Colored Stone Market
The market is slightly improved as the summer approaches. Activity in the colored stone market is concentrated in the finer quality products. Prices for many varieties in this category are up 20 to 30% from…
Colored Stone MarketCuprian Tourmaline
Cuprian 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 ArticlesCassiterite
Recently, a client brought in a small assortment of gemstones to our lab and represented them to be crystallized tin from Bolivia. His initial excitement came in the hopes that this would prove to be…
Gem NotesEconomic Report
Occasionally, the GMN takes a look at the broader market in an attempt to project the business trends that jewelers might encounter during the short-term. The recent news that the sub-prime sector of the mortgage…
Economic ReportAndesine Feldspar
Transparent 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…
Featured ArticlesJewelry Handbook: How to Select, Wear & Care for Jewelry
I have to admit, when I first see a handbook written for consumers, my expectations for trade interest are low. This book surprised me. As you will see from the review, I felt that not…
Book ReviewMarket Trends: Synthetic Diamonds
The synthetic diamond market continues to expand. Although dealers and manufacturers of natural diamonds express concerns that synthetics pose a risk to the market and as such should not be graded using the GIA diamond nomenclature, the reality…
Market TrendsTucson 2007- Closing Time
When the early February temperatures hover around zero here in Chicago, even the unseasonably low fifties that greeted us as we arrived in Tucson were a welcome relief. We accepted them knowing that Tucson never…
News ArchiveDiamonds in Brief
The holidays are behind us. While the industry as a whole did seemingly ok with total jewelry sales increasing by 7%, the trend was definitely toward certain product categories. Finished jewelry did better than loose…
Diamond MarketOrigin- Where is it Really From?
Only two people know the origin of a gem: God and the miner and the second is suspect. C.R. Beesley, American Gemological Laboratories, 1982. The father of origin determination is considered to be the late Dr…
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