There is no two ways about it. We love gemstones and rocks. We have always been fascinated by them. At an early age, we marveled at beautiful gemstones and collected rocks and gems from across the country. We had a rock tumbler, cracked geodes, and went mining for emeralds in North Carolina and sapphires in Montana. We attended the Tucson Gem Shows…we could go on.
The history of gemstones captivated us, along with the incredible beauty, colors, and shapes. We loved how no two gems seemed to be exactly the same. There was always something to discover. Specific conditions or geographical region yielded the presence of different elements within a gemstone.
A hobby led to a passion. We furthered our education by attending the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) where we earned a Graduate Gemologist Degree. This was concurrent with our deeper delve into vintage watches. At that time, our focus was on Rolex sport models. We were just starting to dip our toes into the gold Rolex watches from the 1970’s and 1980’s. We were intrigued by the Rolex Stella and Vignette dials; the incredible colors created art on the wrist. We wanted to learn more. We went back to old auction catalogues from the 1980’s (when Paul Newman Daytona’s were selling for less than used Submariners) and were mesmerized by the incredible Patek Philippe, Piaget, and Rolex watches with dials made from gemstones. Lapis, Tiger’s Eye, and Malachite, oh my…
We have collected, bought, and sold amazing vintage watches with gemstone dials for some time now. For us, they are the perfect combination of two of our loves. Both rich in history and the byproduct of time. We created the Gems Collection at Veralet as the destination for incredible vintage watches with beautiful gemstone dials from some of our favorite brands. Some of these watches are distinctive and provocative, while others are versions of classic models. Like each of us, the amazing watches in the Gems Collection are all unique. No two watches are the same, and each has its own history, identity, and story. Our role is simply to be the link from one chapter to the next.
Carl Cohen
Founder, Veralet
