is open to the public. The park also has a unique finder's keeper's policy allowing the visitor to keep anything and everything they find. 

The latest find to be announced was made by Susie Clark. She and her and her husband had spent days hunting diamonds at Crater of Diamonds, and on the last day she found a 3.69ct diamond. She has named the teardrop-shaped rock “the Hallelujah Diamond”.
As to the potential value of Clark’s diamond, Bill Henderson, the park’s assistant superintendent, said the woman would need to take the stone for independent appraisal.
While Clark’s find is the largest of this year, other park-goers have found 121 other diamonds. In fact over the years the park has produced some very impressive stones. 

Lamporite Image courtesy of The Western Australian Museum

The Geology
The Crater of Diamonds is situated over a 95-million-year-old eroded lamproite volcanic pipe. At the tremendous pressures and temperatures some 60 to 100 miles below the earth’s surface, diamond crystallized from carbon, and under those conditions it remained stable. The deeply sourced lamproite magma, from the upper mantle, eventually brought the diamonds to the surface. 
The lamproite diamond source is unusual, as almost all diamonds are mined from kimberlite and from alluvial deposits of diamonds weathered from kimberlite. The most prominent lamproite diamond source is the Argyle diamond mine in Australia.

Photo by Doug Wertman from Rogers, AR, USA

The History
Diamonds have continuously been discovered at the park site since 1906 when John Wesley Huddleston bought the farm for homestead. 
Huddleston later sold his diamond-bearing land for $36,000. After 1906, several attempts at commercial diamond mining failed. The only significant yields came from the original surface layer, where erosion over a long period of time had concentrated diamonds. 
In the early period, 1907–1932, yields from the surface material often exceeded thirty carats per hundred loads. The highest yields coming from the undisturbed subsurface material.  The equipment used during this early period mainly consisted of screens that had mesh larger than 1/16 inch. This meant that thousands of small diamonds were passing through the screens every day, flooding into the surrounding field and through the natural drains. It is mind boggling to think of all the diamonds that ran right past those early miners.

A supplement to the Nashville News of nearby Nashville, Arkansas, advertising diamonds mining in the early 1900s

After the first diamonds were found Murfreesboro experienced a "diamond rush".  Anecdotes and legends tell of hotels in Murfreesboro turned away 10,000 people in the space of a year. Supposedly, miners formed a tent city named "Kimberly" in honor of the famous Kimberley diamond district in South Africa. However, historical evidence indicates that the Town of Kimberly was actually a development venture in 1909, initiated by Mallard M. Mauney and his oldest son, Walter, on their land immediately south of Murfreesboro. The project failed as the speculative boom generated by the diamond discovery collapsed. Today, the Kimberly area is almost all cow pasture, owned by Mauney's descendants.

During the Second World War, the U.S. government took over the mine. Although diamonds were obtained, it was not successful as a venture due to the large costs involved with U.S. labor. After the war, the property was returned to the previous owners.
From 1951 to 1972, the crater was operated as a private tourist attraction by several companies. The first, The Diamond Preserve of the United States, lasted only about one year. In late 1951, Howard A. Millar took over the property and in April 1952, Millar and his wife, Modean, launched their Crater of Diamonds attraction. In March 1956, a visitor found the Star of Arkansas on the cleared surface. The spectacular find weighed 15.33 carats.
Later, a rival tourist attraction called the Arkansas Diamond Mine, was opened by Roscoe Johnston on the main part of the diamond field hoping to capitalize on the excitement. 

Site marker for the Star of Arkansas find

The rivalry between the two tourist operations left both in a weakened state and in 1970, the entire area was consolidated by a private partnership, which then reassigned the property to General Earth Minerals (GEM) of Dallas, Texas. GEM expected to turn the property over for a profit, but ended up heavily indebted. The property was taken over by GF Industries (GFI) in July 1971.  GFI continued the attraction until it sold the 80-acre formation and 800 surrounding acres to the State of Arkansas in March 1972 for $750,000. The tourist operation continues to be the major draw for the of Crater of Diamonds State Park.

Notable Diamonds
Below is a list of some of the notable diamonds that have been discovered at the Crater of Diamonds Park.

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This list of notable diamonds from the Crater of Diamonds includes several diamonds weighing six carats or more, and the much publicized 3.03-carat Strawn-Wagner Diamond. (photo from Crater of Diamonds State Park)

The park has  also previously stated the value of some stones found including: the canary yellow stone that 14-year-old Tana Clymer found in 2013. That diamond was sold for $20,000. 
One of the most famous stones uncovered at the park was a 3.09 ct stone found at the park in 1990. It was eventually cut into a 1.09-carat brilliant shape and graded Ideal cut/ D color/ Flawless by AGS. That stone, named Strawn-Wagner Diamond, was mounted in a gold and platinum ring and sold to the state of Arkansas. A continually updated list of the most recent recorded finds may be found here.

If you are interested in visiting the Crater of Diamonds State Park here are some things to know:
Fees to search for Diamonds
Adults:   $8
Children (ages 6-12):    $5
Children under 6 years old:    FREE
 Admission is good for the entire day. You may come and go throughout the day on the same admission fee.
Tools
Tools are not necessary for diamond seeking, and a good way to search is to walk up and down the rows looking for diamonds lying on top of the ground. However, most diamond hunters like to dig in the soil. Therefore, you have the options of bringing your own tools from home, or you may purchase or rent tools here at the park. You may use anything that is not battery or motor operated for transporting equipment in and out of the search area. For a list of rentable equipment and prices click here. (I also found water filled spray bottles handy!)
It's Finder's Keeper's!
f you find a diamond or any other stone it is yours to take home!  In addition to diamonds, you might find one of the many colorful gemstones that occur naturally there. These include: amethyst, agate, jasper, garnet, peridot, hematite and many others. 

I myself tried my hand at finding diamonds at the park around 2005. Traveling south with my mother and sister our excitement over the prospect of finding even the smallest of diamonds overshadowed the fact that we would be camping and we hadn't checked the weather. We arrived in late in the evening after getting lost. We couldn't see anything of the park and set up our tent in the dark, so it goes without saying that we had no idea what to expect the next day. 
Summer in Arkansas is muggy to say the least. Add to that light rain and you have a "diamond field" of mud. Actually mud feels far too light a word, it was like walking in wet cement.
According to the park, rainfall combined with park staffers’ plowing the 37.5-acre search field can erode the surface of a diamond-bearing deposit, helping to bring more of the stones to the surface and increasing visitors’ chances of finding them. 
Unfortunately for us that was not the case and all I was left with was a burning desire for a hot shower after that long day seated in mud; luckily Hot Springs and a real shower were not all that far away! So if you are headed down that way definitely check it out. Bring good shoes, whatever you want for digging, and a lot of optimism!

Referred by the CIG

So here's something cool the Canadian Institute of Gemmology linked my website for the review I wrote for the 
Photoatlas of Gemstone Spectra for Gemology Students in their spring newsletter. 

Galatea Momento Pearl

Galatea Momento Pearl

The March towards merging tech and jewelry, function and form continues with Galatea’s patented Momento Pearl project. 
An NFC chip embedded in a cultured pearl allows a message or a photo to be associated with the pearl. The photo or message can then be retrieved by tapping the pearl to “a sweet spot” on the back of an NFC enabled Android device. Sorry IOS users, the technology just isn’t there yet. 
The pearls are available in a variety of settings, as well as being available in the patented “Galatea pearl”, the of Pearl grown with a gemstone inside. 
Galatea is currently crowd sourcing their product on Kickstarter, offering products as backer rewards. For more information or to back the project visit Galatea on their Kickstarter page.

Galatea Momento Pearl

Menswear Jewelry

Cartier Art Deco Ruby Diamond Stick Pin available from Steven Fox Jewelry

Signet I purchased for my Signifigant Other from Digby and Iona

I have to say, I’ve been waiting for the trend of men's “brooches”/”pins” to come to the US! I love the look, just like I love pinky signets that seem to be everywhere these days!

The stylish and often vintage pieces that we saw (and I adored) added individuality and interest to otherwise seemingly identical tuxedos. It is a wonderful alternative to a boutonniere or even a pocket square.  
As my Significant Other calls them "metal flowers", have been a worn in Europe for some time now and it's nice to see the sparkle has finally crossed the pond. 

Signet rings have been around since ancient Mesopotamia. They were also used as seal rings to seal letters with the mark of the sender (in wax as a mark of authentication).
In modern times they have traditionally been worn on the left hand (and sometimes accompanied by a small wedding band). They are usually engraved with a family crest or initials. Today the are rarely used for sealing documents, but they have continued to be viewed as the “mark of the gentleman.”

Kathleen Marino M.A, G.G., AJP, NAJA

HPHT Treatment of Diamonds

                                                      ©Suncrest Diamonds. Formerly brown diamonds now pink after HPHT treatment. 

The majority of the questions that I have had from clients over the years have been about diamonds. I have received emails, calls, personal appointment all asking the same “How do I buy a diamond, what am I looking for, where can I compromise?”
But, I think the questions that most stick with me are the ones regarding treatments. Most often I get a question like “The salesperson offered me a diamond and then slipped in the word HPHT/clarity enhancement/irradiation/CVD. I didn’t know what that was so I decided to wait.” I generally commended them on waiting, because being informed is the best course a consumer can follow!
Diamond treatments are perhaps the most confusing topic for consumers. Today I want to cover just one HPHT treatment. I am going to break it down by definition, impact on the industry and then what it means to you as the consumer. So without further ado let's dive in!

 ©Suncrest Diamonds The HPHT machine at the Suncrest facility in Provo, Utah

What is HPHT treatment?

Type IIa diamonds are the most chemically “pure” diamonds on earth containing few to know impurities. They make up approximately 1-2% of all diamonds and the majority are colorless. However as these diamonds are being pushed towards the surface of the earth they may pick up impurities that color the diamond, the most common color is brown.
HPHT is a permanent treatment used specifically on brown type IIa diamonds subjecting them to enormous amounts of pressure and heat replicating the natural forces that create diamonds. By doing so a near-colorless to colorless color may be achieved, as well as fancy colors such as yellow and green. Furthermore if radiation is combined with the process pink colored diamonds can also be produced.  

                                            © GIA

How has this affected the jewelry industry?

HPHT treatment of diamonds first went public in 1999 and it has been a source of anxiety in the gem industry ever since. This trepidation increased after GIA (which has included HPHT testing in their grading since about 2006) released a pivotal statement in 2010 revealing that they had been receiving large numbers of HPHT treated diamonds ranging from 3 to 20 carats in size. The mining industry has also seen a surge in the sales of type IIA brown diamonds with prices steadily escalating as buyers attempt to estimate gains from treatment. The most concerning area has become the increasing number of treated and CVD (lab created diamonds) melee stones (melee is a term to describe small diamonds that range from 0.18 carats down to 0.001 carats) being sold in parcels with natural diamonds. Their small size indicates an increased need for testing of smaller diamonds, as well as the necessity for non-laboratory testing becoming available and affordable for gemologists as an additional line of defense for the consumer. 

© The Practical Gemologist

What is the overall opinion of the HPHT treated diamonds and what does this mean for you?

Consumers must be aware that sellers of these stones are required by law to inform them of this treatment as well as any other treatment performed on diamonds (and any other gemstones as well). On the side of the producers of this product they see no difference in the treated and the natural diamond. As mentioned it is a permanent treatment that mimics the natural forces that create a diamond in the earth, however the gemstone and jewelry industry views this quite differently.
Natural stones, those that exist without treatments of any kind have always fetched a higher premium. Why? The simple answer is rarity. HPHT treated stones are considered to null and void the rarity aspect.
There are a few major issues that face the consumer: first generally the price of HPHT treated diamonds is lower than untreated diamonds, however this may differ from dealer to dealer as there is currently little regulation. Second, when it comes to appraising HPHT treated diamonds this must be taken into account. Since the stone is no longer in it’s natural form and we have no way of knowing it’s previous form many appraisers will have to look the the market for comparables to provide an accurate insurance or fair market value. Larger stones 0.75 carat and up)  should be evaluated by a gemological laboratory to confirm that the stone has not been treated. Third, if the consumer is considering a diamond as an investment, or even as an heirloom they must realize that over time a natural untreated diamond will continue to hold and in my personal estimation will gain value over time the same way that natural colored stones have. 

The Take Away:

Overall I do not think that HPHT treatment is inherently bad. In fact in some cases it can make it possible for some consumers to find their dream colored diamond without the higher price tag. To sum up there are just a few simple things to keep in mind:

          © GIA A diamond before and after HPHT treatment. 

• HPHT treated stones may not hold their value as well as natural diamonds over time.
• Disclosure on the part of the seller is required by law. If there's any question you have the right to have the stone examined by a gemological laboratory like GIA.
• HPHT treated stones frequently have a lesser selling point. This can work to your advantage as a bargaining tool. The savvy consumer could bargain their way to a sizable discount (possibly 20-35%). Think of it kind of like a car dealership and do not be afraid to ask or walk away if it isn’t what you want. (I’ll be writing more on what the guy behind the  counter doesn’t want you to know later!)
• If you have questions ask an independent gemologist! Independent gemologists have  no ties to a jewelry stores and are not selling gemstones or jewelry. We are here to help advise you and educate you. 

- Kathleen Marino MA, GG (GIA Carlsbad), AJP, NAJA