Top 3 gem favorites

Preparing for a Jewelry show is no small task. I sit with the Buyers, and we go over every ring, necklace and earrings.  I ask lots of questions. How were we able to get such a great price? Will we be able to hold that price next year (or next month)? Where were the stones discovered? The dialogue continues concerning why the Buyers made the decisions to buy an item. It can be several months to bring you exactly what you want. They dive in telling me about some super find:  they can't contain themselves!  I often wish they were on the set with me telling you the story themselves.

Sandy, our Gemstone Buyer and I, usually book an hour to review shows before they air.  Invariably, we both end up calling home saying we will be late, and the sessions last much longer than our allotted time. (Drove our families and her staff nuts the first several phone calls but now they just expect it.) We try to be more succinct, but there is so much to talk about when it comes to our passion about gemstones, especially Exotics.

Last week, Sandy and I started talking about Exotic gems, the rarest of the rare, our favorites. She had three top picks for 2008.  If you want to hear more about Sandy, read my other blog “How we Get the Greatest Gems”. 

And her three picks are:

• Tanzanite. What is there not to love about Tanzanite?  Sandy has this huge Tanzanite ring that she wears when she wants to feel special or she knows she has a marathon day before her. It  makes her feel better. I have a few rings like that. Wearing one of them just makes such a difference in my mood. Tanzanite has so much to do with glamour and believe it or not, real estate. Those mines in Tanzania will be depleted one day and we will have no more of this treasure to share with you.  One day, perhaps, another site might be found, but that is not looking like a strong prospect right now. The good news is Sandy has this great relationship with one of the original site-holders for the mine. I've mentioned it before, but it bears repeating. Type in Amijones in our search bar and see what comes across your computer screen. Everyone calls him Amijones, due to his adventures in his quest for gems.
  
  
• Alexandrite. If you have never seen it in person, it is truly a sight to behold. The color changes from red to green to many hues in between –magically! If you have ever seen it, you can't forget it. It's wild. Finding Alexandrite affordably has been a vision quest of Sandy's for a long time. I've seen what soon will be arriving at  HSN, and you are going to be delighted!  I cannot wait to reveal it to you (timing is everything so be patient… it will be worth the wait!) Her efforts have produced a direct source where the colors are so vivid and vibrant. If it wasn't exceptional, our QA department would make us call it just Chrysoberyl.  The origin of Alexandrite is so opposite of Tanzanite. It was found in the Urals in 1830 on the day of Prince Alexander of Russia's coming of age.
  
  
• Drusy. It isn't officially an Exotic stone, but it is such a mesmerizing material you can't stop gazing into it. Because this jewel is so special, we put two of our finest Buyers- Sandy and Marjorie- to work to acquire as much Drusy as they could. Both adore Drusy, and so do I.  Sandy always sets her finds in gold to make them super special heirlooms. She does the same with Drusy. Many designers have become obsessed with this particular stone too. Mother Nature's pave is my favorite way to describe it. Mother Nature and science got together to pull off much of the Drusy you see at HSN. The natural stone with a special Titanium coating that gives off the iridescence and color story that will make you a Drusy lover too!

Do you own any Tanzanite, Alexandrite, or Drusy? What do you love about it? Thanks for reading my blog. I really want to know what you think about these stones so please let me know.

Rock on,
Shivan