New Travels Ahead: Emerald Hunting in Colombia

It's summer again and I am ready to explore a new location for gems: Colombia.  On Saturday July 13th, I am flying out to Bogota to meet my travel buddy Jochen from Jentsch Minerals and his friend Klaus, who also collects minerals as a hobby.  Jochen lived in Colombia when he geological surveys from 1968-1970 and speaks Spanish well enough to keep us all afloat.  (My Spanish is fairly non-existent, except what I picked up by osmosis from living in downtown Jersey City).

My Travel Buddy Jochen on his last trip to Colombia

Emeralds have been mined in Colombia for over 500 years but mining lore has it that the mining of emeralds in the area goes back as far as 500 B.C. In Bogota, we will pay a visit to the Gold Museum and of course the emerald market.  Then we head out to the town of Villa de Leyva, an old historical town, for an overnight stay.  The following morning our rented four wheel drive (much needed given the roads there) will take us to Muzo where we have arranged a mining trip via a local hotel. Muzo has lived off of emerald mining for hundreds of years, but not very many tourists go there.  On a trip Jochen took last fall, however, he did manage to buy various specimens and two trapiche pieces.  

I'm curious if there will be anything for me as the mining and selling of emeralds is firmly in government hands.  While of course there are plenty of ways to buy, I am not convinced that there's any reason to expect that a one time buyer like me with a fairly small budget will be offered anything but regular retail prices.  But we will see, and I will learn.  

Here are some images of Muzo and the two trapice emerald pieces.

After a two night stay in Muzo, our adventure continues with a probably all day drive to Chivor. Here's an image of the mining regions in Colombia.

The mines in Chivor are privately owned so we probably won't get to see them, but the area is supposed to be beautiful and of course, I can't wait to follow in the footsteps of history.  Chivor was the first mine to produce in the Americas, discovered by the Spanish in the 1500s, abandoned about two centuries later and the location lost until 1896, when it was rediscovered by Francisco Restrepo based on 300 year old maps.  As history has it, Restrepo searched for eight years before he found the exact location.

You can read more about the history and Chivor in this very informative GIA article, "In Rainer's Footsteps: Journey to the Chivor Emerald Mine."

I will try to keep in touch from Colombia.  Internet access is fairly smooth I am told, and I am in the same time zone as in NYC, which will help a great deal.

Looking forward to reporting back soon!  We will fly out of Bogota on the 23rd, rest up in the Dominican Republic for a couple of nights, and I arrive back on the 26th.

Setting Secrets Exposed: What Happens to Your Custom Project in Setting

I don't know if you have noticed but the diamond district tends to be very secretive about what happens behind all those closed doors. Try googling for articles on the diamond district, you will find that most have very little content. But for a little fun and very accurate information, try this article from the New York Times on Diamond District Slang.

Jewelers rarely if ever disclose who does their work, not even to each other. I think that's a pity because there's not only much to be learned for those not in the industry. I personally am in awe of some of the skill that is exhibited by jewelers, setters, engravers, and even polishers – who are least likely to get many kudos for their work. Each step in making these little masterpieces is the result of years of experience, and in most cases, also involves considerable financial investment, both in terms of equipment needed and risk management.  

Last week I made a little video to demonstrate some of this, and provide you some insight into one of the aspects of the jewelry making process: setting. As most of you know already, Pierre Berberoglu (you'll find him on facebook if you like to make friends) has been my setter for about 7 or 8 years now. Pierre started working in the jewelry industry at 14, back in Turkey at a time when Armenians didn't have many options of what jobs to pursue. Pierre, who also owns 4 Ben and Jerry's Ice cream shops, finds the work he does both challenging and soothing. He feels in control when he's at the bench, he says. And that despite the super expensive pieces he works on, many of which require not only a steady hand but also an enormous amount of concentration.

Our Ring Models Before Setting

Pierre's office can be found on the 8th floor of a well secured doorman building, and you have to be let into two doors to get in. There's a camera at the door and if he doesn't know you he will ask through the speaker who you are. If you are new, you can say who sent you or who recommended you, that might open the doors. Or not, if he deems it insecure. Pierre's safe has to protect a lot of client's projects so it's best not to deal with anyone you don't know.

Cecile Raley Designs job envelopes for custom projects

Your Cecile Raley Designs custom project will travel through the diamond district in a job envelope like this, with all important information written or sketched on the envelope

Pierre sits at his bench concentrating hard approximately 5-6 hours a day, the rest of the time is taken up talking to the likes of me, or dropping off and picking up a project. His huge microscope is a necessity for micro pave work, which he executes with perfection even while chatting with me.  

Trays of gemstones in my safe, waiting to be set into custom jewelry

In the video, we go over a few projects for clients, including one for me. I have him explain a bit about the challenges. While Pierre has been gem setting for nearly 40 years, the kinds of gems I bring are ones even he has rarely or never heard of. So for any new gem (i.e. the hauynes I started bringing three years ago) we have to discuss how it might behave under his tools. He told me once that setting paraiba melee is like setting soap bubbles. He almost doesn't use tools at all when he presses the prongs in (occasionally he uses his fingernails). I also have him set a lot of odd shapes, i.e. small pave ovals or squares, which is rarely done.  

A Cecile Raley Designs custom CAD design with a pave double halo of gemstones

Ethan, my other setter, who is also a bit more camera shy, so you aren't seeing him here, actually practiced setting colored gems for two years before we both felt comfortable working on my projects. Before going out on his own, Ethan set diamonds for a company that almost exclusively did micro pave for Tiffany's. While presenting it's own challenges (Tiffany's is a stickler for perfection), a setter who has set diamonds for years is usually very heavy handed and has to learn to hold back the force he uses for diamonds. This can result in a lot of breakage at first. And keep in mind that almost every setter in the US sets almost only diamonds. This makes what I do very much off the beaten path.

Dozens of custom projects in my Jersey City office, waiting to be taken to the NY diamond district, or just arriving back from there 

For a little extra entertainment, here's a short clip of Pierre discussing how he's setting a diamond tennis bracelet:

Detail of Hand Cut Scoop Down Pave by Pierre

Why Buy Gems at Retail Price?

Once upon a time - in the not too distant past, in fact - jewelry shopping was so easy and straightforward: you would go to what they called a "storefront."  This was a building with doors, and inside was a counter with a display of goods.  There would be a salesperson explaining the various options and prices to you, you could take your time browsing items and seeing how they look on you, maybe get a gift wrap, and walk out with the coveted piece.

Things have changed, haven't they?  Here you are, sitting on your couch with your phone, iPad, what have you, googling what you think you want (If it is what you want, you don't even know) and getting hundreds of pages with wares that make your eyes glaze over. You are wondering if those things would even suit your style, your makeup, hair, tone.  And then, there it is, the item you think will work, it's not expensive, shipping from somewhere far away.  Shipping is - oops, an additional $20, but the photos look pretty and the gem is a nice glowy blue.

A few weeks hence, your item arrives but it's not really what you were looking for.  The ring doesn't look nice on you, and now you've done more reading you realize that you should have asked if the gem was treated. You write an email to that effect but no answer. There's tons of information on the web and you are overwhelmed, a return is time consuming and expensive.

Sound familiar? I buy a lot of stuff online myself, and I often feel exactly like that. It can be hard to shop online when you don't know what you are looking for and you can get lured in by a low price, especially when you use price as a sorting factor. To give an example, while I buy clothes online, I use either US sellers with an easy and fast return or, as in the case of my favorite Etsy vendor Xiaolizi, I first made a sample purchase, figured out what works for me from their shop, and then became a repeat buyer, not having to worry about returns because I know I am getting the goods and service I want.  Xialoizi prices are a little higher than my in store price point but I get the personal attention I want from my shopping experience and way more customization options. So compared to what it would cost in Jersey City to have my own tailor, I am actually making out.

Yvonne at the AGTA show wearing Xiaolizi design (Etsy vendor)

How do you know if an online vendor is a wholesaler?

With online shopping, the wholesale retail difference is less obvious, but it is still there.  Wholesalers operate with a lower markup but they require volume purchases and they can't take out much time for extra photos, and videos.

Their shops are not curated because they need to move all the product they have invested in, and in a speedy way so you find either just a selection of their goods online, or no prices, or many offered lots instead of individual items.  While returns are not customary in wholesale, online return options are the law in the US (even if you are dealing with someone who is a private seller by the way), so those are available but if you are buying from overseas returns can take a long time and rather than the seller providing you with the extra help you need to make a decision, it will be up to be an informed buyer. So the likelihood of a return is increased.

Here's an example of how wholesale works in the gem show world: to exhibit at a gem show can easily cost you $10,000 plus, add to that travel, staff, and preparing/processing merchandise which can take weeks (sorting and pricing goods, getting them ready for display).  If you do 10 shows a year and are a small wholesale business employing one or two people, I would estimate you will want to make at least $100,000 at a show - at an AGTA or JCK show that figure is a lot higher but this includes after show sales.  (For now let's leave anything about cost of goods sold out of the equation).  That means you need sales of $20,000 a day if it's five days, $2500 per hour! 

So, if I come along with my $500 budget and shop for 60 minutes, they lose money, even though in my eyes $500 would suggest to me that they should at least give me an hour of their time. 

It's the same with online purchases.  It would be impossible for a true wholesale online merchant to spend 60 minutes on a small purchase.  They are better off quickly negotiating a big sale, send you what you need for viewing and you decide without their help on what you need, send back the rest with a check for the difference.  

This is the established way and it works well once you know each other and trust each other.  A low markup on goods - the reason to buy wholesale of course - implies a sales process that is quick and painless and it implies repeat business.  In addition, and this is important, both seller and buyer have the same level of expertise regarding the product, quality and current pricing, making the painful return policy unnecessary. You inspect before you pay and then you're done.  When you shop at a wholesale show it is the same. There's no "I had a change of heart," or "my dishwasher broke," or "I did my research and this is more expensive than it should be." 

What does Retail Buying do for you?

Meanwhile the retail online seller like us, provides or should provide, an entirely different buying experience.

1. A retail seller does not get to assume that a buyer has the same level of expertise, making it obligatory to educate the buyer and give full disclose of what's important to the buyer (i.e. the risks of a cleaning product to kids or pets).

2. A retail seller takes out more time to help a buyer make an educated decision, possibly help with style, color, or anything else relevant when the product is online. They take the extra photos and videos needed, and answer questions promptly and completely.

3. A retail seller should provide a curated experience of well selected goods for their clientele, not overwhelm them with tons of stuff that is of interest for a different client base.

4. And most importantly, a retail seller must have a solid inspection and return policy!  Repeat business is good for everyone (for the buyer too), but this means that the seller's objective should be to protect the buyer, keep her investment safe, and meet her expectations when she receives her goods, not to go for the quick "one off".  

Cecile Raley Designs return & exchange policy

Visit our shop policies section here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CecileRaleyDesigns

From Venice to The Venetian: CRD Heads to Vegas

Still jet lagged from my recent trip to Venice, I am already packing my bags again!  The Las Vegas AGTA show starts Thursday the 29th and guess who will be the first at the door?  😊  We are all curious to see how this year’s show will do as there’s been some reorganization.  The AGTA has moved back to its earlier location, the Las Vegas Convention center, and the JCK will be at the Sands Expo and Venetian, with a new special section dedicated to colored gems and diamonds.  As a result of this split between locations, some vendors have chosen to just exhibit at the JCK instead, others exhibit at both.  So, we will be shuttling back and forth, checking out what’s new at both shows.

Those of you who keep a keen eye on our shop even when things are quiet (like when yours truly is overdosing on gelato while sitting in a gondola), you will have noticed the recent quick turnover of several Mahenge spinels from old stock.  We’ve seen a recent and well-deserved flare up in demand for this gorgeous gem and have done some early sourcing just this week.  We will feature our treasures on our site in the few days – as quickly as we can do photos and listings.

Jaimeen from Prima gems let me rummage around the older boxes amidst their Vegas packing frenzy and I’ve unearthed a few real “gems” – no pun intended.  Two of the pieces I grabbed, a round and a cushion, were actually handpicked to be featured in their JCK booth with mainly has jewelry (whereas the AGTA has mainly gems and some beads) – they were in a different tray and I asked if I could have them.  I also lucked out with three small tsavorites, also old stock, from Jaimeen’s private stash.  “You work with those,” he said.  Too nice to go to the larger wholesalers – or some such.  Many of the larger companies that Prima supplies to may not (this is my view) distinguish between the nice and the superb when they manufacture jewelry.  So, if my timing is right, I can get some of the true standouts from larger parcels before they move on to the manufacturers.

My Paraiba vendor also called me just before I went off to Europe because a new batch of blue glowies had arrived from Brazil and he wanted me to have first dibs.  The parcel hadn’t even been processed yet; he was still doing the basic sorting into price categories.  You see, these vendors have to negotiate on larger and unsorted parcels, they make a price, buy, then do the more refined grading.  Sometimes these negotiations are just over the best pieces in the parcel where those need to cover costs and most of the profits, the rest is extra.  So, for instance, a parcel may contain 3 paraibas in the 3-4 carat range that might be valued at $250,000.  Those can be the focus of the negotiations, and the small pieces are graded more precisely later – and it’s those smaller parcels CRD tucks into.  We’ve been putting these gems out slowly over the last month but also held back some, so watch for new listings of Paraiba.

Speaking of Paraiba, I also plan to stock up on some more melees.  The vendor prices have gone up for those – and they were never cheap to begin with – but they said they’d hold the price for me for a little longer, unless someone comes in and makes an offer for all of it.  In any case, while that stock has been selling down slowly, they have told me and I am sure it is true: there’s no additional melee being cut, so what’s left is what there is.  I am going to avoid buying 1mm sizes because those ARE already higher in price, even for me, but I can get 1.3, 1.5 or 1.6 and 1.8mm pieces as long as my purchase makes a full carat.  Everyone else must buy a full carat of any size they want – this is a seller’s market after all.  But I often get treated more nicely, as it were, because my purchases are relatively small but consistent.  Plus, I’d never ask to memo melee and they know that, nor do I pay late.  The rule for a small buyer like me is to always pay small purchases immediately and do so on a consistent enough basis that the vendors can count on this income. 

What else will I buy?  Well not sure.  I think ruby melee and emerald melee, as well as more smaller sizes is on my list.  Also, I will look to get more spinel melee in different colors (some of you have already noticed that I got a pre-Vegas shipment of the platinum color and I have another light grey to be listed).  I’m not sure about the calibrated Jedi’s, the largest size I can get is 2.5 and I have that, but I will be there on the first day and the vendor will probably hold some back for me if I let them know early.

Is there anything else you are interested in?  Just shoot us a note, pre orders are best but we will try to respond anytime!

And let me end with a few items that are not likely to stay in the shop after our sale because they are going back to the respective owners at the end of the show.  If you are eyeing any of these, please contact us, and we will re-memo them.  We always value your input as to what items are currently your faves and what you’d like to see more (or less) of, even when you aren’t necessarily buying.

 

8mm Trillion Green Beryl

African Sapphire Cushion Cut

10x6mm Elongated Cushion 2.38 ct Peach Sapphire Unheated Ceylon Sapphire 

Lavender Sapphire, Unheated Ceylon Sapphire, 1.22 ct Pear Sapphire

Padparadscha – Lab Certification Roulette

Guest Blog by Inken Krause, Enhoerning Jewelry

Entire book chapters and countless longish essays have been written about the ideal color of Padparadscha sapphire and the cultural history of this special color descriptor so full of romantic idealization and metaphoric meaning. Now Yvonne has asked me to edit a short guest blog (emphasis on short), so I will try to work on a more practical question.

What does a sapphire look like that will, in all likelihood, be ennobled as Padparadscha by the most important American/European* gem labs?

Several labs, AGL among them, agreed that this 2 ct unheated Ceylon sapphire is a Padparadscha. The perfectly balanced mix of orange and pink leaves very little room for doubt.

This 2 ct Padparadscha was most likely tested for color stability by AGL, although they do not explicitly mention this on the report. I hope they will start doing this on future reports. 

Color -- Hue

Modern definitions of Padparadscha ask for a pink-orange (called type “sunrise“) or orange-pink (called type “sunset“) color. Purists tend to prefer the sunrise type. The color mixture between pink and orange should be well balanced. If either pink or orange is very weak, most labs do not grant the pad label, and any hint of brown is a deal breaker for most of them. Some labs are very strict and exclude any yellowish (not orange) or lavender-purplish (not pink) color. In my experience, the New York based AGL is rather tolerant about purplish hues, but absolutely unforgiving about brown. Of the American labs, GIA tends to be the strictest when it comes to hue (see the round stone example below).

AGL certified this 4 ct unheated Ceylon sapphire as Padparadscha, GIA disagreed and called it “pink sapphire“.

This 2 ct unheated Ceylon sapphire was certified “Pad“ by AGL, and the color is so well balanced that almost any other lab would follow. It leans slightly to the orange side, making it a sunrise Padparadscha.





This 4 ct unheated Ceylon sapphire was certified as Padparadscha by an Asian lab, but AGL (with good reason) decided it is only a ‘light purple’ fancy sapphire, although there is indeed a very slight orange modifier.



Color -- Tone

Tone is the least critical aspect of Padparadscha color. Most labs will accept a wide range of tone (lightness/darkness), as long as the tone corresponds well to the saturation level. Higher saturation can have higher tone. A low color saturation with a high value of tone often leads to a brownish or grayish appearance of the gem. A sapphire with a strong grayish appearance will not be considered a Padparadscha by most labs.

This 2 ct unheated Ceylon sapphire was certified Padparadscha by several major labs, including AGL. It shows a slight grey modifier, but the orangey-pink color predominates in daylight.



Color -- Saturation

Saturation is the most tricky aspect of Padparadscha certification. Almost all Western gem laboratories ask for a light (“pastel“) to medium saturation in pad sapphire. The color should be “delicate“. However, in practice, lab certification can work differently. Many labs routinely reject pink-orange/orange-pink sapphires and do not grant the desired color descriptor if they find the saturation to be too light! (Happened many times to me and my stones). However, it is very rare that they reject a sapphire as a non-pad because of too high saturation, unless there is a brownish modifier. Almost no lab can resist the beauty of an intensely to vividly saturated pink-orange/orange-pink sapphire, even if these stones do not meet their official requirements for (lower) saturation. AGL seems to be notorious for this paradox, but I have seen it on lab reports by GRS and even the highly respected Gübelin lab as well.

This 1 ct unheated Ceylon sapphire was certified by AGL as “Pale orange-pink“. Because of the “pale“ it did not pass as Padparadscha but was labeled fancy sapphire.



Color -- Stability?

The color of a Padparadscha needs to be stable and may not fade over time and/or in the absence of UV light. Color stability in pad (and other color fancy-) sapphire is a hot topic right now and deserves another blog entry of its own. In the meantime, please feel free to read some latest research here: https://www.ssef.ch/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2018_Padparadscha_colour_stability_facette.pdf

Most of the laboratories mentioned in this text routinely do color stability tests on potential Padparadscha sapphire and do not grant the color designation if a stone does not pass. If you buy a Padparadscha these days, make sure that it comes with a reputable lab report that is not older than a year. Even the most respected laboratories did not test for Padparadscha color stability until a couple of years ago.

This 5 ct Padparadscha was tested for color stability at Lotus Gemology, although they do not explicitly mention this on the report. I hope they will start doing this on future reports.



Geographic Origin?

For Padparadscha purists (like me) a real pad is from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) or from Burma (Myanmar). The very rare Padparadschas from Burma are incredibly beautiful. However, many mining locations produce Padparadscha sapphire, for instance Madagascar. A fair number of fancy sapphires from Madagascar do not pass the “pad test“, however, due to color stability issues. Pad-like sapphires from Umba, Tanzania, often do not get certified as Padparadscha due to brownish modifiers (or, sometimes, too much saturation).

Treatment?
Again, Padparadscha purists (like me) have their own view on things and think that only an unheated pad-color sapphire is a real Padparadscha. All of the labs mentioned in this article, however, certify heated (heat-only!) sapphire as Padparadscha, too, if the color is right. None of the labs mentioned in this article will give the precious title to sapphires that have undergone Beryllium-heating or any other invasive treatment.

Three Ceylon sapphires, all unheated/untreated. The middle one shows almost perfect Padparadscha color. The one on the left does not show enough pink. The one on the right is rather high in saturation for a Padparadscha, but shows a good balance of orange and pink (all of these are available through Cecile Raley Designs).

This 1.99 ct unheated/untreated Ceylon sapphire is currently available in Yvonne‘s Etsy shop. It is of the “sunset“ type and has a good to very good chance to be certified as Padparadscha by, for instance, AGL.

* comments made in this blog entry apply, to the best knowledge of the author, to the following gem labs: AGL, C. Dunaigre, GIA, GRS, Gübelin, IGI, Lotus Gemology, SSEF; this blog article does not make any promises about lab results for your sapphire.

Alternative Engagement Rings: Five Reasons to Opt Out of the Diamond Market

So you may have noticed that we started a bridal section on Etsy where we are in the process of listing our gemstone rings as an alternative to the traditional diamond engagement rings (though of course you can buy them as a standard custom order as well).  We thought our styles were unconventional and allowing for so many different design options that we should start carving out our own unique niche in this market.

If you’ve been following the news on the various royalties getting married and engaged, you would have noticed that sapphire(in particular the padparadscha) and also aquamarine, have become quite hot lately.  Some of my own clients have enjoyed designing rings for birthstones, meaningful months or just their loved one’s favorite colors (on occasion I also get the bride to be as the client, and she designs the ring that her significant other than purchases). 

Here’s Kate Middleton’s (right) and Princess Eugenie’s Padparadscha Engagement ring (left)

Halle Berry with a Colombian Emerald 

Eva Langoria with a Ruby

So what are some special reasons for owning an alternative engagement ring?  We have five for you!

1. No blood diamonds. Colored gems are much more rarely used as an alternative currency than diamonds are.  While all gemstones, including diamonds, are easily smuggled due to their size, diamonds are considerably less identifiable as unique objects (they are all white and they are all diamonds), while at the same time easier to sell than colored gems.  So while “blood diamonds” have gotten a lot of attention in the media, colored stones are not generally treated with the same concern.  (See note below)

2. They are collector’s items. From a collector’s perspective, you can own an engagement ring that is totally one of a kind and can thus be quite valuable compared to diamonds (which have a terrible resale value, especially when they come out of engagement rings – for obvious reasons). They can be worn by kids and grand kids and not look like they are wearing someone else’s engagement ring.

3. Color to suit the occasion. As mentioned above, you can design a colored gemstone engagement ring around a birthstone combination (his and hers for instance, or his and his, hers and hers), around a meaningful color (the color of the ocean where you first met or where you plan to propose) or just a color that goes with most of your clothes.

4. Interesting cuts. While it’s true that you can buy diamonds in almost every cut, when it comes to very special shapes, like the hexagons that are so in style right now, you’d have to be Croesus to buy a clean white diamond specially cut as a hexagon. Most of those cuts – kites, hex’s fan shapes, are sold in the diamond market only as sidestones or they are cut from lower quality material.

5. Price. This brings me to the last point. While you can of course own a very very expensive colored stone, it’s also possible to get a lot more gem for your money if you avoid diamonds. A one carat standard diamond will set you back by give or take $6000.  A sapphire will cost $1000-1500.  A Paraiba may cost $3000 (or more), a ruby if certified Burmese unheated will cost the same.  And colored gem prices are determined by rarity among other things, whereas diamonds, with the exception of natural colored diamonds, are anything but rare.  In fact, as you probably know, their prices are artificially inflated. 

Here are some design inspirations for you as you consider your diamond alternative engagement project. 

 

Gatsby Engagement Ring 

Rose gold Tourbillon ring

3 stone Hexagon Ring

Oval Sunflower Engagement Ring

Edwardian Engagement Ring

A note on “blood diamonds:”  Note that the Kimberly process does not speak to how workers are treated in the diamond business, it only provides a system of warranties that are intended to ensure that the diamonds were not used to fund wars (or mined in a war zone).  This is another blog entry!

Link to Kimberly process: https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/en/what-kp

Hunting for "Diamonds" in Herkimer

I assume you've heard of the Herkimer diamond?  It's actually quartz and but nicknamed "diamond" because of its shape: double terminated (meaning with two points) and with 18 natural facets.  It was discovered in Herkimer County, NY.  The currently open mines are "Ace of Spades" https://www.herkimerdiamond.com/ and "Crystal Grove"  https://www.crystalgrove.com/

I'd been wanting to go for some time and so this year when my travel buddy Jochen Hintze from Jentsch Minerals came to exhibit at the Edison Gem show, we decided to tack a short trip onto his stay and headed for St. Johnsville, NY on Monday April 8 for a two night stay on an organic farm (because why just stay in a hotel….right?).  I admit it was a bit chill with just a wood stove, no hot water and 35 degrees Fahrenheit at night. Who says I have to have all my adventures in Africa anyway?

After a relaxing evening (interrupted by trying to make the wood stove work) with local beer, home- made chili, several games of Ludo, and a chill morning brightened up by fresh farmed eggs cooked on a camping cooker, we headed out for Herkimer.  The Ace of Spades mine is located close to the center of town, and right behind the main building, for $10 a day, you can hit rocks with a rented hammer (they can be rented for $1).  The diamonds are hiding in little cavities inside, sometimes loose (these are called floaters) and sometimes attached to the host rock.  Whatever you find, you get to keep.  We found three attached to host rock (no floaters) - in about two hours - and only with some guidance about which rocks to split open.  So our treasure consisted in a find of about $2-3. 

At around lunch it started to pour so we ended up spending quite some time in the quaint shop.  We found out that in order to have a real bounty, you need to have the owners open up a larger pocket for you - they apparently know where those are, they will bulldoze the area and then split open the pocket in your presence.  If the pocket doesn't contain anything interesting, they will open up another.  But if it is too valuable, they keep it and give you another instead.  This decision is at the sole discretion of the owners, and the fun sets you back by $1700.  But to be fair, living off a mine like this isn't exactly easy and the owners say clearly that the activity of opening up a pocket is supposed to be for family entertainment, not for profit by expert miners or geologists.  So this isn't something we will undertake.  But we got some nice video for you of the hard work this kind of mining requires, and of course I also bought a few crystals and some faceted stones for you to purchase. 

I realize you can buy those directly elsewhere for less, so I am marking them up very low and you get the benefit of me having hand-picked each stone for cutting, excluding the included and brownish materials, making sure there's no window and no abrasion in the girdles (several gems had those) and picking gems that are easily settable in my designs. 

Here are some photos, if you'd like one of the more included crystals just let me know, it's yours free (shipping is free with any purchase or $3.50).  If you want me to get it drilled and made into a pendant, I'll have to charge something though.

 The inclusions, by the way, are.... you guessed it (not): asphalt.  Petroleum, in other words, or unrefined oil.

Jochen was actually very happy that instead of finding crystals, he found asphalt in host rock instead.  I have a lot of asphalt already, outside the house, mixed with gravel and flattened for driving, no host rock of course, but I still passed!  That's ok, I got my Herkimer "diamonds" instead.