July is finally here with so many truly exciting shows. It feels like each month we make more and more improvements to what is already great – HSN! 32 years of amazing shopping and this month marks my personal 10 year anniversary as a Show Host. I cannot get my brain around that at all. So many wonderful people! So many entrepreneurs, designers, and customers since July 15, 1999. Oh, I wanted this job! It has been such a blessing in my life. I adore all of the “departments” of HSN merchandise. The textiles, fashions, cosmetics, our home solutions are all near and dear to me. I do, of course, have an extra special passion for gemstones.
The more I learn about them, the more I am fascinated by them. Collecting the rough gems as crystal specimens is just one of the ways I have taken to them. I have been a rock hound for as long as I can remember. When I was 16 and just received my driver’s license, I went on adventures all over town. One morning, I woke up early and went to a gem and mineral show by myself. I was so proud to leave that show with a pair of ruby, emerald and sapphire solitaire stud earrings. Now before you get the wrong idea about me and my budget at sweet sixteen – they were all chips of the precious stones! I didn’t know what I was doing. The prefab settings they came in totally overwhelmed the chips. I was thrilled with them! I felt like I had made an “important” purchase. Little did I know!
Gems are an important part of a woman’s jewelry wardrobe and you need to know what you are doing when selecting a gemstone. Our Buyers have done the hard part of finding great designs, quality stones and values all you need to do is choose what you like.
Look for the C’s you always hear everyone talking about – Carat, Color, Clarity and Cut.
Let’s start with COLOR – the basic color of a stone is its hue. The hue of a Ruby is red. There are lots of stones with the same hue, but the cost has to do with the stones variety, transparency, rarity and popularity. When you are evaluating colored gemstones the hue isn’t the only factor to consider. The saturation and the tone are the other keys. For example, Tashmarine is a lighter color of Chrome Diopside. Chrome Diopside is usually a medium slightly yellow green. As Chrome Diopside gets larger (which is more unusual) they become darker. Interestingly enough, they aren’t as attractive. So often we think bigger is better, but Chrome Diopsides are their prettiest in the smaller stones. Brighter more vivid colors with medium saturation are usually the most popular and therefore the most precious. That being said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. When a colored gemstone is graded, it is a subjective grade unlike other aspects of gem grading.
Next month let’s talk about Cut, but know that cut is really all about two different things – the three dimensional shape when gem is finished and the quality of the cutting. We have some special fancy cut stones that are spectacular. If you are a collector, definitely take advantage of them while they last. There is an entire hour of Gemstone Celebration: Special Cut Gems and then Gems on the Loose also on July 16th. Tune in on Monday, July 20th to see all kinds of combinations in cuts and styles in Turquoise Fine Jewelry. This show has been in the works for months and months!
We have several special shows for our birthday month with 2 twenty-four hour jewelry events one in Technibond on July 8th, and one in Sterling Silver on July 22nd. You will adore the genuine gemstones highlighted during these one day only events. We are also launching Laura Gibson Live Fine Jewelry on Thursday, July 16th. These are really special designs full of all the best aspects of color and cuts! Sima K is back! She brings us gems directly from her long legacy working directly with the mines. If you love drama in your jewelry, please find out more about this line exclusively here at HSN.
Next blog I’ll dive more into Cut, Clarity and Carat to make you the gem expert!
Here are some answers to your questions – thank you for all your comments!
First of all, Jay King reads your comments here and is working on reaching out to you if you have a specific issue.
Suzanne, UT – the necklace you loved is 396-739 and is currently on waitlist. Sign up for it!
Patti, NV – I hope we get some Tashmarine we are working on it, but I can’t give you a date. Keep in mind that it is from the family of Chrome Diopside, just a lighter shade. We will do our best. Thanks for asking!!
Joyce, PA I asked about the Turquoise in white for you from Jay King – here is his response…
“They have a turquoise they call White Buffalo. According to Marty (Jay’s partner and co-owner of the Kingman Mine) and everyone else I spoken to it’s not turquoise. It’s very close but not quite there. I’ve had miners bring this to me but everything I ever got didn’t test out. Best J”
Gigi, AZ Thanks for asking about the gem bowls from Jay King – they ARE coming! It will be October, but he is going to do them for a limited time.
Rachel, AZ and Lorraine, PA, Remelle, GA Jay and our Buyer, Marjorie are going to work on your requests.
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