Today is official Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the man we recognize as the Civil Rights leader and American icon. ZShock Jewelry Company, wants to bring to light an amazing carving, by the world famous Ukranian gem carver Vasily Konovalenko. It is an a stunning likeness of Dr. King carved right into a 4,180-carat black sapphire. This carving was done in 1984 and is now part of a Museum exhibition in Denver on loan to the museum from the Kazanjian Brothers Jewelers from Beverly Hills, California.
Vasily Konovalenko, the gem carver, passed away at the age of 60 in 1989. This piece is said to be one of his rarest pieces because he never carved a person or their likeness into a gem and it it all done from a single large piece of gemstone.
