If you could see what I see!

I remember when I was a very young and tied fly-fishing to make extra spending money.  For those of you who fly fish, you already know of all the brilliant colors of silk thread, yarns and feathers used to create this little wonders.  Years later when I took my first jewelry making class in college, I saw these same brilliant colors in gemstones.  I guess you could say I was hooked on colored gems for the rest of my life.

When I first started Columbia Gem House I had only a little inventory, but I was sure proud of these gems.  When times were tough I would spread a sheet out on the floor and lay all these stones out and marvel at all the colors, shapes and cuts.  Somehow each of those long ago gems spoke to me in color.  Each gem seemed to have its own aura, its own feeling, its own story to tell.

It is now 45 years later and we likely do not have enough sheets, or a large enough living room to spread out all these gems. Today they live in glass cubes, papers, or plastic bags put in boxes and bins.  Still, when we open a box or pour out baggies, these gems still have the same bright hues, the same brilliance and sparkle, yes the same feelings and have the same stories to tell.

Gemstones are much more than small colored rocks to us.  They speak their own language; they have their own message.  This message may mean something different to different people (love, peace, a special place one traveled, sunsets, lifestyle, health or spiritual) but in their own way each individual gem has a special message for the special person who will wear it.