Gem Quiz

A Gemstone with a Beauty in Search of a Name

But it often arrives in a beautiful royal purple.

Published

4 years ago

June 8, 2020

Chris Burslem

FIRST DISCOVERED IN southern Japan in 1944, it wasn’t until 1979 — deep under the Kalahari Desert — that I was found in a form and quantity suitable to support jewelry manufacturing. There was a problem, however — my name, which suggests an artificial coffee sweetener. Over the next two decades, I was variously marketed as luvulite, wesselite, cybeline, royal azel and royal lavulite. All those “royals” are a tribute to my often-luscious purple, deep enough that I could have proudly adorned an ambitious Roman noble’s toga. Alas, I never reached great gemological heights and have wallowed mostly in cabochon class. It’s true, I don’t facet well, but, oh, for a name that might have caught on …

Who am I?

You Wouldn’t Cut Your Own Hair. Why Run Your Own Retirement Sale?

After being in business for over a quarter of a century, Wayne Reid, owner of Wayne Jewelers in Wayne, Pennsylvania, decided it was time for a little “me time.” He says, “I’ve reached a point in my life where it’s time to slow down, enjoy a lot of things outside of the jewelry industry. It just seemed to be the right time.” He chose Wilkerson to handle his retirement sale because of their reputation and results. With financial goals exceeded, Reid says he made the right choice selecting Wilkerson to handle the sale. “They made every effort to push our jewelry to the forefront of the showcases,” he says, lauding Wilkerson for their finesse and expertise. Would he recommend them to other jewelers who want to make room for new merchandise, expand their business or like him, decide to call it a day? Absolutely he says, equating trying to do this kind of sale with cutting your own hair. “The results are going to happen but not as well as if you have a professional like Wilkerson do the job for you.”