Memorable quote (s) from the movie:
Scarlett (Vivien Leigh): Oh, Rhett! Please, don't go! You can't leave me! Please! I'll never forgive you!
Rhett Butler (Clarke Gable): I'm not asking you to forgive me. I'll never understand or forgive myself. And if a bullet gets me, so help me, I'll laugh at myself for being an idiot. There's one thing I do know... and that is that I love you, Scarlett. In spite of you and me and the whole silly world going to pieces around us, I love you. Because we're alike. Bad lots, both of us. Selfish and shrewd. But able to look things in the eyes as we call them by their right names.
Scarlett (Vivien Leigh): Don't hold me like that!
Rhett Butler (Clarke Gable): Scarlett! Look at me! I've loved you more than I've ever loved any woman and I've waited for you longer than I've ever waited for any woman.
Scarlett (Vivien Leigh): Let me alone!
Rhett Butler (Clarke Gable): Here's a soldier of the South who loves you, Scarlett. Wants to feel your arms around him, wants to carry the memory of your kisses into battle with him. Never mind about loving me, you're a woman sending a soldier to his death with a beautiful memory. Scarlett! Kiss me! Kiss me... once...
Monday, March 05, 2007
Sunday, March 04, 2007
The Great American Sapphire
By Stephen M Voynick
Mountain Press Publishing Company
1985 ISBN 0-87842-193-9
Stephen M Votnick writes:
To most Americans, the word sapphire has an intriguing foreign flavor conjuring images of crown jewels, sultans, turbaned natives, and the steamy jungles of exotic places like Ceylon and Burma. Many Americans, including myself, were quite surprised to learn recently that the United States had suddenly emerged as a commercial source of what some gem experts consider the world’s finest sapphire. Even more surprising was that the entire production came from little-known Montana mine with the unlikely name of Yogo, a mine which, sixty years earlier, had produced $25 million in fine cut sapphire for the British.
My interest in western mining led me to Yogo where I found not only a mine, but a remarkable geological story backed by a century of rich Montana history. That history, in passing from generation to generation, had evolved into a loose collection of colorful frontier folklore and romanticized legends. More fascinating was the real story that lay hidden in disjointed company files and correspondence, dusty geological reports and decades of yellowed newspaper clippings—even in some of the works of Charles M Russell. Yogo was far more than a common tale of mineral discovery and exploitation; it was the culmination of a forgotten chapter of American history—the search for precious gemstones.
America’s frontier expansion coincided with a great period in gemstone history that included discovery of the Siam and Kashmir sapphires, the South African diamond fields, and the British development of Burma’s legendary Mogok Stone Tract. Americans headed west in love with, and obsessed by, gold. But they were also aware of the possibility of—and perhaps even anticipated—the discovery of native precious gemstones. Yet, when sapphires were finally discovered in Montana, the same miners who wrote the book on gold were shown to be profoundly naïve in matters related to precious gemstones, thus opening the door to eager British gem merchants.
Unlike that of the great gold strikes, the Yogo sapphire story did not die with the frontier. Although yesterday’s claim stakes and sluice boxes are gone, equally exciting chapters in the Yogo story are now being written in corporate board rooms, gem industry trade journals, gemological laboratories and, most importantly, in the display cases of thousands of retail jewelry stores across the United States.
Montana’s Yogo sapphire deposit is a true bonanza that economically overshadows many major gold strikes, but sapphires, while far more valuable on a weight-for-weight basis, were unlike gold. Gold required merely digging and selling; sapphires demanded marketing, a lesson that hopeful American sapphire miners would take ninety years to learn. Yogo is an historical treasure, but the story of the Yogo sapphires is really just beginning, for only now are South African diamonds, Colombian emeralds and Burmese rubies being belatedly joined by a native American precious gemstone that is every bit their equal—the Montana sapphire.
Mountain Press Publishing Company
1985 ISBN 0-87842-193-9
Stephen M Votnick writes:
To most Americans, the word sapphire has an intriguing foreign flavor conjuring images of crown jewels, sultans, turbaned natives, and the steamy jungles of exotic places like Ceylon and Burma. Many Americans, including myself, were quite surprised to learn recently that the United States had suddenly emerged as a commercial source of what some gem experts consider the world’s finest sapphire. Even more surprising was that the entire production came from little-known Montana mine with the unlikely name of Yogo, a mine which, sixty years earlier, had produced $25 million in fine cut sapphire for the British.
My interest in western mining led me to Yogo where I found not only a mine, but a remarkable geological story backed by a century of rich Montana history. That history, in passing from generation to generation, had evolved into a loose collection of colorful frontier folklore and romanticized legends. More fascinating was the real story that lay hidden in disjointed company files and correspondence, dusty geological reports and decades of yellowed newspaper clippings—even in some of the works of Charles M Russell. Yogo was far more than a common tale of mineral discovery and exploitation; it was the culmination of a forgotten chapter of American history—the search for precious gemstones.
America’s frontier expansion coincided with a great period in gemstone history that included discovery of the Siam and Kashmir sapphires, the South African diamond fields, and the British development of Burma’s legendary Mogok Stone Tract. Americans headed west in love with, and obsessed by, gold. But they were also aware of the possibility of—and perhaps even anticipated—the discovery of native precious gemstones. Yet, when sapphires were finally discovered in Montana, the same miners who wrote the book on gold were shown to be profoundly naïve in matters related to precious gemstones, thus opening the door to eager British gem merchants.
Unlike that of the great gold strikes, the Yogo sapphire story did not die with the frontier. Although yesterday’s claim stakes and sluice boxes are gone, equally exciting chapters in the Yogo story are now being written in corporate board rooms, gem industry trade journals, gemological laboratories and, most importantly, in the display cases of thousands of retail jewelry stores across the United States.
Montana’s Yogo sapphire deposit is a true bonanza that economically overshadows many major gold strikes, but sapphires, while far more valuable on a weight-for-weight basis, were unlike gold. Gold required merely digging and selling; sapphires demanded marketing, a lesson that hopeful American sapphire miners would take ninety years to learn. Yogo is an historical treasure, but the story of the Yogo sapphires is really just beginning, for only now are South African diamonds, Colombian emeralds and Burmese rubies being belatedly joined by a native American precious gemstone that is every bit their equal—the Montana sapphire.
Driving Miss Daisy
Memorable quote (s) from the movie:
Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy): You know your letters don't you?
Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman): Oh yeah, yeah I know my ABC's pretty good, just can't read.
Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy): Stop saying that you're making me mad! If you know your letters you can read. You just don't know you can read.
Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman): Maam?
Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy): I taught some of the stupidest children God ever put on the face of this earth and all of them could read well enough to find a name on a tombstone.
Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy): You know your letters don't you?
Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman): Oh yeah, yeah I know my ABC's pretty good, just can't read.
Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy): Stop saying that you're making me mad! If you know your letters you can read. You just don't know you can read.
Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman): Maam?
Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy): I taught some of the stupidest children God ever put on the face of this earth and all of them could read well enough to find a name on a tombstone.
Faberge The Entrepreneur
(via Lapidary Journal) Si & Ann Frazier writes:
Faberge may have turned his name into pure cachet with the firms imperial Easter Eggs, but he probably didn’t make much money on these unbelievably labor-intensive pieces. His bread-and-butter work was in smaller, simpler, less-expensive objects that were still imaginatively styled and superbly constructed in a catalog published in 1899 (translated by K Snowman 1952, p.139). Faberge gives his policy on quality and pricing, which should interest today’s gem and jewelry wannabes and professional alike.
“……as to the quality of our products, it will be sufficient to acquaint our customers with the following…principles which have always guided us during the many years of our business:
1. It is our strict rule not to supply any goods of poor quality under any circumstances. In other words, every object, be its value no more than one ruble is made solidly and carefully.
2. It has always been our endeavor, and our clients can see this for themselves, to offer to the public the greatest possible number of entirely new forms and designs. Goods which have gone out of fashion will not remain in our shop: once a year they are collected and melted down.
3. We try to produce our goods in such a way that the value of each object purchased from us fully corresponds with the sum paid for it, i.e we sell our goods as cheaply as their careful execution permits.
4. Thanks to our considerable capital resources, we are always able to make and hold at the disposal of our clients a large quantity of the most varied and valuable articles.
5. Under no circumstances do we tolerate the possibility of any objects equal in quality to our own being sold elsewhere at a lower price than that fixed by us, for the reason (that) our own prices are always moderate and correspond to the quality of the stones and the workmanship which went into the production of the article; at the same time, we beg to point out that the goods made of the best quality material will naturally be more expensive than those made of materials of inferior quality.
“The range of models and designs fully correspond to the range of prices. Taking into account both the need of the higher classes of society as well as the interests of the middle class, we provide both the luxury and expensive goods to satisfy the most refined taste as well as the inexpensive goods within the reach of the not so well-to-do.”
Faberge may have turned his name into pure cachet with the firms imperial Easter Eggs, but he probably didn’t make much money on these unbelievably labor-intensive pieces. His bread-and-butter work was in smaller, simpler, less-expensive objects that were still imaginatively styled and superbly constructed in a catalog published in 1899 (translated by K Snowman 1952, p.139). Faberge gives his policy on quality and pricing, which should interest today’s gem and jewelry wannabes and professional alike.
“……as to the quality of our products, it will be sufficient to acquaint our customers with the following…principles which have always guided us during the many years of our business:
1. It is our strict rule not to supply any goods of poor quality under any circumstances. In other words, every object, be its value no more than one ruble is made solidly and carefully.
2. It has always been our endeavor, and our clients can see this for themselves, to offer to the public the greatest possible number of entirely new forms and designs. Goods which have gone out of fashion will not remain in our shop: once a year they are collected and melted down.
3. We try to produce our goods in such a way that the value of each object purchased from us fully corresponds with the sum paid for it, i.e we sell our goods as cheaply as their careful execution permits.
4. Thanks to our considerable capital resources, we are always able to make and hold at the disposal of our clients a large quantity of the most varied and valuable articles.
5. Under no circumstances do we tolerate the possibility of any objects equal in quality to our own being sold elsewhere at a lower price than that fixed by us, for the reason (that) our own prices are always moderate and correspond to the quality of the stones and the workmanship which went into the production of the article; at the same time, we beg to point out that the goods made of the best quality material will naturally be more expensive than those made of materials of inferior quality.
“The range of models and designs fully correspond to the range of prices. Taking into account both the need of the higher classes of society as well as the interests of the middle class, we provide both the luxury and expensive goods to satisfy the most refined taste as well as the inexpensive goods within the reach of the not so well-to-do.”
Blue Mystery: The Story Of The Hope Diamond
By Susanne Steinem Patch
Smithsonian Institution Press
1976 ISBN 0-87474-165-3
Susanne Steinem Patch writes:
Minerals, particularly those rare and beautiful enough to be gems, have been my lifelong interest. When I was director of an educational diamond exhibit I became familiar with the stories of all the famous diamonds and found that of the Hope most fascinating because of the mystery surrounding its origin. A desire to dispel that mystery started me on my research, and the many inconsistencies in the diamond’s history spurred me on. How, for example, could one of its owners, the actress May Yohe, be pictured in a newspaper clipping supposedly wearing the Hope diamond in the mounting that was made for its subsequent owner, Evalyn Walsh Mclean?
An exciting moment in my research came when, through great good luck, I uncovered two original sketches of the Hope diamond made in 1812. These drawings document the diamond’s existence in its present form eighteen years earlier than the 1830 date usually given for its first appearance.
Just as this book was going to press, museum authorities permitted the Hope diamond to be removed from its mounting and weighed. It was found that the diamond weighs 45.52 carats (in modern metric carats). This is discussed further on page 62. The most exciting moment of all for me occurred when, placing the Hope diamond upside down on a slip of white paper, I—like the lapidary in 1812—traced (it) round the diamond with a pencil and discovered that the outline I had drawn, complete with one flattened side, was identical to the earlier drawing.
Many questions will remain unanswered; perhaps the Hope diamond, like the complex and powerful people who have been driven to possess it, can never be completely known. But if any reader has additional information to contribute about the tantalizing gaps in this diamond’s history, please write to me in care of the Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 20560
Smithsonian Institution Press
1976 ISBN 0-87474-165-3
Susanne Steinem Patch writes:
Minerals, particularly those rare and beautiful enough to be gems, have been my lifelong interest. When I was director of an educational diamond exhibit I became familiar with the stories of all the famous diamonds and found that of the Hope most fascinating because of the mystery surrounding its origin. A desire to dispel that mystery started me on my research, and the many inconsistencies in the diamond’s history spurred me on. How, for example, could one of its owners, the actress May Yohe, be pictured in a newspaper clipping supposedly wearing the Hope diamond in the mounting that was made for its subsequent owner, Evalyn Walsh Mclean?
An exciting moment in my research came when, through great good luck, I uncovered two original sketches of the Hope diamond made in 1812. These drawings document the diamond’s existence in its present form eighteen years earlier than the 1830 date usually given for its first appearance.
Just as this book was going to press, museum authorities permitted the Hope diamond to be removed from its mounting and weighed. It was found that the diamond weighs 45.52 carats (in modern metric carats). This is discussed further on page 62. The most exciting moment of all for me occurred when, placing the Hope diamond upside down on a slip of white paper, I—like the lapidary in 1812—traced (it) round the diamond with a pencil and discovered that the outline I had drawn, complete with one flattened side, was identical to the earlier drawing.
Many questions will remain unanswered; perhaps the Hope diamond, like the complex and powerful people who have been driven to possess it, can never be completely known. But if any reader has additional information to contribute about the tantalizing gaps in this diamond’s history, please write to me in care of the Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 20560
Friday, March 02, 2007
Asia's Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair
JewelleryNetAsia writes:
Asia's Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair is the only trade event in Asia dedicated to the fashion jewellery and accessories industry. Two editions are held each year in June and September. Commencing 2007, a third edition will be held in March.
The new March edition is in response to numerous requests from the trade for a spring event that will provide buying opportunities for products for the Fall/Winter season. Demand for a spring edition was sparked by the changing trends in the fashion jewellery and accessories industry, which is dependent on having a constant supply of new, creative and stylish products for each season.
The new spring edition will provide buyers from around the world the opportunity to source new, trendy fashion jewellery items that will enrich the spectrum of products and increase their competitive edge in the marketplace.
Hong Kong's Special Economic Environment Facilitates Business
Located at the heart of the fastest-growing markets in Asia Pacific, Hong Kong is a free port with an extremely business-friendly environment that does not impose any import or export duties or taxes on products. This makes Hong Kong the ideal place for traders, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers from around the world to source a wide array of products at competitive prices without the hassle of restrictions and duties.
Fair Dates & Times
7 - 9 March, 2007 10:30am - 6:30pm
10 March, 2007 10:30am - 5:30pm
More info @ Department, Jewellery Fairs
Tel: (852) 2516 1655 / 1652 / 1661 / 1646
Fax: (852) 2802 9934
Email: salesafj@cmpasia.com
Website: http://www.JewelleryNetAsia.com
Promotion Department, Jewellery Fairs
Tel: (852) 25162158
Fax: (852) 2802 9934
Email: visiting@jewellerynetasia.com
Website: http://www.jewellerynetasia.com
Asia's Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair is the only trade event in Asia dedicated to the fashion jewellery and accessories industry. Two editions are held each year in June and September. Commencing 2007, a third edition will be held in March.
The new March edition is in response to numerous requests from the trade for a spring event that will provide buying opportunities for products for the Fall/Winter season. Demand for a spring edition was sparked by the changing trends in the fashion jewellery and accessories industry, which is dependent on having a constant supply of new, creative and stylish products for each season.
The new spring edition will provide buyers from around the world the opportunity to source new, trendy fashion jewellery items that will enrich the spectrum of products and increase their competitive edge in the marketplace.
Hong Kong's Special Economic Environment Facilitates Business
Located at the heart of the fastest-growing markets in Asia Pacific, Hong Kong is a free port with an extremely business-friendly environment that does not impose any import or export duties or taxes on products. This makes Hong Kong the ideal place for traders, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers from around the world to source a wide array of products at competitive prices without the hassle of restrictions and duties.
Fair Dates & Times
7 - 9 March, 2007 10:30am - 6:30pm
10 March, 2007 10:30am - 5:30pm
More info @ Department, Jewellery Fairs
Tel: (852) 2516 1655 / 1652 / 1661 / 1646
Fax: (852) 2802 9934
Email: salesafj@cmpasia.com
Website: http://www.JewelleryNetAsia.com
Promotion Department, Jewellery Fairs
Tel: (852) 25162158
Fax: (852) 2802 9934
Email: visiting@jewellerynetasia.com
Website: http://www.jewellerynetasia.com
The Union Budget Impact
Here is an update on the Union Budget (India) 2007, and its impact on the gem and jewelry sector.
(via) Times News Network writes:
The Union Budget may have brought some shine back for the gems and jewellery industry, but the announcements are not just enough to make it glitter.
The FM’s decision to reduce duty on cut and polished diamonds (CPD) from 5% to 3%, rough synthetic stones (from 12.5% to 5%) and unworked corals (from 30% to 10%) has evinced mixed reactions. While some players welcomed the move as a step in the right direction, others said it didn’t go far enough — zero duty on diamond imports would have helped attract global interest in India’s diamond trade.
The FM has also proposed the introduction of a benign assessment procedure for assesses engaged in diamond manufacturing and trading who declare profits from such activities at 8% or more of the turnover.
While instructions in this regard are to be issued shortly, industry sources are not sure whether the 8% implies gross or net profit. Net profit, they say, is around 3% and a clarification needs to be issued on this count.
“The budget has been neutral. We had anticipated relaxation in import of gold but that has not come through though there has been a reduction in import duty on cut and polished diamonds, rough synthetic stones and unworked corals,” said Rajesh Mehta, chairman of Bangalore-based Rajesh Exports.
Sources added turnover tax regime is followed by leading diamond-producing centres such as Belgium and Israel, and, if introduced in India, would preclude needless legal wrangling between tax assessors and assesses as to valuation of stock (diamond), a key problem that the industry faces today.
Bakul Mehta, convenor, diamond panel, Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), says there are billions of stones produced and no standard input-output norms to determine the value of the stock. “Even within the same mine different quality of diamonds can be generated, quality differs from lot-to-lot and within the same lot,” he explained.
Stating that the duty cut on CPD and other raw materials was a positive step, GJEPC Chairman Sanjay Kothari said, “The industry had expected reduction on CPD from 5% to 0% which would have helped India emerge from the largest manufacturing centre to the largest trading centre at a rapid pace.”
GJEPC said the introduction of turnover tax regime was a historical step. The move is affirmative and encouraging. The industry still awaits the exact details of the taxation system and expects it to be in line with international practices. However, the industry expected the turnover tax to be applicable for the entire gems & jewellery sector.
Su-Raj Diamonds & Jewellery CMD Jatin Mehta said, “The FM is on the dot in recognizing the need to reduce duty. These steps are in the right direction and will enable the diamond industry, which is going through a rough patch, to compete with other international centers like Belgium and Israel.”
“As far as turnover tax is concerned it is still not clear how it would unfold and what impact it would have on industry. A duty cut of 2% may not serve the purpose of our exporters as many countries have a zero duty regime. Reduction of duty in synthetic stones will boost consumption at the lower end,” said Gitanjali Gems chairman Mehul Choksi.
More info @ http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Gem_of_an_idea_but_the_sparks_still_missing/articleshow/1704435.cms
(via) Times News Network writes:
The Union Budget may have brought some shine back for the gems and jewellery industry, but the announcements are not just enough to make it glitter.
The FM’s decision to reduce duty on cut and polished diamonds (CPD) from 5% to 3%, rough synthetic stones (from 12.5% to 5%) and unworked corals (from 30% to 10%) has evinced mixed reactions. While some players welcomed the move as a step in the right direction, others said it didn’t go far enough — zero duty on diamond imports would have helped attract global interest in India’s diamond trade.
The FM has also proposed the introduction of a benign assessment procedure for assesses engaged in diamond manufacturing and trading who declare profits from such activities at 8% or more of the turnover.
While instructions in this regard are to be issued shortly, industry sources are not sure whether the 8% implies gross or net profit. Net profit, they say, is around 3% and a clarification needs to be issued on this count.
“The budget has been neutral. We had anticipated relaxation in import of gold but that has not come through though there has been a reduction in import duty on cut and polished diamonds, rough synthetic stones and unworked corals,” said Rajesh Mehta, chairman of Bangalore-based Rajesh Exports.
Sources added turnover tax regime is followed by leading diamond-producing centres such as Belgium and Israel, and, if introduced in India, would preclude needless legal wrangling between tax assessors and assesses as to valuation of stock (diamond), a key problem that the industry faces today.
Bakul Mehta, convenor, diamond panel, Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), says there are billions of stones produced and no standard input-output norms to determine the value of the stock. “Even within the same mine different quality of diamonds can be generated, quality differs from lot-to-lot and within the same lot,” he explained.
Stating that the duty cut on CPD and other raw materials was a positive step, GJEPC Chairman Sanjay Kothari said, “The industry had expected reduction on CPD from 5% to 0% which would have helped India emerge from the largest manufacturing centre to the largest trading centre at a rapid pace.”
GJEPC said the introduction of turnover tax regime was a historical step. The move is affirmative and encouraging. The industry still awaits the exact details of the taxation system and expects it to be in line with international practices. However, the industry expected the turnover tax to be applicable for the entire gems & jewellery sector.
Su-Raj Diamonds & Jewellery CMD Jatin Mehta said, “The FM is on the dot in recognizing the need to reduce duty. These steps are in the right direction and will enable the diamond industry, which is going through a rough patch, to compete with other international centers like Belgium and Israel.”
“As far as turnover tax is concerned it is still not clear how it would unfold and what impact it would have on industry. A duty cut of 2% may not serve the purpose of our exporters as many countries have a zero duty regime. Reduction of duty in synthetic stones will boost consumption at the lower end,” said Gitanjali Gems chairman Mehul Choksi.
More info @ http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Gem_of_an_idea_but_the_sparks_still_missing/articleshow/1704435.cms
Buying Ametrine Rough
(via Lapidary Journal) Lawrence Stoller writes:
The truth be told, I felt a little gluttonous as I held stone after stone to the sunlight, looking for the sharp, contrasting colors of purple and yellow, for I lusted after almost every piece I saw. I use two different selection criteria when I am examining rough material for cutting. The first is what I call the logical criteria. With ametrine, I first look for how clean the stone is internally. Is it filled with veils and cracks, or are there large areas of brilliant flawless material? Second, I look for color. Are the two colors present or it is primarily one color? Is there a distinct color line between the purple and yellow, or do the two colors blend to create yet another unnamed blue?
As one side of my brain makes these intellectual assessments, the other side gives an instant, emotional response. Either I got a resounding Yes!, a No, or an I don’t know. I have learned to go with the yes, even if it is in contrast to the logical criteria response, because sometimes there is a surprise that I might not have seen with my eye, but I knew intuitively was there, waiting to be discovered.
I feel a responsibility for every stone I procure. As a cutter, I know that when acquiring a stone, I am initiating a relationship, a romance so to speak. Thus, as in any relationship there needs to be a spark of attraction, a desire for involvement, and a commitment to spend the time and creative energy to see the transformation of the stone through, from its rough state to its finest finished form. I have found that when examining a piece of rough I need to have an imagination for the finished form, a feeling of desire to achieve it, and a real expectation that it will turn out beautifully before I spend either money or time on a piece. And I find that ametrine can appear brilliantly happy if one knows how to treat it right.
The truth be told, I felt a little gluttonous as I held stone after stone to the sunlight, looking for the sharp, contrasting colors of purple and yellow, for I lusted after almost every piece I saw. I use two different selection criteria when I am examining rough material for cutting. The first is what I call the logical criteria. With ametrine, I first look for how clean the stone is internally. Is it filled with veils and cracks, or are there large areas of brilliant flawless material? Second, I look for color. Are the two colors present or it is primarily one color? Is there a distinct color line between the purple and yellow, or do the two colors blend to create yet another unnamed blue?
As one side of my brain makes these intellectual assessments, the other side gives an instant, emotional response. Either I got a resounding Yes!, a No, or an I don’t know. I have learned to go with the yes, even if it is in contrast to the logical criteria response, because sometimes there is a surprise that I might not have seen with my eye, but I knew intuitively was there, waiting to be discovered.
I feel a responsibility for every stone I procure. As a cutter, I know that when acquiring a stone, I am initiating a relationship, a romance so to speak. Thus, as in any relationship there needs to be a spark of attraction, a desire for involvement, and a commitment to spend the time and creative energy to see the transformation of the stone through, from its rough state to its finest finished form. I have found that when examining a piece of rough I need to have an imagination for the finished form, a feeling of desire to achieve it, and a real expectation that it will turn out beautifully before I spend either money or time on a piece. And I find that ametrine can appear brilliantly happy if one knows how to treat it right.
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