Revolutionary Design
and Why Women Love it
In 1990 we developed a revolutionary design, The Lady Captain’s ring. It has Captain’s bars on either side of a bezel-set center gem. Women love this ring because it’s simple, low profile, solid, safe, and secure. It presents a gem in a unique, interesting, and highly wearable way.
1990 was 34 years ago. The Lady Captain’s ring is even more loved today than in the first year of its introduction. Visit our website to see many gems, and many colors set into our most loved ring…The Lady Captain’s ring.
December 31, 1989
The Lady Captain’s ring is the only piece of jewelry in our 115-year history that we know exactly when it was created. It was 8:30 in the morning, December 31. We had a store-wide futures meeting. When we got to the point where I said, “What do you hear customers asking for that we don’t yet have?”
Linda spoke up. She said, “I hear customers asking for a ring we don’t have. Nurses, in particular, are coming down from Maine Medical Center and asking to see rings that have the gem set low, close to the finger, comfortable, with no prongs to catch. They say they want a ring like this because they put rubber gloves on and take them off dozens of times a day, and prong-set rings catch and snag.”
Linda’s comments really sounded interesting. We made notes, and on the following Monday, we started designing a new collection. Our first ring in the collection was the Lady Captain’s ring.
Truly, in American history, this was a revolutionary design. Over the third of a century that we have made the Lady Captain’s ring, we have found good homes for hundreds of rings. The meeting of December 31, 1989, represented the birth of a new ring series that was specially made for daily wear. Women’s lives have changed, and we adapted right along with the changes.
Why We Love These Rings
We make the Lady Captain’s ring with all kinds of gems. The ring sits low, close, and comfortable. The gem is brilliant green and totally protected with a smooth halo rim surrounding the gem with captain’s bars both left and right. We have hundreds of people all across America who have chosen this design.
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.
