Kat Florence Presents-Journey To The Stone With Don Kogen

by Don Kogen

Hello, I’m Don Kogen, and I am a gem hunter. I started hunting gemstones when I was 13 years old living alone in Thailand. Since then I have discovered numerous world records while circling the earth on the hunt for the rarest most beautiful jewels in the world. I am incredibly grateful that I discovered my passion at such a young age and I want to share that passion with you. Each week I invite you to join me as I showcase a g ...   ...  Read more
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Podcast episodes

  • Opal is Mother Nature’s painting on a gemstone

    Opal is Mother Nature’s painting on a gemstone

    E13
    15:17

    It holds all the colors of the most important gems in the world: the red of the Ruby, the blue of the Sapphire, the green of the Emerald, and the yellows of the Canary Yellow Diamond. Opal is Mother Nature's painting on a gemstone, and its value is correspondingly high: Don Kogen has paid $200,000 for a single deposit of Opal before. Listen to this episode about the exciting Lightning Ridge Black Opal, a rare variety of Black Opal found only in Lightning Ridge, Australia. Don Kogen also touches on the Indonesian Opal, Ethiopian Opal, Welo Opal, and Harlequin Black Opal as he traces the lifespan of this rare gemstone.You can find the podcast transcript and bonus features at https://www.katflorence.com/pages/journey-to-the-stone-lightning-ridge-black-opal

  • Padparadscha Sapphire- one of the most coveted precious gems in the world

    Padparadscha Sapphire- one of the most coveted precious gems in the world

    E12
    17:04

    One in a hundred million Sapphires will be a Padparadscha, sporting a unique pink-orange color. Beloved by the Maharajas of ancient India, this rare stone gets its unique color through an uncommon, perfect mix of Iron and Chromium. Listen to Don Kogen talk about the sunrise and sunset Padparadscha, the California Gold Rush-style discoveries of the Ilakaka and Didy deposits in Madagascar, and the source of the name Padparadscha, which means “lotus.”You can find the podcast transcript and bonus features at https://www.katflorence.com/pages/journey-to-the-stone-padparadsha-sapphire

  • Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor or Kat Florence they all adore Emerald

    Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor or Kat Florence they all adore Emerald

    E11
    16:15

    Cleopatra and Elizabeth Taylor, Spanish royalty and Russian czars: Emerald has an illustrious history of admirers. Our Gem Hunter Don Kogen takes us through it all. Originating in Colombia’s Boyacá Highlands, Emerald was sacred in the religion of the indigenous Muzo people. Born of magma and Chromium, which gives the finest-quality Colombian and Russian Takovaya Emeralds their signature neon color, Emerald has caused obsessions so intense that they erupted into war—sometimes lasting for 50 years. Don Kogen has worked with churches to locate and evaluate the rarest and most historical Emeralds. And he has much to say about this otherworldly gemstone, which has times demanded over $200,000 a carat.You can find the podcast transcript and bonus features at https://www.katflorence.com/pages/journey-to-the-stone-emerald

  • Chatoyancy and Asterism – A natural celestial like phenomena seen in very rare stones

    Chatoyancy and Asterism – A natural celestial like phenomena seen in very rare stones

    E10
    14:15

    Northern Lights, gem asterism, chatoyancy: some of the most compelling and extraordinary natural phenomena may share an origin. Our Gem Hunter Don Kogen notes that the Northern Lights primarily come from material in Sri Lanka, which also produces the finest Cat’s Eye and Blue Star Sapphire. He goes on to discuss Star Rubies, Chrysoberyl, Alexandrite, and Moonstone. And of these striking, celestial gemstones, our Gem Hunter touches on the most remarkable varieties—which only occur once in every half a million pieces of rough material.You can find the podcast transcript and bonus features at https://www.katflorence.com/pages/journey-to-the-stone-star-cats-eye-moonstone

  • Sapphire - one of the world’s most loved gemstone

    Sapphire - one of the world’s most loved gemstone

    E09
    22:31

    2012 and the hunt was on: 10,000 people; cities being built in the middle of the jungle; gemological researchers flown in by helicopter. And—soon after—the military. Our Gem Hunter Don Kogen tells the story of Madagascar’s short-lived Didy deposit, which produced lucrative Kashmir Sapphire lookalikes, as he traces his experience with the storied Sapphire. Starting with legendary Paddar Kashmir Sapphire, which dates back to the Maharajas in ancient India, and commands the highest prices due to its historical value, our Gem Hunter discusses: his journeys of over 800 miles by foot between Azad Kashmir and Paddar to learn about the Kashmir Sapphire; the Sapphires of Sri Lanka and the Mogok Stone Tract; the qualities of heated and unheated Sapphires of various origins; and, finally, the California Gold Rush-style phenomenon of the Didy deposit in Madagascar.You can find the podcast transcript and bonus features at https://www.katflorence.com/pages/journey-to-the-stone-sapphire