Month: March 2008

Market Trends: White Sapphire

Like most sapphire varieties, white sapphire has experienced increased demand and higher prices during the past few years. Dealers in Sri Lanka report that material is being heated to produce the colorless material now that…

Diamonds in Brief

Soft holiday sales will not influence suppliers and diamond prices are expected to continue to rise. Store closings and bankruptcies are rising. Greater return memo hurting the industry. More sightholders…

Unusual Diamond Crystal

An old European cut diamond in a ring setting came in for an appraisal. The approximate measurements were 5.00 x 4.90 x 2.59 with an estimated weight of .39 cts. At first observation, the diamond…

Andesine Update

In 2005, a Market Trends segment in the GMN tilted Andesine: The Next Paraiba? reported on the buzz building in the industry around this intensely red colored plagioclase feldspar appearing in the market in small quantities…

NRC Comes to Tucson

On Friday February 8, 2008 the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) in cooperation with the Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC) presented an important presentation on irradiated gems in the Leo Rich Theater on the grounds of…

Coated Gems

In the early days, there were the foil backs. These synthetic stones, often nothing more than glass, had a gold colored foil coating on the pavilion that theoretically made the stone look more diamond-like. The…