Happy New Year!!

We would personally like to thank you for making Amerigem your
jeweler in 2010!

It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since Amerigem was founded in a small office in Urbandale. We are looking forward to celebrating our 10th Year Anniversary in 2011!

We are working on several exciting things this year. Our new website is now up and showcasing a lot of our product. We continue to load images of our custom work daily. Please check it out at www.amerigemdiamonds.com. If you are on Facebook, please “Like” the Amerigem Diamonds Fan Page for special events and deals in the coming year.

As the economy strengthens, it is more important than ever consumers support local businesses and that your money stays in the community we live in. We are here for you providing services, products, education, selection and friendship.

We are excited for a new year and look forward to serving you with all your
jewelry needs for years to come!


Wishing you a Blessed New Year!

Bruce & Gina Owen,
Megan O’Neill & Lee Hallagin

And The Winner Is ...

Amerigem is pleased to announce the winner of the

Southern African Diamond iPad Giveaway!

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Congratulations

Josh & Kristi Dewes!

Thank you to those who purchased a piece from our Southern African Diamond Private Collection and to everyone who attended our Holiday Diamond Event weekend!

Stay tuned for more giveaways in celebration of our 10th Anniversary!

RingFinder App

Are you getting engaged soon?

Do you know someone who is looking at rings?

Check out the brand new, easy-to-use RingFinder App for iPad, iPhone & iTouch!

Southern African Diamonds welcomes you to the cutting edge of bridal jewelry with the RingFinder App. Find the perfect engagement ring as your browse through gorgeous images of this exclusive collection. Easily share your favorites with friends or that special someone. View pricing and diamond specifications alongside stunning jewelry images. Sign up for the Bride of the Month Contest on Facebook for a chance to win fabulous prizes.

:Features:

• Browse through amazing images of the entire collection
• Filter by Price or Search by Ring Name and SKU
• Quickly see ring options and pricing
• Share the perfect ring through email or Facebook
• Find a Store. Look up the nearest retail or online store to purchase or learn more
• Always up-to-date! The collection stays synchronized, bringing you the latest pricing and additions to the collection as they are available!

It's never been easier to fall in love with a Southern African Diamond!

Stop by Amerigem to see the Bridal Collection in person!

www.amerigemdiamonds.com

Jared Porter Trunk Show

Hometown designer Jared Porter will be setting up his new designs at a trunk show

hosted by Amerigem!

Join us at the Amerigem showroom on
Saturday, November 27, Noon - 5:00pm
to see Jared's BRAND NEW designs for 2011 and to meet the artist himself!

Jared first started designing and making jewelry in 2002. He took a metalsmithing class at the Des Moines Art Center then a similar class at Waukee High School, where he was a sophomore at the time. His first award was at the high school art show for a necklace he made his junior year. During his senior year, Jared received school credit for working at Iowa Jeweler Supply.

He graduated from Waukee in 2004 then went to Iowa State where he received his Integrated Studio Arts degree in 2008. Shortly after graduating, he was recognized for his outstanding work where he was awarded the “Emerging Iowa Artist Best of Show” at the Des Moines Art Festival.

Jared now resides in Boulder, Colorado where he works as a bench worker for Todd Reed. He creates and designs his own work in his spare time.

Be sure to check out the Jared Porter Studio photo album on the Amerigem Diamonds Facebook Fan Page and the Amerigem website for a sneak peak at what you'll find at the show!

http://www.amerigemdiamonds.com/

This is a ONE DAY ONLY trunk show - so you don't want to miss it!

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.

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. Much of the citrine, cairngorm and yellow quartz is said to be "burnt amethyst". Sudden changes of temperature can also be harmful to the stone.

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 -- TOURMALINE

Tourmaline is a crystal silicate mineral compounded with elements such as aluminum, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium, or potassium. Tourmaline is classified as a semi-precious stone and the gem comes in a wide variety of colors. No two tourmalines are exactly alike. Usually, iron-rich tourmalines are black to bluish-black to deep brown, while magnesium-rich varieties are brown to yellow, and lithium-rich tourmalines are almost any color: blue, green, red, yellow, pink etc. Rarely, it is colorless. Bi-colored and multicolored crystals are common, reflecting variations of fluid chemistry during crystallization. Crystals may be green at one end and pink at the other, or green on the outside and pink inside: this type is called watermelon tourmaline. Some forms of tourmaline are dichroic, in that they change color when viewed from different directions.

Almost every color of tourmaline can be found in Brazil, especially in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and Bahia. In 1989, miners discovered a unique and brightly colored variety of tourmaline in the state of Paraíba. The new type of tourmaline, which soon became known as "paraiba tourmaline", came in unusually vivid blues and greens. These colors were often described as "neon" since they appeared to glow. Brazilian paraiba tourmaline is usually heavily included. Much of the paraiba tourmaline from Brazil actually comes from the neighboring state of Rio Grande do Norte. Material from Rio Grande do Norte is often somewhat less intense in color, but many fine gems are found there. It was determined that the element copper was important in the coloration of the stone.

Tourmalines are known as October’s birthstone, and are gifted for the 8th wedding anniversary.

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

Topaz is made up of fluorine, aluminum and silicate and is found in many colors and can be colorless, much like diamonds.

Pure topaz is colorless and transparent but is usually tinted by impurities. Topaz is typically found in the colors wine, yellow, pale gray or reddish-orange, blue brown. It can also be made white, pale green, blue, gold, pink (rare), reddish-yellow or opaque to transparent/translucent.

Orange topaz (“Precious Topaz”) is the traditional November birthstone, the symbol of friendship, is also the state gemstone for Utah.

Imperial topaz is yellow, pink (rare, if natural) or pink-orange. Brazilian Imperial Topaz can often have a bright yellow to deep golden brown hue, sometimes even violet. Many brown or pale topazes are treated to make them bright yellow, gold, pink or violet colored. Some Imperial topaz stones can fade on exposure to sunlight for an extended period of time. This beautiful stone symbolizes the stone given for the 23rd wedding anniversary.

Mystic topaz is colorless topaz which has been artificially coated giving it the desired rainbow effect.

Blue topaz is the state gemstone for Texas, the modern birthstone for December and represents the 4th wedding anniversary. Naturally occurring blue topaz is quite rare. Typically colorless, gray or pale yellow and blue material is heat treated and irradiated to produce a more desired darker blue color.

In mysticism, the topaz is attributed with a cooling, styptic and appetizing effect. It is said to dispel sadness, anger and nocturnal fears. The Orange topaz is said to symbolize courage, fidelity, wisdom and serenity. The Blue topaz is said to symbolize success, love, luck, happiness and prosperity.

Topaz mining in Brazil dates back to the 1700s. Imperial Topaz was originally mined in the “topaz belt” of Minas Gerais, near the mining town of Ouro Prêto.

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: MINING IN BRAZIL

MINING IN MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL



The state of Minas Gerais is one of 26 Brazilian states, located on the western side of the Southeastern Subdivision. The name Minas Gerais ("General Mines") refers back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when large mines produced gold and precious stones in the state. Minas Gerais still produces about 80% of Brazil's precious gems and minerals, including emerald, alexandrite and topaz.

The cities of Governador Valadares and Teófilo Otoni to the north-east, have established themselves as major hubs of the gem-trading industry, due to their proximity to some of the richest gem mines. Minas Gerais is rich in quantities of aquamarine, chrysoberyl, emerald, kunzite, morganite, tourmaline and topaz.

BRAZILIAN GEM SHOW: Saturday, October 23rd

DSM MAG

Ad in July, Aug, Sept, DSM Magazine - This is a fantastic 18k two tone ring with radiant, cushion and round brilliant cut diamonds, 1.86 carats total weight, The center diamond is a 1.11ct GIA Fancy Light Yellow, Internally Flawless radiant cut. Stop into Amerigem Diamonds & Design to see all our amazing diamonds and colored stone jewelry!

Thank you to all who attended Jazz in July and to everyone who purchased a raffle ticket for the Amerigem Custom designed necklace, it was a great night with great music. The Village of Ponderosa did a fantastic job hosting this event. Congratulations to the winner of the fantastic diamond necklace!

Jazz In July

The Jazz in July 2010 diamond jewelry raffle item custom design and manufactured specially for the Metro Arts Alliance Jazz in July finally titled “The Entertainer” by Amerigem Diamonds & Design. The pendant is a music measure consisting of 82 round white diamonds totaling .60cts, the music notes are represented by 7 round brilliant cut black diamond’s totaling .70cts. The black diamond’s represent the notes to the second measure of Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer”. At the top of the pendant is a .40ct round brilliant cut diamond of excellent cut and quality. The pendant measures 2 inches long by 5/8 inch wide and is custom made in 14k white gold. With a replacement value of $5,850.00.
All you need to do is go to a Jazz in July Show and buy a $20 raffle ticket and you could win it.
http://www.metroarts.org/aspx/content/contentdetail.aspx?mid=243 here is the link for shows and dates, it will be given away July 31, at the finally in The Village of Ponderosa, right by my store!

Memorial Day

Our freedom is not free; it comes with a hefty price, a price paid by those who have put their lives in harm’s way to fight for our freedom. Today we commemorate the members of the United States armed forces who were killed in war and pay respect to their families. We also show our respect give thanks to those who are currently fighting for our freedom. Have a blessed Memorial Day and offer up a word of prayer for our troubled country that we constantly have to defend and a world that is so full of corruption and hate that precious lives are lost defending the freedom we have fought to create and fight to keep. God bless