Gemmology On A Shoestring

2007: B W Anderson is one of the god fathers of gemology. His inspiring note (s) on how to identify stones with simple instruments + warning the gemologist (s) against an over dependence upon instruments + the need to use the power of observation (s) to the full + interpret what is seen in simple terms, is a friendly reminder to any enterprising gem dealer/jeweler.

Today we have new diamond simulants like synthetic cubic zirconia, synthetic moissanite and others + new synthetic corundums + new synthetic diamonds + new synthetic beryls + new, modified colored stone treatments to keep gem dealers/jewelers/gemologists/ lab gemologists busy/awake for the rest of their lives.

(via The Journal of Gemmology, Vol.10, No.3, July 1966) B W Anderson writes:

On several occasions I have given talks to post-diploma students under the title ‘Gem testing without instruments’, which I believe have been helpful in warning the student, fresh from his examinations, against an over-dependence upon instruments in his endeavors to identify gemstones. ‘Gemmology on a Shoestring’ is intended to follow much the same theme, but the title purposely suggests a little latitude in allowing for the use of quite simple pieces of apparatus, liquids, and so on, which can aid considerably in making firm decisions instead of merely forming opinions in certain cases.

First I must make it quite clear that to solve many of the problems that confront the gemologist in these days every available instrument may be valuable and necessary if a correct answer is to be ensured. My present intention is not so much to provide easy recipes for individual cases of identification as to persuade those who have gemological training to use their powers of observation to the full and interpret what is seen in the light of their special knowledge. It has often been said that the limited amount of scientific knowledge absorbed in the two year course can actually be a handicap to a young jeweler: into every yellow zircon he dreams a sphene, and in viewing a parcel of tourmalines his mind is cluttered with thoughts of kornerupine. There is enough truth in this to sting a little; but I strongly maintain that in a ‘lens only’ identification test on mixed series of gemstones, the man with a gemological training should be far more sure of his ground than a colleague of otherwise equal ability and experience. As any good artist knows, it is a fallacy to think that any two people of normal eyesight gazing at a given object are necessarily seeing the same thing. It is the interpretation of the image falling on the retina that may enable the artist to see a significant and exciting pattern of shapes, shadows and colors, where his friend may see nothing of any interest whatsoever. In like manner a jeweler who is not a gemologist, when confronted by a mounted and well-cut white zircon, may well feel that it ‘doesn’t look quite right’ for a diamond, but his gemologist friend, noting the strong double refraction in the stone, will be able to make a quite positive identification.

Sheer economic necessity may deprive the average young gemologist of the three really essential instruments for gem identification—the microscope, refractometer, and spectroscope. Ten years or so ago less than fifty pounds would have been required to but the lot: today one may have to pay at least twice as much as this. Indeed the simple liquids which will be recommended in this talk are now so costly that one must ruefully admit that even ‘shoestrings’ have become expensive. Against this one must realize that in the precious stone trade a mistake mean a loss of hundred of pounds or a damaged reputation, and the cost of any instrument which can save such mistakes, or a fee for a laboratory test, is money wisely spent.

To start with, I shall assume that the jeweler has only one ‘instrument’—a pocket lens, and proceed to consider what he can learn about gems with this as his only aid. A good lens is so vitally important that I do insist—make it a good one, magnifying eight or ten diameters. Lower powers are of comparatively little use, however suitable for the scrutiny of watches or hallmarks—while higher powers are difficult to handle and not nearly so flexible in their application.

In our first assessment of any gemstone we are all inevitably influenced in our thinking by its general appearance, which, when analyzed, depends chiefly upon its color, luster, degree of transparency, and ‘fire’. If the stone is unmounted, we may notice from our first ‘feel’ of it is cold or relatively warm to the touch, that it gives a slippery or harsh impression when handled, or that it strikes one as ‘heavy’ or ‘light’ in the hand. Then may follow close examination with a lens. The back facet edges may appear doubled, there may be characteristic inclusion, cleavage chips may appear on the girdle, and so on. All these phenomena may either be accurately measurable or more closely investigated with instruments: our task is to learn all that we can without them—even if later some form of instrument may have to be used as a final court of appeal.

Gemmology On A Shoestring (continued)

Axinite

Chemistry: Complex calcium aluminum borosilicate
Crystal system: Triclinic; bladed, wedge-shaped crystals; lamellar masses
Color: Transparent to translucent; brown, more rarely yellow, violet, blue.
Hardness: 6.5 - 7
Cleavage: Perfect: in one direction; Fracture: brittle, conchoidal to uneven.
Specific gravity: 3.28 (3.27 – 3.29)
Refractive index: 1.675 – 1.685; Biaxial negative; 0.010 – 0.012
Luster: Greasy to vitreous
Dichroism: Strong; olive to strong green/violet blue; brown/yellow.
Occurrence: In areas of contact metamorphism; France, Mexico, USA, Sri Lanka, Pakistan.

Notes
Axinite is named after axe-like shape of crystals. The specimens may look like smoky quartz; piezo electric; no luminescence in gem quality specimens but may show in yellow as reddish glow; some show phosphorescence; spectrum: yellow—3 bands, 1 narrow in blue/green, 2 broaded in blue 512, 492, 466nm; faceted for collectors.

What's New, Pussycat

Memorable quote (s) from the movie:

Dr. Fritz Fassbender (Peter Sellers): I am a doctor of the mind.

Victor Skakapopulis (Woody Allen): Really?

Dr. Fritz Fassbender (Peter Sellers): Yes!

Victor Skakapopulis (Woody Allen): I have terrible emotional problems. Could you help me?

Dr. Fritz Fassbender (Peter Sellers): You certainly picked a very odd time to ask me, just in the middle of a suicide.

The Science Of Success

James Surowiecki writes about MediaPredict + the prediction market + the concept of tapping the collective intelligence of everyone playing the market + other viewpoints @ http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2007/07/09/070709ta_talk_surowiecki

The Silence Of The Lambs

Chaim Even-Zohar writes about the Chairman of the Antwerp Diamond Bank + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp?TextSearch=&KeyMatch=0&id=26308

Amblygonite

Chemistry: Fluophosphate of aluminum & lithium.
Crystal system: Triclinic; rarely well formed; large & rough; tabular habit.
Color: Transparent; yellow, colorless, gray, pale greenish purple.
Hardness: 6
Cleavage: Perfect: basal; Fracture: brittle, uneven.
Specific gravity: 3.015 – 3.033
Refractive index: 1.611-1.637; Biaxial positive; 0.026
Luster: Greasy to vitreous
Occurrence: In granite pegmatites. Brazil (Minas Gerais), USA (California), Namibia (purple), France, Sri Lanka, Australia (Northern Territory).

Notes
Looks like brazilianite, scapolite, pearly luster on cleavages; LW=weak greenish glow; faceted for collectors.

Promoting And Merchandising Colored Stones

(via Journal of Gemmology, Vol.XVII, No.3, July 1980) Jacques Sabbagh writes:

Birthstones of the month
Finally, one of the important topics of the display techniques is the birthstones. The belief in the occult power of birthstones seems to have originated from no less dignified source than the Biblical story of the jeweled breastplate. This was worn by Moses’ elder brother Aaron, the High Priest. Clad in vestments wrought with gold and blue, purple and scarlet, Aaron stands before the altar of God, bearing over his heart the jeweled breastplate whose twelve precious stones are each one dedicated to a tribe of Israel. They are mediums whereby God signifies his judgment of the tribes. If he is angry the stones turn dull and colorless, but, if the Israelites have obeyed his commandments the God makes them shine forth in glorious splendor of light and color. Later, according to Flavius Josephus in the late first century AD and St Jerome in the early fifth century, the twelve gems of the breastplate became linked in association with the twelve signs of the zodiac and the twelve months of the year. Each stone became related to a particular month and endowed with a particular virtue for those born in that particular month. The jeweler intent on developing his business in colored gemstones must not fail to draw great promotional dividends from such deep seated popular beliefs. He should permanently devote a determined section of his most exposed window, preferably a street window when there is one, to the special display of the stone of the month. After three or four months, he will condition the habitual passer-by to expect a change in this section at the beginning of each successive month. The expectancy in itself will act as a sight-arresting mechanism.

There are two ways of displaying the birthstone. One is the simple method of showing the rough crystals in the background and some loose gems interspersed among the mounted pieces—all consisting of the stone of the month. The other procedure is a rather elaborate one, whereby you propose each month to deliver to the public a sort of graphic lecture on gemology. It has the advantage of investing your establishment with a kind of academic aura; of heralding it as the gem headquarters of the vicinity, thus drawing a number of appraisal business and occasionally the good bargain of estate or second hand jewelry.

Slide 1
The calendar label is that of February. The birthstone of the month is Amethyst. This gem belongs to the quartz group so, in the central part of the rear of the window, you should show an agglomeration of quartz crystals, clearly labeled: ‘The Quartz Group.’ On the left side of the front part, occupying a respectable section of the window, you have a largish amethyst geode, quite a few loose amethysts and a good number of set pieces. A label placed nearby is boldly marked ‘The stone of the month—Amethyst’. To the right of the window and slightly backward, a citrine geode much smaller than that of the amethyst and three or four loose citrines with a label indicating ‘Citrine’, the other important member of the group.

Slide 2
The calendar label announced November. The stone of the month is Citrine. The layout is basically the same as in February with the centrally placed label and exhibit of the ‘Quartz Group’, except that in this month, Citrine is highlighted by the large citrine geode and quite a number of loose and mounted citrines, and its label indicates boldly that is the stone of the month. Amethyst, the other member of the group, is pushed back to a secondary plane and is represented by only a smaller geode and three or four loose amethysts.

Slide 3
The month is March. Aquamarine, the birthstone, dominates the picture. The suggested layout is a kind of genealogical tree. The trunk bears the label ‘The Beryl Group’, from which branch out the following members, each clearly labeled and represented in a background position by a small crystal and two or three loose gems—morganite (pink beryl), heliodor (golden beryl) and emerald; whereas aquamarine is stressed by the presence of a larger crystal and a good number of loose and mounted stones.

Slide 4
It is May and emerald is the birthstone of the month. A few roses in the window symbolize the season and contrast beautifully with the verdant green of the emerald. The scheme is basically the same as that of March, except that emerald has sprung to the forefront with a larger crystal on matrix and more loose and mounted emeralds; whereas aquamarine has receded back to join the rest of the supporting cast that stem from the ‘Beryl Group’ trunk.

The sales techniques
As we all know, one of the prominent features of our modern business world is the vast amount of literature and advice proffered by Chartered Accountants concerning tax shelters and methods of tax avoidance. By this, of course, I do not mean illegal practices of tax evasion. In the same vein, though in a different sphere, I now propose to sketch out a few practical points regarding sales induction without, however, infringing on the ethical considerations of consumer protection.

We are going to assume we have reached the stage of being equipped with an adequate inventory of colored gemstones and we have managed to create the desired interest in them. The points I am about to elucidate are of help to the salesman, whether in the store or on the road. These are:

The price ladder
Suppose a lady walks into the shop and ask for say, an aquamarine ring. Unless she asks specifically for a particular ring on display in your window, that is, if her enquiry is vague, it is always a good policy to start by showing her the least expensive of the aquamarine range in your stock. If she says ‘No’, I want something better’, climb up the price ladder very gradually until you sense you have reached her maximum purchasing capability and stop there! Do not go above this level, because you will be showing her a finer piece, but one which cannot afford and you may find you have lost a sale.

The forbidden expressions
As well all know, quite a number of the natural gemstones have inclusions. Emerald is a notorious example. Other examples are rubellite, ruby, sapphire with its silk, etc. and this common occurrence is tolerated the same way a cloud partially obstructing the sunshine is taken matter of factly. This phenomenon is to such degree accepted and sometimes even expected by the relatively knowledgeable consumer, that inclusions are, I am afraid, deliberately implanted in man-reconstituted stones—e.g the Gilson and Chatham emeralds. However, should a customer ask ‘What is this thing I see inside the stone?’, never describe it as a defect or an impurity or a flaw or an imperfection. These words should never be used; they are taboo. Use instead the expression ‘natural inclusion’ and expose the argument that these inclusions are a kind of authenticity certificate delivered by nature to this particular stone—the visible proof that it is a natural gemstone and not a man-made imitation.

Another danger may arise from a situation like this. Suppose you show a customer a topaz, or a diamond ring, and when you tell her the price, she exclaims: ‘Oh no! I cannot afford to pay that much.’ Do not snap: ‘Let me show something cheaper’. The terms ‘cheap’ and ‘cheaper’ should be crossed out of the salesman’s vocabulary, because of their unpleasant connotations and their negative effect on selling persuasiveness. Tell her instead: ‘Let me show you something less expensive, but of very good value.’ In the sanctum of your store and by the same token, in the course of door-to-door selling, the anodyne and sometimes enticing expressions ‘inexpensive’ and ‘low priced’ are to substitute the offensive adjectives ‘cheap’ and ‘cheaper’. Needless to add that the use of the downgrading expression ‘semi-precious’ should be at all cost avoided. Who wants to buy a half-anything? The more logical terms ‘precious stone’ or ‘gemstone’ are the ones more appropriate and more wisely to be employed.

Knowledgeability is vital
Know as much as you can about the commodity you want to sell, because you cannot sell what you do know much about. Once you have established your authority and impressed your customer, across the counter, with your knowledge about the item in transaction, half the battle will be won: you will find him or her less resistant to your arguments, more receptive to your advice.

The necessity of adequate knowledge applies also to the members of your sales force. A good practice is to set the routine of regular weekly meetings of the selling department. These should be kept as informal as possible and limited to 20-30 minutes. The purpose of these meetings is to expose that staff to the items carried in stock, or newly added to it and to exchange selling experiences of the elapsed week and also to comment on impromptu arguments that helped overcome some obstacles met within the course of a sale.

There are two ways I know to increase your knowledge about colored gemstones:

(a) The first is to be well read on the subject and to take up a gemology course, that is, if this has not yet been done. It is important to have at least one qualified gemologist on the staff.

(b) The second is to take what we may describe as a post-graduate crash course. I mean by this that at least, preferably several staff members should go to the sources and tap them for first hand information. Intelligence gathering and/or buying trips to various mining, gem cutting and jewel manufacturing centers should be organized and/or participated in, as frequently as possible. I know, for example, that in the hierarchically stratified Japanese market quite a few jewelry concerns in different levels of the distribution scale have been organizing for their various customers, and their customer’s customers, regular buying tours to production centers, sometimes as often as once a month. In this instance, these visits to the centers represent a good short, medium and long-term investment for the organizing enterprise, as well as for the participants who belong to the trade.

(i) As an immediate dividend the sales are more considerable since they are usually achieved out of a large stock. There is no clash of interest between supplier on the one hand and organizer or participants from the trade on the other. By prior mutual arrangement, the profits on sales made to the latters’ customers are silently computed into the quoted prices.

(ii) A medium-term benefit is the image boosting effect of word spreading around, concerning the direct contacts that the organizer, and, by the same token, the trade people among the participants, maintain with the producing centers.

(iii) An added bonus is material gathered by them in the course of these visits regarding information, slides and pictures which may be used for press releases, inserts and articles, and to illustrate public relations talks on various aspects of the jewelry industry.

(iv) Concerning the most important dividend of these gem safaris and study tours to the production centers, I can hardly urge you strongly enough to take part in them. Go to the source. Visit Brazil, Africa. Palpate with your own hands the bare facts concerning colored gemstones. Get familiar with the amount of work and expertise needed for the mining and cutting of these gems. Back home, you will find that the jewel you offer to the customer across the counter has suddenly acquired a deeper significance, has triggered off an avalanche of memories about rubbing shoulders with the extraction and faceting and polishing processes in the course of such trips. This will find immediate expression in irrepressible enthusiasm coloring your arguments and flowing spontaneously through your selling attitudes; and as everybody knows, sincere enthusiasm is frequently a contagious phenomenon similar to yawning, but conversely, with a positive energizing effect. You will thus find that, more often than not, your enthusiasm has been communicated to your customer with no conscious effort on your part.

To summarize the main points of this talk:

1. We have seen how colored gemstones constitute a dimension extending far beyond the dimension of diamonds.

2. We have found out the current continuous increases in the price of colored gemstones are a virtual one, over-reaching currency depreciation to realize a profit in real terms.

3. We have received various techniques in the display and selling of colored gemstones that effectively prevent this profit from stagnating on paper and help in converting it into a healthy cash flow.

Finally, I should like to add this. Take a general textbook of gemology, any textbook, and you will find that only one chapter or section deals with diamonds, whereas the rest of the book is devoted entirely to colored gemstones. This gives you a gauge as to the scope of the field and an idea of the extent of the potential. According to the old, ‘There is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow’; by the pot of gold is meant wealth. In the light of what we have reviewed today, one may most emphatically asset that at the end of the rainbow, there is a pot of colorful, of enjoyable, of profitable gemstones.

Roman Imitation Diamonds

This can happen even today. Go to any commerically important diamond + colored stone mines in the world + diamond and colored stone trading centers, and guess what, you will always find someone with imitations waiting for you. I believe this trend will continue forever.
(via The Journal of Gemmology, Vol. 13, No.5, January 1973) Jack M Ogden writes:

The use of diamond in Roman times is well attested but was by no means common. It is thought to have been introduced from the East sometime about 4th century B.C, possibly as a result of Alexander the Great’s conquests in the East. It is found set in rings and other jewelry in the Late Roman Period and the writer knows of no instances of its use prior to the third Century A.D.

The Romans were unable to cut diamonds due to their great hardness and all attested Roman diamonds are mounted in the naturally occurring form—octahedral crystals. The impossibility of cutting, no doubt, encouraged the name ‘Adamas’ meaning ‘invincible’, the word from which our ‘diamond’ comes. It would seem, however, that although the Romans were unable to alter the shape of natural diamond they had no hesitation in copying the shape in other materials, a 2000-year old case of ‘if you can’t beat it, join it’.

A Roman ring found in Syria and now in the hands of the writer is set with a clear, colorless octahedral stone which, although whiter than the usual murky Roman stones, could, at first glance, be taken for a diamond. In fact the stone is quartz cut into an octahedral form. This ring is by no means unique and several other examples are known by the writer. The explanation must surely be that the Roman jewelers were consciously imitating diamonds.

Glass imitations of gemstones are common in classical times and, indeed, are known from the earliest periods in Egypt and Western Asia. Normally these imitations are purely color copies and were cut in the usual shapes of the period. The copying of a crystal shape, as with the octahedral quartz, is obviously due to the impossibility of cutting diamonds and, thus, the octahedral quartz copied the only known shape of diamond. Other copying of crystal forms is possibly to be found in Roman times, a bracelet, also in the hands of the writer, is composed of red glass beads of Romano-Egyptian origin of cornerless cube shape, a shape known from as early as 500 B.C (Glass beads from Crimea). It is tempting to equate these with small garnet crystals. A ring in the British Museum is set with a green chalcedony cut to form a hexagonal prism, surely an imitation of an emerald. This chalcedony, often called ‘plasma’ in books on Ancient Jewellery, has whitish blotches and gives a good imitation of poor quality emeralds.

Films As A Tool To Teach Management

I think the concept should be tested at gem amd jewelry institutes around the world. Movies are unique reflection of the characters + you are more likely to meet the same characters in real life in one form or other. The trick is being able to identify them + finding quick solutions, if it's a problem case.

(via Times News Network) Mansi Bhatt writes:

When he was a sophomore, Tejas Desai, then 19, began as a film projectionist in the US. Like scores of other students, Desai took up the job to support his undergraduation studies at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The sophomore graduated and went on to do his PhD in bio-statistics from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Back home, Desai joined the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) as an assistant professor, yet the short stint as a film projectionist haunted him and it didn’t help that movies were becoming his favourite pastime. That is when Desai thought he would use films as a tool to teach young management students.

Once he had decided, the young assistant professor began by zeroing down which films to use as his subjects matter. The crop had to be recent to ensure student interest. And the two films which suited Desai’s bill were Mani Ratnam’s Guru and Madhur Bhandarkar’s Corporate, both successful at the box office as well. “The audio-visual medium is one of the most effective tools for teaching. And the subject matter of these movies will help students understand the corporate world and ethics in an interesting manner,” says Desai.

Movies as class matter is definitely a change for the students and as a case study, they will be made to see the film then discuss the same in their class with Desai. At present, the professor is busy shortlisting key scenes from the film that will help students understand the functioning of corporate world. “Bipasa Basu’s character in the film explains how some women tend to behave emotionally even while taking tough business decisions," says Desai, explaining a scene from Corporate.

In fact, IIM-A has invited Madhur Bhandarkar for a lecture at the institute.

Besides ethics, the case studies will also highlight gender issues in the corporate world, competition among companies, business politics, relationship between government and business houses and media, amongst others. “Both these movies portray the corporate world in a different light. In Guru the businessman is shown as a hero, while in Corporate the business barons are shown in a negative light,” says Desai.

Guru is about a man who strives to reach and then remain on top, while Corporate is about the established Cola giants who face issues in business. In Guru, the businessman faces issues created by the rich and powerful in the industry. And Corporate depicts the deceit behind power and money.

The film bug seems to have struck all of our B schools as Desai is not the only one turning to the reel world for some tips on management. At the Indian Institute of Management- Indore, Prashant Salwan has picked up Rakesh Roshan’s Krrish for a case study. The professor thought of studying the film after he got calls from international professors who said that an Indian movie there has done better then Superman. Salwan then decided to study the film and approached the filmmakers.

In fact, he has held meetings at regular intervals with filmmaker Rakesh Roshan and his key team to understand the marketing and production details of Krrish. “We see Krrish as a product made in India and launched successfully in global markets.

The movie has several unique features in strategies for packaging and distribution. Also the makers shot 60% of the film in Singapore which apart from giving advantages of picturesque locale also helped the company save costs,” said Salwan. Due to a limited budget, Rakesh Roshan could release only 800 prints so he was unable to tap the 2,500 cinemas say in the US. “So they shortlisted cinemas in definite centres based on demographics profile and preferences,” says Salwan, explaining the Roshans marketing strategy.

For Krrish, the filmmakers spent 8 to 10 times the usual cost in getting the best international fightmasters and technicians for special effects but they balanced this budget out by saving on production and sets cost, adds Salwan.

More info @ http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Films_as_a_tool_to_teach_management/articleshow/2162747.cms

The Law, Ethics And The “S”-Word

Chaim Even-Zohar writes about the creative marketing pitch by synthetic diamond producers + FTC guides + disclosure of the 'S' word (synthetics) + value vs. non value issues + the consumer confusion + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp?TextSearch=&KeyMatch=0&id=26347

Aventurescent Gemstones

The phenomenon, aventurescence, is seen as a strong spangled reflection of light from plates or flakes of another mineral included in the stone. This effect is seen most often in aventurine quartz, sunstone (feldspar) and the man-made aventurine goldstone.

Aventurine quartz, which gives the name to this effect, is actually not a true mineral, but a rock known as quartzite. It is composed of a granular interlocking mass of quartz crystals. When quartzite contains small mica plates that reflect light, it is then termed aventurine. Usually the included mica is a green, chrome-rich type called fuchsite. It is these mica plates which produce the spangling reflection and give the green color to the stone. The mica may also be of other types, in which case the stone would be other than green. Reddish brown, gray, creamy white, and bluish white are some of the colors it has been found in, but the majority of the aventurine seen in jewelry is of a green color.

Sunstone is the name applied to the varieties of feldspar which show the phenomenon of aventurescence. It may be either oligoclase or labradorite in composition and owes is sparkling sheen to included plates of hematite or goethite. The plates of a red, orange or green color are arranged in parallel rows and they give their otherwise colorless host a rich orangy red color and sparkle.

The best example of aventurescence is seen in the man-made aventurine glass, goldstone. It is a soda-lime glass colored reddish brown by cuprous oxide. With subsequent treatment, the cuprous oxide crystallizes out as thousands of flat hexagonal or triangular plates of crystallized copper. Goldstone is now manufactured in other colors as well.

Cloudy pieces of amber are often heated in rape seed oil to remove the cloudiness. The oil, which penetrates the stone and fills the air spaces causing the cloudiness, also causes stress fractures, which are termed ‘sun spangles’. These may sometimes be present in sufficient numbers to give an aventurescence to the stone.

With the possible exception of sunstone, which is occasionally faceted, most aventurescent gems are cut as cabochon. The plate-like inclusions which give rise to this effect are generally oriented parallel to a certain plane. To obtain the best effect, the base of the cabochon should be parallel to this plane. Maximum sparkle is obtained by cutting the crown with a very low dome.

Promoting And Merchandising Colored Stones

(via Journal of Gemmology, Vol.XVII, No.3, July 1980) Jacques Sabbagh writes:

The point of sale merchandising
It is all very good to possess an inventory that rapidly scores genuine increases in prices, that gains in value in absolute terms. However, this asset would turn into a liability if such an inventory consists of hard to sell items—of articles that go up in replacement price without the need for replacement—of commodities that confine themselves to registering profits on paper. The life blood of any business is turnover.

An effective catalyst for turnover is point of sale merchandising, which actually boils down to proper display techniques, capable of triggering public interest in colored gemstones with resulting sales. Effective display of the goods is cardinally important for the jewelry shop and the jewelry department in a department store, as well as in the layout at jewelry exhibitions. Space rental costs being what they are in the large city centers of the world, it is vital that every square or cubic foot should be adroitly and efficiently used in order to generate sales and profits that should stretch well beyond the breakeven point.

Lighting
The first point in this context I am going to consider with you is the overriding question of lighting. Diamonds, as you know, are shown to their best when bathed in fluorescent or mercury vapor light containing a bluish hue, which would offset any off-coloration present in them. Their cold eternal fire reacts better to a moonlight type of illumination. Conversely, colored gemstones are displayed to good advantage under ordinary tungsten spotlights which possess a subtle yellowish hue. Similar to oil paintings, their colors are shown to full glory and striking vividness under a warm solar type lighting. In an art gallery you will never find the strip lamps fitted above the paintings fluorescent, they are invariably ordinary tungsten lights.

In recent years the research work undertaken by optics physicist, Prof O Erametsa of Helsinki, Finland has resulted in the remarkable invention of the Neochrome electric bulb. The principle of this bulb is that its glass consists of an association of synthetic crystal and of rare mineral salts. This gives it the property of substantially filtering out the yellow component of the spectrum, thus imparting sharper definition to the exposed items and accentuating color hues and tonality, without denaturing them.

Needles to add that the intensity of the lighting should be adequate. This is especially important in case of street windows facing the sun during part of the day, in order to offset the mirror effect of your window glass whenever the sun is shining their way.

Mixing of colors
The second point in the proper display techniques is to keep from displaying your jewelry in trays of the same sets of rings, as usually done with diamond—e.g a tray containing emerald rings, a tray with aquamarine rings, another of ruby rings, and so on. You have an important asset: color! Mix them up, try to find the best combination, the optimum arrangement. Endeavor to compose a chromatic ballad, to produce a symphony of colors. A good practical tip that may help to achieve splendid results is to place complementary color adjoining each other. Examples of complementary color pairs are:

Red and greenish blue—orange and cyan blue

Yellow and indigo blue—violet and greenish yellow

Purple and green

Complementary colors possess what the psychologists call the property of simultaneous contrast, the reciprocally increase their vividness; they enhance each other. Incidentally, this phenomenon is taken advantage of in the street traffic lights.

Not only those already mentioned, but every color and shade of color has its complimentary, which lies diametrically opposite it on the color wheel. At any rate, in your efforts to find the best color layout, take as often as possible the advice of the ladies in your sales force. I find, as a rule, that members of the gentle sex are blessed with a higher color sensitivity than myself.

The hidden message of mineral display
The next recommendation I would like to make in merchandising your colored gemstones is the wide use of rough crystals as a background for both your windows and in-store displays. Mineral crystals are very decorative; they are an integral part of the display theme; frequently, they can serve as props or in the place of pads for the exhibited jewels; they offer a subject of conversation; furthermore, they are marketable items.

Another suggestion I would like to offer is to spread in the midst of your rings and brooches and necklaces, some loose gems in a way that is in keeping with the general color harmony. The importance for your image of the presence of both rough crystals and loose stones in your display is not to be slighted. It carries two implied messages: the rough stones hint to a direct link between your concern and the source—the mines, and the loose gems suggest that you are a wholesale gem importer, with contacts with gem cutting centers, who is in a position to offer the best values. In this way two new dimensions are added to the image of your establishment.

Skilful price tagging
It is sometimes customary for jewelers to place price tags on certain items on display. There is no harm in this, provided you apply the art of the inviting price tag technique. Every one of you knows perfectly well his best selling price bracket. Put price tags on some of the pieces that fall within this bracket and, if you wish, on some of the items that are below it; but never on any article that lies in a price category above it. This may drive away the shy potential buyer, and you need the traffic. If you are going to price tag some of the loose gems on display, when the stone happens to be a fraction of a carat—say a ¾ carat diamond or a 60 point emerald—it is advisable to mark the tag with the total price of it, which will evidently be inferior to its price per carat. If, on the other hand, the gem is larger than a carat, it is preferable to put down its price per carat, which will obviously be less than the total price for the stone.

Contagious use of jewels
Another helpful procedure in merchandising colored stones is what I am very fond of calling the animated display. Wear colored gems yourself; have your wife wear them. Make the members of your sales force wear them. Using colored jewels impart to them added life, increased brilliance, intensified fire, because with every movement of the body, they catch the light rays at a different angle, and an alternative corner, another facet springs out from the dark and shines forth in full glory. Confer on them the prestige of being used and of being useful and the compliment will be twice returned—firstly in the form of the privilege of wearing them, and secondly through a vague, inarticulate, yet strongly motivating impression at the border plane between the subconscious and the conscious mind of the potential customer. Translated into the parlance of awareness, this insidious motivation would be the equivalent to an argument along these lines: ‘If you the professional find them worthy of being used by you, they deserve to be worn by myself.’

Promoting And Merchandising Colored Stones (continued)

Patton

Memorable quote (s) from the movie:

Patton (George C Scott): For over a thousand years, Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of a triumph - a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeters and musicians and strange animals from the conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conqueror rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children, robed in white, stood with him in the chariot, or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror, holding a golden crown, and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory is fleeting.

Clicks And Mortar

Malcolm Gladwell writes about the internet hype and the real off-line E-commerce revolution @ http://www.gladwell.com/1999/1999_12_06_a_clicks.htm

Palladium Brochure

This brochure is an excellent introduction to the metal. Free copies of the Palladium Information brochure are available by calling Guertin Brothers at 800-225-3141 or emailing sales@guertinbrothers.com

Closing The Debate

Chaim Even-Zohar shares the views by the dean of DTC brokers, Gerald Rothschild, on sightholders and supplier of choice (s) + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp?TextSearch=&KeyMatch=0&id=26393

Iridescent Gemstones

Iridescence is an effect caused by the interference of light at thin films within the gemstone. The gem materials which display iridescence are fire agate, iris or rainbow agate and iris or rainbow quartz. There are many other gem materials which occasionally display iridescence in fractures, but the above materials are best known for this effect.

Fire agate is cut from a special type of chalcedony nodule in which deeper layers are coated with goethite. The goethite layers act as thin films, producing interference and a lovely iridescence. In judging quality of fire agate, color is of prime importance. The most desirable colors are blue, yellow and red, with violet, green and orange being less so. Bronzy or metallic colors are undesirable. Fine stones display fire 90% or more of the face. If the fire covers less than 70% of the face, the body color begins to detract from the stone’s appearance. As a general rule, the less color coverage, the lower the value of the stone. When checking the stone, be sure to rotate it so that any cracks, pits or dead spots can be seen. All of these factors will lower the value.

Iris or rainbow agate is a special type of chalcedony which shows iridescent colors when examined in transmitted light. Agate is composed of multitudes of tiny quartz crystals which build layer upon layer during growth. If enough of these layers are present, iridescent colors will be seen when a thin slice is held against a light. Any agate deposit yielding highly translucent material can produce iris agate, but its presence cannot be determined from the outside appearance alone. The only way to know for sure is to cut a very, very thin slice from the center of the agate nodule, and after wetting it with oil, hold it in front of the light. So that the slice will not have to be tilted to see the rainbow effect, it is important that it is centered properly when being cut. The saw must cut through the bands of the agate at right angles in order to orient the effect properly.

Iris or rainbow quartz is a special type of rock crystal quartz which shows iridescent colors in reflected light. These colors are caused by the interference of light at air-filled fractures throughout the stone. Sometimes the complete range of spectral colors can be seen because each crack starts as a very narrow wedge at one end and gradually gets wider and wider towards the surface. Because of the variable size of the fracture, different colors are seen. The iris effect can be artificially induced by heating quartz and then quenching it (rapidly cooling it) in cold water. If a dye is added to the water, it dries in the cracks, producing what are termed ‘firestones’.

Promoting And Merchandising Colored Stones

(via Journal of Gemmology, Vol.XVII, No.3, July 1980) Jacques Sabbagh writes:

The inventory
A carefully chosen, well-balanced stock of colored gemstones is logically the starting point. You cannot sell what you do not have, except on the rare occasions where you act as a broker and/or sell from goods consigned to you. Furthermore, sales are in the numbers: the bigger and wider the choice in your arsenal, the greater are your chances for scoring direct hits.

However, it is not necessary to have all your inventory of gemstones mounted. There is no need to tie up more capital unnecessarily. It is, on the contrary, desirable to leave a substantial part of your stock in the form of loose stones. This way, you will be leaving the door open for the option of custom made, hand tailored pieces of jewelry that would exactly fit the taste and requirements of the eventual buyer.

All right, so you have to build up an inventory of colored gems. What are these gems? What are the characteristic properties of gemstones? I do not propose to tax your patience or offend your knowledgeability with a detailed dissertation on gemology; I am sure quite a number of people present are more versed than I in the topic. I intend however, to tough very briefly on certain elements of the subject. I would like first to enumerate the characteristic properties of gemstones. These are:

1. Beauty

2. Durability

3. Rarity

and 4. A property which has been somehow persistently overlooked by gemologists and consequently its mention in gem books consistently omitted, and this is, portability.

Beauty
A gem has to be attractive enough in order to trigger the urge to acquire it, in order to stimulate the desire to possess it, in order to incite a willingness to pay for it, to buy it.

Durability
The second property is the resistance to scratching; it is what we commonly call hardness. A gem has to possess hardness enough to retain its beauty. You see, unlike similar luxurious but perishable commodities such as fur coats and precious leatherware, as for instance crocodile handbags and shoes, jewels are expected to be longlasting, eternal; they are meant to be handed down from generation to generation.

Rarity
The third characteristic of a gemstone, and an exponent of this quality according to the inexorable, all-pervasive, omnipresent law of supply and demand, is price. It must be rare enough in order to fetch a decent price.

Portability
Gemstones constitute value in compact size, they are a form of condensed wealth. One can carry literally in one’s pockets tens, or even hundreds, of thousands of pounds in the form of a few tiny parcels of gems. In the course of history, gemstones have surreptitiously or openly crossed borders between countries, they have continuously changed hands, being bought in times of affluence and sold in times of depression. They have repeatedly served to finance a king or a prince to wage war or to buy a peace settlement; they have been used along with precious metals often to appease the appetite of an aggressive imperial power or as ransom for many a crowned head. If gemstones were to disappear overnight from the face of the earth, most people would go on living as usual, practically unaffected; but on the other hand, had gemstones never existed, many a chapter of human history would have to be rewritten.

Another point I would like to expose is one that has to do with nomenclature. Traditionally, jewels are divided into precious and semi-precious. The members of the precious class are four: first is the universally acknowledged king of them all, diamond. The other three princely members of this class are emerald, ruby and sapphire. The rest of the aristocratic members of the gem world have all been lumped together under the heading semi-precious. However, over the last few decades, this elementary classification, this simplistic terminology has been increasingly eroded by the gradual realization that the line of demarcation between the precious and the semi-precious gems is indeed a very hazy one.

The dividing line is so blurred that there is in more than one area factual confluence of the two conventional categories; because, what are we to use as a yardstick in order to differentiate between precious and semi-precious stones? Is it the first characteristic of a gem, that is, beauty? But beauty is a dual property: the objective or inherent factor related to form, color, harmony and symmetry, and the subjective element of assessment and appreciation, which is largely dependant on fashion, taste, the times and geography. To give one example, Pliny tells us that in ancient Rome emeralds were much appraised than rubies, whereas if we focus on Renaissance Florence some sixteen centuries later, we hear Benvenuto Cellini informing us that rubies were considerably in higher demand than diamonds and were fetching prices eight times as much. Shall we then use as a yardstick the second property of a gem, that is durability, or hardness? But emerald, a notable member of the precious group with a hardness of 7½ on Moh’s scale, is less hard than either chrysoberyl with a hardness of 8½, or topaz with a hardness of 8; both members of the semi-precious group. Is it rarity and its exponent, price, that we shall go by to distinguish between the two categories? We find that this too, does not apply to several cases, for example, a demantoid garnet or an alexandrite chrysoberyl can fetch high prices, both being rarer finding than a rather nice sapphire.

The realization of all these facts had led the participants of an international convention of retail jewelers a few decades ago, to pass the half-measure resolution of arbitrarily shifting the demarcation line between the two groups of gems to the hardness immediately above that of quartz—that is 7 on Moh’s scale. They chose the hardness 7 because it is that of silica which is abundantly present in sand as well as in the dust suspended in the air carried by the winds, which would scratch any stone of a hardness of 7 or below, thus prematurely showing the signs of wearing. So, according to this resolution which takes into consideration only the property of hardness, all gems that possess a hardness superior to 7 are precious and all those with a hardness of 7 or below are semi-precious.

It has been quite some years now since the French members of the trade have discarded the illogical term semi-precious to replace it by pierres fines whose closest English equivalent would be gemstones. Quite recently, at the last annual conference of the International Federation of the Jewellery Trade, CIBJO, in Paris, the use of the term semi-precious was considered at length, it being reported that some Scandinavian countries and West Germany had made progress by getting official acceptance of the term precious. However, there were difficulties for some, it was said, particularly in respect of Customs authorities, in redefining the expression semi-precious. The U.K delegation considered that we should do everything possible, in the U.K, to discourage the term, which is a down-grading one. They believe it is better to use precious stones or gemstones. At long last we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I trust the day is near when the derogatory expression semi-precious will become obsolescent and the conventional classification of gems will be past history.

Now let us focus on an important point related to the building up of an inventory of colored gemstones, namely its investment value to the jeweler. In inflationary times like these, continuous price increases of practically every marketable item of service have become a familiar aspect of the economic landscape. Over the last decade or so, colored gems have steadily figured among the commodities heading the list of price increases. Between January, 1969 through December, 1978, these gems, in the rough, at the sources—whether in Brazil or Colombia, Africa or Sri Lanka, Australia or Afghanistan—have undergone, across the board, increases in prices by leaps and bounds, so that at present they fetch in terms of pounds sterling between nine and a half to almost eleven times their prices in the beginning of 1969. Evidently the same has applied to the world gem cutting and jewel manufacturing centers, whether around the mining areas or in such traditional, or recently developed, centers as, for example, London or Birmingham here in the U.K, Idar-Oberstein in West Germany, Jaipur in India, or Bangkok in Thailand. What is perhaps even more interesting is the fact that at no point during this last decade, has the curve of price increases ever been deflected downwards, as happened in the fifties and early sixties. It is thus obvious that, even after price indexing against currency depreciation, colored gemstones have shown a true up-valuation. It follows from this that one should not think twice to invest in colored stones.

Promoting And Merchandising Colored Stones (continued)

The Price Is Right

There are similarities between buying gemstones and art. Both are subjective concepts + in order to make smart choices one should be knowledgeable + you should be lucky enough to get unbiased information.

(via Livemint) Manju Sara Rajan writes:

The term ‘affordable art’ might sound like an oxymoron, but is possible to buy work that’s reasonably priced. Here’s our guide.

For Avinash Gowariker, a buy is only a buy once the homework’s done. On a late Saturday afternoon, he’s crouched over a collection of pictures strewn across the floor inside Gallery Chemould in South Mumbai. The studio’s clearance sale, on at the Jehangir Art Gallery, is exactly the sort of event Gowariker trawls to find what he’s looking for: works of art that fit his budget and scheme.

When he locates an Akhilesh etching, he calls a friend at another gallery to check the price at which they sell similar works of the artist. Once he’s assured he’s on to a good thing, Gowariker decides it’s a buy. “They sell his works for much higher. I’ve got a great deal on this one,” he says triumphantly. By the end of the afternoon, 35-year-old Gowariker has purchased two distinct etchings by Naina Dalal and Akhilesh for under Rs15,000. “I didn’t come here with any idea of whether I’d buy, I just came with a credit card and stayed within the budget,” says Gowariker.

Gowariker’s purchases fall within that shifty realm of “affordable art” which, by broad definition, refers to works priced within the Rs1 lakh range. He is part of a growing breed of art consumers who are looking beyond the bold print about the Indian art market to invest into it, smartly, at the lower end, and still make percentage returns. Outside New Delhi, in Gurgaon, Reena and Jesper Lindorff entered the ring because they believe art is an essential aspect of their lives. “Artworks are an important part of the home, and not just considered accessories. It is the art, in fact, which defines spaces,” says Reena.

In between the big digits and big names of today’s $350 million (about Rs1,435 crore) art market, it’s easy to be overawed by the idea of buying art. Despite widespread speculation that the market is stabilizing, with 100% growth a matter of the past, very little of the high-end world of art is still affordable. To get an idea of that end of the market: At the latest Sotheby’s auction in May, the biggest sale was F.N. Souza’s Head, which went for $528,000. “Most people are intimidated by the notion of art, thinking that real art is out of their reach,” says Kalpana Shah, owner of Mumbai’s Tao Art Gallery. “Buyers have to keep their eyes open to the right thing and make smarter choices,” says Shah.

While many aspire to purchase a “real” work of art, few know what or how to buy, often opting for supermarket art rather than looking at the lower end of the genuine art market, which is made up of three broad areas: the works of new artists, photography and prints, both mass reproductions and artist-signed graphics. All of these options range in cost from a few thousand rupees for open-edition unsigned reproductions (or posters) to a few lakh rupees for the signed print of a master.

The other spectrum of art is the kind sold at Satguru’s Arts & Crafts, a Mumbai handicrafts store, where a 36”x48” oil painting of a village scene, which has zero resale value, costs Rs81,000—much, much more than Gowariker’s afternoon purchases at Chemould. So, lift the canvas slightly, and there are plenty of ways to participate in the genuine art market that are worth every paisa you spend.

The key is to begin right. Gowariker believes in the idiom, “six degrees of separation”. Over the past one year, the celebrity photographer has, through friends and connections and by sheer force of charm, amassed an enviable collection of works of art. “When I started, I was into art for the money. I didn’t have money for real estate and didn’t understand the stock market.” But he says he educated himself on the subject and talked to people who were already in the market, and now knows exactly what he’s looking for, and the resale value of his pieces. “It’s important to get unbiased information, so I picked up auction catalogues and went on the Internet, which is neutral.”

On the strength of that self-education, Gowariker has collected more than 15 high-value works—including Akhilesh, Prokash Karmakar, Yashwant Deshmukh, a paperwork of Jogen Chowdhury, and K.S. Radhakrishnan sculptures—for much less than they are worth today. “Now, I’m looking for blue chips, my dream buy is, of course, M.F. Husain. Husain is the dada,” he says.

The Lindorffs are into the emerging and lesser knowns. Through the door of their three-bedroom apartment, on the right-hand side, is an untitled piece by an artist called Sandip. The couple picked this up for Rs14,000 from Picturesque, at New Delhi’s Santushti Shopping Complex. “The purple and orange contrast of this oil on canvas is stunning, and we hope adds a touch of sophistication and warmth to the entrance area,” says Reena. The rest of their house has a melange of abstract art, photographs and lithographs by artists from Kolkata, Delhi, Sweden and the US. “We love to purchase art pieces which are unique and are not as interested in the name of the artist per se. The painting comes first, and then the artist,” says Reena, 35.

Whether it’s an upcoming artist or an established one, the art world offers plenty of choices. And keeping that in mind, we sought out folks who have found valuable, yet affordable, ways to indulge the art market. (Karishma Singh contributed to this story.)

More info @ http://www.livemint.com/2007/06/30000247/The-price-is-right.html

The Science Of Shopping

Malcolm Gladwell writes about the American shopper + stores, including the new flagship designer boutiques @ http://www.gladwell.com/1996/1996_11_04_a_shopping.htm

Justice Needs To Be Done – Without Damaging Noises Or Loss Of Perspective

Chaim Even-Zohar writes about anti-money laundering (AML) regulations for diamond merchants in Belgium + the detailed aspects of the diamond industry’s AML/CFT regime + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp?TextSearch=&KeyMatch=0&id=26425

Ancient Irish Pearls

(via The Journal of Gemmology, Vol.13, No.1, January 1972) C J Robb writes:

The freshwater pearl of the bivalve unio margaritifera, the animated gem, the ‘na seod’ in Gaelic, was found in the crystal clear meandering rivers of Ireland from the mists of history. It was the prized jewel of the ancient queens, princesses, and fair ladies of those distant times and the hierarchy of the Church regarded it as a token of respect. Bishop Gillbertus of Limerick, gave the Archbishop of Canterbury, St. Anselm, a pearl as a token of his respect in 1094.

Con O’Neill, Prince of Ulster in 1493, bestowed pearls ‘of riches’ on ladies. In 1656 the river Slaney in Co. Wexford was prolific, says Richards, an English writer, in fine pearls of fair luster, magnitude, and rotundity, not inferior to Oriental gems at prices from 20s, to 40s, to the silversmiths and jewelers of London. Sir Robert Reading described pearls from the rivers of Co. Tyrone to the Royal Society in 1688. These gems were mostly of a pale brownish color, some with a greenish tinge. Some of these of good quality weighing up to 36 carats were valued up to £40. A miller found a pearl in the mill race, which he sold for £4 10s and the buyer sold it to Lady Glenawley for which she refused an offer of £80 from the Duchess of Ormond. The Bann River, at Banbridge in Co. Down, was rich in these pearls and a small industry was established to collect, polish and sell them to the best buyers in Dublin, London and Paris. Queen Charlotte had a necklace of Bann pearls valued at £700, one of 4 carats being valued at £60. The river pearls of Ireland had thus an abiding place in the annals of gemology.

Promoting And Merchandising Colored Stones

2007: It's really inspiring, to read Jacques Sabbagh's views on how to sell colored stones. He wrote/addressed this nearly three decades ago, and the truth is his concept still works today. You can still deal with the same sophisiticated, well-informed consumers the old fashioned way.

(via Journal of Gemmology, Vol.XVII, No.3, July 1980) Jacques Sabbagh writes:

It is a privilege for me to address you this evening on the subject of promoting and merchandising colored gems, and it would be a pleasure indeed if I am permitted to do so in an informal way. By your leave I shall start, if I may, on a rather personal note. People who happen to know about the story of my life, seventeen years of which were devoted to medical studies and to the practice of medicine, often ask me with astonishment, ‘How come you changed horses midstream? What made you quit this most noble, this most essential profession, to get involved in the business of colored gems?’— these and similar transparent questions thus implying that my present activity in the jewelry trade is a comparatively futile one and colored gems are rather superfluous commodities. Well, not only do I immensely enjoy my present occupation, but also I happen to be very proud of it. Indeed, I do not believe that jewels are superfluous commodities. I am convinced that they satisfy one of the basic needs and that jewelers cater for one of the fundamental requirement of human nature.

As Thomas Caryle, the 19th century Scots essayist and historian said: ‘The first spiritual want of barbarous man is decoration.’ By this he meant self-adornment, and this is an anthropological fact, substantiated by our observation of the behavior of primitive man of aboriginal tribes still inhabiting certain recesses of the jungle and isolated areas of our planet, as well as by various archaeological findings. Caveman, primitive man invariably demonstrates a tendency for self-adornment by using any handy object that lends itself to this purpose. At the same time, he would attribute occult powers to articles he uses for personal decoration, whether they be perishable items such as bird feathers or plant seeds, or non-perishable objects, as for instance sea shells, animal teeth and claws, or mineral crystals. He would pierce them and then string them and wear them for their often inextricably ambivalent functions: the supernatural power of talismans and charms and the beautifying property of jewelry. In actual fact, excluding the other members of the genus Homo, none of the components of the animal kingdom, even the higher primates, the anthropoid apes, our closest evolutionary ancestors and collateral relatives, exhibit any marked sign of beauty appreciation. It seems that the emergence of a sense of aesthetics, sufficiently compelling to induce artificial additions to the anatomy of even sometimes minor surgical alternations of it, has occurred more or less parallel to the development of language, tools and culture.

Now, with your permission, I would like to venture a diagnosis. Jewelry enterprises that neglect the field of colored gems, that to various degrees discard them from their inventory, are—forgive me for saying so—colorblind. The same way an individual affected by Daltonism, that is colorblindness, misses out on a lot of the beauty, of the glory, of the colorfulness of life and nature around him, seeing them as it were, in different shades of black and white as though he were watching a telecast on the screen of a non-color television set, or a black and white movie picture, a jewelry concern that persists in ignoring the field of colored gems is missing out in incalculable opportunities for profit-making.

Let me sketch out for you a very familiar sequence. When a young woman is considering buying her first piece of jewelry she will, as you know, seek the jeweler almost invariably for a diamond ring. The reason for this is twofold:

1. Diamond, the King of the gem world, is the most prestigious thing to wear, and

2. Diamonds, like pearls, can be used quite indifferently with practically any dress color or style.

Later on, as and when affluence brings its mixed blessings into her life, this young lady will again look up the jeweler for, probably, a diamond brooch or pendant. Sometime later, she may consider changing her ring for a large and more important diamond. To cut a not very long story short, she may eventually look for a pair of diamond earrings; and here it will very likely come to an end, the point of saturation being reached.

On the other hand, once this very same lady develops a sophisticated taste for colored gems, something which requires a certain gratifying dexterousness, some degree of selectiveness in seasonal as well as color matching of jewel and dress—once she starts buying and using them, this new sequence will never end. Her desire for colored gems will prove quite insatiable, due to the enormous variety and the practically endless combinations. The point of saturation in this case is unreachable, it is elusive, unattainable. To put it in a nutshell, colored gems constitute a dimension that extends far beyond the dimension of diamonds. We can have only one monarch: Diamond. The number of princes and barons on the other hand is theoretically unlimited; consequently, colored gems offer, literally, a golden opportunity to the jeweler.

Now, we have to face this question: How can the individual jeweler get into the field of colored gems, or if he is already handling colored gems as a sideline, or even as a main line, how can he develop this branch to its maximum potentiality? In answer to this question, three factors have to be considered. These are:

1. The inventory

2. The point of sale merchandising

3. The sales techniques

Promoting And Merchandising Colored Stones (continued)

The Beauty Of Inclusions

The god fathers of gemstone inclusions shares their passion + the inner gemscapes of colored stones in colorful language (s).

Edward Gubelin / John Koivula writes:

The world of human conception is predominantly one of vision, and thus a world of light, color and form—all three phenomenological expressions of inclusions in gemstones. Their liveliness, their transitory play of light, meets not merely with the commonsense of beauty; they are even a functional necessity to human beings. Color is the most beautiful manifestation of light; the ornamentation of one of the most perceptible displays of the material world, through both one experiences a beguiling feast for the eyes when admiring inclusions.

Light is nowadays only rarely the photosphere which, bordered by darkness, verifies itself with even more intensive radiation. Everything around us is so illuminated—with the touch of a switch all becomes shadowlessly bright—that for sheer brightness we are no longer susceptible to light. Not so the illumination of inclusions in gemstones. Here a light goes on, and one experiences ethereal hours of sublime perception, amazement and interminable fascination.

Herein lie the glorious colors of contrasts, the rich light of internal reflections, the deeply impressive designs of patterns—massed apparitions of beauty—arrayed enlarged before us beneath the microscope, and one feels transported to another world of light. Whatsover quickens the human heart; the colors of flowers, the glistening plumage of the Hummingbird, the shimmering velvet of the butterfly’s wing, the sparkle of the morning dew, the radiating expressions of a beloved eye—all find their equivalence in gemstone inclusions; for these lend their unvarying, stately character to their costly encasement. Certainly they are flowers without scent, waters without eddies, gardens without movement or change, butterflies without life—shimmering treasures of an established, petrified, mystical world. And yet not an inhuman world; for it must be considered that human beings are necessary to treasure and admire.

The artistic arrangements within gemstones are, thanks to their well-balanced elegance, not only indestructible fountains of amazement and delight, but, in their multiplicity, witnesses to the creative versatility of nature. Her innovations are inexhaustible and fantastic. Finding a satisfactory solution to a certain problem, she rest not with self-satisfaction, simply spreading her invention worldwide. Instead she seems intent on demonstrating that this same problem can be solved just as excellently in many other ways with charm and artistic perfection. The outer shells, which nature has developed to protect her various creations, are astonishingly well-suited to the external conditions. Supple fish have their scales, birds their feathers, soft creatures their shells, wild animals their pelts, and inclusions—the eloquent witnesses of terrestrial history—their inert, imperishable showcase—the costly gemstone.

We gemologists have often been accused of spiriting away the nimbus of gemstones with our instruments. This criticism is unjustified, for we have opened up a magic world to the professional and layman which they could never have entered without gemological microscopy.

EXCLUSIVE: From Today Luxury Brand Retailer Montblanc Commits To Disclose Color Enhancement Treatments Of Its Black Diamonds

Chaim Even-Zohar writes about the disclosure practices of luxury brands such as Montblanc + FTC guides for the jewelry, precious metals, and pewter industries + Diamond Best Practice Principles + the Richemont Connection + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp?TextSearch=&KeyMatch=0&id=26465

Jewellery Exports To US Lose GSP Crutch

Times News Network writes:

Despite strong lobbying by the Indian industry for extension of duty-free access to Indian gold jewellery in the US market, the US government withdrew the generalised system of preferences (GSP) benefit for the product on Thursday.

Other products for which import duty concession was withdrawn as part of the annual review of the GSP scheme include brass lamps from India, gold jewellery from Thailand and auto-parts from Brazil. The GSP scheme provides preferential duty-free entry into the US market to select products from developing countries.

Though widely anticipated, the withdrawal of the benefits has come as a double whammy for jewellery and brass lamp exporters from India who are battling an appreciating rupee that is leading to lower realisation. Jewellery exporters will now have to pay an import duty of 6.7% which will push up prices and lower the competitiveness of the industry in the US market.

US trade representative Susan Schwab had warned the Indian industry during her India visit in April this year that they should not expect an extension of the GSP benefit for gold jewellery when the scheme lapsed in June. She pointed out that as jewellery exports from India in 2006 had crossed $2 billion, it did not qualify for the benefit any more under the revamped qualification criteria of 2006.

The new rules allow the administration to revoke waivers when imports of a product from one country exceeds an annual cap of about $ 1.87 billion or comprises 75% of total US imports of that product. The GSP scheme was introduced by the US government in January 1976 for more than 4,650 products from about 140 countries including India. In 1992, the US had suspended GSP benefits for a large number of products exported by India apparently to express its unhappiness over the intellectual property rights regime in India. In August 2001, GSP benefits on 42 products from India were restored.

The US has also withdrawn GSP benefits on wiring harnesses from the Philippines, and methanol from Venezuela. The India lobby in the US Parliament had tried hard to get the GSP benefit extended for Indian jewellery exporters. In a letter to US trade representative Susan Schwab, two senior parliamentarians had argued that revoking the benefit scheme for gems & jewellery from India and Thailand was not justified as it would only help China in grabbing a larger share of the market.

More info @ http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Jewellery_exports_to_US_lose_GSP_crutch/articleshow/2162769.cms

Arranging A Collection

2007: Gordon Axon's tips on arranging gem collection is superb and practical. Once when you start doing it, you enjoy it because now you see what the gemstones look like when they are in its right place.

(via The Journal of Gemmology, Vol.13, No.1, January 1972) Gordon V Axon writes:

A collector faces immediately the problem of arranging his collection. In the United States, where the author currently lives, mineral and gem collecting is probably more advanced than anywhere else in the world, and the mechanical ability of Americans has been applied to the problems facing collectors. As a result, several companies provide a range of cases, cartons, trays, cabinets, stands, and gem holders.

Even so, collectors sometimes still need custom-made boxes, so even in the United States problems are still faced by collectors. One trouble lies in the variety of acquisitions, since gems come from minerals, and minerals come in all shapes and sizes, on matrix, as separate crystals, and as rough.

A display cabinet of the type known in Europe is no doubt the best way to exhibit fine mineral specimens for daily pleasure. Special supports may be needed for large specimens, but, otherwise, the plastic supports commonly available should suffice for medium-sized specimens, while the varieties of plastic-rubber will support separate crystals. Good sparkling lighting is essential, with ultra-violet for fluorescent specimens.

Gem collectors are a breed apart, since they usually deal with much smaller items that convey a different type of pleasure and indulge distinct intellectual tastes. Specifically, gem collectors are often concerned with fairly small stones, or with stones that have unusual characteristics.

In both cases, the visual pleasure affordable by a modest collection along these lines need not necessarily be great enough to compel an open collection that can be viewed readily. It may suffice to use stone papers arranged in any way suitable for the user. Should the visual pleasure be a factor, several facilities are available that combine in varying degree the visual pleasure with ease of access.

A wooden board could be drilled for cavities for the stones that would be protected by a sliding glass top. The trouble here is that the stones would move around and often present less than their must attractive view. Pads of cotton (cotton wool) or plastic foam would help.

Yet small plastic boxes that hold a single gem might prove better since they are easily stored in a cardboard box. These small plastic boxes, readily available in the United States, are hinged clear-plastic boxes often with hard-foam lining, and a soft-foam within the lid. The gem is displayed simply by opening the hinged top. Here, of course, there is no simple visual inspection since all the hinged boxes would have to be opened each time a collection was displayed, but for valuable single gems the idea is worth considering. In a sense, each gem is treated as a ring in a box.

As a rule, foam is superior to cotton wool (known as cotton in the United States) or any other lint-producing substance, since foam provides varying degrees of support, according to type used, and does not produce the irritating strands and wisps of cotton wool. Several stones can easily be accommodated in the larger plastic boxes complete with foam linings for base and cover. Depressions are easily made in this substance and the stones arranged as needed. These larger boxes are suitable for several stones of the same mineral variety, or of several varieties, or of the same cut, or of several cuts. Large gems, crystal or rough and cut to match, can also be accommodated.

Glue, of course, should not be used to fix the stones. There is no need, quite apart from spoiling the stone and the viewing. Sometimes, gem mounting prongs are useful. These may be home-made or bought. They are suitable for most stones of any reasonable size and consist of flexible plastic or metal strands or fibres attached to a central support that can be pushed into hard foam for display.

Yet all these types of covered boxes suffer from the lack of easy viewing. There’s nothing like being able to take a look at a collection without all the bother of opening stone papers or folding back plastic hinges. One method suitable for gem collectors is the custom-made box of wood, with hinged lid, containing two trays each divided into say 50 small compartments. Each tray base and the inside of the lid are well padded to protect the stones and keep them in place. A simple opening of the box would disclose 50 stones, for instance, while the lifting of the top tray would reveal the other 50—in short, 100 gems on display almost immediately.

A method very suitable for cabochons is the wooden tray lined with foam and covered with glass that can be simply lifted by a tag and removed. These come in many sizes, ranging for instance from four inches by six, to twelve inches by sixteen. The wood, in this particular advertisement, is either pine or mahogany. The foam is blue or white.

Other firms have similar boxes, ranging up to one inch or more deep, that are filled with cotton wool, padding, or plastic foam. Such boxes, especially the smaller ones, can be very suitable for faceted gems even though the glass exerts some pressure on the stones. This does not matter very much, of course, with cabochons, but faceted gems are another thing entirely. Even so, these trays are very useful for most gems. Those trays with glass tops have the problem of removing the glass when stones are being changed, but that is easily done. The shallow cardboard boxes with glass top in cover have the problem of removing the side pins and taking off the cover. Here again, the problem is minor although the replacing of the tight cover may upset the arranged stones. The pins simply go through the cardboard sides and keep the cover in place. The boxes range from small to large.

These are just some of the many, often ingenious, ways of displaying collections. Of interest to collectors of small mineral specimens are the display cases with rising levels complete with plastic cassettes, or holders, of the small specimens. The result is a minor football stadium, each individual seat being a mineral specimen. Special cases are also available for thumbnail specimens and micromounts as well as the miniatures.

In short, in the United States, at least, there is a galaxy of choice. There’s no doubt that a fine and easy way of displaying adds considerable enjoyment to a collector’s pleasure.

If There’s A Doubt Have It Tested

2007: A E Farn's tips on gem testing is still valid today, but diamond simulants such as synthetic cubic zirconia and synthetic moissanite are the most frequently encountered stones in the gem market. In my view, today synthetic cubic zirconia is still the best + affordable diamond simulant. There are new synthetics such synthetic amethyst, citrine, ametrine + synthetic ruby, sapphires (flame fusion/flux/hydrothermal), synthetic emerald + colored varieties (hydrothermal/flux), synthetic diamond (HPHT/CVD) + treated colored stones that are giving new headaches for the practising gemologist.

(via Journal of Gemmology, Vol.IX, No.10, April, 1965) A E Farn writes:

This advertising phrase is apt and very rewarding. In the world of gem testing there were some stones which hardly needed testing, since they were impossible to copy or imitate successfully. Emeralds use to be easy—if red under a filter, it was an emerald. Black opals were once a certainty, but nowadays there are treated or carbonized opals of a very attractive appearance but which are not exactly as one would expect when a stone is termed ‘black opal’.

Possibly one of the least tested stones is the diamond. By diamond I mean transparent white diamond, not any fancy color or hue, since the detection of possible treatment is a separate and very technical problem on its own.

Diamond is the hardest known gemstone and in what one terms ‘the good old days’ an anvil was said to shattered quite readily when a diamond was tested upon it by striking. Apart from being the hardest known gemstone it also has a now well-recognized weakness, i.e. cleavage. We all know what would happen if we placed a diamond on an anvil and struck it a heavy blow.

A gem testing laboratory sees more unusual stones from hopeful jewelers than most people in this trade. Some people specialize in certain stones such as star stones and cat’s eyes, emeralds and opals, or rubies and sapphires. Diamond dealers proper seldom mix with the colored stone trade. It is interesting, sometimes, to see an obvious large synthetic ruby brought in by a dealer who usually specializes in diamonds only.

Whilst there are colored stone dealers, and diamond dealers, there are dealers who dabble in many gems including corals, pearls, ivories, etc. and seldom do these people manage to specialize in any particular one.

How much more difficult then is it for the retail jeweler who has to consider all these, together with watches, clocks, gold, silver, plated wares and repairs and estimates. Small wonder then that the jeweler who is suddenly confronted with a pearl necklace, a chrysoberyl cat’s eye ring or a fine pink sapphire in a cluster surround sometimes feels himself at loss to identify such gems.

‘Are they diamond’ ‘or is it a diamond’ is the kind of question which brings quick reaction. But, and it is a very big but, once doubt is sown in the mind then fermentation takes place and the slogan ‘If there’s a doubt have it tested’ pays its dividend.

In the laboratory quite recently we had an old cut long cushion-shape thick diamond of good quality brought in by a slightly irate though somewhat apologetic diamond dealer. I thought he wanted it weighed to settle a point one way or the other. He said ‘I want it tested’. To me, it was so obviously a diamond. I could not help pointing this out as diplomatically as possible (after all he was a diamond dealer). To my relief he immediately agreed, ‘Yes, indeed I know it is a diamond but someone has doubted it because it is an old stone.’ Thus we had the crux of the matter—a doubt. This particular case, one of a few I can recall, was outstanding in its sharpness of doubt and certainty. Others, of course, are a good deal more nebulous.

Some while ago a dealer asked me if I was interested in a parcel of rose-cut diamonds and on being shown them I suggested he had them tested. He protested that they were all old Indian stones but to me they looked like zircon—and a check by spectroscope confirmed the diagnosis.

Another dealer had a diamond and onyx eternity ring, which had been fished up from the sewers by a sewerman, and the diamonds were very rubbed indeed—no one could have said what the stones were by just looking.

It is my experience that pawnbrokers above all seem to be considered fair game to the unscrupulous. Most pawnbrokers are open not only to lend money on valuables but are very often more liable to buy jewelry from the public than many retail jewelers. Therefore more people ‘try it on’ with pawnbrokers than otherwise. I am, perhaps, specifying the pawnbroker at the moment because the average retail jeweler buys from regular suppliers mostly new goods. These in turn are obtained from manufacturers who are buying their diamonds direct from well-known sources of supply. It is not these kinds of goods I have in mind.

Quite frequently a very pleasing ring (with, say, a circular amethyst or golden quartz) is mounted in a cast setting with a cluster surround of synthetic white spinels. Very clean and newly polished it looks very pleasant because the cast is from a very good patten and perhaps the finish of the ring by the polisher has been well done. This kind of ring after being worn a little (with a little dust, or powder or soap accumulation behind it) if offered over the counter under artificial light at a reasonable asking price, can cause an error. When goods are offered too cheaply suspicion is aroused. If offered at a reasonable price—then commerce overcomes gemology (if there is any gemology).

Sometimes it happens a diamond is cut with too much spread to make it look more for the money and the stone looks a little ‘laxey’, a term somewhat similar to ‘lasque’, which is used to describe a very thin flat style of cutting from India. When a diamond is cut in a manner which is not familiar to the jeweler then he is troubled. A very tricky point arises sometimes when a stone is baguette-shape and used a shoulder stone to a ring, and is set flush with the metal. This allows very little chance of inspection, due to the mount immediately obtruding when by turning the ring the stone is examined.

Artificial lighting can mislead when quickly looking at a cluster-set ring, especially if one has approached the problem by examining the center stone and assuming a diamond cluster surround. Lack of ‘fire’ can thus be put down to general dirtiness at the back and a mental note that it will improve if the ring is cleaned. It is usually the next day, with daylight to help and a clean-up of the accumulated debris from behind the stones, that the truth becomes apparent.

By these observations it is not intended or suggested that jewelers and pawnbrokers are constantly being taken in by unscrupulous methods, because the majority make their living adequately enough to disprove any such opinion.

With the advent of strontium titanate, however, I think it to be a little dangerous to assume too readily that diamonds never need testing. One afternoon, about 2 years ago, I had a strontium titanate single stone ring in to test from a West End jeweler. Immediately following we had a cluster ring from the National Association of Goldsmiths to test for one of their members. The center stone was a strontium titanate with a cluster surround of reasonably good quality diamonds. The whole effect was good and if a little dirtier could have passed as a very fine all-diamond cluster. Two rings in immediate succession one afternoon having strontium titanates in them was remarkable.

‘Diamonds are forever,’ as a title, indicates the inherent hardness and durability of diamonds. This hardness of diamond is its important factor—it is related to the quality of polish the stone can take, and upon the finish of the facet edges. In fact, a hard look and finish. Because of its simple chemical and molecular structure diamond has a single refraction and a characteristic optical clarity. Such is this impressive quality that when viewed through the table facet with a lens the culet seems to be very close to the table.

The stones which are most commonly used in jewelry in place of diamonds or as diamond simulants are: (1) synthetic spinel, (2) synthetic sapphire and natural colorless sapphire, (3) zircon, (4) synthetic rutile, (5) strontium titanate, (6) paste, with high refractive index. There may be others—one can cite almost any colorless stone, but I think the stones listed are the most commonly used and reasonable to expect.

Jewelry which is ‘diamond’—set, if suspect, should be cleaned in order that information can be obtained by visual methods. A clean stone or stones in settings are much more easy to test if light can readily be transmitted.

In a cluster setting synthetic spinels are very quickly identified by immersing in methylene iodide because their refractive indices very nearly match at 1.728 and 1.74 respectively. The effect can be quite startling, the stones tend to disappear from their settings an empty mount is left.

Since natural spinels do not exist as colorless stones (they always draw a little color in comparison to a parcel of diamonds or synthetic spinels), it is safe to assume the synthesis of the spinels. Synthetic sapphires, as opposed to diamond, are doubly refracting (as shown by a doubling of the back facets or the effect seen when a piece of jewelry is revolved between fixed crossed polaroids). Although it is safe to assume that all spinels which are colorless in a setting are likely to be synthetic it is not the same case with colorless sapphires.

Usually, of course, one is not trying especially to identify the suspect colorless stone—only to avoid buying it as a diamond. Natural colorless sapphires are very bright stones and it is not unusual to find them in cluster settings surrounding a genuine blue sapphire in jewelry emanating, say, from Ceylon. Examination by microscope will sometimes reveal crystalline inclusions, feathers, silk, etc. in even very small stones.

Synthetic colorless sapphires will very often show included gas bubbles much more readily than synthetic spinels. A thorough cleaning of the backs of small cluster-set jewelry is really important when examination has to be made by microscope. Being a cheap product synthetics are very seldom well cut or polished and reveal this by certain small useful factors such as fire or chatter marks on the new face. These marks are caused by heating due to pressures in polishing and are seen as slight surface cracks in a slightly zig-zag manner. They are more frequently seen on synthetic stones than on genuine ones.

Colorless zircons, because of their superior fire are a very good imitation of diamonds. With zircons, providing one is a reasonably well-versed jeweler, gemologist or probationer, it is a fairly easy matter to see quite distinct double refraction evidenced by the doubling of back facets. I have quoted jeweler, gemologist or probationer because one presumes that readers of the Journal of Gemmolgy are just that. Colorless zircons are brittle and soft and usually reveal this by the very frequent chipping and worn appearance of the facet edges. Zircons have a muzzy look when viewed through the table facet with a lens. This ‘out of focus’ appearance is due to the market double refraction.

Should very small rose-cut or brilliant-cut colorless zircons be used in cluster setting the stones may be slightly rubbed or no double refraction easily recognizable, and then the spectroscope comes into its own. The well-known absorption band seen in the red end of the spectrum at 6535 angstrom is completely diagnostic for zircon—very easy to find and practically infallible in showing (besides other lines) in zircon. The spectroscope knows no barriers of size, cut, polish, rough, or water-worn.

Synthetic rutile with its play of color should never cause any hesitation even to a non-gemologist jeweler. Its large double refraction is to startling as to make the doubling of back facets look like separate distinct facet edges. Synthetic rutile is the extrovert among stones. Rutile does not exist in nature as cuttable rough material and certainly no rough or natural rutile ever looked like a poor relation to the poorest quality in diamond used in jewelry. Synthetic rutile in any case cannot get that white or colorless aspect of diamond. It always look a little yellow or off-white.

Strontium titanate is the most dangerous to the jeweler. Although it has too much fire in its pristine state it can be dangerous when a little rubbed or dirty. Strontium titanate is very soft and has a slightly molded look if observed carefully at the facet edges with a lens. Apart from an old-fashioned (but very practical in this case) hardness test, there is little one can do to identify a strontium titanate except by examining certain abrasive marks seen under laboratory conditions. For an artificial stone it is quite expensive—the smaller sizes are more expensive per carat than the larger sizes. Its brilliance and fire cause it to stand out as superior to diamond but its soft look and rounded facet-edges betray it. Strontium titanate is much heavier than diamond and if a stone is loose this factor can be used against it. Quite recently a friend of mine ordered a strontium titanate with a 1 carat diamond spread. In actual fact it weighed 1.61 carats. So that comparison of a stone by gauge to actual scale weight can be very informative.

High refractive index pastes are sometimes deceiving. One always thinks immediately of swirl striae and bubbles, but they are not always seen. In an antique ring of backed table-cut stones it is not always wise to attempt a hardness test. It a spinel refractometer is available a refractive index reading is often possible and here information is quickly gained if the resultant reading seen on the scale of the spinel refractometer has a color fringe. These color fringe readings indicate paste as opposed to glass. Because of the high dispersion of most pastes a colored fringe or edge is seen as the reading on the refractometer scale. Pastes from 1.61 upwards especially towards 1.65, 1.66, 1.67, etc. show this effect clearly. Similarly if a paste-set article cannot be checked on a refractometer for various reasons often it will yield information if immersed in monobromonapthalene. Monobromonapthelene has a refractive index of 1.66 and pastes around this reading will tend to disappear or the facet edges fade when a stone of jewelry is immersed. In contrast, diamond will stand out clearly. Certainly it is helpful also to find swirls or bubbles, but immersion will readily distinguish paste from diamond, and it is the elimination of suspects from diamond we aim at in this article, not necessarily complete identification of the stimulant.

We have dealt with the stones most likely to be met with as diamonds and discussed their characteristics. What if the stones are diamonds? Nowadays with the decline in horse drawn traffic anvils are not so common, so the gemologist usually equips himself with a large cheap synthetic ruby or sapphire with a large table to it. Diamond will scratch synthetic ruby or sapphire. Brute strength is not required. Diamonds have a clarity and brilliance unapproached by any other stone. Very often the girdle of a diamond has a small natural unpolished facet left on it, either by design or fortuitously, and this is very helpful. Although this is not a laboratory test, I have frequently noticed how even a light touch of the finger on the table facet of a diamond leaves an imprint of grease from the skin (or fingerprint) very sharply defined indeed bearing ample witness to the well-known affinity diamond has for grease. Diamonds will stand out sharply in methylene iodide. Diamond facet-edges have a quality of finish and a degree of hardness not seen in any other stone. Simple tests to prove diamond are the hardness test against synthetic corundum and high relief in methylene iodide. Laboratory refinements, of course, are infinite, and include fluorescence, under X-ray excitation or long and short wave lamps. Electro-conductivity tests also play their part, but by and large it is: Look first, lens second, opinion third and then proof by whatever methods seems obvious, expedient and positive. The X-ray excitation or short wave lamps, etc. are refinements but all add to and play very useful part in this identification of diamond, this common stone that seldom needs testing—or does it?

A reiteration of factors in the foregoing to eliminate diamond simulants from diamond may be helpful here. Synthetic spinels are single refracting, disappear in methylene iodide, and are scratched by sapphire and diamond. Synthetic sapphires are double refractive, often have bubbles and chatter marks, and are scratched by diamond. Zircons are soft, brittle, strongly doubly refracting, have a 6536 angstrom line and are heavy stones. Synthetic rutile has tremendous double refraction, strong play of color, and is markedly off-white. Strontium titanate—tremendous fire, singly refracting, soft facet edges and girdle, ‘centipede’ outline scratch marks. High R.I pastes—sometimes bubble and swirl marks, are very soft and disappear in monobromonapthelene; heavy, color fringe on spinel refractometer; single refraction.

Diamond is single refracting and has an affinity for grease. It will easily scratch all other gemstones including sapphire and ruby (both natural and synthetic). Sharp relief is shown in methylene iodide. It has optical clarity, extreme hardness and polish, and sharp facet edges. Diamond fluoresces milky-blue when excited by X-rays. It has characteristic carbon inclusions and may show naturals on the girdle.

Patton

Memorable quote (s) from the movie:

Lt. Col. Charles R. Codman (Paul Stevens): You know General, sometimes the men don't know when you're acting.

Patton (George C Scott): It's not important for them to know. It's only important for me to know.

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