Gem Business
Learn about the business side of the gem world in our GemBiz section. Our articles cover mining, new discoveries, gem values, and gem cutting.
HomeGem Business
What is Red Labradorite?
Orange and red stones of every kind stood out at this years sensory-overloaded Tucson gem and mineral shows, but one...
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The Truth About Gem Smuggling
Gem smuggling, The term evokes pictures of swashbuckling pirates and trench-coated international spies. The reality is far more gritty and...
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Gemstone Name Reference List
To simplify your pursuit of gemstone knowledge, the varieties discussed in this book will be described in the mineral species....
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Ways to Choose a Birthstone
"My birthstone is emerald," a potential customer recently told me. "But I don't like green," she continued, "so I never...
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Knowing the Difference Between Carat and Karat
Carat, karat, caret, and carrot are all pronounced the same, but each has a different meaning. Carat and karat, of...
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Chalcedony – A Gem for the Ages
The gemstone industry tends, for marketing reasons, to limit the definition of chalcedony somewhat more than mieralolgists. Among gemstone and...
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Gem Cutting Machinery
Until fairly recently, gem cutting was one of the few areas of the world economy to remain uncontaminated by the...
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Oregon Sunstone
Shot through with copper, sunstone from this locality has mesmerized miners and designers alike. It has inspired vacation rockhounds to...
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Benefits of Concave Faceting
How does concave faceting create so much more brilliance than regular flat faceting? Imagine a typical flat, square mirror, Now...
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Beryllium-Diffused Blue Sapphire
Beryllium diffusion typically brightens the color of ruby or sapphire, making a stone more yellow, orange, or red, depending on...
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The Effects of Global Warming on Pearl Oysters
Warming waters, changes in weather patterns, and increases in storm activity may all affect the future success of pearl farms,...
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Gemstone Cut Value
Imagine, if you will, two colored stones. Both exhibit good color. Both are relatively inclusion free. Both tip the scale...
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Tanzanite Mines Interrupted
While a worldwide shortage in gem rough sends prices spiralling upward, gem deposits in Africa are lying unworked, or underworked,...
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Detecting Golden Pearl Color Enhancement
When the first warnings about color enhancement of golden South Sea pearls came out five years ago, fear struck the...
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Burma Drug and Gem Smuggling
Author Richard W. Hughes discusses Gem and drug smuggling in Burma, along with the CIA and British involvement in the...
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Tanzanian Burma Ruby
High quality ruby is being mined in the province of Rukwa , in the southern highlands of Tanzania , according...
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Spessartite Garnet
The decade of the '90s put spessartite garnet on the map. Once a rare collector's gem, the brilliant orange garnet...
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South African Jewelers: The Big Picture
For the residents of South Africa poorest neighborhoods, jewelry makes for a fresh start. Until 10 years ago, global economic...
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Color-Change Garnet from Kenya
Kenya s new color-change garnet performs miracles in different lighting environments. In fluorescent light, it looks the bluest any garnet...
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Moissanite Gemstone – Marketing Dynamite
It's called moissanite and it's described as a proprietary, nearcolorless, lab created gemstone. It's visually almost identical to diamond, and...
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Gemstone Supply Rough Times
Historically speaking, gemstone mining has always been hit or miss. When miners make a big strike, gemstones flood the market,...
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New Gem Identification Techniques
This is an exciting era for gemologists. High-tech analytical techniques now make it possible to identify trace elements, treatments, and...
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SpeckFINDER HD Takes Magnification to High-Tech Levels
When a maid steals a $250,000 gold and diamond necklace from a famous rappers hotel room, only to find that...
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The Furor Over Feldspar
All-natural Oregon sunstone and similar-looking treated andesine once sold as natural are locked in apples-and-oranges competition that is both unfair...
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The Joy of Gems
Gemstones have been treasured by humankind since the beginnings of civilization. Every ancient civilization found practical and decorative purposes for...
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Blue Spinel Turning Heads
Well worth a fresh inspection under the loupe is some fine blue spinel currently on the market. An ancient group...
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Lead Glass-Filled Rubies
GIA recently released a video that provides an overview of lead glass-filled rubies and explains why it has begun to...
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Selling Natural, Unenhanced Gem Material
The marketing slogan 'All Natural' has been used for years to advertise products from cereal to shampoo. Now some gem...
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World Mining Report 2005 – The Middle East
Colored gemstone mining is a hard thing to pin down. The vast majority of mining is still done by independent,...
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Gemstone Cutting Creates Freedom for Design
Difficult times are often good times for the unusual. The higher the hurdle that must be overcome to make clients...
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Book Review – Collecting Rhinestone & Colored Stone Jewelry
This book by Maryanne Dolan is in its third edition and is clearly a required text for those interested in...
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Colored Stone Retail Survey 2005
A decade ago, emerald, ruby, and sapphire routinely topped Colored Stones annual best seller list, as befitted the colored stones...
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World Mining Report 2005 – Central and South America
Colored gemstone mining is a hard thing to pin down. The vast majority of mining is still done by independent,...
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Cutting Down Repair Costs
Much of my business comes from re-cutting colored gems that have been chipped, scratched and broken (not always by the...
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Chris Smith – Amazing Adventures with Tanzanite
A year ago, there wasnt much new to be said about tanzanite, the oven-blued zoisite found only in its namesake...
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Confidential Disclosure Form
This form may be used if you have an idea for a product and wish to approach a manufacturer. It...
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World Mining Report 2005 – Africa
Colored gemstone mining is a hard thing to pin down. The vast majority of mining is still done by independent,...
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World Mining Report 2005 – North America
Colored gemstone mining is a hard thing to pin down. The vast majority of mining is still done by independent,...
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World Mining Report 2005 – Asia
Colored gemstone mining is a hard thing to pin down. The vast majority of mining is still done by independent,...
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Sapphire Retail Sales Back with a Twist
If we needed more proof that our society is obsessed with celebrity style, we have only to look at the...
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Gem Production Update
Morgan Beard, the editor-in-chief of Colored Stone magazine examines the current world mining production of Ruby ' Sapphire, Emerald, Tanzanite,...
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World Mining Report 2005 – Eastern Europe
Colored gemstone mining is a hard thing to pin down. The vast majority of mining is still done by independent,...
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World Mining Report 2005
Colored gemstone mining is a hard thing to pin down. The vast majority of mining is still done by independent,...
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World Mining Report 2005 – Australia
Colored gemstone mining is a hard thing to pin down. The vast majority of mining is still done by independent,...
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