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‘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…]

Estate, celebrity jewelry featured at Karen’s Jewelers on Friday, Saturday

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This estate jewelry will be among pieces featured at the Karen’s Jewelers Estate Jewelry Show and Sale on Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1. (Submitted photo)

This estate jewelry will be among pieces featured at the Karen’s Jewelers Estate Jewelry Show and Sale on Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1. (Submitted photo)

 

Estate jewelry that once belonged to Joan Rivers, Ringo Starr, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elizabeth Taylor, and Greta Garbo, among many others, will be featured at an Estate Jewelry Show and Sale on Friday and Saturday at Karen’s Jewelers in Oak Ridge.

The Estate Jewelry Show and Sale will be held from 2-7:30 p.m. Friday, March 31, and from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. April 1. The show presents a $3 million collection of antique, vintage, and contemporary estate jewelry, a press release said. Rings, bracelets, earrings, brooches, pendants, and necklaces will be among hundreds of pieces on display, with prices starting at $500. A wide selection of colors of gems and karats of gold will be included.

Among the treasures will be jewelry that once belonged to the Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and his actress wife, Barbara Bach, who portrayed a Bond girl in the film “The Spy Who Loved Me,” the press release said. The jewelry was auctioned when the couple sold their home in England, with auction proceeds going to charity.

Also featured will be pieces of signed jewelry, vintage engagement rings, pearls, cameos, diamonds, gold, gems, platinum, and filigree designs gathered from estates around the world, according to Martha Hart of Karen’s Jewelers. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum to celebrate national parks at gala in December

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childrens-museum-gala-2016

Martha Hart of Karen’s Jewelers, left, with Lee McGetrick and Mike Morris, all members of the Children’s Museum Gala Committee, display a National Park poster for the Gala, which will celebrate the National Park Service Centennial. (Submitted photo)

 

The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will celebrate the 100th birthday of the National Park Service at its annual Gala Evening, a benefit for the museum on Friday, December 2.

“Tribute to the National Parks—A Centennial Celebration” will feature National Park trivia and prizes, National Park-inspired cuisine by Rosa’s Catering, music from the Oak Ridge High School Choral Ensemble, an exhibition of children’s photographs from the parks, and a surprise for Gala attendees.

The Gala will be an official National Park Service Centennial Event. In honor of that designation, the museum will offer free admission Saturday and Sunday, December 3 and 4, inviting the public to view the “Parks-in-Focus” National Parks photography exhibit in the Imagination Gallery. Photos of area parks taken by girls from Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge will be shown in the exhibit.

Guests are invited to come dressed to represent a favorite National Park or in semi-formal attire to the Gala, to be held from 5:30-9:30 p.m. December 2 at the museum, which is at 461 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge. [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…]

Karen’s Jewelers hosts Estate Show on Friday, Saturday

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Estate Jewelry 2

Karen’s Jewelers in Oak Ridge wil host an Estate Show on Friday, April 22, and Saturday, April 23, 2016. (Submitted photo)

An Elvis Presley fan who hung around the gates of Graceland in Memphis from the 1950s to the 1970s was lucky enough to meet the rock ‘n roll star and receive a gift from him of gold-plated “EP” initial lapel pins.

Elvis’ lapel pins and other estate, vintage, and celebrity-owned jewelry will be on display at Karen’s Jewelers on Friday and Saturday, April 22 and 23.

The Estate Jewelry Show and Sale will be from 3-7:30 p.m. Friday, April 22, and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at Karen’s Jewelers, 1120 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge. The show will feature jewelry from bygone eras and celebrity jewelry with stories to tell.

Among the treasures will be vintage engagement rings, pearls, cameos, diamonds, gold, signed pieces, gems in exotic colors, platinum and filigree designs gathered from estates around the world, according to Martha Hart of Karen’s Jewelers.

Rings, bracelets, earrings, brooches, pendants, and necklaces are among hundreds of pieces that will be on display. A wide selection of colors of gems and karats of gold will be included. Jewelry reflecting the beauty and craftsmanship from Art Nouveau, Belle Époque, Edwardian, Art Deco, and Retro eras through the late 20th century will be featured at the event. [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: 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…]

Sponsored: July special at Karen’s Jewelers

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Karen's Jewelers Jewelry Special

This is a reminder that Karen’s Jewelers is having a July special featuring a selection of silver jewelry 30 to 40 percent off.

Bring in this ad for an additional 10 percent off one piece and 20 percent additional off two or more sale pieces.

You may print the coupon by clicking on the print button below.

Karen’s Jewelers is at 1120 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. You may contact them at (865) 483-6717.

Sponsored: Karen’s Jewelers hosts estate jewelry show this weekend

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Les Paul Pocket Watch Copy

A copy of the Les Paul Pocket Watch is pictured above. (Submitted photos)

A unique show of vintage, estate, and celebrity jewelry will take place on Friday and Saturday at Karen’s Jewelers.

Among items will be a Rolex watch that actress, singer, and director Barbara Streisand presented to a former boyfriend, inscribed with a quote from her song “Evergreen,” and a gold hot dog that Robert Goulet had designed for his aunt, who offered him $10 for hot dogs when he was a struggling actor. An aquamarine and diamond ring that belonged to actress Tallulah Bankhead and a 14 karat gold pocket watch that was the guitarist Les Paul’s, with an inscription to Les, will also be among treasures at the show.

The Estate Jewelry Show will be from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26. A special preview of the show will be held from 4-7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, at Karen’s Jewelers, 1120 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge. [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…]

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