Songs of Summer
A warm August breeze
Plays sweet in the ear as laughter,
Sailing on firefly wings
Brings precious twilight dreams.
Summer is for the child; woods, ocean, mountain, lake.
Summer is for new friends; late nights, camp fires, starlight.
Summer is for touching the wind and tasting the rain.
Summer is for the romantic, the stargazer, the dreamer in us all.
Every song is different. From each necklace in the Songs of Summer Collection, a unique gem – often Maine Tourmaline, but sometimes other world gems – all swing freely.
Travel by boat up the Kennebec river from Bath, at one point the river narrows. Its narrowing creates beautiful whirlpools at the turn of the tide, it also creates turbulence and notations, cautions, risks, and warnings on nautical charts. I hiked through woods and over fields to sit on the bank of the Kennebec river to watch the tide flow into Merrymeeting Bay. This is a place few Mainers know about. It’s one of those “You can’t get there from here” places. Our Maine humorists talk about these places. Few roads lead to Merrymeeting Bay. There’s almost no place to park and yet, it’s a vast lake-like body of water where salt and fresh water mix twice a day.
I sat for three hours on an incoming tide, watching the water. I listened to it sweep and flow into the bay. I watched as hundreds of whirlpools formed and swept up-river. The whirlpools spun in both directions. Then I saw something I’ll never forget…it was a strand of straw, 10-12 inches long, a dried yellow color caught by the current near shore, then caught by a whirlpool and spun around. I watched as it spun, one end sucked down the whirlpool, the other end – 6 inches sticking straight up, spinning around about 4 inches away from center. It was caught by the whirlpool and pulled by the swift tide. The spinner was swept up into the bay.
Spirals are ancient, spirals are eternal. In human history, we have in all cultures carved spirals into rock for thousands of years. I can imagine our Native American ancestors sitting in the same place I did, watching the spirals sweep into Merrymeeting Bay.
Our Songs of Summer necklace is a powerful piece of design and gem. The big gem is free to move. No two pieces are ever the same. Each piece possesses its own mystical energy. Choose wisely. Choose carefully, but choose. You have the power of the spiral and the glint of gold, the color and brilliance of the gem, and a lifetime of summers to wear your new necklace.
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 with confidence.
