Manolo for the Brides

First off, thanks so much for all of your well wishes! It means so much to me to have you all following my progress as I shop around. How many other brides-to-be can say they have as many fabulous peeps as I do? Not many, I’d wager 😉

Now let’s get down to business. At lease one of yesterday’s commenters expressed interest in my labradorite ring…which, of course, did not come with today’s mail like I was hoping it would. Labradorite is really such an interesting stone. At first glance, it will look gray, mossy, or deep green, but if you wiggle it around in the light you’ll start to see all sorts of wonderful fiery blue, pink, yellow, and orange lamellar intergrowths. In this sense, it can be almost opalescent, though the correct term is actually “labradorescence.” The sparkle is subtle, however, and so labradorite’s charms are easily overlooked.

You can see the diffuse blue lamellar intergrowths in this sphere:

What are lamellar intergrowths, you ask? I was just getting to that. Mineral Galleries says:

These intergrowths result from compatible chemistries at high temperatures becoming incompatible at lower temperatures and thus a separating and layering of these two phases. The resulting color effect is caused by a ray of light entering a layer and being refracted back and forth by deeper layers. This refracted ray is slowed by the extra travel through the layers and mixes with other rays to produce a light ray coming out that has a different wavelength than when it went in. The wavelength could correspond to the wavelength of a particular color, such as blue. The effect depends on the thickness and orientation of the layers. If the layers are too thick or too thin no color shiller is seen. Also if the viewer does not observe from the precise angle or if light is not supplied from the proper angle then no color shiller is seen. The labradorescence is truely a one of a kind mineralogical experience and must be observed in person in order to truely appreciate its beauty.

Anyhow, the labradorite in my ring looks more like this:

Fun fact: A more intensely color stone of the same feldspar family is known as Spectrolite.

I’m not particularly concerned with reality. At least not where gemstones are concerned. Sure, it’s neat to possess something that’s relatively rare, but these days it’s pretty hard to tell what’s rare and what’s not in the world of gemstones. And we’re no longer savages dazzled by the blood of the sun, either. You could say I fall right into the “pro” camp where created gems are concerned.

Curious as to how diamonds are grown? Here’s a how-to from Gemesis:

The technology used to produce gem quality diamonds suitable for jewelry markets was conceived in the 1970’s by Russian scientists in Siberia, perfected in the late 1990’s at University of Florida laboratories, and production engineered at the turn of the century in Gemesis manufacturing facilities. The container in which a diamond grows is centered in the production machine and consists of a carbon source, metal catalysts and a tiny diamond seed.

Gemesis Cultured Diamonds photoApproximate pressures of 850,000 pounds per square inch and temperatures reaching over 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit are applied to this container. Under these conditions, the carbon source dissolves in the molten metal mixture and grows, atom by atom, on the diamond seed. In just over three days, the pressure and temperature are returned to normal; the container is broken and the hardened metal core is removed and immersed in acid.

And here is a rainbow of ready-to-wear (and clickable) baubles set with created gems: