Schapell Jewelers Blog

A gem-quality ammonite, "Sandrita" Paraíba tourmaline, Alaskan gold nugget and olivine-freckled meteorite are just a handful of eye-popping treasures that will be offered today at Heritage’s "Nature & Science Signature" auction.



According to the auction house, the "gem" ammonite from the Bearpaw Formation in Alberta, Canada, dates to the Cretaceous period some 71 million years ago. Exhibiting superb iridescence, the specimen is said to be a top representation of the Placenticeras costatum variety, which accounts for less than 10 percent of the ammonites found at Bearpaw.

This extraordinary piece weighs 24 kilograms (52.8 pounds) and offers superb color and an incredible matrix in both size and shape. The vibrant fossil measures 10 inches (25 centimeters) at maximum diameter and is visually stunning with a myriad of vivid reds, oranges, golds and greens, as well as the rarer purples and blues.



Ammolite, the gem, is formed from the fossilized shells of ammonite molluscs, which thrived in an inland sea east of the Rocky Mountains. After sinking to the seabed, the mud that covered ammonites hardened over millions of years to become shale.

The shell properties, combined with southern Alberta’s unique geology, transformed many ammonite shells into the ammolite that is mined and used for jewelry today.

The mineral composition of ammolite is similar to that of a pearl, and the iridescent, multicolor presentation is reminiscent of a fine opal.

Although ammonite fossils are present in many places around the world, ammolite has been found only in one place, the Bearpaw geological formation in southern Alberta, making it one of the rarest gemstones, according to the American Gem Trade Association.

Ammolite is one of the few biogenic gemstones, which means it is made by living organisms. Others include amber and pearl. Ammolite was given gemstone status by the World Jewellery Confederation in 1981.



Another highlighted lot at the auction is a 2.65-carat “Sandrita” Paraíba tourmaline from Brazil. Paraíba tourmalines are named after the Brazilian state in which they were first discovered in 1989. Although this example hails from the Brazil's Batalha Mine — making the color rare for this locality — it still presents with the iconic “Sandrita” green hue associated with the Sandrita Mine in Paraíba.

It has been expertly cut and faceted with modified brilliant faceting, and is clean to the naked eye and when viewed through a loupe. Once a part of the private collection of Heitor Barbosa, who discovered this variety, it later passed through the hands of Paraíba tourmaline expert Brian Cook before ending up in a private international collection.



Bidders also will have a chance to own a gold nugget from Alaska that tips the scales at 5.5 troy ounces and measures just over 2 inches (5.21 centimeters) in length.

Smoothed by natural forces, this nugget has a number of “bubbly” sections resulting in an organic shape. Heritage commented that given the fact that a mere single-troy-ounce gold nugget is as rare as a 5-carat diamond, any such specimen this large is an inherent rarity.



Another remarkable specimen is this slice of Imilac meteorite that was first discovered in Antofagasta, Chile, in 1822. Imilac is a favorite of collectors because of its rarity (they account for fewer than 200 out of more than 70,000 classified meteorites listed in the Meteoritical Bulletin) and because of their beauty. Measuring more than 16.5 inches (42 centimeters) in width, this piece is covered in olivine crystals over its otherwise mirror-like surfaces. Olivine is the non-gem variety of peridot.

Live bidding at HA.com commences today, November 20, at 11 a.m. CST.

Credits: Images courtesy of Heritage Auctions/HA.com.

The 37-carat "Aga Khan" emerald made a triumphant return to Christie's Geneva after a 55-year hiatus, smashing the all-time record for the most expensive emerald ever to be sold at auction.



The unusually transparent and evenly colored square-cut stone sold for $8.85 million, eclipsing the pre-sale high estimate by more than 10% and the previous record holder by 36%.

Relegated to second place on the list of the priciest emeralds sold at auction is actress Elizabeth Taylor’s emerald-and-diamond brooch by Bulgari, which had achieved $6.5 million at auction in 2011.

The Aga Khan emerald, which is set into a brooch/pendant and surrounded by marquise-shaped diamonds, was originally commissioned by Prince Aga Khan for his wife, Nina Dyer, in 1960, and then sold to Van Cleef & Arpels for $75,000 at Christie’s inaugural Magnificent Jewels event in Geneva in 1969.

Francois Curiel, now Chairman of Christie’s Europe, but in 1969 a 21-year-old Christie's intern-to-be, remembered the excitement of seeing the Aga Khan emerald at the event: “The emerald was breathtaking 55 years ago and is even more admired today. It is so rare to see a jewel of its size and quality and I feel privileged to have had the winning bidder on the phone 55 years later, here in Geneva in 2024.”

“The emerald brooch is not just a piece of jewelry," commented Max Fawcett, Christie’s Head of Jewelry Europe. "It carries with it the stories and charm of a bygone era.”

In the lead up to last week's auction, Curiel called the Aga Khan "one of the rarest treasures on Earth."

"We might see an emerald of this quality come up for sale once every five or six years,” he said at the time.

After Dyer's untimely death in 1969, Aga Khan put her jewelry up for auction, as stipulated in her will, with the proceeds going to benefit animal welfare.

While the Aga Khan established a new price record for an emerald sold at auction, the 18.04-carat Rockefeller emerald retains the price-per-carat record, according to nationaljeweler.com. The publication noted that luxury jeweler Harry Winston paid $5.5 million, or $305,000 per carat for that stone in 2017. The Aga Khan emerald's price per carat amounted to just under $240,000.

Credit: Photo courtesy of Christie’s.

In commemoration of its 200th anniversary, the Brooklyn Museum launched on Friday an expansive exhibit that shines the spotlight on gold through 6,000 years of history. Dubbed "Solid Gold," the exhibition features more than 400 gold objects, ranging from jewelry and luxury objects, to works of art, fashion and film.



Organized in eight sections, Solid Gold will present historical works in visual juxtaposition and “collisions'' with contemporary objects and fashions, sparking dynamic conversations across time and space. Entry galleries explore manifestations of ancient gold, pairing antiquities from the Brooklyn Museum’s collection with iconic 20th- and 21st-century objects.

“Solid Gold will transport visitors through the many worlds of gold, its joyful (though sometimes heartbreaking) histories, and its innumerable luminous expressions across cultures, past and present,” noted Matthew Yokobosky, Senior Curator of Fashion and Material Culture, Brooklyn Museum. “As a museum dedicated to bridging art and people in shared experiences, audiences will find inspiration, opening them to unexplored realms of beauty in their world.”



Highlights include a large wooden sarcophagus from Dynasty 22 (945–740 BCE), which is on display for the first time in more than 100 years. The coffin is decorated with images and inscriptions painted with yellow orpiment pigments to imitate gold inlays.

Illustrating the ancient world’s fascination with the metal, the museum is presenting an extraordinary “horde” of 181 individual gold pieces from the Hellenistic period and a selection of ancient jewelry, helmets, and chainmail spanning three millennia of creation across Egypt, the Mediterranean coast and the pre-Hispanic Americas.



The exhibition also includes a look at golden smiles as seen in ancient Panama, in the form of gold disks and facial jewelry made around the first millennium CE. According to the senior curator, such gold smiles, for various practical and aesthetic reasons, have continued into contemporary culture in the form of grillz (also known as fronts or golds). These dialogues, created between ancient and contemporary objects, emphasize the significance that the metal plays from aesthetic and anthropological perspectives.

One of the exhibition’s main galleries examines the wide array of techniques used by artisans, craftsmen, fashion designers and others when working with gold, whether to construct objects or for applications across surfaces.

In the long history of its use, gold experienced a “democratic surge” around the 6th century BCE, beginning with the invention of coinage in ancient Lydia (present-day Turkey). Access to and use of gold was no longer restricted to the upper echelons of royalty or for ritual purposes.



The final section celebrates gold as the universal symbol of achievement: a gold crown, a gold medal, a gold record, an Oscar, or a gold star on a report card. An ancient Greek gold laurel wreath dating to the third to second century BCE (one of only four wholly extant wreaths in the world, and a gem from the Brooklyn Museum’s collection) is displayed alongside modern-day crowns, such as a spectacular gold, platinum and diamond tiara designed by Fulco di Verdura.



To close out the exhibition, visitors will walk upon the gleaming animated gold waves by international art collective teamLab, an immersive digital experience that emphasizes the fact that like the inexhaustible waves of our oceans, gold is truly eternal.

Co-sponsored by Bank of America and Dior, the exhibition will run through July 6, 2025.

Captions: Wreath (detail), reportedly Corinth, Greece, 3rd-2nd century B.C.E. Gold. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of George D. Pratt, 26.763. Image courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum; Mummy Cartonnage of a Woman, probably Hawara, Egypt, 1st century. Linen, gesso, gold leaf, glass, and faience. Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.35. Image courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum; Coclé artist. Plaque with Crocodile Deity, 900–1000. Gold. Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1931, Museum Collection Fund, 33.448.12. Image courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum. Wreath, reportedly Corinth, Greece, 3rd–2nd century B.C.E. Gold. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of George D. Pratt, 26.763. Image courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum; teamLab. Gold Waves, 2017. Digital work, 4 channels, 6 channels, 8 channels, and 12 channels, continuous loop. ©teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, a 14-year-old Tiffany Evans celebrates a very special piece of jewelry in her 2007 debut single, “Promise Ring.”



In the song, the former Star Search Grand Champion in the Junior Singer Division tells her boyfriend that sometimes a girl needs a token of love to show how much she’s appreciated for all the things she does. Apparently, her boyfriend was thinking the same thing.



He surprises her with a small velvet box containing a promise ring. In the official video, the yellow-metal ring features a gleaming red gemstone.

Evans recounts her boyfriend's vow: “I promise not to hurt you, I promise not to lie / I promise to befriend you and defend you with my life / I promise you forever, I promise you today, he said / Would you wear my promise ring? I said yes.”

Later in the song, Evans sings, “How in the world could a girl say no / I knew it the moment he made my finger glow.”

The recurring hook is, “Yes, I’ll rock your promise ring.”

“Promise Ring” was the lead single from the teenager’s self-titled debut album. The song went to #1 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 list and #66 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs list. The album scored a Top 20 position on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop albums chart.

The official video for the song spotlights the teenybopper rockin’ her promise ring with a special appearance by Grammy Award-winner Ciara, who was 21 years old at the time. The video has been viewed on YouTube more than 27 million times.

While the now-32-year-old Evans still has an active singing career, "Promise Ring" remains her most successful single to date.

Born in the Bronx, NY, Evans rose to fame in 2003 as an 11-year-old contestant on Star Search, hosted by Arsenio Hall. Evans was the only performer in the talent show’s history to earn perfect scores on all of her appearances. The Grand Champion in the Junior Singer Division soon caught the attention of Columbia Records, which signed her to a record deal.

Please check out the video of Evans and Ciara performing “Promise Ring.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Promise Ring”
Written by Ezekiel Lewis, J. Que, Balewa Muhhammad, Candice Nelson, Bryan Reid and Michael Crooms. Performed by Tiffany Evans, featuring Ciara.

To the beat, to the beat, to the beat ’cause I need
Everybody to the floor, why? ’cause this beat is sick, yeah
It’s time to rock, uh, that’s what it is
Tiffany’s her name, love is the game
And the only way to play is with this promise ring

Sometimes a girl needs to know that she’s
Appreciated for all the things she does
With some sorta token of love
‘Cause without it her young heart won’t know

And right then to my surprise, he
Pulled out a small velvet box, pink ribbon tied
I’m wondering what’s inside
He opened it and then he replied

He said, I promise not to hurt you, I promise not to lie
I promise to befriend you and defend you with my life
I promise you forever, I promise you today, he said
Would you wear my promise ring? I said yes

If ya break ya promise we breakin’ up
Got a couple things that I want
Walks in the park and sweet things
If I rock your promise ring

I could be your pretty young thing
You could become my king
I gotta know you got me
Yes, I’ll rock your promise ring

Yes, I’ll rock your promise, promise, promise ring
Yes, I’ll rock your promise, yes, I’ll rock your promise ring
Yes, I’ll rock your promise, promise, promise ring
Yes, I’ll rock your promise, yes, I’ll rock your promise ring

How in the world could a girl say no
I knew it the moment he made my finger glow
It was good to know I’m who he chose
It was your heart he felt now it shows, now it shows

You know when you see me floss
No way it’s gon’ get lost, I’ll never take this off
I’m older and they call me by your name
I’ll wear it on a chain, because I can hear you say

He said I promise not to hurt you, I promise not to lie
I promise to befriend you and defend you with my life
I promise you forever, I promise you today, he said
Would you wear my promise ring? I said yes

If ya break ya promise we breakin’ up
Got a couple things that I want
Walks in the park and sweet things
If I rock your promise ring

I could be your pretty young thing
You could become my king
I gotta know you got me
Yes, I’ll rock your promise ring

Yes, I’ll rock your promise, promise, promise ring
Yes, I’ll rock your promise, yes, I’ll rock your promise ring
Yes, I’ll rock your promise, promise, promise ring
Yes, I’ll rock your promise, yes, I’ll rock your promise ring

Everybody get up and rock to this beat
My name is Tiffany and why’all know me
All my girls with me, all the boys like me
Come correctly with the promise ring
And you just might be my boo, my boo

Promise that you’ll never let me go and boy I’ll
Boy I’ll wear your promise ring
All you have to do is say the word and boy I’ll
Boy I’ll wear your promise ring

Just let me know, just let me know, what I gotta do
Just let me know, just let me know
You ain’t goin’ nowhere, I ain’t goin’ nowhere
I’ll be on for sure but you gotta know that

If ya break ya promise we breakin’ up
Got a couple things that I want
Walks in the park and sweet things
If I rock your promise ring

I could be your pretty young thing
You could become my king
I gotta know you got me
Yes, I’ll rock your promise ring

Yes, I’ll rock your promise, promise, promise ring
Yes, I’ll rock your promise, yes, I’ll rock your promise ring
Yes, I’ll rock your promise, promise, promise ring
Yes, I’ll rock your promise, yes, I’ll rock your promise ring

If I rock your promise ring
Young thing, my king

<

Credit: Screen capture via YouTube / Tiffany Evans.

Luxury consumers are jazzed about the upcoming holiday season, with increased intention to dress up, travel and buy gifts — especially fine jewelry — according to the latest Saks Luxury Pulse survey.



Exactly 82% of the luxury consumers who are celebrating the holidays plan to spend the same or more on holiday shopping compared to the 2023 holiday season. That's seven percentage points higher than last year. And 85% expected to be highly engaged in the shopping experience.

The top gifts that luxury consumers want to receive are fine jewelry (especially among women), clothing (especially among men) and experiences (favored by all respondents).

The holiday season also presents a time for self-gifting, especially among luxury consumers, with 61% planning to buy gifts for themselves.

According to the Saks Luxury Pulse, luxury consumers are beginning their shopping earlier this holiday season.

Exactly 70% of luxury consumers plan to start their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving this year, a 14 percentage point increase from last year. This is likely attributed to this year’s shorter holiday shopping season.

Millennial respondents (born 1981 to 1996) plan to begin their holiday shopping slightly later than respondents of the Generation X (born 1965 to 1980), Baby Boomer (born 1946 to 1964) and Silent Generations (born 1928 to 1945).

Due to their desire for convenience and distain for crowds, the majority of luxury consumers (64%) reported that they prefer to shop online for the holidays, and this is especially true for Millennials (70%). However, when shopping for fine jewelry and home décor, luxury consumers prefer to shop in person, underscoring the importance of a seamless cross-channel experience.

Demonstrating the heightened level of excitement for this holiday season, 66% of luxury consumers said they will get into the holiday spirit, with 24% planning to do so even more than they did last year.

-- 75% of Generation X respondents said they plan to decorate their home for their holidays, 16 percentage points more than Millennial respondents.

-- 77% of luxury consumers plan to attend a holiday party or gathering this holiday season, 11 percentage points more than last holiday season.

-- When going out and celebrating, 62% said they plan to dress up, with 23% of those planning to dress up even more than they did last year.

-- More than half of respondents (53%) said they are planning to travel this holiday season, and, of those, 31% are planning to travel more than they did last year.

This season's Saks Luxury Pulse survey reflects an increasingly upbeat outlook among luxury consumers.

When it comes to their personal finances, 70% of luxury consumers said they feel optimistic, an increase of six percentage points compared to last year, and 68% said they feel calm, a slight increase of one percentage point compared to last year.

The greatest increase in optimism and calmness towards the economy was among respondents of the Baby Boomer and Silent Generations, which saw a 13 percentage point increase in optimism and a five percentage point increase in calmness year over year.

The Saks Luxury Pulse is a quarterly online survey of luxury consumers’ attitudes towards shopping, spending and the economy. It is based on responses from 1,196 U.S.-based luxury consumers over the age of 18 and was fielded from October 11-15, 2024.

Credit: Image by BigStockPhoto.com.

Last month, a Kansas City woman plunked down $3.99 for a previously loved leather jewelry pouch at a Savers thrift store north of the city. She didn't think much about the modest purchase until two weeks later when she pulled it out of her closet to use on a work trip.



Carlie Goss opened a zipped compartment inside and was surprised to see a vintage gold wedding band dating back to 1932.

Goss quickly turned to social media in an effort to return the keepsake to its rightful owners.



On her Facebook page, Goss posted six photos of the pouch and ring along with this caption: "Please share. I went to Savers thrift store on Barry Rd two weeks ago and bought this vintage jewelry pouch. I just recently went on a work trip and pulled it out to use it. I found a gold wedding band inside."



The inside of the ring is inscribed with the name "Heinz" and a date with mixed Arabic and Roman numerals: 8.IX.1932 (August 9, 1932).



"I'm sure whomever donated this didn't realize it was in there," she continued. "I would love to get this ring back to the family it belongs to. I don't know how else to do that except with the power of social media. It sure would break my heart to lose something this special that belonged to my family. Thank you!!"

Goss's compelling story drew the attention of her local Fox affiliate, which further amplified her message.



“It’s kind of romantic when you find something like this,” Carlie Goss told Kansas City-based Fox4. “It’s special because I think it brings you back to a time when flashy things and name brands and items didn’t really matter… It was just a symbol of love."

"I really hope I can find the family," she added. "If I can’t, I will treasure it.”

The staff of Savers was surprised to learn about the valuable item hiding in the $3.99 pouch. Store manager Holly Calderon told Fox4 that situations like this don't come down the aisle too often.

“I’d just love to see the ring find its original owner,” said Calderon. “That would be amazing.”

The manager added that Savers was going to work through some social channels to assist in the effort to find the family it belongs to.

Credits: Images via Facebook / Carlie Goss; Goss screen capture via fox4kc.com.

In a closely watched case that has earned national attention, the Supreme Court of Massachusetts ruled last week that engagement rings are "conditional gifts" that must be returned to the giver if the couple breaks up and calls the wedding off — no matter who is to blame for ending the relationship.



The ruling closes the books on an archaic state precedent that required litigators to argue who was at fault for the breakup before a judge could render a decision about who would get the ring.

Massachusetts' highest court agreed to hear the case after the state's lower courts delivered contradictory opinions in the case of Johnson v. Settino.

Bruce Johnson and Caroline Settino were briefly engaged in 2017, but Johnson broke off the relationship and asked for the return of a $70,000 engagement ring when he suspected that his fiancée was having an affair.

In 2021, a Massachusetts Superior Court ruled that Johnson’s suspicions were unfounded and that it was his fault the wedding was called off. As a result, Settino was entitled to keep the ring. Based on a 60-year-old Massachusetts precedent, Johnson could have retained the ring if he could have convinced the court that the breakup was his fiancée's fault.

But, then a Massachusetts Appeals Court in 2023 flipped the lower court’s decision, ruling that Johnson had the right to call off the engagement and retain the ring even if couldn’t prove infidelity.

“Sometimes there simply is no fault to be had,” the court said.

On Friday, the Massachusetts Supreme Court agreed, writing, “We now join the modern trend adopted by the majority of jurisdictions that have considered the issue and retire the concept of fault in this context. Where, as here, the planned wedding does not ensue and the engagement is ended, the engagement ring must be returned to the donor regardless of fault.”

The Massachusetts decision falls in line with a majority of states that currently take the “no fault” approach. They consider engagement rings a “conditional” gift that should be returned by the recipient if the relationship fails to culminate in a marriage. Who is at fault is not considered.

Credit: Image by BigStockPhoto.com.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you superb songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, country star Miranda Lambert confesses a deep, dark secret to her engagement ring in the 2011 ballad, “Dear Diamond.”



The song’s protagonist has cheated on her husband and feels terrible about her indiscretions. Now, she fears that her once-flawless marriage could be fractured if she comes clean. She's certain the truth will break his heart, but the guilt might haunt her forever.

She sings, “Dear diamond, pretty and new / Perfectly flawless, too good to be true / Dear diamond, you shine like the sun / You wrap around my finger just like he does / You cost more than he wanted to lose / And with this ring I said I do / I promise to never do what I’ve done / I’ve lied to someone.”

In an interview with CMT.com, Lambert — who will celebrate her 41st birthday on Sunday — clarified that the characters in the story are fictional. This probably came as comforting news to fellow country star Blake Shelton, who was her husband at the time of the song's release.

“When you first get engaged, as the girl, you’re constantly staring at your ring, showing everybody your ring,” she told CMT.com. “I just thought it would be a cool concept to write a song to my ring. And, of course, the dark side of me just kind of leaned toward the darker version instead of going happy with it. But I think that was the right way to go.”

“Dear Diamond,” which features the on-point harmonies of country singer, Patty Loveless, is the sixth track from Lambert’s Four the Record album.

Lambert told Rolling Stone magazine that Loveless was one of her heroes and that the collaboration was really special to her — “a dream come true.”

With more than one million records sold, Four the Record reached #1 on the US Billboard Top Country albums chart and ascended to #3 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart. It also placed as high as #12 on the Canadian Albums chart.

Born in Longview, Texas, in 1983, Lambert became interested in country music after attending a Garth Brooks concert as a nine-year-old. Lambert made her professional singing debut with “The Texas Pride Band” while she was still in high school. She also performed with the house band at Reo Palm Isle in Longview, Texas.

In 2003, Lambert placed third in Nashville Star, country music’s version of American Idol. Her first album, Kerosene, made its debut at #1 on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

Since her professional debut 20-plus years ago, Lambert has been honored with more Academy of Country Music Awards (35) than any artist in history. She also claims three Grammy Awards, six American Country Awards and eight CMT Music Awards. In 2019, the Chicago Tribune named Lambert the "greatest country music artist of all time." Earlier this year, she took home the Country Icon Award at the People's Choice Country Awards.

Trivia: The singer-songwriter-guitarist is also an author. In 2023, Lambert co-wrote a cookbook with this eye-catching title: Y’all Eat Yet? Welcome to the Pretty B*tchin’ Kitchen.

Please check out the audio track of Lambert and Loveless performing “Dear Diamond.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Dear Diamond”
Written by Miranda Lambert. Performed by Miranda Lambert, featuring Patty Loveless.

Dear diamond, pretty and new
Perfectly flawless, too good to be true
Dear diamond, you shine like the sun
You wrap around my finger just like he does

You cost more than he wanted to lose
And with this ring I said I do
I promise to never do what I’ve done
I’ve lied to someone

Dear diamond, what will we do?
Well I like the devil, just face the truth
Dear diamond, be my saving grace
What you don’t know will kill him, that I can’t face

You cost more than he wanted to lose
And with this ring I said I do
I promise to never do what I’ve done
I’ve lied to someone, dear diamond

Dear diamond, with your band of gold
Some people you have, some people you hold
Dear diamond, I promise to keep
The secret I have while he’s holding me



Credit: Photo by Craig ONeal, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The golden-orange Imperial Topaz — the most highly prized variety of November’s birthstone — was originally mined exclusively in Russia’s Ural Mountains during the 19th century. It was named Imperial Topaz to honor the Russian czar, and was considered so special that only royals were allowed to own it.



Today, Brazil is the largest producer of gem-quality topaz, but the mineral is also mined in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Russia, Australia, Nigeria, Germany, Mexico and the US. In fact, the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) claims that Utah's Topaz Mountain is "one of the world's great places to find topaz."

The pretty specimen, shown above, was sourced at Topaz Mountain in Juab County, UT. Off the beaten path about 36 miles northwest of Delta, UT, experienced and amateur prospectors alike explore the summit and surrounding areas for the coveted Imperial Topaz.



The topaz crystals formed within cavities of the Topaz Mountain rhyolite, which is a volcanic rock which erupted approximately six to seven million years ago from volcanic vents along faults in the area, according to BLM.

The agency also noted that the topaz crystals at Topaz Mountain are naturally amber colored, but become colorless after extensive exposure to sunlight.

Amateur prospectors will see small, colorless topaz crystals glimmering on slopes on the south side of the 7,000-foot mountain. Those who search the seams in the rhyolite, may find gem-quality, golden-orange crystals. Tour operators sell UV-light reflective bags and warn prospectors to keep their precious topaz finds out of the sunlight.

Topaz Mountain Adventures offers a premium package at $899, which allows a group of up to eight prospectors to witness an actual blast and get first dibs on the treasure found in the freshly exposed rock.

The remote areas near Topaz Mountain offer no services, so BLM recommends carrying plenty of food, water, tools and emergency equipment.

While the prized Imperial Topaz comes in a range of colors from brownish-yellow to orange-yellow and even vibrant red, other varieties of topaz are available in blue, green, pink and purple. Topaz rates an 8 out of 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, making it a durable and wearable gem.

Imperial Topaz is the suggested gift for the 23rd or 50th wedding anniversary.

Credit: Photo of topaz crystal by Leon Hupperichs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Topaz mountain photo by Tweeber69, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Morgan Perigo of McMaster University's Class of 1965 never expected to see his graduation ring again after losing it in the surf along the coast of Barbados in 1977. But thanks to the good nature of a Barbados professional free diver named Alex Davis and the helpful alumni staff at the university, Perigo got to wear the ring again on his 83rd birthday.



John Travolta was starring in Saturday Night Fever and a gallon of gas cost 66 cents when Perigo, his wife and their two young sons traveled from their home in Canada to enjoy a vacation on the sandy beaches of Barbados.

Perigo remembered the exact moment his ring went missing in the shallow waters off the coast of Barbados' Miami Beach near the town of Oistins.

“One day I took my younger son and waded into the ocean," he told McMaster University Daily News in an email. "He was knocked over by a wave, so I reached to grab hold of him. He pulled on my hand and my Mac alumni ring came off.”

Perigo and his family searched for the ring, but were unsuccessful.

Flash forward to mid-October 2024 at the same beach, where we find Davis trying out a new metal detector in the recently churned-up shallows. Hurricane Beryl, a category 4 storm, caused heavy damage when it struck the island in July of this year, but it also shifted the sands, which was a boon to metal-detector enthusiasts.



Davis was snorkeling with his metal detector when the unit sounded an alert. Davis told CBC Hamilton that he dug down at least 15 centimeters, but all he found were rocks. The metal detector kept buzzing, so the diver kept digging. At 30 centimeters deep, he noticed a flash of gold.

"It catches your eye like nothing else," he told the outlet. "Your heart starts to race."

What he pulled from the sand was a nicely preserved McMaster University class ring mounted with a deep red stone.

Davis set out to find the rightful owner by emailing a photo and explanation to the university.

“I found a McMaster University signet ring with three initials on the inside,” he wrote to McMaster University's Alumni Department. “I found it metal detecting in Barbados this morning and suspect it’s been lost for some time.”

His email reached alumni officer Laura Escalante, who set out to solve the mystery with only two clues, both engraved on the slightly tarnished ring: the year 1965 and the initials FMP. Her quest eventually led her to mathematics major Frederick Morgan Perigo.

Reached by email, Perigo confirmed the ring was his.

“This is unbelievable news,” he wrote back.

Escalante then got to work connecting Perigo and Davis and helping coordinate the return of the ring. She called the successful reunion one of the happiest moments of her career and said the story has touched the hearts of McMaster alumni staff.

"The stars aligned and the water was clear," Davis told CBC Hamilton. "Mr. Perigo's ring was a hell of a find."

The long-lost ring arrived at Perigo's home in Burlington, ON, the day before his 83rd birthday.

“What a wonderful unexpected 83rd birthday present,” he told McMaster University Daily News.

Credits: Images courtesy of Alex Davis and Morgan Perigo via McMaster University Daily News.