Gem Junkies

It’s the season of giving and during this years Giving Tuesday we donated $1000 to Gem Legacy . Thus, it’s a perfect time to interview Rachel Dery of Gem Legacy. We learn about her childhood growing up in the gemstone industry and about Gem Legacy--a non-profit organization that help support communities closest to the mining source.

If you would like to learn more about Gem Legacy you can head to www.gemlegacy.org or go to www.gemlegacy.org.donate to make a donation today.

Also, a quick apology for the intermittent audio issues. It’s our first time recording through zoom so we’re still learning about it. Thanks for you understanding.

00:00:00 The voices are calling

00:34:00 Rachel Dery with Gem Legacy

01:33:00 Tell us a little about you

03:00:00 The grassroots of Gem Legacy

03:55:00 How did it happen?

05:26:00 What are some of your initiative

06:59:00 The initiatives

08:00:00 Understanding what Gem Legacy is doing

10:47:00 Finding the opportunities of gemstones making a positive impact

11:53:00 Gemstone educational training

12:32:00 [Story time] Garnets from the sky

16:15:00 The gem cutting school

19:23:00 How it supports the country

19:54:00 What small amounts can do from a donation

24:18:00 There must be more within our industry to give back to the community

25:37:00 Sustainable giving

26:11:50 What are you most proud of?

28:00:00 Gem Legacy’s ability to adopt to the need

30:38:00 What is your first memory of a gemstone or piece of jewelry?

34:04:00 100% of donations goes back toward the initiatives

We made it to New York City in time for New York Jewelry Week and had an opportunity to talk shop with jewelry designer Julie Lamb. From her childhood beginnings in jewelry to the evolution of personal brand. We also have our special co-host @thirdcoastgems joining in the fun. (We apologize for the background noise. At least you get a little sense of the NYC vibe.)

00:00:00 Who is the alpha?

00:25:00 We’re in NYC w/ @julielambny and @thirdcoastgems

01:10:00 What is your first memory with a gemstone or a piece of jewelry?

02:14:00 Give us your life history

05:01:00 Looking at colleges with a metal studio

06:35:00 When did you decide to do you own thing?

07:24:00 Yes, Avon had jewelry

08:49:00 Seeing someone own a piece of your jewelry

10:45:00 Your relationship with @thirdcoastgems as a brand advocate

11:15:00 So you started your own thing?

15:29:00 You took all you learned in Julie Lamb

21:10:00 Your first launch

23:42:50 Nicknames

24:35:00 When did you start using gemstones?

27:17:00 Then came metropolis

35:04:50 We are in the business of selling not buying

40:42:00 What is the future of Julie Lamb?

Today we answer a fans question about gemstone cuts. By no means are we experts on how to actually cut/facet gemstones rather, we’ll discuss the evolution of gem cutting and the different cut styles.

00:00:00 50th Episode

01:01:00 Common Cold

02:15:00 Introduction of Gem Cutting

03:33:00 When do you think humans began cutting gemstones

04:37:00 Bruting

05:38:00 3000 BC

06:41:00 The oldest gemstone used in jewelry

06:59:00 Other gemstones that were easy to manipulate during this time

08:01:50 Middle Ages

09:30:00 Cabochons to harness magical properties

10:37:00 The hunt to get diamonds to sparkle

11:17:00 1380

12:00:00 16th Century

12:25:00 Bruting diamonds

12:55:00 The culet

13:33:00 Hello, single cut gemstone

14:53:00 The gemstone tells us what it can do

16:14:00 Cutting colored gemstones vs. diamonds

16:52:00 Face up shape

19:43:00 The parts of the gemstone

20:32:00 Brilliant cut/variation of cuts/faceting

Halloween is here and we couldn’t resist an opportunity to talk about cursed gemstones and jewelry. We go as far back to the legendary Hope Diamond, The Curse of the Delhi Purple Sapphire, The Black Orlov and yes, even a cursed opal.

00:00:00 Garlic Breath

00:41:00 Halloween Special – Cursed Jewelry

01:44:00 The most famous cursed gemstone – The Hope Diamond

02:35:00 It all began in the year of 1666

04:05:00 1678 – Louise the 14th = French Blue

05:02:00 Louise the 15th = Order of the Golden Fleece

05:47:00 Louise the 16th

06:13:00 When things start to go south

07:24:00 And then the stone disappeared

08:03:00 20 years later the Hope Diamond appeared

08:41:00 1812 – Sold to King George the IV and it’s transition to the Hope Family

09:19:00 16 years after the Hope Estate

10:29:00 Getting picked up by Cartier

10:45:00 Attempting to turn it lucky

11:49:00 No hope for the Hope Diamond

12:12:50 The final curse of the Hope Diamond

13:01:00 Cool qualities about the Hope Diamond

13:36:00 The curse of the Delhi Purple Sapphire (aka Amethyst)

14:08:00 A letter from Heron Allen to the future processor of the Amethyst

18:33:00 A curse opal

21:10:00 The Black Orlov

We did Gold and now it’s Silvers turn. It is recognized as one of the 7 metals of antiquity and this week we dive into its deep history—from its physical properties to its everyday applications. We even discover the folklore behind why all monsters are destroyed by this precious metal. Come take a listen and even learn how to make it rain with SILVER!!!

00:00:00 Training for a half marathon

01:10:00 Hello . . . SILVER

02:55:00 Transition metal and silver qualities

04:55:00 Why is Silver white?

06:12:00 Silver is the highest electrical conductor

07:25:00 It’s also in mirrors

08:35:00 Silver making contact with Sulfur

09:29:00 To clean off tarnish from Silver

10:10:00 You can plate silver

12:09:00 Silver used in artificial rain making

12:47:00 Medical use to prevent infection

13:45:00 The history of Silver

14:56:00 Cuppelation

15:55:00 Earliest extractions of Silver

17:03:00 Hack Silver

17:28:00 The rise of the Greek and Roman Empire

18:32:00 19th Century with Silver

18:56:50 Into the folklore

Benjamin Guttery, of @thirdcoastgems, was in Idaho and we couldn’t resist the opportunity to record another podcast with him. We sit down and learn about his 14-day excursion unearthing the Brazilian mines--from road trip woes to #birthdaygoals playing with gemstones straight from the source. Pull up a chair and take a listen as we relive this one-of-kind mining experience.

00:00:00 Bobo = silly

00:25:00 Benjamin Guttery of @thirdcoastgems

01:42:00 Gem Junkies OG

03:10:00 Eating in Brazil – Churrascaria

05:08:00 You went as a guest for the government

06:24:00 Brazil is the Outback of gems

06:53:00 Start us out on your tour

08:43:00 Belo Horizonte – one of the largest jewelry cutting centers

09:16:00 A long drive to Ouro Preto

09:59:00 Going into the Gold mines

11:54:00 Imperial Topaz Mines

13:20:00 Cachaca: Brazilian liquor

14:55:00 Imperial Topaz continued . . .

16:35:00 Why Imperial Topaz hasn’t taken off the same way as other gemstones

17:35:00 Gold mining

19:14:50 Government involvement with mining and land reclamation

19:56:00 Itabira and the Belmont Emerald Mines

23:10:00 How long have they been in operation

25:00:00 Birthday at the mines

28:13:00 Iolite in an emerald mine

29:50:00 Learning Portuguese

30:18:00 Sorting process

31:38:00 Governador Valadares – Cruzeiro Tourmaline Mines

34:03:00 Interesting Brazil fact!!

35:13:00 The Saint of Miners

37:24:00 São José da Safira

39:59:00 Benji sized mining gear

41:07:00 Going down the tourmaline mine

51:40:00 Wash plant – piecing back together the tourmaline

52:24:00 Seven Fine Gems Offices

54:38:00 Quick run down of the last week of the trip

Getting to know you, getting to know all about Parle. We sit town with another Parle team member, Marty Burns, who is one of our traveling sales consultants. As a child panning for gold in the Merced River, Marty was destined to be involved in the jewelry industry. We sit down and learning about his early beginnings in the jewelry industry and even tornadoes.

00:00:00 Story-time

01:01:50 Puzzles

02:22:00 Parle Team Member – Marty Burns

03:08:00 Tell us about your start in the jewelry industry

08:41:00 How did you get to Oklahoma?

11:59:00 So what you do for us is sales

12:30:00 What was the most interesting thing you’ve appraised?

14:14:50 How do you determine the value of a piece?

15:25:00 Did you ever have to go to court?

16:11:00 Insurance replacement value vs. cost/actual value

18:25:00 What does your day look like?

20:39:00 What is your earliest memory of a gemstone or piece of jewelry?

21:33:00 What’s your favorite gemstone?

23:19:00 (Down a rabbit hole) Let’s talk about tornadoes

30:59:00 Upcoming events with Marty

We went straight to the source to learn more about Montana Sapphire from the Rock Creek mountains of Montana. We were honored to have a guided tour from Warren Boyd, of Potentate. From the early findings, mining techniques to how they responsibly source Sapphires to ensure many years of sapphires to come.

00:00:00 Who drank all the coffee?

00:47:50 Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back

01:04:00 Introduction to Warren Boyd

01:34:00 Tell us about you first! How did you get here?

02:29:50 How did you get involved with this particular project?

02:59:00 How long have you been actively mining this area?

< Some discussion about ethically and responsibly mining>

04:17:50 On-site Water Clarification System

05:07:00 Why is so important in this particular situation/setting?

05:49:00 Why water clarification for the production side?

06:17:00 THE AMOUNT OF SAPPHIRE!! How is that?

07:35:50 Tell us about the percentage of the size of rough that your typically retrieve

08:19:00 What does that mean as the sufficient size to cut and facet?

09:07:00 How does that break down size wise?

09:50:00 What is the average percentage from a rough to a cut stone? What percentage do you retain?

11:05:00 This feels like home

12:45:00 The cows are a coming

13:10:00 The reclamation of the land and a little more history of the mine

15:08:00 Technology advancement in mining

15:56:00 Only mining 5 acres at a time . . .more details about land reclamation

17:41:00 The history

18:23:50 Old timers mined the gullies

19:14:00 It’s not alluvial?

20:04:00 You said that this area is geologically different?

21:10:50 The benefits of looking at historical data and science in order to mine

21:55:00 The longevity of Montana Sapphire

22:46:50 Scalable processing operation

23:09:50 What is your first memory of either a gemstone or a piece of jewelry?

24:21:00 You also have a twin

25:39:00 What is your favorite gemstone?

26:43:60 There is a difference of the deposits within Montana

“To shine, to gleam, to be yellow and green.” This week is all about the Midas touch --- GOLD! We explore the early history of gold, some fundamental basics, how it has become the metal of choice and of course, the lore behind it all.

00:00:00 Take 1 to 11

00:39:00 GOLD

01:42:00 What does gold mean?

02:22:00 Early history of mining for gold

03:08:00 Oldest known mine

03:33:00 Oldest recorded metal employed by humans

03:41:00 But why did we decided that gold would be the

metal of choice

(A look into its properties)

06:11:00 Why else is gold desirable to work with?

08:28:00 Understanding karat gold

09:44:00 Mixing other metals with gold = alloying

15:20:00 Plentiful sources

17:37:00 Where did gold come from?

20:40:00 Gold in the ocean!! SAY WHAT!!

21:48:00 The quest for gold

25:00:00 History of the gold welding band

27:51:50 You can also eat it

29:33:00 Aura around gold

30:21:00 Alchemy

33:05:00 History between mercury and gold

Getting to know you, getting to know all about . . . Paul! You’ve heard us reference Paul throughout other episodes so its time we put him in the hot seat. Parlé wouldn’t be the same company without him because heck, he manages our whole production team. We learn about his childhood passion for minerals and his journey into his role.

Don’t forget to email us at [email protected] or DM us via FB or IG to ask Paul questions you would like to know about production.

00:00:00 Parlé Spiders

00:43:00 Welcome back, welcome back

01:22:00 Intro to . . . . . . Paul

02:29:00 How long have you worked for Parlé?

03:19:00 Did you come straight out of college?

06:39:00 Instilling cleanliness

06:58:00 Proprietary vs. Secret

07:55:00 Did you ever get to learn how to cut gemstones?

08:21:00 After casting, then what?

• Going from geologist to gemologist

• Moving into the stone department

12:28:00 Taking a break from Parlé

14:18:00 Coming back to Parlé, in sales . . . . SAY WHAT?!?!

15:30:00 What about your geology background that helps you with gemology?

16:44:00 Where does your passion for geology come from?

18:42:00 Buying together

20:33:00 A day in the life

21:53:00 (Tangent) Farm life: raising Black Angus

23:39:00 A day in the life (continued)

26:46:50 Buying gemstones is fun

27.29.00 What is your favorite gemstone?