Prestige Promenade pearls and sweets
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59 www.thejewelrybook.com been believed to be emerald by the Spanish upon their arrival in the Americas. Few people today know that one of the world's greatest producers of rubellite tourmaline was California. Tourmaline was discovered there in 1892 and was mainly exported to China because the Chinese Dowager Empress loved the color. Today tourmaline prices are at their highest with great demand for fi ne quality gemstones from around the globe. It only seems fi tting to end our birthstone series with my favorite gemstone, Opal. Pliny the Elder, a roman scholar, wrote that within opals you can see all the colors of the rainbow. Unlike other gemstones, opal breaks light into its spectral colors giving us the beauti- ful phenomenon known as play of color. For centuries opals were thought to be the luckiest of gemstones because they contained all color, green for wealth, blue for health, red for power, and so on. They were believed to make the owner invisible and preserve life, leading them to become the gem of choice for thieves. It was even said they could preserve the color of blonde hair. A symbol of hope and truth, the native people of Australia believed they were rainbows thrown down from the heavens by the Great Creator. Opal comes in many forms. The traditional, white or light opal has a transparent to milky white background. The king of all opal, black opal, which commands the highest price of any variety of opal. Boulder opal, which is opal still connected to its host rock and displays a vivid kaleidoscope of color because of it. Opal is similar in hardness to glass, and this should be considered when deciding how to mount your gemstone. Thin stones should be pendants and earrings, while thicker stones can be worn as rings. Please don't store your opal in oil, it is a myth that can lead to surface abrasions because the oil attracts dirt that can scratch your beautiful opal. Brecken Farnsworth is the Vice President of Parlé and a Graduate Gemologist, GIA. To learn more about any of these gemstones tune into our monthly Sparkle Spotlights with the Jewelry Book on IG Live or check out our podcast, Gem Junkies, available wherever you get your podcasts. Omi Prive Earrings Parlé Necklaces Omi Prive Rings