(Press Release) Milenyum Mining Ltd. announces, in advance of the 2017 annual Tucson Gem and Jewelry Show, that Csarite gems are rarer than ever, with production in the world’s only active mine becoming more difficult and costly every day, despite continued investments in equipment, infrastructure and recent doubling of labor force.
Bauxite production target for 2017 is estimated at 166,000 metric tons, compared to 54,000 in 2016, but despite such mining growth, extraction of quality Csarite gems now requires more experienced personnel, technology and deeper exploration.
The rarity and natural color-changing beauty of the Turkish gem, however, continue to inspire fine jewelry designers to work it, many of whom create pieces featuring custom Csarite cuts.
From Jan. 31 to Feb., Milenyum Mining will be exhibiting at the GJX Gem and Jewelry Show, booth 2510. Among the highlights of the latest phase of production will be new jewelry designs by red-carpet veterans Graziela Gems and Erica Courtney, new sustainable creations by Jennifer Dawes and one of a kind designs by Alex Soldier, Ana-Katarina Dervisevic, Malak Atut of Zaiken Jewelry, Katie Diamond and Karin Jamieson. Soon to launch are collections by Bijules, Nak Armstrong and Parulina. The company will also bring back the largest-in-the-world polished Csarite gem, a 121.65-carat pear shaped rarity cut by Master Cutter Rudi Wobito, from a rough of approximately 430 grams. Wobito has also been working for months on new fancy cuts for recently discovered Csarite rough, which will be unveiled in Tucson.
A new addition to the Csarite Designer Program, Dervisevic speaks of her creative process with Csarites: “Each gem tells a unique story, and expressing that story in a three-dimensional form is my challenge as a designer. In creating my new Sumerian ring, I worked with a large, 8-carat oval Csarite. This design speaks of a 1940’s movie legend adorned in beautiful statement jewels. As a natural color changing stone, however, Csarites tell me more than one story. The second is of an iconoclastic modern woman. This two-finger ring design had to express both stories, so whoever chooses to wear it can rotate the Csarite gem vertically or horizontally, for a classic, or a more contemporary expression of herself. Designed to allow the Csarite to float above the hand in ethereal suspension; it took months of work to perfect the balance of form and technical precision, with a custom spring rotation mechanism, and 2.24 ct of inverted-set multi-colored sapphires, chosen to celebrate the many colors seen inside this beautiful Csarite.”
Also in Tucson, at the JCK Jewelry Show, designer Pamela Froman will be unveiling her first collection featuring custom Csarite gems, designed and cut exclusively for her.
“After having some Csarite gemstones cut specifically for me, I am now excited more than ever, to design a collection that will be debuting at the JCK Tucson show! I am inspired by Csarite’s unique color-change and set them in my signature Ombre Collection, which is my custom blend of 18k pink and yellow golds. I am looking forward to unveiling this unique collection to selected retail stores and press!” said Froman, at her atelier in Los Angeles.
Froman will be exhibiting Feb. 1-4 in salon 415, Arizona Ballroom.