Mudejar Ring Design
This custom project for a client features a 22kt gold original “Mudejar” style ring design by Marcial de Gomar and…
How To Buy An Emerald
The beauty of purchasing an emerald lies in the diversity and variety of nuances of color, clarity, fire/brilliance and sizes available to select. Choose clarity and fire/brilliance over color or conversely, the darker green, whichever pleases you more.
Ruby Romance
The Latin word ruber, meaning red, is where ruby gets its name from and in Sanskrit it’s known as “ratnaraj”, meaning “king of stones”. Treasured for associating attributes such as health, wisdom, beauty, romance and success in love, as well as for holding the power of life in some early cultures due to the redness equated with human blood, they have captivated humans and influenced cultures and dynasties over the ages.
Rough Emerald Perfection
Our very own journey in this classroom of life requiring the mining of the “inner gems of virtue” that lay latent within each one of us, somewhat mirrors that same journey in the gem world. The extreme pressures and heat that the elements of the earth undergo to transform into magnificent gems are mirrored by the heat and pressure of trials and tribulations mankind endures which also have the ability to transform us into spiritual gems.
How To Buy a Conch Pearl
We understand that the process of buying any piece of jewelry, let alone a rare conch pearl design, can be a difficult one. Unless you are an expert in gemology how do you know? Here are a few tips specifically on how to buy a conch pearl, but some of these tips can help you for all types of jewelry purchases.
Manuel’s First Conch Pearl Encounter
“One successful fishing day I traded 8 lobster with a local fisherman named Regino Castillo, for a fine pink pearl that later was made into a beautiful gold pendant with emerald and diamond accents. Although I felt that I might be getting the short end of the deal since I knew nothing of the history of conch pearl jewelry at the time or what I was looking at, that same pendant sold for over $6000.00 in the 1980’s…”
Secrets of the Spanish Galleons
Sometime within the first year after finding the scattered remains of the two galleons, Mel came into my shop on Duval Street, and without the customary greetings said in a loud and concerned voice, “I have lots of green stones coming up off the Atocha and I don’t know what they are!” I reassured him that I would come over to his offices and make the determination of the nature of his ‘green stones’.
Custom Wedding Bands for Jay & Michael
The making of emerald and diamond custom wedding bands for Jay & Michael. A very sentimental & touching project. For this project we took old diamonds and gold from Michael’s parents wedding rings and joined them with new emeralds and gold to produce a beautiful matching set of two tone gold wedding bands.