| » Make Us Your Home Page |
 |
|
|
|
 Get Involved
|
The Story Behind the Stone
Article Autor: Diana Jarrett
Like magic
Write it whichever way you choose, but druzy quartz is finding another fan base besides the rock hound group that hoards geodes by the bucketful.
The word druzy (pronounced droo-zie) has roots in the ancient Greek meaning bump for one thing. Interesting to look at, druzy deposits are actually teensy piggy-backed quartz crystals finding a home base on an agate matrix, but it is known to be found on other surfaces as well. When it comes to using this material in jewelry, we go back to the geode. From the outside, rough hewn geodes appear to be dinosaur eggs, which when sawn open, reveal an inner life of druzied quartz in another world-like display. Until recently though, the biggest admirers were in fact gem nerds who amass for their own private collection. At open jewelry shows touring the U.S., one can find tubs of the stuff strewn about in trays marked at prices reflecting its weight. The material can be and is dyed to maximize its popularity. Yet for the most part until recently, it was shaped for maximum weight in irregular free form configurations to garner the highest price for each individual piece. Wire wrapping jewelers have grabbed this material since it produces a jazzy looking finished piece, and eye catching to attract buyers when they go to selling it. But slowly it has found another place in finer end jewelry. And it should. It is natural, and a bit of a phenomenon of sorts, and appealing to jewelry lovers who have never been introduced to this material. The major contributor to its broader appeal has been the proliferation of creating calibrated sizes of druzy stones in quantity, and in sought after shapes. So, its application has been expanding to the mainstream in manufactured jewelry items. A well acknowledged New York society designer found enough of the material in sparkling black to include them in her high end men’s platinum cuff link line - and to a great reception at a tony mid-town Manhattan men’s haberdashery. This year, the druzy material is finding a further utility in carved gemstones that will fit into originally created jewelry items made especially for them. So, it seems that now might be the perfect time to test-drive this interesting naturally occurring gemstone formation in your own jewelry cases. Resist the urge to think that because it’s still relatively inexpensive you won’t have a customer for it. Many people will be seeing it for the first time in your showroom, and they have no pre-disposed impression about it. After all, beauty is beautiful, and when seen for the first time - druzy is like magic. Graduate Gemologist and Registered Master Valuer Diana Jarrett is also a member of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA). She’s a frequent lecturer at conferences and trade shows. Jarrett serves as Colored Stone Editor for Rapaport Diamond Report; with other works regularly appearing in trade and consumer publications. Contact her at info@dianajarrett.com or visit her website: www.dianajarrett.com. | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Print
E-mail
Comments 0