Oak Ridge Today

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…]

Sponsored: Gift Sale extended to benefit Habitat for Humanity

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Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County Gift Sale

A Gift Sale in Grove Center this month benefits Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County.

The Gift Sale has been extended through 3 p.m. Christmas Eve. The sale will also be open today (December 23) until 6 p.m. at Habitat for Humanity at 105 Randolph Road in the Historic Grove Center.

The sale features exquisite jewelry, accessories, exotic beads, apparel, linen, handicrafts, and tribal art designed and crafted by banjaras (gypsies) and artisans in India. [Read more…]

Sponsored: Karen’s Jewelers hosts estate jewelry show Friday, Saturday

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Greta Garbo Earrings

Estate jewelry, including Greta Garbo’s earrings, will be on display at Karen’s Jewelers October 17 and 18.

Elvis Presley’s initial cufflinks and a pair of Greta Garbo earrings will be among estate, vintage, and celebrity-owned jewelry on display at Karen’s Jewelers on Friday and Saturday, October 17 and 18.

The Estate Jewelry Show and Sale will be from 3-7:30 p.m. Friday, October 17, and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, October 18, at Karen’s Jewelers, 1120 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

Among jewelry will be a ballerina pin presented to the actress Betty Hutton in 1949 by the cast of her movie, “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Her director, Cecil B. DeMille, demanded that his actors and actresses learn their own circus acts for the movie, so Hutton practiced for a year to perfect the trapeze stunts for the movie. The pin is inscribed “From Your Crew 1949.”

Elvis’s road manager signed a letter verifying that the gold-filled cufflinks with the “E” initial once belonged to the rock ‘n’ roll singer. [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…]

Atlanta burglary suspect jailed after high-speed police chase, CPD says

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Victor Allen Webb

Victor Allen Webb

A 26-year-old Georgia man remained in jail on Saturday after a high-speed police chase on Friday that started in Clinton and ended between Oak Ridge and Oliver Springs, authorities said.

The suspect, Victor Allen Webb of Atlanta, is facing charges in connection with at least two local home burglaries, the Clinton Police Department said in a press release.

On Friday morning, a CPD officer on special neighborhood patrol spotted the suspect vehicle near the scene of burglaries this week, the release said.

“I had asked Patrolman Brian Galloway to keep an eye on homes in the western end of Clinton between Charles G. Seivers Boulevard and the river, due to recent burglaries,” Clinton Police Chief Rick Scarbrough said. “When officer Galloway attempted to stop the white Kia, instead of stopping, the suspect continued on.”

Reports indicate that the pursuit continued through parts of Oak Ridge, finally ending on Oliver Springs Highway (Highway 61), the CPD said. [Read more…]

Photos: Lavender Festival

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Lavender Festival Overview

The 16th annual Lavender Festival was Saturday in Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. The Oak Ridge FARM Market is in the foreground, and the festival is in the background. (Photos by Ray Smith)

 

The 16th Annual Lavender Festival was on Saturday in Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. The herb fair included more than 100 vendors, exhibits, and demonstrations featuring products and information related to gardening, cooking, health, aromatherapy, and all things herbal. 

Throughout the square, vendors offered live plants, herbs, art, crafts, herbal products, jewelry, baskets, pottery, wooden utensils, and more. Sample foods made with herbs were available, and there was also grilling with herb demonstrations by local chefs.

The Oak Ridge FARM Market was open across the street from the festival, local musicians were featured throughout the day, and children’s activities were available.

Vendors said they were very busy at the well-attended festival on Saturday morning. An afternoon storm dampened the activities, but many festival-goers continued to shop and enjoy the music. [Read more…]

Reminder: Lavender Festival on Saturday

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Lavender Festival

The 16th Annual Lavender Festival will be held on Saturday, June 21, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Oak Ridge’s Historic Jackson Square. This herb fair is a perennial favorite of folks from all around and focuses on all that is fresh, healthy, and good for the body and soul.

The Lavender Festival transforms Jackson Square into a hub of activity, information, fun, and of course, lavender. More than 100 vendors, exhibits, and demonstrations will offer products and information related to gardening, cooking, health, aromatherapy, and all things herbal.

The Lavender Festival doesn’t just celebrate lavender. It also features the International Herb Association’s “Herb of the Year,” which this year is Artemisia. Artemesia isn’t just one herb, but a species which includes Tarragon, Mugwort, Wormwood, and Sweet Annie. Gardeners, cooks, and nature enthusiasts can be sure to find useful information about how to use Artemesia in healthy and beautiful ways. Visit the booth in front of the Jackson Square fountain to learn more about Artemesia this year.

Throughout the square, vendors will be offering all varieties of live plants, herbs, art, crafts, herbal products, jewelry, baskets, pottery, wooden utensils, and more. Sample foods made with herbs will be available from 9 to 11 a.m., with grilling with herb demonstrations by local chefs from 1 to 3 p.m. [Read more…]

Trunk Sale features jewelry, art; benefits Habitat for Humanity

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Bombay by Design Trunk Sale Flier

A Trunk Sale at Grove Center this weekend will benefit Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, and it will feature items ranging from exquisite jewelry and exotic beads to apparel and linen, organizers said.

The sale is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 105 Randolph Road.

Other items will includes accessories, handicrafts, and tribal and bohemian art, organizers said. Merchandise is designed and crafted by banjara (gypsies) and artisans in India.

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…]