Charles Lawson has just posted his latest video featuring Gold Sheen Sapphire on his YouTube channel.
This is an informative video on the cutting and production process. I even have a small speaking part.
UMB Shenzhen Show
We took Gold Sheen Sapphire to the China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair at Shenzhen in April. This was the first time Gold Sheen Sapphire had been shown in the PRC.
David Yurman Feature Gold Sheen Sapphire in 2017 Lunar New Year Collection
Top ranked jewelry designer David Yurman today released their 2017 Lunar New Year Collection featuring Gold Sheen Sapphire.
“The Men’s DY Fortune collection includes designs crafted with octagonal cut stones – a reference to the lucky number 8. Evoke good karma with these extraordinary pieces.”
– David Yurman announcement newsletter
As for the octagonal cut, the raised facets presented quite a challenge for the cutting factory. Making that design in garnet is one thing, but quite a lot harder when cutting sapphire. Nevertheless, the skilled artisans rose to the challenge and filled the order ahead of time while achieving a remarkable consistency of 0.1mm tolerance.
I am very proud to have been able to meet the high quality demanded by David Yurman – which required a concerted team effort over three months. It simply would not have been possible without the dedication of Tanzim Khan and his exceptional team.
The designs on the DY website are:
DY Fortune Faceted Amulet with Golden Sheen Sapphire in 18K Gold
DY Fortune Woven Station Bracelet with Golden Sheen Sapphire and 18K Gold, 11mm
If you would like more information on amazing Gold Sheen Sapphire, please see the information pages on my website – https://sjwgems.com/gold-sheen-sapphire/
If you are a jewelry designer and would like to make a trade enquiry, please contact me directly – steve@sjwgems.com
For other beautiful Gold Sheen Sapphire jewelry and rare and unique collectors pieces, look here – https://sjwgems.com/product-category/gemstones/gold-sheen-sapphire/
Ruby Catalog
I have been working on cataloging and publishing a catalog for ruby cabs from the parcel of rough ruby we bought earlier in the year. I was thinking about using a simplified grading system that groups colour/finish/proportions into one metric called ‘appeal’, but it soon became apparent that it would not be workable. Instead I have used the GIA grading method. After consideration, it can’t really be simplified or improved on in any helpful way. And no need to reinvent the wheel.
It took a couple of days to develop the framework for the spreadsheet, going through several iterations before I was happy with it. The version I am running with will auto-generate a long form description from the grading information. I can then just cut and paste that into the description field of the product on the website. I was quite proud of that little bit of spreadsheet scripting, until someone expressed disappointment that it didn’t just automatically post to the website instead of having to manually cut an paste. Alas, the skills for that type of coding left me long ago. Nevertheless, I am pleased with the functionality of my catalog spreadsheet as it is.
Given a base price for the ruby, the spreadsheet will also generate a price. That part still needs a little bit of work, but basically it works on giving a high value to the ‘sweet spot’ of hue, tone and saturation, with modifiers for clarity, finish, proportion and treatment. The base price I take from the average street/negotiated price I see in the market for unheated ruby cabs.
The end result looks like this:
Which gives me a price from $38 to $128 for the best colour/finish grade stones. Market pricing for ruby cabs at the moment starts at $5 per carat for heat/glass filled, $20-$80 for heat treated and $50-$150 for natural/no heat.
The autogenerated description looks like this:
It will be easy enough to replace the commas with line breaks using a text editor if I want the formatting to look better on the product web page.
Now, I know what you are asking. What about the rubies themselves? They are much more interesting to look at that a spreadsheet, after all. So here is a sample of some we have photographed so far:
The next task will be to take the spreadsheet and publish it as a catalog table on the website. That should be straightforward, and I can include a thumbnail of each gem as well, which will link to the full size picture. I expect to have that completed pretty soon.
In the meantime, if you would like more information on the any particular piece, or for rubies in general, just email me at steve@sjwgems.com.
Wikipedia Article for Gold Sheen Sapphire
I have just completed the draft of a wikipedia article for gold sheen sapphire. You can see the draft here – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft:Golden_sheen_sapphire.
It’s been a long time since I tried to edit anything in Wikipedia, and it still remains a fairly esoteric publishing system. But I have to say that the visual editor and upload wizards do make things quote a bit easier.
Here is one of the photos from the article:
Now just to wait while the Higher Powers of Wiki review the draft. Hopefully it will not need too many revisions to get accepted in the article space. I might just go sacrifice a chicken to appease the Wiki gods, just in case.
Gold Sheen Sapphire Article and Lab Report from GIT
The GIT (The Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand) has just completed an excellent lab report on gold sheen sapphire. They have also featured gold sheen sapphire in the latest GIT magazine.
From the lab report:
Golden Sheen and Non-Sheen Sapphires from Kenya
Nalin Narudeesombat, Saengthip Saengbuangamlam, Thanapong Lhuaamporn and
Thanong Leelawatanasuk
The Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand (Public Organization), Bangkok, 10500, Thailand
Abstract
A new variety of sapphire from Kenya with unique golden sheen ± star phenomena, the so- called
“Gold Sheen” sapphire has been introduced to the gem market in the last 6-7 years. This study was aimed
at characterizing both the sheen sapphire and non-sheen sapphire from the same locality. It was found that
both sheen and non-sheen samples shared somewhat similar inclusion assemblages, namely magnetite,
goethite, hematite, short needles and zircon. The sheen stones, however, were apparently translucent to
opaque with golden sheen ± star effect caused by the reflection of the light from the combination of dense
and well-oriented reddish brown platelets and short needle-like inclusions exsolved along three
crystallographic directions in the basal pinacoid of sapphire. The transparent-to-semi-transparent nonsheen
stones, in contrast, contained relatively much less amounts of platelets and needles. The advanced
analyses revealed that both sheen and non-sheen sapphires contained high iron content, including boehmite,
diaspore and kaolinite which were good indications of untreated stones.
The full report is available here: http://www.git.or.th/2014/eng/testing_center_en/lab_notes_en/glab_en/2016/11/D5-A0210.pdf
Anniversary Gemstones
The traditional list of anniversary gemstones has a big problem – you have to wait a long time before you get to the good stuff.
These are the traditional gifts that Wikipedia lists:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_anniversary#Gemstone_gifts
As you can see, the first really decent gift comes at 12 years with jade. Not that there is anything wrong with garnet and topaz, but to wait 40 years for ruby, and 65 for sapphire is just unreasonable.
   |
| Emerald, ruby and sapphire make exquisite anniversary gifts. But why wait for decades before you give them to the one you love? |
Here is my alternative list. Sure, not for everyone, in fact, it should be exclusive to those only who really love their chosen partner.
|
Year |
Traditional Gemstone |
Alternative, If you really love them |
Why? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Mother of Pearl | Moissanite | Better than diamond in every way. You can show your friends and family the success of your first year with a much larger and more beautiful gemstone |
| 2nd | Garnet | Warm garnet remembers the good times and is a promise of better things yet to come | |
| 3rd | Moonstone | A more subtle beauty, as your love matures | |
| 4th | Blue Topaz | Four years, some tears, but still strong together | |
| 5th | Rose Quartz | Ruby | No one should have to wait longer than five years for a ruby |
| 6th | Amethyst | Things have worked out, cherish and protect | |
| 7th | Onyx | Gold Sheen Sapphire | Deep, complex and endlessly fascinating. Just like your relationship, with the longevity of sapphire. |
| 8th | Tourmaline | Sapphire | Doubling down on topaz, see, you really mean it. |
| 9th | Lapis Lazuli | Spinel | Underrated and not many people get it. But you both do, spinel exemplifies this. |
| 10th | Crystal or green Tourmaline | Emerald | A decade, and you have to top Ruby and sapphire somehow, only an Emerald will do. |
| 11th | Turquoise | Aquamarine | An extra blue cherry on the emerald cake of last year |
| 12th | Jade | Can’t beat jade for year 12 | |
| 13th | Citrine | The best colour citrine can hold its own, bring in the sun and prosperity | |
| 14th | Opal | So many wonderful memories | |
| 15th | Rhodolite | Morganite | Celebrate with something different and unique, just like the both of you |
| 20th | Emerald | Alexandrite | The best properties of ruby and emerald. 20 Years deserves this exclusivity. |
| 25th | Tsavorite | Rare and beautiful, nothing else needs to be said | |
| 30th | Pearl | No problem to stick with tradition at this stage. | |
| 40th | Ruby | Of course ruby again. | |
| 50th | Gold | 24 karat, only | |
| 60th | Diamond | Moissanite, but a set | Remember your first anniversary? |
| 65th | Sapphire | A very big one | You have earned the best of the best |
Yes, it is a little bit tongue-in-cheek. But why not? No one should wait for years for the beauty of a gift of a wonderful gemstone.
Gold Sheen Sapphire in Jewelry
I had a number of pieces of my gold sheen sapphire collection made into jewelry. This was partly on the recommendation of a friend, and partly for my own curiosity.
I am not by any means a jewelry designer, so i just gave some basic instructions to the goldsmith and let him come up with the settings he thought best. I didn’t want to spend a lot on the manufacture, so I used silver with either yellow gold or rhodium plate. The results turned out better than I expected:
Then, while sorting through my collection, I pulled out some of the larger cabs, and started to idly arrange them into a necklace pattern. Hmm, I thought, that would make a pretty nice necklace. And so I ended up with this stunningly gorgeous necklace with over 300 carats of star gold sheen sapphire.
Beautiful, isn’t it? But even more beautiful on a beautiful neckline:
