The Sunday Times: Issue #4

I am back in Florida now after a whirlwind 5 days in Tucson for the country's largest gem show. If you followed along in IG stories, you'll have already seen my daily diaries of the treasure hunting, but I will post the highlights here in today's issue. I will also be discussing antique diamonds as that seemed to be the hot topic with the most questions this week as I posted videos and images of the two antique diamonds I purchased from Jay at Perpetuum Gems. I also wanted to spotlight Jared from D'Amadeo and his new initiative of bringing traceable diamonds to the US market from Sierra Leone. Lots of exciting things to discuss!

So pour yourself a cup of tea and get comfy.

TUCSON IS FOR [GEM] LOVERS

A MUCH NEEDED BREAK FROM THE MADNESS

I feel so fortunate to have found myself working in an industry filled with what I consider to be the most kind, creative, and beautiful souls! I realized on my last day in Tucson that what makes this trip so special isn't the gems after all (although they are what brings us all together) but rather it's the people. I ran into so many of my friends from online that I've never met in person, old friends that I've known for years, and new dealers that are doing their most honest, hardest work trying to right an industry that has been wrong for so long.

Being in their company (along with my Tucson travel buddy, Samantha of Storied Jewels) refilled my cup in a much-needed way. Of course there was a dark cloud of the outside world hanging around us, with whispers of the coming tariffs and the dismantling of USAID threatening many folks' jobs, but we were able to momentarily set those worries aside and just give each other hugs. Squeezes in the aisles of AGTA, laughs over Mexican food, selfies quickly taken at the Ethical Gem Fair, and most importantly, the shared appreciation for Mother Nature's product and the hard work by the miners who bring it to us.

I SAID "THIS ISN'T A BUYING TRIP"

I WAS WRONG.

Every year I set a budget; every year I ignore it.

This year was no exception. I knew going into this trip that I already had at least 15 stones that would work well for the Paradiso mood and that I only needed to shop for a very small handful of 2 or 3 statement stones to cap off the collection. I just was not prepared for the amazing offering that ANZA, Moyo, Tatum Gems, and others brought to Tucson this year. And I CERTAINLY was not planning on buying diamonds (more on that below!).

I found exceptional mint beryl, tourmaline, aquamarine, and sapphires to add to Paradiso, expanding that collection far more than I'd planned. But I just could not leave such exceptional gems behind. I'll be detailing the gems for Paradiso in more depth as I start to work on the production of the collection, so stay tuned for that upcoming issue.

I also came across some amazing Ancient Roman Glass beads and vessels. I was hoping to find some since I included a photo of an ARG vessel in my moodboard, but it was a long shot thinking I'd find some actual pieces in Tucson. I remembered that a dealer that showed at JOGS many years ago had a few pieces, but when I couldn't find him there this year, I'd all but given up hope. Then Samantha texted me that she was at the African Market and there was a dealer from Afghanistan there that had a whole table full! I raced over there and bought as much as I could carry, along with some incredible antique Afghan bronze jewelry stamps in the most beautiful patterns that I think will give the collection much-needed texture and depth.

Here's the moodboard for Paradiso in case you missed it:

LET'S TALK DIAMONDS

THE MOST NOTORIOUS STONE OF ALL

Diamonds have a very dirty history and up until now, I have largely avoided working with them. I have attended many a webinar and read many a research paper on responsible sourcing and all of them have concluded with the sad truth that even if diamonds are ethically mined and sourced, they still get mixed into the stream of conflict, dirty, and otherwise uncertified rough. No one was tracing them from mine to market yet AND supporting the community from which they came.

Many of these talks were given by Jared Holstein, a leader in the responsible gem world. I have looked up to Jared and listened to his advice on sourcing since I started smithing in 2018. I have also followed the advice of Christina T. Miller, who often hosted Jared in her Living Room Sessions, free webinars discussing responsible jewelry practices. They have many times stated that antique diamonds were a jeweler's best bet when trying to lessen their impact on the environment. Although we can never know how these stones were mined, we can source them knowing that a) they are post-consumer and therefore do not further inflict harm on people and their environment, b) they are less likely to be confused with newly mined diamonds due to their distinctive cuts and c) are becoming more and more rare as opposed to new diamonds becoming less so with the rise of lab diamonds.

Jared started Perpetuum Jewels with Jay Moncada, a New York–based company that buys and sells antique stones and is an SCS Global Services Certified Responsible Source for 100% post-consumer recycled gemstones. Jared left Perpetuum in 2019 and started his own company, D'Amadeo. I now work with and admire both Jay and Jared for their efforts to source antique, post-consumer stones. The two antique diamonds I bought this year at the Ethical Gem Fair were from Jay and Perpetuum Jewels. I also bought small round diamonds, called melee in the industry, to use in the Foundation Collection in pieces like the Volta and Cintura where I'd previously used Moissanite. So be on the lookout for the return of those offerings.

A MAJOR FIRST FOR THE INDUSTRY

While at the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) show, I stopped by D'Amadeo's booth, and Jared excitedly waved me over to show me something INCREDIBLE. He and I had been communicating via email about his rough diamond purchase from GemFair, DeBeer's initiative in Sierra Leone to bring traceable, responsible ASM (Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining) diamonds to market. Last year he had the rough to display in his booth and this year he had the actual, cut diamonds. It was remarkable to witness. A true first for the industry. You can learn more about this initiative with GemFair in a recorded Living Room Session here and on the GemFair website here.

Do I have strong opinions about DeBeers? Yes. Am I skeptical when a large company tries to go the responsible route? Yes. But I know Jared's values and strict standards, so I am excited to watch and see where this goes. In his words - antique diamonds don't inflict further harm, but they also don't provide any further benefit either. Buying mined ASM diamonds could potentially benefit the miners in the Sierra Leone community, providing them with capital and therefore more agency.