NEWS FROM JFC

Latest news from JFC:

On June 6, 2010, Jewelers for Children, the industry's charity, held the 12^th We announced intentions to donate $ 3 million to our charity partners in the year ahead. We also recognized Ed Hrabak, senior vice president and general merchandise manager at Sterling, Inc., and Jonathan Goldman, CEO of Frederick Goldman, Inc., and the first board chair for Jewelers for Children starting in 1999. The evening also included the first JFC Children's Humanitarian Awards presented to former model Kathy Ireland and actress Jaime Pressly for their support of causes to benefit children in need. Annual Facets of Hope event in Las Vegas during the JCK Show.

JFC intends to distribute $ 600,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, to continue the multi-year funding of a research project on the immune systems in children being treated for cancer; $ 600,000 to the National CASA Association to fund the Champions for Abused Children program; $ 600,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America to grant wishes in all 50 states; $ 530,000 to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation to fund prevention and treatment programs in Africa; $ 470,235 to Autism Speaks to fund the Toddler Treatment Network; $ 50,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation International to continue funding wishes in India; and $ 25,000 to the Santa-America Fund to fund recruitment and training efforts for volunteer Santa's and Elves.

The theme for the evening was "It's All About the Kids" and the young people representing our charity partners presented the program.

Jewels Quest is proud to be part of JFC. Donating procedes from watch batteries to various organizations helping children in need. Our program is called Change a watch battery, change a childs life.

The Best Gemstone Book of Healing!

Through out the ages, many have recognized the value of the healing properties of gemstones, their magic and beauty aside, they guard the wearer against harm and bring amazing and powerful effects such as positive energy and serenity. The ancients from Egypt to the Jewish priest and Chinese rulers among others, understood this and used gemstones in their ceremonies. Today wearing gemstones is a way to promote health, and all around well being. Boost your energy level, attract wealth, liven your love life, gemstone are not only worn for their beauty, they are magical and speak differently to each one of us.

My personal favorite gemstone is the Aquamarine.

Over and over, I have referred to many books to learn about the different healing properties of gemstones. By far Healing Crystals and Gemstones: From Amethyst to Zircon has been my favorite. From Agate to Zircon, you get complete information about the origins of a gemstone, their properties and healing effects. Comprehensive and easy to read, not to mention priced very low for the amount of information you're getting.

June Birthstone: PEARL

Pearl Bracelet

From one of the humblest of life forms, the mollusk, comes the pearl -- a gem of unsurpassed beauty and elegance. Ancient civilizations had many stories to explain the origin of June's birthstone, such as the Greek belief that pearls were the hardened tears of joy that the goddess of love shook from her eyes as she was born from the sea. According to Arab legend, pearls were formed when oysters were lured from the depths of the ocean by the beautiful moon and then swallowed moonlit dewdrops. And the Ancient Chinese thought that these gems originated from the brains of dragons.

The scientific explanation for natural pearls is almost as mystifying as folklore. When an irritant, such as a small parasite or a fish lodges in the flesh of an oyster, mussel, or clam, a protective substance called "nacre" is produced. Over years, layer upon layer of shimmering nacre coats the intruder, creating a lustrous pearl. Natural pearls are relatively rare, so a process evolved in which a piece of shell or bead was placed inside a mollusk to stimulate the production of nacre. This results in a cultured pearl, which accounts for about 90 per cent of the pearl industry.

Divers find natural pearls in The Persian Gulf as well as in the waters off Japan, the South Pacific Islands off northern Australia, and the coasts of Panama, Venezuela, and California. Most of the cultured pearl industry is in Japanese and Australian coastal waters. These gems come in a variety of colors, from pure white to pink, yellow, gray and black. They also come in different shapes and sizes.

Pearls have been a passion and even an obsession of people throughout the ages. They have been ground up and used in cosmetics and as a medicine to treat heart and stomach conditions. Some cultures swear by pearls as an aphrodisiac. These gems have adorned crowns, clothing, and temples, and were said to be a favorite of Cleopatra.

Only those with royal status once wore pearl jewelry, but eventually these gems were seen among all classes of people. They continue to be viewed as a mark of taste and refinement as well as a symbol of purity, and they are often given to celebrate a marriage or the birth of a child. Pearls are nature's perfect gift, suitable for all ages, and elegantly worn with everything from jeans to an evening gown.

Alternate Birthstones
June has two alternate birthstones. The first is Moonstone, a type of feldspar named because of its uncanny resemblance to the iridescent sheen of the moon. Varying in color from clear to blue-white or peach, it was considered by ancient civilizations to be a sacred stone, bestowing the wearer with great spiritual understanding. Some believed that the Moonstone could even make a person invisible! Mined in Sri Lanka, Brazil, India, Madagascar, and the United States, a gift of this stone is symbolic of health and longevity.

The second alternate birthstone for June is the Alexandrite. A yellowish or brownish green in color, this gemstone has the unique characteristic of changing color to a red hue when exposed to a glowing light source, such as candlelight. Because of this quality, it has been characterized by poets as "an emerald by day, a ruby by night." Alexandrite was first discovered in Urals in 1830 but is mined today primarily in Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Burma, Madagascar and Tanzania. It is a rare and expensive gemstone, symbolic of joy and good fortune.

source: About Birthstones

A glimpse at how we create unique jewelry pieces using CAD/CAM matrix jewelry software.

Diamond Cutting

Helping Children in Need

Jewels Quest recently joined Jewelers For Children (JFC) an industry organization which raises funds to benefit children who are the victims of catastrophic illness or life-threatening abuse and neglect. Charity partners include St-Jude Children Hospital, Make a Wish Foundation, Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and CASA among others.

As of March 2010, an official campaign will be implemented to collect funds for children in need. "Change a watch battery. Change a child's life". We will donate proceeds from watch battery sales. A canister will be placed in our store to receive donations as well.

So if you need watch battery replacement, come to Jewels Quest, or tell a friend.

A donation link is also included on our blog site.

The Anatomy of the Diamond

Conversations about a diamond will bring up such terms as table, crown, girdle, pavilion and culet. So what exactly are these?

Table: The flat top of the stone, the largest facet which is also called "face"

Crown: The upper part of the stone between the table and the girdle.

Girdle: The edge where the crown and pavilion meet. This is where usually is grasped by the prongs in a setting.

Pavilion: The part from the girdle to the bottom point of the stone.

Culet: The lowest part of the stone, the bottom point.

The Hope Diamond Specifications

The Hope Diamond

45.50 carat

25.60 x 21.78 x 12mm

Asymmetrical cushion antique brilliant.

58 facets, 2 facets on the pavilion and added facets on the girdle.

Intense fancy dark grey and blue color

Clarity grade VS1-VVS

From Kings to a revolution, a daring theft to being labeled a curse, the HOPE DIAMOND is veiled in mystery, intrigue and three centuries of history.

Is it any wonder that it is the world's most famous gem? It was even the inspiration for the "Heart of the Ocean" diamond in the movie Titanic.

The Hope Diamond at 45.52 carats isn't the largest in the world but it is the largest known deep blue diamond and is one of the rarest and most desired hues. The diamonds historical journey has added to the mystery and intrigue of the stone. More than five million people view it at the Smithsonian institution each year.

Let's start its journey:

1668: French merchant Jean-Baptiste Trevier sells a 112+ carats blue diamond from India to King Louis XIV of France.

1673: The King recuts it to a heart shape. This reduces its weight to 67 1/8 carat but improves the brilliance of the diamond.

1749: Louis XV now had the diamond, from this date it was known as the French Blue and it was set in a ceremonial piece for the order of the Golden Fleece (the piece also featured a large white diamond). It was only worn by the King.

1792: King Louis XVI gave the French Blue to Marie Antoinette. During the revolution however between September 11 to 17, the Royal Treasury was looted, gone were the crown jewels and the French blue, and for twenty years the whereabouts remained a mystery.

1872: Twenty years and two days after its disapearance, a memorandum by London jeweler John Francillon documented the presence of a 44 1/4 ct (45.5 modern metric carats) blue diamond in the possession of Daniel Eliason, a London diamond merchant. The blue diamond most likely cut from the French Blue. The person in possession of the Blue Diamond, Daniel Eliason, was established as the legal owner.

note: according to french law, the statute of limitation for any crimes committed during wartime was 20 years.

1820: The Blue Diamond was now owned by King George IV

1830 After King George IV's death, the Blue Diamond was purchased by London gem collector Henri Phillip Hope whose name it bears today.

1839 Mr Hope left the diamond to his nephew who left it to his grandson Lord Francis Hope.

1901: Lord Hope sold the diamond to Adolph Weil to pay off his debts. This London dealer soon after sold it to Joseph Frankels & Sons of New York. Then it was in the hands of Selim Habib.

1909: Habib tried to auction it but ended up selling it to CH Roserau who then sold it to Pierre Cartier.

1910: During a visit to Paris, Evalyn Walsh McLean saw the Hope Diamond but did not like the setting, while she had extravagant taste in jewelry, she ended up returning home to the United States without purchasing it. Cartier was optimistic, he changed the setting and traveled to the US, and presented it to Mrs McLean at her home. He told her that the stone was said to bring bad luck to the wearer, very well knowing that Mrs McLean believed any object that was bad luck for others was good fortune for her. His reverse psychology and sales pitch worked. She was sold and after negotiations, she purchased it for $180,000.00.

1932: Mrs Mclean often pawned the Hoe Diamond for ready cash, she also offered it to help pay the ransom for the kidnapping of Charles and Anne Morrow's baby boy.

1945: Mrs McLean dies.

1947: New York jeweler Harry Winston purchased her entire collection including the hoe Diamond.

1958: The diamond was removed from its setting and it was sent in a brown package by registered mail (insured for 1 million dollars) it arrived safely and was presented to the Smithsonian Institution in November of that year. Over five million people visit and view it today annually to this day!

The Hope Diamond Specifications

The Hope Diamond, an adventure that begun billions of years ago!

If you traveled back in time a billion years, went 150 km below the earth's surface where temperatures reach 2,192°F, withness the intense pressure from the weight of rocks and their compression, you would be part of the process of the formation of diamonds.

After residing in the heat of the underground, the diamond will make its way to the surface by way of volcanic eruptions. An intense and wild ride but the famous Blue Diamond got through the explosive journey without being shattered. Studies have shown that the blue diamond arrived in India about one bilion years ago, suspecting in the the Golconda area. It was discovered prior to 1668, the exact date is unknown but it was in 1668 when the french gem merchant Jean-Baptiste Trevier sold a 112 carat blue diamond from India to King Louis XIV. From that point in time in history begun the second wild ride of the "Hope Diamond".

The Hope Diamond Journey

The Hoop Diamond Earrings are the Champ!

Walk in a bookstore, glance at the magazine stand and see the beautiful Jenifer Lopez staring back at you - she's back!

And so are the classic hoop diamond earrings, the jewelry piece many celebrities are wearing lately. They come in many sizes, tiny pavé diamonds all around the large hoop make it glitter like star dust in the snow.

A timeless piece of jewelry, get the same look for less.

Photo: Tom Munro, styled by Joe Zee

Properties & Symbolic Associations of the Amethyst

Zodiac: Aquarius

Planet: Jupiter

Month: February

Element: Air

Flower: Lavender, Lilac and Violet

Herb: Chamomile, Sweetgrass

Oils: Patchouli and Lavender

Angel: Zadkiel

Read: List of Healing Properties