Does your heart skip a beat when you slip on a sapphire ring with a blue hue so supreme that it’s not only magnificent but majestic? Or are you more drawn to the shockingly beautiful glow of an electric blue-green Paraíba tourmaline?
Our appreciation for gemstones is a love story that spans centuries. A rare stone is one coveted by connoisseurs and collected by royals. When it comes to superb color in the North, the gemstone selection at Wixon Jewelers represents a quality standard best described as extraordinary. “We present you with the best of the best in quality, but each eye sees color differently,” explains owner and gem buyer Hope Wixon. “As you explore, what really matters is what color and which gem you gravitate toward. Which one causes something within you to light up.”
This inevitable emotional connection is part of the reason the gemstone market has been on fire lately, establishing gemstones as a legitimately lucrative investment. It’s a lesson well publicized by the now-famous Graff Ruby: The 8.62-carat Burmese ruby made headlines when it fetched a record price of $3.6 million at auction in 2006. Just eight years later, the same jeweler bought the stone back from a Greek financier, but for more than double the price at a record $8.6 million. In short, the allure of the gemstone is immeasurable.
Photography provided by Wixon Jewelers
“When you purchase gems, you can wear them, appreciate them and enjoy them, but you can also sell them 30 years later or utilize them as a way to pass wealth down to future generations,” Wixon says. And as international mines deplete and the average price per carat rises, fewer superb gemstones are available on the market — meaning now is the time to acquire pieces that will retain their value in the future.
Everyone sees color differently, and beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder when it comes to gemstones. And yet, a good relationship with a trusted resource is key when it comes to purchasing gems. Slight variations in color can have a huge impact on value, so it’s important to work with someone who specializes in colored gemstones. Engaging a highly trained gem expert who can navigate nuances in cut and color that the untrained eye wouldn’t perceive is absolutely critical when investing in a fine colored gemstone.
The Dow gets credit where credit is due, but diversifying into gemstones is a much more personal choice than simply buying stock. While a ruby may not have the liquidity of your biotech cash cow, purchasing a quality stone from the right jeweler offers you the chance to make a long-term investment from the heart. Rare top-quality color is an extraordinary way to present a value-driven sentiment that will last for generations to come.
