 |
| Above: A
circa 1905 postcard depicting the famous San Antonio de Pala
Asistencia campanile. Completed in 1818, it was rebuilt
after collapsing during the floods of 1916. The loose stone
is a magnificent ruby-red colored tourmaline weighing 122
carats. This distinctive reddish pink color is also referred
to as rubellite, and is caused in part by the element
manganese; from the Tourmaline Queen mine, Pala, San Diego
County, California, USA. This custom gem was meet-point
faceted and diamond polished by a master lapidary in
Arizona, USA. Produced by the San Diego Mining Company, July
2001. |
|
A thing of beauty is a joy forever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness.
—John Keats (1795-1821), Endymion, Book i.
Primordia
• For over a century, a diverse group of people have traveled
to southern California in hopes of obtaining some of the most
precious stones in the world.
• Early mining operations in the coastal mountain region of
northern San Diego County supplied most of the material demanded
by a booming international gemstone marketplace.
• Esteemed visitors to Pala have included royal dignitaries
and numerous pioneers in the romantic era of geology, gemology and
lapidary.
• Over time, the old campanile has become a point of
destination woven into ancient trade routes.
• Together, the tourmaline and campanile of Pala serve as
graceful reminders to all of humanity that indeed, a thing of
beauty is a joy forever.
• • • • • |
