ask Dave West: The Jewelry Expert

Octobers Birthstones – Opal or Tourmaline

October has two of my very favorite gemstones for birthstones – Opals and Tourmalines.

  Tourmalines occur in a wide range of colors including some new earth tones.

   

Opals , like many gemstones, occur in a wider array of colors and varieties than are   popularly known. One of my personal loves is fire opal.   
 

David West Nytch CGA  www.westandcompany.com

Opal or Tourmaline - October Birthstones

Tourmaline

Known only in the Mediterranean region for much of history, it was not until the early 18th century that the Dutch brought Tourmaline gemstones to Western and Central Europe. Tourmaline gets its name from the Sinhalese word “turamali” for mixed. The Dutch choose an apt name for no other gem. Not even corundum occurs in the variety of shades or combination of shades of color that tourmaline gemstones do. Tourmalines are found in such a wide range of colors they are often mistaken for other gems whose color they are mimicking. Fine pure green tourmaline can be every bit as beautiful as the emerald it is confused with. Yellow, red and pink tourmaline can look just like fancy sapphires and be just as stunning. Tourmaline, the October birthstone, is unique in that it often displays more than one color. Like alexandrite, some tourmalines can change their body color from daylight to artificial light. Tourmaline gemstones even have applications in science; they will develop a polarized electrical charge when heated or compressed.

With and almost limitless spectrum of hues, the most recognized colors for tourmalines are shades of red and green, with the most desirable colors being an intense pink or green. The October birthstone also occurs in shades of blues to yellows, in almost any color or combination of colors that one can think of. It is actually rather rare for a tourmaline crystal to display just one color. More often than not, when examined closely, a tourmaline actually displays varying shades or even multiple colors. Tourmaline gemstones grow in long linear crystals that often will have two or more colors. Sometimes the boundaries between colors are soft and gradual shades, other times they are distinct and display two or more strong colors. These bi colored, multi color or parti colored tourmalines are particularly prized. A bi colored tourmaline gemstone with a strong red to pink colored center surrounded by a green border is referred to as a “watermelon tourmaline”. When the colors of a tourmaline crystal are stacked one on top of another they are called a “Papageios” or a “Rainbow tourmaline”. The ultimate in tourmaline's vast display of hues, however, is the “Paraiba Tourmaline”. Only very recently discovered in 1989 in Paraiba, Brazil these tourmalines display the most stunningly vivid, brilliant, blues and greens ever seen. Neon green, electric blue, sizzling turquoises are some of terms used to describe these very rare, exceedingly valuable, breathtakingly beautiful gemstones.

Just about any color of October's birthstone can be found in Brazil, which is a major source. Some exquisite tourmalines are also being mined in Southern California near San Diego. Other sources include Sir Lanka, Madagascar and Africa. Historically Maine has been and important source for tourmaline, but only small quantities are currently being produced.

Tourmaline gemstones are heat treated or irradiated to improve their color. Some treated tourmalines color can fade if exposed to high heat or prolonged exposure to intense light, but generally the treatment is stable. Red tourmalines are often quite included and some have been treated with resin injected into surface reaching fissures to lessen the visibility of the inclusions. Care should be taken with these gems. Whatever amazing color you choose, tourmalines are hard gemstones that resist scratching and breaking. Care should be taken, however, to avoid sharp blows and sudden temperature changes. Tourmalines, especially reds and pinks, should not be cleaned using steam or ultrasonic cleaners. Your Tourmaline jewelry can be cleaned with commercial jewelry cleaner or a mild soap and water along with an old toothbrush to clean the setting as well. Always rinse and dry your jewelry after cleaning.

Opal

Shakespeare mentions Opal as “the queen of gems” because it held within it the colors of all the other  gems. The Roman historian Pliny said of Opal “the fire of the carbuncle, the brilliant purple of the amethyst and the sea green color of the emerald, all shining together in incredible union”. The Arabs believed Opal got its fire from the flashes of lightning that brought it to earth. Since antiquity Opal had been a symbol of hope, until in the 19th century when the gem played a role in the novel Anne of Geierstein, by Sir Walter Scott. The story tells of an Opal owned by the heroine that would burn a fiery red when she was angry and turned to ashen grey when she died. It took Queen Victoria, giving Opals as wedding gifts, to lift the curse. Today Opal has regained it rightful place as the gem of hope. Like the rainbow after a thunderstorm, Opals display of colors speaks of hope.

The name Opal comes from the Greek word “opallos” which means to see a change of color. Opal is made up of many layers of tiny spears of silica which diffract differently. This diffraction of light creates a dramatic rainbow of color within the gem. This phenomenon is called play of color. Opal occurs in many varieties and range from transparent to opaque. The most well known is white Opal, which has a light semi-transparent to opaque background and displays varying degrees of pastel colors. Crystal Opal has a colorless background with some play of color that lets the light pass through it. Jelly Opal or water Opal are colorless transparent to semi transparent with little or no play of color. Fire Opal, or Mexican Opal is transparent to semi transparent Opal with a yellow, orange, to red or brown background color that does not always have any play of color. Cherry Opal is fire Opal with a strong red body color. Boulder Opals have a layer of the precious Opal still combined with the ironstone in which the Opal forms. The most sought after of all the Opals are those with a dark background and vivid splashes of brilliant colors known as black Opals. A black Opal with ah opaque dark grey to black background and an evenly distributed rainbow display of intense vivid colors, is a very rare and valuable gem.

The world’s most important source for Opal is the deserts of Australia. With deposits difficult to locate and spread over vast regions of the desert Opal mining is still done on a small, individual, scale often with just hand tools. Mexico is the major source for fire Opal. Brazil and the US are also sources.

Opals are very delicate gems. They are best mounted in earrings and pendants. When mounted in a ring or bracelet very special care should be shown when wearing them. Because Opals have a high water content they should be kept away from heat and strong light as it can dry them out. Opals can draw moisture from the air and should not be kept for long periods in dehumidified environments like bank vaults. Opals should never be cleaned, and should be kept away from contact with detergents or chemicals. Steam and ultrasonic cleaners should never be used. Most commercial jewelry cleaners should also not be used, unless specifically designed for delicate gems.

David West Nytch CGA  www.westandcompany.com

Christmas Time

Christmastime in a jewelry store is like no other time of the year. Sure, we do a lot more business and like any other retail store it is a make or break time of year for the company. But there is much more to it than that. There is something almost magical that envelops the store this time of year that is difficult to describe.

The decorations, music, laughter of a customer and sales associate as they chat, the wide-eyed look on a child as her father says, “Now, not a word to Mommy about this,” all just seem to come together in a way that to me is, well, magical.

Around Thanksgiving, for the first time, all the new and exciting jewelry that we started designing, crafting and buying in the heat of summer is all carefully arranged and laid out in the display cases for all to see. All the hard work by myself, my wife Jody and our staff comes together and I often have thought that we are as excited, if not more so, than our customers.

Yvonne DiVita, my blog mentor, was in the store the other day and I was showing her all the new jewelry we had (and as usual getting all worked up about it) when she asked me what I thought was going to be the hot items for Christmas. Now this is always a tough question in early December, you never really know until the 25th what is going to be the most popular jewelry pieces and every year there is at least one surprise that no one saw coming, but there are a few hints and I thought it would make a fun post.

Certainly, the DeBeers Journey jewelry will be a big hit this season, along with diamond line (tennis) bracelets which are making a come back. Demand for colored gem jewelry is also growing again, which to me is great because I love colored gems.

In our store the Warner Brothers Tweety Collection, which is the first ever fine jewelry collection featuring and inspired by the lovable, wide-eyed yellow fashion icon, Tweety. Bright yellow sapphires and sparkling diamonds bring Tweety to life in a fun, fresh and exciting collection of earrings, charms, bracelets and pendants. We are proud to be the exclusive dealers in Western New York.

Our Corsage Collection of custom cut interlocking diamonds is absolutely amazing. Utilizing the finest in precision technology these diamonds are cut to tolerances of one-millionth of and inch. The results are the most brilliant and beautifully crafted invisible set of jewelry I have ever seen.   

Also very popular is a line of hand made gold earrings by a wonderful family of artisans in Vermont. Past, Present and Future Diamond jewelry is still very strong, especially if it has a little twist.

Well, I had some fun making predictions and will let you know what the “surprise” will be for the season.

Till then that’s how I see the world of jewelry for Rochester, NY.  

David West Nytch CGA  www.westandcompany.com        

Questions

Ok, you’ve done some research and learned a bit about the jewelry you are interested in and now you are ready to put that knowledge into action and do some shopping. If knowledge is power (and it is) questions are the source of that power. Asking a lot of questions will build on your knowledge and put you in control of your jewelry purchase instead of just being sold what some jeweler wants to sell you.

A good question has layers of benefits, and can often reveal a lot of information beyond the specific answer. Certainly by asking a lot of questions you will learn something you did not know or you will expand your knowledge of something you already knew.

But there is more to it than that; how your question is answered can tell you a lot about a jeweler’s commitment to helping you find that perfect piece. A few questions will help you determine the level of professionalism and knowledge of a store and its staff. Questions will help you cut through the hype, sales pitches and half truths that plague the jewelry industry. Many of these pitches cannot stand up to even the most casual consumer scrutiny and, of course, they don’t want you asking too many questions.

Not every jeweler you talk to is going to love you asking a lot of questions. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph HOW your question is answered can often be as important as the question itself. Anyone who makes you uncomfortable or seems annoyed that you are asking questions should be avoided. Anyone who acts like your question is foolish or responds with something to the affect of “why would you ask that,” should be avoided. A scripted or rehearsed, “one size fits all” answer should be viewed with suspicion.

A good jeweler will be happy to, and even invite, your questions. I know I do, I love’em!  There is no such thing as too many.

Asking questions is one of the most important tips I can give. I cannot even begin to count the number of bad buying decisions I have seen that would have never happened had the customer asked just a couple more questions.

Keep an eye out for my next Top Ten post - Shopping.

Till then, that’s how I see the world of jewelry from Rochester, NY.

David West Nytch CGA  www.westandcompany.com