THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 12, 1994 TAG: 9408100148
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 8B EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JEAN GEDDES, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
When he was 8, David Nygaard fell in love with gemstones. It happened when he would go to the Mojave Desert with his mother, Sandy, and collect rocks. Later, those rocks would be placed in a tumbler, and the polished stones turned into spectacularly beautiful fire agates, rose quartz and obsidian, a form of volcanic glass from which Indians carved their arrowheads.
Today, after years of study and work, David and his mother are owners of Sandy's Touch of Gold at Hilltop East and are jewelry designers.
They opened the shop in 1986 after David Nygaard, now 30, graduated from the College of William and Mary.
Seated in his office at the shop, the young gemologist explained that one of his main aims is to educate his customers in not only diamonds but about all gemstones.
``Few people come into our shop knowing that there are other color sapphires and emeralds. But there are also green sapphires and pink emeralds (Morganite) as well as yellow emeralds (Heliadore),'' he explained.
A customer may come into the shop knowing only that he or she is looking for a yellow stone. Their education begins right then as Nygaard shows them, perhaps, a large, yellow canary diamond or a brilliant yellow oval sapphire or yellow Heliadore. He also knows the background of each stone, where it originated, its value - current and future - and its durability. Intense study has gone into gaining this knowledge, which he gladly shares with customers.
He likes to help people find just the right piece of jewelry to fit the occasion. ``I feel it must be just right: the perfect engagement ring or the anniversary gift or perhaps a custom designed piece which we are very capable of creating here,'' he said.
When a customer is pleased then so is the gemologist. Nygaard recalled one time when a young man wanted to propose to the girl he was going with, but wanted it to be a very special kind of proposal. He consulted with Nygaard and they decided to place a sign in the shop's front window reading: ``Will you marry me?'' and next to that the specially chosen engagement ring. When the girl saw it, she was ecstatic and the reply was yes.
Another time a man rushed into the shop coming directly from the hospital where he had sat with his wife through 23 hours of labor. He wanted to show his great love for her with a special piece of jewelry. Nygaard helped him select a diamond heart necklace as a treasured gift.
Never bored with his work, he said he finds it both fascinating and challenging as he deals daily with customers and manufacturers or works on designing custom pieces of jewelry.
Two years ago he married Jan Frett from Delaware who quickly became interested in his work and now helps out in the shop when needed. Nygaard said he believes in giving back to the community and serves on various boards of directors and is active in charitable organizations.
``I see my life: business, family, recreational all linked together in a circle. Customers become friends. We share our hobbies with them and our business is linked to the community. We are also active in church work and are currently starting a Bible study group.''
He is also a senior appraiser of the American Society of Appraisers, a member of the Diamond Council of America and of the American Gem Trade Association. He was recently accepted into the American Gem Society.
Some advice he gives customers is to watch out for fracture filling of diamonds, which is designed to hide flaws.
``The danger in fraction filling is that the filling can be loosened and fall out and that the diamond, under repair, can be damaged. The filling is very hard to detect. It is also illegal to sell a diamond without disclosing the facts.''
He said he has seen three fracture filled diamonds come into him for appraisals in the last six months, and in each case the customer was not aware of the fact.
His advice is to always buy from a reputable jeweler. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
Gemologist David Nygaard fell in love with gems while visiting the
Mojave Desert as a youngster with his mother, who is also a
gemologist.
by CNB