A visit to Ivey Gemstones’ JCK Marketplace showroom is an experience lovers of colorful and esoteric gems wouldn’t want to miss. Beautiful cuts of tourmaline, aqua, zircon, and other colored gemstones are on the menu here, begging to be the centerpiece of a great design. The stones here are special—rare colors and gems that aren’t typical of everyday jewelry. Imagine a ring with danburite, a pendant with sillimanite, or a bracelet made with sunstone. All that and more are possible, thanks to Ken and Cindy Ivey. Pay a visit to Ivey Gemstones on JCK Marketplace, but before you do, learn a bit about colored gemstones and glean some advice from my Q+A with Ken, below.

 

JCK Marketplace: How did Ivey Gemstones come to be?

Ken Ivey: Ivey Gemstones is our private collection, assembled over the past 30-plus years. The collection features thousands of rare and beautiful precision-cut colored stones.

 

JCK Marketplace: If you could sum up Ivey Gemstones in just a few words, which would you choose?

KI: It’s literally an A-to-Z adventure, from aquamarine and andalusite all the way to zircon!

 

JCK Marketplace: What is your favorite colored gemstone, and why?

KI: That’s easy: tourmaline! Color, color, color. If you’re looking for a specific color stone, it can probably be found in a tourmaline. I like the 21.87 ct. modified Americana cushion-cut featured on our JCK Marketplace showroom, which displays an intense greenish yellow.   

 

JCK Marketplace: If you could give one piece of advice to gemstone buyers, what would it be?

KI: Be creative in using color if you’re trying to hit a price point. For example, choosing a natural bright honey zircon instead of a champagne diamond, and surrounding it with smaller white or colored diamonds, will yield a strikingly beautiful engagement ring at a lower price. Many lesser-known gemstones have excellent characteristics for jewelry, like a peach tourmaline, a yellow-green chrysoberyl, or a rich golden scapolite.  

 

JCK Marketplace: What are you most looking forward to at JCK Las Vegas 2012?

KI: Working with educated buyers. 

 

JCK Marketplace: Best bet for happy hour?

KI: Definitely a great wine.

 

To see more of the Ivey Gemstones collection, check out its showroom on JCK Marketplace.

For more of the latest trends and products in the industry, check out JCK Marketplace, follow me on Twitter, or subscribe to my blog, On Your Market.

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