Star Light, Star Bright
I Wish I May, I Wish I Might,
Get the Wish I Wish Tonight
Green Maine Tourmaline
& Diamond Necklace
I wish, I wish, I wish we could make everything as magically beautiful as this necklace. Yes, we’ve made this design before, you’d think we’d get used to it, but we’re still bedazzled by its beauty. It’s so beautiful; every gem color we’ve ever done with this design dazzles. I will admit to being under the magic of a diamond spell. We design and feel compelled to sprinkle little diamonds into so many of the pieces we make. Many jewelers use little diamonds. In our opinion, most push little diamonds into designs. We allow diamonds to naturally flow into a design. We know the true purpose of little diamonds is to provide a Star Light, Star Bright background while enhancing the color of the natural gem in the center.
Why We Love This Design
You get the sense we like this design. We do, we absolutely do. The color in the center is awesome. The power of its presence is unique. The sweep of earth’s history, that this gem was formed from a complex mix of rare mineral elements then it waited patiently in its solid rock cradle in total darkness for 200 million years, to be found by some local miner guy. The crystal was cut, the gem was set, and we carefully thought about each of the little diamonds we would add. In particular, the slightly larger diamonds at north, south, east, and west…make this a little compass point homing device.
This one is 14K yellow gold on an 18 inch chain. Wear this and everyone you meet will be dazzled. Everywhere you go you will feel the power and presence of not only the colored gem, but the pure magic of the frame of little diamonds that surround.
You will also know that although someday we may make another tourmaline of a similar color, your piece is a one-of-a-kind piece of art because no two tourmaline are ever identical.
Great North Woods
and Henry David Thoreau’s One Trip
Outside of Massachusetts
Henry David Thoreau lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He stayed close to home during his 45 years: he traveled to Boston, he went to Harvard, he hiked Cape Cod with a friend, he stayed in a cabin he built on Walden Pond. It appears he never left Massachusetts, except for his one trip to Katahdin and Maine’s woods.
When Henry was six, in 1820, Maine’s portion of Massachusetts separated, and Maine became its own state. In his later years, Henry left Concord and came to Maine. He hired an Indigenous guide and went up the Kennebec River into the Great North Woods.
In Maine, there were moments when Henry stood beneath towering blue spruce, smelling the earth and the wilderness, and saw and felt the green color of Maine tourmaline in the trees. He paused beneath the spruce and wrote about Maine.
Our Great North Woods necklace was created over 100 years later. It captures a true aspect of Maine and the tall spruce trees of our forest. The center gem was found at Mt. Mica in Paris, Maine; we have surrounded it with a halo of diamonds. At the north and south, and east and west, we have set larger diamonds, making this a compass of sorts for proper orientation in one’s search for the deeper meaning of life.
The necklace is a true gem of our Maine forest. With its strong color center the 18-inch chain drops the necklace to within two inches of your heart.
Why We Love This Necklace
Maine tourmaline is a magical gem. All the colors found here are beautiful. A blue-green gem is extra special because it really does capture the essence of a blue spruce forest.
Maine Tourmaline, A Maine Story
An American Gem
First discovered in 1820 and in subsequent finds over the years, these early discoveries put Maine on the world map as a source for high-quality tourmaline gems. A major discovery in 1972 on Plumbago Mountain in Newry, Maine established Maine as a significant world source of fine tourmaline gemstones.
Cross recognized the historical significance of this find and began working closely with the miners of these magnificent gems. The close partnership continues today with the ongoing discoveries in Maine’s western mountains.
100% Natural
We go to Maine’s gem mines. We know the miners. We know the gem cutters. We guarantee our tourmaline to be from Maine and is 100% natural. Cross maintains the largest collection of fine Maine tourmaline jewelry in the world.
Window of Opportunity
Fifty years have passed since the major 1972 tourmaline find in Newry, Maine where they found 3.5 million carats of tourmaline crystals. Over the years we bought more than we sold knowing that gem finds don’t last forever. There are now colors, sizes, and shapes that are extremely rare and, in some cases, no longer available. If you see something you love it’s best to act quickly. There’s no guarantee another gem like this one exists.
Case in point: In 2007 there was a find of tourmaline in Newry, Maine called Eureka Blue. People loved the color. The gems sold quickly, but the find was small and the mining only lasted a few seasons. Within three years of the discovery, all the large Eureka gems had sold. We still get calls from people who are now ready to buy. What they want, however, simply no longer exists from that find in 2007.
Gem finds are rare, especially in North America. Maine tourmaline is a piece of Maine and American history, it’s a connection to a place we all love, an exquisite creation of nature. Today, there is a rare opportunity to own a bit of Maine/American pride and heritage, and history in choosing a piece of Maine tourmaline jewelry.
