Gem Quiz

So Pretty They Named a Town After Me in North Carolina

I’m also the only precious gemstone that can’t be synthesized. Who am I?

Published

2 months ago

October 5, 2023

INSTORE Staff

So Pretty They Named a Town After Me in North Carolina

GREENLANDITE, LABRODORITE, ANDULUSITE … many gemstones are named for their origins, but I am one of the few to have given my name to a town: a spot in North Carolina that is the only place in America open to the public for emerald mining. My discovery in 1879 kicked off a minor mining frenzy, but since then I have lived mostly in obscurity. Which is strange, because my finest greenery rivals emerald, and I’m the only precious gemstone that can’t be synthesized.

Why This Jeweler Chose Wilkerson

Mark Lauer is the owner of Mark Michael Diamond Designs, the Minnesota-based jewelry gallery known for exceptional and uniquely designed diamond jewelry. Though he loved creating the beautiful jewelry his business was known for, retirement was an exciting alternative to the 60+ hours a week he’d spent building it up. He called Wilkerson to help with a retirement sale. “I did talk to two other companies, but I just didn’t feel they offered the same services that Wilkerson did,” he says. “I knew Wilkerson had the expertise to follow through and give me the service and results that I wanted. They’re the number one rock stars in this industry.”