Coated Gems
In the early days, there were the foil backs. These synthetic stones, often nothing more than glass, had a gold colored foil coating on the pavilion that theoretically made the stone look more diamond-like. The…
Featured ArticlesMarket Trends: Promotional Diamonds
The lead article discusses changes in the market for promotional diamonds. These charts that follow show the history of the subject diamond categories from 1995 to present. All prices shown are adjusted from the GemGuide…
Market TrendsNRC Clarifies Position on Blue Topaz
In November, the NRC issued a fact sheet, available on their website www.NRC.gov that addressed issues regarding the safety and sale of irradiated gemstones and most notably blue topaz. The fact sheet is in response…
Featured ArticlesWhat a Revolting Idea- a Cover Letter
During the 1980s, a revolution swept through the jewelry appraisal profession and the cover letter became standard appraisal practice. It seemed that every course, seminar and book endorsed the use of a cover letter. Now there…
News ArchiveGlass Filled Ruby
While much has been written about glass filled ruby and its sudden surge of presence in the marketplace and ease of identification, little has been written regarding the instability of this material. About a year…
Gem NotesColored Stone Market
At press time we are only a few days away from the end of the holiday shopping season and unless there is a dramatic shift in the current trend, many jewelers are in for disappointing…
Colored Stone MarketDiamonds in Brief
As the final quarter comes to a close, we find the market in disarray. No one knows what to charge anymore and that makes pricing diamonds that much more challenging. Take for example a recent…
Diamond MarketFalling out of Favor
In the early part of the 1990s, a strong presence was seen in the marketplace for low commercial diamonds. Supply was good, prices were low, and consumers seemed willing to sacrifice quality for price. By…
Featured ArticlesBurma: Shades of Grey
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 ArticlesDiamonds in Brief
The stores are complaining. The business is slow. As I write this, we are crawling into the fourth and final quarter of the year. Lets hope its a good one. In the last issue of…
Diamond Market