Selected from the private collection of one of today’s leading gem dealers, experts, and connoisseurs, this exhibition of over 40 exceptional, museum-quality rings on view and for sale will detail the enduring allure of certain styles, settings, gems, and cutting techniques. Spanning from the 3rd century A.D. Read More
How exciting to have a magical Elizabethan discovery compiled and showcased this year by the Museum of London?! The collection is called the Cheapside Hoard and it was discovered a century ago in a cellar in London. The astonishing part of the story is the… Read More
The Queen’s diamond jubilee marks 60 years on the throne and what better way to celebrate than to display many of the diamonds that have been important in British history. More than 10,000 diamonds are going to be showcased in an exhibit which runs from June 30 to… Read More
INTROspective magazine, put on by 1stdibs, has put together an amazing Q & A focusing on Cartier and America, which celebrates the Cartier exhibit at San Francisco’s Legion of Honor. Yes, 2010 marks Cartier’s centennial, but I wanted to highlight this once more because the exhibit is coming… Read More
I have been forever fascinated by the Titanic–its story, from voyage to the fateful iceberg, has always set my mind in wonder. One big reason is because I know for a fact I would have been standing in line wanting to buy a ticket if I lived in the… Read More
Huge sculpture of Rutilated Quartz (it is three pieces) from Bahia, Brazil Place: Gemological Institute of America (GIA) Museum 5345 Armada Drive Carlsbad, CA 92008 Scheduled Tour (make sure to email guestservicesmailbox@gia.edu to schedule your tour, they won't let you pass the gate otherwise) Closeup, this Rutilated Quartz sculpture weighs 800 pounds! The tour was very informational, and the aspect I enjoyed most was the entire ambiance of the facility. The bright and open atmosphere was reflective, shiny and truly captured what a gem-filled building should be like. The tour was an hour long, and although many of the facts and figures shared were not new to me, I learned an interesting fact about opals. I wondered why the opals were displayed with tiny shot-glass size amounts of water--well, the opals need moisture since they tend to dry out if they are not exposed to any. News to me! It's always fun to learn new things, but even better to see cases upon cases of gemstones. Each case was labeled with several examples of each, anything from maw sit sit, to tourmaline, to zircons. Each picture highlights my favorite parts of the GIA Museum. Some examples of gemstones Rough diamonds on an old sketch "El Itoco" Emerald: 471.6 carats! Love these earrings with the stones cut into star shapes 21,290 carats of Rock Crystal: took 500 hours to cut, one of the largest stones cut to date Shovel full of a variety of gemstones, the ultimate gift I want this For more information about GIA, including featured exhibits. Read More
