Randy Polk's Story of Lavulite

Randy Polk’s worldwide search for rare minerals and gems to complement his colorful high-fashion jewelry has captivated the world of jewelry.

 

It began when he came across some unusual candy-colored rocks with hues ranging from dark royal purple to vivid light purple and even bright magenta. After 18 years of creating and selling art-quality jewelry to Fine Art galleries, Randy recognized this material as something entirely new. He immediately made some jewelry from it, and it was breathtaking.

 

Fascinated, he traced it to a manganese mine in the remote Kalahari Desert of South Africa – the only source in the world. Randy trade-named it Royal Lavulite after it’s royal purple color. It was later scientifically identified as a jewelry-grade version of a then-obscure mineral known as Sugilite.

 

 

Randy’s new gem discovery not only introduced a new color but was so spectacular in his jewelry that it rocked the industry. He and Royal Lavulite made headlines in gem and jewelry magazines and were featured on the top television shows of the day, including That’s Incredible and Remington Steele.

 

Randy’s picture took up the front cover of the London Observer. Other press coverage included Time Magazine, the Guiness Book of World Records and hundreds of other publications worldwide.

 

 

Since then, Randy has traveled the world searching for and discovering other new color combinations. He continues to be featured in jewelry publications. A complimentary article in Rock and Gem (‘Shades of Faberge’, Dec.2004) compared Randy’s use of rare, exotic new gem materials to legendary jeweler Carl Fabergé. Despite his previous successes, Randy firmly believes his greatest creativity still lies ahead – leading to his continued pursuit of fresh, exciting new designs.