Monday, June 1, 2009

A True Industry Gem


When it comes to precious gems, Jack Abraham’s demand for perfection—and nothing less—is firmly set in stone.

By Jenn Thornton

Educated in Israel, Great Britain, and the US, Jack Abraham’s youthful inclination was to study aerodynamics and space exploration. Having been involved with the gem and jewelry industry since 1962, however, the Afghan-born businessman chose to remain a part of the family business and instead studied marketing and business administration. Naturally, he brought a scientific mind to the jewelry industry and eagerly embraced the challenges that it presented. “Someone who just buys and sells stones is an object tradesman,” Abraham explains. “I study gems; search for them, nurture them. The uniqueness and brilliance of a Jack Abraham gemstone adds color to the life of its eventual owner, so it must represent perfection and added value all times and in all ways.”

Today, Jack Abraham relentlessly pursues and meticulously evaluates the world’s gemstones for uncompromising quality. The owner of the New York-based Precious Gem Resources and founder of purveyor Jack Abraham the Precious Collection, supplies international wholesalers, high-end retail stores, and fine jewelry manufacturers with exquisite rubies, sapphires, and emeralds.

Process Makes Perfect

With his discriminating nature, Abraham cuts no corners. He backs up his fixed principles and high standards with expert craftsmanship and magnificent stones imported from Asia, Africa, and South America. Each and every gem is carefully evaluated for 15 different attributes (including purity and saturation of color, origin, enhancement, brilliancy, dichroism, texture, zoning, and more) and is guaranteed with multiple certifications of authenticity.

Extensively self-educated in his trade, few can match Abraham’s knowledge on the subject—nor compete with his ability to complement fact with intuition. “If the stone talks to me, then I’ve found it!” he enthusiastically reveals. “Every stone has its own soul.” With this philosophy, it’s no surprise that Abraham incorporates some soulful stones into his own exclusive line of jewelry. Designed for generations of wearers, the stately collection is heirloom jewelry at its finest.

Partners In Shine

If perfectionism is what drives Abraham, then it is customer satisfaction that consumes him. He believes that today’s economy will reshape traditional ideas about what constitutes true value. The jeweler views the current buying climate less as a challenge than an opportunity to excel. “There is potential for those with foresight to succeed and expand,” he asserts. “You must first think of the consumer and work closely with the client. Partnership is very important and teamwork makes all things possible.”

With nearly a half-century of solid track record behind him, Abraham shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, his boundless optimism forces him to travel at full-speed. “Retirement is not an option for the man who loves what he does,” Abraham confidently states. “I owe a lot to the industry, so I try very hard to give a great deal in return.” And with that, Jack Abraham’s unending quest for perfection continues.


Sources;

Danielle Abraham
Representative, Precious Gem Resources

Jack Abraham
Precious Gem Resources

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The Indian Jones of Gems by Jessica Teisch

Jack Abraham jokes that he is Indian Jones “in an urban setting, searching for magnificent precious gems to acquire and pass on to my associates.” That he lightheartedly describes himself as the daring explorer searching for fine gems reflects his passion for adventure and ultimate authority on finding elusive treasures. That he refers to his customers and accounts as “associates” attests to the respect he holds for his relationships with jewelry stores and industry organizations worldwide. “The cornerstones of my business,” Jack stresses, “are professionalism, trust and integrity, as well as education.”

A man of uncompromising principles, these tenets shine through every aspect of his activities. In the business for more than four decades, he is available 24/7 to take calls and offer his insight into precious gems. Jack’s associates know the name Jack Abraham better than his company, Precious Gem Resources (founded in 1979), because Jack places great value on giving a personal touch and undivided attention when dealing with his associates. Therefore, the company is now appropriately being called Jack Abraham. As a leading purveyor of top quality rubies, sapphires and emeralds, Abraham’s gemstone acquisitions are available as loose stones or as exquisitely mounted center stones in handcrafted, one-of-a-kind, platinum or gold jewelry.

Until the end of the 1960’s India was the heart of the gemstone industry. When Burma became socialist, its production and supply ended. Thailand then became the supreme leader because of its ruby mines and conscientious labor. Jack’s exceptional inventory consists of rubies from Burma, Thailand, Vietnam and Madagascar, sapphires from Kashmir, Burma, Ceylon and Madagascar, and emeralds from Colombia, Afghanistan, Zambia and Brazil. Many of his top quality rubies range from two to 20 carats, and his incomparable sapphires from four to 50 carat. Jack taps into his extensive knowledge and contact, find the best gems worldwide and digs deep into his inventory to fulfill his associates’ desires. “If I wouldn’t purchase the gem for myself,” he stresses, “I wouldn’t purchase it for an associate.”

Born in Afghanistan in 1943, Jack moved to Israel as a young boy. He studied in England in 1958 and moved to New York in 1962 to attend college. He simultaneously worked in his brother’s business, sorting small rubies, sapphires and emeralds. After experimenting in fashion design, he returned to the jewelry industry to specialize in precious gemstone. “I wanted to have a niche,” he explains, “so I educated myself extensively about color realized that the top gemstone market was for me and become a connoisseur of Precious Gems.”

He added one crucial element: his exclusive line of gemstones would be guaranteed with a certificate of authenticity and enhancement by internationally recognized laboratories and backed by top craftsmanship, standards that continue to this day and have earned him a matchless reputation.

Jack also holds himself and the industry to high standards of education and full disclosure. In the early 1980s, for example, he wrote an article for Gems & Gemology that was one the first publications to discuss sapphire enhancement, its impact on the industry, and the need for full disclosure. Completely self-educated when it comes to evaluating and purveying precious gems, Jack is as interested in teaching his associates about fine colored gems as he is in furthering education in the industry. He is one of the founders of the American Gem Trade Association, and chairman of its ethics committee, which formulated the association’s code of ethics and business practices. Jack also supports the American Gem Society, International Colored Gemstone Association and Jewelers Vigilance Committee.

Despite the ease with which Jack describes the process of choosing exquisite precious gems, the art of it is quite complex. “The variability of these colored gemstones makes them so important and precious,” Jack explains. In Rubies, for example, there are more than a dozen factors to consider when buying and negotiating, including color, country of origin, enhancement, texture (from natural silky feel to microscopic inclusions caused by the heat process), dichroism, brilliancy, cut, zoning, purity of color and saturation. There are six variables in the ruby color category alone: the positive attributes of red, orange, pink and subtle purple, and the negative ones of gray and brown. Just five percent stronger red, the origin or size, could mean two to seven times greater value in the stone. The ways in which these multiple variables converge dictate a stone’s aesthetic-and overall value. The key is to understand that since no two rubies, sapphires or emeralds are identical, the variables are never exactly the same.

Not surprisingly, Jack earned the nickname “The Ruby Baron” and “Ruby King” in the 1980s, for his gem collection and expertise. “There’s simply no way to put 15 different variables into identifying one unit and setting it as an absolute example,” says Jack. “You cannot make a commodity out of rubies, sapphires and emeralds in the same way that has done to gold and more recently to diamonds.” As a result, the profit in colored stones is much higher because the variables and their impact on price points vary so widely.

Applying objective criteria to colored stones is one thing; Jack’s mystical experience, much like Indiana Jones setting eyes on the Holy Grail, is another. “When I see a super stone,” Jack admits, “it captivates my soul. Beautiful gems also have souls of their own. I sometimes close my eyes and float in the purity of the stone, whether it’s a spectacular ruby, magnificent sapphire or superb emerald.” Describing an unheated 46-carat Ceylon sapphire he purchase 20 years age, he says, “I looked at this gorgeous tranquil blue and put myself right inside of it.”

He cites as his greatest challenge: finding the right stone and negotiating the price. “When I find it,” he exclaims, “my heart goes `boom boom,’ and I think, ‘Where has it been all my life?’” Alas, it may soon leave his hands for an associate who may live in the U.S., Europe or the Far East.

Jack’s craftsmanship is an exceptional as his stones. His team crafts one-of-a-kind, beautiful pieces. The precious color in the center is, of course, the eye catcher, but Jack’s designers often flank the stone with diamonds. His classic look includes three-stone pieces, some with pave diamonds, in platinum or 18-karat gold. Jack is currently working on the “Danielle Collection,” named after his daughter who he says, “helps me in design.” Featuring magnificent rubies and sapphires, these pieces posses more pave embellishment and consequently more brilliance, with larger side stones.

Jack’s passion for gems means the difference between finding the hidden treasure- or not. “When, and if, I ever retire from this business,” Jack concludes, “and even until the end, no matter what happens, I’ll be holding and dealing in magnificent precious jewels. Colored gems are part and parcel of my daily life, and I look forward to acquiring more exquisite gems each day.”



Click here form more about Jack Abraham Precious Gem Resources

Thursday, January 15, 2009

JEWISH LIGHTS: Chanukah at the White House

WASHINGTON-This was just going to be a straight news story. This happened, the president said that, etc., etc.

But I couldn't do it that way. Because too much pulled too strongly at my heart and soul.

It's not just that each time I enter the White House grounds, I feel so very privileged, feel so aware of breathing rarified air. And I wonder each time, what am I doing here? Why have I, I who could do, thought she would be doing very different things than this, been put here?

So I say a prayer each time I enter the White House gates and each time I click on my camera, and each time I open my laptop, I ask G-d to please guide me to do that which S/He wants me to, in the best ways possible. And though I'm afraid I often miss the mark, I certainly give it my best effort.

However, I just had another White House experience which resonates so deeply within, that despite my wonder, I know somehow I am where I belong, for now.

It started on the train to D.C. I'm on my way to cover the president meeting with Jewish leaders, a yearly event that occurs on the same day as the White House Chanukah menorah lighting.

I can't help but overhear the conversation of the man in the seat ahead of me; I hear him say something about Rabbi someone on his cell. Then my fellow traveler pulls on a baseball cap and I can only see the back of the hat -it says something about Jerusalem. So as we gather our belongings to step off into Union Station, I take a deep breath and ask, "Excuse me, are you going to the White House? Do you want to share a taxi?"

The gentleman smiles and says, "Yes I'm going, but later in the day." I introduce myself and curiously ask his name. He says, "Malcolm Hoenlein." And I, without thinking, exclaim, "Uncle Malcolm!" When he looks a bit startled, I hastily explain that I'm friends with several of his nieces who always refer to him as "Uncle Malcolm," and he graciously recalls meeting me at a relative's bris.

We part company as I rush to the White House. As I enter the security gate, a man with a kipa ahead of me is unsure of the procedure; I show him the way and he warmly smiles thank you and tells me his name is Rabbi Gershom Sizomu from Uganda. I am a bit stunned. Who knew there were Jews in Uganda?

Once inside the White House grounds, I proceed directly to the press room for the daily briefing conducted by press secretary, Dana Perino. Questions about the destruction of videos showing CIA interrogations dominate the briefing.

Ironically, it's a fitting topic considering that at that very moment President Bush is in the Roosevelt Room of the White House meeting with a group of Jews, some had themselves been the victims of persecution, just because they were Jews; others represented Jews living under persecution.

The small group of journalists and photographers designated to be in the press pool for that meeting's conclusion were escorted to just outside the Roosevelt room door and there we wait silently for about 40 minutes, cameras, pads and pens poised.

Suddenly, we get the signal and are ushered in, and the president proceeds to make a two-minute statement about the gathering.

The event occurred on the sixth day of Chanukah, which was also International Human Rights Day, and which is why the president chose to meet with several Jews who were born outside the United States and most of whom came to America in search of religious freedom.

The guests included Jack Abraham, president of the only Afghan synagogue in the United States; Maurice Shohet from Iraq, currently working at the Middle East Research Institute; Dr. Mayer Ballas, the founding president of the Council to Rescue Syrian Jews; Yuli Edelstein, former Soviet refusenik, now deputy speaker of the Israeli parliament; Rabbi Sizomu of the Abayudaya Jews of Uganda; Elliott Benjamin, the vice president of the Iranian American Jewish Federation; Dr. Susana Feldman-Naim, a psychiatrist from Venezuela; Rabbi Bonnie Koppell, a colonel in the United States Army Reserve; Dr. Vladimir Kvint from the former Soviet Union, now president, International Academy of Emerging Markets; Rabbi David Shofet from Iran,now of the Nessah Educational and Cultural Center; Rabbi Manny Vinas, Lincoln Park Jewish Center; Holocaust survivors Gerald and Joan Schwab; and Judea and Ruth Pearl, co-founders of the Daniel Pearl Foundation.

In a statement after the meeting, the president said that the group discussed "how America must remain engaged in helping people realize the great blessings of religious freedom and where we find societies in which religious freedom is not allowed to practice, that we must do something about it

... "We all recognize that we're in an ideological struggle against people who murder the innocent in order to achieve political objectives, and that on the one hand, America must do everything to protect ourselves and are doing so," Bush said. "In the long term, the best way to defeat an ideology of hate is with an ideology of hope."

After the gathering, the Chicago Jewish News met with several of those who participated in the meeting with Bush. Rabbi Koppell said what seemed to "most strike the president was when the group pointed out how many Jews had been displaced from Arab countries in which they lived and how Israel had taken them in and given them a home. Seeing how the Arabs have allowed Palestinians to live in refugee camps for more than 60 years, the president said he hadn't really thought of the difference between how Israel absorbed Jews while the Arabs have used their refugees for political ends."

Rabbi Manny Vinas, who publishes the only Spanish language Jewish newspaper disseminated throughout the United States, said the president expressed special concern for the Jews of Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. Rabbi Vinas told President Bush of his concern for Cuban Jews who, the Rabbi said, are being manipulated by the Castro regime. "It used to be illegal to go to the synagogue, now it's illegal not to go to the synagogue," he said ruefully. That's because American Jews in increasing numbers have been coming to see Cuban Jews, and leaving behind money, medical supplies and other goods. "As soon as the Americans leave, the Cuban authorities take the medical supplies and other items the Americans have brought and confiscate it for their own purposes."

Jack Abraham talked about the rich and long Jewish history of Afghanistan. He noted that his grandfather was a clothing merchant who used to travel between the three cities with significant Jewish populations, pretending to sell cloth but actually enwrapping a Torah scroll in the fabric for each community to use for that day.

Echoing the President Bush's comments about the freedom of religion afforded in this country, Abraham noted that his Afghan synagogue in New York is flourishing and includes Jews from Iraq, Persia and other countries that all trace their roots back to the Jews forced to leave Israel after the destruction of the First Holy Temple by the Babylonians.

It was fascinating to meet a group most of whom came from countries in which they endured enormous hardship, beyond the scope of the mind or experience of us very fortunate Americans. Each person has managed to survive and thrive despite the often odious challenges of their previous ordeals.

As Rabbi Koppell was leaving, she mentions that this encounter between the president and the Jewish leaders from around the world was the brainchild of and organized by a man who wasn't present, Mr. Malcolm Hoenlein.

After the interviews, something really was gnawing at me. When I asked if the leaders had brought up the subject of Jerusalem to the president, one chastisingly answered me, "Jerusalem is a hot button issue. When I'm a guest in someone's home, I don't bring up a hot button issue."

I do understand, and I don't know what I would have said had I been an attendee instead of a member of the press covering the meeting. But it gives me great pause and pain to think that a cluster of Jews sat face to face with the president of the United States and did not utter a word regarding the fate of the city and the land that we face towards each time we pray. A land for which we pray, at least three times a day, for thousands of years to be reunited. For which we conclude the Passover Seder, "Next year in Jerusalem, next year in Jerusalem rebuilt!"

The holy land from which springs the spiritual light which illuminates the world. The land from which emanates the holiness that we strive to embody in our everyday lives.

Have we become so complacent, so diluted in the diaspora that we have forgotten or no longer know the meaning of diaspora? Webster's dictionary defines it as," being scattered from our ancestral homeland." Have our eyes become so used to the darkness that we think we see clearly and no longer yearn to return to the Holy Land?

As I continue to mull over the talks, my stomach speaks up and reminds me that it's time for lunch, just a short while to grab a bite before the lighting of the Chanukah menorah at the White House at sunset.

So I run to a kosher restaurant in downtown D.C. and as I walk in, who do I see? Yes, you may have guessed it, there is Uncle Malcolm, as well as Mr. Abraham from Afghanistan, who's there with his daughter, as well as others from the White House function, all scattered at different tables.

In the Roosevelt room of the White House, the press is not allowed to speak to those assembled. We click our cameras, scribble our notes and are escorted out, pronto. In a kosher restaurant, we're all a bunch of Jews, delighted to see one another, playing Jewish geography and shmoozing so much that we barely eat! It makes me recall how we are all equal in the eyes of G-d and that we are all family. As Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz says, we may have our estrangements, like most families, and/but the bonds that connect us are ultimately far stronger.

Then we all dash back to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for the lighting.

As the press pool enters the festive room, guess who was meeting and greeting the multitude of guests for the ceremony? Yes, there was Uncle Malcolm! Uncle Malcolm, it should most respectfully be noted, is vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

Then the celebration began. President Bush along with First Lady Laura Bush, and several prominent Jewish members of the administration including Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and Deputy Chief of Staff Joel Kaplan gathered with other guests.

In the president's remarks he said, "During Chanukah, we remember an ancient struggle for freedom. More than two thousand years ago, a cruel tyrant ruled Judea-and forbade the Israelites from practicing their religion. A band of brothers came together to fight this oppression. And against incredible odds, they liberated the capital city of Jerusalem. As they set about rededicating the holy temple, they witnessed a great miracle: That purified oil that was supposed to last for one day burned for eight.

"Jewish families commemorate this miracle by lighting the menorah for the eight nights of Chanukah. The Talmud instructs families to place the menorah in public view-so the entire world can see its light. The flames remind us that light triumphs over darkness, faith conquers despair, and the desire for freedom burns inside every man, woman and child.

"As we light the Chanukah candles this year, we pray for those who still live under the shadow of tyranny. This afternoon, I met with a group of Jewish immigrants to mark International Human Rights Day. Many of these men and women fled from religious oppression in countries like Iran and Syria and the Soviet Union. They came to America because our nation is a beacon of freedom. And they see a day of hope on the horizon when people all across the world will worship in freedom. The forces of intolerance can suppress the menorah-but they can never extinguish its light."

He then invited two very special guests to light the menorah and say the blessings-Judea and Ruth Pearl, the parents of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter kidnapped and murdered allegedly by al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan. The menorah Daniel's parents lit once belonged to Chayim Pearl, Daniel's great-grandfather, who brought the candlelabra with him when he left Poland to live in Israel in 1924.

The president noted that Daniel Pearl's "only crime was being a Jewish American-something Daniel Pearl would never deny. In his final moments, Daniel told his captors about a street in Israel named for his great-grandfather. He looked into their camera and he said, "My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, and I'm Jewish." These words have become a source of inspiration for Americans of all faiths. They show the courage of a man who refused to bow before terror-and the strength of a spirit that could not be broken.

"By honoring Daniel, we are given the opportunity to bring forth hope from the darkness of tragedy-and that is a miracle worth celebrating during the Festival of Lights."

In the end, Daniel Pearl chose to do tshuva. Tshuva is atonement, at-one-ment with our true self and with G-d. In the end, Daniel Pearl's mighty heart and soul came home. He had a shining moment of embodying Jerusalem in all its glory, by declaring the street in Israel that his relative was named for, by declaring for all eternity that he was a Jew.

So in choosing Daniel Pearl of the Wall Street Journal, G-d chose a Jew who, when the darkness was deepest, the circumstances the most gruesome, chose life, chose light, chose glory and eternity.

According to Jewish law, one of the only reasons that a person may leave the Holy Land is if what will be learned in the diaspora will enable that person to build and inspire Jewish continuity, thus better building the Holy Land. Let us honor the memory of mighty Daniel Pearl and all who have embraced their birthright, their heritage and identity as Jews despite being on foreign soil by our carrying the flame, inspired and inspiring to grow, to make within ourselves, our homes, our families and communities" little Jerusalems" so that we may bring light to the darkness and, together, return to our true home.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Important Facts for buying Precious Gems

For centuries, we have prized precious gems because of their rarity and radiant beauty. For generations gems were the domain of Royalty, Nobility and the very wealthy. In the last thirty years, as prosperity has come to more areas of the world, more people have experienced the pleasure of colored precious gems. Affluency and economic growth has brought strong demand from Japan as well as Western Europe. Much of the Mid East oil wealth has gone into gems.

Surging demand during the late 1970’s helped push ruby, sapphire and emerald prices to records highs, particularly those of the very finest quality. A new demand cycle promises to repeat itself as it has done in the past. For a knowledgeable and well prepared jeweler this increase could provide a tremendous opportunity for higher profits. The key will be successful buying; and the key to successful buying is knowledge and source.

Some of the factors affecting proper gemstone purchasing

COLOR:

Color is the most important factor in determining the quality and value of Precious Gems. Mother Nature does not provide us with 100% pure color in gems. Two gems of equal weight, cut and clarity might vary more than 1000% in price as a result of a difference in color. The most minor variations in color can make the largest difference in a stone’s appearance. The purity of the reds, blues and greens is important, as are the colors which modify them and their interaction in each individual gemstone.

TONE:

Tone refers to the density of color. When a gem is too dark or too light it loses both beauty and desirability, thus reducing the value. The slight differences in darkness of lightness make a large difference in the richness of a gemstone’s color. Two stones can have the same basic color quality and differ only in tone. This tonal difference can make a stone appear a very desirable deep rich color; the less desirable soft pastel color; or the least dark murky gray or black color.

CLARITY:

Clarity is based on the freedom from internal inclusions and surface blemishes. Type and amount of inclusions vary dramatically with the species and variety of gems. Minor inclusions and surface characteristics may be present in the finest gems. In precious gems, sapphires are the cleanest, least included, followed by rubies, and then by emeralds. Flawless rubies, sapphires, and emeralds are virtually nonexistent.

CUT:

How a stone is cut or “made” has a very large effect on how it will face up in the final piece of jewelry. The far eastern cutters who handle most rubies and sapphires, traditionally try to retain as much weight as possible by cutting as close to the shape of the “rough” or uncut gem. To them, symmetry and good proportions are secondary to weight retention.

BRILLIANCY:

Brilliancy is the quality and quantity of the light returned to the eye. It is measured by the amount of light reflected to the eye when the gem is viewed from the table. Due to the physical characteristics of rubies, sapphires and emeralds and the methods of cutting, we rarely see gems with 100% brilliancy. Brilliancy is not necessarily equally distributed throughout the stone; many times we see a gem that leaks light on one side and returns all the light on the other.

DICHROISM:

All rubies, sapphires and emeralds are dichroic, which means they appear to have two discernibly different colors. In some cases, the two colors are visible even to the untrained eye. The less obvious the second color, the more attractive and desirable the gemstome.

TEXTURE:

Texture refers to minute, finely disbursed inclusions or their equivalent which interfere with the passage of light and gives the stone a dull, sleepy appearance. Gems with no texture or low texture are more desirable.

COLOR ZONING:
This is seen as uneven patches or bands of color with varying degrees of intensity. It is common in sapphires.

The subtle quality differences that determine large value differences in precious gemstones are obtained through experience only.

We at Precious Gem Resources, Inc., make our experiences available to all jewelers. We are ready to share our knowledge to help you learn more about evaluating precious gems. A knowledgeable jeweler is our best asset. The more you know, the more successful you will be.

Precious Gem Resources wants to be your gem source and invites you to visit or call us.

PRECIOUS GEM RESOURCES, INC.,

579 FIFTH AVE., SUITE 1600

NEW YORK, NY 10017

(212) 688-6700

Friday, December 5, 2008

Jack Abraham of Precious Gem Resources in National Geographic

Vol. 180, No.4 October 1991

Some Ancient Peoples “replanted” sapphires in the belief that they needed more time to ripen into rubies. The people of Myanmar, formerly Burma- who call rubies ma naw ma ya, “desire-fulfilling stones”-consider all other stones mere attendants to the king of gems. Many believe that wearing rubies assures sexual appeal and guards against danger and ill health. As demand for colored stones surged in the 1980s, ruby prices soared faster than others. Although they are among the most prized of all gems, their high price does not fully reflect their rarity.

“Large gem-quality rubies are 30 to 50 times more rare than diamond,” says ruby special Jack Abraham . “A ten-carat top-quality ruby can sell for more than $200,000 a carat.” A flawless white diamond might bring a fourth that amount.

Early admirers and buyers commonly misidentified attractive stones because, unaware of chemistry, they grouped some gems by color. Many ancient references to blue gems, for instance, were to lapis lazuli, not sapphire. And when biblical authors wrote that wisdom “is more precious that rubies,” or that a virtuous woman’s “price is far above rubies,” they probably were referring to carbuncles, a term for any crystals the color of glowing embers. Eleventh-century Arabs used weight to differentiate rubies from less valuable red spinels. Yet medieval kings often believed their spinels were rubies.

Great sapphires once came from Kashmir, and they, along with fine rubies, were found for centuries in Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Now Thailand, Cambodia, Australia, Tanzania, Kenya, and Nigeria are large suppliers, and new mines have opened in Vietnam and China. Unsung celebrities, virtually unknown outside the United States, are the small, vibrantly clear, steel blue sapphires that come from Yogo Gulch, Montana. To pursue corundum from mines to finished jewels took me literally around the world.