In late August, Buddhist monks numbering in the hundreds, joined prodemocracy activists in protesting hardships faced by the greater population of Myanmar (herein after identified in this article by its proper name Burma) due to…
Featured ArticlesIn the past five years, Brazil has stepped outside the comfort zone of its domestic market to push its products from meats and wines to shoes, fashion and fine jewelry to a broader international audience…
Featured ArticlesTanzanite is a relative newcomer as far as gems go. Discovered in 1967 in the African nation of Tanzania, the initial pocket of mate- rial was quite small. Many stories are tied to its discovery…
Featured ArticlesActing on a complaint earlier this summer, the NRC informed retail jewelers that they may be selling blue topaz in noncompliance with NRC regulations. The NRC letter also purportedly requested the names of the retailers…
Featured ArticlesAmong these, the spectroscope is generally the most difficult to initially master. This fear factor leads students into a self-fulfilling cul-de-sac where lack of skill leads to lack of success and the eventual conclusion that…
Featured ArticlesWhile so many good things have happened to emeralds in this decade, dealers in Colombia are in danger of giving it all away. It took years to regain confidence in emerald treat- ments following the…
Featured ArticlesOur industry is known for its liberal rules when it comes to the English language. Actually, we tend to make our own rules to fit the need at the time if the English language does…
Featured ArticlesPigeon blood ruby. Cornflower blue sapphire. Flame red spinel. The names conjure up great images in the mind of what these gems look like, but do we really know what their color is? Are these…
Featured ArticlesCuprian tourmaline is the variety of copper bearing tourmaline mined from locations other than the original source of copper bearing tourmaline in Paraiba, Brazil. The GemGuide considers Paraiba to be an origin-specific trade name…
Featured ArticlesTransparent red andesine appeared in the market in 2002. At first, only small quantities were observed. Dealers stated that the apparently new, rare, stone was coming from a small deposit in the Congo. The GMN…
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