Ethiopian Opal
For nearly a decade now, the new find of opal in Ethiopia has been both welcomed and debated on issues of stability and high water content. Some of the material can be quite beautiful and with the…
Featured ArticlesJadeite, the Enigmatic Gem
Excerpt from the 2nd edition of Secrets of The Gem Trade, The Connoisseur’s Guide to Precious Gemstones by Richard W. Wise, GG (GIA) “On examining jades, one should regard those white in colour as the best, though…
Featured ArticlesThe State of the Natural Colored Diamond Market-Spring 2016
Natural fancy colored diamonds are setting record prices at auctions but these are the few and unattainable to most of the worldwide consumers. Unscrupulous sellers are taking advantage of the stories of record prices. Colored diamond prices might…
Featured ArticlesThe Power of Provenance
Aside from the gemstones and the workmanship, why do people buy what they buy? It is an age-old question. Marketing 101 teaches that you need to create a unique approach to positioning a product. What is more…
Featured ArticlesThe Jewelry Industry Summit
In March, approximately 150 members of the international gem and jewelry industry met in support of enhancing transparency of the supply chain. The meeting was held at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Participants came…
Featured ArticlesConsiderations When Pricing Gemstones Based on Lab Reports
Laboratory reports have become an integral part of the gemstone trade. While finer gems will not achieve their price potential without a lab report, less valuable stones often have their value enhanced by it. Gem…
Featured ArticlesSynthetic Gem Quality Diamonds: The Product, the Perception, and the Retailer
The Accredited Gemologists Association (AGA) Las Vegas Conference was all about gem quality synthetic diamonds. Specifically, the conference was to delve deeper into the gem quality synthetic diamond trade, and was a follow-up to last…
Featured ArticlesSri Lanka
Sri Lanka is rich in resources and its people have a passion for gems and gemstone mining. It was a fitting location for the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) semiannual symposium. This report covers not…
Featured ArticlesBaselworld 2015
For those who have never been to Basel, Switzerland for “Baselworld,” the world’s most impressive watch and jewelry show, this will give you a sense of the importance, or enormity, of the show. Let’s begin…
Featured ArticlesPearls 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…
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