New Work

Just one today... this is the first time I've worked with alexandrite, and I have to tell you, it's so much more amazing in person than my photographs are able to show. Depending on the light, it can appear nearly sapphire-blue, almost as purple as an amethyst, a similar shade of green to an emerald, or any combination of these hues. It has an amazing amount of color play - probably more so than any other stone I've seen. For more photographs (not mine) of this awesome stone, check out this site - http://tinyurl.com/c3bcuf

Oh yes, and alexandrite is also a June birthstone!

Lab-created alexandrite and recycled 14k gold ring, size 7

Have I given you guys my 'why I like lab-created stones' spiel yet? I'm thinking maybe I haven't...

Lab created stones (also referred to as man-made, synthetic, or cultured stones) are NOT fakes. They are chemically and optically identical to their mined counterparts, but by growing them in the lab, many of the environmental and humanitarian problems inherent with gemstone mining can be avoided. This particular stone was created by Chatham Gems, a leader in created gemstones. According to the company, "Chatham does not make gemstones, we make environments in which crystals grow naturally." In other words, these are real gemstones that are cultured in a laboratory - natural components are placed in an environment created to duplicate nature's. Once the required combination of chemical and environmental factors is created, the crystals grow over the course of a year, the length of time depending on the gemstone. As a result, quality diamonds and gemstones are developed with identical physical, chemical, and optical properties to those found in nature.

Yay!