Google+ The Daily Jewel: 6/12/11 - 6/19/11

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Tuesday, June 14, 2011

MJSA Announces Custom Jeweler Level Membership


MJSA's Custom Jeweler Membership Debuts 

Custom jewelers spend their days creating unique jewelry for their clients--and now there's an MJSA membership tailored just for them. The new MJSA Custom Jeweler membership category is affordably priced at $95, and includes free subscriptions to the monthly MJSA Journal and quarterlyMJSA Custom Jeweler; free archived articles from both publications; and discounts on the books of MJSA Press and other leading industry publications. Custom Jeweler members can also use the MJSA logo on their websites, in their studios, and at their stores, to signal their commitment to professional excellence in jewelry making and design.

In addition, Custom Jeweler members can upgrade at any time to MJSA's Retail membership category. This higher level of membership allows retailers to gain access to additional services the association offers, including deep discounts on FedEx shipping, store-branded consumer financing programs through GE Money, and affordable press release preparation through the PR & Pix program. There are also discounts on subcontracting services (such as CAD/CAM), and various other discounted supplies and services for custom jewelers, provided by MJSA suppliers that participate in the MJSA Member-to-Member program.

To learn more, contact MJSA at 1-800-444-MJSA (6572), e-mailinfo@mjsa.org, or visit MJSA Online at mjsa.org.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Opal Horizon Introduces New Opal Grading System

At the prestigious GIA Symposium held last month at the headquarters of the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, CA, Brisbane based Opal Horizon, Ltd announced a new globally quantifiable grading Opal Grading System.

A .pdf version of the Powerpoint Presentation shown at the Symposium is available at:
http://www.opalhorizon.com/Portals/0/Opalppt-GIASymp5-28final%20(2).pdf

OR download the Brochure Version at: http://www.opalhorizon.com/Portals/0/BROCHURE(05.18.11).pdf


The new Opal Horizon grading system only applies to natural precious opal and is based on the evaluation of three quantifiable grading criteria.

The three quantifiable Cs 
The three quantifiable criteria defined by Opal Horizon are Category, Colour and Cut.

“Category” This describes the opal as one of three types each defined by the presence and degree of host rock in the opal.

 “Colour” The criteria applied to colour assigns points according to the opal face, body tone, play of colour, brightness, pattern, directionality and special attributes.

  “Cut” The quality of the cut is determined by the opal’s finish & polish, ease of  setting, symmetry or balance and exclusion of defects.

Each of the 3 Cs is graded individually on a 100 points maximum scale. The three scores are then added and result in a final comprehensive quality score. This final score provides the accurate, comprehensive and credible grading of each opal and enables the opal to then be valued at current market prices for that grade.

As OHZ continues its worldwide marketing campaign, OHZ is planning to headquarter its sales and marketing operation in North America. All gem opals sold through OHZ will be evaluated using its new grading system, and accompanied by a report that describes the stone and provides a definitive quality grade.

The wholesale pricing structure will be guided by the new quality grading system. OHZ will make available for purchase internationally not only the precious opal from its own mines, but also will seek to centralize the distribution of opals through cooperative partnership arrangements and by purchasing from other opal suppliers. It is estimated that 95% of precious opal is produced in Australia, and OHZ expects it (along with its partner producers and suppliers) will account for a significant percentage of global sales of this gemstone.

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