Reviews for book "Otter Was A Beagle-ish Dog" by Cliff Yankovich

We are pleased to report that Cliff's book, "Otter Was A Beagle-ish Dog", has been selling in our store and on our website. (You can buy it online here: Cliff's Book Online.)

We are even happier that we have started to get comments and reviews from readers.

Ruth W. wrote a 100 word review for Schuler Books to use in their stores:

"Otter Was a Beagle-ish Dog is an entertaining collection of musings, from the author's younger days hitchhiking the deserts of Arizona, to an intimate and moving chronicle of the ordeal he underwent fighting throat cancer. Throughout the pages, Cliff's reminiscences of the abiding presence of his beloved dog Otter, and Otter's innate ability to sense what Cliff needs, overlay the book with humor and personal reflection. He writes frankly and humbly, without a shred of self pity. His casual, homey prose makes this book a joy to read." 

Aleah is our favorite diamond supplier. She was kind enough to send some pictures of her reading the book to her son along with some comments:

Cliff has compiled the comments here on his blog:

Comments & Reviews of "Otter Was A Beagle-ish Dog"

Custom jewelry YOU design - gold bars, new tools and MORE - we visited Stuller, Inc.

We have been doing business with Stuller since the day we opened. They supply thousands of independent jewelers in the US and around the world with pretty much anything you can imagine. The company started in the trunk of a car, but Matthew Stuller worked hard and promised fast service. Now his company has hundreds of employees and they offer Just In Time delivery. We can literally call in an order for any of the thousands of items they have in stock on any given day at 4:59 pm and it will be in our hands the following day.

Stuller LOVES independent jewelers, even little mom and pop stores like ours. In an effort to better serve us, they came up with a Bridge event - to bridge the communication between themselves and their customers. They wanted to show us everything they can do AND they wanted to hear from us any feedback we might have.

We have had an invitation to visit Stuller, Inc. for a Bridge since they started. It is not that we are their biggest account by any stretch, but we do order consistently (64 times last year) AND we order from all they areas they supply - everything from a "finding" such as a new head for Julie to re-mount your diamond in to the solder to hold a ring sizing together to a strand of freshwater keshi pearls and even the cute boxes we put our jewelry in. Stuller appreciates our loyalty and wants to keep our business.

Julie and I were excited to go for similar and different reasons. She wanted to spend some quality time with the tool department and I wanted to watch diamonds being faceted. I wanted to find ways to boost our internet sales and she wanted to learn how to do more at her bench. We both wanted to see how the heck they can get the right items in the box for us so quickly and efficiently. We went with high expectations - and the people at Stuller went above and beyond what we had imagined.

They started by reminding us how the jewelry business is constantly changing. We learned about the new ways in which the millennial generation shops and purchases. We also learned how Stuller was enabling US to more effectively market to them. Cliff zeroed in on this and spent some quality time with 2 different people at the Solution Center to learn how to fine tune our website. (Meanwhile Julie was across the hall in the Tool Department.)

Thanks to the tutoring, Cliff was able to reconfigure the Stuller Showcase program. He had been using it as an in-store tool, but NOW it is available to anyone on the web right here: Chimera Designs Showcase . The best feature, one which Cliff did not know how to integrate properly, can be found in the middle of the page - click on "Flexible Designs" and you will experience a virtual jewelry gallery that will blow your mind. You can customize hundreds of pieces of jewelry - change the color of the metal, add accent diamonds - use different shape and color center stones - all with a few clicks of your mouse or finger swipes. What is more - the estimated price shown changes to reflect each modification!

Here are two different versions of the same ring Cliff put together in about 7 minutes. They are made with different metals (rose gold vs white gold) as well as different shapes and different gems.

 

They are vastly different in price as well. The top ring is made with a genuine pink sapphire center accented by diamonds. The bottom one has an amethyst flanked by lab created alexandrite and is THOUSANDS less. The possibilities on this ONE ring are in the hundreds! The first thing Cliff did when he got home was to get our Stuller Showcase up and running. Try it - you will love it! Either of these rings can be custom made FOR you in about 3 weeks. Once you have your creation tweaked to how YOU love it, you can save the quote - let Cliff know and he will get a solid estimate and you can order your special piece of jewelry - unique to you and designed by YOU.

 

Meanwhile, Julie found a method to help her work more effectively and to help eliminate some of the physical difficulties that can come when you are hunched over a bench. One of the tool guys showed her a new, smaller version of a tool she uses now. It is more suited to her hands and will save her time and effort, and at the same time increase the flexibility of what she can do. We ordered one for her before we left Stuller. The best part is that we already have a new home for her older, bigger one.

 

Did I mention that we were allowed in to watch diamonds being faceted? The man we talked to trained for FIVE YEARS before he started doing it on his own. He explained that faceting one diamond can take a whole day or even longer. We also learned that Stuller can re-cut diamonds for us at a very reasonable rate. If you inherited an older diamond that is poorly cut or even if you chipped their girdle of a newer diamond - it can be made beautiful again for as little as $340 by the amazing diamond cutters at Stuller. (The cutting wheel spins at 4,200 rpm but is so smooth they can touch it with their fingers!)

 

We had the opportunity to hold a gold bar - the day we were in there it had a value of slightly more than $497,000! Cliff picked up almost a half a million dollars. (Now you can understand why they did NOT allow us to bring cameras into most of the facility.) Speaking of pictures - this one of Cliff putting in his two cents in one of the classes made it to the Stuller blog:

 

(Hard to imagine Cliff speaking up in a group, isn't it?)

 

We had an amazing, educational two days at Stuller. Everyone we met was very friendly - the place was spotless and amazing. They fed us the most wonderful selection of Louisiana style Cajun food you can imagine. They closed the event with a 2 minute video thanking US and then we were surrounded by dozens of employees who were clapping for us and thanking us. Julie teared up pretty quick and Matt Stuller gave her a hug. Cliff didn't cry, but his eyes were running because of a very high pollen count that seemed to flood the place right after the video. Odd - the same kind of pollen event has shown up at some Lowell Chamber of Commerce events in the past.

 

Thanks for reading this - now go have some fun designing jewelry. Click on the link below and then scroll down to FLEXIBLE DESIGNS and have at it!

 

THE CHIMERA DESIGN SHOWCASE

 

BONUS - tell Cliff or Julie that you learned about the Showcase here and they will take 15% off of the price of ANY custom piece of

jewelry YOU design.

 

 

A Tour of Chimera Design in Sunny Downtown Lowell.

 

Here is a little peek at our store.

 

Come on in and see us sometime.

Clarity enhanced diamonds at Chimera - what does clarity enhanced mean?

Cliff has been selling diamonds for over 16 years now. He earned his Diamonds Graduate certification from GIA in 1998. Over the course of his career, he has sold clarity enhanced (CE) diamonds to a lot of people.

 

So what does "Clarity Enhanced" (CE) mean?

The imperfections in diamonds are called "inclusions" if they are inside the diamond and "blemishes" if they are on the outside. There is one particular type of inclusion that can be "repaired" using the clarity enhancement process: a feather. A feather is an inclusion that reaches the surface of the diamond. This picture shows a nice close up of a feather:

In the clarity enhancement process, a clear glass like filler is put into the feather at an extremely high temperature and under very high pressure. (The industry guards the specifics, as you might imagine.)

Anyway, the material has the same reflective properties as a diamond, so you do not notice it unless you examine the diamond under magnification. It is also very noteworthy that the lab at GIA has weighed clarity enhanced diamonds before and after the treatment and since the amount of material used is so miniscule, it adds no weight to the diamond. Very important since diamonds are sold by weight. GIA does NOT certify CE diamonds, but other labs do.

The CE process is NOT a miracle worker - you cannot take a I2 clarity diamond and turn it into a VS clarity stunner. Most times a diamond will move up one or possibly two notches on the clarity scale. That being said, what the CE translates to in terms of your pocketbook is that you can save about 30% by purchasing a CE gem.

Here are a couple of examples of the difference the CE process can make:

The top example has multiple feathers while the lower one has a very noticeable feather almost dead center on the diamond. The CE process renders them pretty much invisible. We say "pretty much" invisible because the process can be detected using magnification. Turning the CE diamond while examining it will produce a "flash" of color - most times a purple or orange or combination.

Here is an excellent photo of filled feathers demonstrating the purplish flash -

Any CE diamond we sell has a Lifetime Warranty on the process.

 

CE diamonds are not for everyone - but our attitude is that they are just another enhancement. Shoot, if you take a look at a diamond crystal the way they come out of the ground you might not be impressed. It could be argued that cutting and polishing the diamond is a "clarity enhancement".

 

Here is a totally natural diamond crystal before cutting and polishing:

 

Not exactly the eye candy bling we associate with diamonds, is it?

On the other hand - here are a couple of CE diamonds we have in our store. The round one is 1.06 ct and the princess cut is 1.04. The princess cut is $3,380.00 and the round is $4,386.00.

CE diamonds are another avenue that is available for you to get an excellent amount of value for your jewelry shopping dollar. These two examples are about 30% less than comparable non-CE diamonds. (The round one is a D color - top of the color chart!)

Stop in and take a look - see Clarity Enhanced for yourself.

 



Learn About Making Jewelry: Lost Wax Casting

Informed shoppers are the best kind. We love to share what we

do with the people who come in to Chimera Design.

This is the first of two videos we hope will explain a little bit

about how jewelry is made. In simple terms, in can be fabricated from

the metal or it can be cast from a wax that is carved by hand

or from a CAD/CAM system.

 

This is the second of two videos about

making fine jewelry. This one is about Lost Wax Casting.

 

 

Here is the first video about

JEWLRY FABRICATION

Learn About Making Jewelry: Jewelry Fabrication

Informed shoppers are the best kind. We love to share what we

do with the people who come in to Chimera Design.

This is the first of two videos we hope will explain a little bit

about how jewelry is made. In simple terms, in can be fabricated from

the metal or it can be cast from a wax that is carved by hand

or from a CAD/CAM system.

This video explains fabrication with some examples:

 

 

 

 

Click here for the second video about Lost Wax Casting

What to look for when buying a diamond.

 

 

Aleah is our FAVORITE suppliers of diamonds. She works in Chicago.

We like her because she mixes expertise (she is a GIA Graduate Gemologist)

with just the right amount of fun and crazy.

 

Aleah took the time to make a short informational video designed to

help first time diamond buyers. It is less than two and a half minutes long.

 

Look, listen, and learn - there is some good, basic information here

presented with a smile.

Chimera Design buys diamonds.

 

We are buying loose diamonds. EVEN CHIPPED ONES.

We recently formed a partnership with a diamond broker who is BUYING diamonds.

 

If you have a diamond that is .33 ct or larger - get your highest bid from any jewelry store in the Greater Grand Rapids area and Cliff will do his best to beat their bid.

 

ROUNDS - PRINCESS CUT - MARQUISE - OVAL - ALL SHAPES!

 

We just wrote a check for $2,700 for a diamond ring -

the best offer the couple got in Grand Rapids was $1,300.

We gave them just a little over twice as much.

 

How?

We would rather make a little bit of money from you A BUNCH OF TIMES,

than to make a whole bunch one time and never see you again.

WE WILL BUY BROKEN OR CHIPPED DIAMONDS.

 

Call Cliff at 616-897-9480 with your best offer and see if he can't get you a little more money.

 

Chimera Design 10th Anniversary

As we approach our TENTH ANNIVERSARY in Lowell, Cliff

is waxing nostalgic. The other day he unearthed some old pictures on the computer at home.

 

We thought we might share them here.

 

 

Here is the outside of the building when we bought it in the summer of 2002.

Our initial vision was for hand crafted jewelry along with artwork from

the many talented people in and around Lowell. The building was built in 1868

and was Lowell Dairy/Creamery initially - there are hundreds of broken milk bottles in our

basement - the Lowell Historical Museum has some whole ones.

 

For 60 years or more before we bought it from Vi Murray, it had been home to

the Cranberry Urn Antiques. We will always be thankful to Vi - when word

got out that the Gilmore Group was putting in a restaurant across the street

(Flat River Grill) she got a few phone calls from interested buyers; a couple of

whom offered her MORE than her asking price. But she had shaken hands with us and even though she did not yet have any money in her hands, she considered the building SOLD.

 

We probably would not have gone ahead with out plans if it were not for

Liz Baker at the Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce and the late David Davis. Liz was helpful, encouraging and welcoming.

(Julie knew Liz from their younger days of working at the Alto General Store.)

David was one of the founders of the Lowell Area Arts Council - he set up shop

on our second floor to teach painting classes and introduced us to

many of the local artists we featured in our early years.

 

The Cranberry Urn sold antiques and Cranberry glass for decades.

Here is a view looking out - there were TWO suspended ceilings

and boards covering the windows for us to tear off.

Proof that Cliff works every now and then. Tearing off the layers

on the front of the building to let the light shine on the art work

and jewelry we planned to have in the store. 

 

After our third or fourth trip to the hardware store that used to be across

the street, owner Bob Ford suggested that we just set up a charge account

and pay him at the end of the month!

Gotta love doing business in small towns.

 

Here is a view looking out AFTER the ceilings were removed. 

This is the wall that marks the division between our show room

and Julie's work area - and Otter's bed.

Mrs. Murray had layers and layers of carpet and rugs down.

 



 

Above is the same wall AFTER Cliff tore out the ceilings and put up some drywall.

 

Below is the other side after we exposed some brick and primed the remaining plaster.

 

Below is the front of the building with all the new glass installed.

If you look carefully you can see some guys on the floor.....

 



 

Evert and Jerry put in our Natural Stone Carpet.

 

 

Opening Day on the Friday of Christmas Thru Lowell is captured above.

We scrambled to have SOMETHING ready for the busy week-end.

We had art work on easels around the room and some of Julie's

jewelry in a converted bakery case we bought from Dan and Deb Pipe.

(People think we are joking when we tell them we started

with jewelry in a bakery case!)

 

Our first Christmas window - we still have those goofy penguins!

 

Within a year or so, our showroom was BURSTING with

art and jewelry. We hired two young men and a truck to get the

jewelry cases from the top floor of the Antique Mall (thanks Ron!).

 

At one time we had work from almost 40 artists.

 

They out grew us - Susan Molnar opened Glass House Designs.

Then Kathleen Mooney followed with Fire and Water.

 

Both of them do a MUCH better job than we ever did with presenting

local, regional, and national artists - their galleries are just down the street.

As the artists found new venues, we narrowed our focus to jewelry design and repair.

 

 

In the meantime, Julie spent hours and hours at her bench -

perfecting her craft with repairs and her own special pieces

of jewelry in karat gold and sterling silver.

 

(Fun Fact: When we opened gold was less than $300 an ounce

and silver was around $2.95 an ounce. As I write this gold

is $1715.00 and silver is at $32.15.)



Flat River Outreach Ministries Food Fight 2012

Chimera Design will contribute $$ for ANY purchase from now until the end of Food Fight. $1 donation equals 1 food item. We will donate the following:

Up to $50 (even a watch battery) = $1

$50 to $100 = $2

$100 to $200 = $3

Over $200 = $5



Pink Arrow Bead is in production.

The Pink Arrow folks approved the design and the Pink Arrow beads are now in the production stage (can I remind you that they are being designed and manufactured right here in Michigan?). Here are the CAD-CAM images of the bead - it will be made of sterling silver and enamel.

 One side features the Pink Arrow logo.

The beads are $59.00 each and are designed to fit Pandora bracelets as well as every other major brand. You can have your choice of pink or black on the reverse.

All the profits from the sale of the beads go directly to the Pink Arrow Fund which provides assistance in many ways to families in Lowell who are battling cancer.

We should have the completed beads by the 2nd or 3rd week of July - you can contact Cliff at 616-897-9480 to pre-order yours now.



We can help with your Estate Jewelry.

Suppose you find yourself with a selection of jewelry from a family member. Not sure what is what? Are those REAL diamonds? Is that chain white gold, sterling silver or something else altogether? Are these service pins worth any money? Could these big, gaudy earrings be made of something valuable or are they just costume?


If you find yourself with a confusing array of jewelry - bring it in and let Cliff and Julie assist you.

We have helped many people make sense of the jewelry they have inherited and make the most of it.

First - using our experience and test equipment, we can help you determine exactly what you have. Sometimes those stones dangling at the end of those earring you will NEVER wear turn out to be real diamonds that you would love to wear in a new setting. Sometimes those big, ugly pieces that you are sure could NOT be made from a precious metal really are. Once we have figured out what you have, there are options:

1. We buy gold, silver, platinum, diamonds, and some gems outright. We even buy selected pieces of COSTUME JEWELRY. You get a check the same day.

2. We can repair, re-size, re-mount or custom design a completely new piece of jewelry using what you have.

3. We have developed relationships with several dealers in New York and Chicago who specialize in buying unusual and vintage fine jewelry and loose diamonds. Here is how the process works: We take digital pictures and send them out with descriptions in emails. The interested party or parties will give us a price range based on the information they have. If it seems acceptable, the we send your jewelry, completely insured, to them and relay the concrete offer(s). If you accept, the deal is done and you usually have the money in your hand within 5-7 days. If not - the jewelry is returned and you pay for the postage.

4. We can also do appraisals so that every member of the family has an idea of the value of the jewelry.

One recent example comes to mind. The daughter of a local lady inherited several small boxes of jewelry from her husbands side of the family. They were in the process of shopping for a new home so they wanted to sell almost all of the jewelry. Between the gold. silver, and diamonds we bought outright and the jewelry and/or loose diamonds we sent to New York and Chicago - the couple realized $9,251.00 to put toward their house. PLUS- they repaired a couple of items so they could enjoy them for years to come.

Pink Arrow Pride 2012 - new sterling Pink Arrow bead.

Chimera Design is working with Pink Arrow Pride and the Collegiate Bead Company on a custom made Pink Arrow bead. ALL of the profits will go directly to the Pink Arrow fund that helps families in Lowell who are fighting cancer.
The bead will be made right here in Michigan and will be available at Chimera Design and other places to be announced. Right now the bead is in the design process - but we should have the finished product before the end of July. It will be an enamel bead with the logo (above) in pink and the word "Lowell" on the other side surrounded by more pink enamel.
Wear it with pride on your Pandora (or other similar) bracelet. Or just wear it around your neck by itself. $59.00......COMING SOON!

Click on this link to learn more about the great things done by the Pink Arrow People: Pink Arrow Pride

FREE 5 stone diamond earrings!

YOU CAN WIN THESE DIAMOND EARRINGS.

You read it correctly - we are giving away these 5 stone diamond earrings (approximate total weight .66 ctw) on the 5th of May - aka Cinco De Mayo.
All you have to do to register to win is to "Like" Chimera Design on Facebook. One winner will be picked at random from the list of people who like us by the end of business on Saturday May 5th.
So - if you have not yet "liked" us on Facebook, get on over there and YOU might just be the winner of these sparklers!! Click on this link to our Facebook page:

Chimera Design on Facebook

EXTRA INCENTIVE - we want you to tell your friends about this, so if you are the one who recommended us to your friend and he or she wins the earrings, then we will give you a $55.00 Gift Certificate and lunch for two at Ella's.

Shopping for Sterling jewelry - bring a magnet with you!

We have been seeing an increasing number of items come into the shop that have all the correct markings for sterling silver - they have "925" or "Sterling" stamped right into them, but examination of them has shown that they are NOT sterling silver.
All it takes to know if you are being sold a pig in a silver blanket is a magnet.
Silver will NOT be attracted to a magnet. It is non-ferrous. In order for something to be sold as "sterling silver" and/or "925" it must contain 925 (92.5%) parts per thousand pure silver with the remaining 75 parts (7.5%) being made up of various alloys that work well with silver.
When testing a chain or a bracelet - do NOT test the clasp because there is usually a small steel spring in the clasp mechanism - if you hold your magnet by the chain itself and the chain is attracted AT ALL to the magnet, then the product is not sterling silver. If a ring moves toward the magnet, it is not silver. The same holds true for a pendant or bracelet.

Chimera just got some BIG pink gemstones.

Julie has been making rings from some pretty big gemstones lately and customers are liking them. We just purchased some big pink lab grown corrundum (corrundum is the material rubies and sapphires are made of) from Rich, our favorite gem guy. Cool thing about corrundum is that it is extremely durable - a 9 on the Mohs scale puts it second only to diamonds in terms of hardness. Click on the "Lab Grown Gemstones" link on the right of this page to learn more about them.

 The two round ones are $175.00 each. The top stone is 18.70mm and weighs 39.95 carats, the other round one is 20mm and weighs 35.51 carats - this one has a more traditional cut with a bigger table as you can see (the table is the flat part on the top of the gemstone).

This one weighs 60.75 carats and measures 31x16mm. Price $225.00.

We would love to put one of these gemstones into a ring or pendant for you.

Vacation and jewelry, gemstones, and watches.

It is getting to be that time of year when people head out to warm places to escape single digit temperatures and snow.


Julie and I would like to pass along some travel advice as it pertains to wearing and caring for your jewelry while you are on vacation.

We also have some advice when it comes to purchasing jewelry on vacation;especially gold, diamonds, and gemstones.

We want to give you a heads up when it comes to wearing your watches in the water as you swim, snorkel, and/or scuba dive.

If you are going on vacation - have a great time. If you think this advice will help someone you know, please pass it on.

Wearing & Caring for Your Jewelry on Vacation.

1.Be careful of the chemicals in pools, spas, and hot tubs. These chemicals are hard on jewelry and can blacken sterling silver in an instant! (Don't worry, we can clean it when you get back if we need to.)

2.Sand = sandpaper! Wearing your fine jewelry on the beach can be fun, but be careful. Sand can act just like sandpaper - it can abrade your settings and work its way into clasps and cause trouble.

Buying gold, diamonds, and gemstones.

While it is true that you can find great deals and beautiful treasures while on vacation, it is equally true that you can throw your money away on fakes and copies. We see examples every year.

Gold and diamonds are traded GLOBALLY. Gold is at $1,378.00 as I write this and that is the global value of one ounce of pure gold - if the deal on a piece of gold jewelry looks too good to be true, then it is either a fake or stolen. The same is true of diamonds - they are traded worldwide and you should beware of outrageous deals on diamonds.

IF YOU DO DECIDE TO SPEND MONEY ON FINE JEWELRY, then by all means pay for it using your credit card and have it looked at when you return home. That way if the "diamonds" in the ring turn out to be cubic zirconia or the "gold" bracelet is plated silver, then you have recourse through your credit card company.

Watches in the Water

Almost every year we get people coming in with water in their watches. Check your watch before you swim, snorkel or dive with it on to see how it is rated. Here are what the symbols REALLY mean (from Seiko's website):

•Water resistant: DO NOT wear while showering, bathing, swimming, or diving.

•50 Meters: OKAY to shower, bathe, or swim in shallow water. DO NOT wear snorkeling or diving.

•100 Meters: OKAY to snorkel and swim, but do not dive.

•150 or 200 Meters: these watches usually have a screw down crown and/or watch back. They are suitable for scuba diving as well as all water sports.

If you have a dive watch, then make sure the crown and back are screwed down and secure before you take it swimming or diving. IF YOU DO notice moisture or water in your watch, then try to get the back off IMMEDIATELY to allow it to dry. You can use a hair dryer on low to help speed the process.

If you can't get the back off, then bring it in to Cliff when you return home and he will try to dry it out before your watch corrodes.

Have a great time on your vacation and be careful of your jewelry on the beach, in the hot tub, and in the water.

Let me brag on Lowell a little bit: Pink Arrow Pride 2010.

For the last three years our HS football team has been a catalyst for fighting cancer on a local level. For one day the Lowell Red Arrows become Pink Arrows. The seed planted by Coach Dean has grown into a community wide fund raising extravaganza.

http://www.pinkarrowpride.org/

All manner of fund raising takes place from gas stations to coffe shops. Thousands of Pink Arrow t-shirts are sold and the community rallies. The cool part is that some 60-65% of the money raised stays right here to help local families with members who are battling cancer.

This video done by staff members at the high school is a good indication of the support for this effort:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c9ODFloTL0

This kind of thing is why we encouraged our son and daughter in law to move out here and why we helped our daughter to start a coffee shop in Lowell. It is a great community.

More new gemstones at Chimera Design.

How about a one of a kind boulder opal? The picture does not do justice to the cool bluish/purple in the stone. This is top drilled - ready made to be in a pendant. 30x12mm.

Julie can make you some earrings from these to match the big bouler opal above. Each one of these measures 14x10 mm.

We had never seen Calligraphy stone before - but when Rich showed it to us, we had to buy a few samples. It is also known as Miriam Stone or Elephant Skin Jasper. The stone comes from India and contains fossilized material. It is said to keep one cool under pressure, promote creativity,and aid in decision making. This one is 18 x 30 mm and is very reasonably priced at $48.

Look at the cool mix of colors in this Tiger Iron. It measures 30x14mm and is less than $50!

Some new gemstones at Chimera

A is for ametrine - a naturally occuring mixture of amethyst and citrine. The temperature of the earth determines if the quartz becomes purple or golden - sometimes we get a mix. This one is a biggie - 24.8 x 16.5mm.

Check out the coolio cut on this ametrine - 27.7 x 18.6mm.

This 17mm square green quartz has a lot of yellow in it - it shows up when the gemstone moves (I was able to capture a little of it in the picture, but it looks way better in person).

Another rockin' green quartz - this one weighs 12.55 ct.

We just bought these gemstones, so they are laying around loose and if one of them caught your eye, then please come in and take a look in person. Julie would love to make something for you.