For those who do not know, almost all (>99%) of blue topaz available obtains its color via neutron or electron radiation. The sources of irradiation are either the inside of a nuclear reactor core, or a linear accelerator. This has been a long standing practice, and as most people know (even the lay person), blue [...]
Archive for September, 2007
NRC On Blue Topaz: Ruling Around the Corner
Posted in News, business, gemology, science on September 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Argyle Pink Diamond Tender 2007
Posted in News, business, gemology, personal on September 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
The 23rd annual Rio Tinto Argyle Pink Diamond Tender is around the corner. Bidding officially ends in 25 days, in what is possibly the world’s most exclusive diamond auction. You cannot simply sign up to become a bidder, you have to be chosen by Argyle, and even then the list is limited to [...]
US Demand For Diamonds Slow This Fall: An Analysis of How Everything Is Going Wrong.
Posted in News, business, gemology, personal, research on September 21, 2007 | 1 Comment »
Oh boy… Where to begin… The recent GIA newsletter was not encouraging. Perhaps we should start by taking a look at how overzealous De Beers DTC sightholders tried to impress daddy earlier this year by buying up rough at insane prices to make themselves look better. Or perhaps we should look at how [...]
Mozambique Cuprian Tourmaline: Why It Still Matters!
Posted in News, business, gemology on September 19, 2007 | 2 Comments »
It’s no secret that copper bearing tourmalines from Mozambique have caused an immense feeding frenzy in the gem market since it’s recent discovery and introduction. The material is a copper (and sometimes gold) bearing elbaite tourmaline, that has been found in ravashing vivid neon colors, nearly on par with the famed material of Paraiba, [...]
Crisis in Thailand: Unstable Treated Topaz Sales Continue
Posted in News, business, gemology, personal, research, science on September 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Before I go into a long tirade about this, let’s first examine the last major Thailand scam…
The last time the gem world was rocked by dishonest Thai dealers using atrocious practices targeted corundum, specifically sapphires which were subjected to beryllium diffusion. Beryllium diffused sapphires were released like the Great Flood upon the market into [...]
Exoticism vs. Sensibility: An Encounter With Thorite
Posted in business, gemology, science on September 13, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Over the summer I have come across various examples of unusual minerals; and much of it was in it’s natural crystal form or aggregate. Of course I have seen a good deal of faceted rarities and exotics as well over the past 3 months, but nothing was as quite as strange as a [...]
I’m Back!
Posted in gemology, personal on September 13, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Sorry for the disappearance over the summer. I should have tried much harder to update, and I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again. Currently, I am working on the Diamonds and Diamond Grading course through GIA, after having completed the courses necessary to gain the AJP credentials over the summer. I’m hoping [...]
