There has been a lot of talk about the issues with conflict free stones. Here's what Roberto Coin has to say about it.

"The Signature Ruby found in all of the Roberto Coin jewelry designs has always been a special wish from Roberto to his clients for a life full of love, health and good fortune. The use of the ruby has become a tradition for Roberto Coin since 1996 when he first introduced his signature Appassionata Collection.

We have been aware that the mining and production of the ruby has come at the expense of our fellow world citizens in Myanmar. Ninety percent of the world’s ruby supply is sourced from the country of Myanmar whose people have fallen under an unjust military regime. Our current stock of rubies has been purchased from reputable suppliers who have certified that they have been neither mined nor cut in Myanmar.

As our inventories are now nearly depleted, Roberto Coin will be implementing the use of manufactured rubies, similar to those used in watch movements, into all of his designs moving forward. We would like to assure you that these stones will be of the highest quality and adhere to the strictest quality control standards set forth by Roberto Coin. Should the situation in Myanmar be resolved and the United Nations confirm that the rights of the Myanmar people restored Roberto Coin will resume its use of rubies in the collections.

Our tradition of wishing our clients a life of love and prosperity will continue."

This issue is of very great concern to us and therefore we make every effort possible to avoid "conflict diamonds." We do our best to make sure every diamond we buy from our vendors can be traced to its legitimate source and that these items are not involved in funding conflict.

We demand that our vendors remain in compliance with UN resolutions and the Kimberley Process. Our vendors guarantee that the diamonds we buy are conflict free, based on personal knowledge and/or written guarantees provided by the supplier of these diamonds.

Organizations in our industry agreed in 2003 on a program of self-regulation to complement the Kimberley Process created by the governments of nations involved in the diamond trade. We at JR Dunn Jewelers, welcomed the introduction of this global system to combat the illicit traffic in conflict diamonds and our policy has been to support the industry's self-regulation program.

For more information see Sean Dunn's Web Log >>

WHAT IS A PEARL? NATURAL vs. CULTURED

Natural Pearls are formed by nature without the hand of man. While living in it's natural habitat, a mollusk such as an oyster, gets a small irritant inside its shell such as a grain of sand, coral or seashell. This foreign body is irritating to the animal so it secrets a mucus to protect against tissue damage (much like a human forms a blister). This mucus hardens and accumulates in many layers, called the nacre, until it becomes larger and larger, becomming one of the most prized objects in the world - a pearl. From this humble beginning, true natural pearls are very rare, consequently considered the most valuable pearls and are not commonly found in the modern jewelry marketplace.

In 1893, Kokichi MIKIMOTO conceived a method of duplicating this natural process by inserting a shell fragment into the oyster and stimulating the oyster to grow the thousands of layers of nacre which form a beautiful lustrous pearl. The resulting pearls are referred to as "Cultured pearls."

Cultured pearls are formed the same way as natural pearls, but man inserts the irritant (called the nucleus). This process is called "seeding" because a small seed or bead is inserted into the mollusk and the pearl is formed around it. For the best cultured pearls, this bead is made of mollusk shell. The mollusks are raised in a controlled environment, on a farm. The great majority of pearls sold today for jewelry are cultured pearls.

TYPES OF PEARLS

The various types of pearls differ in their luster and their mysterious colors depending on the type of oyster that produced them, and they can take on a wide variety of appearances.

Akoya Pearls
Akoya pearls are produced by Akoya oysters in Japan. Depending on the size of the oyster, their size may vary between 2-10mm. The range of color of these pearls includes white, cream, pink, green, silver, and gold. Akoya pearls are known for their high luster and rich color. Mikimoto pearls are the most famous Akoya pearls.

South Sea Pearls
Frequently called Tahitian pearls, South Sea Pearls are formed by the Pinctada Maxima or "Lipped" oyster. They are farmed in saltwater and grown over a minimum period 2.5 years. Only one pearl is grown per oyster, so these pearls are more expensive and rare than freshwater pearls. They are generally seen in larger sizes, ranging from 8mm and up. Their wide array of colors includes: white, cream, yellow, gold, silver, rose or black. Produced in the South Pacific regions especially in Burma, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia and Tahiti. Tahiti produces especially famous pearls many of which appear in beautiful shades of black and the highly coveted peacock green.

Keshi Pearls
Small pearls created as a by-product of the pearl culturing process. If debris enters an oyster while it's open during the harvesting process, the oyster covers the debris with nacre, thus creating keshi pearls.

"Mother of Pearl"
Not an actual pearl, it is the shiny coating that can be seen on the inside of an oyster. All shells that have ability to create a pearl will have the mother of pearl coating present.

Mabe Pearls
Created when man attaches a synthetic dome to the inside shell of an oyster, which reacts by covering the dome with nacre. When harvested, the mabe is cut off from the shell, and the inside filled with plastic or other material, to give it more weight. Mother of pearl is sometimes placed on the back of mabe pearls.

Freshwater Pearls
Grown in mussels or Hyriopsis Cumingi as the host oyster, in the lakes and rivers of China, these pearls are not usually perfectly round. The irritants and oysters used in making freshwater pearls are smaller than saltwater pearls. Freshwater pearl cultivating techniques usually produce twenty or more pearls in one oyster, and it only takes 1.5 years to harvest, so they are generally less expensive than sea-pearls.

QUALITIES OF THE PERFECT PEARL

As the Originator of Cultured Pearls, MIKIMOTO maintains the strictest quality standards and created the grading system that is commonly used to grade pearls -- this means that ONLY Mikimoto pearls may truely be called AAA or any other grade. But just as diamonds have the "4 C's" pearls have 5 properties that are used to judge their quality and will affect their price.

Luster: Luster is the amount of light reflected from the pearl's surface. The finer the pearl the more of a 'rainbow' of color will be reflected.

Size: Large pearls are more difficult to cultivate. Sea pearl generally ranges from 3.5mm to 10mm in size. South Sea (White, Golden, or Black) pearl sizes begin at 10mm and can be as large as 18mm.

Shape: round pearls are the rarest and most valuable, but other shapes like tear drop and baroque are also favored because of their uniqueness.

Color: Color is based on preference, but it is always important to find a color that is rich and evenly distributed on the pearl.

Surface: A pearl is considered more valuable when the surface imperfections are minimal, however, tiny marks found on pearls are part of their natural texture and are proof of the genuineness of a cultured pearl.

The best way to size yourself for a bracelet is to take a string and wrap it around your wrist, then measure the string with a ruler. That will give you a measurement of your wrist. Most companies, such as Mikimoto or John Hardy recommend a bracelet to be at least 1/2 to 1 inch larger then your wrist, so for instance, if your wrist measures 6.5" around then a 7.0 or 7.5" bracelet is good for you, depending on how tight you want your bracelet.

Very often the answer is yes! We may have the item in stock in another color gold or we may be able to order it for you -- please ask.

NEED HELP? CONTACT US >>

pal·la·di·um n. (Symbol Pd) A soft, ductile, steel-white, tarnish-resistant, metallic element occurring naturally with platinum, especially in gold, nickel, and copper ores. It is alloyed for use in electric contacts, jewelry, nonmagnetic watch parts, and surgical instruments. A charcoal gray form of platinum found in Russia, South Africa and North America. Palladium has many of the same properties as platinum such as its resistance to corrosion and versatile applications in jewelry designs. Pieces made with Palladium bear the hallmarks of Pd950 or Pd500. Atomic number 46; atomic weight 106.4; melting point 1,552°C; boiling point 3,140°C; specific gravity 12.02 (20°C); valence 2, 3, 4.

William Hyde Wollaston and Smithson Tennant isolated palladium as a separate member of the platinum group in 1802. It wasn’t commonly used in jewelry until World War II when platinum was needed for the war effort and reserved for military use.

Because it weighed less than platinum, palladium jewelry could be made larger and still be comfortable and its malleability made stone setting and working the metal easy. Palladium also could be alloyed with gold to produce a type of white gold. Despite these advantages, palladium was gradually phased out after World War II when platinum became available again.

It is whiter than platinum and lighter, nearly half the weight, so it is an especially good choice in earrings. With the price of platinum and gold reaching recent highs, use of palladium for jewelry has seen renewed interest domestically and abroad.

Palladium’s use is mandated to avoid allergic reactions such as skin rashes, dermatitis, and eczema that may otherwise result from wearing white gold jewelry made with nickel. A white gold alloy content is typically 75 percent gold and 15 percent palladium for an 18-carat gold piece of jewelry. While traditionally other metals including nickel and zinc have been used as the whitening agent for white gold, the least skin sensitive gold alloy is made with palladium.

Palladium’s color is a pleasing light gray, but it doesn’t take a high polish the way platinum does and may have a tendency to become dull over time. However, some retailers have replaced white gold with palladium for the benefits of price range. It is simililar in price to white gold, but palladium has a superior appearance in that it is permanently white. Unlike white gold it will never yellow over time, and therefore will not require re-rhodium plating to renew the whitening as with most white gold pieces.

rho·di·um n. (Symbol Rh) A rare, silvery-white metallic element that is one of the platinum group; hard, durable, and resistant to acids; has a high reflectance. Rhodium metal does not normally form an oxide, even when heated. It is used as a permanent plating for jewelry and is added to platinum to make high-temperature alloys. Used to electroplate microscopes and instrument parts to prevent corrosion. Atomic number 45; atomic weight 102.9; melting point 1,966°C; boiling point 3,727°C; specific gravity 12.41 (20°C); valence 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Precious Metals can be Rhodium Plated to provide protection and to help prevent tarnish and surface scratches and to give the piece a a reflective, high-polish, high-shine white surface. Rhodium is electroplated on to white gold, sterling silver and platinum. This is known as rhodium "flashing" in the jewelry business.

From a decorative standpoint, what makes rhodium so desirable?
Among numerous other physical characteristics such as hardness, and high reflectivity, rhodium has an extraordinary resistance to most acids and corrosive substances. It is one of the few "white" metals that will remain bright and reflective under all atmospheric conditions at ordinary temperatures. As a result, electroplated surfaces that utilize rhodium plating remain scratch resistant, bright and attractive for years.

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