Changle, Shandong Province, China

Mining for blue sapphires in Changle was an interesting story. According to Zhao Shi Jun, director of the Changle China Gem City Development and Construction Administration Committee, about 70 percent of the gemstones mined in Changle are send to Thailand for processing. Obviously they would be heat-treated (with mixed results) to make it more saleable. Who knows, there will be more surprises for the colored stone industry from China in the coming years.

The Human Family Tree

Strangers from one of the most diverse streets in the world help reveal just how closely related we all are. Tune in August 30, 2009 on National Geographic Channel.

Heard On The Street

In the gem industry, there's free education from dealers that you work with. And there is great education out on the internet. Trust your own love of gemstones and your taste. If you look at gemstones and one really speaks to you and you love it, then that's the one you should buy, because more likely that's the one you will sell.

Random Thoughts

I'm not an elitist, so I think it must come from the people who go to the opera. Perhaps the fact that most of it is sung in a foreign language makes people feel detached from it. But most of us are from very ordinary backgrounds.

- Kiri Te Kanawa
www.kiritekanawa.org

So true!

Diamond Market Report

Everyone is seeking low price points because consumers have lowered their expectations and are happy to buy the look at a reduced price. But, in the quest for cheap goods, there have been reported cases of buyers being duped by diamonds sold with counterfeit certificates. These are usually High Pressure-High Temperature (HPHT) diamonds, cut to the same dimensions as genuine diamonds certified by world-recognized gemological laboratories, but then sold with counterfeit certificates nearly identical to real certificates. Even in checking online with the certifying laboratories' web pages, the diamonds match the description exactly. Only when the buyers become suspicious and send these diamonds to the laboratories for actual verification is the fraud discovered. Very crude attempts also are being made to sell diamonds that do not match their certificates in quality or color. This happened during the June Hong Kong show. Except for the few sharp buyers who were put on alert by the price discripancies there were many who thought they had concluded the deal of their lives by buying at way below market prices and who then passed on their mistakes to unsuspecting clients down the pipeline. It is normally a dead giveaway when you can buy diamonds much cheaper from one company while other sellers are pricing goods plus or minus a few percent from market prices. But in the past few months, due to the unprecedented pressure manufacturers and dealers were getting from their bankers, big price differences became the norm and diamonds were, in some cases, sold at giveaway prices. This lowered the guard of buyers. The recent misleading and counterfeit instances have reminded dealers of the importance of knowing the source of the diamonds they are buying so they can assure their clients that they come from bona fide sources and are the same diamonds described in the accompanying certificates.

- Gaston D'Aquino
Rapaport Diamond Report, Vol. 32, No. 8, August 2009
www.diamonds.net

P.T. Barnum said it best, 'There's a sucker born every second'. Buyer beware.

World Beach Project

I thought V&A’s World Beach Project was brilliant. www.vam.ac.uk/collections/textiles/lawty/world_beach The patterns made with stones were stunningly beautiful.

Lowering Lead Guide

According to Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America (MJSA) new federal limits regarding the amount of lead allowed in children's products, including jewelry, took effect on August 14, 2009, dropping from 600 parts per million (ppm) to 300 ppm. The new limits are part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008, which Congress passed in the wake of a number of recalls of children's products due to high lead levels. The law applies to all products made for children 12 and under.

Useful link:
www.mjsa.org

Zoltan David

Meet Zoltan David, and explore his one-of-a-kind award-winning jewelry that speaks. www.zoltandavid.com