SparHawk Maine Tourmaline
Now to the gem. It’s a native natural gem of Maine, SparHawk mint green teal Maine tourmaline. It’s from a gem mine 28 miles north of our store, cut by a Maine Irish guy who is totally obsessed with gem precision and perfection. There is symphony and harmony in the balance and flow of light within the gem. It’s color and brilliance whispers Celtic beginnings.
I’d like to go back 3,000 years and show the ring to one of my ancestors. They would get it. They’d understand. I’m absolutely certain they and everyone around would all approve of the ring, and if I said to a group of Celtic villagers my minimum price is 16 sheep, two rams, and 3 oxen, there would be stiff competition among all assembled.
Gem Find of a Lifetime Video
World Famous Discoveries
Treasure Trove of Gems
I’ve always dreamed of a gem find like this. To have this mine be so close to home, just 28 miles north of our store in the mountains of western Maine, is amazing. Gems so fine, so pure, with colors so vivid. It’s important someone documents this historic gem find here in Maine, because it’s a history-making discovery in the world of gems.
The video above is 1 minute, 43 seconds. It gives you a good idea of the excitement we feel for the gems we are discovering here in Maine.
Maine has been world-famous for the tourmaline gems mined here for over 200 years. The geology in our western mountains has yielded a treasure trove of world class gems. Cross Jewelers has been the Maine state leader, bringing fine Maine tourmaline jewelry to all of America for over 100 years.
We have over 200 pieces of Maine tourmaline jewelry from both the SparHawk mine and other Maine mines.
Maine’s Crescent of Gems
Consider this…If they found a tourmaline mine in 1820 that is still producing today; if they found $50-million worth of tourmaline on Plumbago Mountain in 1972 and thirty-seven years later, struck Eureka Blue tourmaline 250 feet away. What else is waiting to be found in Maine’s Crescent of Gems?
The SparHawk Tourmaline Mine is Just 25 Miles North of Portland
This is about the Silver Dollar Tourmaline Pocket
Saturday night.
Standing in line to buy a theater ticket. Phone rings .Voice says “this is Jeff, we hit a pocket this afternoon, thought you might like to come up.” I said “What time?” He said “8:30.”
Sunday Morning at the mine. The Silver Dollar Pocket
Day breaks gray, over cast 64 degrees, humid. Later, spots of blue sky appear. Some sun with shifting shade. First photographs of SparHawk Tourmaline and Watermelon Crystals and a 1924 silver dollar for size reference. After that the day just kept getting better.
A small crowd gathers, a scientist, a gem cutter, a jeweler, and five of the state’s best gem miners, drifting in and out throughout the day. Some stay all day. Sounds: jack hammer separating rock. Sounds: mine pump water washing rock and rubble clean. Every one looking for color. Talk: speculation. Talk: certainty. Talk: crystals held to the sky. Talk: wonder. Sounds: dogs barking, dogs running with sticks. Young guys working, old guys watching.
June 8 & 9, 2013
At the SparHawk Mine
As the day progressed the sky cleared and the gem mining proceeded. It was an awesome day.
On Another Day
I Was the First One There
I arrived at the mine early. I was not sure if I had misheard our meeting time or if Jeff was late. I liked the sense of space, the openness without any other consciousness to interfere. The space felt different than my years of visits with other people around. Thinking minds are so powerful that one can feel others’ thoughts guided by arrows and pre-established pathways. Here with nothing but cliffs and trees, it was just me with a pen and paper. I am not alone but free to see and sense.
I heard a plane take off from the airport several miles away. I heard the wind in the pines and spruce, faint and up high. The cliffs that surround, the rubble that litters, and the rock below are all frozen in time. I’ve seen what this place produces. I’ve seen the crystals loosened and pulled from the white clay. I’ve listened to the people who come for the unveiling. I’ve heard their gasps; I’ve seen their wonder. This moment, on this mountain, may be as close as anyone ever gets to true magic in their earthly existence. – R.H.P.
A Treasure Trove of Gems
Found Under the Road
We know we are lucky. We know that any jeweler in America so close to a buried treasure of gems would be so excited to have treasure so close and to have the opportunity to acquire cut gems and then offer finished jewelry to the public. It would be like a gift from heaven. The crystal shown above weighed 62 carats. The person holding the crystal is Sean Sweeney, who is America’s best tourmaline cutter. He was there that day at the mine. He excavated this gem from under the road leading into the gem mine.
The Cross Maine Tourmaline
SparHawk Collection
Yes, we have over 100 pieces of SparHawk Mint-Green-Teal Maine Tourmaline jewelry on our website. All of our Maine tourmaline was mined in Maine and therefore never has had a tariff. There will never be a tariff or duty imposed on any of our Maine tourmaline gems.
He Didn’t Know It at the Time…
His purchase of the land and this
lost gem mine would make world history.
Jeff bought the land. His original intent was for house lots. His research showed that a hundred years before, it had been a successful gem mine. So successful, it made national news for the tourmaline that had been found there. Others came, searched, and found little-to-nothing. Because he was in the foundation business, he had digging machines, had trucks, and knew about blasting rock and how to move rock. He decided on weekends to do some amateur exploring. He worked on and off for several years. Then he hit a soft place in solid rock that was filled with tourmaline, it was a fine green color with an open c-axis. The c-axis is jeweler talk for an outstanding property that makes the gems shine extra bright. If that was all that he found his discovery would have made the Maine gem mining history books, and his discovery would have been told in stories of legend and lore a hundred years later.
With this initial success, Jeff continued the search. Over the next dozen years he opened gem pocket after gem pocket. We, Cross named his new tourmaline color SparHawk Mint-Green-Teal. The open c-axis allows light to do some truly magical things.
Choose a Piece of Jewelry
From America’s National Treasure
Many Americans are choosing one of our own national gems. We are fortunate to be so close to Maine’s tourmaline mines. The gems are beautiful. The jewelry we create is exquisite and comes with our solid Cross Guarantee for performance and beauty.
Our goal is to make your selection easy and shipping a breeze. We ship to all of America – Fast, Safe, and Free.
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A Maine Story
An American Gem
First discovered in 1820 and subsequent finds over the years, it 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 cemented 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’ve been to the mines. We know the miners. We know the gem cutters. We guarantee our tourmaline to be from Maine and 100% natural. Cross maintains the largest collection of fine Maine tourmaline jewelry in the world.
Window of Opportunity
Nearly fifty years has 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 like it 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 quick, but the find was small and the mining only lasted a few seasons. By 2013 all the large Eureka gems had sold. We still get calls from people who are now ready to buy. What they want, however, simply does not exist.
Gem finds are rare, especially in North America. Maine tourmaline is a piece of Maine and American history, it’s a connection to place, an exquisite creation of nature. Today, there is a rare opportunity to own a bit of Maine/American pride and heritage, in choosing a piece of Maine tourmaline jewelry.
Real Pricing
Shop with Confidence
Since 1908, Cross Jewelers has maintained a guiding philosophy of our founder William Cross to use the very best gems and precious metals in order to create fine well-made jewelry. William also believed in putting the best most conservative price on everything he created. We continue that tradition today.
Providing the markets remain stable, the price you see today is the price you’ll see next week or next month. In over 100 years we’ve never had a sale. All our prices are real so you can shop online or in our store with confidence.
