VOL 2 – 2020
Firm Member Profile Garrick Beck, Natural Stones
Roselyn Sanchez
“What DoYou MeanYou’ve N ver Been to Tucson?”:A Gem of an Experience Through a Newbie’s Eyes American Colored Gemstone Mining: Owned and Operated by Members of the American GemTrade Association Colorful Choreography: Jewelry Plays a Starring Role in Carrie Ann Inaba’s Personal and Professional Life
Affiliate Member Profile Chuck Stoddard: Stoddard Appraisals
Carrie Ann Inaba Host of The Talk , and Dancing with the Star s judge
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M E M B E R S H I P B E N E F I T S
The American GemTrade Association is a not-for-profit association of United States and Canadian gemstone professionals dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of natural colored gemstones and cultured pearls. Founded in 1981, the AGTA has over 1,300 members representing leading colored gemstone and cultured pearl wholesalers, retailers, manufacturers, designers, colored diamond dealers, estate dealers and industry professionals. AGTA Members are proud to uphold the highest ethical standards, agreeing to the Association’s strict Code of Ethics and full disclosure of gemstone enhancements. Membership provides you with many exclusive benefits and services: Members are eligible to exhibit at some of the most important annual events in the gemstone and jewelry industry, including AGTA GemFair ™ Tucson, and AGTA GemFair ™ LasVegas. Members are featured in the AGTA Source Directory, both the printed and online versions.This is a powerful tool that gives access to a valuable network of fellow gemstone professionals. Members stay informed about the AGTA, hot topics surrounding our industry, gemstone and jewelry fashion with the quarterly Prism & weekly ePrism . Members have access to leading industry programs.These programs include Bank of America Merchant Services, FedEx Express ® , FedEx DeclaredValue, FedEx Office,Association Health Programs and car rentals with Avis and Budget. Members can also access our AGTA Online Community and gain valuable knowledge from our AGTA GemFair ™ Tucson Seminar USBs and our gemstone resource information on our website. The professionalism of AGTA Members continues to set them apart from the competition.
b o a r d o f d i r e c t o r s
P r e s i de nt Ruben Bindra B & B Fine Gems
1s t Vic e P r e s i de nt Bruce Bridges Bridges Tsavorite 2nd Vic e P r e s i de n Robert Bentley Robert Bentley Company, Inc. Secr e ta ry Kimberly S. Collins Kimberly Collins Colored Gems
Treasurer Shekhar Shah Real Gems, Inc. Directors Ann Barker Barker & Co. John Bradshaw John J. Bradshaw
Evan Caplan Evan Caplan Charles Carmona Guild Laboratories, Inc. Jonathan Gad GAD Enterprises Jeff Mason Mason-Kay, Inc. David Nassi 100% Natural, Ltd. Hemant Phophaliya A G Color, Inc. Jaimeen Shah Prima Gems USA, LLC Pa s t P r e s i de nt Jeffrey Bilgore Jeffrey Bilgore, LLC.
Prism : For further information or to advertise, please contact : American GemTrade Association 3030 LBJ Frwy., Ste. 840, Dallas,TX 75234
T : 800-972-1162 F : 214-742-7334
info@agta.org www.agta.org www.addmorecolortoyourlife.com @agta_gems
COVER: Carrie Ann Inaba Earrings: 18K white gold earrings featuring Aquamarines and Diamonds by Stephen Avery of Stephen M.Avery. Necklace: Platinum necklace featuring graduated diamond-cut Aquamarines by Steph Farber of LeRoy Jewelers. Brooch: 18K white gold “Ice Butterfly” pin/pendant featuring carved white Jadeite accented with Emeralds, Diamonds,Tourmalines and a freshwater baroque Pearl by Evy Edelman of Designs by Evy. Ring #1: Platinum ring featuring Sapphire accented with light blue Sapphires byWilliamTravis ofWilliamTravis Jewelry. Ring #2: Platinum ring featuring an Aquamarine accented with Diamonds and blue Sapphires by Mark Schneider of Mark Schneider Design. Clothing: Double Breasted Blazer andWide Let Pants – by Rachel Zoe. Hair: Glenn Nutley, for Opus Beauty. Makeup: Marylin Spiegel. Manicurist: Sarah Chue, for Exclusive Artists Management. Photographer: Brian Bowen Smith for Copious Management. Producer and Fashion Stylist: Tod Hallman for THPFashion, Inc.
Ch i e f Ex ecut i v e Of f ic e r Douglas K. Hucker American Gem Trade Association
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F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T r u b e n b i n d r a
Dear Friends, For the spring 2020 issue of Prism, I wanted to write about the excitement that March Madness generally brings to our nation. I wanted to write about the heating up of the NBA basketball season peaking towards the playoffs, and I would have written about a very successful AGTA GemFair ™ in Tucson. I would have shared with you the mood at the March Hong Kong show and the preparations for the upcoming Baselworld. But I never anticipated that all that would change along with all of our lives because of COVID-19.
The past month and a half has been the most tumultuous, emotional, and challenging time that many of us can remember in our lifetimes.The COVID-19 virus has affected individuals, families, communities, businesses, cities, and states across our country.And as of now, there is no end in sight. All upcoming Gem & Jewelry Shows including March Hong Kong, Baselworld,AGTA GemFair ™ LasVegas,AGS Conclave,The COUTURE Show, JCK LasVegas, and several others are either post- poned or canceled. The NCAA, the NBA, and many world-class events likeWimbledon and the Olympics are can- celed or postponed. We know that after being shut down for a while, businesses and cities in China are reopening as the number of new cases is in decline. Maybe that is the light at the end of the tunnel. Here at home, a stimulus package of around two trillion dollars has been passed and signed into law. It will undoubtedly help the financial side of the equation, but the medical side remains a mystery. World-class pharmaceutical companies are working around the clock to find a cure and produce a vaccine. Individually we need to keep ourselves and our families safe.We need to follow the instruc- tions of local, state, and federal governments. Staying at home and social distancing seem to slow the spread of this virus.We all need to do our part and stay well. As an American, there are two things I know about us: we are resilient and we are innovative. We will fight this vicious virus together, and we will innovate, not only to survive this ultimate and unprecedented challenge, but to thrive after this period of horror is behind us. AGTA members serve the gem and jewelry industry like no one else. Our expertise as gemstone and cultured pearls dealers, jewelry designers, and jewelry manufacturers cannot be duplicated. I know businesses all over the country are shut down now, but when this cloud is lifted, I do not doubt that the need and demand for our products and services will still be there. Our industry is not going any- where any time soon. Sometimes adversity compels us to think more deeply and go outside of our comfort zones.We will find innovative ways to conduct our businesses and, indeed, make up for the lost time. While much remains uncertain right now, one thing is for sure: this crisis will pass. Our businesses, our nation, and our communities will recover. Please join me in praying for our front-line people who risk their lives to save ours. Our first responders, paramedics, police, nurses, doctors, and all the support staff at hospitals are putting their lives at risk every single day.We can help slow the spread of this virus by doing our part including staying at home and, when we do need to go out, keeping the social distance the CDC recommends God bless you all, and God bless our nation.
Ruben S. Bindra President
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PRAYING FOR OUR GEM & JEWELRY COMMUNITY AND OUR NATION TOGETHER WE WILL COME OUT OF THIS PERIOD STRONGER THAN EVER!
THE BINDRA FAMILY & THE B&B FINE GEMS TEAM
i n f o@bandb f i negems . com | 800 . 662 . 8440
F R O M T H E C E O d o u g l a s k . h u c k e r
Many of our efforts during this COVID crisis have focused on providing helpful tools to allow our members to be productive and improve their exposure during times when business is either closed or severely curtailed. Our ongoing digital series,“Marketing During COVID-19,” has been very well received.The series highlights many of the supports that our industry can access, including free gemstone photography to enrich members’ websites, as well as free access to several years of recordings of our AGTA GemFair ™ Tucson Seminar Series that provides gemstone knowledge, marketing tips and up-to-date information about new gemstones and new sources.The marketing series also contains dozens of help- ful hints on how to maintain contact with your clients, upgrade yours skills as well as those of your staff, and improve your digital and web-based footprint.You can visit the “Marketing During COVID-19” resource page here: https://agta.org/covid-19/
Some very rewarding feedback we have received from our members and members of the trade is their enthusiasm and desire for the AGTA to continue the AGTA Spectrum Awards ™ competition for 2020. Even though many of us are sheltering at home during this pandemic, our design and lapidary commu- nity’s creative passions have not diminished. Continuing the AGTA Spectrum Awards ™ allows us to focus our energy, working in our home or in responsibly safe visits to our studios and shops, to continue to create. It gives us an outlet for our ambitions, keeps our inner muse vibrant, and provides us with a wonderful plat- form for our work product to be highlighted to our peers and clients. In response to this outpouring of support, the AGTA is committed to continuing the thirty-six-year tradition of inviting designers to showcase their work in the AGTA Spectrum Awards ™ competition. Even before the advent of COVID-19 we were actively communicating with our community of artists to improve and evolve our competition. In meetings and surveys, we listened to you and have instituted what we feel are improvements to the event. Return to October dates for Competition The dates of the competition have been moved back to the October dates when we traditionally judged the competition and hosted our Media Event.The deadlines for entries are September 25, 2020 in Dallas; or October 6, 2020 for the NewYork Drop-off. New Awards and Category This year we are introducing a new Category to the AGTA Cutting Edge Awards ™ , North American Gemstones, celebrating cutters who create gemstones mined exclusively in the United States or Canada. The second category is a new “Best Of ” award. The Best of Single Entries will be selected from among those applicants who submit only one entry into the competition. Best of Single Entries will be awarded in both the jewelry and the Cutting Edge portions of the competition. Early Bird Registration Program Finally, we are providing opportunities for people to purchase discounted entry into the competition with our Early Bird Registration program.The deadline for entries is still September 25th, but you can send your entry fee by August 14, 2020 and receive a 10% discount. We know how important the AGTA Spectrum Awards™ competition is to the hundreds of our col- leagues who have entered over the years.We also appreciate the trust and confidence each of you has in us to provide you with an opportunity to stay engaged, stay creative, and compete in the premier jewelry design competition in the industry.We are here for you; we are with you. For complete information about the com- petition visit: https://agta.org/2020-spectrum-awards-information/ We look forward, once again, to seeing the magnificent works of art and to joining you all next February at the AGTA Spectrum Awards™ Gala in Tucson to celebrate all of the winners.
Best,
Douglas K. Hucker, CEO
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f i r m p r o f i l e gar r i c k b e c k , natu ra l s ton e s m e m b e r
I was born and raised in Man- hattan in NewYork City. My parents were Off-Broadway theatre people—beatniks.The company they founded,The Living Theatre, is still active today, but they encouraged me to find my route in life. I took their advice and didn’t go into the theatre business. Nevertheless, my work in the gemstone trade has allowed me to be able to work freely on many projects including a chil- dren’s gardening program and several large-scale, avant-garde cultural events—which my upbringing in theatre prepared me for particularly well. I have three grown children, each of whom has followed their direction as well. (One is an engineer working on energy solutions, one works with a market research group and also concierges at a restaurant, and one is an environmental activist working on projects around the
world.) My wife Jenny and I live a short drive outside Santa Fe, New Mexico. On weekends, when I was just 5 or 6 years old, my father sometimes took me up along the Hudson River’s banks near the old red lighthouse below the GeorgeWashington Bridge. There I would find chunks of mica, ‘books’ of it really, half-buried in the ground. I would dig these up and take them home, displaying them on a shelf. I called them my “trea- sures.” I guess I’ve been a “rock person” ever since. Tell us the fascinating story of how you got your start in the colored gemstone business. One day, while I was working in the health food business, I had a bit of “extra money” in my pocket and was walking across town, so I decided to stroll down 47th Street and do
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any wonderful individuals in the gem trade are found in Tucson. One
such person, whom everyone always looks forward to seeing and chatting with, is the articu- late Garrick Beck. Garrick is an incredible wealth of knowledge and a source of exceptional col- ored gemstones.
Below: Garrick with his son, Robin, hanging up their “shingle” 26 years ago.
Will you share about yourself, where you grew up, and your family today?
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What attracted you to AGTA?
some window shopping. In one I saw, among all the sparkling Diamonds, two lovely, round, blue-green stones.They looked like the pictures of the earth from space. I went into the bourse and found the right booth where the proprietor was so disappointed that I was more interested in the “decoration stones” than her valuable goods. Still, she sold me two of those stones—which she explained were Chrysocolla from the old copper mines legendari- ly worked in the days of King Solomon.That was the beginning for me! Tell us about the person who intro- duced you to the jewelry industry and about your love for gemstones. I first learned about the jewelry business from my friend Daniel Young. He was bringing crystals from Arkansas and around the world to stores in NewYork City. He would stay at my apartment, and there he unwrapped beauti- ful McLaren Quartzes and Bra- zilian Aquamarines.There were eye-popping specimens and also pieces anyone could afford.
mineral and crystal business headquartered in Sedona, Arizona, were early teachers for me.They explained the basics of hi-grading, sorting, pricing, display, and bargaining.
The standards for disclosure and business integrity.Also, the community of colored stone people is a genuine fellowship. During your involvement in colored gemstones, in what way have you witnessed the industry changing? Also, how are you guiding your firm to meet today’s challenges? New finds, such as Ethiopian Opals and Emeralds, and all the other amazing materials being unearthed in Africa, continue to expand the global network of colored stone enthusiasts.There are also more enhancement methods.At Natural Stones, we are looking for new and un- usual gem materials and trying to have careful chains of supply and production to avoid untold treatments of any kind. Please share your thoughts on social responsibility in the colored gemstone industry. This is an essential area where the AGTA can work to promote a host of standards that can only benefit the industry. From mine safety, to fair trade, to environmental protec- tions, these are places where our organization can spell out policies that can or should be adhered to.
Who were your early mentors in life?
I spent some time with Doro- thy Day, the Catholic anti-war activist, who helped inspire me to travel the peacenik path.And a beatnik storyteller named Spencer Holst who encouraged me in the art of storytelling— because as we know, every stone has a story!
What is your favorite colored gemstone?
This has varied over the years, because my tastes change, just like my taste in music or paintings has shifted over the decades. Currently I’m com- pletely enamored of Chryso- beryl. It’s hard, it’s super spark- ly, and it has a very distinctive yellow-green color. Also, it needs no treatment.This stone has always been overshad- owed by another variety—the color-changing Alexandrite— but on its own, Chrysoberyl is a gorgeous and underrated gemstone.
Below: American Black Jade from the Edwards Mine in Wyoming, cut in Natural Stones studio.
Who were your early mentors in the colored gemstone trade?
TheYoung brothers—Daniel, Dale, and Dennis—who had a
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BECOME A MEMBER of the industry’s ethical mine-to-market resource with links along the complete jewelry supply chain. Go online at agta.org or call the AGTA Office at 800-972-1162 to learn more information!
Tell us about Natural Stones today. Whom are we likely to speak with when we call? Our shop and gallery in Santa Fe have been open for 25 years serv- ing both the professional jew- elry community and the public. Shannon and Zoë co-manage the store. Both of them have been working at Natural Stones for more than a dozen years.
bed.They said of course they’d looked there, and the carpet had surely been vacuumed many times since.We were all just having fun. But then I saw a glint and I told them so.We all laughed, but there, on top of the floor molding at the back of the bed, was a tiny sparkle, and when I
What has your membership with the AGTA meant for/to you?
Membership has brought me into collegial contact with many more of the professionals in the busi- ness. But more importantly, it has brought greater confidence to my customers and business clients. What is your favorite colored gem- stone “AGTATucson Story” that has happened to you over the years? The very first year I exhibited at the Tucson Gem Show, I was staying in a hotel room and two German jewelers wandered by the open door.They stuck their heads in and mentioned that they’d stayed in that same room the year before. I invited them in, and we talked and chatted away.They said they had had an Emerald that “popped off ” the stone paper as they were opening it and they’d never found it. Just for fun, I took out my flashlight and crouched to look under the
reached out— there was their Emerald. I took that as a sign that I was in the right business.
What is your favorite little known/ unknown place in Santa Fe?
Above: A Rocky Butte (Owyhee area) Picture Jasper. Below: Natural Stones is known to carry and cut a large selection of picture stones and unusual designer cabochons.
The Galisteo Basin Preserve is a 10,000-acre natural preserve just south of town. It’s a great place for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.
Whom have you admired in the colored gemstone industry?
So many people. I admire the independent miners who are digging in remote areas looking for new materials.Also—and especially—the teachers who are passing along their knowl- edge and traditions to the next generations of fine jewelers: Fred deVos, Cecelia Bauer, Bianca Lopez, JonathanWahl, KateWolf to name just a few.
Garrick, you are a citizen of the world.What is your favorite city?
NewYork. For all the criticism everyone gives it about the noise and the hurrying about, NewYork has more different kinds of people getting along better together than anywhere else on earth.And the rest of the world would do well to learn from that!
What is your favorite hotel in the world?
Rancho Pescadero in Baja Sur, Mexico. It’s one of my favorite places to go either before the Tucson show—or to rest up afterward.
What is your favorite restaurant in the world?
My dear local restaurant, Maria’s, right here in Santa Fe. Great food, great ambiance, great service, and a true Santa Fe experience.
By David MBaker,G.G.,AGTA Membership & Education Manager
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“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’
A GEM OF AN EXPERIENCE
I was off yet again “working” (because c’mon, is it really work?). For years, I was nothing more than a social media bystander with a severe case of FOMO while friends and colleagues waxed poetic about the anomaly that is Tucson, Arizona, and particularly, the AGTA Gem- Fair™.“It’s the best show!” they’d tell me. “Oh my gosh, you have to go! It’s so fun!” they’d say. But it wasn’t until the second half of 2019 that an invite came to me asking if I’d be willing to sign on as one of the AGTA’s “Gembassadors™” for the 2020 edition. Naturally I accepted.And finally, I’d get to see what all the hype was about. Look, I’m not going to lie, when every single person I know and trust tells me that something is super fun, I’m going into it with pretty high expectations. I mean, I was half expecting Cirque du Soleil performers in the streets and a midday back massage by Chris Hemsworth (I experienced neither, to my dismay), so on my first day in the city I felt kind of “meh” about it.To start, one of my pieces of luggage went missing, and to add to that my Lyft driver wore a t-shirt stating “Real Men Love Cats” and spoke to me about the positives of owning said felines on my entire 35-minute car trip to the hotel. I immediately became nervous, thinking that maybe Tucson just wasn’t the place for me—that I wouldn’t understand it like so many others do. But that fear was swept aside and immediately replaced by relief the moment I stepped foot onto the plush white carpet of the upper floor of the AGTA GemFair™ on opening day. It was there I first saw familiar faces I love so much: Paula Crevoshay, Lika Behar, Valerie Naifeh, and Martha Seely. It was also there I first met designers like Belle Brooke, Barbara Heinrich, and the women of Almut Belote. I immediately felt at home in this environment because I quickly realized that the fun part of Tucson had little to do with the city and its people, but had much more to do with the fact that I’d be around my people, and my people make the fun, wher- ever they are, and wherever they go. After cruising around the designer jewelry area on the top floor, I decided it
I officially started my jewelry career as a runner on Philadel- phia’s famed Jewelers’ Row back in 1996. I was 23 at the time and had no idea that taking a job that paid me ten bucks an hour
was going to lead to a lifelong career and a newfound love.A runner—for those who don’t live in cities with big jewelry districts like NewYork, L.A., Chicago, and yes, Philly—is sort of the “gopher” of a jewelry business; they’re often the person who runs to pick up castings or CAD files or pearl strands from the other businesses on the street and takes said work where it might need to go next. One of the places I’d get to visit was a lapidary on the 2nd floor of an old building on Sansom Street. I even remember the name of it: Cullman’s. It was one of my favorite places to go, because the owner, Steve, would always take time to show me something cool that he had got- ten in, whether it was a rare gem or a cool looking mineral, or bones of an animal he’d hunted himself. Cullman’s was the most interesting place I’d get to visit during that job as a runner, and the memories of going there stuck with me long after I moved to Atlanta to further my career. As a writer-slash-journalist who largely covers the watch and jewelry industries, the first two months of the year are always busy times for me. In mid-January I’d normally head off to the SIHH watch fair in Gene- va before flying straight to theVicenzaoro jewelry show inVicenza, Italy, which would have me away for a solid ten days.Then I’d come home for a day or two and maybe do one other pre-Basel watch press trip before heading off to cover a jewelry show that used to happen in Scottsdale.At that point I’d be away from my family for a solid three weeks, so by the time the AGTA show in Tucson would roll around at the beginning of February, I knew there was no way I could ask my already understand- ing (and occasionally frazzled) husband if he’d be willing to watch the kids while
Above Left: Barbara Palumbo, Adornmentality Opposite Page Top Down: Almut Belote and Cheryl Van Hook of Almut Belote Jewelry at AGTA GemFair™Tucson. Barbara Palumbo moderates a panel discussion at AGTA GemFair™Tucson 2020. AGTAGembas- sador™; Barbara Palumbo, features a stunning Garnet fromBridges Tsavorite during her Instagram Takeover of @agta_gems at AGTAGemFair™ Tucson.
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VE NEVER BEEN TO TUCSON?” THROUGH A NEWBIE’S EYES.
was time to delve into the world of loose gems down below, and just as I was about to jump on the escalator I received a text message from Alan Hart—the CEO of the Gemmological Association of Great Brit- ain—with the words,“Are you busy?” Having known Alan a while now, I know that when he asks if I’m busy, it usually means there’s some gem world craziness or rarely seen specimen he wants to show me. So I quickly replied that I was on my way downstairs where I met up with him at the bottom of the escalator. “You want to see some amazing demantoid Garnet?” he asked.“Let’s do it,” I replied, and the two of us were off and running, heels and all (on me–not on Alan.). The first booth we visited was that of Prosperity Earth to view the aforemen- tioned demantoid Garnet beauties before heading to Pala International where I got to play with a juicy 32+ carat Colorado Rhodochrosite. I then took Alan over to see my friends at Boston Gems where we both ogled some incredible rainbow Moonstones. Bridges Tsavorite provided me with some great education on, well,Tsavorite (I mean, duh) and I was able to shoot some pictures of gorgeous gray Spinel at the booth of Robert Bentley. Day One had been like a magically colorful carpet ride through a world I’d never before visited, and I was anxious to do it all over again with so much more left to see. All in all, my week in Tucson far sur- passed any expectation I had of the expe- rience.And while I took one of my days there to visit some of the tents around the city, I found myself back at the Convention Center before that day was over because I had come to the conclusion that there were just too many extraordinary things at AGTA that I was afraid I wouldn’t have the time to photograph. It was an eye-opening trip that I won’t soon forget, and I cannot thank the AGTA enough for inviting me out to both teach an education session and serve as one of their Gembassadors™. Add more color to your lives, people— every single day, and in every way you possibly can. By Barbara Palumbo
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AMERICAN COLORED GEMSTONE MINING Owned and Operated by Members of the American GemTrade Association
Avant Mining, LLC: Jessieville, Arkansas Avant Mining, LLC has been mining the Zigras Mine in Blue Springs, Arkansas, since 2014.Avant owns 30+ Quartz mines covering over 11,400 acres in Arkansas.The Zigras Mine, formerly known as the Diamond Drill Carbon Company No. 4 Mine, was the leading producer of optical Quartz during WorldWar II. It was used as “oscillator Quartz” which was critical to the war effort.The Zigras Mine continues to be the leading U.S. producer of optical Quartz and muse- um-quality specimens. Most of the optical
Quartz comes from the same vein that was mined inWorldWar II.The mu- seum-quality specimens are coming from an area called “theVortex Pock- et.”This pocket has been producing from an area nearly 100 feet in length. It has produced well over 50 tons of specimens and is likely the largest pocket of high-quality colorless Quartz ever documented.
Top: Raquel Alonzo Perez, Curator of theMineralogical and Geological Museum, Harvard University, admires a museum-quality Zigras MineQuartz cluster. Photo courtesy of Avant Mining. Bottom: An example of the large single crystals found by Avant Mining . Photo courtesy of David Baker.
Additionally,Avant Mining, LLC owns and operates the Mona Lisa Turquoise Mine located on the Porter Mountain ridge in Arkansas.The Mona Lisa Mine produced the largest Turquoise nugget ever found in the United States, tipping the scales at 245 lb.After many years of inactivity, Mona Lisa Mine has reopened producing an interesting array of Turquoise.
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JOSEPH DARDASHTI, LTD
WWW.SOPHIAD.COM 580 5TH AVENUE 21ST FLOOR NEW YORK, NY 10036 212-398-9282
Desert Sun Mining & Gems: Depoe Bay, Oregon In the high desert of southeast Oregon, nestled among the majestic pines of the Ochoco National Forest, lies the Ponderosa Mine.The namesake of the towering giants surrounding and protecting its precious, hidden treasures, the Ponderosa is owned by John and TalleyWoodmark and Bruce Moore, collectively operating as Desert Sun Mining & Gems (DSMG), an 18-year member of AGTA. Offering an abundance of natural resources, it is the richest, most prolific producer of shimmering Oregon Sunstones in the world. Ethically mined and responsibly sourced, DSMG produces Ponderosa stones which are cal- ibrated for the jewelry industry and marketed by color and size. Faceted stones, cabochons, carvings, beads, and rough are all available in a spectrum of natural, untreated colors, including red, orange, pink, light pink, yellow, green, and bicolor, all priced by size. Oregon Sunstone is an all-Ameri- can gemstone. Though the entire property contains Oregon Sunstone deposits yielding 2.5 kilos per cubic yard, the Ponderosa’s working open-pit mine has only scratched the surface with a mere half acre of the 62-acre property. DSMG has put a million-dollar infrastructure into place, contracting with a com- pany with a track-mounted sand and gravel screen plant which produces enough concentrate in ten days to sort, cut, polish, and market Sunstones over the next two years.The concentrate is washed through a trommel, then the rough is hand-picked (each picker typically produces an average of ten kilos per day).The past two seasons have yielded 6,600 kilos; the Ponderosa’s reserves of Oregon Sunstone have been estimated to be a minimum of 14 billion carats.Verified to a depth of at least 50 feet, the mine sits atop a volcanic vent; its deposit may run hundreds of feet deep. Lewis & Clark Sapphires: Helena, Montana Lewis & Clark Sapphire Mine is located on the famed Eldorado Bar.This deposit is just minutes away from Helena, Montana, just off the reaches of the Missouri River.The Eldorado is known to be the richest of Missouri River deposits. Gems from here are known for their larger grain size of Mon- tana Sapphires.These Sapphires come in all colors, shades, and tones, with the lighter saturation being the most prominent; however, amazing gems of deeper colors are found in the Eldorado as well. The most abundant colors are blue, green, blue/ green, yellow, pink, and lavender. The deposit is unique as many of the gems are very clean, requiring no heat, with a steely vari- ation. Most can display two colors depending on the axis of cutting or viewing.The Sapphires are recovered from gravel deposits on the benches and bars up to several hundred feet above the current Missouri River.
Top Down: Picked rough on the ground at the Ponderosa Oregon SunstoneMine location. P hoto courtesy of Jeff Jessing. Loose stones of the color spectrumproduced at the Ponderosa Oregon SunstoneMine. Photo courtesy of Land Jones. Rough Sapphire examples from Lewis & Clark Sapphires. Photo courtesy of Lewis & Clark Sapphires. Plant at Lewis & Clark Sapphires. Photo courtesy of Lewis & Clark Sapphires.
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In 2003, Lewis & Clark Sapphire Mine start- ed with the vision of Neal Hurni, who bought 109.45 acres of property, drilled a well for water, and hand-made jigs. Since the early days of build- ing and design, much has changed.This mining operation is a hard-earned, small-scale operation scratching an existence out of the ground. Lewis & Clark Sapphire does not dredge the tails on the property. Instead, the operation con- centrates on digging the ten-foot virgin gravel seam at a depth of 35 feet.The material is then screened, washed, and jigged to produce the Sap- phire-rich concentrate that is searched by hand to recover the Sapphire rough along with some very nice red Garnets.The mine also recovers gold us- ing spinning high-G concentrators.All of the land is reclaimed after mining is completed. Lone Mountain Mining, LLC: Las Vegas, Nevada The Lone Mountain Turquoise Mine is an active open pit mine located in Esmeralda County, Neva- da. It has been mined since the 1920s and is one of the fewTurquoise mines still being actively mined in the United States. Lone Mountain is known for producing a wide array of colored stones varying from pale to bright hues of blues and greens, with and without matrix. Lone Mountain Turquoise tends to be harder than most Turquoise; as such, it takes on a beautiful luster when cabbed and polished which makes it highly sought after as a natural Turquoise stone. Mining Turquoise in the U.S. is a labor-inten- sive, multistep process that involves a blend of new and old.While the Turquoise form may vary from mine to mine, Lone Mountain Turquoise is usually found as small nuggets. Modern equipment enables us to excavate tons of ore and then separate and stockpile ore that shows the promise of Turquoise. The stockpiled ore is then run through a grizzly screener. Once the ore is sized to remove larger stones and gravel, it is loaded into a cement truck and tumbled from the mine site to Tonopah for initial cleaning using a trommel.The washed ore drops from the trommel to a conveyor belt, down through a hopper, and on to another conveyor belt where the Turquoise stones are handpicked. The stones are then transported to LasVegas where they are further cleaned by tumbling, sized, and then sorted by color. Finally, the stones are sorted by quality with the best of the stones being separated for cabbing to create the prized Lone Mountain cabochons. Lone Mountain currently produces about 2,000 pounds of Turquoise per year. North Star Turquoise: Florissant, Colorado America’s highest Turquoise mine at an elevation of 10,000 feet, the North Star Turquoise Mine, located in the Pikes Peak batholith, is owned by
Top Down: LoneMountain TurquoiseMine. Photo courtesy of LoneMountainMining LLC. A Turquoise seam at North Star Mine. Photo courtesy of North Star Turquoise. North Star 2 . Examples of North Star Turquoise. Photo courtesy of North Star Turquoise.
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E. Eichberg, Inc. manufacturing for
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Clint and Louisa Cross, partnering with Australians Graham and Anna Slater. Clint, a Native American member of the Sokoki Tribe of the Abenaki Nation of Mis- sisquoi, started as a gold prospector 25 years ago.The Cripple Creek region lies in what is known as the Thirtynine Mile volcanic area, which yields numerous calderas, one of which Clint Cross discov- ered.A caldera, in simple terms, is a collapsed volcanic dome. The experts, upon examination of this Turquoise from the North Star property, note that it contains a high silica property, making it significantly more durable and higher in hardness than material found in other Turquoise mine sites in the Unit- ed States and other localities in the world. North Star Turquoise requires no stabiliza- tion. North Star is the only commercially active Turquoise mine in Colorado and a rare source for natural, untreated Turquoise. Montana is known as the “Treasure State” due to its resources of Sapphires, platinum, copper, gold and other metals. Montana Sap- phire is not a recent discovery; deposits have been mined for more than 120 years. It has only been since 2015 that the area has been returned to large-scale commercial mining by Potentate Mining LLC, a Montana com- pany. Potentate owns more than 3,000 acres of private property, covering about 90% of the known Sapphire producing ground at Rock Creek. The Rock Creek Sapphire ™ mine is the largest producer of Sapphires in America and is located near the silver mining town of Philipsburg in the Sapphire Mountains. The Sapphires are mined from the top of the mountain and the source rocks, Potentate Mining LLC: Philipsburg, Montana possibly alkali basalt, are entirely weathered away, leaving the Sapphires and other resis- tant minerals.The mining is of the weath- ered surface gravels, called eluvium, so no deep pits or underground mining is required. Rock Creek is a famous Blue Ribbon trout stream and Potentate takes their envi- ronmental responsibilities very seriously by ensuring no muddy water is released into the environment and all disturbed ground is fully rehabilitated under Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality guidelines. Potentate uses no chemicals in the recovery process, and all water used in the plant is contained in a closed-loop and fully recycled. A small percentage of the Rock Creek Saphires ™ does not require any form of treatment; these gemstones are quite rare. The balance of the gem-quality Sapphire may contain small amounts of rutile (TiO2) within the crystal structure that reduces
the clarity of the gem and thus these are heat treated. Innovative heat treatment technology for Rock Creek Sapphire™ was only developed in the 1990s.This heat treatment technology—performed in Montana—in- volves oxidizing and reducing atmospheres in sophisticated ovens which dissolve the rutile, allowing the titanium to enter the crystallographic matrix.This improves the clarity and intensity of the color saturation. The most common Rock Creek Sapphire™ colors are blue, blue-green, teals, and greens with rare colors of yellow, orange, lavender, colorless, and padparadscha.
Top down: LoneMountain polished Turquoise nuggets. P hoto courtesy of LoneMountainMining LLC. A premium selection of both natural and heat-treated polished Rock Creek Sapphire ™ showing the diversity of colors with sizes ranging from0.49 to 4.19 carats. Photo courtesy of Jeff Hapeman. Part of themining operation of Rock Creek Sapphires™ at the top of themountain. Photo courtesy of PotentateMining.
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AGTA GemFair Tucson Booth 3222
213.864.2163 gilibjewelry.com
Washington Jade: Edmonds, Washington Washington Jade is an American owned and operat- ed Jade mine established in 2012, that only began its marketing and sales efforts with its AGTA debut in 2019.The majority ofWashington Jade’s claims are situated on serpentine-phyllite/greenstone major fault interfaces inWashington State’s Devil’s Moun- tain Fault Zone from which the company extracts Nephrite Jade of various colors in both large block and boulder form.As with most nephrite depos- its, the majority of the material is green in color, although the higher-than-usual concentrations of manganese in the area frequently cause the Jades to take on a vibrant blue color.As such,Washington Jade can produce tonnage of both green (Evergreen Jade™) and blue (Blue Dream Jade®) nephrite varieties, plus limited quantities of white, honey, Vulcan, lavender,
Sapphires found in Montana.TheYogo Sapphire deposit is a true primary deposit. The nameYogo Sapphire came fromYogo Creek where the gold miners were mining.The Sapphires found here are exceptionally fine in color and clarity.They never need to be heated or treated in any way.They range in color from fine cornflower blue to violet-blue. A typicalYogo Sapphire is found in small, flat, tabular shaped crystals.The majority of the production cuts 2mm goods. CutYogos over 1.0 carat in size are rare and stones over 2.0 carats are extremely rare. The origin of aYogo Sapphire can be positively identified by labs such as AGL and GIA.They are distinguishable by their specific amounts of magne- sium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, iron, gallium.
They come from lamprophyre dike
and black—among others—for small lines/projects for the time being. Nephrite is an incredibly tough stone, allowing it to hold finely carved detail with little risk of fracturing.This same structure gives polished nephrite a vitreous-to-waxy luster.Washington Jade’s green neph- rites are generally on the softer end of nephrite’s typical 6-6.5 Mohs rating, while the blue varieties tend to be significantly
rock that was intrud- ed from great depth through the Madison Limestone formation 50 million years ago. TheVortex Mine started in 1988, mining virgin ore near the western end of the dike. It has been worked by several different owners. In 2017, the mine was acquired by Don Baide, owner of The Gem Gallery in Boz- eman, Montana.The mine is currently 425 feet deep. It’sdepth is equal to a 40-sto- ry building and is
harder.The specific gravities of all ofWashington Jade’s color varieties sit around the global Nephrite average of 3.0. Washington Jade’s nephrite deposits also pro- duce significantly-higher-than-average quantities of cat’s eye Jade, a variety of nephrite in which the constituent tremolite fibers are more aligned than in standard nephrite.This modified fiber structure causes a highly directional variety of chatoyance that produces a cat’s eye effect in properly oriented cabochons.This effect appears to occur across all color varieties, including the highest grade translu- cent blue Nephrites. The Gem Gallery Limited (Yogo Mining LLC): Bozeman, Montana Yogo Sapphires were first discovered in central Montana in 1895, in the Little Belt Mountains by gold miners.These Sapphires are distinctly—visu- ally and chemically—different from all the other
accessible by driving large rubber-wheeled vehicles utilizing a declined shaft.The Sapphire-bearing ore rock is brought to the surface and processed in a ro- tating trommel.The oversized rock is then screened away.The oversized hard ore that passes out of the trommel is then collected and allowed to decom- pose.The largerYogo Sapphires are concentrated by duplex jigs and the smaller stones by sluice boxes. The final concentrating is done with custom-made jigs and hand washing.The Sapphires are heavi- er and concentrate with the other heavy mineral, hematite.The final cleanup is done with tweezers— and patience! TheVortex Mine uses no chemicals to recover theirYogo Sapphires.The only waste rock produced is limestone that can be used for road gravel.The to- tal footprint of the mine takes up less than five acres of land. It is a very environmentally,“green mine.” By David Baker, GG,AGTA Membership and Edu- cation Manager
A small, polished piece of highly translucent, high-grade Blue Dream Jade® . Photo courtesy of Washington Jade.
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iven her love of artistic fine jewelry,Carrie Ann Inaba was an ideal model for this year’s American GemTrade Association (AGTA) Spectrum and Cutting Edge Awards ™ photo shoot. “It was an honor to wear one-of-a-kind works that were created by craftsmen,” she reveals in an interview with AGTA. For sure, jewelry is integral to Inaba’s self-expression and heritage.The Hawaiian-born dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality recalls the staple of every girl on the islands: a 24K gold and Jade bracelet featuring her Hawaiian name.“That’s a tradition,” she explains of her upbringing in the Aloha State. As her skills as a performer strengthened, so too did In- aba’s affection for jewelry. Memories of her mother’s gold and Diamond necklaces stuck with her through teen talent competitions and song releases in Tokyo where she lived for two years (Inaba is part Japanese), hitching a mental ride back with her to the States when she relocated again to pursue a career in entertainment. It was in California that she studied choreography and fell in love with danc- ing, a passion on full display in spots on In Living Color , as a dancer on tour with Madonna, and in myriad appearances on awards shows and working with other artists. Stylist Tod Hallman, a fixture on every AGTA set, con- G
As for colors and style, warm hues of rose and yellow gold (just like her mom) are among her faves, as is black Tourmaline—“It’s the crystal I wear the most,” she says. Then there’s Turquoise:“It’s a stone that looks good with white, yellow, or pink,” she observes. Inaba also likes hoop earrings and—not surprisingly— jewels that move and sway with her own graceful and constant motion. “I like small gold earrings that have parts that move,” she adds.“My choice of jewelry is like stylization of a move. Jewelry adds the special flare—similar to how I create chorography in dance—and can subtly tell the eyes where to go.” Artistry is equally important.“When I am on location, I love to go shopping in boutiques,” she says.“Seeing pieces created to be art is special since I am an artist myself.” Inaba certainly brought this appreciation of design to the AGTA set.“The shoot had beautiful fine pieces,” she recollects.“It was a special feeling to wear living art.” The Ice Butterfly pin and pendant by Evy Edelman of Designs by Evy struck a particular chord. Perched on the wide lapel of a black, double-breasted, sequin blazer, the sprawling insect set in 18K white gold featured carved white Jadeite wings, Emeralds, Diamonds, and Tourma-
COLORFUL CHOREOGRAPHY Jewelry Plays a Starring Role in Carrie Ann Inaba’s Personal and Professional Life
firmed firsthand knowledge of Inaba’s devotion to dance. “She was full of energy and wanted to be expressive,” he says of dressing her. From a ball gown to a jacket-and-pants combo to a one-shouldered floral frock, Inaba couldn’t remain motionless in any of Hallman’s outfits. “I told her, ‘I need you to stand still a little bit to get the shot’,” he laughs in retrospect.“Some talent can be stiff, but she was ready to move!” Of course, that ability is why she is best known for her roles on ABC’s Host of The Talk , and Dancing with the Stars judge (DWTS).The 28-season veteran is frequently shown sitting behind a long judge’s table where she and her peers watch performances, making accessories integral to con- veying a compelling look. “The jewelry choice has often been more important than the dress choice, as what you see when I am in the judge’s seat is really from the waist up,” she explains about dressing for the show. For that reason, Inaba and her DWTS team aim to create drama through jewelry selections.Think pieces with colored stones (“My favorite are deep green,” she reveals) or Diamonds in either super simple silhouettes or graphic ones.“Nothing really ornate unless it’s paired with a simple dress where you let the jewelry be a highlight,” she says. Meanwhile, she reserves brightly colored jewels—some in subtle profiles—for wear on her CBS daytime program The Talk for their silent stamina.“I like to add energy through the jewelry I choose,” she says. In daily life, accessorizing is one of Inaba’s favorite activities.“I love a great statement ring or earrings,” she says.“My stylist always teases me, as the one thing I always do is accessorize, even before I come to work.”
lines, and a white freshwater baroque Pearl positioned as a lustrous crown.The jewel took an Honorable Mention in the BridalWear division of the Spectrum Awards. “It had beautiful details,” Inaba recalls. The jewel was doubly important for its meaning. “I just started a production company with the word ‘monarch’ in it because the monarch butterfly represents transformation,” she says. Opals, too, spoke to Inaba—a fact confirmed by Kami Swinney,AGTA Operations Manager.“She was really into the Opals she wore in the blue dress,” says Swinney, who was also on set.The dress? A shimmering, navy, off-the-shoulder gown by Theia.The jewels? A feath- ery-looking necklace featuring a 49.80 ct. boulder Opal in 18K white gold with blue Sapphires, tsavorite Garnets, and Diamonds with matching earrings by Tanja Schuetz of DuftyWeis Opals, Inc.The necklace took First Place in EveningWear. “I really loved the large stone necklace,” says Inaba.“The artistry was so impressive in all the pieces.You could see the care and detail that went into making them.” By Jennifer Heebner
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Earrings: 18K white gold earrings featuring boulder Opals accented with blue Sapphires, tsavorite Garnets and Diamonds byTanja Schuetz of DuftyWeis Opals, Inc.. Necklace: 18K white gold necklace featuring a boulder Opal accented with blue Sapphires, tsavorite Garnets and Diamonds byTanja Schuetz of DuftyWeis Opals, Inc. Bracelet: Platinum bracelet featuring a Russian demantoid Garnet accented with Russian demantoid Garnets and Diamonds by Jeffrey Bilgore of Jeffrey Bilgore, LLC.. Ring: Platinum ring featuring an Emerald cabochon accented with Diamonds by Avi Raz of A & Z Pearls, Inc.. Clothing: Navy Evening Gown – byTheia. Hair: Glenn Nutley, for Opus Beauty.
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