Diamonds; today the symbol of wealth and eternal love, were such rarities and difficult to cut that ancients did not fashion them for millennia. The first polishing of diamond rough likely occurred less than a…
*Gem Focus & Market Pulse (Free Subscriber)Aquamarine: The color of the sea when it's calm..... Aquamarine is considered to be the second most popular variety of beryl after emerald. While modern mineralogy states the varieties of beryl species with distinct definitions, ancients…
*Gem Focus & Market Pulse (Free Subscriber)INTRODUCTION Johachidolite is a very rare mineral of a borate group. Thismineral was first discovered by Japanese scientists E. Iwase and N. Saito in 1942 in the territory of occupiedKorea, in a place that in the…
Gem NotesA common request from clients to the appraiser is to email a PDF of the appraisal to them or directly to their insurance agent (which you will soon see is not a good practice). Some…
News ArchiveTucson sets expectations for 2019. Good demand for an array of colored stones. Two industries, one new and one old. Sapphires are king but everyone loves garnets. The emeralds of Ethiopia surprisingly scarce. Emerald disclosure or blunder? The…
Colored Stone MarketFine quality nucleated Chinese freshwater pearls have earned widespread consumer appeal as one of the fastest growing sectors in the gem trade. However, visual similarity of these pearls to the once dominant seawater varieties like Akoya…
Market TrendsPearls are a vast subject worthy of years of study. There are nacreous and non-nacreous pearls, each with subcategories of varieties. Prices, colors, qualities, sizes are seemingly endless and it takes great effort to learn about all…
Featured ArticlesTucson had diamonds! Colors, slices, and more could all be found in Tucson. While some fancy color prices rose or were stable, fancy yellows declined in price due to an abundant supply including many from Canada. Round…
Diamond MarketAmethyst: The Royal Purple Famous American gemologist G.F. Kunz has written in his book, The Curious Lore of Precious Stones, “while the special and traditional virtue of the amethyst was the cure of drunkenness, many other…
*Gem Focus & Market Pulse (Free Subscriber)There are many ways we think of garnet: as the birthstone for January, or as an affordable alternative to ruby. We may perceive it as a collection of shiny burgundy beads for fun jewelry. To…
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