John And Laura Ramsey have a huge knowledge of gemstone jewelry and they both know how to provide quality and fair prices for gems and this is the reason why they have gained such a great recognition in the field. The fact that they offer high quality gemstone jewelry at reasonable prices has enabled them to receive customers and build a long-term relationship with them.
Amethyst’s Story of Color and Majesty… From Royal Dye to Royal JewelryIn the medieval city of Tyre, in ancient Phoenicia, a purple dye was derived from the mollusks found on its shores. In a legend, Heracles is thought to have given a piece of cloth dyed and stained in this purple color to the King of Phoenix who declared it to be the new Royal color. It became known as Tyrian Imperial purple.
In stark contrast to its elegant end use, the dye was derived from the secretions of the rotting mollusks—with a smell so bad that only certain areas of the coast, far away from civilization, were used.
Just one Roman toga could take up to 10,000 mollusks to dye the robe. As a result, the production of rare and expensive purple dye was funded and controlled by royals, making it exclusive to leaders such as Alexander the Great and Roman Emperors. The penalty for wearing purple could include fines, property seizure and sometimes death. As Theopompus, a 4th century historian said, “Purple dye fetched its weight in silver at Colophon”.
First of all, garnets are all silicate minerals and crystallize in the isometric crystal system (also known as the cubic crystal system). The most common crystal form within the isometric system in which Garnets form is a “rhombic dodecahedron:” a 12 sided form that is somewhat of a cube with fanciful flourishes. While a true cube has 6 sides, garnets add another 6 just for fun.
Often known as the ‘little’ Sancy, the Beau Sancy diamond was the smaller of the two diamonds bearing the name. This smaller version weighs in at a “mere” 34.98 carats. It is a modified pear double rose cut diamond which has been witness to 400 years of European history. It has been passed down to Royal families of England, France, Prussia and the House of Orange. Acquired by Nicolas de Harlai, Lord of Sancy, in the late 1500’s , the Sancy is said to be from the mines of south central India near Golconda. This famous mine has produced the Hope Diamond, the Koh-I-Noor and the Regent.
John and Laura Ramsey have a huge knowledge of gemstone jewelry. They both believe in high quality and fair dealing of gems and that is why they have earned a great reputation in the field. The fact that they offer high quality gemstone jewelry at fair prices has made then able to gain the customers trust and make a long-term relationship with them. Both of them have spent nearly 40 years of their life in the wholesale trade of gem and jewelry. During that time, they visited manyl gem mining districts of the world including Brazil, Thailand, East Africa, and Sri Lanka. All these travels have helped them get exposure and their knowledge.
Opal has perhaps the most mysterious look of any gemstone—especially fine opal. Who would guess that a “rock” from the earth could look like a miniature version of the Northern Lights? The idea of something from the earth looking so ethereal is somewhat of a contradiction. The soil we tramp over in our everyday life is so “earthy”—brown, drab, lifeless, dull, and opaque.
San Carlos mine in Arizona
When I first got in the business the big source for peridot was Arizona. This material comes from the San Carlos Indian Reservation which is more or less 100 miles east of Phoenix. In fact, Laura and I traveled there to buy rough directly from the Native Americans. The material from San Carlos tends to be small and also tends to be included…
Whether you are born in July, are a collector of fine gemstones, or a jewelry devotee, the Mogok Ruby should be part of your lexicon. Fine Ruby is sometimes known as the “king of gems”. Ruby from this fabled area of Myanmar (Burma) is highly sought after. Some of the premier stones in collections and museums are from this special Mogok region.One such stone is the “MOGOK RUBY” weighing 15.97 carats. This beautiful cushion cut gem sold at Sotheby’s auction house of New York for $3,630,000.00 in 1988. It was purchased by Graff of London and later resold to the Sultan of Brunei as an engagement ring for his wife. The incredible color and size make this gem ruby a superior collectible. What would it be worth in today’s money? No doubt a lot more. Especially now that it has an interesting provenance…
Most people are very familiar with the pearl as one the birthstones for June (Alexandrite and Moonstone are the other two June gemstones). Pearl, with its variety of colors and shapes, is an organic gem loved and treasured for centuries. It is said that the Romans built armies from the sale of a single pearl, while poems abound about its transcendent beauty.The pearl was selected as a birthstone for June by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912. Not only can you select your favorite pearl as a birthstone, you can also receive a pearl for your 3rd, 12th and 30th wedding anniversaries. The allure of pearls is far reaching…
John and Laura Ramsey • Gems at Large • Ramsey Gems 