#DailyJewel - Thanks for the Recognition - GemWorld

l would like to take a brief break from posting gorgeous jewels to send a BIG Thank You to Susan Drucker at GemWorld, the creators of the GemGuide (have you downloaded the mobile app)?

GemWorld is all about education, both for the Trade and for the Consumer.  Susan wanted to help her readers cut through the seemly endless number of "gem & jewelry" blogs available on the internet, these are the one she recommends! 

Susan wrote to her readers, "Just recently I wrote an article on the Top 40 Gem blogs (http://gemguide.com/learning/gem-blogs/). I wanted to provide my readers with a curated list of what I believe are the top blogs in the Gem Stone space."

...and about The Daily Jewel she said, "The blog provides you with a daily jewelry "morsel" to satisfy your hunger for beautiful gems and jewels. This is a source of daily jewelry inspiration from artist and celebrity jewels that catch the eye."

Thanks again, Susan we love the GemWorld website!

If you happen to be taking a trip to the Desert to catch the fabulous shows of the Tucson Gem Show - check out the GemWorld Courses being offered:

Emerald Treatments & Pricing
Cultured Pearls & Pricing
Corundum Treatments & Pricing




  About GemWorld:  Gemworld is the leader in market information, appraisal software solutions, and practical educational offerings for the jewelry industry.

• The GemGuide since 1982
• GemGuide Appraisal Software since 1999
• Hands on practical workshops since 2011

We are also consultants to the industry, expert witnesses, and appraisers. Our expert staff has lectured worldwide and Gemworld has been the host of biannual international conferences since 2008. For consumers we offer full appraisal services with our credentialed gemologists on staff.

GIA to Develop World-Class Pearl Testing Facility with Bahrain

GIA Collaborates with Bahrain to Develop World-Class Pearl Testing Facility

Memorandum of Understanding helps the Kingdom build on its pearling history

The Bahrain Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) and GIA (Gemological Institute of America) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to help develop the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Gemstone and Pearl Testing Laboratory (GPTLB) into a world-class research centre for natural pearls.

“We’re pleased to contribute GIA’s expertise and research  to build on Bahrain’s history and reputation as a leading centre for natural pearl research and production,” said Tom Moses, GIA’s executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer.

The initiative, which was agreed on in Nov. 2013, is to protect and enrich Bahrain’s pearling industry by increasing capacity, research, expertise and technology at the GPTLB, and by identifying further opportunities for growth. The memorandum builds on Bahrain’s history as a world pearling centre, an industry once considered the backbone of the Kingdom’s economy.

“This is an exciting development for Bahrain’s pearling industry. By working in partnership with GIA, the GPTLB will be provided with the facilities and expertise required to capitalise on regional and international trade and investment opportunities in this fast growing sector,” said Dr. Hassan Abdullah Fakhro, the minister of Industry and Commerce.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with GIA, a leading source of research, standards, and education in gems and jewellery, to ensure the GPTLB has the tools required to boost Bahrain’s pearl production capacity,” added H.E. Kamal bin Ahmed, Minister of Transportation and Acting Chief Executive of the Bahrain EDB. “Historically, pearling was the backbone of our economy, and we want to capitalise on our heritage, combined with world-class techniques and processes, to create a centre of excellence for the industry here in Bahrain.”

GIA has an established presence in the Middle East, conducting education programs and courses in major trade centres including Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

About GIA

An independent nonprofit organization, GIA (Gemological Institute of America), established in 1931, is recognized as the world’s foremost authority in gemology. GIA invented the famous 4Cs of Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat Weight in the early 1950s and in 1953, created the International Diamond Grading System™ which, today, is recognized by virtually every professional jeweler in the world.

Through research, education, gemological laboratory services, and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science, and professionalism. Visit www.gia.edu.  

GIA, Law Officers Join Forces to Fight International Jewelry Crime

CARLSBAD, Calif. – May 11, 2010 – Special agents and detectives from international law enforcement agencies gathered at the Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) Carlsbad campus recently for a two-week crash course in gemology that was specifically requested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Law officers from Brazil, Colombia, Belgium, India, Thailand, the UK and the UAE joined detectives from the New York and Los Angeles police departments and FBI specials agents from New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington, D.C. to get a first-hand look at how gemological information can help them solve crimes.

The group was exposed to a broad range of gemstone topics, including how to use gemological tools (loupes, tweezers, microscopes); the Four Cs of diamonds and what to look for in clarity, cut and color; synthetics, imitations and color treatments; the diamond industry and the Kimberley Process; field identification of colored stones; and how to read GIA grading reports.

Learning about the science and tools of gemstones is a priceless opportunity, according to Patrick Peys, of the Belgium Federal Police, an experienced gem detective and lead investigator of the 2003 Antwerp Diamond Center heist of nearly half a billion dollars in diamonds, cash and other valuables.

“There is a big difference between being an operational police officer and having knowledge about the product you’re investigating,” Peys said. “That kind of basic information might give you an advantage you otherwise would not have.”

Working with law enforcement officials is a very important aspect of GIA’s mission to protect the public trust, said Donna Baker, president and CEO of GIA. “It is imperative that we continue to work with these detectives and special agents on the front lines of fast-moving gem crimes.”

“The thieves communicate and coordinate across international boundaries – we need to do the same if we want to stop them. Giving law enforcement officials access to our resources and gemological information will help them close the net on those who steal from and take advantage of the public. This is a mission we are proud to share with law officers around the world.”

Law enforcement agencies and GIA have a long history of working together to solve gem-related crimes, said Tom Moses, senior vice president of GIA Laboratory and Research. “Our grading reports and inscriptions are the most effective ways to protect gemstones and information on thousands of them are stored in GIA’s database for future reference,” he said.

The database, started in the 1980s, has proved to be extremely useful for investigators, according to Daniel McCaffrey of the FBI’s New York field office. “It’s so significant to have this relationship with GIA and to have a starting point,” he said. “Literally hundreds and hundreds of stones have been recovered because of it.”

Ivy Cutler, records coordinator for the GIA Laboratory in New York notifies law enforcement officials when GIA identifies stolen gemstones and acts as a liaison during investigations. She was recently honored by the Jewelers Security Alliance for her efforts to recover stolen gems and educate law enforcement agencies about gemology.

“Gems are one of the most concentrated forms of wealth, and diamonds travel very quickly,” Cutler said. “It’s amazing how frequently the stolen diamonds flow back to GIA. The crime community is small, the crooks are very smart and a lot of the trade is unaware of what they are handling.”

The investigators added that meeting their counterparts from other countries was one of the best outcomes of the two-week seminar.

“I’m very involved in diamond investigations and as far as I know, GIA is the only organization that is really doing something to bring law enforcement officers together to educate them and get that network working,” Peys said. “For me, that’s very visionary.”

For more information about GIA visit www.gia.edu.

Photo from: http://guineaoye.wordpress.com/

GIA Announces Free Trial - Online Edition of Gems & Gemology

Gems & Gemology Launches New Electronic Newsletter: G&G eBrief

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Oct. 8, 2009 – Gems & Gemology (G&G), the award-winning quarterly

journal of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), introduced a new monthly electronic newsletter, the G&G eBrief, on Oct. 5

G&G eBrief delivers the latest research updates to professional gemologists worldwide, who want brief articles on topics that have immediate, practical application.

“The need for dependable gemological intelligence has never been greater,” said Tom Moses, senior vice president of the GIA Laboratory and Research. “The G&G eBrief gives readers access to timely and useful information that is based on rigorous scientific testing.”

Each G&G eBrief features the latest findings from the GIA Laboratory, global news and trade alerts, helpful tips, insight into future Gems & Gemology issues, upcoming conferences and exhibits worldwide – and even a “brainteaser.”

“The content in the G&G eBrief will go through the same editorial and production process that has made Gems & Gemology the most trusted professional publication in the field,” said

G&GEditor-in-Chief Alice Keller.

The October through December G&G eBriefs will be distributed free of charge. Beginning in January 2010, the newsletter will be available exclusively to Gems & Gemology subscribers.

Those who wish to receive the November and December newsletters can email Managing Editor Tom Overton at tom.overton@gia.edu to be added to the G&G eBrief distribution list.

To subscribe to Gems & Gemology and ensure continued receipt of the G&G eBrief, go to the G&Gorder page or contact Circulation Coordinator Martha Rivera by email atmartha.rivera@gia.edu or calling toll-free (800) 421-7250, ext. 7142.From outside the U.S. and Canada, call (760) 603-4000, ext. 7142.

American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) Modifies Its Disclosure Wording On Heated Rubies...

AGL is modifying its disclosure terminology used for heated rubies, by exchanging the term “Inorganic (fluxtype)” with “Heating residues”. As well as including the statement “Heating residues are deposited along healed fractures during the heating process.” as an additional description under their comments section of all grading reports.

A contentious topic for more than a decade is the manner or description in which the healing of fissures during the heating process of rubies are handled.. As part of the heating process for rubies, it is common practice to coat the stones in a variety of fluxing agents. As the temperature increases, these fluxing agents melt, partially dissolve the ruby’s surface and facilitate in the healing of fissures, effectively sealing and reducing the appearance of the fissures and improving the general durability of the stone. AGL has traditionally used the following terminology to describe this enhancement: “Clarity: Inorganic (fluxtype)”, with additional terminology that addressed the relative quantity of material that remained (e.g. faint, moderate, etc.).

In actuality, the use of fluxing agents during the heating process results in a combination of features or materials being deposited and remaining along the newly healed fissures. The previously open fissures are replaced by planes consisting of regrown ruby (synthetic), solidified vitreous melt (glass) and voids (empty bubbles). The relative amount of these three parts depends on many factors. To better try and communicate the multiple and complex nature of these remaining biproducts, many labs around the world starting using the term “heating residues” with terms describing the relative quantity (such as: minor residues in fissures).

Prior to heating rubies are coated with fluxing agents.

As temperatures rise during the heating process these fluxing agents melt and enter surface reaching fissures.

As the ruby cools at the end of the heating process, tiny amounts of ruby (corundum) is regrown healing and bonding the fissures. Also remaining confined to the newly healed fissures are solid vitreous melts and tiny voids.

Roughly over the past 10 years, multiple labs have been using the term “heating residues” to describe this combination of regrown ruby, glass and empty bubbles along the healed fissures. As a result, the industry and users of these reports have come to understand the intended meaning of this term and the relative quantification that accompanies it. Meanwhile, the AGL’s use of the term “Clarity enhancement: Inorganic (fluxtype)” has not provided any greater clarity of this issue or understanding to wholesalers, retailers and consumers.

As a result, effective immediately AGL is modifying its disclosure terminology used for heated rubies, by exchanging the term “Inorganic (fluxtype)” with “Heating residues”. As well as including an additional description under the comments section of all Prestige and FastTrack reports, stating: “Heating residues are deposited along healed fractures during the heating process.”

AGL is committed to providing high quality reporting.

Christopher P. Smith, President American Gemological Laboratories LLC

Christopher P. Smith

American Gemological Laboratories

Tel. (212) 704-0727

E-mal: agl@aglgemlab.com

My thanks to Howard Pomerantz for forwarding this info to the Daily Jewel!