We have mostly finished replacing our gallery’s halogen spots with LED bulbs. Yaaaay! The reduction in heat that the halogens produce is tremendous. If anyone is considering replacing their old bulbs with new LED’s, don’t wait. The technology is finally here (they have had it in Europe already) and the result is beautiful and comparable to the effect of a halogen spotlight. The bulbs don’t produce any discernible heat and our air-conditioning bill is 25% lower! I can’t begin to tell you how many times, over the years, I have burn’t the hell out of my fingers fiddling with super hot, halogen light bulbs.The photo below shows the rich tones that the LED’s produce and in our low ceiling, poorly air-conditioned gallery, the heat savings is a blessing and comfort to the staff and clients. I’ve always had a fascination for LED’s and have a dozen tactical lights and even blinking, LED watches. We use UV LED lights to judge flourescence in gemstones for gem identification. I even have one built into my reading glasses for nighttime reading. What is it about our fascination for these little, colorful and incredibly bright wonders?

I recently had the good fortune to participate in one of the most original proposals of my career.
Eben had asked us to set a diamond for his intended fiancee and while he was watching me remove and reset the large diamond, I asked him how he planned to give her the ring. I explained that one of the things we have learned over 25 years of providing engagement rings is that the proposal is JUST as important as the diamond ring. While she will show everyone the ring, she will also tell everyone the story of how you asked her…
Eben took this all to heart and said he would contemplate how he wanted to make the proposal. We decided to take the old, yellow gold, tiffany setting and set a large cubic zirconia into it and he would present that ring to her on a romantic boat ride. Except when it came time to slip the ring on KiKi’s finger, he would nervously drop the ring over the side of the boat! He asked me to be nearby, onshore, and pull up in our armored car when the situation looked hopeless and deliver to him the “real” diamond ring. Between texts and military-like prep, we were on-site and ready to go when the two lovebirds cruised by in Eben’s boat. He pulled it off like a master and we were johnny on the spot with the real ring! I’ll never forget watching KiKi look over the side and frantically direct Eben’s steering to the “drop zone”. I was actually thinking she might dive overboard for a moment. Major congratulations to the happy couple and to the fun imagination that made for the perfect prank proposal…

Eben & KiKi and the real rock!

Mark Loren Designs is a collection site for The Foundation for Lee Public Schools, school supplies drive. The Foundation keeps them in their office and they will be available for any teacher in the district who needs supplies for particular students who don’t have any pencils, paper, rulers or other necessary items. We have been collecting at the gallery and every person or business (thanks Bank America) that drops-off items, makes our hearts soar. How do I know it will make someone incredibly happy to get that hot pink, pencil box? My youngest daughter and I stopped by Big Lots with our $75 dollar donation budget and went right to the huge school supply aisle. We found fantastic prices on the materials we wanted to get and I noticed that I was getting excited picking out crayons and erasers! I was transported back 40 some odd years to when my grandfather would take us boys to the store to buy our “back to school” stuff. We didn’t have itemized lists then but he seemed to always know what was required and we were always allowed to pick out one “extravagant” extra like a cool pencil box or mechanical pen. I vividly remember getting home and racing upstairs to view and sort through my new stuff…the look of it, the smell of the new notebooks and crayon boxes…and all this was coming back to me in the aisle at Big Lots. My daughter woke me from my reverie, “Dad come on, you’re doing that zone out thing on me again!” When Haise saw all the pencil packs I was buying she asked about picking out pencil sharpeners at 75cents each. I sadly mentioned we were over budget already and she volunteered $5 of her allowance so whoever got pencils would also have a lime green sharpener too.
As we were packing the bags in the trunk of the car I caught her sniffing the bags and smiling….hopefully creating her own special memories.

Some of our most favorite creations at Mark Loren Designs are the pieces that clients bring us that are infused with sentimental value. These pieces may not even be classified as jewelry but, when we finish with them, they are true works of art. Often we take a client’s wedding band from a deceased spouse or wedding bands from someone’s parents or grandparents and without significantly changing the shape of the ring, we are able to turn the bands into an awesome, pendant or brooch. We derive tremendous satisfaction when we are able to take something that has been sitting in someone’s drawer or jewelry box and give it a new chance to be worn everyday. The photo below shows a pair of wedding bands that a client brought to us that belonged to her and her late husband. They were matching bands and she wanted us to create something that would utilize the two rings without changing them significantly. We hand-fabricated the bands into two hearts and you can still see the outside finish that was on their bands when they were married 24 years ago! The rubies that are visible were part of a ring that was his first jewelry gift to her before they were married and a great treasure for her. I learned early in my jewelry making career that what is not valuable to one person is a priceless treasure to another…So we assist clients in showcasing the priceless sentimental value of their pieces by recreating them with a new look and purpose. Another example: my wife Sheri’s late grandmother was a very talented seamstress and she used to make extra money for the family by designing and sewing wedding gowns for young girls in her small town in upstate New York. She even had custom-made labels with her name embroidered on them that she could sew into the dresses that she had created. When Sheri was clearing her grandmother’s things out she found a few of these 40 year old labels in a tiny sewing box. For a present for Sheri and my sister-in-law, I created tiny glass and sterling pendant frames for the labels so they could both wear their grandmother’s signature proudly as jewelry! Do you have any precious memories sitting in the dark in a drawer or box somewhere? Who do you know that would love and appreciate having them as a special gift in a piece of jewelry? It doesn’t have to be diamonds, sapphires or rubies to be precious…

A very few of you have met my dad, Lyle. He has been an incredible influence/mentor in my life and I wanted to take a moment and give him the acknowledgment he deserves. My brothers, sister and I talk together about what a “white bread”, “middle America” upbringing we share. We never saw our parents fight, drunk or strike each other (ok, I do remember seeing my Dad drunk one time and peeing in the clothes hamper in the bathroom). Our parents always put our needs before theirs and always seemed to be incredibly concerned about the mental and physical health of our family. When I was graduating high school I wasn’t sure which direction I should pursue…Pre-med and become an eye surgeon (I loved science) or try and do something connected to jewelry. There were no other family members involved in the jewelry business so there really was a lack of industry knowledge. My dad suggested and helped me research technical and trade schools to see what was available. The fact that he didn’t push me to follow a traditional educational path was a huge relief. Surprisingly, he was an accomplished metallurgical engineer and wasn’t sure how he got there. For him to lay back and not pressure me to go to a four-year college was out of character. My mom always supported my artistic talent and that may be where it derives from…
Luckily, we found a technical school that taught jewelry making, diamond setting, watch repair and jewelry design. My Dad said that I should give it a try and after a year, if a wasn’t happy, go to college somewhere. Well here I am and I feel that I made the right choice. My Dad is currently living in a care facility outside of Chicago for patients with Demensia and Alzhiemers. He recognizes me and the rest of our family and friends but his memory is fraying. Now, the most important thing he asks us is not, “what’s going on?” but “Are we happy?” and how much he loves us. Funny, those were always the most important things to him since we were kids….

My last post shared with you our coolest, newest, two-finger ring design. Then I was on the stair-climber in the gym when I saw the latest issue of a magazine and this little blurb about the “Hot Trend” of two-finger rings…well, I’m usually much further ahead with unique designs that become trendy, 3-5 years later. I’m having to revisit my creative wellspring to see if I really am losing my grip on being innovative, unique and original or if someone is watching our website too closely…

I trust my clients, friends and staff to let me know if I’m getting to mainstream or lazy with our designs.

Still, it’s nice to know that when I won a National Spectrum Award 10 years ago for Innovative use of Platinum, it was with a two-finger ring showcasing an amazing Tanzanite and matched Emeralds…

I wanted to share this design with you all and get some feedback about this cool, new design in engagement/wedding rings.
I designed this platinum two finger ring with the idea that the wedding set doesn’t always have to go on the same finger. I also included in the design the symbol for “infinity” so that the commitment is evident in the design of the ring as well as what the rings represent. On one whole edge of the ring is pave diamonds with orange and pink sapphires wrapping around the entire outside of the set. The sapphires graduate in intensity as well, going from lighter shades of color to very intense pink and orange on the top of the wedding band ring. The two sides are sized differently so as to accommodate the two fingers’ different sizes. I used a blue sapphire round brilliant as the engagement stone and set it raised in four prongs..I know, a new paradigm for a wedding set! What do you guys think? Let me know…I value your opinion…

Two Finger Wedding ring set with "Infinity" design and Fancy Sapphires

Cameron just showed me an email he viewed on CNN about a Craigslist post gone horribly wrong. It seems that a Washington State couple posted a diamond ring for sale on Craigslist and actually invited people to their house to view the ring!!! Here is the link so you can read the article for yourself: http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/07/craigslist.diamond.killing/index.html
Folks, it would seem to be common sense that you do not invite strangers into your home for any reason…Unfortunately, this incident ended with the husband shot, the wife brutally beaten and her two sons witnessing the entire ordeal. We always recommend that your keep your valuables, cash and even prescriptions locked in a well hidden safe or similar lock-box. The keywords being “well hidden”!
If they don’t know where it is they can’t get into it…don’t use your bedroom closet or bathroom…that is where they look first. Try the laundry-room cabinet or food-pantry. There are great, small digital safes available that are similar to hotel room safes and they are easy to install with a power drill and some screws. Don’t tell your kids, maid, babysitter, pest control guy or other family members where it is…the security is in it being unknown and hidden. We also keep a can of police-quality pepper-spray right next to our front door, within easy reach…”cause you never know when you’ll need it. Being in the jewelry business for so many years we are accustomed to being aware, vigilant and always using our alarm system while trying not to be paranoid. It is a shame that we have to prepare our homes for possible invasion or robbery…but these are desperate times and a lack of morals can substitute for reason and humanity.
Beware and please be aware…

Coffee cans and tins of gems

I have been working the past two days, while the gallery has been closed for Memorial Day weekend. Actually I have been working on this particular endeavor for over a year! I agreed to appraise a gem/mineral/rock collection that belongs to Dr. & Mrs. Gil Collings. The late Dr. Collings, was a resident of Fort Myers and along with his wife and family, collected gems, minerals and assorted rocks for over 40 years. He had a classroom business in New Jersey where he loved teaching gem-cutting, faceting and jewelry making. Mrs. Collings approached me over a year ago to see if I knew of someone who could assist her in appraising the collection so she could donate it to Stetson University. It seems that they wanted the collection but did not want to pay the approximate $20-30,000  appraisal fee that would be required. This type of collection is incredibly difficult to value as there are high-end faceted gems, unique mineral specimens, lapidary material in the rough and cabbed as well as assorted gem cutting and jewelry making equipment. Most appraisers do not have this depth of knowledge across so many areas. Many of the items are still in their packaging when purchased over 20 years ago!

Multiple trays of Various gems

I suggested to Anne (Mrs. Collings) that if she were to, instead, donate the collection to FGCU, I would be willing to do the appraisal for only a $2000 fee. I knew that the students at FGCU would be able to put the entire collection to use and it could be the foundation for an entirely new Gemology and Lapidary Department! Most universities would catalog the collection and store it in drawers down in a sub-basement. At FGCU, I could visualize students walking past showcases highlighting these amazing mineral specimens, while hopefully inspiring many to pursue the Indiana Jones adventures of mineral collecting, gem cutting or jewelry making. It has taken me far more time than I had first thought and in ways I hadn’t even imagined to complete this appraisal.  I have spent 1/3 of my time on the internet researching possible prices for material that hasn’t been mined in 20 years. I have researched specimens that I have never heard of and would call friends of mine that are agate lickers (passionate rock collectors) and email pictures of material back and forth. My staff thinks I’m a little crazy because I continually run into the darkened bathroom with a UV light to test rocks for fluorescence.

Even more trays of jewels to identify and price

The FGCU Foundation President and Anne Collings have been VERY patient with me as the process has taken five times longer than I anticipated. I have attached photos to illustrate how much there is and the variation of the material. Boxes, bins, coffee cans (I’m sure some of these are collectible), cigar boxes and cookie tins are part of the storage scheme. Luckily, Dr. Collings was an early user of computer databases and the entire collection is cataloged in a DOS system. The material has numbers on most pieces so it has been a process of identifying, weighing and pricing everything…A once in a lifetime opportunity and research experience. I have developed such an admiration for their collecting and cataloging abilities. My hope is that many future generations will be able to touch, examine, and explore this collection of a lifetime.

I’m driving down US41 and there’s a girl standing on the back of an open pickup bed, shaking her jean shorts clad tushy, waving a sign offering to pay cash for gold. Same on most other streets in our county except sometimes they are guys waving the sign. My question is “who would sell their gold to these places”? They have temporary rents, usually month by month and have pretty unsavory folks at the counter. I like the one I passed where the guy inside at the counter had his hat on backwards and wore sunglasses indoors. I’m thinking, someone must be selling their gold to these places because they are springing up faster than fleas on my dog. In the state of Florida, to purchase gold from the public, a business or person must be registered as a secondary precious metals buyer with the state. If you are selling your gold to someone at a home party and they don’t have the license, they are committing a third class felony. Unfortunately, the state has left enforcement of this law up to local law enforcement. We know how busy and under-funded they are already…so who is checking up on these characters? We also buy gold (only from existing clients) and take it in on credit or exchange but we use the metal and re-alloy it to create much of our new inventory. We can offer a high dollar per ounce because we use it in our goldsmithing operation. I can’t say what these places are doing with it but I’m sure law enforcement is interested in where it is coming from. That’s why we have to fill out required paperwork for every purchase from a client. Why anyone would risk stepping into one of these places is puzzling to me….and potentially dangerous.