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Move Over Jurassic Park, I Have an Equally Stunning Story to Tell

Once a plain mollusk, I offer jewelry lovers spectacular iridescence.

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Move Over Jurassic Park, I Have an Equally Stunning Story to Tell

SEVENTY-ONE MILLION YEARS of tectonic pressure, heat and mineralization can do amazing things: like transform a rather plain mollusk of the Paleozoic era into a stunning gem material. While the Blackfoot people have known about my spectacular iridescence for hundreds of years, it wasn’t until 1908 that I was first described by a National Geographic survey, and not until 1962 when local lapidaries in Calgary first started fashioning gem quality specimens out of me. Since then, I’ve gained a fringe popularity, particularly in Asia, although due to my delicacy, I’m best reserved for use in pendants, earrings and brooches.

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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.”

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