In the 1500’s in Tudor London, a Latin expression — rara avis — became popular. Literally meaning “rare bird” — the expression was gleaned from a phrase by the Roman poet Juvenal, “rara avis in terries nigroque simillima cygno”, or …
Colored Gems
Malaia Allure
When a strange, orangy-pinkish-reddish garnet was discovered in the mid-1960s, in the Umba Valley of Tanzania, locals and experienced gemologists didn’t know what to make of it.
Blackberry Winter – 1 Nov 2012
"Blackberry winter" - a farmer's expression familiar to country folk - evokes a day in late spring when one wakes up to a cold snap. Though the...
Continuity out of Chaos?
Proud of his bounty, a gem collector came to me with a wonderful assortment of rare Demantoid garnets he had been gathering. Demantoid garnets, primarily mined in Russia and Namibia, behave in light similarly to diamonds and appear fiery.
Autumn Garnets
It’s sunny today, with a cool crisp, October undertone. The cool edge makes me frisky – an invigorating contrast with the slice of sun warming my back. After record North Carolina highs into early October, I doubt we’ll have much of a show of fall foliage.
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How Designers Find Solutions: The Case of the Pearl Gone Too Far
Yesterday, my daughter reminded me of something I'd told her a few years ago, "Our weaknesses are our strengths gone too far." It's so satisfying when your kids are of the age they begin to suspect you may have some wisdom after all, isn't it? Designing is all...
Why Jewelry is the Best way to Mark your Life’s Key Moments
It may surprise you that beauty is not in the eye of the beholder. Nor is it just culture telling us sparkling jewels are beautiful: our ancestors also found beauty in gemstones and loved to adorn themselves with them even before they could put their love into...
A Short Walk through the World of Garnets
One of the world’s most beloved gemstones, garnet has a long lineage and a somewhat unruly family tree. Because the garnet group is so diverse, gem garnets come in almost every color. Let’s take a walk through the world of garnets and see how dazzling they can be....
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