The Temperature Was 96° in the Sun
Sitting with The World’s Finest
Colored Gem Cutter
The first time I met Philip Youngman, it was a hot sunny day in Tuscon, Arizona. He was on the second floor of a downtown building, glass windows floor to ceiling. Behind Phil, through the glass windows, were the mountains that surround Tuscon and the Arizona sun was pouring in through the windows. Phil was back to the windows sitting. There were two seats on our side of his showcase.
Although it was close to 40 years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember walking down the line of showcases and stopping before Phil’s case. Color brilliance, color shape, color…electric color, color…other worldly color. There before me were gems in a performance of color and brilliance I’d never experienced before.
I sat down; I didn’t ask for permission. I knew the man on the other side of this showcase was about to become a best friend for life and that I had a lot of discovering to do to understand who he was and how he had created all this impossible beauty.
I’m going to skip the hour-and-a-half we sat there looking, selecting, sorting, choosing gems. I would have to admit, I was giddy with excitement. Nothing, nothing, nothing that I had ever seen in gems in 15 years began to compare with what we saw that first day.
And yes, Phil has become a great friend. He is mostly retired now, and cutting some of the most beautiful Zircons in the world.
The Hope Diamond, on display at the Smithsonian, is the World’s most famous blue diamond.
A well-cut blue Zircon looks remarkably like a blue diamond. A gem Zircon achieves its particular shade of blue by strategic heating and cooling. Phil does his own color adjusting in addition to the gem cutting.
The 3.27 carats, cushion cut, blue Zircon in our necklace is surrounded by a halo of brilliant white diamonds, and could be the younger sister of the Hope in color.
Prompt free delivery is offered on all purchases shipped to mailing addresses within the United States.
Purchases under $1,000 are shipped free FedEx (please allow 4 business days for delivery). Upgraded to expedited delivery for $20.
Purchases over $1,000 are shipped free overnight. A signature is required on delivery.
Need a delivery to arrive on a specific day? Ask, we can arrange that. Would it be more convenient to deliver to your business address or directly to the recipient? We can do that too.
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Orders Under $1,000 – Ship Free FedEx to arrive within 4 business days. Upgrade to overnight for $20.
Orders Over $1,000 – Ship Free FedEx Overnight or US Post Office Express. A signature is required on delivery.
Any purchases you make in January or February 2021 we are extending our Cross return date to the first day of spring, March 20, 2021, or 30 days beyond your purchase date, whichever is longer.
Typically we size the ring before we ship. Due to present world conditions please allow two weeks for ring sizing. If you would like the ring to arrive sooner for presentation, select in the finger size selection box, “No Sizing Yet, Ship Right Away”. Our women's rings are generally between a size 6 and 7, most are a 6.5 to start. This is the average size for women. If the finger size you want is not listed as an option please give us a call. If you have time and want to get the fit as close as possible in the beginning you can request our free finger measuring kit. Your free kit will arrive in 3-7 business days.
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