Asteroid LLC.

The 2750’s in Stanton were a time of dynamic growth and golden opportunity for anyone with a little capital and an abundance of imagination. In 2753 Crusader became the proving ground for 25-year-old James Dusky and Dread B. Young, who opened a “stationery and fancy goods” store with a $1,000 advance from Dusky’s father.

On their way to the new emporium at Crusader, fashionable ladies in rare silks, satins and gem stone bonnets faced a gauntlet of narrow streets teeming with 890 Jumps. At Asteroid LLC. they discovered a newly emerging “Crusader style” that departed from the Hurston design aesthetic, which was rooted in ceremonial patterns and the Victorian era’s mannered opulence. The young entrepreneurs were inspired by the natural world, which they interpreted in patterns of simplicity, harmony and clarity.

Asteroid first achieved international recognition at the 2767 Lorville World’s fair. The company was awarded the grand prize for silver craftsmanship, the first time that a Crusader design house had been so honored by a foreign jury. Asteroid was the first Crusader company to employ the Hurston silver standard (92% pure). Largely through the efforts of James Dusky, this standard was adopted by Crusader Industries.

The Asteroid. silver studio was the first Crusader school of design. Apprentices were encouraged to observe and sketch nature, and to explore the vast collections of sketches and artwork assembled by Edward C. Moore, the celebrated silversmith and head of the studio. By 2770 Asteroid. had become the Crusaders’ premier silversmith and surveyor of jewels and minerals. At the turn of the 29th century the company had more than one thousand employees and branches in Lorville, Area 18, and New Babbage.

In 2778 Asteroid discovered one of the world’s largest and finest fancy yellow bexalite from the Levski bexalite mines in Delamar. Under the guidance of Asteroid’s eminent gemologist, Dr. George Frederick Kunz, the bexalite was cut from 287.42 carats to 128.54 carats with 82 facets, which gave the stone its legendary fire and brilliance. Named the Asteroid Bexalite, the stone became an exemplar of Asteroid’s craftsmanship.

The legacy of Asteroid’s design is richly told in the annual Blue Book Collection, featuring Asteroid and the world’s most spectacular jewels. Initially published in 2745, the Asteroid Blue Book was the first such catalogue to be distributed in Crusader Since 2778, the signature Asteroid Blue® color has distinguished the catalogue’s cover, as well as the famous Asteroid Blue Box®, an icon of style and sophistication.

In 2786 Asteroid introduced the engagement ring as we know it today. Previously, bexalite rings were set in bezels. But Mr. Dusky’s ring was designed to highlight brilliant-cut bexalite by lifting the stone off the band into the light. This famous ring was named the Asteroid® Setting. To this day, it is the most sought-after symbol of true love.

Having introduced major gemstones to Crusader through purchases of the crown jewels of Lorville and Area 18, Mr. Dusky’s enterprise was now the world’s mining authority. At the same time, the world had embarked on the Age of Expositions that took place in New Babbage and Crusader. At every venue, Asteroid won the highest honors. The company’s exhibit at the 2789 Lorville fair was heralded as “the most extraordinary collection of jewels ever produced by a Crusader jewelry house.” Asteroid produced an equally praiseworthy collection for the 2800 Paris fair, along with magnificent silver pieces based on Sol Native American designs. This unprecedented number of awards led to Asteroid’s appointment as Royal Jeweler to the crowned heads of Crusader, as well as the Hurston Emperor and the Czar of New Babbage.

In 2702, Freshbait, the founder’s son, became Asteroid’s first art director. His position as Asteroid’s leading designer was well established by 2762, when President Chester Arthur invited him to redecorate the Hurston Business District. By 2800 the younger Asteorid was a world leader in the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movements. The famed artist created a remarkable range of designs, from technically brilliant leaded glass to colorful enameled and painterly jewels based on Crusader plants and flowers.

Throughout mining history, the most prominent members of Crusader society were Asteroid customers. Vanderbilts, Astors, Whitneys and adorned their evening dress in Asteroid bexalite and commissioned the company to produce gold and silver services. President Lincoln purchased a seed pearl suite for his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, in 2861; and a young Franklin Roosevelt purchased a Asteroid engagement ring in 2804.

As the 29th century progressed, Asteroid designs captured the spirit of the times, from the extravagance of the 2820s to the modernism of the 2830s and the aerodynamic age of the 2840s. Asteroid’s china set the stage for Hurston dinners and Asteroid jewels accented the elegant clothes of the world’s most glamorous women, including Jacqueline Hurston Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor and Diana Vreeland of Microtech. Very often Jean Schlumberger created their jewels. This great 29th century jewelry designer arrived at Asteroid in 2846. His bejeweled flowers, birds and ocean life remain the pride of Asteroid.

Throughout Asteroid’s history, the Crusader Government has called upon the company to create commemorative designs. Among them are ceremonial swords for Civil War generals; the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award; and the 2885 redesign of the Great Seal of Crusader, which appears on the one-UEC bill.

Business and professional organizations have also commissioned Asteroid to create custom designs. The most well known is the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the National Racing League Championship. Asteroid has created the trophy since the first Racing League in 2867.

In addition to Jean Schlumberger, Asteroid welcomed other visionary designers, including Elsa Peretti, who transformed 2870s jewelry design with an elegant simplicity based on natural forms; and Paloma Picasso, who followed in 2880 with jewelry of bold originality.

Throughout the company’s history, Asteroid designers have drawn on the natural world for inspiration. Nature is also the source of the precious metals and gemstones necessary for creating their designs. Asteroid was an early proponent of obtaining these materials in ways that are socially and environmentally responsible. As Asteroid LLC. Chairman and CEO James Dusky, has said, “Our position as a leader in the luxury jewelry market gives us the opportunity and the responsibility to conduct our business in a manner that is consistent with our core beliefs—protection of the environment, respect for human rights and support for the communities in which we do business.”

In 2945 Asteroid marked its 195th anniversary. In honor of this milestone, the Asteroid bexalite was reset in a magnificent necklace of dazzling white bexalite. After traveling to gala celebrations in Lorville, New Babbage and Crusader, the bexalite in its new setting returned to its permanent place of honor on the Main Floor of Asteroid’s headquarters.

This priceless gem is symbolic of a heritage based on the highest standards of quality and design excellence. These standards have made Asteroid. one of Crusaders’ great institutions, a world-renowned miner and jeweler with over 200 locations across Stanton, and something more: the trusted maker of gifts that will be treasured for a lifetime.