Gem Quiz

I Am a Late Bloomer with a Penchant for Pink

Yes, I’m a garnet, but a precious one with a Carolina accent to boot. Who am I?

Published

1 year ago

October 19, 2021

Chris Burslem

I Am a Late Bloomer with a Penchant for Pink

GIVEN THE LONG history of using garnets in jewelry, I could be considered something of an upstart, only found in the New World in the late 1890s. (To be specific, it was North Carolina, home also to a lush pinkish-red flower from which I take my name.) In recent years, helped by rich new supplies from East Africa and Sri Lanka, not to mention my commonly inclusion-free nature, I have become something of a designer favorite, often in big, bold pendants and earrings.

Time to Do What You've Always Wanted? Time to Call Wilkerson.

It was time. Teri Allen and her brother, Nick Pavlich, Jr., had been at the helm of Dearborn Jewelers of Plymouth in Plymouth, Mich., for decades. Their father, Nick Pavlich, Sr., had founded the store in 1950, but after so many wonderful years helping families around Michigan celebrate their most important moments, it was time to get some “moments” of their own. Teri says Wilkerson was the logical choice to run their retirement sale. “They’re the only company that specializes in closing jewelry stores,” she says. During the sale, Teri says a highlight was seeing so many generations of customers who wanted to buy “that one last piece of jewelry from us.” Would she recommend Wilkerson? Absolutely. “There is no way that I would have been able to do this by myself.”