Birthstone Feature: Why Color-Change Alexandrite Was Nearly Called Diaphanite

Back in the early 1830s, a renowned Finnish mineralogist named Nils Gustaf Nordenskiöld was perplexed by a mineral sample he had received from Count Lev Alekseevich Perovskii, a Russian nobleman and fellow mineralogist.

Sourced in Russia's Ural Mountains, the curious green gem seemed to be an emerald, but something was not right. Emeralds have a hardness of 7.5 to 8.0 on the Mohs scale, and this Russian gem was rating an 8.5.

Later in the evening, he inspected the same stone under candlelight and was surprised to see that the gem's color had transitioned from a teal green to a raspberry-red.

The mystery was solved. Nordenskiöld (1792-1865) had stumbled upon a brand new color-change variety of chrysoberyl that was an emerald by day and a ruby by night. But now it needed a name...

The Finn recommended “diaphanite” — from the Greek "di," meaning two, and "aphanes," meaning unseen, or "phan," meaning to appear or show.

But Nordenskiöld's suggestion would soon be overruled by Count Perovskii (1792-1856), who sought favor with the Russian Imperial Family.

In 1834, the color-change gem with the working title of "diaphanite" would take the official name of "alexandrite" in honor of the 16th birthday of Alexander II, the future Russian tsar.

Today, alexandrite is prized for its unique characteristics, beauty and rarity. It is also one of the official birthstones for the month of June, alongside pearl and moonstone.

The color-change gem wasn’t included on the original modern birthstone list, which was published in 1912 by the American National Retail Jewelers Association, now known as Jewelers of America. Alexandrite, along with citrine, tourmaline and zircon, were added in 1952. The list remained untouched until 2002, when tanzanite became an official birthstone for December. In 2016, spinel joined peridot as a birthstone for August.

The color-changing property of alexandrite that allows it to exhibit a raspberry-red color under incandescent light and a teal green color when illuminated by daylight has been attributed to the presence of chromium in the gem’s chemical makeup. The chromium allows the gem to absorb light in the yellow and blue parts of the spectrum.

In addition to Russia, alexandrite has been sourced in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, India and Myanmar.

Credits: Nils Gustaf Nordenskiöld image by Nils Gustaf Nordenskiöld, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Alexandrite images by User: at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Symbol of Hope: Utah Couple Finds 'Miracle Ring' Amidst Ashes of Stolen Trailer

About two weeks ago, a young couple established a GoFundMe page in a desperate attempt to piece their lives back together after the truck and trailer carrying all their belongings were stolen from a hotel parking lot near Denver.

Only a few days earlier, Matthew and Lindsey Fuller, along with their 18-month-old toddler, had opened a new chapter in the lives. The couple made the bold decision to move from Utah to Kansas to pursue some new opportunities.

But, the excitement of a new beginning in Wichita turned into a heart-wrenching nightmare when a Denver-area fire investigator told them that their stolen trailer had been located, but was reduced to ashes. The investigator had been aware of the couple's plight via local reporting and social media.

"Finding out that it had all been burned. That was hard," Lindsey told Salt Lake City NBC affiliate KSL-TV.

But despite the horrific news, Lindsey still held onto a glimmer of hope.

"Maybe my rings hadn't melted," she said. "Maybe some of the books didn't get burned."

When the couple arrived at the impound station, they saw their trailer burned beyond recognition. A pile of charred rubble.

"Just ash, basically," Matthew said.

Undaunted, the couple dove into the mess to see what they could salvage.

Within four minutes, Lindsey's engagement ring emerged from the ashes, a little scorched, but otherwise intact.

"We had been praying we would find it, and finding it within four minutes of getting there, it just felt like a miracle," Lindsey said. "There really aren't words for the relief we felt finding that."

The Fullers call it the "miracle ring" because this was not the first time the ring, or its valuable center stone, had been lost. Previously, the oval-shaped diamond had fallen out at a beach, but was recovered.

"We thought even if we find nothing else, this ring is so precious to us," Lindsey added.

Despite the tragedy, the ring symbolizes the perseverance that will carry this young family into the future.

"We're going to try to keep [it] by our side as long as we live," Matthew said. "Although we lost everything, we have the thing that really started our relationship still with us."

The family's recovery efforts got off to a great start. A GoFundMe goal of $30,000 already has been surpassed by nearly $3,000. The Fullers told KSL-TV that they are extremely grateful to friends, neighbors and complete strangers who have helped them in their moment of total loss.

You can see KSL-TV's full report here.

Credits: Screen grabs via www.ksl.com.

Music Friday Flashback: Tony Burrows Asks His ‘Beach Baby’ to Wear His Ring

Welcome to Music Friday Flashback when we revisit our favorite oldies with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today’s featured song is “Beach Baby,” a popular 1974 singalong by the British one-hit wonder called The First Class.

Lead singer Tony Burrows channels Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys in this song about summer romance and a promise ring on the beaches of California.

He sings, “We couldn’t wait for graduation day (oh oh, no) / We took the car and drove to San Jose (oh oh oh) / That’s where you told me that you’d wear my ring / I guess you don’t remember anything.”

What’s fascinating about “Beach Baby” is that is was written and performed by UK natives. John Carter and his wife, Gillian (Jill) Shakespeare, composed the song in their home in East Sheen, South West London. Despite being 5,400 miles from “old L.A., when everybody drove a Chevrolet,” the writing team perfectly captured the vibe of the surf music popularized by The Beach Boys 10 years earlier.

Once they had their song completed, husband-and-wife team hired session singers Burrows and Chas Mills to record the track as The First Class.

While the band may still suffer from the tag of “one-hit wonder,” Burrows amassed an impressive resume. He was the voice behind a number of other hits, including Edison Lighthouse’s “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)” and Brotherhood of Man’s “United We Stand.” Burrows is still performing at the age of 81.

Often mistaken as a Beach Boys standard, “Beach Baby” became a summertime favorite on both sides of the pond. In 1974, it zoomed to #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100, settled at #13 on the UK charts and ascended all the way to #1 in Canada.

With summer just around the corner, let’s turn up the volume on “Beach Baby.” The video, below, features a live performance by The First Class, with Burrows singing lead vocals. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Beach Baby”
Written by Gillian Shakespeare and John Carter. Performed by The First Class.

Do you remember back in old L.A.? (oh oh oh)
When everybody drove a Chevrolet (oh oh oh)
Whatever happened to the boy next door
The sun-tanned crew-cut all-American male?

Remember dancing at the high school hop? (oh oh oh)
The dress I ruined with the soda pop (oh oh oh)
I didn’t recognize the girl next-door
The beat up sneakers and the pony tail

Beach baby, beach baby, give me your hand
Give me something that I can remember
Just like before, we can walk by the shore in the moonlight

Beach baby, beach baby, there on the sand
From July to the end of September
Surfin’ was fun, we’d be out in the sun every day

Mmm, I never thought that it would end (ooh ooh)
Mmm, and I was everybody’s friend (ooh ooh)
Long, hot days
Blue sea haze
Jukebox plays
But now it’s fading away

We couldn’t wait for graduation day (oh oh, no)
We took the car and drove to San Jose (oh oh oh)
That’s where you told me that you’d wear my ring
I guess you don’t remember anything

Beach baby, beach baby, give me your hand (give me your hand)
Give me somethin’ that I can remember (give me something to remember)
Just like before we can walk by the shore in the moonlight

Beach baby, beach baby, there on the sand (there on the sand)
From July to the end of September (from July to September)
Surfin’ was fun, we’d be out in the sun every day

Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com.

Two Off-the-Charts Gemstones Guarantee a Wild Ride at Sotheby's NY Today

Jewelry aficionados are expecting a wild ride today at Sotheby's New York, where two off-the-charts gemstones headline its Magnificent Jewels auction, starting at 10 a.m. EDT.

All eyes will be on Estrela de FURA (Lot 59) and The Eternal Pink (Lot 62). The first is a ruby that has been described as a “once-in-a-century” gem, and the second is a pink diamond that's “in a stratosphere of its own,” according to the auction house.

Although Sotheby's didn't set a pre-auction estimate for Estrela de FURA, jewelry insiders believe the cushion-cut, 55.22-carat gem has a chance to break two auction records that have stood since 2015: The largest sum ever paid for a ruby and the highest price-per-carat ever paid for a ruby.

The records are currently held by the 25.59-carat, cushion-cut Sunrise Ruby, which fetched $30.3 million, or $1.18 million per carat at Sotheby's Geneva. Experts believe the Estrela de FURA — the largest gem-quality ruby to ever appear at auction — should be able to snatch the first record, but may be hard pressed to capture the second.

Estrela de Fura was cut from a 101-carat rough stone discovered in Mozambique by Fura Gems in September of 2022. At the time, Fura touted the stone as an exceptional treasure of nature for its fluorescence, outstanding clarity and vivid red hue, known as “pigeon’s blood” — a color traditionally associated only with Burmese rubies.

Three lots later, bids for the 10.57-carat Eternal Pink are expected to eclipse $35 million.

Sourced at De Beers’ Damtshaa mine in Botswana in 2019, the 23.78-carat rough diamond that yielded The Eternal Pink was fashioned into an exquisite cushion cut by a team of artisans at Diacore. The cutters worked on the stone for “six intense months” in an effort to bring out the diamond’s electric “bubblegum” color.

The Eternal Pink is rated internally flawless with a color grade of “Fancy Vivid,” the highest possible for a colored diamond. Sotheby’s claims The Eternal Pink is the most vivid purplish-pink diamond ever to come to market.

“This color is the most beautiful and concentrated shade of pink in diamonds that I have ever seen,” commented Quig Bruning, Sotheby’s head of jewelry for the Americas.

The Eternal Pink will be vying for the price-per-carat record currently held by the 11.15-carat “Williamson Pink Star,” which earned $57.7 million, or $5.2 million per-carat, at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in October 2022. That selling price was more than 2.5 times the auction house’s pre-sale high estimate of $21 million.

The “CTF Pink Star” still holds the record for any gem sold at auction. The 59.6-carat pink diamond sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong for $71.2 million in 2017.

Credits: Images courtesy of Sotheby's.

Jewelry Industry Mourns Passing of Master Diamond Cutter Gabi Tolkowsky

The jewelry industry is mourning the passing of Sir Gabriel (Gabi) Tolkowsky, one of the most accomplished diamond cutters of all time. He was 84.

Most famous for cutting the Centenary Diamond from a 599-carat rough stone, Tolkowsky dedicated his life to releasing the beauty inherent in each precious stone he encountered.

The Tel Aviv-born Tolkowsky represented the sixth generation of master diamond cutters, which included his great uncle Marcel Tolkowsky, the inventor of the ideal-cut round brilliant diamond.

In July of 1986, the De Beers Group called Tolkowsky to its London headquarters to assess and appraise the 599-carat rough gem it had just recovered from South Africa's Premier Mine.

Tolkowsky said the diamond instantly changed his life.

"When I took it in my hands, it married my hand," he recounted in a 1999 documentary by EMS Productions. "It was part of myself... it gave me so many thoughts that I changed as a person."

"I was always occupied with all sorts of diamonds, but this one," he said, gesturing as if the stone was in his clenched fist, "it changed me, because in one shot I became part of it and it became part of me."

At the time, Tolkowsky didn't know that he would be called on a year later to take on the task of cutting the stone.

"When asked to cut it, I fell into my shoes," he said.

The process of cutting the Centenary Diamond became a three-year labor of love.

The first phase — to remove by hand 20 carats of surface flaws — took an excruciating 154 days. After that was accomplished, Tolkowsky submitted 13 sketches of possible cuts to the De Beers board. Eventually, they agreed on a modified heart shape.

According to an account by leibish.com, the cutting and polishing of the Centenary Diamond took place in a specially designed underground room at the De Beers Diamond Research Laboratory in Johannesburg, South Africa. De Beers ensured that the room was insulated from mechanical vibration and temperature variation, to minimize any influences that might interfere with the cutting of the stone.

When Tolkowsky's work was done, the stone weighed 273.85 carats, with a D color. It was rated both internally and externally flawless, with a total of 247 facets. According to leibish.com, the Centenary Diamond is the largest modern fancy cut diamond in the world, and the only one to combine old cutting methods with sophisticated, modern cutting technology.

Unveiled in 1991, it was later displayed at the Tower of London, according to debeers.com.

Among Tolkowsky's other high-profile accomplishments was the cutting of the Golden Jubilee Diamond, a 545-carat brilliant cushion-cut diamond, which the master cutter expertly crafted from a 755-carat rough gem. The polished gem presents 148 facets and displays a yellow-brown hue.

In 2002, Tolkowsky was knighted by the Belgian government for his contribution to the diamond industry.

Credit: Screen grab of Gabriel Tolkowsky via Youtube.com/EMS FILMS Ton Okkerse. Centenary Diamond courtesy of The De Beers Group.