Burma (Myanmar)… When it comes to localities known for the production of truly fine gemstones, few rival this region. It is after all, well renowned for its breathtaking and exquisite rubies, sapphires and peridot, among many others. While Burma is a beautiful country, rich in culture and natural resources, it [...]
Archive for the ‘personal’ Category
Burma: The Jade Trade
Posted in News, business, gemology, personal on October 5, 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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Sorry for the Lack of my Updating…
Posted in personal, travels on May 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I apologize for not updating as regularly lately as I had said that I would. I went to the Charleston, SC show this past weekend, and was unfortunately highly disappointed with the turnout of dealers and the lack of high end gem material, although I picked up several extremely nice mineral specimens for my personal [...]
Los Tres Amigos…
Posted in personal on March 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
So my test batch of emeralds arrived yesterday. I’m not as fond of Brazilian emeralds as I am of Colombian stones, since they are rather unorthodox if you consider the Muzo mine in Colombia as the “only correct and acceptable locations” – which I do. I also do not like Zambian emeralds [...]
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Posted in gemology, personal, travels on March 13, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Yesterday, I visited the Houston Museum of Natural Science with my friend Daniel. Now, a permanent exhibit at the museum, is the Lester and Sue Smith gem vault. Located within the vault are a number of world class jewelry pieces and unset gem specimens. The most impressive being the largest [...]
