The Mysteries of Merrymeeting Bay
Swirls & Curls
Pink & Green Maine Tourmaline Bracelet
One fine spring day after hiking woods and fields I stood on the banks of the mighty Kennebec River. Where the Kennebec narrows at returning tide, it spills a mixture of fresh and saltwater into Merrymeeting Bay. I had come to see the power of the sea and tides swirl through this confined space of the river. I was not disappointed. I watched as water flowed back up river as whirlpools formed, swept up and combined with one another. I watched one whirlpool take a stick, swirl it around, stand the stick on end, and spin it around like a mixing spoon.
Merrymeeting Bay is where fresh and saltwater meet twice a day on returning tides, a place that curiously few Mainers have ever seen. Roads skirt out around the bay and only a few hundred homes border it’s shores. The Kennebec River and Merrymeeting Bay were a well-travelled highway in the 1800s with great sailing ships of the world travelling up and down to Hallowell and Augusta. This bracelet has the swirls of the Kennebec as it flows through the narrows and into Merrymeeting Bay. We alternate pink and green Maine tourmaline within the swirls.
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.
