The Schooner Green Maine Tourmaline & Diamond Ring

A dozen times a summer, when I’m out working on the land, I look up, and there is a schooner 500 feet offshore. Not three or four miles out, but right there, sailing by. It’s a gift of grace, beauty, and harmony that this goddess of the sea, with its white sails as free as the wind, is sailing by.

Who knows the destination of all onboard? Who knows what hopes, wishes, dreams, and desires will be fulfilled on this voyage? Who knows what adventures await?

Cross’ Schooner Ring

The Schooner is a well-loved design. It’s often made with all diamonds or with a blue sapphire center. When we can, we try to sneak in an awesome green Maine tourmaline. The reason? We love our Maine gems, and because a great green looks so good in the Schooner design.

When we try to get one on the schedule we do it with a particularly choice gem. This green Tourmaline was found at Mt. Mica in Paris, Maine. Mt. Mica was America’s first gem mine and is just 50 miles north of our store, which by car is an hour and 14 minutes away. Few jewelry stores are so close to their source of gems.

We Have Just One

I think about our occasional opportunity to have one of Keith’s Clipper Ship Trade Wind designs made with one of our Maine gems. I’m 75, and Keith – our Schooner Ring designer – is younger. He is at the peak of his professional design career. What we know is that we are so greatly fortunate to have the opportunity to work with this genius jeweler.

The Mt. Mica Green Maine Tourmaline ring is set with oval diamond sides, and three round graduated diamonds trailing down each side. This ring is completed and is ready to be adopted by someone in America. How many do we have? One, just one. That is the nature of truly fine gems. My advanced years, Keith’s advanced years, an exquisite ring…don’t wait. You know the reasons.

Growing up, we had sailboats and motorboats, never a boat this big. Our boats had mahogany decks, masts, lines, and sails. I remember coming home from a day of sailing at age six. Sun low in the sky, the wind strong, the waves bigger than in this photo, the cool fresh breeze, salt spray, the taste of salt, the boat leaning close to the water. This is where the blood in your veins is replaced by salt water. This is where the blue of the sea becomes the color of life. This is where you swear without actually saying anything you will always be near the sea…always.