Continuing to spread the LOVE after Valentine's Day is a compelling sentiment, don't you agree? So why save your heartfelt gestures for a few days a year? Spreading the wealth of your warmth on any chosen day is absolutely cool. On that note, our sale is still on.

No time like the present to treat yourself well. Evaluate your jewelry, not just your wardrobe, in time for the spring/summer season. Buy a fun addition to complement the jewelry you already have or just opt to redesign some jewelry pieces that are gathering dust. Reset your favorite stones or restring your beads and pearls anew, to get an early start on bare skin weather. You know where to find me for these projects. :)

Changing gears.... last night I went to an event hosted by the Gemological Institute. Jon Phillips was speaking on Canadian Diamonds and the many mines that Canada supports. My interest piqued when he spoke about amazing blue and purplish diamonds coming to light. Sadly, he didn't bring any samples of these beauties, only slides. LOL

The two most significant mines in Canada are the Diavik and Ekati mines. They're both located in Yellowknife, the northwest region. There is also a mine owned by DeBeers and two recently opened mines named Renard and Gahcho. All produce ethically sourced stones.When the discussion turned to the abundance of brown diamonds, I was interested to find out that industrial diamonds are now largely being replaced with synthetic diamonds for machinery, so what to do with all those brown diamonds still being mined? Are they worth retrieving for jewelry purposes? Personally, I don't see an appeal.

While I have always been aware of the difficulty in mining gemstones, it was particularly interesting to hear what some of the obstacles in Northern Canada are, sub-freezing temperatures being the most obvious. Just hearing about the equipment and roadway challenges was an eye opener. Anyway, you get my drift... So, keeping all these hardships in mind, it once again made me realize what a miracle the formation of gemstones is. From the sub zero temps in Canada to the underdeveloped and hard to reach Sierra Leone mines, diamond mining is a hard and risky business. It makes me appreciate each sparkly wonder I encounter. When the 4 C's align, (color, cut, clarity and carat) nature and man have united at their best.