Meet Garnet

This is garnet. Not what you were expecting, was it?

To be more accurate, this is one type of garnet. Blue garnet is one of the most recently discovered gemstones. It was discovered in the late 90s. Before its discovery, there was an old saying in our industry, "Garnet comes in every color except for blue." It was thought to be impossible for blue garnet to occur, but lo and behold, it exists.

Blue is the rarest color of garnet. In fact, it is so rare, most jewellers still don't know that it even exists, and cling to the "Garnet comes in every color except for blue" theory. Facts have proven those jewellers to be wrong. Blue garnet was discovered in Madagascar. Since its discovery, it has been found in other locations, including (And unsurprisingly), in Brazil, where just about every gemstone ever discovered can be excavated.

Due to its drastically low availability, you will likely never see a blue garnet in your lifetime, and especially not at any jewellery store. Gemstones of this rarity are always cut by the best lapidaries in the world, and are auctioned off to collectors for exorbitant amounts of money.

As you can see, this particular blue garnet does have some inclusions (Impurities or imperfections inside of the stone). That being said, it is still considered to be exceeding in quality. This is due to the fact that this gemstone is so rare, and the existence of a flawless specimen would be even rarer. This sentiment is carried over into other gemstones as well, such as emerald, for example, where a flawless stone is next to impossible to find.

Aside from being incredibly rare, blue garnet does have another feature. Just like alexandrite or zultanite (Again, 2 of some of the world's rarest gemstones), blue garnet is able to change color under certain lighting conditions. This phenomenon is known as a "color change stone," and the science behind it is not fully understood yet. Blue garnet changes from blue to purple. This color change is very similar that of Alexandrite, causing the 2 stones to be confused with each other often. Blue garnets, as rare as they are, are not as rare as the variants that don't change color.

There are a number of other rare garnets, though not as rare as blue. Tsavorite garnet is one such rarity, and displays a beautiful emerald green color. Uvarovite is another green color of garnet, but is rarer than tsavorite garnet. Other types of garnet include, but are not limited to: Almandine, spessartine, grossular, hessonite (AKA cinnamon stone), rhodolite, and pyrope.

Pyrope is the variant of garnet that most people are familiar with. This type is normally found in jewellery stores with a deep red appearance, however, it is available in black as well.

Garnet is one of the earliest gemstones used by ancient peoples. It can be found in the possession of almost every civilization in history. Garnet was often used in bead form, but was also utilized by the masters of inlay, the ancient Egyptians. Depending on the civilization, garnet was revered for its 'healing properties,' and as a form of goof luck charm, although modern day science has disproved these attributes. Garnet has even been used as a medium for stone carving. One of the most familiar types of stone carvings is that of Buddha. This historical figure has been idolized and captured in stone form for years, including in garnet form.

By Joseph Garabet

Levant Jewellery

The Back Room Gallery - What it Was & What's to Come

           In late 2011 The Back Room Gallery Artists’ Co-op opened on Wyandotte Street in Windsor. A self proclaimed eclectic group of local artists, they gathered together to show and sell their work in a relaxed setting, offering mutual support while sharing the expense and work of operating a gallery as co-owners. Their name at the time stemmed from the fact that, prior to opening the Wyandotte space, they housed their works in the back room of the organizer’s jewellery store.
 
          At the end of last December the gallery closed the doors at the space they have called home for the last two years. Not to close for good, but to move just down the road to the bustling area of Walkerville. Re-opening in February, the gallery will now be operated under the name Walkerville Artists’ Co-op, and will be found at 1974 Wyandotte Street East (right next door to Border City Comics.)

          The new gallery space is luxurious, spacious, and a great backdrop for showcasing art. Presently they have pottery, paintings, photography, mixed media, upcycled clothing, jewellery, soy candles and dance instructors, but they are looking for a few new faces to add to the mix. If you are  an artist that may be interested in becoming a member, you can apply by sending 3 or more images of your work to chrisfordjewellery@gmail.com for their intake jury to look over. All new members are selected by a jury of existing members. All artwork must be original works.

           Hours of operation once the new space opens will be Wednesday-Saturday 10am-6pm. Make sure to stop in and check out their new space and browse the works of this talented collective. You won’t be disappointed. Check out their website at http://www.backroomgallery.ca/ for updates on the move and more information on their members.

Contributed by Melissa Piva - January - 2014

The Swiss myth

Switzerland has been revered for just about everything it has to offer. It is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. They are the creators of the finest chocolates. They invented the ever-popular and trustworthy Swiss Army Knife. However, they are most renowned for their luxurious watches. Who doesn't know the likes of Rolex, Omega, or, arguably the most expensive watch brand in the world, Patek Philippe? When it's Swiss, it's quality. Or so people believe...

Now, before you question that last line, please understand what I am trying to convey. I am not knocking the quality of Swiss products. To the contrary, I believe that the Swiss are the makers of some of the highest quality products that this world has to offer, timepieces included. What I would like to talk about is the perception that people have of the word "Quality." Allow me to explain.

Several years ago, back when I was still working at my father's shop, a most Swiss-enthusiastic woman came in. She wanted us to replace the battery in her Swiss Military watch; a very simple task. The steel backing was removed, followed by the removal of the plastic movement protector that some watches are known to be equipped with. The old battery was taken out, and a new one replaced it. The watch was then closed up.

Upon turning the watch over to examine the dial and look for hand movement, we noticed something. The hands did not move. This did not alarm us, as this is somewhat of an uncommon occurrence when it comes to replacing watch batteries, but it does happen (In fact, this is something that I see a LOT of in Fossil watches). It meant that something other than the battery had caused the watch to stop working. Something mechanical that we, as goldsmiths, are not capable of repairing, as it is outside of our field. This is why watchmakers exist.

We showed the watch to the client, informed her that a new battery has been installed, and that the watch is still not working. Now, in most cases, the client is very understanding, and knows that we have done everything on our part to remedy the situation. This one was not. Upon being told that the watch did not work, even with a new battery installed, and that it was in need of repair, she replied with, "That's impossible. This is a Swiss Military watch. It never needs repair." Suffice to say, this client has been misinformed, and that's putting it gently.

Before I continue, let me insert a tiny story. My father is the proud owner of a $5,000 Omega watch that he purchased approximately 10 years ago. That watch stopped working in the very same year that he purchased it. It cost him $350 to repair, and when it came back, it still did not work properly. It still kept time, but the seconds hand did not function normally. He decided to keep it the way it was instead of shelling out another $350. Omega is an ultra luxury watch, on the same level as Rolex. It is infinitely more prestigious than Swiss Military, which is an entry-level Swiss watch. But even that wasn't enough to escape malfunction.

Going back to the original story, this client was not impressed. We tried to alleviate the situation by making apparent to her a number of options, such as the watch's warranty which, if it wasn't expired, would entitle her to a repair, free of charge, due to the problem being a manufacturer's defect. We even gave her the name of a reputable watchmaker nearby in case the watch was no longer under warranty. Unfortunately, she would not budge from the idea in her mind that Swiss watches were invincible, and left unsatisfied.

Everyone needs to understand something. Everything in the world is prone to defect. There is not one single entity in existence that is invulnerable. Nothing is perfect, and nothing is 100%. No matter what something is, no matter where it comes from, and not matter what it is made out of, in due time, some components in the entity will degrade or become faulty. This is especially true for anything that contains moving parts. And here's a fun fact, a watch mechanism is called a "Movement," and its components are constantly moving, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, forever, up until something gives out. These are not my rules, these are the laws of physics.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret regarding the watch industry. Most of the watches in the world share the same, EXACT movement, across most makes and models. This means that you can open up an $800 Gucci watch, and find the same, literally, part-for-part movement that you would find in a $200 Guess watch. Doesn't that blow your mind? The only 2 differences would be the rest of the watch (Bracelet, case, etc) and the name. Oh, and you can't forget price, so 3 differences. Other than that, you might as well be wearing the same watch as your friend, and not either one would be better than the other. That being said, there are many exceptions to this. Some watches, normally the ultra luxury makes, and even certain models of mid-level watches, will have exclusive movements. Specialty movements, such as Seiko's Kinetic movement, or Citizen's Eco Drive movement, are also exempt from this, as are any other specialty movements that are the sole proprietary creations of a watch make, including Bulova's Motion Quartz movement. I could get into more detail, but then I would be putting a long story into an already long story. But just so you know, most fashion-type watches are notorious for this. It's not exactly a bad thing, per se, but it becomes unethical when one company, again, using Gucci just as an example, charges 4 times the amount of money for their watch than another fashion brand does,, such as Guess, while one of the 2 brands is regarded as luxury-type, and the other one isn't.

Some people have sworn by their $20 Timex watches, while others have sworn by their $6,000 Rado watches. Either one of these watches, or any other watch for that matter, is capable of wearing out. Paying more for a watch does not necessarily mean that it will never break down, paying less for a watch does not always mean that it is certain to break down, and vice versa. When you buy a $100,000 Rolex watch, you're paying for much more than just the gold casing and bracelet, the diamond bezel, or the finely-handcrafted and intricate movement. When you're buying a Rolex watch, you're buying a piece of history, a piece of reputation, and a piece of prestige that doesn't come with any Timex watch. In the end, every watch is going to tell you that it's 5 O'clock, no matter how much money you throw at it. If you can afford a Rolex watch and have your heart set on it, then by all means, I encourage your purchase. As for me, although it's not within my budget, I would like to wear an Omega one day, just like Mr. "Shaken, not stirred" does. One day...

By Joseph Garabet
Levant Jewellery