As long as there has been jewelry, there has been those who crave to own the most fancy necklaces. Beginning with ancient societies and up until the modern time of the Oscar Awards, those who have money and/or high status most likely wish to show it by wearing fancy necklaces and other sparkling treats to the eye. Diamond chokers, 24 karat gold necklaces with multiple gems, gigantic rubies, emeralds and more continue to entrance jewelry lovers. Which element do you consider most important to establish a fancy necklace? Taste may change as time goes by; however our love of gold and gems never diminishes.There have been many fancy necklaces worn by the rich and famous and royalty that we just can’t seem to forget. We all think of sapphires as being a beautiful dark blue so we were all surprised to see just how amazing pink sapphires look when model Dalarna wore them in a fashion show in 2006. The pink sapphire fancy necklace was made by jewelry crafter Chopard and shocked everyone with its reserved beauty.

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Royalty and Hollywood celebrities were among Bianco's customers. He operated in cloistral seclusion from a windowless workshop in the diamond district of New York, cutting some of the biggest, rarest and most valuable stones of the age.
One of the most valuable was the "Flame" diamond, a flawless 100 carat pear-shaped gem that Bianco cut from a 169 carat rough stone mined in Angola. "The elegance and sheer beauty of the stone," noted one expert, "surpasses all of the known historical pearshapes."When he first saw the rough, Bianco exclaimed: "I smell 100 carats." Jewellers in Antwerp had already removed the "topi", a protrusion on the top of the stone and, in so doing, had narrowed the possibilities in terms of shape and weight. The remaining rough was full of gletzes (tiny, feathery cracks) and needles (long, thin, crystal structures within the stone). "I could see a nest of imperfections with the naked eye," Bianco recalled.
For a week in September 2007 he just studied it and considered the possibilities. The sawn area had a frosty surface, the result of the laser cutting off the topi. But even that small, preliminary move restricted the finished shape and size of the stone.
"I analysed the diamond in squares, like a painting, to see the proportion," said Bianco. "The squares help to keep the shape in mind. I memorise all the problems. The biggest mistakes are optical illusions. Cutters do this; they're human beings."

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Rosser Reeves Star Ruby gets its name from its one time owner Rosser Reeves, the advertising magnate and pioneer of television advertising, whose techniques were very popular in the 50s and 60s, and gave a successful boost to the election campaign of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952, which led to his election as the 34th President of the United States of America. Reeves purchased the Star Ruby in the mid 1950s, and since then the stone was his constant companion, and carried it around wherever he went, in the belief that it brings good luck. Subsequently in the year 1965, Mr. & Mrs. Rosser Reeves donated the renowned gemstone to the National Museum of Natural History, of the Smithsonian Institution, where it has now become one of the most prized possessions of the Institution.

Lapis lazuli was widely used in different ornaments and amulets by the ancient Egyptians and similarly Babylonians and Assyrians use this stone for seals. Some pieces of jewelry that were 3300 old also found in Naqada and in some parts of Afghanistan as well. It is said that Cleopatra used pulverized form of this stone as eyesshadow.It has been described in chapter 140th of the Book of the Dead, when the stone is used in round shape jutted in gold, this great amulet can really give the wearers some extra-ordinary powers.

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Diamond is the ultimate gemstone, having few weaknesses and many strengths. It is well known that Diamond is the hardest substance found in nature, but few people realize that Diamond is four times harder than the next hardest natural mineral, corundum (sapphire and ruby). But even as hard as it is, it is not impervious. Diamond has four directions of cleavage, meaning that if it receives a sharp blow in one of these directions it will cleave, or split. A skilled diamond setter and/or jeweler will prevent any of these directions from being in a position to be struck while mounted in a jewelry piece.
As a gemstone, Diamond's single flaw (perfect cleavage) is far outdistanced by the sum of its positive qualities. It has a broad color range, high refraction, high dispersion or fire, very low reactivity to chemicals, rarity, and of course, extreme hardness and durability. Diamond is the April Birthstone.

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Pyramids can be used to draw off negative energies from the chakras and replenish with positive energy and enhance the focus of the crystal. They are also great ornamental pieces.
AMETHYST PYRAMIDS: As well as looking good, amethyst is said to have healing properties. It is a very powerful spiritual stone which energises the mind, body and spirit. It is great for insomnia and troubled sleep. It dispels fear, rage, anxiety and anger. It also bolsters the production of hormones.
CLEAR QUARTZ PYRAMIDS: It can be programmed for any purpose and is extremely versatile. Great for vertigo and dizziness. Dispels static electricity. Aids the immune system and thyroid. Helps the connection to spirit.
ROSE QUARTZ PYRAMIDS: As well as looking good, Rose Quartz is also said to have many properties. It is a traditional 'love stone', good for attracting love, keeping love and increasing fertility. It encourages self forgiveness and will comfort your grief if you have loved and lost. It may also help to smooth the complexion and relieve burns and blistering. It may also help with lung and kidney problems, and alleviate vertigo.

We talked about Feldspar awhile back, and how pretty they are... but I want to stop for a moment this month to talk about the difference between Natural Sunstone Feldspar (often aka Indian Sunstone or Oregon Sunstone) and commonly misidentified "Goldstone", which is a derivative of natural or manmade glass by-products. I'll keep to generalities here, but hopefully will add some clarity to this matter before this short article is spent!

In the June 2006 Gemstone Article, I said that "Sunstone is... a neighboring Feldspar to both Moonstone and Labradorite..." To add to that information, Indian Sunstone is particularly popular right now, with the nicest specimens being a deep orange/coppery sienna color with gorgeous inner sheen ~ much like the adularescence and labradorescence in Moonstone and Labradorite, respectively. Sunstone is a Feldspar crystal formed in molten lava when a certain combination of chemical elements are present at certain high temperatures, and then discharged onto the surface of the earth by volcanic activity. The crystals are released as lava wears away or is disrupted. While color preferences obviously vary, the deep orange/sienna color Sunstones with brilliant inner shiller like this one are considered to be highly desirable.

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I SPENT three days at the Gunung Senyum Recreational Forest in Jengka, Pahang, recently. The jewels of this site are, without a doubt, Gunung Senyum and Gunung Jebak Puyuh. Located at just about the geographical centre of Peninsular Malaysia, both peaks are hard to miss. Jutting dramatically out of the rolling plains of central Pahang, they are spectacular hills with equally spectacular caves featuring high ceilings and large chambers. Some of these chambers have skylights that allow the sun’s rays to penetrate the normally dark recesses of the caves.

The hidden jewel, however, has to be the lessser-known Gunung Jebak Puyuh. This gem takes a little effort to visit but that extra work is rewarded by caves which, although not as large as those at Senyum, are equally spectacular. The caves of Jebak Puyuh are less visited and so, are more pristine. They are packed with exquisite formations and mysterious hidden gardens.That was my first visit to Jebak Puyuh in 18 years, the purpose being to save it from being blasted away by cement producer YTL Cement. The limestone of Jebak Puyuh happens to be suitable as the main ingredient in the production of cement. If quarrying is allowed, the majestic limestone karst that is Jebak Puyuh will cease to exist in 60 years.

The initial Environmental Impact Assessment on the project was not approved but the Department of Environment has requested for a detailed EIA. One is being prepared by YTL Cement.

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If it appears at first blush that our "only diamonds" rule has been broken, fear not. It is not Computer Choppers’ MacBook Pro that we are interested in here, but something that sits upon it. Yes, the
Apple logo.

There’s something delicious about that totem of minimalism being slathered in ostentation. But wallowing in shadenfreude is useless. In the context of good taste, if in few others,
Cupertino is a house of angels.

On the bright side, these diamonds take a crap gadget — the thing merely glows — and manage to interfere with even that limited utility. Well done,
Computer Choppers!

The 2009 Roadrunner Gem and Mineral Show at the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens State Park Visitor Center has rocks, gems and minerals from all over the world on display and for sale.
Show chairman Cathy Hamilton said nine dealers are represented at the show from around New Mexico, Texas and Arizona. More dealers were interested in participating, but the visitor center and rotunda are filled to capacity.

"We had dealers from California call and want to come, but we just didn't have room for them. We've found the smaller shows do well for the dealers," Hamilton said, noting a little more than half the dealers at the show are from out of town.

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