Category: Gem Blast
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Gem Blast: Green Aquamarine
So it’s March, and that means it’s the month of aquamarines. Birthstones are a widely accepted social concept, but does anyone actually know who decided what stone for what month? Green Aquamarine is difficult to find. Typically Aquas are heated to give them that blue color that people associate with…
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Gem Blast: Amethyst
Apparently I have decided to do birthstone posts every month. Why not, right? Anyway, February gets amethyst. Purple is traditionally a color of royalty, and generally a sought after gemstone for jewelry stores, because it is popular, and it’s relatively inexpensive since it’s pretty common to find in nice colors…
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Pantone 2015: Marsala
Ok, Pantone, what happened? 2014 was Radiant Orchard. 2013 was Emerald. Why Marsala for 2015? First off, Marsala is a fortified wine typically used in a chicken dish. So when I heard that “Marsala” was the color of 2015, I was like, “What?! What color is Marsala besides a brownish…
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Gem Blast: Gem Store
I have a favorite gem store, and I have spent dozens of hours perusing it’s aisles and harassing it’s employees. I’m going to take the opportunity to show you some pictures of it, and some of the treasures I’ve come across. It is sort of stuck in the 1970s, so…
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Gem Blast: Red Spinel Melee
Bringing in the New Year with a bright bang! Here are some red spinel melee! I’ve had plans for these little guys for years, but they WILL be set in 2015. Famous last words. Hah! I bought these stones with my husband after a great Vietnamese lunch. We popped over…
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Gem Blast: Tiny Diamonds
I recently got 6 small marquise cut diamonds from a good friend of mine. I actually have a small marquise left over from another project, but it’s a little bit bigger than these are. Anyway, I just wanted to post a few pictures I took of these little guys. They…
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Gem Blast: Moonstone & Sapphires
I’ve been helping a friend with a moonstone project for a while, serving as her personal shopper at times, and acting as a sort of consultant at other times. I have always loved moonstone with a blue sheen to it because it looked so mysterious and almost magical, but I…
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Gem Blast: Purple Sapphire
One of the best things about visiting home is my favorite little gem shop. When I was there over the summer, I managed to catch a glimpse of this stone, and couldn’t stop thinking about it when I got home! So I sent my gemstone-buying-partner-in-crime, Erin of Willajune Jewelry to…
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Gem Blast: Considering Gemstone Recuts
I typically like to do Gem Blast posts as mostly pictures with little commentary, as it gives me a little break from writing, and I get to post pictures, which I love taking, but this one is a little bit different because it deals with a specific issue: Gemstone Recuts…
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Gem Blast: Lavender Asscher Spinel
WordPress seems to like to distort pictures in the upload a bit, doesn’t it? This is a 1.6ct and 6.2mm lavender asscher cut spinel, from the lovely Mr. Peter Torraca of Torraca Gemcutting. The setting was by Coast Diamonds, but it’s no longer set in that ring, and will be…
The Gemstone Project 