With demand for sapphires strong worldwide and increasing prices for many varieties, the supply of affordable and beautiful stones from southeastern Africa has been a welcome addition. The range of colors is vast—from blue to…
Gem Market NewsTucson is the highlight in gem shows for the year. This year, traffic was down with few new products. However, industry topics such as the Burma embargo kept things lively. A new freshwater product appeared…
Gem Market NewsThe popularity of this material - as evidenced by the sheer amount in the market remains a concern. Dealers and mass marketers have introduced an array of brand names each conjuring up images of exotic…
Gem Market NewsA damaged Tahitian cultured pearl that was presented for identification is a good example for demonstrating the importance of nacre thickness as an evaluation factor for Cultured Pearls. The Single Pearl had been bought a year…
Gem Market NewsIn January, the trade and consumer press picked up on an item for sale of huge size and supposed value. The emerald weighed in at 57,500 carats and was appraised for $1.15 million. The emerald…
Gem Market NewsAlthough oiling of emeralds has been done since ancient times, modern forms of resins came under question in the 1990s. Although irradiation attempts were made with emeralds two decades ago, no commercial production appeared. Recently…
Gem Market NewsSpinel was always thought to be a gem that did not respond to heat treatments. Now, some research shows that some spinels may in fact respond to treatment. The Treatment of Spinel, is a topic I…
Gem Market NewsOpal is an intriguing gemstone since mineralogically it is considered to be a common silica gel. However, in certain locations, it occurs in its precious form displaying play-of-color due to more regular internal structure compared…
Gem Market NewsFor centuries the ruby deposits of Burma (Myanmar) have been particularly important to supplying the trade with rubies, and as such have essentially set the standard by which both price and quality of all rubies…
Gem Market NewsGold hit a record price of about $1,920 per ounce on global markets this past September. High gold prices have been the norm since they exceeded $1,000 per ounce in March 2008. How has this…
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