We at Carelle are running a Giveaway! There are two prizes remaining:
 

- Gold and Diamond Pendant with a 16" Chain a $1,740 Value

- 18K Yellow Gold Pave Pendant with 16" Chain a $1,010 Value

In order to enter the contest you only need to do the following:

1. Follow the link to our Facebook Page and become a Fan by Clicking the Like button

2. Fill out the form by following this link and entering your name and email

3. If you would like to gain additional entries you can invite your friends using the form you will see on the page after you enter

If you are a fan of our beautiful modern gemstone jewelry then this is your chance to grab a piece for free!

The other day I was strolling through the internet, only to find beautiful lemon quartz earrings and a lemon quartz ring being blogged about by Mrs. Lilien. The first thing that came to mind was “wow, those look awfully familiar”.  Mrs. Lilien, known for her exquisite style, chose to write about these beautiful Carelle pieces, and I was certainly happy to see the appreciation for my work from such an amazing person. 

 

Ever wonder why there are no price lists for colored stones like there are for diamonds? Well, it’s simple; it is just an extreme complexity that no one, even if they could, wants to figure out. Why is this? Well each colored stone comes in a range of both color and clarity. 

The difference between the color and diamond markets today is that people in need of diamonds are looking for those lacking color. Recently Carelle launched a beautiful single stone ring, which could also be stacked. The collection contains green and pink tourmaline, as well as a few members of the beryl family (such as aquamarine). The rings come in 3 shapes:  round, cushion, or oval. The tourmalines in these rings are to die for gorgeous, and I can make this statement confidently because I know that all tourmalines are incredible. Usually when a person meets me they hear me rant about the gemstone revolution and how amazing the new finds are, but if they “dare” bring up tourmalines they are in for a real chat. All tourmalines are gorgeous in my opinion, even the dark olive ones. Tourmalines grow in a very interesting crystal structure and are pretty soft. This is something one can really feel when they work with many stones. The material grows in many places but only certain locations can enjoy special tourmalines, such as the ones from California or Mozambique. Brazil definitely deserves credit, although I feel as if the Brazilian stones are similar to all tourmalines except for, of course, the ever so breath taking Paraiba. Paraiba is one of the most incredible finds in the gem industry, and must be credited as such. Sure there is apatite that looks like Paraiba, but the material is even softer and just doesn’t have the pizzazz.

“…the gleaming ruby should adorn,
All those who in July are born,
For thus they’ll be exempt and free,
From lover’s doubts and anxiety.” 

- Gregorian birthstone poems: author unknown.

The ruby is known as “the precious” stone within precious gemstones. It is the red colored corundum; the elder brother of sapphire. Ruby is an extremely special stone. What makes a ruby so special? Well it is pretty simple. Ruby is, in general, rare. Gem quality ruby is even rarer especially of larger sizes; this is because ruby rough generally grows more flat than sapphire. Furthermore, ruby tends to be more included and not fully crystallized, which means that a larger clean stone is extremely rare. 

Of course, with all this said, one must really wonder if the extreme price of the stone is just. The reality is that this calculation is very simple.  There’s a demand for ruby. In today’s market ruby is probably the most treated stone.  It goes through various treatments from heat to irradiation, to glass filling and diffusion. Plus one must not forget the United States’ embargo on Burma. Burma, or Myanmar, is the leading source of fine rubies, even though Thailand and various African countries can sometimes produce a similar quality. Between the treatments and embargos there is a feeling that ruby lacks on the market.  This is not necessarily true.  Sadly, this feeling affects the price and demand for better rubies. 

While ruby is pronounced to be the royal stone, the truth is that it is not. Spinel is the royal stone.  Spinel is present in the royal crown of England, as well as various other royal jewels across the globe. Spinel is the stone which has the least justified history.  I believe that with just a little more help it will become the leader of the “gemstone revolution”.

 

Part two is particularly special to me because my family credits a bit of its success in the jewelry industry to the emerald.  Emerald, like ruby and sapphire, is one of the most treated stones on the market. Most people (including dealers) do not know exactly what treatments these stones go through. Could it be that people simply love it for its amazing color?  

In 1967 Campbell Bridges founded tsavorite, a chromium or vanadium containing green garnet. (At the time grossular garnet had already existed, but it is a lighter yellowish/green tone than tsavorite.)  As the years passed, more tsavorite was discovered in Kenya, and then in Madagascar. Although that being said, I must note that the material from Madagascar does not really appear often on the market. Tsavorite has an amazing color and a higher refractive index number than emerald…thus meaning the light travels through the stone faster, ultimately making the stone more shiny.  Its hardness is not far off from emerald and the price in smaller goods is highly affordable.

 

For as long as I can remember blue, green and red have been the most frequently bought, sold and referred to stones in the market. Of course the first three stones that come to mind are ruby, emerald and sapphire. 

Today the market is in its “next generation” phase and people from both the industry and the consumer side are looking for something new. Recently east Africa has been producing some amazing colors of blue, green and red these are tanzanite (blue), tsavorite (green) and spinel (red). Tanzanite was found in 1967 by Mount Kilimanjaro.  The beautiful purple violet/blue hues of the stone bring it as close to the color of a sapphire than any other stone out there. (There is one exception, which is blue spinel; unfortunately blue spinel is so rare, especially in such a great color, which is why tanzanite is referred to as “the next sapphire.”)  

Gems and jewelry have always played a role in history. Throughout time stones went through so many different variations of use (such as healing powers, powers of gods, etc.).  At some point in time however, the stones were differentiated and categorized into  2 lists: precious and semi-precious. 

I must say that I’m lucky to have been born into the gem industry. For over thirty years Carelle has promoted the use of colored stones in beautiful jewelry of the highest quality, receiving awards from some of the most prestigious companies in the industry.