The phenomenon, aventurescence, is seen as a strong spangled reflection of light from plates or flakes of another mineral included in the stone. This effect is seen most often in aventurine quartz, sunstone (feldspar) and the man-made aventurine goldstone.
Aventurine quartz, which gives the name to this effect, is actually not a true mineral, but a rock known as quartzite. It is composed of a granular interlocking mass of quartz crystals. When quartzite contains small mica plates that reflect light, it is then termed aventurine. Usually the included mica is a green, chrome-rich type called fuchsite. It is these mica plates which produce the spangling reflection and give the green color to the stone. The mica may also be of other types, in which case the stone would be other than green. Reddish brown, gray, creamy white, and bluish white are some of the colors it has been found in, but the majority of the aventurine seen in jewelry is of a green color.
Sunstone is the name applied to the varieties of feldspar which show the phenomenon of aventurescence. It may be either oligoclase or labradorite in composition and owes is sparkling sheen to included plates of hematite or goethite. The plates of a red, orange or green color are arranged in parallel rows and they give their otherwise colorless host a rich orangy red color and sparkle.
The best example of aventurescence is seen in the man-made aventurine glass, goldstone. It is a soda-lime glass colored reddish brown by cuprous oxide. With subsequent treatment, the cuprous oxide crystallizes out as thousands of flat hexagonal or triangular plates of crystallized copper. Goldstone is now manufactured in other colors as well.
Cloudy pieces of amber are often heated in rape seed oil to remove the cloudiness. The oil, which penetrates the stone and fills the air spaces causing the cloudiness, also causes stress fractures, which are termed ‘sun spangles’. These may sometimes be present in sufficient numbers to give an aventurescence to the stone.
With the possible exception of sunstone, which is occasionally faceted, most aventurescent gems are cut as cabochon. The plate-like inclusions which give rise to this effect are generally oriented parallel to a certain plane. To obtain the best effect, the base of the cabochon should be parallel to this plane. Maximum sparkle is obtained by cutting the crown with a very low dome.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Promoting And Merchandising Colored Stones
(via Journal of Gemmology, Vol.XVII, No.3, July 1980) Jacques Sabbagh writes:
The point of sale merchandising
It is all very good to possess an inventory that rapidly scores genuine increases in prices, that gains in value in absolute terms. However, this asset would turn into a liability if such an inventory consists of hard to sell items—of articles that go up in replacement price without the need for replacement—of commodities that confine themselves to registering profits on paper. The life blood of any business is turnover.
An effective catalyst for turnover is point of sale merchandising, which actually boils down to proper display techniques, capable of triggering public interest in colored gemstones with resulting sales. Effective display of the goods is cardinally important for the jewelry shop and the jewelry department in a department store, as well as in the layout at jewelry exhibitions. Space rental costs being what they are in the large city centers of the world, it is vital that every square or cubic foot should be adroitly and efficiently used in order to generate sales and profits that should stretch well beyond the breakeven point.
Lighting
The first point in this context I am going to consider with you is the overriding question of lighting. Diamonds, as you know, are shown to their best when bathed in fluorescent or mercury vapor light containing a bluish hue, which would offset any off-coloration present in them. Their cold eternal fire reacts better to a moonlight type of illumination. Conversely, colored gemstones are displayed to good advantage under ordinary tungsten spotlights which possess a subtle yellowish hue. Similar to oil paintings, their colors are shown to full glory and striking vividness under a warm solar type lighting. In an art gallery you will never find the strip lamps fitted above the paintings fluorescent, they are invariably ordinary tungsten lights.
In recent years the research work undertaken by optics physicist, Prof O Erametsa of Helsinki, Finland has resulted in the remarkable invention of the Neochrome electric bulb. The principle of this bulb is that its glass consists of an association of synthetic crystal and of rare mineral salts. This gives it the property of substantially filtering out the yellow component of the spectrum, thus imparting sharper definition to the exposed items and accentuating color hues and tonality, without denaturing them.
Needles to add that the intensity of the lighting should be adequate. This is especially important in case of street windows facing the sun during part of the day, in order to offset the mirror effect of your window glass whenever the sun is shining their way.
Mixing of colors
The second point in the proper display techniques is to keep from displaying your jewelry in trays of the same sets of rings, as usually done with diamond—e.g a tray containing emerald rings, a tray with aquamarine rings, another of ruby rings, and so on. You have an important asset: color! Mix them up, try to find the best combination, the optimum arrangement. Endeavor to compose a chromatic ballad, to produce a symphony of colors. A good practical tip that may help to achieve splendid results is to place complementary color adjoining each other. Examples of complementary color pairs are:
Red and greenish blue—orange and cyan blue
Yellow and indigo blue—violet and greenish yellow
Purple and green
Complementary colors possess what the psychologists call the property of simultaneous contrast, the reciprocally increase their vividness; they enhance each other. Incidentally, this phenomenon is taken advantage of in the street traffic lights.
Not only those already mentioned, but every color and shade of color has its complimentary, which lies diametrically opposite it on the color wheel. At any rate, in your efforts to find the best color layout, take as often as possible the advice of the ladies in your sales force. I find, as a rule, that members of the gentle sex are blessed with a higher color sensitivity than myself.
The hidden message of mineral display
The next recommendation I would like to make in merchandising your colored gemstones is the wide use of rough crystals as a background for both your windows and in-store displays. Mineral crystals are very decorative; they are an integral part of the display theme; frequently, they can serve as props or in the place of pads for the exhibited jewels; they offer a subject of conversation; furthermore, they are marketable items.
Another suggestion I would like to offer is to spread in the midst of your rings and brooches and necklaces, some loose gems in a way that is in keeping with the general color harmony. The importance for your image of the presence of both rough crystals and loose stones in your display is not to be slighted. It carries two implied messages: the rough stones hint to a direct link between your concern and the source—the mines, and the loose gems suggest that you are a wholesale gem importer, with contacts with gem cutting centers, who is in a position to offer the best values. In this way two new dimensions are added to the image of your establishment.
Skilful price tagging
It is sometimes customary for jewelers to place price tags on certain items on display. There is no harm in this, provided you apply the art of the inviting price tag technique. Every one of you knows perfectly well his best selling price bracket. Put price tags on some of the pieces that fall within this bracket and, if you wish, on some of the items that are below it; but never on any article that lies in a price category above it. This may drive away the shy potential buyer, and you need the traffic. If you are going to price tag some of the loose gems on display, when the stone happens to be a fraction of a carat—say a ¾ carat diamond or a 60 point emerald—it is advisable to mark the tag with the total price of it, which will evidently be inferior to its price per carat. If, on the other hand, the gem is larger than a carat, it is preferable to put down its price per carat, which will obviously be less than the total price for the stone.
Contagious use of jewels
Another helpful procedure in merchandising colored stones is what I am very fond of calling the animated display. Wear colored gems yourself; have your wife wear them. Make the members of your sales force wear them. Using colored jewels impart to them added life, increased brilliance, intensified fire, because with every movement of the body, they catch the light rays at a different angle, and an alternative corner, another facet springs out from the dark and shines forth in full glory. Confer on them the prestige of being used and of being useful and the compliment will be twice returned—firstly in the form of the privilege of wearing them, and secondly through a vague, inarticulate, yet strongly motivating impression at the border plane between the subconscious and the conscious mind of the potential customer. Translated into the parlance of awareness, this insidious motivation would be the equivalent to an argument along these lines: ‘If you the professional find them worthy of being used by you, they deserve to be worn by myself.’
Promoting And Merchandising Colored Stones (continued)
The point of sale merchandising
It is all very good to possess an inventory that rapidly scores genuine increases in prices, that gains in value in absolute terms. However, this asset would turn into a liability if such an inventory consists of hard to sell items—of articles that go up in replacement price without the need for replacement—of commodities that confine themselves to registering profits on paper. The life blood of any business is turnover.
An effective catalyst for turnover is point of sale merchandising, which actually boils down to proper display techniques, capable of triggering public interest in colored gemstones with resulting sales. Effective display of the goods is cardinally important for the jewelry shop and the jewelry department in a department store, as well as in the layout at jewelry exhibitions. Space rental costs being what they are in the large city centers of the world, it is vital that every square or cubic foot should be adroitly and efficiently used in order to generate sales and profits that should stretch well beyond the breakeven point.
Lighting
The first point in this context I am going to consider with you is the overriding question of lighting. Diamonds, as you know, are shown to their best when bathed in fluorescent or mercury vapor light containing a bluish hue, which would offset any off-coloration present in them. Their cold eternal fire reacts better to a moonlight type of illumination. Conversely, colored gemstones are displayed to good advantage under ordinary tungsten spotlights which possess a subtle yellowish hue. Similar to oil paintings, their colors are shown to full glory and striking vividness under a warm solar type lighting. In an art gallery you will never find the strip lamps fitted above the paintings fluorescent, they are invariably ordinary tungsten lights.
In recent years the research work undertaken by optics physicist, Prof O Erametsa of Helsinki, Finland has resulted in the remarkable invention of the Neochrome electric bulb. The principle of this bulb is that its glass consists of an association of synthetic crystal and of rare mineral salts. This gives it the property of substantially filtering out the yellow component of the spectrum, thus imparting sharper definition to the exposed items and accentuating color hues and tonality, without denaturing them.
Needles to add that the intensity of the lighting should be adequate. This is especially important in case of street windows facing the sun during part of the day, in order to offset the mirror effect of your window glass whenever the sun is shining their way.
Mixing of colors
The second point in the proper display techniques is to keep from displaying your jewelry in trays of the same sets of rings, as usually done with diamond—e.g a tray containing emerald rings, a tray with aquamarine rings, another of ruby rings, and so on. You have an important asset: color! Mix them up, try to find the best combination, the optimum arrangement. Endeavor to compose a chromatic ballad, to produce a symphony of colors. A good practical tip that may help to achieve splendid results is to place complementary color adjoining each other. Examples of complementary color pairs are:
Red and greenish blue—orange and cyan blue
Yellow and indigo blue—violet and greenish yellow
Purple and green
Complementary colors possess what the psychologists call the property of simultaneous contrast, the reciprocally increase their vividness; they enhance each other. Incidentally, this phenomenon is taken advantage of in the street traffic lights.
Not only those already mentioned, but every color and shade of color has its complimentary, which lies diametrically opposite it on the color wheel. At any rate, in your efforts to find the best color layout, take as often as possible the advice of the ladies in your sales force. I find, as a rule, that members of the gentle sex are blessed with a higher color sensitivity than myself.
The hidden message of mineral display
The next recommendation I would like to make in merchandising your colored gemstones is the wide use of rough crystals as a background for both your windows and in-store displays. Mineral crystals are very decorative; they are an integral part of the display theme; frequently, they can serve as props or in the place of pads for the exhibited jewels; they offer a subject of conversation; furthermore, they are marketable items.
Another suggestion I would like to offer is to spread in the midst of your rings and brooches and necklaces, some loose gems in a way that is in keeping with the general color harmony. The importance for your image of the presence of both rough crystals and loose stones in your display is not to be slighted. It carries two implied messages: the rough stones hint to a direct link between your concern and the source—the mines, and the loose gems suggest that you are a wholesale gem importer, with contacts with gem cutting centers, who is in a position to offer the best values. In this way two new dimensions are added to the image of your establishment.
Skilful price tagging
It is sometimes customary for jewelers to place price tags on certain items on display. There is no harm in this, provided you apply the art of the inviting price tag technique. Every one of you knows perfectly well his best selling price bracket. Put price tags on some of the pieces that fall within this bracket and, if you wish, on some of the items that are below it; but never on any article that lies in a price category above it. This may drive away the shy potential buyer, and you need the traffic. If you are going to price tag some of the loose gems on display, when the stone happens to be a fraction of a carat—say a ¾ carat diamond or a 60 point emerald—it is advisable to mark the tag with the total price of it, which will evidently be inferior to its price per carat. If, on the other hand, the gem is larger than a carat, it is preferable to put down its price per carat, which will obviously be less than the total price for the stone.
Contagious use of jewels
Another helpful procedure in merchandising colored stones is what I am very fond of calling the animated display. Wear colored gems yourself; have your wife wear them. Make the members of your sales force wear them. Using colored jewels impart to them added life, increased brilliance, intensified fire, because with every movement of the body, they catch the light rays at a different angle, and an alternative corner, another facet springs out from the dark and shines forth in full glory. Confer on them the prestige of being used and of being useful and the compliment will be twice returned—firstly in the form of the privilege of wearing them, and secondly through a vague, inarticulate, yet strongly motivating impression at the border plane between the subconscious and the conscious mind of the potential customer. Translated into the parlance of awareness, this insidious motivation would be the equivalent to an argument along these lines: ‘If you the professional find them worthy of being used by you, they deserve to be worn by myself.’
Promoting And Merchandising Colored Stones (continued)
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Patton
Memorable quote (s) from the movie:
Patton (George C Scott): For over a thousand years, Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of a triumph - a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeters and musicians and strange animals from the conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conqueror rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children, robed in white, stood with him in the chariot, or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror, holding a golden crown, and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory is fleeting.
Patton (George C Scott): For over a thousand years, Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of a triumph - a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeters and musicians and strange animals from the conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conqueror rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children, robed in white, stood with him in the chariot, or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror, holding a golden crown, and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory is fleeting.
Clicks And Mortar
Malcolm Gladwell writes about the internet hype and the real off-line E-commerce revolution @ http://www.gladwell.com/1999/1999_12_06_a_clicks.htm
Palladium Brochure
This brochure is an excellent introduction to the metal. Free copies of the Palladium Information brochure are available by calling Guertin Brothers at 800-225-3141 or emailing sales@guertinbrothers.com
Closing The Debate
Chaim Even-Zohar shares the views by the dean of DTC brokers, Gerald Rothschild, on sightholders and supplier of choice (s) + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp?TextSearch=&KeyMatch=0&id=26393
Iridescent Gemstones
Iridescence is an effect caused by the interference of light at thin films within the gemstone. The gem materials which display iridescence are fire agate, iris or rainbow agate and iris or rainbow quartz. There are many other gem materials which occasionally display iridescence in fractures, but the above materials are best known for this effect.
Fire agate is cut from a special type of chalcedony nodule in which deeper layers are coated with goethite. The goethite layers act as thin films, producing interference and a lovely iridescence. In judging quality of fire agate, color is of prime importance. The most desirable colors are blue, yellow and red, with violet, green and orange being less so. Bronzy or metallic colors are undesirable. Fine stones display fire 90% or more of the face. If the fire covers less than 70% of the face, the body color begins to detract from the stone’s appearance. As a general rule, the less color coverage, the lower the value of the stone. When checking the stone, be sure to rotate it so that any cracks, pits or dead spots can be seen. All of these factors will lower the value.
Iris or rainbow agate is a special type of chalcedony which shows iridescent colors when examined in transmitted light. Agate is composed of multitudes of tiny quartz crystals which build layer upon layer during growth. If enough of these layers are present, iridescent colors will be seen when a thin slice is held against a light. Any agate deposit yielding highly translucent material can produce iris agate, but its presence cannot be determined from the outside appearance alone. The only way to know for sure is to cut a very, very thin slice from the center of the agate nodule, and after wetting it with oil, hold it in front of the light. So that the slice will not have to be tilted to see the rainbow effect, it is important that it is centered properly when being cut. The saw must cut through the bands of the agate at right angles in order to orient the effect properly.
Iris or rainbow quartz is a special type of rock crystal quartz which shows iridescent colors in reflected light. These colors are caused by the interference of light at air-filled fractures throughout the stone. Sometimes the complete range of spectral colors can be seen because each crack starts as a very narrow wedge at one end and gradually gets wider and wider towards the surface. Because of the variable size of the fracture, different colors are seen. The iris effect can be artificially induced by heating quartz and then quenching it (rapidly cooling it) in cold water. If a dye is added to the water, it dries in the cracks, producing what are termed ‘firestones’.
Fire agate is cut from a special type of chalcedony nodule in which deeper layers are coated with goethite. The goethite layers act as thin films, producing interference and a lovely iridescence. In judging quality of fire agate, color is of prime importance. The most desirable colors are blue, yellow and red, with violet, green and orange being less so. Bronzy or metallic colors are undesirable. Fine stones display fire 90% or more of the face. If the fire covers less than 70% of the face, the body color begins to detract from the stone’s appearance. As a general rule, the less color coverage, the lower the value of the stone. When checking the stone, be sure to rotate it so that any cracks, pits or dead spots can be seen. All of these factors will lower the value.
Iris or rainbow agate is a special type of chalcedony which shows iridescent colors when examined in transmitted light. Agate is composed of multitudes of tiny quartz crystals which build layer upon layer during growth. If enough of these layers are present, iridescent colors will be seen when a thin slice is held against a light. Any agate deposit yielding highly translucent material can produce iris agate, but its presence cannot be determined from the outside appearance alone. The only way to know for sure is to cut a very, very thin slice from the center of the agate nodule, and after wetting it with oil, hold it in front of the light. So that the slice will not have to be tilted to see the rainbow effect, it is important that it is centered properly when being cut. The saw must cut through the bands of the agate at right angles in order to orient the effect properly.
Iris or rainbow quartz is a special type of rock crystal quartz which shows iridescent colors in reflected light. These colors are caused by the interference of light at air-filled fractures throughout the stone. Sometimes the complete range of spectral colors can be seen because each crack starts as a very narrow wedge at one end and gradually gets wider and wider towards the surface. Because of the variable size of the fracture, different colors are seen. The iris effect can be artificially induced by heating quartz and then quenching it (rapidly cooling it) in cold water. If a dye is added to the water, it dries in the cracks, producing what are termed ‘firestones’.
Promoting And Merchandising Colored Stones
(via Journal of Gemmology, Vol.XVII, No.3, July 1980) Jacques Sabbagh writes:
The inventory
A carefully chosen, well-balanced stock of colored gemstones is logically the starting point. You cannot sell what you do not have, except on the rare occasions where you act as a broker and/or sell from goods consigned to you. Furthermore, sales are in the numbers: the bigger and wider the choice in your arsenal, the greater are your chances for scoring direct hits.
However, it is not necessary to have all your inventory of gemstones mounted. There is no need to tie up more capital unnecessarily. It is, on the contrary, desirable to leave a substantial part of your stock in the form of loose stones. This way, you will be leaving the door open for the option of custom made, hand tailored pieces of jewelry that would exactly fit the taste and requirements of the eventual buyer.
All right, so you have to build up an inventory of colored gems. What are these gems? What are the characteristic properties of gemstones? I do not propose to tax your patience or offend your knowledgeability with a detailed dissertation on gemology; I am sure quite a number of people present are more versed than I in the topic. I intend however, to tough very briefly on certain elements of the subject. I would like first to enumerate the characteristic properties of gemstones. These are:
1. Beauty
2. Durability
3. Rarity
and 4. A property which has been somehow persistently overlooked by gemologists and consequently its mention in gem books consistently omitted, and this is, portability.
Beauty
A gem has to be attractive enough in order to trigger the urge to acquire it, in order to stimulate the desire to possess it, in order to incite a willingness to pay for it, to buy it.
Durability
The second property is the resistance to scratching; it is what we commonly call hardness. A gem has to possess hardness enough to retain its beauty. You see, unlike similar luxurious but perishable commodities such as fur coats and precious leatherware, as for instance crocodile handbags and shoes, jewels are expected to be longlasting, eternal; they are meant to be handed down from generation to generation.
Rarity
The third characteristic of a gemstone, and an exponent of this quality according to the inexorable, all-pervasive, omnipresent law of supply and demand, is price. It must be rare enough in order to fetch a decent price.
Portability
Gemstones constitute value in compact size, they are a form of condensed wealth. One can carry literally in one’s pockets tens, or even hundreds, of thousands of pounds in the form of a few tiny parcels of gems. In the course of history, gemstones have surreptitiously or openly crossed borders between countries, they have continuously changed hands, being bought in times of affluence and sold in times of depression. They have repeatedly served to finance a king or a prince to wage war or to buy a peace settlement; they have been used along with precious metals often to appease the appetite of an aggressive imperial power or as ransom for many a crowned head. If gemstones were to disappear overnight from the face of the earth, most people would go on living as usual, practically unaffected; but on the other hand, had gemstones never existed, many a chapter of human history would have to be rewritten.
Another point I would like to expose is one that has to do with nomenclature. Traditionally, jewels are divided into precious and semi-precious. The members of the precious class are four: first is the universally acknowledged king of them all, diamond. The other three princely members of this class are emerald, ruby and sapphire. The rest of the aristocratic members of the gem world have all been lumped together under the heading semi-precious. However, over the last few decades, this elementary classification, this simplistic terminology has been increasingly eroded by the gradual realization that the line of demarcation between the precious and the semi-precious gems is indeed a very hazy one.
The dividing line is so blurred that there is in more than one area factual confluence of the two conventional categories; because, what are we to use as a yardstick in order to differentiate between precious and semi-precious stones? Is it the first characteristic of a gem, that is, beauty? But beauty is a dual property: the objective or inherent factor related to form, color, harmony and symmetry, and the subjective element of assessment and appreciation, which is largely dependant on fashion, taste, the times and geography. To give one example, Pliny tells us that in ancient Rome emeralds were much appraised than rubies, whereas if we focus on Renaissance Florence some sixteen centuries later, we hear Benvenuto Cellini informing us that rubies were considerably in higher demand than diamonds and were fetching prices eight times as much. Shall we then use as a yardstick the second property of a gem, that is durability, or hardness? But emerald, a notable member of the precious group with a hardness of 7½ on Moh’s scale, is less hard than either chrysoberyl with a hardness of 8½, or topaz with a hardness of 8; both members of the semi-precious group. Is it rarity and its exponent, price, that we shall go by to distinguish between the two categories? We find that this too, does not apply to several cases, for example, a demantoid garnet or an alexandrite chrysoberyl can fetch high prices, both being rarer finding than a rather nice sapphire.
The realization of all these facts had led the participants of an international convention of retail jewelers a few decades ago, to pass the half-measure resolution of arbitrarily shifting the demarcation line between the two groups of gems to the hardness immediately above that of quartz—that is 7 on Moh’s scale. They chose the hardness 7 because it is that of silica which is abundantly present in sand as well as in the dust suspended in the air carried by the winds, which would scratch any stone of a hardness of 7 or below, thus prematurely showing the signs of wearing. So, according to this resolution which takes into consideration only the property of hardness, all gems that possess a hardness superior to 7 are precious and all those with a hardness of 7 or below are semi-precious.
It has been quite some years now since the French members of the trade have discarded the illogical term semi-precious to replace it by pierres fines whose closest English equivalent would be gemstones. Quite recently, at the last annual conference of the International Federation of the Jewellery Trade, CIBJO, in Paris, the use of the term semi-precious was considered at length, it being reported that some Scandinavian countries and West Germany had made progress by getting official acceptance of the term precious. However, there were difficulties for some, it was said, particularly in respect of Customs authorities, in redefining the expression semi-precious. The U.K delegation considered that we should do everything possible, in the U.K, to discourage the term, which is a down-grading one. They believe it is better to use precious stones or gemstones. At long last we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I trust the day is near when the derogatory expression semi-precious will become obsolescent and the conventional classification of gems will be past history.
Now let us focus on an important point related to the building up of an inventory of colored gemstones, namely its investment value to the jeweler. In inflationary times like these, continuous price increases of practically every marketable item of service have become a familiar aspect of the economic landscape. Over the last decade or so, colored gems have steadily figured among the commodities heading the list of price increases. Between January, 1969 through December, 1978, these gems, in the rough, at the sources—whether in Brazil or Colombia, Africa or Sri Lanka, Australia or Afghanistan—have undergone, across the board, increases in prices by leaps and bounds, so that at present they fetch in terms of pounds sterling between nine and a half to almost eleven times their prices in the beginning of 1969. Evidently the same has applied to the world gem cutting and jewel manufacturing centers, whether around the mining areas or in such traditional, or recently developed, centers as, for example, London or Birmingham here in the U.K, Idar-Oberstein in West Germany, Jaipur in India, or Bangkok in Thailand. What is perhaps even more interesting is the fact that at no point during this last decade, has the curve of price increases ever been deflected downwards, as happened in the fifties and early sixties. It is thus obvious that, even after price indexing against currency depreciation, colored gemstones have shown a true up-valuation. It follows from this that one should not think twice to invest in colored stones.
Promoting And Merchandising Colored Stones (continued)
The inventory
A carefully chosen, well-balanced stock of colored gemstones is logically the starting point. You cannot sell what you do not have, except on the rare occasions where you act as a broker and/or sell from goods consigned to you. Furthermore, sales are in the numbers: the bigger and wider the choice in your arsenal, the greater are your chances for scoring direct hits.
However, it is not necessary to have all your inventory of gemstones mounted. There is no need to tie up more capital unnecessarily. It is, on the contrary, desirable to leave a substantial part of your stock in the form of loose stones. This way, you will be leaving the door open for the option of custom made, hand tailored pieces of jewelry that would exactly fit the taste and requirements of the eventual buyer.
All right, so you have to build up an inventory of colored gems. What are these gems? What are the characteristic properties of gemstones? I do not propose to tax your patience or offend your knowledgeability with a detailed dissertation on gemology; I am sure quite a number of people present are more versed than I in the topic. I intend however, to tough very briefly on certain elements of the subject. I would like first to enumerate the characteristic properties of gemstones. These are:
1. Beauty
2. Durability
3. Rarity
and 4. A property which has been somehow persistently overlooked by gemologists and consequently its mention in gem books consistently omitted, and this is, portability.
Beauty
A gem has to be attractive enough in order to trigger the urge to acquire it, in order to stimulate the desire to possess it, in order to incite a willingness to pay for it, to buy it.
Durability
The second property is the resistance to scratching; it is what we commonly call hardness. A gem has to possess hardness enough to retain its beauty. You see, unlike similar luxurious but perishable commodities such as fur coats and precious leatherware, as for instance crocodile handbags and shoes, jewels are expected to be longlasting, eternal; they are meant to be handed down from generation to generation.
Rarity
The third characteristic of a gemstone, and an exponent of this quality according to the inexorable, all-pervasive, omnipresent law of supply and demand, is price. It must be rare enough in order to fetch a decent price.
Portability
Gemstones constitute value in compact size, they are a form of condensed wealth. One can carry literally in one’s pockets tens, or even hundreds, of thousands of pounds in the form of a few tiny parcels of gems. In the course of history, gemstones have surreptitiously or openly crossed borders between countries, they have continuously changed hands, being bought in times of affluence and sold in times of depression. They have repeatedly served to finance a king or a prince to wage war or to buy a peace settlement; they have been used along with precious metals often to appease the appetite of an aggressive imperial power or as ransom for many a crowned head. If gemstones were to disappear overnight from the face of the earth, most people would go on living as usual, practically unaffected; but on the other hand, had gemstones never existed, many a chapter of human history would have to be rewritten.
Another point I would like to expose is one that has to do with nomenclature. Traditionally, jewels are divided into precious and semi-precious. The members of the precious class are four: first is the universally acknowledged king of them all, diamond. The other three princely members of this class are emerald, ruby and sapphire. The rest of the aristocratic members of the gem world have all been lumped together under the heading semi-precious. However, over the last few decades, this elementary classification, this simplistic terminology has been increasingly eroded by the gradual realization that the line of demarcation between the precious and the semi-precious gems is indeed a very hazy one.
The dividing line is so blurred that there is in more than one area factual confluence of the two conventional categories; because, what are we to use as a yardstick in order to differentiate between precious and semi-precious stones? Is it the first characteristic of a gem, that is, beauty? But beauty is a dual property: the objective or inherent factor related to form, color, harmony and symmetry, and the subjective element of assessment and appreciation, which is largely dependant on fashion, taste, the times and geography. To give one example, Pliny tells us that in ancient Rome emeralds were much appraised than rubies, whereas if we focus on Renaissance Florence some sixteen centuries later, we hear Benvenuto Cellini informing us that rubies were considerably in higher demand than diamonds and were fetching prices eight times as much. Shall we then use as a yardstick the second property of a gem, that is durability, or hardness? But emerald, a notable member of the precious group with a hardness of 7½ on Moh’s scale, is less hard than either chrysoberyl with a hardness of 8½, or topaz with a hardness of 8; both members of the semi-precious group. Is it rarity and its exponent, price, that we shall go by to distinguish between the two categories? We find that this too, does not apply to several cases, for example, a demantoid garnet or an alexandrite chrysoberyl can fetch high prices, both being rarer finding than a rather nice sapphire.
The realization of all these facts had led the participants of an international convention of retail jewelers a few decades ago, to pass the half-measure resolution of arbitrarily shifting the demarcation line between the two groups of gems to the hardness immediately above that of quartz—that is 7 on Moh’s scale. They chose the hardness 7 because it is that of silica which is abundantly present in sand as well as in the dust suspended in the air carried by the winds, which would scratch any stone of a hardness of 7 or below, thus prematurely showing the signs of wearing. So, according to this resolution which takes into consideration only the property of hardness, all gems that possess a hardness superior to 7 are precious and all those with a hardness of 7 or below are semi-precious.
It has been quite some years now since the French members of the trade have discarded the illogical term semi-precious to replace it by pierres fines whose closest English equivalent would be gemstones. Quite recently, at the last annual conference of the International Federation of the Jewellery Trade, CIBJO, in Paris, the use of the term semi-precious was considered at length, it being reported that some Scandinavian countries and West Germany had made progress by getting official acceptance of the term precious. However, there were difficulties for some, it was said, particularly in respect of Customs authorities, in redefining the expression semi-precious. The U.K delegation considered that we should do everything possible, in the U.K, to discourage the term, which is a down-grading one. They believe it is better to use precious stones or gemstones. At long last we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I trust the day is near when the derogatory expression semi-precious will become obsolescent and the conventional classification of gems will be past history.
Now let us focus on an important point related to the building up of an inventory of colored gemstones, namely its investment value to the jeweler. In inflationary times like these, continuous price increases of practically every marketable item of service have become a familiar aspect of the economic landscape. Over the last decade or so, colored gems have steadily figured among the commodities heading the list of price increases. Between January, 1969 through December, 1978, these gems, in the rough, at the sources—whether in Brazil or Colombia, Africa or Sri Lanka, Australia or Afghanistan—have undergone, across the board, increases in prices by leaps and bounds, so that at present they fetch in terms of pounds sterling between nine and a half to almost eleven times their prices in the beginning of 1969. Evidently the same has applied to the world gem cutting and jewel manufacturing centers, whether around the mining areas or in such traditional, or recently developed, centers as, for example, London or Birmingham here in the U.K, Idar-Oberstein in West Germany, Jaipur in India, or Bangkok in Thailand. What is perhaps even more interesting is the fact that at no point during this last decade, has the curve of price increases ever been deflected downwards, as happened in the fifties and early sixties. It is thus obvious that, even after price indexing against currency depreciation, colored gemstones have shown a true up-valuation. It follows from this that one should not think twice to invest in colored stones.
Promoting And Merchandising Colored Stones (continued)
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