prism - American Gem Trade Association

changing by the day, there are still beautiful
small fishing villages left. When Barbara
travels to Hong Kong, she stays in such a
village, Mui Wo. The villages is located on
the opposite side of the island where the airport
and gem show exist. There are few cars, fresh
seafood, and great trails for hiking.
“The catch for me are the fine gemstones.”
Gemstones that are too included, small, too
large, or expensive are “catch and release.”
Unlike fish, putting them back does not breed
more, so when the right gemstone comes along,
it is a “keeper,” and the excitement is still there
when she finds the keepers.
“As a gift ft for or lovers the
moonstone takes high rank,
fo for it is believed to arouse
the tender passion.”
George Frederick Kunz
Lawrence deals in all gemstones, but she is
known for her beautiful moonstones. The way
moonstones interact with light reveals its unique
optical phenomena known as adularescence.
Her favorite of the feldspars is Indian rainbow
moonstone that showcases orange, purple, blue
and green. “The soft, bright, glowing coming
out of the stone winks at you in its various colors
and price points.” Moonstone is one of the most
beautiful gemstones in the world, but also one
of the least expensive. If the public ever realized
just how rare large clean moonstones are, the
prices would dramatically increase.
Coming on Board
In 2001, AGTA launched the Consumer Seal
of Confidence program to build consumer
confidence in their colored gemstone purchases
and to direct them to jewelers who adhere to
the AGTA’s strong ethical and professional
requirements. This program propelled
Lawrence’s interest in serving on the AGTA
Board of Directors and as President for 2007 -
2008. Barbara currently remains on the Board
as the Past President. “AGTA has grown to meet
the much larger membership encompassing the
retailer and the consumer,” Lawrence adds. In
addition, for the past 10 years, Lawrence has
also been a jewelry program advisor for the
oldest craft school in the country, North Bennet
Street School.
Adding Fine Jewelry to the Mix
Boston Gems expanded into the fine jewelry
market with its custom-designed jewelry
collection, Lunar Essence. Each piece in
Lunar Essence is created by leading designers
featuring Boston Gems’ moonstones. “The
pieces in this jewelry line showcase our ‘Bella
Luna’ moonstones which means ‘beautiful
moon’ in Italian,” comments Lawrence.
The unique concept of drawing on the
artistic skills and talents of a group of
designers allows Boston Gems to highlight
moonstones from numerous different and
divergent perspectives. The consumer truly
gets to choose a piece that defines their
own individual personality and style.
“Buyers are looking for designs with large-sized
gemstones that have a strong fashion impact.
Moonstone is a hot pick, because of its beauty
and affordable price, but also because there
are no known treatments for the gemstone,”
adds Barbara.
Time for Change
“The world has gotten smaller,” Lawrence
expresses. “American manufacturers are no
longer looking to source gemstones from
AGTA Members.” Indeed, manufacturing has
moved to overseas, and the middle-man has
been eliminated. However, Lawrence notes
that the designer population has grown in the
past several years, and that there are other areas
of growth.
Having recently sold Boston Gems to her
business partner, her next dream job is to do
lectures on the beauty of color and disclosure.
“There is still a need to educate both the retailer
and the consumer about gemstone treatments I
love the industry, I love rocks!”
For further information about Lawrence, or for
lecture information, contact her at
moonstone.lawrence@gmail.com
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