Tanzanite is a variety of Zoisite named after its country of origin, Tanzania. It was first discovered in 1967 and is still the only place where it can be found. Tanzanite is known for its varying shades of violet; also occurs in brown, pink, greenish and yellow. All these shades may turn to blue upon heat treatment. The results of this treatment are stable. Tanzanite is an attractive stone with a color to match any other.
More info on mining practices @
http://www.irinnews.org/film/Gem-Slaves-view.htm
TANZANIA
Gem Slaves: Tanzanite's child labour
English transcript @ http://newsite.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=61004
Monday, March 05, 2007
The Birds
Memorable quote (s) from the movie:
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): What about the letter you wrote me, is that a lie, too?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): No, I wrote the letter.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): Well what did it say?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): It said 'Dear Mister Brenner, I think you need these lovebirds after all. They may help your personality.'
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): But you tore it up?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Yes.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): Why?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Because it seemed stupid and foolish.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): Like jumping into a fountain in Rome?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Tayler): I told you what happened!
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): You don't expect me to believe that, do you?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Oh, I don't give a damn what you believe!
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): I'd still like to see you.
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Why?
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): I think it might be fun.
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Well it might have been good enough in Rome, but it's not good enough now.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): It is for me.
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Well not for me!
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): What do you want?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): I thought you knew! I want to go through life jumping into fountains naked, good night!
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): What about the letter you wrote me, is that a lie, too?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): No, I wrote the letter.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): Well what did it say?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): It said 'Dear Mister Brenner, I think you need these lovebirds after all. They may help your personality.'
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): But you tore it up?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Yes.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): Why?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Because it seemed stupid and foolish.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): Like jumping into a fountain in Rome?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Tayler): I told you what happened!
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): You don't expect me to believe that, do you?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Oh, I don't give a damn what you believe!
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): I'd still like to see you.
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Why?
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): I think it might be fun.
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Well it might have been good enough in Rome, but it's not good enough now.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): It is for me.
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Well not for me!
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): What do you want?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): I thought you knew! I want to go through life jumping into fountains naked, good night!
Gems And Jewels
By Benjamin Zucker
Thames and Hudson
1984 ISBN 0-500-01326-8
Thames and Hudson writes:
From time immemorial precious stones have been prized as tokens of love, as symbols of wealth and social status, or as objects endowed with magical or religious significance. This comprehensive survey of the history and uses of the principal types of gems provides revealing insights into their origins, into methods and styles of cutting at different times in history, and into the aesthetic appeal of numerous examples of the jeweler’s art. Thus, garnet-ornamented objects from the Ango-Saxon Sutton Hoo ship burial vie for place with elaborate lapis lazuli funerary jewelry from ancient Egypt and Sumer, while the imaginative treatment of baroque pearls in the Renaissance period contrasts with the directness of North American Indian designs featuring the skystone, turquoise. Similarly, such magnificent objects as jade figures carved with exquisite subtlety by Chinese craftsmen and an emerald-encrusted crown by Pierre Arpels (from the former royal collection of Iran) serve to illustrate examples of work from widely differing cultures.
In addition to discussing outstanding specimen stones, such as the famous Tiffancy Diamond, and comparing key differences in shades of color within one type of gemstone—as in the case of opals from Australia and Mexico, and of sapphires from Kashmir and Ceylon—the author reveals the vital clues that enable the expert eye to distinguish between natural and synthetic stones and between natural and cultured pearls, and gives guidelines on methods of grading and on relative values.
Whatever one’s personal preference for colors, styles or materials, this lavishly illustrated book—with individual chapters devoted to ruby, sapphire, emerald, diamond, pearl, amber, lapis lazuli, jade, turquoise, opal and garnet—will provide a wealth of fascinating information.
About the author
Benjamin Zucker is the author of How to Buy and Sell Gems: Everyone’s guide to buying rubies, sapphires, emeralds and diamonds, and has conducted special seminars at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Thames and Hudson
1984 ISBN 0-500-01326-8
Thames and Hudson writes:
From time immemorial precious stones have been prized as tokens of love, as symbols of wealth and social status, or as objects endowed with magical or religious significance. This comprehensive survey of the history and uses of the principal types of gems provides revealing insights into their origins, into methods and styles of cutting at different times in history, and into the aesthetic appeal of numerous examples of the jeweler’s art. Thus, garnet-ornamented objects from the Ango-Saxon Sutton Hoo ship burial vie for place with elaborate lapis lazuli funerary jewelry from ancient Egypt and Sumer, while the imaginative treatment of baroque pearls in the Renaissance period contrasts with the directness of North American Indian designs featuring the skystone, turquoise. Similarly, such magnificent objects as jade figures carved with exquisite subtlety by Chinese craftsmen and an emerald-encrusted crown by Pierre Arpels (from the former royal collection of Iran) serve to illustrate examples of work from widely differing cultures.
In addition to discussing outstanding specimen stones, such as the famous Tiffancy Diamond, and comparing key differences in shades of color within one type of gemstone—as in the case of opals from Australia and Mexico, and of sapphires from Kashmir and Ceylon—the author reveals the vital clues that enable the expert eye to distinguish between natural and synthetic stones and between natural and cultured pearls, and gives guidelines on methods of grading and on relative values.
Whatever one’s personal preference for colors, styles or materials, this lavishly illustrated book—with individual chapters devoted to ruby, sapphire, emerald, diamond, pearl, amber, lapis lazuli, jade, turquoise, opal and garnet—will provide a wealth of fascinating information.
About the author
Benjamin Zucker is the author of How to Buy and Sell Gems: Everyone’s guide to buying rubies, sapphires, emeralds and diamonds, and has conducted special seminars at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
The Gem Scam
Here is an interesting report on gem scam (s) in Thailand, the colored gemstone capital of the world. There are endless variations, but an educated customer (s) in theory should never fall into the trap. Always do your research. If you are doubtful regarding gemstones have it checked by a reputed gem testing laboratory.
The ThaiGemScamGroup writes:
The Scam has been working for over 20 years, and succeeds due to several factors:
1.Complicity/indifference of local authorities.
2.Love/hate relationship between Thais and "Farang" (hate the victim, blame the victim).
3.Tourists can't stay in the country to press charges.
4.Tourists don't get to talk to one another and share information.
5.Everybody is greedy and wants to get rich quick.
There are several excellent sites that outline the process of the scam (including www.2bangkok.com) so do check out the Links page to get other points of view. Don't assume you are too smart to fall for this scam; they've been practicing it for 20 years. How long have you been dealing with scams?
Set up
There are, in fact, two variations on the scam, but both involved you paying far too much for jewellery. The other one is where a tuk tuk driver simply takes you to a gem shop and tells you to look around for 10 minutes; he gets a free gas coupon for each customer he brings in. This is simple and obvious, and most people don't make a purchase in this case.
The scam discussed on this page involves "coincidental" meetings with "friendly" Thais. Because of the coincidences and the friendliness of the people involved, the victim's guard is let down, thus ensuring the scam's success.The usual set up involves a tourist (or tourists, as couples get targeted as well) walking out of their hotel, on the street, near a tourist attraction, and being approached by a friendly Thai.
Thais, as a rule, do not approach foreigners alone. This is the first warning sign. The Thai will be very friendly and ask where you are from, where you are going, etc...perhaps identifying himself (herself) as a guide, a student, a government employee, a tuk tuk driver, etc.... Regardless of what you answer with regards to your destination, the Thai will give you some reason as to why you can't go there. People going to the Grand Palace or Wat Pho are commonly told that it is closed for some holiday involving Buddha or the Royal Family.
The Grand Palace and Wat Pho are a main attraction of Bangkok, one that provides a large amount of revenue through admission fees. As such, they are both open 365 days/year; why would they close? This is the second warning sign. They both open at 8am and the Grand Palace closes at 15:30pm while the Wat Pho closes at 17:00pm. Note there is only one entrance for the Grand Palace and that *parts* of the Grand Palace may be closed for royal functions, but never the entire complex.
Never fear, however, your Thai "friend" will tell you about another temple or Wat that is open. They usually say that it is not normally open to the public, it is just today. The Thai usually also mentions the Asia economic crisis, and how it is harder for Thai students to pay for their studies abroad with the devaluation of the Thai currency. Usually, there will be a mention of how the government lets Thai students sell one jewellery set a year, tax free, to help fund their studies abroad.
The Thai may or not mention that foreigners are allowed to participate in this scheme once a year, in a bid to promote tourism. The Thai then tells you about the special tuk tuks that take tourists around for a special rate, due to the holiday. Usually this is 20 baht/hour or something like that, and they'll always tell you there are only certain tuk tuks that do this.
There are no government or special tuk tuks. They are all privately owned and no one in our group has yet to meet an honest tuk tuk driver. This is the third warning sign.
The Thai will choose the tuk tuk (he has to in order to get his accomplice, although there are several tuk tuk drivers in on this). He will arrange things for you and send you off to this other temple.In fact, there is nothing too special about this temple, but it is quiet and deserted. The tuk tuk driver will send you in, assuring you that he will wait. Of course he will, he has to be the one to take you to the gem store.
You wander around the temple where you will meet the second "friendly" Thai. He may approach you, asking you questions or offering some advice; you may approach him, because he dropped his keys and walked away; some monk might lead you to a quiet corner of the temple where a man is meditating. In all cases, it is a casual, chance encounter, with all the friendliness and coincidence to disarm your suspicions. He will identify himself as a businessman, student, whatever he thinks will allay your suspicions.
This Thai will ask you various questions about you and somehow steer the conversation back to jewellery. They often get you to mention it, as you've heard about it from the other Thai earlier. Almost always, they make no effort to sell to you, they drop some hints that lead you to ask questions. You are made to feel like you are lucky to know about this, or that you would be foolish to miss out. They tell you that foreigners are allowed to participate in this for only a short time each year, and today is always the last day. They even have a receipt showing that they just bought jewellery that very day.
The Thai government does not have a 195% export tax on jewellery, and couldn't care less about foreigners taking jewellery out of the country. Your own country's Customs, however, does care about how much you import back into your country, making any Thai government promise meaningless. This is the fourth warning sign.
Note that at this point, a foreigner might join the conversation, if not at the temple, then at the shop itself. The foreigner will assure you it is all legitimate, that he/she uses it to pay for his trip all the time. It may also be another Thai who tells you they live abroad and come home once a year for this. In either case, it adds to the legitimacy of the scam, and adds to the number of "coincidences" that you encounter. By now you are curious. The tuk tuk driver may take you to yet another temple, for yet another "chance" meeting with someone who confirms the story. Usually, you are now on your way to the gem store. This is your last chance to save yourself from a very bad experience.
The gem store itself will make every effort to look respectable. There will be staff in uniforms, display cases, etc....but most shops will not have windows, or else they are covered up. Officially recognized jewellery stores should have a Jewelfest logo in plain view, although given the proliferation of fake identification in Thailand, this guarantees nothing.
You will always be taken to a separate room, not left in the main selling area. There will be almost no other customers, and if there are, it will be a foreigner again, who confirms the story and tells you exactly what everyone else said. In this smaller room, you are told the same story, shown a book with photocopies of other passports of "customers", and assured that you can get your money back under any circumstances.The transaction involves mailing the jewellery back to you, or to whatever address you give them (parents, Poste Restante in another country, etc...).
Your country's Customs treats goods imported by you the same, regardless of whether they are with you or were sent to you via the mail system. If this is a tax free purchase, they should not object to you taking the jewellery with you. The use of the mail system is essential in making this scam work. This is the fifth warning sign.
Most people do not have the cash with them. The stores never have credit card machines, so those people wanting to pay via credit cards are told the shop does not usually do business with the public, so they have no credit card machine. Fear not, their other store does sell to the public, so they will loan you their car, driver and escort to that store to run your credit card through the machine. This is a gold store, where you are told you have to buy gold (for whatever reason, inventory, tax purposes, etc...) and take the gold with you. You will trade the gold for the jewellery set. If you pay cash, they will give you their car, driver and escort to take you to your ATM or wherever else you need to go to get your cash.
Back at the jewellery store, you get all kinds of official looking receipts, they show you the courier package they put the jewellery in, make you sign the envelope once it's sealed to ensure no one tampers with the package, and you've now overpaid for cheap jewellery.
As a sign of their gratitude, they will always give your their car and driver and take you around town, to a restaurant, tourist attractions, Thai massages, etc...They do this to distract you and get your package to the mail center as quickly as possible. If they can get your package out of the country before you realize you've been scammed, it will take you over a week to get the gems back in your possession, giving them time to close up shop and vanish forever.
Have you been scammed? If so, click here to find out what options you have. Was this description useful to you?
Send your comments, suggestions and feedback to thaigemscamgroup@yahoo.com.
The ThaiGemScamGroup writes:
The Scam has been working for over 20 years, and succeeds due to several factors:
1.Complicity/indifference of local authorities.
2.Love/hate relationship between Thais and "Farang" (hate the victim, blame the victim).
3.Tourists can't stay in the country to press charges.
4.Tourists don't get to talk to one another and share information.
5.Everybody is greedy and wants to get rich quick.
There are several excellent sites that outline the process of the scam (including www.2bangkok.com) so do check out the Links page to get other points of view. Don't assume you are too smart to fall for this scam; they've been practicing it for 20 years. How long have you been dealing with scams?
Set up
There are, in fact, two variations on the scam, but both involved you paying far too much for jewellery. The other one is where a tuk tuk driver simply takes you to a gem shop and tells you to look around for 10 minutes; he gets a free gas coupon for each customer he brings in. This is simple and obvious, and most people don't make a purchase in this case.
The scam discussed on this page involves "coincidental" meetings with "friendly" Thais. Because of the coincidences and the friendliness of the people involved, the victim's guard is let down, thus ensuring the scam's success.The usual set up involves a tourist (or tourists, as couples get targeted as well) walking out of their hotel, on the street, near a tourist attraction, and being approached by a friendly Thai.
Thais, as a rule, do not approach foreigners alone. This is the first warning sign. The Thai will be very friendly and ask where you are from, where you are going, etc...perhaps identifying himself (herself) as a guide, a student, a government employee, a tuk tuk driver, etc.... Regardless of what you answer with regards to your destination, the Thai will give you some reason as to why you can't go there. People going to the Grand Palace or Wat Pho are commonly told that it is closed for some holiday involving Buddha or the Royal Family.
The Grand Palace and Wat Pho are a main attraction of Bangkok, one that provides a large amount of revenue through admission fees. As such, they are both open 365 days/year; why would they close? This is the second warning sign. They both open at 8am and the Grand Palace closes at 15:30pm while the Wat Pho closes at 17:00pm. Note there is only one entrance for the Grand Palace and that *parts* of the Grand Palace may be closed for royal functions, but never the entire complex.
Never fear, however, your Thai "friend" will tell you about another temple or Wat that is open. They usually say that it is not normally open to the public, it is just today. The Thai usually also mentions the Asia economic crisis, and how it is harder for Thai students to pay for their studies abroad with the devaluation of the Thai currency. Usually, there will be a mention of how the government lets Thai students sell one jewellery set a year, tax free, to help fund their studies abroad.
The Thai may or not mention that foreigners are allowed to participate in this scheme once a year, in a bid to promote tourism. The Thai then tells you about the special tuk tuks that take tourists around for a special rate, due to the holiday. Usually this is 20 baht/hour or something like that, and they'll always tell you there are only certain tuk tuks that do this.
There are no government or special tuk tuks. They are all privately owned and no one in our group has yet to meet an honest tuk tuk driver. This is the third warning sign.
The Thai will choose the tuk tuk (he has to in order to get his accomplice, although there are several tuk tuk drivers in on this). He will arrange things for you and send you off to this other temple.In fact, there is nothing too special about this temple, but it is quiet and deserted. The tuk tuk driver will send you in, assuring you that he will wait. Of course he will, he has to be the one to take you to the gem store.
You wander around the temple where you will meet the second "friendly" Thai. He may approach you, asking you questions or offering some advice; you may approach him, because he dropped his keys and walked away; some monk might lead you to a quiet corner of the temple where a man is meditating. In all cases, it is a casual, chance encounter, with all the friendliness and coincidence to disarm your suspicions. He will identify himself as a businessman, student, whatever he thinks will allay your suspicions.
This Thai will ask you various questions about you and somehow steer the conversation back to jewellery. They often get you to mention it, as you've heard about it from the other Thai earlier. Almost always, they make no effort to sell to you, they drop some hints that lead you to ask questions. You are made to feel like you are lucky to know about this, or that you would be foolish to miss out. They tell you that foreigners are allowed to participate in this for only a short time each year, and today is always the last day. They even have a receipt showing that they just bought jewellery that very day.
The Thai government does not have a 195% export tax on jewellery, and couldn't care less about foreigners taking jewellery out of the country. Your own country's Customs, however, does care about how much you import back into your country, making any Thai government promise meaningless. This is the fourth warning sign.
Note that at this point, a foreigner might join the conversation, if not at the temple, then at the shop itself. The foreigner will assure you it is all legitimate, that he/she uses it to pay for his trip all the time. It may also be another Thai who tells you they live abroad and come home once a year for this. In either case, it adds to the legitimacy of the scam, and adds to the number of "coincidences" that you encounter. By now you are curious. The tuk tuk driver may take you to yet another temple, for yet another "chance" meeting with someone who confirms the story. Usually, you are now on your way to the gem store. This is your last chance to save yourself from a very bad experience.
The gem store itself will make every effort to look respectable. There will be staff in uniforms, display cases, etc....but most shops will not have windows, or else they are covered up. Officially recognized jewellery stores should have a Jewelfest logo in plain view, although given the proliferation of fake identification in Thailand, this guarantees nothing.
You will always be taken to a separate room, not left in the main selling area. There will be almost no other customers, and if there are, it will be a foreigner again, who confirms the story and tells you exactly what everyone else said. In this smaller room, you are told the same story, shown a book with photocopies of other passports of "customers", and assured that you can get your money back under any circumstances.The transaction involves mailing the jewellery back to you, or to whatever address you give them (parents, Poste Restante in another country, etc...).
Your country's Customs treats goods imported by you the same, regardless of whether they are with you or were sent to you via the mail system. If this is a tax free purchase, they should not object to you taking the jewellery with you. The use of the mail system is essential in making this scam work. This is the fifth warning sign.
Most people do not have the cash with them. The stores never have credit card machines, so those people wanting to pay via credit cards are told the shop does not usually do business with the public, so they have no credit card machine. Fear not, their other store does sell to the public, so they will loan you their car, driver and escort to that store to run your credit card through the machine. This is a gold store, where you are told you have to buy gold (for whatever reason, inventory, tax purposes, etc...) and take the gold with you. You will trade the gold for the jewellery set. If you pay cash, they will give you their car, driver and escort to take you to your ATM or wherever else you need to go to get your cash.
Back at the jewellery store, you get all kinds of official looking receipts, they show you the courier package they put the jewellery in, make you sign the envelope once it's sealed to ensure no one tampers with the package, and you've now overpaid for cheap jewellery.
As a sign of their gratitude, they will always give your their car and driver and take you around town, to a restaurant, tourist attractions, Thai massages, etc...They do this to distract you and get your package to the mail center as quickly as possible. If they can get your package out of the country before you realize you've been scammed, it will take you over a week to get the gems back in your possession, giving them time to close up shop and vanish forever.
Have you been scammed? If so, click here to find out what options you have. Was this description useful to you?
Send your comments, suggestions and feedback to thaigemscamgroup@yahoo.com.
Gone With The Wind
Memorable quote (s) from the movie:
Scarlett (Vivien Leigh): Oh, Rhett! Please, don't go! You can't leave me! Please! I'll never forgive you!
Rhett Butler (Clarke Gable): I'm not asking you to forgive me. I'll never understand or forgive myself. And if a bullet gets me, so help me, I'll laugh at myself for being an idiot. There's one thing I do know... and that is that I love you, Scarlett. In spite of you and me and the whole silly world going to pieces around us, I love you. Because we're alike. Bad lots, both of us. Selfish and shrewd. But able to look things in the eyes as we call them by their right names.
Scarlett (Vivien Leigh): Don't hold me like that!
Rhett Butler (Clarke Gable): Scarlett! Look at me! I've loved you more than I've ever loved any woman and I've waited for you longer than I've ever waited for any woman.
Scarlett (Vivien Leigh): Let me alone!
Rhett Butler (Clarke Gable): Here's a soldier of the South who loves you, Scarlett. Wants to feel your arms around him, wants to carry the memory of your kisses into battle with him. Never mind about loving me, you're a woman sending a soldier to his death with a beautiful memory. Scarlett! Kiss me! Kiss me... once...
Scarlett (Vivien Leigh): Oh, Rhett! Please, don't go! You can't leave me! Please! I'll never forgive you!
Rhett Butler (Clarke Gable): I'm not asking you to forgive me. I'll never understand or forgive myself. And if a bullet gets me, so help me, I'll laugh at myself for being an idiot. There's one thing I do know... and that is that I love you, Scarlett. In spite of you and me and the whole silly world going to pieces around us, I love you. Because we're alike. Bad lots, both of us. Selfish and shrewd. But able to look things in the eyes as we call them by their right names.
Scarlett (Vivien Leigh): Don't hold me like that!
Rhett Butler (Clarke Gable): Scarlett! Look at me! I've loved you more than I've ever loved any woman and I've waited for you longer than I've ever waited for any woman.
Scarlett (Vivien Leigh): Let me alone!
Rhett Butler (Clarke Gable): Here's a soldier of the South who loves you, Scarlett. Wants to feel your arms around him, wants to carry the memory of your kisses into battle with him. Never mind about loving me, you're a woman sending a soldier to his death with a beautiful memory. Scarlett! Kiss me! Kiss me... once...
Sunday, March 04, 2007
The Great American Sapphire
By Stephen M Voynick
Mountain Press Publishing Company
1985 ISBN 0-87842-193-9
Stephen M Votnick writes:
To most Americans, the word sapphire has an intriguing foreign flavor conjuring images of crown jewels, sultans, turbaned natives, and the steamy jungles of exotic places like Ceylon and Burma. Many Americans, including myself, were quite surprised to learn recently that the United States had suddenly emerged as a commercial source of what some gem experts consider the world’s finest sapphire. Even more surprising was that the entire production came from little-known Montana mine with the unlikely name of Yogo, a mine which, sixty years earlier, had produced $25 million in fine cut sapphire for the British.
My interest in western mining led me to Yogo where I found not only a mine, but a remarkable geological story backed by a century of rich Montana history. That history, in passing from generation to generation, had evolved into a loose collection of colorful frontier folklore and romanticized legends. More fascinating was the real story that lay hidden in disjointed company files and correspondence, dusty geological reports and decades of yellowed newspaper clippings—even in some of the works of Charles M Russell. Yogo was far more than a common tale of mineral discovery and exploitation; it was the culmination of a forgotten chapter of American history—the search for precious gemstones.
America’s frontier expansion coincided with a great period in gemstone history that included discovery of the Siam and Kashmir sapphires, the South African diamond fields, and the British development of Burma’s legendary Mogok Stone Tract. Americans headed west in love with, and obsessed by, gold. But they were also aware of the possibility of—and perhaps even anticipated—the discovery of native precious gemstones. Yet, when sapphires were finally discovered in Montana, the same miners who wrote the book on gold were shown to be profoundly naïve in matters related to precious gemstones, thus opening the door to eager British gem merchants.
Unlike that of the great gold strikes, the Yogo sapphire story did not die with the frontier. Although yesterday’s claim stakes and sluice boxes are gone, equally exciting chapters in the Yogo story are now being written in corporate board rooms, gem industry trade journals, gemological laboratories and, most importantly, in the display cases of thousands of retail jewelry stores across the United States.
Montana’s Yogo sapphire deposit is a true bonanza that economically overshadows many major gold strikes, but sapphires, while far more valuable on a weight-for-weight basis, were unlike gold. Gold required merely digging and selling; sapphires demanded marketing, a lesson that hopeful American sapphire miners would take ninety years to learn. Yogo is an historical treasure, but the story of the Yogo sapphires is really just beginning, for only now are South African diamonds, Colombian emeralds and Burmese rubies being belatedly joined by a native American precious gemstone that is every bit their equal—the Montana sapphire.
Mountain Press Publishing Company
1985 ISBN 0-87842-193-9
Stephen M Votnick writes:
To most Americans, the word sapphire has an intriguing foreign flavor conjuring images of crown jewels, sultans, turbaned natives, and the steamy jungles of exotic places like Ceylon and Burma. Many Americans, including myself, were quite surprised to learn recently that the United States had suddenly emerged as a commercial source of what some gem experts consider the world’s finest sapphire. Even more surprising was that the entire production came from little-known Montana mine with the unlikely name of Yogo, a mine which, sixty years earlier, had produced $25 million in fine cut sapphire for the British.
My interest in western mining led me to Yogo where I found not only a mine, but a remarkable geological story backed by a century of rich Montana history. That history, in passing from generation to generation, had evolved into a loose collection of colorful frontier folklore and romanticized legends. More fascinating was the real story that lay hidden in disjointed company files and correspondence, dusty geological reports and decades of yellowed newspaper clippings—even in some of the works of Charles M Russell. Yogo was far more than a common tale of mineral discovery and exploitation; it was the culmination of a forgotten chapter of American history—the search for precious gemstones.
America’s frontier expansion coincided with a great period in gemstone history that included discovery of the Siam and Kashmir sapphires, the South African diamond fields, and the British development of Burma’s legendary Mogok Stone Tract. Americans headed west in love with, and obsessed by, gold. But they were also aware of the possibility of—and perhaps even anticipated—the discovery of native precious gemstones. Yet, when sapphires were finally discovered in Montana, the same miners who wrote the book on gold were shown to be profoundly naïve in matters related to precious gemstones, thus opening the door to eager British gem merchants.
Unlike that of the great gold strikes, the Yogo sapphire story did not die with the frontier. Although yesterday’s claim stakes and sluice boxes are gone, equally exciting chapters in the Yogo story are now being written in corporate board rooms, gem industry trade journals, gemological laboratories and, most importantly, in the display cases of thousands of retail jewelry stores across the United States.
Montana’s Yogo sapphire deposit is a true bonanza that economically overshadows many major gold strikes, but sapphires, while far more valuable on a weight-for-weight basis, were unlike gold. Gold required merely digging and selling; sapphires demanded marketing, a lesson that hopeful American sapphire miners would take ninety years to learn. Yogo is an historical treasure, but the story of the Yogo sapphires is really just beginning, for only now are South African diamonds, Colombian emeralds and Burmese rubies being belatedly joined by a native American precious gemstone that is every bit their equal—the Montana sapphire.
Driving Miss Daisy
Memorable quote (s) from the movie:
Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy): You know your letters don't you?
Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman): Oh yeah, yeah I know my ABC's pretty good, just can't read.
Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy): Stop saying that you're making me mad! If you know your letters you can read. You just don't know you can read.
Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman): Maam?
Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy): I taught some of the stupidest children God ever put on the face of this earth and all of them could read well enough to find a name on a tombstone.
Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy): You know your letters don't you?
Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman): Oh yeah, yeah I know my ABC's pretty good, just can't read.
Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy): Stop saying that you're making me mad! If you know your letters you can read. You just don't know you can read.
Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman): Maam?
Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy): I taught some of the stupidest children God ever put on the face of this earth and all of them could read well enough to find a name on a tombstone.
Faberge The Entrepreneur
(via Lapidary Journal) Si & Ann Frazier writes:
Faberge may have turned his name into pure cachet with the firms imperial Easter Eggs, but he probably didn’t make much money on these unbelievably labor-intensive pieces. His bread-and-butter work was in smaller, simpler, less-expensive objects that were still imaginatively styled and superbly constructed in a catalog published in 1899 (translated by K Snowman 1952, p.139). Faberge gives his policy on quality and pricing, which should interest today’s gem and jewelry wannabes and professional alike.
“……as to the quality of our products, it will be sufficient to acquaint our customers with the following…principles which have always guided us during the many years of our business:
1. It is our strict rule not to supply any goods of poor quality under any circumstances. In other words, every object, be its value no more than one ruble is made solidly and carefully.
2. It has always been our endeavor, and our clients can see this for themselves, to offer to the public the greatest possible number of entirely new forms and designs. Goods which have gone out of fashion will not remain in our shop: once a year they are collected and melted down.
3. We try to produce our goods in such a way that the value of each object purchased from us fully corresponds with the sum paid for it, i.e we sell our goods as cheaply as their careful execution permits.
4. Thanks to our considerable capital resources, we are always able to make and hold at the disposal of our clients a large quantity of the most varied and valuable articles.
5. Under no circumstances do we tolerate the possibility of any objects equal in quality to our own being sold elsewhere at a lower price than that fixed by us, for the reason (that) our own prices are always moderate and correspond to the quality of the stones and the workmanship which went into the production of the article; at the same time, we beg to point out that the goods made of the best quality material will naturally be more expensive than those made of materials of inferior quality.
“The range of models and designs fully correspond to the range of prices. Taking into account both the need of the higher classes of society as well as the interests of the middle class, we provide both the luxury and expensive goods to satisfy the most refined taste as well as the inexpensive goods within the reach of the not so well-to-do.”
Faberge may have turned his name into pure cachet with the firms imperial Easter Eggs, but he probably didn’t make much money on these unbelievably labor-intensive pieces. His bread-and-butter work was in smaller, simpler, less-expensive objects that were still imaginatively styled and superbly constructed in a catalog published in 1899 (translated by K Snowman 1952, p.139). Faberge gives his policy on quality and pricing, which should interest today’s gem and jewelry wannabes and professional alike.
“……as to the quality of our products, it will be sufficient to acquaint our customers with the following…principles which have always guided us during the many years of our business:
1. It is our strict rule not to supply any goods of poor quality under any circumstances. In other words, every object, be its value no more than one ruble is made solidly and carefully.
2. It has always been our endeavor, and our clients can see this for themselves, to offer to the public the greatest possible number of entirely new forms and designs. Goods which have gone out of fashion will not remain in our shop: once a year they are collected and melted down.
3. We try to produce our goods in such a way that the value of each object purchased from us fully corresponds with the sum paid for it, i.e we sell our goods as cheaply as their careful execution permits.
4. Thanks to our considerable capital resources, we are always able to make and hold at the disposal of our clients a large quantity of the most varied and valuable articles.
5. Under no circumstances do we tolerate the possibility of any objects equal in quality to our own being sold elsewhere at a lower price than that fixed by us, for the reason (that) our own prices are always moderate and correspond to the quality of the stones and the workmanship which went into the production of the article; at the same time, we beg to point out that the goods made of the best quality material will naturally be more expensive than those made of materials of inferior quality.
“The range of models and designs fully correspond to the range of prices. Taking into account both the need of the higher classes of society as well as the interests of the middle class, we provide both the luxury and expensive goods to satisfy the most refined taste as well as the inexpensive goods within the reach of the not so well-to-do.”
Blue Mystery: The Story Of The Hope Diamond
By Susanne Steinem Patch
Smithsonian Institution Press
1976 ISBN 0-87474-165-3
Susanne Steinem Patch writes:
Minerals, particularly those rare and beautiful enough to be gems, have been my lifelong interest. When I was director of an educational diamond exhibit I became familiar with the stories of all the famous diamonds and found that of the Hope most fascinating because of the mystery surrounding its origin. A desire to dispel that mystery started me on my research, and the many inconsistencies in the diamond’s history spurred me on. How, for example, could one of its owners, the actress May Yohe, be pictured in a newspaper clipping supposedly wearing the Hope diamond in the mounting that was made for its subsequent owner, Evalyn Walsh Mclean?
An exciting moment in my research came when, through great good luck, I uncovered two original sketches of the Hope diamond made in 1812. These drawings document the diamond’s existence in its present form eighteen years earlier than the 1830 date usually given for its first appearance.
Just as this book was going to press, museum authorities permitted the Hope diamond to be removed from its mounting and weighed. It was found that the diamond weighs 45.52 carats (in modern metric carats). This is discussed further on page 62. The most exciting moment of all for me occurred when, placing the Hope diamond upside down on a slip of white paper, I—like the lapidary in 1812—traced (it) round the diamond with a pencil and discovered that the outline I had drawn, complete with one flattened side, was identical to the earlier drawing.
Many questions will remain unanswered; perhaps the Hope diamond, like the complex and powerful people who have been driven to possess it, can never be completely known. But if any reader has additional information to contribute about the tantalizing gaps in this diamond’s history, please write to me in care of the Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 20560
Smithsonian Institution Press
1976 ISBN 0-87474-165-3
Susanne Steinem Patch writes:
Minerals, particularly those rare and beautiful enough to be gems, have been my lifelong interest. When I was director of an educational diamond exhibit I became familiar with the stories of all the famous diamonds and found that of the Hope most fascinating because of the mystery surrounding its origin. A desire to dispel that mystery started me on my research, and the many inconsistencies in the diamond’s history spurred me on. How, for example, could one of its owners, the actress May Yohe, be pictured in a newspaper clipping supposedly wearing the Hope diamond in the mounting that was made for its subsequent owner, Evalyn Walsh Mclean?
An exciting moment in my research came when, through great good luck, I uncovered two original sketches of the Hope diamond made in 1812. These drawings document the diamond’s existence in its present form eighteen years earlier than the 1830 date usually given for its first appearance.
Just as this book was going to press, museum authorities permitted the Hope diamond to be removed from its mounting and weighed. It was found that the diamond weighs 45.52 carats (in modern metric carats). This is discussed further on page 62. The most exciting moment of all for me occurred when, placing the Hope diamond upside down on a slip of white paper, I—like the lapidary in 1812—traced (it) round the diamond with a pencil and discovered that the outline I had drawn, complete with one flattened side, was identical to the earlier drawing.
Many questions will remain unanswered; perhaps the Hope diamond, like the complex and powerful people who have been driven to possess it, can never be completely known. But if any reader has additional information to contribute about the tantalizing gaps in this diamond’s history, please write to me in care of the Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 20560
Friday, March 02, 2007
Asia's Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair
JewelleryNetAsia writes:
Asia's Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair is the only trade event in Asia dedicated to the fashion jewellery and accessories industry. Two editions are held each year in June and September. Commencing 2007, a third edition will be held in March.
The new March edition is in response to numerous requests from the trade for a spring event that will provide buying opportunities for products for the Fall/Winter season. Demand for a spring edition was sparked by the changing trends in the fashion jewellery and accessories industry, which is dependent on having a constant supply of new, creative and stylish products for each season.
The new spring edition will provide buyers from around the world the opportunity to source new, trendy fashion jewellery items that will enrich the spectrum of products and increase their competitive edge in the marketplace.
Hong Kong's Special Economic Environment Facilitates Business
Located at the heart of the fastest-growing markets in Asia Pacific, Hong Kong is a free port with an extremely business-friendly environment that does not impose any import or export duties or taxes on products. This makes Hong Kong the ideal place for traders, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers from around the world to source a wide array of products at competitive prices without the hassle of restrictions and duties.
Fair Dates & Times
7 - 9 March, 2007 10:30am - 6:30pm
10 March, 2007 10:30am - 5:30pm
More info @ Department, Jewellery Fairs
Tel: (852) 2516 1655 / 1652 / 1661 / 1646
Fax: (852) 2802 9934
Email: salesafj@cmpasia.com
Website: http://www.JewelleryNetAsia.com
Promotion Department, Jewellery Fairs
Tel: (852) 25162158
Fax: (852) 2802 9934
Email: visiting@jewellerynetasia.com
Website: http://www.jewellerynetasia.com
Asia's Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair is the only trade event in Asia dedicated to the fashion jewellery and accessories industry. Two editions are held each year in June and September. Commencing 2007, a third edition will be held in March.
The new March edition is in response to numerous requests from the trade for a spring event that will provide buying opportunities for products for the Fall/Winter season. Demand for a spring edition was sparked by the changing trends in the fashion jewellery and accessories industry, which is dependent on having a constant supply of new, creative and stylish products for each season.
The new spring edition will provide buyers from around the world the opportunity to source new, trendy fashion jewellery items that will enrich the spectrum of products and increase their competitive edge in the marketplace.
Hong Kong's Special Economic Environment Facilitates Business
Located at the heart of the fastest-growing markets in Asia Pacific, Hong Kong is a free port with an extremely business-friendly environment that does not impose any import or export duties or taxes on products. This makes Hong Kong the ideal place for traders, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers from around the world to source a wide array of products at competitive prices without the hassle of restrictions and duties.
Fair Dates & Times
7 - 9 March, 2007 10:30am - 6:30pm
10 March, 2007 10:30am - 5:30pm
More info @ Department, Jewellery Fairs
Tel: (852) 2516 1655 / 1652 / 1661 / 1646
Fax: (852) 2802 9934
Email: salesafj@cmpasia.com
Website: http://www.JewelleryNetAsia.com
Promotion Department, Jewellery Fairs
Tel: (852) 25162158
Fax: (852) 2802 9934
Email: visiting@jewellerynetasia.com
Website: http://www.jewellerynetasia.com
The Union Budget Impact
Here is an update on the Union Budget (India) 2007, and its impact on the gem and jewelry sector.
(via) Times News Network writes:
The Union Budget may have brought some shine back for the gems and jewellery industry, but the announcements are not just enough to make it glitter.
The FM’s decision to reduce duty on cut and polished diamonds (CPD) from 5% to 3%, rough synthetic stones (from 12.5% to 5%) and unworked corals (from 30% to 10%) has evinced mixed reactions. While some players welcomed the move as a step in the right direction, others said it didn’t go far enough — zero duty on diamond imports would have helped attract global interest in India’s diamond trade.
The FM has also proposed the introduction of a benign assessment procedure for assesses engaged in diamond manufacturing and trading who declare profits from such activities at 8% or more of the turnover.
While instructions in this regard are to be issued shortly, industry sources are not sure whether the 8% implies gross or net profit. Net profit, they say, is around 3% and a clarification needs to be issued on this count.
“The budget has been neutral. We had anticipated relaxation in import of gold but that has not come through though there has been a reduction in import duty on cut and polished diamonds, rough synthetic stones and unworked corals,” said Rajesh Mehta, chairman of Bangalore-based Rajesh Exports.
Sources added turnover tax regime is followed by leading diamond-producing centres such as Belgium and Israel, and, if introduced in India, would preclude needless legal wrangling between tax assessors and assesses as to valuation of stock (diamond), a key problem that the industry faces today.
Bakul Mehta, convenor, diamond panel, Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), says there are billions of stones produced and no standard input-output norms to determine the value of the stock. “Even within the same mine different quality of diamonds can be generated, quality differs from lot-to-lot and within the same lot,” he explained.
Stating that the duty cut on CPD and other raw materials was a positive step, GJEPC Chairman Sanjay Kothari said, “The industry had expected reduction on CPD from 5% to 0% which would have helped India emerge from the largest manufacturing centre to the largest trading centre at a rapid pace.”
GJEPC said the introduction of turnover tax regime was a historical step. The move is affirmative and encouraging. The industry still awaits the exact details of the taxation system and expects it to be in line with international practices. However, the industry expected the turnover tax to be applicable for the entire gems & jewellery sector.
Su-Raj Diamonds & Jewellery CMD Jatin Mehta said, “The FM is on the dot in recognizing the need to reduce duty. These steps are in the right direction and will enable the diamond industry, which is going through a rough patch, to compete with other international centers like Belgium and Israel.”
“As far as turnover tax is concerned it is still not clear how it would unfold and what impact it would have on industry. A duty cut of 2% may not serve the purpose of our exporters as many countries have a zero duty regime. Reduction of duty in synthetic stones will boost consumption at the lower end,” said Gitanjali Gems chairman Mehul Choksi.
More info @ http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Gem_of_an_idea_but_the_sparks_still_missing/articleshow/1704435.cms
(via) Times News Network writes:
The Union Budget may have brought some shine back for the gems and jewellery industry, but the announcements are not just enough to make it glitter.
The FM’s decision to reduce duty on cut and polished diamonds (CPD) from 5% to 3%, rough synthetic stones (from 12.5% to 5%) and unworked corals (from 30% to 10%) has evinced mixed reactions. While some players welcomed the move as a step in the right direction, others said it didn’t go far enough — zero duty on diamond imports would have helped attract global interest in India’s diamond trade.
The FM has also proposed the introduction of a benign assessment procedure for assesses engaged in diamond manufacturing and trading who declare profits from such activities at 8% or more of the turnover.
While instructions in this regard are to be issued shortly, industry sources are not sure whether the 8% implies gross or net profit. Net profit, they say, is around 3% and a clarification needs to be issued on this count.
“The budget has been neutral. We had anticipated relaxation in import of gold but that has not come through though there has been a reduction in import duty on cut and polished diamonds, rough synthetic stones and unworked corals,” said Rajesh Mehta, chairman of Bangalore-based Rajesh Exports.
Sources added turnover tax regime is followed by leading diamond-producing centres such as Belgium and Israel, and, if introduced in India, would preclude needless legal wrangling between tax assessors and assesses as to valuation of stock (diamond), a key problem that the industry faces today.
Bakul Mehta, convenor, diamond panel, Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), says there are billions of stones produced and no standard input-output norms to determine the value of the stock. “Even within the same mine different quality of diamonds can be generated, quality differs from lot-to-lot and within the same lot,” he explained.
Stating that the duty cut on CPD and other raw materials was a positive step, GJEPC Chairman Sanjay Kothari said, “The industry had expected reduction on CPD from 5% to 0% which would have helped India emerge from the largest manufacturing centre to the largest trading centre at a rapid pace.”
GJEPC said the introduction of turnover tax regime was a historical step. The move is affirmative and encouraging. The industry still awaits the exact details of the taxation system and expects it to be in line with international practices. However, the industry expected the turnover tax to be applicable for the entire gems & jewellery sector.
Su-Raj Diamonds & Jewellery CMD Jatin Mehta said, “The FM is on the dot in recognizing the need to reduce duty. These steps are in the right direction and will enable the diamond industry, which is going through a rough patch, to compete with other international centers like Belgium and Israel.”
“As far as turnover tax is concerned it is still not clear how it would unfold and what impact it would have on industry. A duty cut of 2% may not serve the purpose of our exporters as many countries have a zero duty regime. Reduction of duty in synthetic stones will boost consumption at the lower end,” said Gitanjali Gems chairman Mehul Choksi.
More info @ http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Gem_of_an_idea_but_the_sparks_still_missing/articleshow/1704435.cms
Buying Ametrine Rough
(via Lapidary Journal) Lawrence Stoller writes:
The truth be told, I felt a little gluttonous as I held stone after stone to the sunlight, looking for the sharp, contrasting colors of purple and yellow, for I lusted after almost every piece I saw. I use two different selection criteria when I am examining rough material for cutting. The first is what I call the logical criteria. With ametrine, I first look for how clean the stone is internally. Is it filled with veils and cracks, or are there large areas of brilliant flawless material? Second, I look for color. Are the two colors present or it is primarily one color? Is there a distinct color line between the purple and yellow, or do the two colors blend to create yet another unnamed blue?
As one side of my brain makes these intellectual assessments, the other side gives an instant, emotional response. Either I got a resounding Yes!, a No, or an I don’t know. I have learned to go with the yes, even if it is in contrast to the logical criteria response, because sometimes there is a surprise that I might not have seen with my eye, but I knew intuitively was there, waiting to be discovered.
I feel a responsibility for every stone I procure. As a cutter, I know that when acquiring a stone, I am initiating a relationship, a romance so to speak. Thus, as in any relationship there needs to be a spark of attraction, a desire for involvement, and a commitment to spend the time and creative energy to see the transformation of the stone through, from its rough state to its finest finished form. I have found that when examining a piece of rough I need to have an imagination for the finished form, a feeling of desire to achieve it, and a real expectation that it will turn out beautifully before I spend either money or time on a piece. And I find that ametrine can appear brilliantly happy if one knows how to treat it right.
The truth be told, I felt a little gluttonous as I held stone after stone to the sunlight, looking for the sharp, contrasting colors of purple and yellow, for I lusted after almost every piece I saw. I use two different selection criteria when I am examining rough material for cutting. The first is what I call the logical criteria. With ametrine, I first look for how clean the stone is internally. Is it filled with veils and cracks, or are there large areas of brilliant flawless material? Second, I look for color. Are the two colors present or it is primarily one color? Is there a distinct color line between the purple and yellow, or do the two colors blend to create yet another unnamed blue?
As one side of my brain makes these intellectual assessments, the other side gives an instant, emotional response. Either I got a resounding Yes!, a No, or an I don’t know. I have learned to go with the yes, even if it is in contrast to the logical criteria response, because sometimes there is a surprise that I might not have seen with my eye, but I knew intuitively was there, waiting to be discovered.
I feel a responsibility for every stone I procure. As a cutter, I know that when acquiring a stone, I am initiating a relationship, a romance so to speak. Thus, as in any relationship there needs to be a spark of attraction, a desire for involvement, and a commitment to spend the time and creative energy to see the transformation of the stone through, from its rough state to its finest finished form. I have found that when examining a piece of rough I need to have an imagination for the finished form, a feeling of desire to achieve it, and a real expectation that it will turn out beautifully before I spend either money or time on a piece. And I find that ametrine can appear brilliantly happy if one knows how to treat it right.
The Color Purple
Memorable quote (s) from the movie:
Shug (Margaret Avery): More than anything God love admiration.
Celie (Whoopi Goldberg): You saying God is vain?
Shug (Margaret Avery): No, not vain, just wanting to share a good thing. I think it pisses God off when you walk by the colour purple in a field and don't notice it.
Celie (Whoopi Goldberg): You saying it just wanna be loved like it say in the bible?
Shug (Margaret Avery): Yeah, Celie. Everything wanna be loved. Us sing and dance, and holla just wanting to be loved. Look at them trees. Notice how the trees do everything people do to get attention... except walk?
Shug (Margaret Avery): Oh, yeah, this field feels like singing!
Shug (Margaret Avery): More than anything God love admiration.
Celie (Whoopi Goldberg): You saying God is vain?
Shug (Margaret Avery): No, not vain, just wanting to share a good thing. I think it pisses God off when you walk by the colour purple in a field and don't notice it.
Celie (Whoopi Goldberg): You saying it just wanna be loved like it say in the bible?
Shug (Margaret Avery): Yeah, Celie. Everything wanna be loved. Us sing and dance, and holla just wanting to be loved. Look at them trees. Notice how the trees do everything people do to get attention... except walk?
Shug (Margaret Avery): Oh, yeah, this field feels like singing!
The Book Of Diamonds
By Joan Younger Dickinson
Avenel Books / Crown Publishers
1965
Avenel Books writes:
Diamonds have dazzled every age and society of mankind since before the days of Alexander the Great. For centuries the big rocks were jealously hoarded by the Indian Moguls, then bought and traded for fabulous sums by the crowned heads of Europe; in more recent times, they have found their way into the possessions of wealthy individuals and famed museums.
Today, as any bride knows, diamonds are no longer solely the prerogative of the rich and royalty. Gem diamonds are prized by millions for their romance, their special status, and their investment value. Industrial diamonds are indispensably keeping the wheels of world industry turning. On the current market the values of diamonds are booming.
Never before has the whole story of diamonds been told so dramatically and illustrated so profusely as in this new volume. From the first diamonds every discovered, probably in the Golconda mines of India, the author traces their history and lore, through the Brazilian diggings to the South African diamond rush and the development of the De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd., who presently handle eighty percent of the world’s diamonds. Dramatic step-by-step photographs show the process of mining the modern diamond and the intricacies how it is cut and faceted.
Here are the stories of the most famous and infamous diamonds of all times: the Koh-i-noor now in the Tower of London, the Hope in our own Smithsonian Institution, the Regent in the Louvre, the Orloff in the Kremlin, the cleaved and faceted Cullinan adorning the British Crown Jewels, as well as many which have mysteriously vanished, such as the Florentine, the Pigott, and the Stewart. The United States can boast of several famous diamonds found in Murfreesboro, Arkansas; the Uncle Sam and the Star of Arkansas.
Diamonds have played their dazzling roles in American fashion among millionaires and working girls alike. The author tells this story from then embryonic jewelry stores along New York’s Maiden Path in the 1700s to the twentieth-century plush establishments along Fifth Avenue.
But this book is for more than a story of diamonds; it is also a practical guide for anyone who owns a diamond or plans to buy one. It explains and illustrates for the uninitiated the different diamond cuts, the role of carats, and how to buy diamonds for sentiment, for beauty, for show, for flawlessness, or for investment. To the prospective bridegroom and his fiancée, the author offers the accepted etiquette and practical advice on buying the diamond engagement ring and answers the specific questions they are most likely to ask, including how to clean and care for her ring. For students of gemology there is a large, informative glossary of diamond terms.
The Book Of Diamonds is illustrated with many old engravings of diamond mining, reproductions of museum painting, photographs of diamonds being mined and cut, famous diamonds in their present settings, plus a choice collection of award winning traditional and modern diamond pieces: rings, bracelets, brooches, pins, earclips, watches, and tiaras. Everyone who thrills to the diamond’s matchless brilliance will find this an enjoyable and thoroughly worthwhile book to own—along with the diamond that is forever.
About the author
Joan Younger Dickinson began her writing career as a reported in New York for United Press International. For more than a decade she was staff writer and an associate editor of the Ladies Home Journal. Author and editor of several books on social history, she worked in Istanbul, Antwerp, Amsterdam, London, and New York studying the diamond before completing this book.
Avenel Books / Crown Publishers
1965
Avenel Books writes:
Diamonds have dazzled every age and society of mankind since before the days of Alexander the Great. For centuries the big rocks were jealously hoarded by the Indian Moguls, then bought and traded for fabulous sums by the crowned heads of Europe; in more recent times, they have found their way into the possessions of wealthy individuals and famed museums.
Today, as any bride knows, diamonds are no longer solely the prerogative of the rich and royalty. Gem diamonds are prized by millions for their romance, their special status, and their investment value. Industrial diamonds are indispensably keeping the wheels of world industry turning. On the current market the values of diamonds are booming.
Never before has the whole story of diamonds been told so dramatically and illustrated so profusely as in this new volume. From the first diamonds every discovered, probably in the Golconda mines of India, the author traces their history and lore, through the Brazilian diggings to the South African diamond rush and the development of the De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd., who presently handle eighty percent of the world’s diamonds. Dramatic step-by-step photographs show the process of mining the modern diamond and the intricacies how it is cut and faceted.
Here are the stories of the most famous and infamous diamonds of all times: the Koh-i-noor now in the Tower of London, the Hope in our own Smithsonian Institution, the Regent in the Louvre, the Orloff in the Kremlin, the cleaved and faceted Cullinan adorning the British Crown Jewels, as well as many which have mysteriously vanished, such as the Florentine, the Pigott, and the Stewart. The United States can boast of several famous diamonds found in Murfreesboro, Arkansas; the Uncle Sam and the Star of Arkansas.
Diamonds have played their dazzling roles in American fashion among millionaires and working girls alike. The author tells this story from then embryonic jewelry stores along New York’s Maiden Path in the 1700s to the twentieth-century plush establishments along Fifth Avenue.
But this book is for more than a story of diamonds; it is also a practical guide for anyone who owns a diamond or plans to buy one. It explains and illustrates for the uninitiated the different diamond cuts, the role of carats, and how to buy diamonds for sentiment, for beauty, for show, for flawlessness, or for investment. To the prospective bridegroom and his fiancée, the author offers the accepted etiquette and practical advice on buying the diamond engagement ring and answers the specific questions they are most likely to ask, including how to clean and care for her ring. For students of gemology there is a large, informative glossary of diamond terms.
The Book Of Diamonds is illustrated with many old engravings of diamond mining, reproductions of museum painting, photographs of diamonds being mined and cut, famous diamonds in their present settings, plus a choice collection of award winning traditional and modern diamond pieces: rings, bracelets, brooches, pins, earclips, watches, and tiaras. Everyone who thrills to the diamond’s matchless brilliance will find this an enjoyable and thoroughly worthwhile book to own—along with the diamond that is forever.
About the author
Joan Younger Dickinson began her writing career as a reported in New York for United Press International. For more than a decade she was staff writer and an associate editor of the Ladies Home Journal. Author and editor of several books on social history, she worked in Istanbul, Antwerp, Amsterdam, London, and New York studying the diamond before completing this book.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
The Bottom Of The Pyramid
C.K. Prahalad, author of The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid writes:
The bottom of the pyramid is comprised of 5 billion underserved and unserved people. It is not a monolith--there are many demographic layers within it--and it's not just the poorest of the poor. But I'm not interested in the pseudo-efficiency of trying to precisely measure poverty. I'm interested in business innovations that will bring the BOP (bottom of the pyramid) into the market-driven economy.
The bottom of the pyramid is comprised of 5 billion underserved and unserved people. It is not a monolith--there are many demographic layers within it--and it's not just the poorest of the poor. But I'm not interested in the pseudo-efficiency of trying to precisely measure poverty. I'm interested in business innovations that will bring the BOP (bottom of the pyramid) into the market-driven economy.
Opticon
Nearly all emeralds are treated with a liquid or resin after cutting. The most popular filler is a synthetic polyester epoxy resin called Opticon. Opticon is nearly transparent and light amber in color. The refractive index is approximately 1.545. Treaters may use green Opticon to improve the color of emeralds without proper disclosure. Opticon may turn yellow after many months/years. With some training, proper magnification and comparison stones you should be able to detect dispersion flashes, trapped gas bubbles, and unique texture (s) inside the stone. All treatments should be disclosed at all levels of the distribution chain. If you are doubtful have it checked by a reputed gem testing laboratory.
Throwing Good Money After Bad
Here is an interesting article on money and its unique phenomenon in the real world.
Robert Kiyosaki writes:
All booms eventually go bust. We all remember the stock market crash of 2000, and most of us remember the real estate crash after the implementation of the 1986 Tax Reform Act. Today, many people are anticipating another real estate crash.
Unfortunately, despite our understanding of booms and inevitable busts, it's always near the top of a boom that "dumb money" buys in. Currently, this has set the scene for a potential market bust of which few people are aware. I'll describe it today's column, and advise how best to prepare in my next column.
Express-Lane Inspiration
About a year ago, I wrote a Yahoo! Finance column warning readers that the real estate boom was over. How did I forecast the end of the boom? I got my hot tip from the cashier at my local Safeway supermarket.
While she was tallying the cost of my apples, broccoli, and steaks, she handed me her new real estate agent's card and invited me to call her for my next real estate investment. Moments later, I was home writing that column. As my rich dad used to say, "When dumb money chases smart money, the party's over." Needless to say, many real estate agents and investors wrote me nasty notes.
I'm not a hundred-percent certain where things are going today. Most economists are forecasting a strong economy, but economists worry me more than newly minted real estate agents. Most seem to be happy that inflation is in check; when I hear that inflation is in check, I begin to think about deflation, and as most of us know, deflation is much, much, worse than inflation.
An Inconvenient Truth
In the simplest terms, inflation occurs when there' too much money in the system. On the flip side, deflation occurs when there are too few dollars in circulation. When that happens, prices start to fall. For example, in inflationary times, prices of houses go up. In deflationary times, prices of houses come down. If prices of houses begin to drop too fast right now, it could be 1986 all over again.
I wrote a column in 2005 about how I love debt and my credit cards. The trouble is that most people do. Today, you can qualify for a loan to buy a house simply if you're alive and breathing. The strong economy we've been experiencing for years has thus been built on dumb money -- in addition to smart money -- borrowing more and more. Even the U.S. government has had a field day borrowing money to do such things as fight a war and attempt to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan rather than rebuild our country. And the inconvenient truth about debt is that it has to be paid back.
A Certain Ratio
For the next two years, I'm cautioning people to watch their ratios between good debt and bad debt, and keep liquid reserves such as cash, gold, or silver.
Good debt is debt that makes you rich. An example of good debt is the debt on the apartment houses I own. That debt is good only as long as there are tenants to pay my mortgages. If tenants stop paying their rent, my good debt turns into bad debt.
Most people don't have good debt -- all they have is bad debt. Bad debt is debt that makes you poorer. I count the mortgage on my home as bad debt, because I'm the one paying on it. Other forms of bad debt are car payments, credit card balances, or other consumer loans.
On our home, my wife, Kim, and I keep a 25 percent debt-to-equity ratio. In other words, our debt is 25 percent of the home's value. Unfortunately, many people have an 80 percent or higher debt-to-equity ratio. That means the debt on their home is 80 percent and their equity is only 20 percent.
On our investment properties, we carry a higher debt-to-equity ratio. To protect ourselves, we have cash reserves to cover the expenses of the properties. For example, in case all the tenants leave and no one is left to pay the mortgage and expenses, we have separate funds for each property, with enough liquidity -- i.e. cash, stocks, and bonds -- to carry the building for a year. Unfortunately, the dumb-money crowd has no reserve funds for their properties.
Where Deflation Does Its Damage
In a deflationary market, the value of your home can drop. If the value drops, the bank may call in your loan. Even if you've never missed a payment, and even if you're ahead on the payment schedule, the bank can call in your loan if they feel the value of the property is lower than the loan amount.
For example, say you buy a house for $100,000 and put 20 percent down and borrow $80,000. If the market deflates and the value of your home drops to $70,000 (because everyone else is selling their homes to get out of debt), the lender may ask you to pay the $80,000 you owe immediately.
If such deflation happens, cash will become king. There will be half-price sales on BMWs, expensive restaurants will close, and people will be out of work. And anybody who caters to people with dumb money will be in trouble. As I said before, deflation is much worse than inflation.
Smart Money, Bad Times
The good news is that during deflationary times, smart money reenters the market, so crashes are great for smart people with smart money. Instead of listening to the optimistic economists, then, you should eliminate bad debt and improve your debt-to-equity ratios on good debt.
Most important, study; if you want to be smart, you need to learn. I'll discuss what you should study in the second part of this column. For now, be aware that if deflation comes and there's a recession, it won't have much effect on the poor. Instead, it'll punish middle-class people who think they're rich because their houses and stocks have gone up in value.
I'll explain more in a couple of weeks.
More info @ http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/richricher/24515
Robert Kiyosaki writes:
All booms eventually go bust. We all remember the stock market crash of 2000, and most of us remember the real estate crash after the implementation of the 1986 Tax Reform Act. Today, many people are anticipating another real estate crash.
Unfortunately, despite our understanding of booms and inevitable busts, it's always near the top of a boom that "dumb money" buys in. Currently, this has set the scene for a potential market bust of which few people are aware. I'll describe it today's column, and advise how best to prepare in my next column.
Express-Lane Inspiration
About a year ago, I wrote a Yahoo! Finance column warning readers that the real estate boom was over. How did I forecast the end of the boom? I got my hot tip from the cashier at my local Safeway supermarket.
While she was tallying the cost of my apples, broccoli, and steaks, she handed me her new real estate agent's card and invited me to call her for my next real estate investment. Moments later, I was home writing that column. As my rich dad used to say, "When dumb money chases smart money, the party's over." Needless to say, many real estate agents and investors wrote me nasty notes.
I'm not a hundred-percent certain where things are going today. Most economists are forecasting a strong economy, but economists worry me more than newly minted real estate agents. Most seem to be happy that inflation is in check; when I hear that inflation is in check, I begin to think about deflation, and as most of us know, deflation is much, much, worse than inflation.
An Inconvenient Truth
In the simplest terms, inflation occurs when there' too much money in the system. On the flip side, deflation occurs when there are too few dollars in circulation. When that happens, prices start to fall. For example, in inflationary times, prices of houses go up. In deflationary times, prices of houses come down. If prices of houses begin to drop too fast right now, it could be 1986 all over again.
I wrote a column in 2005 about how I love debt and my credit cards. The trouble is that most people do. Today, you can qualify for a loan to buy a house simply if you're alive and breathing. The strong economy we've been experiencing for years has thus been built on dumb money -- in addition to smart money -- borrowing more and more. Even the U.S. government has had a field day borrowing money to do such things as fight a war and attempt to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan rather than rebuild our country. And the inconvenient truth about debt is that it has to be paid back.
A Certain Ratio
For the next two years, I'm cautioning people to watch their ratios between good debt and bad debt, and keep liquid reserves such as cash, gold, or silver.
Good debt is debt that makes you rich. An example of good debt is the debt on the apartment houses I own. That debt is good only as long as there are tenants to pay my mortgages. If tenants stop paying their rent, my good debt turns into bad debt.
Most people don't have good debt -- all they have is bad debt. Bad debt is debt that makes you poorer. I count the mortgage on my home as bad debt, because I'm the one paying on it. Other forms of bad debt are car payments, credit card balances, or other consumer loans.
On our home, my wife, Kim, and I keep a 25 percent debt-to-equity ratio. In other words, our debt is 25 percent of the home's value. Unfortunately, many people have an 80 percent or higher debt-to-equity ratio. That means the debt on their home is 80 percent and their equity is only 20 percent.
On our investment properties, we carry a higher debt-to-equity ratio. To protect ourselves, we have cash reserves to cover the expenses of the properties. For example, in case all the tenants leave and no one is left to pay the mortgage and expenses, we have separate funds for each property, with enough liquidity -- i.e. cash, stocks, and bonds -- to carry the building for a year. Unfortunately, the dumb-money crowd has no reserve funds for their properties.
Where Deflation Does Its Damage
In a deflationary market, the value of your home can drop. If the value drops, the bank may call in your loan. Even if you've never missed a payment, and even if you're ahead on the payment schedule, the bank can call in your loan if they feel the value of the property is lower than the loan amount.
For example, say you buy a house for $100,000 and put 20 percent down and borrow $80,000. If the market deflates and the value of your home drops to $70,000 (because everyone else is selling their homes to get out of debt), the lender may ask you to pay the $80,000 you owe immediately.
If such deflation happens, cash will become king. There will be half-price sales on BMWs, expensive restaurants will close, and people will be out of work. And anybody who caters to people with dumb money will be in trouble. As I said before, deflation is much worse than inflation.
Smart Money, Bad Times
The good news is that during deflationary times, smart money reenters the market, so crashes are great for smart people with smart money. Instead of listening to the optimistic economists, then, you should eliminate bad debt and improve your debt-to-equity ratios on good debt.
Most important, study; if you want to be smart, you need to learn. I'll discuss what you should study in the second part of this column. For now, be aware that if deflation comes and there's a recession, it won't have much effect on the poor. Instead, it'll punish middle-class people who think they're rich because their houses and stocks have gone up in value.
I'll explain more in a couple of weeks.
More info @ http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/richricher/24515
The Wizard Of Oz
Memorable quote from the movie:
Auntie Em Gale (Clara Blandick): Almira Gulch. Just because you own half the town doesn't mean that you have the power to run the rest of us. For twenty-three years I've been dying to tell you what I thought of you! And now... well, being a Christian woman, I can't say it!
Auntie Em Gale (Clara Blandick): Almira Gulch. Just because you own half the town doesn't mean that you have the power to run the rest of us. For twenty-three years I've been dying to tell you what I thought of you! And now... well, being a Christian woman, I can't say it!
Opal: Identification and Value
By Paul B Downing
Majestic Press
1992 ISBN 0-9625311-2-X
Paul Downing writes:
My goal as I set out to do this book more than 3 years ago, was to produce a methodology for valuing opals which worked. But more important it had to work the same way for every person who used it. Thus, it was necessary to combine definitions of the various characteristics of an opal with a visual, measurable and reproducible criteria. It needed to be visual so that each person who used the definition gained the same sense of meaning from the words. A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when describing opal characteristics. Measurable criteria had to be developed so that each stone could be objectively characterized. The criteria had to be reproducible so that each individual using the valuing methodology employed the same meaning for each item.
Photographs were the only way. I am fortunate to know to excellent opal photographers, Len Cram and Rudy Weber, who have large libraries of pictures of opals of all types and characteristics. Each has access to some of the best opals found in Australia. Their photo libraries are an attempt to chronicle this exciting stone. Just to see them is a real treat. They are wonderful.
I searched through their libraries and selected pictures that would best illustrate the characteristics I needed for visual criteria. I did not always select the most beautiful picture, although there is plenty of beauty within these pages. Rather, I selected pictures for the utilitarian purpose of adding a visual to the definitions to be contained in this book. Without the help of Rudy and Len this book could not have been done. I am deeply in their debt.
Originally I was going to make my own estimates for value and set up a panel of experts to produce periodic updates. The more I thought about that, the more work it seemed. Then my wonderful wife, Bobbi, suggested a simple solution. Why not use someone else’s estimates of market value? The someone else was Richard Drucker and his market assessment of colored stones called The Guide. Terrific idea. Richard and his panel were already doing estimates of opal value and updating them periodically. Exactly what I needed, leaving me time to research more thoroughly the individual characteristics. Richard and I talked and he agreed to let me use his data. Again, I couldn’t do it without him.
The result of using The Guide as the basis for value is that this book never becomes outdated. To get a current reading of market value all you have to do is consult the current issue of The Guide. Then you can use the prices it contains with the methodology presented in this book to obtain the latest market estimate of the value of any opal.
The whole book is set up with one goal in mind. I want any user, anywhere in the world, to identify all the relevant characteristics of a particular opal in exactly the same way. The book is, unfortunately, quite detailed. This detail is needed so that each reader understands the subtle differences that can have a significant affect on value.
To make this detail a little less difficult to follow, I have broken down the process. The book instructs step-by-step, one characteristic at a time. When all the characteristics have been explained, I show how they are put together to form an estimate of value.
I have attempted to make the book complete by covering all sources of opal that appear on the market from Australia, Mexico, America, Brazil, Honduras and Hungary. I have covered all types too, including solid opal (black, white, and crystal), boulder opal, matrix opal, carved opal, doublets, triplets, synthetics and simulated. However, new sources appear yearly. Fortunately, the characteristics that make opal valuable, even opal from new sources, are covered in this book. Using these characteristics you should be able to estimate the market reaction to that new opal from Timbuktu.
It is important to realize that the use of the terms I define here have evolved in the industry over time and by word of mouth. It is inevitable that others will use or visualize these terms a little differently. Hopefully this book will be a first step toward a common and consistent terminology. Remember that definitions are never wrong—they are just different. I hope to narrow these differences.
I realize that the opal market is alive and well, and thus always in state of change. I cannot hope to anticipate the future. Rather, I have done my best to give the most accurate picture of the market at this time.
To do this I have consulted with various opal experts. I have had the privilege of sitting and kibitzing with the Opal Advisory Service of the Lightning Ridge Miners Association on numerous occasions. I have discussed pricing and this project at length with various opal experts in Australia, including Richard Osmond, Joy Clayton, Greg Sherman and John Traurig of Sydney; Ted Priester and Len Cram of Lightning Ridge; Ewe Barfuss of Yowah; Andrew Cody of Melbourne; Andrew Shelley of Coober Pedy; Stafford Scott of Mintabie; Mario Anic of Andamooka; and many others. Several opal cutters in Hong Kong have been most helpful, especially Sunny Li and Peter Su.
In the United States I have consulted with David Baitel, Martin Bell, Tony Dabdoub, Richard Drucker, Brian Franks, Keith Griffin, Glen and Keith Hodson, Bill Maison, Gerry Manning, and Charlie Smith, among others. None of these very helpful people agree with me completely, but I have taken their advice to the best of my ability. Presentations of these ideas at various meetings of the Accredited Gemologists Association and at the GIA International Symposium have helped me clarify and refine this book. My early article, Evaluating Cut Opal, appeared in the December, 1987 issue of Rock & Gem. This article was stimulated by a prior attempt at a pricing system put out by the American Opal Society.
Specific detailed reviews of drafts of parts or all of this book were done by Len Cram, Richard Drucker, Pat Dunnigan, Richard Osmond and Ted Priester. Without the help of all these people I could not have created this book. Still I must accept all the blame for the remaining errors. I hope you find this book helpful, and may be a little entertaining from time to time.
Majestic Press
1992 ISBN 0-9625311-2-X
Paul Downing writes:
My goal as I set out to do this book more than 3 years ago, was to produce a methodology for valuing opals which worked. But more important it had to work the same way for every person who used it. Thus, it was necessary to combine definitions of the various characteristics of an opal with a visual, measurable and reproducible criteria. It needed to be visual so that each person who used the definition gained the same sense of meaning from the words. A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when describing opal characteristics. Measurable criteria had to be developed so that each stone could be objectively characterized. The criteria had to be reproducible so that each individual using the valuing methodology employed the same meaning for each item.
Photographs were the only way. I am fortunate to know to excellent opal photographers, Len Cram and Rudy Weber, who have large libraries of pictures of opals of all types and characteristics. Each has access to some of the best opals found in Australia. Their photo libraries are an attempt to chronicle this exciting stone. Just to see them is a real treat. They are wonderful.
I searched through their libraries and selected pictures that would best illustrate the characteristics I needed for visual criteria. I did not always select the most beautiful picture, although there is plenty of beauty within these pages. Rather, I selected pictures for the utilitarian purpose of adding a visual to the definitions to be contained in this book. Without the help of Rudy and Len this book could not have been done. I am deeply in their debt.
Originally I was going to make my own estimates for value and set up a panel of experts to produce periodic updates. The more I thought about that, the more work it seemed. Then my wonderful wife, Bobbi, suggested a simple solution. Why not use someone else’s estimates of market value? The someone else was Richard Drucker and his market assessment of colored stones called The Guide. Terrific idea. Richard and his panel were already doing estimates of opal value and updating them periodically. Exactly what I needed, leaving me time to research more thoroughly the individual characteristics. Richard and I talked and he agreed to let me use his data. Again, I couldn’t do it without him.
The result of using The Guide as the basis for value is that this book never becomes outdated. To get a current reading of market value all you have to do is consult the current issue of The Guide. Then you can use the prices it contains with the methodology presented in this book to obtain the latest market estimate of the value of any opal.
The whole book is set up with one goal in mind. I want any user, anywhere in the world, to identify all the relevant characteristics of a particular opal in exactly the same way. The book is, unfortunately, quite detailed. This detail is needed so that each reader understands the subtle differences that can have a significant affect on value.
To make this detail a little less difficult to follow, I have broken down the process. The book instructs step-by-step, one characteristic at a time. When all the characteristics have been explained, I show how they are put together to form an estimate of value.
I have attempted to make the book complete by covering all sources of opal that appear on the market from Australia, Mexico, America, Brazil, Honduras and Hungary. I have covered all types too, including solid opal (black, white, and crystal), boulder opal, matrix opal, carved opal, doublets, triplets, synthetics and simulated. However, new sources appear yearly. Fortunately, the characteristics that make opal valuable, even opal from new sources, are covered in this book. Using these characteristics you should be able to estimate the market reaction to that new opal from Timbuktu.
It is important to realize that the use of the terms I define here have evolved in the industry over time and by word of mouth. It is inevitable that others will use or visualize these terms a little differently. Hopefully this book will be a first step toward a common and consistent terminology. Remember that definitions are never wrong—they are just different. I hope to narrow these differences.
I realize that the opal market is alive and well, and thus always in state of change. I cannot hope to anticipate the future. Rather, I have done my best to give the most accurate picture of the market at this time.
To do this I have consulted with various opal experts. I have had the privilege of sitting and kibitzing with the Opal Advisory Service of the Lightning Ridge Miners Association on numerous occasions. I have discussed pricing and this project at length with various opal experts in Australia, including Richard Osmond, Joy Clayton, Greg Sherman and John Traurig of Sydney; Ted Priester and Len Cram of Lightning Ridge; Ewe Barfuss of Yowah; Andrew Cody of Melbourne; Andrew Shelley of Coober Pedy; Stafford Scott of Mintabie; Mario Anic of Andamooka; and many others. Several opal cutters in Hong Kong have been most helpful, especially Sunny Li and Peter Su.
In the United States I have consulted with David Baitel, Martin Bell, Tony Dabdoub, Richard Drucker, Brian Franks, Keith Griffin, Glen and Keith Hodson, Bill Maison, Gerry Manning, and Charlie Smith, among others. None of these very helpful people agree with me completely, but I have taken their advice to the best of my ability. Presentations of these ideas at various meetings of the Accredited Gemologists Association and at the GIA International Symposium have helped me clarify and refine this book. My early article, Evaluating Cut Opal, appeared in the December, 1987 issue of Rock & Gem. This article was stimulated by a prior attempt at a pricing system put out by the American Opal Society.
Specific detailed reviews of drafts of parts or all of this book were done by Len Cram, Richard Drucker, Pat Dunnigan, Richard Osmond and Ted Priester. Without the help of all these people I could not have created this book. Still I must accept all the blame for the remaining errors. I hope you find this book helpful, and may be a little entertaining from time to time.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Diamonds Changing Facets
Here is an update on diamonds.
Economist writes:
An industry once dominated by a cartel is starting to look like any other. DIAMONDS are back on the big screen. The stones serenaded by Marilyn Monroe as a girl's best friend are now, however, portrayed by Hollywood as Africa's worst enemies. Leonardo DiCaprio may win an Academy Award for his performance in “Blood Diamond”, as a mercenary hunting for the precious rocks during the war in Sierra Leone in the 1990s. But in reality, the shape of the industry—which produces an estimated $13 billion of rough stones and over $62 billion of diamond jewellery—has greatly changed since then.
More info @ http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8743058
Economist writes:
An industry once dominated by a cartel is starting to look like any other. DIAMONDS are back on the big screen. The stones serenaded by Marilyn Monroe as a girl's best friend are now, however, portrayed by Hollywood as Africa's worst enemies. Leonardo DiCaprio may win an Academy Award for his performance in “Blood Diamond”, as a mercenary hunting for the precious rocks during the war in Sierra Leone in the 1990s. But in reality, the shape of the industry—which produces an estimated $13 billion of rough stones and over $62 billion of diamond jewellery—has greatly changed since then.
More info @ http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8743058
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