Sharing The Rough

 

Our company is named Parle because we believe that each and every gem has a story to tell. The gemstones combine minerals, heat, water, and pressure to mold themselves into unique and intricate treasures. Each has their very own distinct properties that are displayed in their color, patterns, and sometimes shape. Although the beauty from the unearthed gem speaks for itself, there is another story that is equally remarkable and important. For every piece of finished jewelry that makes it to the floor of a retail location there are multiple hands involved in the unearthing, cutting, designing, and crafting process. This is the story we want to tell. 

To the miners that dive deep into the folds of the earth, or that sift through riverbeds in the hot sun, to the gem cutters who unveil the most precious colors and forms possible with every gem, to the jewelry designers who carry the vision for how to best accentuate the beloved features, to the people who package it all together, this is their story, too. A gemstone can transcend global and cultural boundaries, and create unlikely bonds between communities that are worlds apart. 

The power these gemstones hold to weave all of these remarkable stories is where we found the inspiration for this collection. We want to bring you something that encapsulates the passion and beauty of every part of the journey. So, we bring you, “Sharing The Rough” and hope you will become part of their story.

 

 

 

One of our Mint Garnets in the hands of the Director of the film, Orin Mazzoni III.

 

Polishing facets of a Tanzanian Rhodolite Garnet.

Discover Lotus Garnet

So you want to know more about Lotus Garnets? Yeah, we get it, they’re getting a lot of attention lately…

Unearthed in the Mahenge region of north Tanzania, lotus garnet was only recently discovered in late 2015. Found in alluvial mines, the amount of rough is unknown and each production is small and has a variation in color with every pocket produced.

The unique pinkish orange to orangey pink color of lotus garnet (see below) makes it an exceptional substitute to padparascha sapphire, morganite and imperial topaz. Lotus garnet is a member of three garnet families, pyrope, spessartine and almandine and is usually found in conjunction with rhodolite garnet and spinel.

3 Lotus Garnet stones
Lotus Garnet gemstones color range sample

Lotus Garnet are best viewed in sunlight and have a slight red fluorescence which can give the appearance of color change.

3 Lotus Garnet gemstones
3 Lotus Garnet gemstones

This exciting new find is exclusively sold by Parlé Jewelry Designs and is available as loose gemstones or finished jewelry.

Mozambique Ruby Gemstones

Mozambique Ruby gemstones
Mozambique Ruby gemstones
New 50 Mozambique Rubies in our inventory

Parlé just received 50 recently acquired top quality Mozambique Rubies.
They come from the latest Gemfields auction.
Heated and unheated stones are available in all shapes including matched pairs.
Have your favorite jeweler contact us if you have any special jewelry project involving rubies.

You can see an overview of this batch here

JCK 2015 Teaser

We have been very busy in the office getting the final touch to the JCK Las Vegas Jewelry Show preparations.
We received hundreds of new designs in the past few weeks.
Here is a quick overview of some items that just got their pictures taken today.
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If you are a jeweler, we hope to see you in Vegas to show you all the great new styles we have.
Otherwise, you can ask your favorite jeweler in the coming weeks for new Parlé Colored Gemstone Jewelry.

We wish everyone a fantastic Memorial Day Weekend!

Australian Black Opal

Australian Black Opal rough is extremely rare and mining has greatly decreased in the last decade, so imagine our surprise when 45 ounces of full color rough landed on Frank’s desk this September. As a company we haven’t seen material like it for 30 years and personally I have never seen anything like it! The story of how this opal rough made it all the way to Idaho is so fortuitous it deserves to be told, so here it goes!

It starts near Portland, OR earlier this year at an estate sale. At the end of an estate sale a crew comes in, cleans and donates all the remaining items. Customarily the crew is allowed to take items going to be donated or trashed if they have any interest. At this point we meet our hero, we will call him Tom, and Tom was cleaning out this estate sale and noticed an unassuming bag of rocks. He decided they looked interesting enough and loaded them into his truck and headed home. Later that night, sitting at his dining room table, Tom and his wife were assessing his discovery. They both noticed blue/green flashes of light and thought they had found something special, at this point they decided a trip to their local jewelry store was needed.

Still unaware of what he had discovered Tom loaded his bag of rocks into the Jewelers and sat down. The Jeweler informed him that he had a large bag of opal rough and from what he could tell black opal rough. Unfamiliar with rough opal pricing and not needing 45 ounces of opal the Jeweler then called us.

After a brief explanatory call from our Jeweler friend we received a call from Tom. Tom agreed to drive all the way from Portland to Pocatello in hopes of discovering what his find was worth. After all, with nothing invested into the bag of rocks Tom had nothing to lose. Frank and Jonathan sat with Tom for hours and poured over piece after piece, dipping them in water to bring the fire out of the unpolished stones. Beyond all expectations this black opal rough was a remarkable find and at the end of the day Tom was driving back to Seattle with a sizable check, he compared it to winning the lottery, and Parlé was left with 45 ounces of extremely rare Australian black opal rough.

A few months later, after several meetings with our cutters, Parlé is the proud owner of over 1200 cts of fine black opal. Frank believes this material to be at least 30 years old and the property of an old opal dealer native to the Oregon area that we lost touch with over 20 years ago. With a little luck Tom managed to save this natural treasure from a landfill, which is where it was headed if he hadn’t picked it up that day.

So I think I’ll be headed out to all the estate sales this weekend, never know what you will find!

 

2015 Jewelers’ Choice Award Entries

In June I begin laying out gemstones to see which ones speak to me for the upcoming JCK Jewelers Choice Awards. Every new design begins whith the center stone and from the center we draw our inspiration. At Parlé we are obsessed with motion, a piece of jewelry needs to have a flow and a relationship between the setting and gemstones. The final pieces were entered and the voting has begun. Check out our eight entries for the 2015 awards, let us know what you think and if you are a Jeweler don’t forget to vote!

You can vote at this address: http://www.jckonline.com/jck-jewelers-choice

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Colored Stone Jewelry Over $10,000

Emerald Best Ring

Best Ring Design Over $10,000

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Tanzanite Jewelry Under $10,000

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Best Necklace Design $2,501-$10,000

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Best Bridal Design Over $10,000

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Best Ring Design Under $2,500

Sapphire Necklace

Best Necklace Design Over $10,000

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Best Ring Design $2,501-$10,000

Welcome to the Parlé Blog

Welcome to the new Parlé Blog! We decided this was the best way for us to share all the exciting things that happen at Parlé. So stay tuned for fun stories, new designs and different happenings.

Meanwhile, Subscribe to our newsletter on the right side to automatically receive new posts in your email box.

Start Reading here.

~Brecken