huskytales the crown jewels of maine “The Maine Tourmaline Necklace,” crafted with Oxford County gems in the 1970s by Addison Saunders ’51, has been worn over the years by the first ladies of Maine, often at inaugural events. On January 3, it was worn for the first time by a governor. Janet Mills, the first female governor of Maine, wore the state necklace at her post-inaugural celebrations. Annemarie Saunders, Addison’s daughter, recalls being at the 1977 presentation of the new necklace to Gov. James Longley and his wife, Helen.
“The Maine Tourmaline Necklace”
“Everything about the necklace is Maine,” said Annemarie. The idea to create it was born in 1976, four years after a huge tourmaline find in Newry. Jeweler and gemologist James Vose proposed it to the Maine Retail Jewelers Association, who unanimously accepted Saunders “to be the goldsmith to create and design this most magnificent necklace, which will represent the State of Maine’s mineral and historical wealth for all to see in future generations to come.” At that time, Saunders, who passed away in 2008, was working as a selftaught goldsmith. He had grown up in Bethel, according to Annemarie, and from the age of about 10 followed his interest in gems by searching for them at the Songo Pond Mine in Albany and keeping his own little workshop in a corner of the family barn. After Gould, he attended the Colorado School of Mines for a time, but then went into jewelry crafting. Its centerpiece is a 24.58-carat pink tourmaline donated by Dean McCrillis of Plumbago Mining Corp. of Newry,
according to Vose’s book. The 23 smaller tourmalines were purchased from Plumbago. The gold came primarily from the Swift River in Byron, and had been panned over 27 years by Elinor and Alton Hamlin of Norway and Margelia and Norman Hamlin of Otisfield. “I remember seeing him fabricate the gold strips,” Annemarie said. Three pear-shaped gems above the centerpiece tourmaline are surrounded by 16 gold nuggets that symbolize the 16 counties of Maine, she said. The finished piece was presented by the Maine Retail Jewelers Association to the Longleys at the Maine State Museum. The same day, according to Vose, the Maine Legislature passed a resolution recognizing the gift to the people of Maine.
’51 at work Addison Saunders in his workshop
aaloisio@bethelcitizen.com
evolution of dreams
the GAzette
6 Jackie dropped by campus in October to talk at assembly before her premiere.
“We dreamed of Olympic Gold, being the best in the world, yet great success always keeps company with failure. When everything fell apart, dreams of Olympic success were smashed. For a time the loss consumed us. We found Freeride by chance, and the discovery changed our world in ways we couldn’t have imagined. We found our tribe.”
