Month: March 2015

Pearls of the Desert

Again this year Tucson provided an excellent venue to research trends in the cultured pearl industry. Immediately apparent to this author was the influence that the rising costs for raw materials is having on prices…

Garnet

The Tucson 2015 Gem Show demonstrated that there are considerably more options than just the big three (ruby, sapphire and emerald) for buyers seeking fine quality gemstones. The availability of bigger and higher quality garnets…

Sphalerite

Introduction: Sphalerite is zinc sulfide (ZnS), also known as zinc blende. It is a fairly common mineral crystallizing in the isometric system and is a principal ore of zinc. In addition, it often contains iron…

AGA 2015 Tucson Gemological Conference

The Accredited Gemologists Association held their annual Tucson conference at the Marriott University Park Hotel on February 4. This year, with 136 registered attendees, the association hosted one of the biggest conferences in their history. The…