Introducing "Amore": The Ring Designed & Named by You!

Amore is a vintage halo 14K white gold setting adorned with diamonds all the way down both sides of the ring, european shank and a stunning round center diamond. This ring is retailed at $5,000.

We will have Amore on display at Amerigem starting Saturday May 14th, 2011. Be sure to stop by for cocktails and see in person the ring you helped design and name!

Thank you to everyone who helped design this beautiful ring! Be sure to redeem your 25% credit towards any in-store item at Amerigem! Email megan@amerigemdiamonds.com to receive your voucher!

You Be The Designer! Amerigem's Build-A-Ring Facebook Event

Amerigem is giving you the opportunity to help design the the next amazing engagement ring!

As a “thank you” for helping, we want to give you 25% off any in-stock item in our store! (Excludes Jared Porter Studio)

GRAND PRIZE: One winner will be chosen for a FREE Custom Design Consultation (valued at $300)!

Here Are The 3 Easy Steps To Get Started:

1.) “Like” AMERIGEM DIAMONDS on Facebook

2.) Watch the 4-part “Did You Know?” Video Series on the custom designing process. (It’s a great way to brush up on your jewelry knowledge!) Click here to watch all 4 videos!

3.) Stop by the AMERIGEM DIAMONDS Facebook Page each day of the event to vote on your favorite!

Then join us on Thursday, May 12th for the Unveiling Party!

Get a first-hand look at the ring you helped design!

Happy Designing and Voting!!

Megan's Fun Facts: Colored Stones from Brazil -- AMETHYST

Amethyst – known to many to be a stone for friendship - is the birthstone for February and represents the 6th wedding anniversary. Gemstone therapists say that the amethyst has a sobering and cleansing effect. In popular belief, the amethyst offers protection against drunkenness - for the Greek words “amethystos” mean “not intoxicated”. In earlier times, people liked to drink wine from amethyst cups, which explains the stone's protective function against alcoholism. Its purple color made it a stone of royalty for many thousands of years.


Amethyst is the most valued member of the quartz family. It displays a range of shades from deep purple, light lilac, lavender and mauve. Amethyst may exhibit one or both secondary hues of red and blue. Top quality amethyst is considered a deep medium purple with rose-colored flashes. The ideal grade is called "Deep Siberian" and has a primary purple hue of around 75–80%, with 15–20% blue and (depending on the light source) red secondary hues.

Green quartz is sometimes called green amethyst. Other names for green quartz are prasiolite, vermarine or lime citrine. Amethyst generally becomes yellow when exposed to heat (sudden changes of temperature can also be harmful to the stone). Much of the citrine, cairngorm and yellow quartz is said to be "burnt amethyst".

In the 19th century, the color of amethyst was attributed to the presence of manganese. Recent studies have shown a complex interplay of iron and aluminum is responsible for the color. When manganese is present in clear quartz, amethyst is produced. The amount of iron contained in the specimen accounts for the depth of purple color. The amethyst has its hardness, moderate refraction and weight in common with the other quartzes, but the crystal structure is different, and most unconventional. The construction is stratified, as a result of which areas and lamellae of varying color intensity often come about. This explains why there are relatively few large cut amethysts of an evenly distributed dark color.

Amethyst is produced in abundance from the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais where it occurs in large geodes (“amethyst-grotto”) within volcanic rocks. Brazilian state Rio Grande do Sul is a large world producer exceeding in quantities of Amethyst. Most of the material from Brazil is light-colored and tender purple.

Megan's Fun Facts: Colored Stones from Brazil -- AQUAMARINE

Aquamarine, March’s birthstone, is said to symbolize courage, creativity, health, perception and hope. The blue of aquamarine is a divine, eternal color and represents the color of the sky. This beautiful stone also symbolizes the stone given for the 19th wedding anniversary.

Iron is the substance which gives aquamarine its color, a color which ranges from an almost indiscernible pale blue to a strong sea-blue. As the color intensifies, the more expensive the gem becomes. Some aquamarines have a light, greenish shimmer. However, it is the pure, clear blue that continues to epitomize this beautiful gem. Its light blue arouses feelings of sympathy, trust, harmony and friendship.

Aquamarine is almost entirely free of inclusions. This gem has a hardness which makes it very tough and helps protect from scratches. The rare, intense blue aquamarines from the Santa Maria de Itabira mine in Brazil are called 'Santa Maria'. The 'Espirito Santo' from the Brazilian state of that name is known as a lighter blue aquamarine. The finest Brazilian aquamarine comes from the Marambaia Valley, north of Teófilo Otoni, located in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Significant aquamarine finds in Minas Gerais include the near-flawless 244 lbs, 552,500 carat Papamel Aquamarine. This aquamarine was found in 1910 from the Papamel mine (also known as Batadal mine) along the Marambaia River, 12 miles east of the village of Ponto de Marambaia.

Megan's Fun Facts: Colored Stones from Brazil -- EMERALD

Emeralds have the most beautiful, intense and radiant green color imaginable. Known as the birthstone for May and the traditional gift for the 20th and 35th wedding anniversary stone, the green color represents life, renewal, harmony, beauty and constant love.

Part of the beryl family, the emerald has traces of chromium and vanadium which are responsible for the fascinating color. Normally, these two elements are concentrated in different parts of the Earth's crust to beryllium, so the emerald should, strictly speaking, not exist at all. But during intensive tectonic processes such as orogenesis, metamorphism and erosion of the land, these contrasting elements found each other and crystallized out to make one of our most beautiful gemstones.

The emerald’s hardness protects it from scratches, but its brittleness and many fissures can make cutting, setting and cleaning rather difficult. The high value of the raw crystals and the frequent inclusions makes cutting emeralds especially challenging. Gem cutters have developed a special cut just for this gem, naturally, called the emerald cut. The clear design of this rectangular or square cut with its beveled corners brings out the beauty of this valuable gemstone and protects it from mechanical strain.

Today, many emeralds are enhanced with colorless oils or resins. This is a general trade practice, but it does have the consequence that they react very sensitively to inappropriate treatment. For example, they cannot be cleaned in an ultrasonic bath. The substances that may have been used by the cutter during his work, or applied subsequently, seal the fine pores in the surface of the gem. Removing them will end up giving the stone a matte appearance. For this reason, emerald rings should always be taken off before hands are submerged in water containing cleansing agent. Only seldom will a large emerald with good color and good transparency be found. That is why fine emeralds are so valuable. In top quality, fine emeralds are even more valuable than diamonds.

One of the world's largest is the so-called 'Mogul Emerald'. Found in 1695, it weighed 217.80 carats and was 10cm tall. Prayer texts are inscribed on one side and magnificent floral ornaments on the other side. This legendary emerald was auctioned by Christie's of London to an unidentified buyer for $2.2 Million on September 28, 2001.

Brazil is one of the largest volume producers of emerald in the world, and the states of Minas Gerais, Bahia, and Goias have the largest deposits in the country. Significant emerald deposits in Minas Gerais are found at the Capoeirana mine and Itabira mine in Nova Era, Municipio Itabira. Brazil has been known to produce large rough emeralds up to 200 carats in size.

Brazilian Gem Show: April 7th; 3-8pm

Amerigem is excited to announce the return of our Brazilian friends Jose and Marcello Fernandes for another BRAZILIAN GEM SHOW on Thursday, April 7th from 3:00 pm - 8:00 pm!

Stop in to see the wonders of Brazil in Emeralds, Amethyst, Tourmaline, Aquamarine, Alexandrite, Topaz and many more. Meet the cutters and buy direct from the source.

Have Amerigem custom design a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry that is original, affordable and tells a story! Check out the photo gallery on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/amerigemdiamonds) for custom pieces with Brazilian gem stones!

Enjoy cocktails as you check out all the wonders of Brazilian gemstones!

This is a one day event, so you do not want to miss out on this opportunity!

We hope to see you all on the 7th!

Special Diamond Event!

Amerigem brings you value, security, service and a guarantee unmatched by our competitors. Isn't it time you get what you want?

Stop by our website for more information!
www.amerigemdiamonds.com