Newsletter September 2021

Last month's Melee the Show, held in New York, reminded us of two things. First, live trade shows are back and, secondly, how versatile tiny gemstones can be in the hands of imaginative and inspired jewelry designers.

The rings, earrings, bracelets, pendants, necklaces and more on display, in just about every gemstone and color you can think of were simply amazing.

Some designers played fast and loose with what we might define as melee gemstones but any small gemstone measuring just a few millimeters across can qualify as melee these days and can also be called pave, accent or side stones.

Getting melee gemstones in perfectly matching color, shape and size can be a bit tricky but GemSelect has you covered with our excellent selection. Just about every color is represented in a variety of gem types and shapes to cater to every budget and taste.

If you are looking for slightly bigger gemstones that can also be used for multi-stone designs or side stone you may find what you are looking for in our lots section.

A shout out for a few gemstones that have recently arrived at our offices. London Blue and Sky Blue are two of the best selling Topaz gemstones in the world at the moment. Lovely blue tones, excellent clarity, tough enough at 8 on Mohs Hardness scale for all sorts of jewelry items including daily wear pieces and great value for money.

If you are looking for something truly spectacular that will catch the eye from across the room look no further than some of the enormous Amethyst gemstones we have managed to lay our hands on recently. The deep purple and vivid violet colors stand out by themselves but with a few of our new additions reaching 100 carats and more these stone are amazing. All sorts of shapes and cuts to choose from right here:

A gorgeous deep red ruby is often thought of as being out of the reach of most people's budgets but the process of fracture filling which began with diamonds and emeralds a few decades ago has meant that more rubies are available.

This is a fairly invasive gemstone treatment but it has made owning a real ruby with a stunning color, good clarity and a reasonable size a reality. Completely untreated rubies can be $10,000 per carat and heat treated beauties can reach $5000 per carat but we have some delightful rubies from both Myanmar and Mozambique which can be bought for less than $50 per carat.

See some of our new ruby arrivals here.

September's Birthstone is the illustrious and prestigious Sapphire and a gift of one of these gemstones for someone you love who celebrates a birthday in this month would be very much appreciated. A deep blue sapphire is possibly the most famous type of gemstone in the world - it is certainly the most popular - but did you know you can find sapphires in every color? There are even some that are multi-colored and some that change color!

After our story last month about the robbery at Boodles of London, a discussion came up at the office about the best jewelry heist movies. A few suggestions came up, some a bit silly, for example, Ocean's 8, but I have chosen the top 6 movies featuring a gemstone or jewelry robbery.

The Hot Rock
Snatch
To Catch a Thief
Rififi
A Fish Called Wanda
The Pink Panther

If you have not seen any of these classics, check them out and if you have any more suggestions let us know.

When you have customers from all four corners of the globe it can be quite difficult to keep up with all the holidays, seasons and traditions.

With that in mind, I would like to remind everyone living in the northern hemisphere that Autumn or Fall is arriving soon and we have a great article about gemstones that come in perfect seasonal colors.

At the same time, our brothers and sisters in the southern hemisphere are approaching spring and might prefer gemstones in some brighter and lighter colors that reflect the blossoming season!

And to all our friends and family in the USA, we would like to wish you all a great Labor Day for next Monday, have a great day and take it easy with the hotdogs.

Just time for a couple of your questions:

Question

What are Teal Sapphires?

Answer

Teal Sapphire is a special and unique variety of corundum where the color combines the cool and calm of blue with the revitalizing energy of green. Teal Sapphires show a varying degree of these colors, and the most sought after gems have an equal or near equal composition of blue and green primary colors with hints of yellow. You can find our selection of Teal Sapphires here

Question

Could you tell me what the state stone of New York is?

Answer

The state gem of New York is the lovely red Garnet. It was designated the official state gem of New York in 1969. You can find red Garnet of every shape and size here: Red Garnet

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