GIA Joins RJC Efforts to Promote Ethical Jewelry

June 19, 2009

Michael Rae, chief executive officer of Responsible Jewellery Council. Photo courtesy of Michael Rae. GIA Joins RJC Efforts to Promote Ethical Jewelry GIA has joined ranks with the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), an international nonprofit organization that promotes ethical and environmental best practices in the gem and jewelry industry. GIA supports the RJC's commitment to international standards that meet consumer demand for ethically produced jewelry. The RJC has more than 100 members representing all sectors of the diamond and gold supply chain, as well as trade associations and service providers who have pledged to help build a responsible route from mine to customer. "We are proud to be a member of the RJC and look forward to working together to cultivate future generations of ethical business leaders," said Donna Baker, GIA president and chief executive officer. RJC and GIA share the belief that working together to further ethical, social and environmental practices in a transparent and accountable manner can only help the industry. Michael Rae, RJC chief executive officer, welcomes the Institute's commitment. "GIA has established the international benchmark for grading laboratories, and there is a fundamental logic for our organizations to leverage the strength of our standards and global approaches," he said. "We can now offer GIA the opportunity to certify its business practices against the RJC System." Visit the Responsible Jewellery Council website to find out more about its mission and how to get involved. Via GIA Insider

What's Hot In Tucson: 2009 Tucson Gem & Mineral Show

The results are in. What's Hot In Tucson: 2009 is the best WHIT ever!!

With orders streaming in every day, we're getting some outstanding feedback from viewers of the latest What's Hot In Tucson.

Here's what one customer said:

"Bryan, as I am typing this I am watching WHIT '09. It just gets better every year. The photography and sound quality are superb....I can see where every year you are raising the bar. This year with the labels on each mineral shown is another milestone."

What he's referring to is a new feature we added to the 2009 program - on-screen labels to just about every mineral specimen we review. That's HUNDREDS of labels showing the proper spelling of each specimen as well as information on its locale - all cross-checked with information on the mindat.org online database.

Creating these labels was a monumental task but once we started looking at the results, we knew we had to have this feature on this, and future, What's Hot In Tucson programs. Now What's Hot In Tucson can be a fantastic reference guide AND it can also help teach new collectors about the huge variety of minerals. Huge thanks to all our Featured Dealers and Collectors who showed endless patience helping out.

Also added to the 2009 program is our new segment where Dave Wilber creates a mineral collection of specimens costing $99 or less!!! We created this to help illustrate that, despite the rising cost of minerals, there are still great deals to be found if you invest the time and energy to find those hidden deals.



And returning from last year is Jeff Scovil's mini segment - Scovil's Top Ten Tucson Photos - updated to reflect Scovil's favorite photos from the 2009 show. Not only do you have close-up pans and scans direct from Scovil's digital files, you also have Scovil narrating the entire program explaining exactly what he likes about each photo.



This year's interview with the Westward Mineral Show's Featured Collectors is with Jim & Gail Spann who had their mouth-watering collection on display in the lobby of the Westward Look Resort. Listen to Jim and Gail share their thoughts on the hobby of mineral collecting as your eyes feast on close-up shots of each one of their specimens on display.

And just when you finally get through all of this mind-blowing content, keep your eyes peeled for even more segments as we bring back What's Hot In Tucson: ONLINE. This is where we take the segments that couldn't fit on the DVDs and post them online for everyone to watch for FREE!

So start your mineral fix right here with What's Hot In Tucson: 2009 - the best What's Hot In Tucson yet. Still two DVDs, still only $29.99.

Click here to place your order today!!

Thank you for your time and I hope you continue to enjoy BlueCap Productions' products. Sincerely, Bryan Swoboda BlueCap Productions

All DVDs will be shipped via USPS Priority Mail. This allows us to track the package and provide a free replacement if you do not receive your DVD.

2009 International Opal Jewellery Design Awards

7 weeks to go – enter your pieces into the 2009 IOJDAA Awards Enter your piece into one of the most prestigious opal jewellery design competitions in the world – only 7 weeks to go. Download the entry form

2009 IOJDAA Judges IOJDAA is thrilled with the extraordinary judges we have on the IJODAA panel this year that include: - the iconic Linda Jackson - highly accomplished designer Helen S. Parer - international wholesaler Peter Sherman - and the inspirational designer Bruce Tully Read more

Lightning Ridge Opal Festival dates - Wed 29th July to Sun 2nd August This year's Lightning Ridge Opal Festival has a jam packed itinerary of events. - come and see spectacular Lightning Ridge Opals and other gemstones. - frock up for the International Opal Jewellery Design Awards Gala Dinner - dance the night away at the Opal Queen Ball Read more

Summer Caution for Jewelry Care

A Few Summertime Tips to Prevent Damage or Loss to Fine Jewelry

1. Beware of chlorinated swimming pools. Chlorine can damage or destroy many types of fine jewelry. It can dissolve the surface of beautiful beads; attack the alloy in precious metals; remove the polish from many stones, such as malachite or turquoise; and do many other destructive and irreversible things.
2. Don’t wear rings in cold water. The cold temperature of the water in pools, oceans, lakes, and rivers causes your finger size to shrink temporarily. When this happens, rings become too large and, aided by the movement of your hands as you swim or play, can easily slip off the finger without your being aware of it.
3. Check mounting to make sure stones are secure in their settings. Active sports are very popular in the summer, but if a stone is loose in the setting, it may fall out and break or become chipped or cracked.
4. Don’t wear your fine jewelry while gardening. Many fine gemstones have been lost or badly damaged while the wearer was gardening. Gold and platinum settings can be badly scratched or gouged by rocks and tools. Even diamonds can chip or crack when hit on a rock or tool, due to a fraction within the stone.
5. Is your watch waterproof or water resistant? Many expensive watches are ruined when people do not understand the significant difference between “waterproof” and “water resistant.” Do you know the difference?

These tips come from Gemstone Press. For more information on the tips above and for more jewelry care and maintenance tips, check out books by Antoinette Matlins at Gemstone Press!

Call for Project Designers: 30-Minute Necklaces

Remember the 30 minute Earring Challenge?

Well this is yet another chance to be published!

Jewelry Design Challenge: 30-Minute Necklaces

Publisher: Lark Books

Editor: Marthe Le Van

Proposal Deadline: August 3, 2009

Are you a skilled and imaginative jewelry designer who is up for a challenge?

Great! Your mission is to design a necklace or pendant that can be made…start to finish…in 30 minutes flat. Can it be done? Absolutely.

Jewelers exceeded expectations by submitting stunning collection of work for "30-Minute Earrings," the first book in this series. Now we ask you to join the fun."30-Minute Necklaces" will showcase more than 50 incredibly stylish step-by-step projects that can be created without investing too much of a valuable commodity—time! The selected designs will be modern and sophisticated and encompass many different styles and techniques. The common denominator will be fast projects that look terrific!

PS: In "30-Minute Necklaces," we won't be teaching fundamental jewelry making techniques. Designers can assume that their readers are already proficient (and quick!) at the basics.

For details and entry forms, visit the Lark Books website!

Accept the challenge!

Job Openings in the Jewelry Industry...

I noticed the following ad in my local paper (Los Angeles Times):

44JEWELER 33

For Basic Repair

Minimum 5 Yrs. Experience

Must Read and Write English

Part Time - possible Full Time

Simi Valley Area

(email me for the contact info - I don't want to post this guys phone number publically)

...this lead me to research the job openings available in the Jewelry Industry - there seems to be several across the US! Career Builder lists 83 positions across the country!