What is Gemecology?

Gemecology - Gems & Ecology: balancing the benefits and the costs!

About Gemecology

Gems and the Environment is a project of Saleem H. Ali, Ph.D. and Sally Dickinson DeLeon conducted with generous support from The Tiffany & Co. Foundation and several research collaborators. We hope that the site will serve as an educational resource for those interested in improving the living conditions and quality of life of artisinal miners around the globe.

An "artisinal miner" is that little guy - the independant miner that is not operating with the backing of a larger corporate sponsor.

This site teaches about the people, places, and processes of colored gemstone mining around the world. Think about how the ancient practice of artisinal mining interacts with complex ecological and social webs in some of the places where the earth produces amazing pockets of rubies, sapphires and emeralds.

Watch their Featured Film "The Emerald City" from Google Video for an overview of the methods of extracting gems from the earth!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-866649985079290432&hl=en

9 'gotta have it' fashion trends for spring

There's no better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than with a new wardrobe.

It's safe to say that all women love fashion and there are some trends that are coming for next season you are going to love!

Ken Downing, Fashion Director at Neiman Marcus says its easy to welcome the new season into your wardrobe if you bring the following nine fashion trends for spring into your closet.

1. Downing says PINK is hot in shade for spring. Its the most powerful color in fashion. Wear it with coral for a combination that says "Spring 2009."

2. ONE SHOULDER-DRESSING. According to Downing, shoulders bared themselves on every catwalk, from Paris to New York City.

3. SNAKESKIN ACCESSORIES will also be hot says Downing. Be it a shoe or a handbag, the real deal or a print - reptilian motifs are a must.

4. Downing also says STATEMENT SHOES will create a buzz. You can create excitement from head to toe in sky-high stilettos and sandals with subtle aggression.

5. RUFFLES. According to Downing, these feminine flourishes bring romanticism to skirts, tops and dresses.

6. A Place for everything, and everything in its place. CARRYALLS are big next season. Downing says unstructured handbags are the right pairing for a free-spirited look,

7. COLORFUL CARDIGANS. Downing says consider it the new jacket. This wardrobe essential adds polish to dresses and separates.

8. GRAPHICS. According to Downing graphics are fashion geometry you can understand. Vivid, optic prints are everywhere.

9. Whether turquoise stones are pink and color gems - BOLD JEWELRY is a hot new trend. These statement makers complement bright colors and patterns.

Now start at one and dress yourself to the nines!

...as reported by ABC15.com on 2/11/09 10:52 am

http://snipurl.com/bsht9 [www_abc15_com]

A good friend of mine recently received a strand of hand cut damale turquoise beads for her birthday. They impressed me to the point that I wanted to know more about this specific turquoise deposit.

From the Turqouise Mines of Nevada website:

DAMALE - VARISCITE / FAUSTITE & PAIUTE - TURQUOISE

The Damale mine is located 30 miles east of Austin, Nevada on the east side of Damele Mountain at the south east end of the Simpson Park Range. The site is about a mile southwest of the Dry Creek (Godber) mine. Damale turquoise is distinctive because of the unusual colors the gems in a yellow-green to bright mint green with excellent hardness. The Damele deposit produces very little material of the standard blue colors most people commonly associate with turquoise. Mineralogically, most of the material produced here is likely Variscite, Chalcosiderite or possibly Faustite. The mine consists of a single medium sized open pit excavation. The adjoining Paiute turquoise deposit shares the same hill with the Godber mine, produces material of a standard good blue color. The Damale material is mostly in nugget form, with a webbing consisting of a dark brown to black matrix. Its availability is limited because the mine is fairly small and considerable laying back of the steep pit walls will be required for further production. The mine is worked only sporadically by the owner on a small scale. Due to its rare, bright and attractive colors, Damale is considered a collectible gemstone.

http://nevada-outback-gems.com/Nevada_turq_mines/turquoise_mines_of_nevada.htm

These particular beads were hand cut by Artisan Jeweler William Murdoch...a rock hound and a professional bead and cabochon maker. He put together a pictorial documentary on his process for the "Ask Szarka" blog. He walks through the process of making a natural Ithaca Peak rondelle necklace. Check this article out and all the fun stuff on the Ask Szarka blog http://askszarka.blogspot.com/

Of course now you've seen the original stones that started this journey so now I need to show you what the lovely Szarka did with them...

You can find more of Szarka's handiwork at http://www.szarkas.com

...she is also one of the most trusted gem and bead slingers online: Magpie Gemstones http://www.magpiegemstones.com

This Week In 1905 - Cullinan Diamond!

Rough diamond – the giant Cullinan stone as found in 1905

from http://snipurl.com/ashcr [www_firstscience_com]

This week back in 1905...Frederick Wells discovered the world's largest diamond in the Premier mine, Pretoria, South Africa.

The 1.33-pound colorless behemoth checked in at 3,106 carats.

Named for Sir Thomas Cullinan, who had discovered the mine three years earlier, the colourless stone was purchased by the Transvaal government and was presented (1907) to the reigning British monarch, King Edward VII.

It was cut into 9 large stones and about 100 smaller ones by I.J. Asscher and Company of Amsterdam, famed for their cutting of the "Excelsior diamond", which until the discovery of the Cullinan had been the largest known diamond.

Copy of nine of the diamonds cut from the famous Cullinan diamond, from the "Reich der Kristalle" museum in Munich. The top left one is the Great Star of Africa *

The stones cut from the Cullinan diamond, all flawless, are now part of the British regalia. The largest of these is the second largest cut diamond known and is called the "Great Star of Africa", or Cullinan I, a 530.2-carat, pear-shaped gem set in the English sceptre. Another is the most valuable stone in the imperial state crown, the 317-carat Cullinan II, sometimes called the Second Star of Africa

Today, the largest stones are on display in the Tower of London as part of Britain's crown jewels.

* - This Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons image is from the user Chris 73 and is freely available at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cullinan_Diamond_and_some_of_its_cuts_-_copy.jpg under the creative commons cc-by-sa 2.5 license.

My Favorite Jewelry Sanding Tip!

Credit Given: I learned this from my teacher, Brad Smith at Venice Community Adult School (soon to be Venice Skills Center)...the technique was further explained by my friend Ruth Shapiro (Artisan and Judaica Designer - http://growingupjewish.com ) at the 2008 Demo Day held by Metal Artists Society of So. Calif. (MASSC - http://www.massconline.com ).

The following question has come up several times on forums:

May I ask what files or tools do you use to file the edges inside the piercings so smooth?

If you want a great trick to get into tiny piercings...

Take a sheet of sand paper (choose appropriate grit for your piece)

Turn it grit side down on the table

Cover the back of it with strips of packing tape (the kind with the nylon threads running through it)

Cut strips as thin as you need them to be to fit inside the piercing you are working on.

These strips can be used to thread thru the piercings and, if you have a vise, hold on each end - use a sawing motion to sand.

If you don't have a vise to hold your piece then you can thread the strip thru your piece and actually load the strip into your jewelers saw - voila - you have a hand free to hold your piece!

Photos Courtesy of Yolanda Lumel's Camera Phone with the permission of Judy Bapties (isn't that a great bracelet?)! Thanks Lulu and Judy!

Lark Book Call for Entries - 30 Minute Earrings

Just a little reminder about our 30-Minute Earrings call for artists (see below). 

If you've already submitted a proposal, thanks so much! 

If not, we hope you'll consider doing so. 

Thank you, 

--  

Gavin R. Young, Assistant  Editor 

Lark Books 

67 Broadway 

Asheville, NC 28801

828.253.0467 Ext. 730

828.253.7952 Fax 

www.larkbooks. com

-----------------------------------

Jewelry Design Challenge: 30-Minute Earrings
Editor: Marthe Le Van
Entry Deadline: January 26, 2009

Are you a skilled and imaginative jewelry designer who is up for a challenge? Great! Your mission is to design a pair of earrings that can be made in 30 minutes flat.

30-Minute Earrings 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 earring 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 Earrings, we won’t be teaching fundamental jewelry making techniques. Designers can assume that their readers are already proficient (and quick!) at skills such as sawing, soldering, and finishing. 

Accept the challenge! Download an entry form here:  http://www.larkbooks.com/submissions/artist-submissions

2009 GIA Education Catalog - Online NOW!

GIA's 2009 Education Catalog Now Accessible Online

Press Release  Posted: 01/16/09 16:31

RAPAPORT...  CARLSBAD: The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) announced today that the Institute’s 2009 Education Catalog is now available and has been entirely redesigned to better meet the needs of students. The catalog is also accessible online, making information about a GIA education more obtainable worldwide.

The 2009 GIA Education Catalog is complete in one booklet that contains all course and program descriptions, important dates, schedules, and updated tuitions and fees for campuses around the world. “The new catalog provides an enlightening, easy-to-use resource for individuals wanting to pursue a gemological education, particularly during a challenging time,” said Kathryn Kimmel, vice president and chief marketing officer of GIA. “We are in a difficult economy, and now more than ever, people are turning to education to take them to the next level in their careers.” 

To receive a free catalog by mail, go to www.gia.edu/education, or to download or view onlin

e, copy and paste the following URL into a web browser:http://viewer.zmags.com/showmag.php?mid=wrgrrr#/page0/. For more information please contact a GIA Admissions representative at 800.421.7250 ext. 4001 or via e-mail atadmissions@gia.edu. From outside the U.S. and Canada, call 760.603.4001.