Month: February 2017

Secrets of the Gem Trade

Richard W. Wise, GG Hardcover, 385 pages 2nd Edition Brunswick House Press, 2016 ISBN: 9780972822329 $99.95 Most gem professionals are familiar with the first edition of this large volume by Richard Wise. It has been sold…

Cuprian Tourmaline

Discovery of vivid blue, green, and purple-to-violet tourmalines, a.k.a., “Paraíba” in Batalha, Brazil in 1982 changed the way the gem market perceived tourmalines. The unquestionably vivid colors were due to copper and this color agent…

Hackmanite

Introduction Hackmanite, Na8Al6Si6O24(Cl2,S), is the rare variety of the mineral species sodalite. Sodalite is a translucent to opaque, dark blue to violet-blue material that is used for jewelry purposes, typically fashioned as cabochons or beads, while…

Diamond Market

Rough diamonds doing better while polished diamond prices struggle. The market is at odds with itself—again! New Canadian diamond mine, Gahcho Kué in Canada’s Northwest Territories, promising source of large fine quality diamonds. The year 2017…

The Burma Embargo

In 2008, the U.S. signed into law the “Tom Lantos Block Burmese Jade Act affecting both rubies and jade from being exported to the U.S. This past October, the ban was lifted. What were the effects of…