01 August 2018

We’ve just returned from another absolutely magical tour. In addition to our regular clientele at our Montreal office, we had the opportunity to discuss various topics rich in ideas with clients across Canada.

On each tour, whether in Vancouver, Calgary, Canmore, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Kingston, Halifax or Fredericton (and the list goes on!) we meet extraordinarily creative and talented jewelers and students that are both passionate and determined. Indeed, the jeweler’s work is not only about designing but also about making jewels, marketing their talent, investing a crazy amount of time in a good website, social media, etc., not to mention the endless paperwork!

We would like to thank all these jewelers referred to us by our clients and students now established in big and smaller Canadian cities. It’s great to see artisans bring a breath of fresh air in the jewelry industry. Thanks also to all the jewelers that have been established for generations and who trust us.

We love our customers and the things they create. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your trust and your business!

Pierres de Charme will be traveling to Australia! With the help of one of our suppliers, we have the opportunity to go visit mines of sapphires and opals!

Our main goals are to educate ourselves, meet the workers at the mines and observe the progression of the stones from mine to market. 

Unlike some of our usual trips, especially the ones out to Sri Lanka, this journey will not be about buying. It is often risky to make purchases near mines, and Australia is no exception. Small productions of Australian sapphires are usually being sent to India or Thailand for cutting before being sold in larger quantities. This is why it is rarely advantageous to purchase near these mines.

However, we could very well be bringing back some 'goodies' like small black opals and boulder opals!

Update on nephrite jade

During our last trip to British Columbia we had the opportunity to visit the nephrite jade warehouse of one of Canada's largest mines.

We were able to observe several specimens and learn more about the jade market. Jade is found inside large rocks called boulders. A boulder looks just like any other rock. It is only once it’s sawed in half or opened that one can appreciate its real beauty. Because these mines are located in the northern part of British Columbia, they are accessible only 3 months a year (see map).

Since jade is very important in Asian culture, 90% of British Columbia's nephrite jade is sold on the Chinese market.

Aquamarine, emerald and green beryl... how to differentiate them?

First of all, they are all part of the big family of beryls. Like many other stones, pure beryls are colourless. Impurities, which we also call trace elements, are what give them their colour.

Emeralds have traces of chromium and vanadium that give them their green colour, while aquamarines have traces of iron that rather make it blue - pale blue to greenish. There are different types of iron that create shades of yellow, blue or green.

Aquamarines that are light blue with a slight tinge of green are usually sold as aquamarines. When green, they are sold under the name of green beryls.

As in the case of aquamarines, emeralds can vary in colour but especially in saturation. The lower the percentage of chromium, the less saturated the colour. Very clear-coloured emeralds and green beryls (or aquamarines) can therefore look very similar.

On the other hand, as soon as there is chromium in a stone most major laboratories consider it to be an emerald. Since the value of emeralds depends a lot on their colour, a very clear emerald will have the same value as a green beryl. It can therefore be sold as an emerald, mint emerald or green beryl.

As a rule, we can say that green beryls with a hue of yellow are coloured by iron. When green-blue, they are rather coloured by chromium.