![]() | Founded in Vicenza in 1977, Roberto Coin was first established by its eponymous creator to produce for internationally acclaimed jewelry brands. ![]() | ![]() |
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![]() | Founded in Vicenza in 1977, Roberto Coin was first established by its eponymous creator to produce for internationally acclaimed jewelry brands. ![]() | ![]() |
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![]() | Michigan's state gem is found in one place -- and you won't find it anywhere else. Chlorastrolite is a variety of the mineral pumpellyite, and it is exclusively found along the Keweenaw Peninsula and throughout the Isle Royale archipelago -- Michigan's most remote national park. Commonly called Isle Royale Greenstone, ancient lava flows cooled into basalt. | ![]() |
Within that basalt were small pockets of empty space left behind from gasses in the lava -- and that is where chlorastrolite eventually formed. Chlorastrolite is difficult to find because of its size. Large pieces are extremely rare. | ![]() |
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![]() | Napoleon’s Good Luck Charm was commissioned in 1800 after his return from his Egyptian campaign. The talisman was lost in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. During his hasty retreat from the battlefield, his abandoned personal carriage was captured by a Prussian major. Deeply superstitious, Napoleon spent two years planning the intricate design of the jewels that compose the piece. Napoleon’s sphinx was dug up just after WWII in Noordwijk in the Netherlands, around 200 km from the Waterloo Battlefield. It is now in a private collection. It made $ 2m at auction. | ![]() |
![]() | 20 years ago the Mirerani quarries, located in Simanjiro District of Manyara Region used to produce large amounts of tanzanite. Tanzanite production has been drastically dropping, and like every other single source gemstone ever known the deposit is being depleted. Its called a single-generation stone. | ![]() |
![]() | There seems to be no end in demand as it has become a favorite of many fashion forward jewelry designers. It has become popular as an engagement stone, and in China, the driver for many gemstone prices. The price of high quality material has started to rise as the Tanzanian government attempts to stop smuggling out of the mining area and the country. Much of the rough was smuggled into neighboring Kenya and exported mostly to India for cutting. | ![]() |
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![]() | Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. Naturally occurring tritium is extremely rare on Earth, where trace amounts are formed by the interaction of the atmosphere with cosmic rays. It can be produced by irradiating lithium in a nuclear reactor. | ![]() |
![]() | Tritium presents no radiation threat when encapsulated properly. Tritium is used today in glow-in-the-dark lighting for signs and is trending as key ring accessories. | ![]() |
![]() | Tritium tubes are gas-filled, thin glass vials with inner surfaces coated with a phosphor. The gaseous tritium in these light sources undergoes beta decay, releasing electrons that cause the phosphor layer to fluoresce. Tritium radiation cannot penetrate intact human skin. Light sources can glow for ten years or more without needing any kind of charging. | ![]() |