FREEPORT

Annette and Mark Evans have spent a great deal of time accumulating authentic Maine tourmaline and building their inventory at R.D. Allen Freeport Jewelers.

Given that the Maine earth isn’t yielding a whole lot of tourmaline right now, their efforts maybe a good thing for people interested in purchasing the Maine State Gem. The shop at 13 Middle St. has it, and it’s the real deal.

“We are featuring authentic Maine tourmaline, and it’s ‘gone, gone, gone,’” Annette Evans said. “There are not many Maine tourmaline dealers anymore — much of it is from Brazil. The number is dwindling because the big founding was in 1972. There’s a lot of mining, but not much tourmaline.”

When Evans spoke of “the big founding,” she was referring to the largest discovery in North American history. It occurred in 1972 at the Dunton mine outside the town of Newry, near Bethel. There, the Evans’ friend Dale Sweat and his partners uncovered what subsequently resulted in millions of faceted carats of the gemstone.

Since then, tourmaline outlets in West Paris and Winthrop have closed.

Annette and Mark Evans purchased the former R.D. Allen Jewelers in 2006, and moved it from the South Village to Middle Street in 2008, inserting Freeport into the name. That was well after the Dunton mine finding, of course, but not too late to run a viable tourmaline shop.

“Almost none of this was exported out of the state,” Evans said. “We kept it all here to sell.”

Tourmaline has been a treasured gemstone for more than 2,000 years, and comes in over 200 recognized hues, which is far more than any other gemstone. Beyond individual hues, tourmaline crystals are sometimes banded with more than one color which, once cut into gemstones, are called bi-color tourmalines or water- melon tourmalines, due their uncanny resemblance to the fruit.

The Winthrop shop was one of the few featuring the watermelon tourmaline.

“Three of us bought it,” Evans said, “so I still have the watermelon. It looks just like the fruit that goes on a picnic table.”

Evans emphasizes that she doesn’t want to point any fingers. But sometimes, people buy tourmaline from Brazil, thinking it’s from Maine.

“I’ve made a really big effort to distinguish my Maine tourmaline from my non- Maine tourmaline,” she said. “Maine has an authenticity that people all over the world recognize, and it’s reflected in the tourmaline. There’s a secondary and tertiary color in the midst of it. It’s not heat-treated for the most part to enhance the color. You’re seeing the original color of the crystal that comes out of the ground. It has a twinkle to it. People love it.”

While Annette Evans runs the shop seven days a week, her husband, a Realtor and property manager, takes care of the books.

“We are employing Maine artisans,” she said. “We try to make jewelry that people want to wear. It’s more individualized now.”

With Christmas just a few weeks away, R.D. Allen can accommodate custom or special orders,.

“We hustle,” she said, “whether we have to order it, or make it ourselves.”

The tourmaline from Maine is typically, but not always, softer pastels, making it distinctly different. These pastels blend well together and can make exquisite jewelry when used in combinations.

“It’s a big deal to us to make sure people know what they are getting,” Evans said. “There’s a whole lot more advertising than there is Maine tourmaline.”

SPARKLE WEEKEND: American Bead Co. artisans, who tour the country making charm beads from stones collected in all 50 states, will have their handmade beads on display at R.D. Allen Freeport Jewelers on Dec. 7- 8, which is Sparkle Weekend in Freeport.