Gem Quiz

I Hail From a Frigid Land, But My Color and Name Evoke the Sultry Tropics

I’m more stone than gem but am a collector’s piece nonetheless.

Published

12 months ago

December 5, 2022

INSTORE Staff

I Hail From a Frigid Land, But My Color and Name Evoke the Sultry Tropics

GREENLANDITE, TANZANITE, andalusite … hear their names and you can be fairly sure of their provenance. I, on the other hand, was discovered in the frigid Ilmensky Mountains in central Russia but named for a vast tropical region half a world away where no green feldspar has ever been found. The exact source of my sultry greenness remains something of a mystery, although lead appears to play a role. I’m more ornamental than precious — but a collector’s piece nonetheless.

Who am I?

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”