Oak Ridge Today

‘Magnificent Gemstones of the World’ show at Karen’s Jewelers Sept. 21-23

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Gary Bowersox displays his book, "Gemstones of Afghanistan." (Submitted photo)

Gary Bowersox displays his book, “Gemstones of Afghanistan.” (Submitted photo)

 

A leading expert on gemstones of the world, Gary Bowersox will bring his exhibit of more than 10,000 gems to Karen’s Jewelers in Oak Ridge. The gem show, “Magnificent Gemstones of the World” from September 21-23, will include more than 100 different types of gemstones, many collected by Bowersox on his travels throughout the world.

Bowersox, an explorer, gem hunter, and author, has searched for emeralds, rubies, and sapphires, among other gemstones, in central Asia, riding on horseback to remote caves in Afghanistan where dynamite and grenades have been used by local miners to uncover precious gems. He has hiked through the Hindu Kush and ridden camels, mules, sheep trucks, and tanks to explore remote mines in Asia, a press release said.

The stars of the gem show include a 70-carat Afghanistan emerald pendant and a 51-carat Tajikistan ruby with matching earrings. The show, featuring rough and cut gemstones and jewelry, will include aquamarine, garnet, tourmaline, lapis lazuli, amethyst, topaz, and kunzite, as well as emerald, ruby, and sapphire. The Smithsonian-style exhibit features gems often seen only in museums.

The gem show and sale will be from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, September 21 and 22, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, September 23 at Karen’s Jewelers, 1120 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Oak Ridge is one of 11 U.S. cities where his show is being presented this year. [Read more…]

Gem Show at Karen’s Jewelers this week to feature 60,000 rough, cut gemstones

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miner-with-gary-bowersox

Gary Bowersox, right, joins a miner at a Colombia emerald mine after lecturing at the First International Emerald Symposium there. (Submitted photo)

 

Explorer and gem hunter Gary Bowersox will bring a Smithsonian-style gem show to Karen’s Jewelers this week that will feature more than 60,000 rough and cut gemstones and jewelry. The show will feature many new cut gems, including finished jewelry pieces of Afghanistan emerald, Tajikistan ruby, and Vietnam aquamarine.

The gem show, “Magnificent Gemstones of the World,” will be presented from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, October 27 and 28, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, October 29, at Karen’s Jewelers, which is at 1120 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The Lady of the Nile aquamarine, a designer piece valued at $86,000, will be among one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry at the show, which will include gems valued from $5 to $100,000. Bowersox purchased the rough aquamarine at Thuong Xuan, Vietnam, then took it to fourth-generation carver Uli Pauly in Germany for carving in the Egyptian theme. Jewelry designer Gregg Crawford finished the piece, which is set in an 18-carat gold Egyptian motif with 12 platinum prongs surrounded by three Afghanistan emeralds and 1.14 carats of fine diamonds.

Besides emerald, ruby, and aquamarine, the exhibit includes garnet, tourmaline, lapis lazuli, amethyst, topaz, sapphire, and kunzite. The exhibit features gems often seen only in museums. [Read more…]

Gem hunter presents Smithsonian-style gem show at Karen’s Jewelers Oct. 1-3

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Ruby Specimens

Rubies in the “mother rock” in which they were found in Afghanistan will be on exhibit at Karen’s Jewelers. (Submitted photo)

 

Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Karen’s Jewelers will welcome an annual visitor bringing gems from Southeast Asia, Afghanistan, and Egypt for a three-day Smithsonian-style show in Oak Ridge.

Gary Bowersox will present rough gems and minerals, precision-cut gemstones and designer jewelry at Karen’s Jewelers in Oak Ridge from Wednesday through Friday, September 30-October 2. Bowersox has made Karen’s Jewelers a destination on his “Magnificent Gemstones of the World” event for nearly 20 years, according to proprietors Jonathan and Martha Hart.

More than 60,000 gems will be on display at the gem show and sale at Karen’s Jewelers, 1120 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The exhibit will be open from noon.-6 p.m. September 30, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. October 1 and 2.

Among gems in the show will be a rare padparadscha sapphire from Sri Lanka, among many sapphires from the region. The gem is described as a delicate mix of pink and orange. Also from Sri Lanka will be sphene, another rare and brilliant green, orange or brown gemstone, along with moonstone and special zircons. [Read more…]

Sponsored: International gem hunter to exhibit 60,000 gems at Karen’s Jewelers

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Gary Bowersox at Luc Yen, Vietnam Gem Market

Gary Bowersox, right, purchases sapphires, aquamarines, and spinels in the Luc Yen, Vietnam, gem market.

 

Gary Bowersox has ridden camels, mules, sheep trucks, and tanks to explore remote mines in eastern Asia in search of gems. He has climbed mountains and watched miners use primitive techniques to blast gems and minerals from the earth.

A gem hunter who has sought gemstones around the world for 47 years, Bowersox will bring his Smithsonian-style show of rough gems and minerals, precision-cut gemstones and designer jewelry to Karen’s Jewelers in Oak Ridge from Thursday through Saturday, October 2-4.

More than 60,000 gems will be on display at the gem show and sale at Karen’s Jewelers, which is at 1120 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The exhibit will be open from noon.-6 p.m. October 2, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. October 3, and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. October 4.

Gem exploration has taken Bowersox this year to Afghanistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and to Germany to have gems carved. He climbed mountains to Afghanistan’s Sar-e-Sang lapis lazuli mines, where miners have worked veins of the rich blue semi-precious stone for thousands of years. He visited the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan, where explosions set off with little warning reveal green stains marking emerald-bearing rock. [Read more…]

Gem hunter brings Smithsonian style exhibit to Karen’s Jewelers

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Karen’s Jewelers will host a Smithsonian style exhibit of gems and jewelry from Central Asia and Australia Wednesday through Friday, Oct. 2-4, when adventurer Gary Bowersox brings his collection of more than 60,000 gems to Oak Ridge.

Bowersox has hunted for gems this year in the mines of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka and India, as well as Australia. Among his finds are a rare 29 carat black opal from Lightening Ridge, Australia, and an 1,100 carat ruby from Tajikistan. Both will be on display at the gem show at Karen’s Jewelers, 1120 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The exhibit will be on display from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. each day. [Read more…]