Diamond Market
Diamond markets are quiet with prices steady as the market shrinks a bit. With many retail store closings, the way diamonds are purchased is changing. However, DeBeers Forevermark appears to be going strong as they…
Diamond MarketThe Boom in Pearls
Pearl prices and demand continue to rise thanks to Asia’s appetite for the gems, designer interest, and the marketability of their one-of-a-kind offerings. Aziz Basalely’s most interesting pearl sale in Tucson wasn’t an oversize peacock-color Tahitian or…
Featured ArticlesGem Market Pulse March 2018: Small Studio Artisans and Designers, Make Larger Gains in Jewelry Sales
US gem trade is carrying some interesting trends from 2017 into 2018. At the forefront of these is the evolving structure of how and where consumers, mainly millennials, buy their jewelry. While traditional retail jewelers’ sales are…
*Gem Focus & Market Pulse (Free Subscriber)The Accredited Gemologist Association (AGA) Tucson Conference – 2018
This year, the AGA conference was held on Wednesday, January 31st located at the Tucson University Park Hotel. Approximately 150 gemologists and industry professionals attended the conference from all over the world. It was a…
ConferencesGrandidierite
Grandidierite has been a rare collector’s stone since its discovery in Tuléar Province, Madagascar at the end of the 19th century. It is a nesosilicate with a chemical formula of (Mg,Fe)Al3(BO4)(SiO4)O and crystalizes in the…
Gem NotesDiamond Market 2018
Polished prices on the rise—slowly. Indian import duties not well-received. Antwerp diamond trade has a great start to 2018. DeBeers says the need to restock creating demand for diamonds in early part of the new year. Rio…
Diamond MarketCollecting Engraved Gems
This text gives an overview of the characteristics associated with engraved gems, presented from the perspective of a collector. Furthermore, it demonstrates that gem collectors have always existed and enjoyed a variation of gems based on…
Featured ArticlesColored Stone Market: The Tucson Gem Shows
Trade sees an array of gems in demand this year in Tucson. Ethiopian emerald arrives in quantity. Trade terms on lab reports were a main focus of debate in Tucson again this year. The market remains…
Colored Stone MarketGem Market Pulse January 2018: Garnets, Simply Beautiful
The 2017 holiday shopping season exceeded expectations in dollars spent thus signaling consumer confidence in the current direction of the economy. MasterCard reports that retail sales grew 4.9% this holiday season. Of particular interest is…
*Gem Focus & Market Pulse (Free Subscriber)Enhanced Lapidary Materials: Phantoms of the Opera
In this second installment, we will take a closer look at howlite and magnesite, two minerals that have famous all-natural varieties and infamous dyed simulants. They are all like “Phantoms of the Opera” hiding behind…
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