Stanford Shopping Center:

• December 4-7 The Gleim Collection
• December 13-14 Annual Watch Fair
• December 20-21 Colored Gem and Pearl Trunk Show: Mastoloni Pearls, Jingirian Italian Gold Jewelry, Mason Kay Jade Collection, Kostbar Colored Stone Jewelry, Stanton Collection of Colored Gemstone Jewelry

Los Altos Store

• December 4-7 The Gleim Collection
• December 12 until 8 PM Mason Kay Jade Collection, the Kabana Collection, Clare Ullman Designs, Designs by Christine
• December 13 Annual Watch Fair
• December 13-14 Jingirian Collection of Italian Jewelry

Downtown Palo Alto Store

• December 4, until 8 PM Winter Wanderland, Colored Gemstone Show featuring both set and unset gemstones
• December 11, until 8 PM, Winter Wanderland, Fancy Colored Diamond Show
• December 18, until 8 PM, Winter Wanderland, Mason-Kay Jade Collection

Three gemstones are appropriate for December birthdays - Tanzanite, Zircon, and Turquoise.

Tanzanite Discovered in the late 1960s in Tanzania, and found exclusively in this tiny area of the world, tanzanite exhibits a rich violet-blue color for which the gemstone is treasured; often it is heat-treated to achieve this color. Colors range from blue to purple, and tanzanites that are medium dark in tone, vivid in saturation, and slightly violet blue command premium prices. As tanzanite can be less expensive than sapphire, it often was purchased as an alternative. However, it has increased in popularity and now is valued more for its own beauty and brilliance than as a sapphire substitute.

Zircon Derived from the Arabic words zar and gun, meaning gold and color, zircon is found in a wide range of colors such as: blue, yellow, orange, brown, green, colorless, and red (the most prized color). For many years colorless zircon was used to imitate diamonds. Folk wisdom grants zircon the power to relieve pain, whet the appetite, protect travelers from disease and injury, to ensure a warm welcome, and to prevent nightmares guaranteeing a deep, tranquil sleep. Major sources of zircon are the Chanthaburi area of Thailand, the Palin area of Cambodia, and the southern part of Vietnam.

Turquoise The name turquoise, from the French expression Pierre tourques or Turkish stone, originated in the thirteenth century and describes one of the oldest known gemstones. Turquoise varies in color from greenish blue, through robin's egg-blue, to sky blue shades and its transparency ranges from translucent to opaque. Turquoise is plentiful and is available in a wide range of sizes. It is most often used for beads, cabochons, carvings, and inlays. Although its popularity fluctuates in fashion, it is a perennial favorite in the American Southwest.

Our business was founded by my grandfather in 1931, the depths of the Depression. When I look back at our original ledger books from our early years in business, it is interesting to note that, even then, people were buying jewelry. They did not necessarily purchase jewelry for status, or to show off, but they certainly did use it to mark special occasions, such as engagements, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, or simply to say "I love you."

Jewelry carries an emotional meaning matched by nothing else. Budgets may scale down a bit, but the need to give a permanent reminder of your love for another is still there. And the right piece of jewelry will be passed down to another generation, carrying a symbol of that love forward to other members of your family. It will last far longer than the latest electronic gadget or "have to have it" accessory which, after all, is what the gift-giver is hoping to achieve.

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