Congratulations to Rick Velayo, Manager of our University Avenue store, who was recently named a Fellow of the American Gem Society. This honor is presented to those who have distinguished themselves in service to their Society, to the jewelry industry, and to their home community. Rick fills the bill in all three areas. He has long been a Certified Gemologist Appraiser of the American Gem Society, the highest title available in the industry.

He is Past President of the California Jewelers Association, and, again for a long time, has spearheaded the security network of our local jewelry community. He is member of the Palo Alto Kiwanis Club, and volunteers there regularly throughout the year. It is a well-deserved honor.

Once again, the Palo Alto May Fete Parade was held in downtown Palo Alto. Gleim the Jeweler is proud to have been a band sponsor of a tradition which has been part of Palo Alto for over 75 years.

Not to be outdone, downtown Los Altos had its own Pet Parade a week or two later. It's a pleasure to be a part of such homegrown celebrations of our local communities.

Spring is a busy time for fundraisers, and we participated in several which were both fun and successful. The Jr. League of Palo Alto and the Midpeninsula held its fundraiser at the end of March, and Gleim's donated a Cartier watch for a raffle and a Breitling for a live auction. Not only that, committee members were able to model some wonderful jewelry from Gleim's, showing it off in grand style. The event, held at the Computer History Museum, was quite a success. And the El Camino Hospital Foundation held its major fundraiser the following weekend, also at the Computer History Museum. Gleim's donated a diamond for the Diamond Draw, which helped add to the coffers in what was a most successful fundraiser. We are lucky to have so many wonderful non profit groups in our area, which enhance life for all of us, and helping to support these groups is one way we can thank the community for its support for us for so many decades.

Each store will be hosting a collection of over 400 beautifully modeled dog and cat charms. Every AKC-recognized breed will be available, and in a variety of color modifications. These are 14K gold renditions of all breeds, fully dimensional, any of which can be adorned with diamond collars, of course! A percentage of the proceeds will benefit the Palo Alto Humane Society, which is observing its 100th anniversary this year. Bring your canine friends, who will be rewarded with biscuits, and find a permanent memento of your faithful companion. Charm bracelets are also available.

The collection will be at our Los Altos store on Thursday, June 12, our University Ave. store June 13, and our Stanford store June 14.

June counts three gems as birthstones, pearl, Alexandrite, and moonstone.

MoonstoneHistorically, pearls have been used as an adornment for centuries. They were one of the favorite gem materials of the Roman Empire; later in Tudor England, the 1500s were known as the pearl age. Pearls are unique as they are the only gems from living sea creatures and require no faceting or polishing to reveal their natural beauty. In the early 1900s, the first successful commercial culturing of round saltwater pearls began. Since the 1920s, cultured pearls have almost completely replaced natural pearls in the market.

Alexandrite A relatively modern gem, Alexandrite, was first discovered in Russia in 1831 during the reign of its namesake, Czar Alexander II, and is an extremely rare chrysoberyl with chameleon-like qualities. Its color is a lovely green in both daylight and fluorescent light; it changes color to a purplish red in incandescent light. Due to its rarity, some jewelers stock synthetic versions of this enchanting gemstone. (Synthetic gemstones are man-made alternatives to the natural material, possessing the same physical, optical, and chemical properties as the natural gemstone.)

Moonstone The third birthstone for June is the Moonstone. It was given its name by the Roman natural historian Pliny, who wrote that moonstone's appearance altered with the phases of the moon - a belief that held until well after the sixteenth century. A phenomenal gemstone, moonstones show a floating play of light (called adularescence) and sometimes show either a multirayed star or a cat's eye. Considered a sacred stone in India, moonstones often are displayed on a background of yellow (a sacred color) and are believed to encapsulate within the stone a spirit whose purpose is to bring good fortune.

Part of the family of minerals called feldspar, moonstone occurs in many igneous and metamorphic rocks and comes in a variety of colors such as green, blue, peach, and champagne. The most prized moonstones are from Sri Lanka; India, Australia, the United States, Mayanmar, and Madagascar are also sources.