Emerald Update

Well, we've been having a rough time here in the Land of Gementia. Equipment breakdowns have us behind on orders and waaaaaaaay behind on the emerald necklace. The 116-carat stone is finally getting some polishing time now that we have a new rotary polisher - our old one started having electrical current issues, which got so bad that it was eventually unusable. We had several orders in progress that had to be finished before Gem could get back to work on the emeralds, but the smaller stone is now beginning to shine and should be ready for setting soon.

Another glitch in the works - there will be no trip to Burma for ruby-hunting after all. The present embargo prohibits any rubies from being taken out of Burma, and as hard as she tried, Misha was unable to find a way to get around the regulations. So, there are no current plans for a ruby expedition to Burma or elsewhere at present, and Misha is considering Australia and opal-hunting for her next adventure. There have been some flat-out fabulous finds at Coober Pedy recently, so we have high hopes for some truly great stones.

That's all for now, but expect another update in the coming two or three weeks with photos of the 116-carat emerald, both before and after it gets set in the necklace. We also have some wonderful suggestions for the name, which Dr. Robi is considering. We should have her final choice for you at about the same time the photos are published.

Till next time,

Stephanie