May 2008 Archives

Sarasota, Fla. --For Colleen Rafferty of San Mateo, Calif.-based Christensen and Rafferty Fine Jewelry, the decision to sell lab-created diamonds from Gemesis Corp. was based on a solid business relationship.

For Karl Shrode of Shrode Jewelers in Sarasota, Fla., it was an attempt to reach customers who wanted to buy a yellow diamond but couldn't afford the price tags on natural ones.

While their reasons vary, both are among the growing list of jewelers nationwide who have chosen to add a selection of lab-created stones to their natural-diamond merchandise.

Gemesis diamonds are currently available in 150 to 200 stores in the United States, Hong Kong and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, a large jump for a company that had a foothold in fewer than 25 doors a little more than a year ago.

Shrode, who says he took a tour of the Gemesis factory and was "mesmerized" by the yellow diamonds, has been selling Gemesis stones for about three years. He sells the stones in custom pieces and also carries the Solaura collection, which is Diamond Trading Co. sightholder Michael Werdiger's branded line.

Price points range from $8,000 to $10,000. According to Gemesis, its yellow diamonds are about one-third the price at retail of a comparable natural yellow diamond.

Sarasota, Fla.-based Gemesis uses the high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) process to develop its diamonds.

The stones are created in individual diamond chambers that squeeze graphite under 58,000 atmospheres of pressure at 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit until the material crystallizes into a diamond, atom-by-atom.

In response to growing demand, Gemesis President and Chief Executive Officer Stephen Lux says the company recently added another 30,000 square feet of production space.

The company's carat production averages about 100,000 per year, five to six times the production levels from two years ago. And the average size of the Gemesis diamond also has increased; the company is now producing polished stones as large as 2.75 carats, Lux says.

At JCK Las Vegas this June, the company is slated to announce its pink diamond release date for sometime in 2008, with blue diamonds slated to follow about six to nine months later.

Both Shrode and Rafferty say their customers are requesting larger stones, and Shrode says that he is eagerly awaiting the Gemesis pink.

To those retailers who might be critical of lab-grown diamonds, Shrode says he sees it as the wave of the future, as natural-diamond supplies shrink and prices climb.

"They can be negative all they want, but 10 years from now, they'll be saying to themselves, 'I'm sorry we didn't start this many, many years ago,'" he says.

While Gemesis specializes in colored diamonds, Apollo Diamond creates colorless diamonds using chemical vapor deposition (CVD).

Cecilia Gardner, president and CEO of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC), says according to the Federal Trade Commission, legally, lab-grown diamonds must be called "lab created," "[manufacturer] name created," or "synthetic."

The JVC discusses the topic in "Buying Gemstones and Jewels with Confidence," a brochure that the JVC would like retail jewelers to distribute to their customers.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, - In its efforts to cater to luxury homeowners and high-end clientele, Stone Mart has built an extensive Designer Collection by sourcing quality natural and exotic stone from key locations around the world. From mosaic tile accents to marble stone slabs, Stone Mart is leading the way in offering only the world's best cuts of stone and gemstones. Stone Mart has become one of the country's premier destinations for decorative stone and stone accents, and continues to build its Designer Collection with quality slabs and tiles in a wide range of colors and designs.

Stone Mart works with several vendors from around the globe to import only choice cuts of slabs, tile and decorative accents. The company works with distributors from Spain, Italy, Brazil and Africa amongst others to import the latest stone products from excavation projects and maintain a varied selection. Stone Mart also works with homeowners, architects and interior designers to develop projects and meet the needs of its clients who are looking for only high quality products that fit with today's interior design trends.

Stone Mart's experienced staff has helped develop projects for five-star hotels, world-renown resorts, luxury estates and private homes amongst others. From travertine to fossil stone, Stone Mart provides dozens of natural stone products for both residential and commercial settings. Its centralized location in California houses hundreds of examples of stone and gemstone designs, and visitors can explore the Designer Collection Showroom on site to learn more about options and get ideas for their next project.

With its attention to detail and dedication to superior customer service, Stone Mart is enjoying its twentieth year in business and has earned its position as a premier destination for quality stone. The Designer Collection at Stone Mart is an unrivaled, exclusive collection of quality stone imports from key destinations around the globe. The collection continues to be a source of inspiration for designers, architects and homeowners alike.

Calif.--The Tanzanite Foundation is teaming up with the Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council (JCOC) to gauge consumer desire for the gemstone.

Together, the foundation and the JCOC, a division of MVI Marketing Ltd., hope to measure tanzanite's desirability, its preferred look in jewelry and which retail outlets are best for carrying the stone.

Through doing this, the foundation hopes to help manufacturer members develop more U.S. retail business.

"Every retailer is interested in consumer research about their store(s) based on their customers," MVI Marketing President Liz Chatelain said in a media release. "Armed with current consumer research, the manufacturer members will be able to share the results with retailers across the U.S. and help them to build their colored-stone jewelry sales driven by tanzanite."

In addition to sharing the consumer information, MVI will work with the foundation's manufacturer members to develop the jewelry styles deemed in demand by consumers.

The foundation has eight manufacturer members, all with U.S. offices: A.G. Color Inc., Color Jewels, Intercolor, K.L. Tambi and Co., Paul Wild, Rare MultiColor Gems, STS Jewels and Tanzanite International.

NEW YORK, Mayfair Mining & Minerals, Inc. ("Mayfair") (Pink Sheets:MFMM), (Frankfurt:M1M) has announced that it has increased its production of amethyst gemstones through out-take and joint marketing agreements with three amethyst producers in the area of the Company's operations in the Mapatizya area of Zambia. Under the agreements, Mayfair Zambia will purchase the rough amethyst produced locally and combine it with the Company's own production for sale and shipment to bulk buyers in Asia, where it can be marketed profitably.

The agreements cover additional mining areas in excess of nine square kilometers of historically highly productive ground and will add up to an additional 50 tonnes of stones a month, in excess of two full containers, to Mayfair's rapidly growing production of these valuable gemstones. Based on these agreements and the recent additional investment made by the Company in heavy machinery and infrastructure, Mayfair is now expected to become one of the largest amethyst producers and marketers in Zambia. These developments, when coupled with the Company's in-house expertise in the knocking, sorting, grading and marketing of these and other popular stones, is expected to increase revenues to the point where the Company becomes cash flow positive within the Zambian subsidiary this fiscal year.

Clive de Larrabeiti - CEO and President of the Company stated -

"Significantly, Mayfair recently shipped its first container of rough amethyst to Hong Kong and has received payment. This is a milestone development in the ongoing evolution of the Company from the development to the production and sales phase. With the addition of the out-take agreements described herein and the potential of further acquisitions, joint ventures and marketing agreements within the Zambian gemstone sector, we are now poised to establish ourselves not only as one of the largest producers, but also one of the leading marketers of amethyst gemstones. Projected sales revenues and the anticipated profits generated by us, combined with the employment opportunities we present, are all expected to contribute substantially to the local communities within and around our concessions and enhance our growing reputation within the country for fair and honest dealings. This is expected to have the two-fold effect of encouraging other native license holders to deal with us and also add to the government's willingness to endorse our operations."

With its impressing colour intensity the Ruby can be worked up multifariously. Whether as a ring or a necklace - The Jewellery Channel offers a wide range of exquisite gemstone jewellery

The word 'Ruby' comes from the latin word 'ruber' or 'rubrus' and means red, for Ruby is a pink to blood red gemstone . In mediaeval times Ruby was a symbol of power and therefore a favoured gemstone used in crowns like in the Bohemian St. Wenzel crown. It is assumed that already in Bronze Age, Rubies had been mined in Burma and that around 2.000 years ago Rubies were used as a talisman in India.

Ruby is considered one of the four precious stones. It is the most expensive and most famous gemstone in the world together with the sapphire, the emerald and the diamond . Primarily mined in Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, and Cambodia, Rubies have also been found in the U.S. states of Montana, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Prices of rubies are primarily determined by their colour. The ideal colour for Rubies is an intensive red with a shade of blue, also called Pigeon Blood Red. This unique colour can only be found in Myanmar (Burmese). Rubies mined in Myanmar reach the highest prices not only because of their colour but also for their purity and hue.

Among the colour, also cut and carat (size) determine the price. A special kind of cut is the cabochon-cut which brings out a special lightning and sparkle. In 2006, a record price was paid at auction for a single stone: An unnamed 38.12 carat cabochon-cut ruby was worth $5,860,000 to its buyer.

Rubies are predominantly worked up as gemstones. Clear stones are mostly facet-cut and rubies with optical effects are mostly cabochon-cut. The Jewellery Channel offers Rubies in many varieties, whether worked up in rings, earrings or pendants. The Jewellery Channel draws its Rubies from captive mines which enables The Jewellery Channel to offer the most precious gemstones like Ruby at an affordable price.

Among their symbolic value for 40th wedding anniversary, Rubies also stand for life and love. In former times people believed that keeping Rubies would give power, bravery and dignity to them.

On Tuesday morning tour operators were juggling dates as they struggled to find rooms in Jaipur in what has traditionally been the lean season.

On Wednesday, they were doing it again - but this time because foreign tourists were fleeing from the Pink City, as advisories exercising caution were put out by tour operators. "The impact," said one of them, "is likely to be in the winter season because groups may cancel their forward bookings."

The terrorists have chosen their target well. Jaipur's economy is largely dependent on tourism and handicrafts, and the walled city precincts, where the serial blasts occurred, are at the heart of both.

It is from here that the city's wholesale and retail trade operates for block-printed and tie-and-dye textiles, and for its humungous coloured gemstones and jewellery business, estimated at Rs 2,000 crore annually.

Over 300,000 artisans are associated with the cutting, polishing, and setting of gemstones, silver, and gold. Rajiv Arora, president, Federation of Rajasthan Exporters, said the industry could suffer a loss of Rs 100 crore from exports alone in the short term, since major exporters are preparing for shows in Las Vegas, Vicenza, and New York scheduled for end-June and July.

"Any delays could result in cancellations," said Arora, adding, the US recession and the slowing of the Indian economy have had a bearing on the business. Today's curfew will cause a loss of up to Rs 10 crore, said exporter Ajay Kala.

Even as the city's businessmen grapple with the loss of business, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has said that a Bill on organised crime passed by the Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha in 2006 should receive the President's speedy consent.

CARLSBAD -- The Gemological Institute of America is trying to expand its collection of historical jewelry, a move that its museum director said will offer a wider view into various societies and the ebbs and expansions of nations' economies.

The museum has about 1,000 historical pieces, including turquoise amulets from the Navajo tribe, a pomegranate-shaped bauble composed of rubies and sapphires, and a gem cut from a vein of aqua-colored tourmaline recently discovered in Brazil. The museum also displays several examples of cutting and polishing machines, which have grown more sophisticated over the years.

But all of that has come to the museum in piecemeal fashion, amid campaigns for more contemporary jewelry, and the nonprofit's expansion effort is the first to target historical jewelry. The museum is funded partly by fees that the institute's laboratory charges for examining jewelry for manufacturers and large-scale buyers and sellers. But it isn't able to expand the collection through purchases, which can easily run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, said museum director Elise Misiorowski.

Instead, the institute is asking collectors, aficionados and industry employees to donate jewelry. There's no telling how many necklaces and rings have been passed down to daughters and granddaughters who never wear them, said museum spokeswoman Laura Simanton.

"We're really interested in whatever tells a story," she said.

That includes the story of the 1920s, when the U.S. economy roared forward and women laid aside their grandmothers' cumbersome brooches, opting for sleeker Art Deco-style earrings and bracelets like those displayed in a rotunda near the museum's entryway, Misiorowski said.

The disappearance of platinum jewelry and heavy reliance on gold during World War II, for example, reflects the federal government's claims on platinum for military uses.

Now, with the price of gold near an all-time high above $1,000 an ounce, gold jewelry may begin to take finer, more gossamer forms that emphasize craftsmanship over bulk, she said.

"It's a microcosm of what's happening in a society," Misiorowski said. "If you know how to read it, you can know what's going on in a particular period."

The museum will house the collection in a vault, rotating various pieces into display at its campuses in Carlsbad, Los Angeles and New York, Simanton said. Selected pieces may also be loaned to other museums elsewhere, she said. Admission to the museum in Carlsbad is free.

The museum hasn't set a date for the historical collection to be exhibited separately from its other pieces, she said.

Misiorowski is putting together a once-a-decade retrospective of post-1998 jewelry that the museum plans to publish next year.

Gemology and jewelry don't constitute a particularly large industry for San Diego County, though the institute itself employs more than 1,000 people in Carlsbad and several hundred elsewhere in the world, Simanton said. The institute is one of a handful of large organizations in the United States that certify the authenticity and quality of gemstones for manufacturers.

About 400 people work in the county's mining industry, including quarries that mine granite for concrete and road construction, according to the California Employment Development Department.

The largest local gemstone mines are Ramona-area mines that extract garnet, a dark-red crystal; and pink tourmaline mines near Pala. Tourmaline, rubies and sapphires are forms of corundum, crystalline aluminum oxide that is hard enough to scratch nearly every other stone except for diamond.

Sustainable products are now available in almost every industry, but the fine jewelry industry is only recently accommodating the conscientious consumer. C5 Company, LLC, a new kind of jewelry company, is asking consumers to think twice about their purchases of traditionally mined gems and fine metals and is offering a wide range of alternatives.

Though the issue of conflict-diamonds surfaced a few years ago, most notably with the movie Blood Diamond, traditionally mined gems and metals are still marked by significant environmental and human rights issues including poor working conditions, displaced communities, land stripping and extreme pollution, to name just a few.

Diamonds and gems are primarily mined in some of the poorest countries in the world - 65% of the world's diamonds come from Africa and 90% of the world's rubies come from Burma. "Consumers throughout the world should consider the implications of their purchase of Burmese gems," said First Lady Laura Bush in a statement from the White House. "Every Burmese stone bought, cut, polished, and sold sustains an illegitimate, repressive regime."

C5 company is working to change the fine jewelry industry by producing products made from lab-created and ethically sourced gems as well as recycled metals. Lab-created stones are chemically, optically and physically identical to their mined counterparts, but are created without significant harm to the environment or society.

C5 proposes that consumers consider a fifth "C" when making decisions about jewelry: Cut, Clarity, Carat, Color, and Consciousness. "You don't have to sacrifice beauty to have jewelry you can feel good about," said C5 founder, Meghan Connolly Haupt.

Filed under :- miningweekly.com , Gemstone-miner and explorer Gemfields Resources has resumed trading on the London bourse's Aim market on Tuesday, after shares were suspended following the December 18-announcement of a reverse takeover by Pallinghurst Resources.

Brian Gilbertson's Pallinghurst would buy 55% of Gemfields, in exchange for a 75% stake in the Kagem emerald mine, in Zambia. Gemfields would acquire the Kalgem stake by buying Greentop International and Kinera Group from the Pallinghurst-controlled Rox Limited.

The transaction also included an option for gemstone exploration licences in Madagascar, and a 15-year licence to use the Faberge luxury brand name, which Gilbertson bought early last year, for its coloured gemstone.

The gemstone miner would pay £62,06-million for the acquisition, which was still subject to shareholder approval, by issuing some 137,91-million new shares to Rox.

"The acquisition will provide Gemfields with substantial and important building blocks for the future," Greenfields nonexecutive chairperson Graham Mascall commented.

The company also announced a capital raising of £30-million to fund its future developments.

Pallinghurst said in a statement that Rox would participate in the share placing by subscribing for new Gemfields shares totalling £16,5-million, at 45p a share.

Sean Gilbertson would also become the interim CEO of Gemfields.

Brian Gilbertson, chairperson of Pallinghurst, commented that the transaction with Gemfields would enhance the popularity of gemstones.

"The coloured gemstone industry forms a key part of the luxury goods sector, but is currently fragmented and undercapitalised. Despite minimal consumer marketing, unreliable supply chains and a dearth of ethically-sourced product, the popularity of these gemstones has increased in recent years, with corresponding price rises. Pallinghurst believes that the Gemfields initiative will harness and enhance this trend in the international market for coloured gemstones, emulating the development of the diamond industry."

Gemfields shareholders would convene a extraordinary general meeting on June 5, where approval for the transaction would be sought.

Filed under coloredstone.com - If you recently bought red or green "new-find" labradorite on screen or on line as a natural-color gemstone, you may be in for a rude awakening. These feldspars may owe their beauty to the gemological equivalent of color implants - or, more crudely, dyeing.

The Indian gem industry recently celebrated the exemption of import duty on coloured gemstones and is certain about maintaining its competitiveness in world jewellery sector. The country currently imports rough coloured gemstones from Bangkok, Thailand and other countries. Shri P. Chidambaram; Honorable Finance Minister tabled the Finance Bill (2007-2008) on 3rd May 2008, exempting custom duty on Cut and Polished Diamonds. In the recently announced Union Budget (2007-2008), custom duty on cut and polished diamonds was reduced to 3 percent from 5 percent. The Council had made several representations to Government on the exemption of custom duty on cut and polished diamonds.

"I had reduced the customs duty on cut & polished diamonds from 5 percent to 3 percent. The Gems and Jewellery Industry had represented that the duty should be at zero percent in line with other countries. Ministry of Commerce has supported this proposal. However, if we find that the decision adversely affects the import of uncut diamonds or adversely affects employment in the cutting and polishing industry, we shall immediately review the decision. It is our intention to preserve, nurture and expand the cutting and polishing industry in India," said Chidambaram.

Zero import duty will help in easy availability of coloured gemstones of various sizes and qualities in India, which would infuse growth and diversification of studded jewellery exports. The exports are predicted to rise with the exemption of duty on colour stones. The exports from Jaipur were around Rs.22000 crore and are expected to reach over Rs. 25000 crore till the end of the year. Nirmal Bardiya of RMC Gems said, "This is a very good move and will make outside stones available in India easily. It will provide variety for domestic as well as international markets. The prices will be competitive and will make it affordable to import these stones from abroad." Bardiya is happy with the government's initiative and efforts to promote the industry. Manufacturers will be able to source stones on their trip abroad, and provide clients with what they require on time, at affordable prices and earn profits.

India is currently facing labor layoff and shortage of jobs, due to completion from China and Bangkok. Vivek Kala of Kalajee Jewellery suggests that to stay in competition with these markets and to stay ahead in trade, India needs to change the way it works and work united towards achievement of the aims. Vivek Kala explains, "We think the government has delayed making this move for a long time of exempting taxes on imports. There are other problems that also need to be addressed like the provision of loans at special interest rates so that we can stay in competition and do good business in world markets. Another problem is infrastructure which needs to be addressed. Special attention should be given to tourism since it will help boost trade in cities like Jaipur where most coloured stone trade is carried on."

Thailand wants to establish resource-rich Namibia as a new supply source of diamonds and gemstones to support its burgeoning jewel making and exporting industry.

A Thai government delegation including executives from Thai Gem & Jewelry Traders Association (TGJTA) plans to visit the African state in June to explore that possibility.

The visit is a follow-up to talks last March in Bangkok between Deputy Prime Minister Mingkwan Sangsuwan and Namibian Ambassador to Thailand Neville Melvin Gertze about fostering economic ties between the two countries.

Namibia offers the potential to supply its abundant diamond, gemstones like tourmalines, amethyst, topaz as well as quartz and gold where are needed by Thailand's gems and jewelry industry. Furthermore, the country also offers opportunities in joint venture and partnership in diamond and precious stone mining as well as polishing and jewelry making.

By establishing a direct link, Thailand would be able to source these materials directly from Namibia, rather going through middle-man sources.

"Direct sourcing from Namibia will not only help us to ensure raw material supplies but reducing production costs and thus increase our competitiveness in the global market," CEO of Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair, Mr. Somchai Phornchindarak pointed out.

Namibia was identified as one of the new long-term sources of supplies by TGJTA in its supply diversification plan.

During the visit to Namibia, TGJTA plans to invite members of Namibian jewel industry to attend the Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair to allow them to see for themselves the magnitude of Thai industry. The attendance will also provide opportunities for Namibian companies to personally interact with local operators on the potential to work together to create a win-win business result.

This could also be the next big step of Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair, the world's premiere gems fair organized twice a year on March and September. Since the fair, best-known as the heart of gemstone market, would be the best place where the international buyers to trade directly with the Namibian companies, while the Namibian will have more chance to meet with the manufacturers of their choice.

For their own benefit, the visitors of the upcoming 42 Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair, staged during September 11-15, 2008, are urged to regularly update the latest progression of the Thai-Namibia trade relation on www.bangkokgemsfair.com. The visitors can also reach their success by registering now.

The AGTA GemFair™ Cultured Pearl & Jewelry Pavilion at the JCK Vegas 2008 presents 220 exhibitors offering an extensive array of natural colored gemstones, cultured pearls and colored gemstone jewelry that define color trends. The AGTA Gemological Testing Center will also be on hand with their mobile lab facility, providing colored gemstone identification services. Services will include gemstone identification, gemstone origin determination, Tanzanite Grading Reports and more.

Kicking off the event on Thursday, May 29th, the AGTA GemFair™ Pavilion will feature "Gem Day," which provides an opportunity to shop one day before the main JCK Show opens and take first crack at the selection of trend-setting rocks and pearls for the upcoming selling season. The AGTA GemFair™ Pavilion opens one hour early each morning, allowing early birds to start shopping at 9:00 am after snagging a complimentary danish and cup of coffee. Hot topic seminars will be offered focusing on color and fashion presented by industry leaders on Wednesday, May 28th and Thursday, May 29th.

It also pays to become an AGTA Affiliate Member this year, literally: If you sign up for $350 and then make $200 or more in purchases inside the AGTA Pavilion, AGTA will send you a rebate check for $200.

Make sure to view the 2008 AGTA GemFair Show Guide Online.

The AGTA GemFair™ Cultured Pearl & Jewelry Pavilion is located in the Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino Grand Ballroom adjacent to the Sand's Convention Center and is open Thursday, May 29th through Monday, June 2nd, 2008. Hours are 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on May 29th and 9:00 am to 6:00 pm on May 30th - June 2nd. The AGTA GTC Mobile Laboratory opens at 10:00 am on Thursday, May 29th.

With the cost of gold continuing to increase and showing no signs of slowing down, major designers, rising designers and boutique designers are turning to sterling silver for their latest creations. Designers are adding color to silver to complement the color spring fashion trend. Color will come in the form of gemstones, enamel work and multi-metal pieces.

"Spring-summer 2008 is going to be extremely rich in color - bold, sometimes even aggressive color - and combining silver's neutral tones with colored stones is really sophisticated and at the same time wearable for all occasions," says Agostino Magni, president of Rebecca, an Italian jewelry brand known for its bronze and steel pieces. The brand has recently added silver jewelry to its collection, shifting it up market. The new silver collection features chain-link and jewel-bead pendants with semi-precious gemstones, geometric bracelets and big cocktail rings.

One spring collection for Links of London also features gemstones. The Amitie rings are set with rhodolite, tanzanite, aquamarine and green amethyst. The rings are name Amitie for the French word for friendship and meant to symbolize a special bond, be it romantic or otherwise. The other spring collection, Wisteria, has a cascading leaf motif in silver and gold.

John Hardy jewelry shows off earthy hues of green and blue enamel in the spring Bulan and Kawung collections .The main design element in Hardy jewelry is the traditional techniques and motifs - textured finishes, religious symbols, and antique detailing. These elements reveal the tradition and history of silver - it's so called old-world charm and sensibility. A primary pattern of the John Hardy Kawung collection is the Javanese coffee flower theme borrowed from an ancient art pattern of Indonesia.

Silver jewelry is no longer confined to sterling silver hoop earrings. Silver jewelry has become a major player in its own right in luxury jewelry with colorful focal points of gemstones and enamel just in time for the colorful palette of spring.

Dallas--Colored gemstone buyers should mark their calendars : The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) has announced that its 2009 AGTA GemFair in Tucson, Ariz., will be held from Feb. 4-9.

Also next year, the AGTA Dinner Dance and Awards Gala will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the organization's Spectrum competition, which recognizes jewelry designers using colored gemstones in their work. Awards will be presented to the category winners at the event, which will take place on Feb. 7 at the Marriott University Park hotel.

The Coyote Classic Golf Tournament, which raises funds for the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics, will be held on Feb. 2.

Hotel room block information will be available in July at the AGTA's Web site, Agta.org.

HRD antwerp NV will be a key participant in the Antwerp Diamond Pavilion at the Jewelry Shanghai 2008 trade show. It is the first time that an Antwerp Diamond Pavilion is featuring at a show on the Chinese mainland.

Jewelry Shanghai 2008, being held May 8 - 11 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, will feature about 1,100 booths in 23,000 square metres of exhibition space. It is organized by a group of leading Chinese gemstone and jewelry organizations, including the Gems & Jewellery Trade Association of China, the National Gems & Jewellery Technology Administrative Centre, the Shanghai Gold Exchange, the Shanghai Diamond Exchange, the Shanghai Gold & Jewellery Trade Association, the Shenzhen Gold Jewellery Association, and the Shanghai Gem and Jade Association.

The HRD Antwerp will be located at Stand 1H58 in the Antwerp Diamond Pavilion.

This is busy time for the Shanghai diamond industry. Immediately following the trade show, on May 13-15, it will host the 33rd World Diamond Congress, which is being held at thePortman Ritz-Carlton Hotel. On May 14, Georges Brys, general manager of HRD Antwerp, will address a joint session of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association . The title of his presentation is "A Blueprint for Quality," and in it he will describe how the HRD Antwerp - Diamond Lab became the first diamond grading facility ever to be accredited according to standards of the International Standards Organization (ISO/IEC 17025).

"We see tremendous potential in the Shanghai diamond market," Brys said. "Not only is the city the site of China's only diamond exchange, but Shanghai's jewelry retail sector represents about 20 percent of total jewelry sales in China."

HRD Antwerp provides grading, gemmological, educational, technological, and research services to the international diamond and jewelry industries.

Gemewizard is making GemeFancy, a system for identifying colors in fancy colored diamonds, available to members of the industry free of charge for a period of three months, starting Monday, May 5.

GemeFancy is a color assessing and communication application, by Gemewizard. It offers a way to accurately identify, describe and communicate all the colors visible in fancy colored diamonds, and recognize their relative location within the GIA Fancy Diamond color range.

The system identifies 27 main hues, each of which is modified into 36-42 fancy grades and other color descriptions. Each one represents the accumulative effect of the tones and saturations on a certain hue. The images generated by the GemeFancy are described using standard GIA terminology and GemeWizard's alphanumeric Color Code. GemeFancy creates emails that allow accurate color information to be transferred to a third party.

Gemewizard plans to release tool during the JCK Las Vegas show.

"Our goal is to provide anybody handling fancy colored diamonds a common language by which he or she can communicate color information to colleagues, clients and suppliers," said Menahem Sevdermish, GemeWizard's founder and developer.

Tucson, Ariz.--The prospect that a military crackdown in the streets of ruby-rich Myanmar could soon be impacting jewelers on Main Streets here in the United States had industry members taking sides at the Tucson gem shows.

Gemstone dealers at the Tucson gem shows in February were calling the efforts well-meaning but misguided, predicting a ban would end up hurting small miners in Burma, as well as cutters and manufacturers in Thailand. There are mixed feelings, even among AGTA staffers who sat on a panel discussing supply chain issues.

"Yes, we supported the intent of the legislation, although many of our members disagree," AGTA Chief Executive Officer Douglas Hucker said. "We will abide by the laws of the United States. If and when it becomes illegal, we will tell our members that they must abide by those laws."

That said, Hucker and others have pointed out the inherent difficulties in enforcing a ban on gemstones from Myanmar, which produces 90 percent of the world's rubies.

The Kimberley Process keeps track of where diamonds are mined, but there's no such system in place for colored gemstones. Therefore, how would U.S. Customs agents inspecting parcels shipped in from Thailand distinguish between a Burmese ruby and one from Madagascar?

Still, among those rallying against U.S. imports of what the consumer press has dubbed "blood rubies" is First Lady Laura Bush--seemingly a sure sign that the president will sign the legislation into law.

"Every Burmese stone bought, cut, polished and sold sustains an illegitimate, repressive regime," Laura Bush said in a Nov. 16 statement from the White House.

In recent months, she also wrote a Wall Street Journal editorial calling for sanctions against Myanmar and appeared on Charlie Rose saying that governments around the world should "shame the generals for cracking down on Buddhist monks who are peacefully protesting."

Smuggled into Thailand? Gemstone dealers say that Myanmar's rubies are regularly smuggled into Thailand for processing, and that the Myanmar government, which holds its own gemstone auctions, doesn't control the entire supply. Military guards are known for turning a blind eye (or accepting bribes from Myanmar dealers) as rubies are whisked over to Thailand for cutting and processing.

"I don't think an embargo against Burma is a good idea for the people of Burma," said Ruby and Sapphire author Richard Hughes of the AGTA Gemological Testing Center. "I once believed that embargoes would bring Burma to its knees. I don't believe that anymore. You're actually going to hurt ordinary people."

Most of Myanmar's people have some family member who is connected to the gem trade and profits from it, Hughes said.

But for at least some jewelers, the possibility that the military junta in Myanmar might profit in any way from ruby sales is all they need to know.

"The jewelry industry has to get on the ethical bandwagon or it's going to destroy the industry," said Brian Bowen of Lynchburg, Va.-based Bowen Jewelry Co. "The consumer wants it: They want fair trade, they want natural gemstones."

When buying gemstones, Bowen asks a lot of questions about origins and treatments, but such retailer queries are unusual, he said.

"I think there's definitely a lackadaisical-ness in the industry," Bowen said.

Ruby dealers exhibiting in Tucson were, not surprisingly, none too thrilled at the prospect of a total ban on rubies, and many contend that their objections go beyond any harm that would befall their own businesses. They also say the ban would hurt small Burmese miners who profit from the many rubies that are smuggled out of Myanmar to Thailand, where the cutters who process them would also suffer.

"It's definitely going to hurt the market," said Amit Birani of Original Gems in New York. "All of these [Burmese] stones are cut and processed in Thailand, so it's not going to be good for anyone, actually."

Others contended that it's simply not the place of the jewelry industry to get involved in foreign affairs.

"It makes no sense--the rubies are going to get smuggled out anyway," said Harry Hubschman of Gems of Naples in Flanders, N.J. "If you're going to penalize the government, then the United Nations should be the ones to take a stand."

The ban would force ruby prices up, he added.

Hakimi and Sons of New York, a major U.S. ruby dealer, specializes in the "pigeon-blood red" rubies that put Myanmar on the gem map.

"It's not a law yet," dealer William Hakimi said from his expansive AGTA GemFair booth. "When it comes to be a law, we will stop selling the Burmese goods. And if it does happen, the prices are going to go up."

Ruby prices are already up 20 percent to 30 percent over last year, Hakimi said.

Renaissance Diamonds announced Thursday that it has designed a new jewelry collection incorporating fancy vivid pink and blue colored lab-created diamonds.

Gemesis, which supplies Renaissance, has yet to officially announce these new diamonds, though the development has been expected for some time.

Dubbing them "environmentally friendly created diamonds," the "Breathtaking" collection comprises of fashion and engagement designs with pink and blue center stones set with micro pavé.

A Gemesis spokesman told that the firm could comment no further than to say that, as previously stated, Gemesis plans this year to begin producing and publicly selling cultured diamonds in colors other than yellow.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission believes irradiated gemstones now on the market are safe, and it has not requested that jewelers stop selling them.

That was the message delivered by Joe DeCicco, senior health physicist with the NRC's Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs, during a seminar at the American Gem Trade Association's GemFair in Tucson, Ariz. DeCicco was presenting the U.S. government's case for licensing and regulating irradiated gemstones.

Irradiated gemstones are not a health concern at this point, but more of a licensing issue, said Cecilia Gardner, of Jewelers Vigilance Committee. Gardner and AGTA's Douglas Hucker distributed their booklet "The Essential Guide to the U.S. Trade in Irradiated Gemstones" at the seminar.

DeCicco discussed the rules for obtaining a license to distribute gemstones containing radioactive material. For his full PowerPoint presentation, visit the NRC Web site at www.nrc.gov. Look for the Irradiated Gemstones link under Key Topics.

Three licensees have been approved so far for companies to distribute irradiated gemstones: HBM Virginia LLC, c/o HBM Nevada LLC, Henderson, Nev., (702) 292-1701; Ideal Source Quality Assurance LLC, Columbia, Mo., (573) 529-6820; and International Isotopes Inc., Idaho Falls, Idaho, (208) 524-5300.