Gemstone News and Local Color from Teófilo Otoni

Dave Fortier's Tip Top Gem blog

2011-03-27T21:19:00.004-03:00

Dear Readers,

I must apologize for neglecting my blog, but I have been enjoying Dave Fortier's posts and he has most kindly given me permission to repost his most recent one. Especially note his interesting slices of tourmaline crystals!

The show circuit is in full force

We are delighted to welcome the nice people from the Southfield, Michigan Intergem show- where Melanie and I displayed two weekends ago. Welcome aboard everyone!!! Melanie and I are trying to get in touch with those of you who left your e-mail with us either with this newsletter or via Facebook. We show gemstones and jewelry on Facebook as well as in the newsletter, and in our online store. Take a look at what we have- there are links to the left of this article.

For those of you who have never been to a gem and jewelry show, Melanie and I very highly recommend it! You can see a wide range of stones that you would not see elsewhere, compare prices, ask questions to dealers in person, and most important- evaluate stones in real life instead of from a picture. I can not begin to tell you how many stones I have shown in the newsletter or on Facebook that created no interest but sold immediately on the first day of a show. I can say things like "this gemstone has 90% brilliance" but until you hold such a stone in your hand, you can not imagine the sparkle. Check out a show near you!!!

As we prepare for the buying trip to Thailand we need to know what you are looking for- ruby, sapphire, collectible stones, or any other custom jewelry projects that you've been thinking about. I will be in both Chanthaburi and Bangkok next week- so be sure you let us know what we can help you find.

As many of you already know, I offer the very best prices on ruby and sapphire because I go directly to the source and you do not have to pay me to keep these expensive stones in inventory! Any dealer that you see who has expensive stones in inventory will have higher prices. He has to. Business always functions on three "concepts of cash"- money in, money out, and TIME. The longer a dealer has to wrap up his cash, the more he will have to get out of that stone.

If you bought something from us at the Southfield, Michigan show you are eligible for Inner Circle membership. If you click on the link below, you will see stones for sale and you will see prices. But you will not see INNER CIRCLE pricing!!! If you want to make sure you see the very best prices that we offer, just send me a note asking for an upgrade. You can e-mail me at dave@tiptopgem.com or just call me at 800-607-1425. That toll-free number always rings to my cell, whether I am here or in Thailand. If you go to tiptopgem.com, you will see clocks that show local time in Thailand- generally if it is late or early here in the states it is a good time to call. The middle of the day in the states is the middle of the night in Thailand and you will get my voicemail. Do not hesitate to contact me if you need something or if you have a question!

Tip Top Gem ONLINE STORE

The stunning images you see in this newsletter, by the way, are CAD renderings of a ring that we are making for a client. She found a wonderful design in a magazine while vacationing in the Caribbean and asked if I could tweak it to her tastes and proportion it to a gemstone that she had purchased from me- a sphene from Madagascar. As always the answer is "of course"!!!! We love doing projects like this- actually creating a piece of heirloom-quality jewelry to our clients' specifications. It is one of the most pleasurable and interesting parts of this business- almost as much fun as buying stones at the largest gemstone market in the world in Chanthaburi, Thailand!!!!

Because I am not exactly sure when I will return from Thailand I can't tell you the next show we will do, but please keep an eye open for the April newsletter as that will have details. Also remember if you are my friend on Facebook (find a link in the upper left corner of this newsletter to go to my profile and add me) you will not only know what show we are about to do but you will also see gemstones that are available nowhere else...my Facebook friends always know first!

Our Entrepreneurs ROCK!!!

Take a look at yet another of our blazing-fast repayments on Kiva. These people are proving their focus, determination, and integrity over and over and over again. Please, please support Kiva.org. They are worth it! You can NOT help anyone out of poverty with a handout. These people are not asking for one. They want a loan- which they pay back with interest- but the interest goes to the local field partner to service the loan. Your principal is paid back to you and you can loan it out over and over and over again.

Melanie and I started this program specifically to help people in the source countries where our gemstones are mined. To date we have helped entrepreneurs in these countries:

Over on the left you will see a link to Kiva.org- please check them out now. Or just buy a stone or order a piece of custom jewelry from us. The better we do, the more support we can provide to hard-working, honest people in the third world who want to pursue the growth of their business and support their families. After decades of handouts in the third world that only teach people how to extend their hand, microfinance has found a way to help people without charity.

All our best,

PS- It is as easy as ever to get in touch with us. Our toll-free
number has never changed and rings to my cell: 800-607-1425. If you are calling at an inconvenient time your call will go to voicemail and I will either return your call or e-mail you- whichever you instruct me to do in the voice message.

E-mail me at dave@tiptopgem.com if you have a question or request and I will reply via e-mail unless you request that I call you back.

PPS- If you are not yet friends with me on Facebook please click on the link in the upper left corner of this newsletter, or just add "David Fortier" as a friend and I will accept you! Some gemstones and jewelry are only available on Facebook and you don't want to miss out!

update---update----update---

I am in Thailand right now as I type this- check out the amazing slices of tourmaline below- from Brazil!!!!

5.69 carats; olive green fades to yellow/brown, then clear, then intense pink, and a deep green center- $20 per carat

5.60 carats; pastel blue-Violet indicolite center with intense purplish-Pink exterior; magnificent example of the type with phantom crystals converging in the center- $28 per carat

4.63 cts, green to clear then pink and green again in the center, actually a good match to the 5.69 carat stone above if you like an earring pair. $20 per carat.

_____________________________________

As you might know by now shipping is always $10, and you can pay with a check or money order or credit card or in gold or silver. LOL. I do not take live animals for payment.

REMINDER-- these stones will ship from Thailand- allow 8-21 days in transit!

As always first come, first served for the newsletter stones. If two people want one stone, the time and date on the e-mail will determine the "winner".

Good luck!!!!

Tibetan andesine shown conclusively to be a fraud at Tucson meeting of the GILC

2011-02-01T09:02:00.002-03:00

ISG at Tucson 2011: Day One...GILC

Day One of the ISG at Tucson 2011 events had members of our group at the GILC Conference held by the International Colored Gemstone Association. This outstanding event brings together many colored gemstone industry leaders for the purpose of discussing the current events and issues in the industry, and seeking to find viable solutions to the problems we face. Barbara and her staff absolutely hit another home run this year with another wonderful event.

We need to note that everyone signs a non-disclosure agreement upon entering. This is to help insure an open and honest discussion of the issues without fear of anyone getting quoted or miss-quoted based on hearsay from the meetings. With this in mind I do believe that there is important information that has come from today's event that can be shared with the members of the ISG Community.

The andesine issue took up the majority of the day. There were several speakers (names and topics confidential) who presented a variety of scientific reports. These were in general contradictory, convoluted, and in the first instance….pure fantasy. However, the report of the previously published (which is why I can talk about it) expedition by Dr. Peretti to the Tibet mines carried the day beyond any reasonable doubt in my opinion.

Dr. Peretti showed his previously discussed DVD video of his trip to the Tibet mines with well documented mine owner, Li Tong. The video proved the published claims that Li Tong’s crew were caught salting the ground around the claimed mine. The video showed graphically that when Dr. Peretti wanted to inspect a section of the mine area that should have contained andesine (if the claim was authentic) that Li Tong sent his staff ahead of Dr. Peretti and they could easily be seen dropping andesine on the group ahead of Dr. Peretti’s arrival. This was astounding and raised the one question that many asked:

"If Li Tong truly has an authentic Tibet andesine mine, why did he take Dr. Peretti to a location where his (Li Tong’s) crew had to “salt” the ground?"

The Peretti report was released at approximately the same time as the previously discussed report published by the Gem-A regarding an expedition to Tibet by the National Gem Testing Lab of China. The NGTC also visited mine locations owned by Li Tong. Their report makes three important points that directly support Dr. Peretti’s published findings. These points include:

The NGTC group found a warehouse in Tibet with “hundreds of kilos” of “red feldspar” that tested to have been been "subjected to high temperature treatment with colouring elements added."
Interviews by the Chinese NGTC group with local Tibetan citizens revealed that the local Tibetan people “had neither seen nor heard of red feldspar found in Tibet.” (direct contradiction to the Laurs/Hughes/Abduriyim report).
The NGTC issued this statement: “In our opinion, the red feldspar samples that we collected and recovered from the supposed mining areas during our field investigations were deliberately planted on the ground surface and within loose surface soil.”

This opinion by the National Gem Testing Center of China was confirmed yesterday by the video evidence provided by Dr. Peretti in follow-up to his previously published report.

It should be noted that Li Tong, reported mine owner and leader of the Tibet andesine organization, was personally present…. and in the video…during the actual salting activities in the Peretti video.

One interesting question as to why these two expeditions found salted mines while the Laurs/Hughes/Abduriyim expedition reportedly found andesine under an “undisturbed bush” that prompted Richard Hughes to issue what we call his “Mission Accomplished” article. (The actual title of Hughes’ article is both inflammatory and insulting to our US President so we won’t repeat it.) One well-respected mine owner and ISG Community member raised the question: “Don’t they know how easy it is to take a piece of steel rebar and run a small hole into the ground under a bush, drop in a piece of andesine, and cover it up leaving no evidence of anything disturbed on the ground?”

That was the second profound question of the day, after the question why Li Tong took Peretti to a mine location that required his crew to salt the ground. Given that Li Tong was shown with his crew as they salted the mine, it is reasonable to assume that Mr. Li may have a piece of steel rebar sitting around somewhere.

The bottom line is that we have spoken to many miners who have evaluated these claims by the Laurs/Hughes/Abduriyim expedition report by Hughes, as well as Li Tong and the whole Tibet andesine organization, and just shake their heads that anyone could be so gullible as to believe these.

The high points of the day were all of the outstanding people we got to meet and greet. Due to the confidentiality agreement we will not name them here, but to everyone who we had the opportunity to meet at GILC we just say: Thank you. To all of you. It was an outstanding group.

On a final note: I have to once again congratulate the work of the ICA, their Board of Directors, and all of the members. I believe the ICA is the key organization to the healthy future of our colored gemstone industry.

More reports will be coming here on the events this week. Wish you were here with us. Maybe next year.

Reminder.......

The ISG would like to extend an open invitation to all members of the industry to attend our ISG Lab Update seminar at the Hotel Arizona on Friday, 4 February. We have important new information on a variety of issues and topics that you will need to know in the upcoming year. The ISG Lab Update is free to the industry and includes a free continental breakfast and/or coffee and drinks. We promise to be finished in time for you to return to your booth in time for the show start.

Robert James

President, International School of Gemology

ISG at Tucson 2011: Countdown to Tucson

2011-01-25T15:43:00.003-03:00

ISG at Tucson 2011: Countdown to Tucson

by Robert James, President, International School of Gemology, ISG Newsletter, January 25, 2011

The Countdown to Tucson and the ISG at Tucson 2011 events continues. Today we want to highlight some special vendors at the GJX Show in downtown Tucson, along with a few important AGTA vendors that we missed last week.

The GJX Show is perhaps the most favored location for gemstone dealers based on the wide diversity of dealers there who come from every corner of the world. The isles are always crowded and business is always hot at the GJX show. Below are some of our favorite dealers who are to be found there. Don't miss any of these folks as they have established themselves with a solid reputation with the ISG. Mostly good....a few not so good. Here they are...

GJX in the Tent across from Tucson Convention Center

Ande Jewelry & Mineral Co. (GJX Show Booths: 1108, 1109, 1110)

Don’t miss this chance to see the people who started the whole damned andesine fiasco! Both Jewelry Television and Direct Shopping Network have listed Andegem as the source for the undisclosed, diffusion treated andesine that has rocked this industry. If you really want to have some fun, wait until Chris Rose walks by the Andegem booth. YIKES! Fireworks from Mr. Chen that are absolutely not to be missed. But check out the source of this andesine situation right here at the Andegem booth.

Beija-Flor Gems (GJX Show Booth: 1008)

Specializing in true Paraiba Tourmaline, Colorado Rhodochrosite, Red Beryl, Sapphires and more. Excellent resource for gemstones and great folks to work with. Bob is a long-time friend and important information resource for the ISG Community.

ColorFirst Co. (GJX Show Booth #1430)

A major supplier of colored gemstones from around the world who has helped us tremendously. Absolute committment to integrity and proper representation. Raja Shah and his folks have been highly instrumental in assisting the ISG in obtaining study specimens for our research. Excellent gem dealers that is a "must see" on every buyer list.

Ceylon Jewels Mfg. (Pvt) Ltd. (Booth: 608)

A great organization from Bangkok. Specializes in all types of gemstones and jewelry. Long-time friend of the ISG Community and supporter of ethics in the industry.

Chatham Created Gems Inc. (Booths: 137, 138)

Chatham wrote the book on modern lab created gemstones that raised them to an art form. The future of the gemstone industry includes created gemstones and Chatham Created Gems is your primary source. Plus, they are great people to work with.

Dust Devil Mining Co. (GJX Show Booth #4205)

Oregon Sunstone at its finest. These folks operate one of the most famous mines in Plush Oregon, and are the epitome of what is right about this industry. Absolutely do not miss meeting them and adding Oregon Sunstone to your product list.

Exotic Gemstones LLC (GJX Show Booth: 4206)

Jewelry designs in Oregon Sunstone that must be seen. In fact, my wife owns several designs by Karla and loves every one of them. I don’t come home from the Tucson Gem Shows without a new one. That’s about the highest recommendation I can give any vendor at Tucson. The design at left is from Karla's excellent collection.

Galaxy Gems (GJX Show Booth: 714)

Direct miners of a vast array of Brazilian gemstones. We once again include these good folks on our “recommended” list as a great source and good people to work with.

Gemfrance (GJX Show Booth: 914)

Everyone take what you have learned about diffusion treated andesine and go by this booth to see what is claimed as Congo Andesine. Just as a learning experience. To date Dr. Sikirdji has not been able to provide any proof that this Congo mine actually exists. In fact, based on his own claim that the mine is located in rebel held territory in the Congo, it is actually illegal for US consumers to purchase Gemfrance’s “Congo Andesine” as it is helping finance a terrorist organization……if Dr. Sikirdji’s claims are accurate.

John D. Dyer (GJX Show Booth: 1530)

This young man is absolutely one of the finest gemstone artists I have seen. Award winning designer and cutter who is at the leading edge of the future of this industry. You absolutely must visit his booth and see the future of this industry in both design and people.

Kaufman Enterprises (GJX Show Show Booth: 314)

Specializes in facet rough and custom cut gemstones of all kinds. Perenial favorite with the ISG Community members.

Kruess Optronic GmbH (GJX Show Booth: 1201)

World renowned resource for gemological equipment and supplies.

Litto Gems Co. (GJX Show Booth: 111)

We have no idea why these people are still claiming to sell “Tibet andesine” when the China National Gem Testing Lab folks, and others, have tagged it a hoax. What does it take to put a stop to this kind of thing? We don’t know. But we have many specimens from Litto gems and they all test as diffusion treated. It’s worth a stop to see more specimens of this material that the Peretti expedition called a very elaborate hoax.

Lowe Associates - Robt. P. Lowe, Jr. (GJX Show Booth: 205)

Excellent supplier of Brazilian gemstones as well as other world sources. We hear a lot of good things about these folks for quality and integrity. Repeat listing on our recommended vendor list and good people to work with based on a lot of customer reports.

OTF Gems - Org. Tavares Filho (GJX Show Booth: 3010)

One of our closest friends and supporters from Brazil. Specializes in Brazilian gemstones as well as exceptionally knowledgeable in the gemstone industry. Wonderful resource for our research and long time dealer and friend of the ISG Community.

Perlas del Mar de Cortez (GJX Show Booth: 1221)

Mexican round cultured pearls and half pearls. Do no miss the opportunity to see the Mexican produced pearls that are of the highest quality. These folks have helped us with our ISG Pearls Course materials and study specimens for years. Good people to work with and outstanding pearl products.

R. W. Osmond & Associates (GJX Show Booth: 235)

These Aussies specialize in some of the finest chrysoprase and opals you will find anywhere in the world, and at excellent prices. Outstanding group that we have enjoyed working with for a couple of years now. Don’t miss them as they offer unique gems, carvings and other items that you will not find elsewhere.

Rough & Ready Gems, Inc. (GJX Show Booth: 700)

Unique gemstone briolettes and ultrasonic drilling services. Great people to work with and repeat favorite of the ISG Community.

Tucker Gems/Sid Tucker, L.L.C. (GJX Show Booth: 236)

Solid wholesale resource for colored gemstones. Return members of our recommended list and long-time members of the ISG Community.

Tairona Co. (GJX Show Booth #410)

Imports a wonderful array of colored gemstones specializing in emeralds, sapphires and tourmalines. Paul is a long-time friend of the ISG Community and our efforts to further integrity in the industry. It is wonderful to work with folks who still believe in the foundations of this industry where honesty and integrity are first and foremost in business.

Did we miss you? Let us know. We have a special list coming out next week for anyone we missed. Just let us know.

OOPS.....in our AGTA Favorite Vendor listing we missed the following:

Taylorcorp. (AGTA GemFair Booth #1110)

Wonderful source for colored gemstones with a world class reputation for quality and integrity. Long time supporter of ethics in this industry and of the ISG Community. More important, a fantastic resource for colored gemstones that you will want to make sure is on your list.

American Sapphire Company (AGTA GemFair Booth #526)

Many reasons to be sure and see these folks. They produce outstanding natural sapphires from the US. Rare opportunity to obtain local gemstones from local mines that will increase your revenue streams in profits and beauty.

Glenn Preus, G.G. (AGTA GemFair Booth #525)

Colored gemstone supplier with experience and knowledge that many will find refreshing. Long-time supporter of the ISG Community and our efforts to increase ethics in the industry.

Perlen Yukie U.S.A. (AGTA Booth# 625)

Specializes in Japanese Freshwater Pearls from Lake Kasumigaura, Japan, as well as Cultured Akoya Pearls and Cultured Akoya Keshi. Great friend of the ISG Community and supporter of ethics in the industry.

GemstoneTreatmentReport.com website becomes free information resource for gemstone industry. ISG opens the GTR database to assist world wide industry

2010-09-01T18:25:00.001-03:00

GemstoneTreatmentReport.com website becomes free information resource for gemstone industry.

ISG opens the GTR database to assist the world wide industry.

San Antonio, TX, September 1, 2010: Realizing the need for a free information clearing house for gemstone treatments and lab created gemstone identification, the International School of Gemology announced today the restructuring of their Gemstone Treatment Report website to become the industry’s only complete, open-sharing internet database of gemological research and reporting on gemstone treatments.

Located at GemstoneTreatmentReport, this website is now available as a free service to anyone in the gemstone industry for the study, reference, and sharing of gemological information relating to the research and reporting of the latest in gemstone treatment identification methods. This information clearinghouse is being made possible by members of the world wide ISG Community who are responsible for the research and identification of the dyefusion treatment of gemstones such as andesine, tourmaline, and others. The GTR data base currently covers the identification of over 50 of the most often seen gemstone treatments as well lab grown gemstones with ongoing research to provide the industry with the latest updates available free through this single source website.

The Gemstone Treatment Report actively seeks sharing and information contributions from other gemological organizations, laboratories, schools, dealers, retail jewelers, consumers, and any other interested party who has information to share and contribute to the information database.

The Gemstone Treatment Report was originally a production of the International School of Gemology’s Registered Gemologist course program titled: Identification of Synthetic Gemstones. Due to the urgent need for quality information regarding gemstone treatments, the ISG has opened this database to the industry as a free support service. All Gemstone Treatment Report subscribers will be given the option of a subscription refund or other consolations. For more information please contact the ISG office at 210.877.5816 or email to isg@schoolofgemology.com.

To obtain a PDF copy of this release please click on this link: GTR Press Release

FIPP2010

2010-09-01T18:23:00.001-03:00

Sorry, this is just a space filler until I have a chance to report -- but the gist is that the feira was slow.

20th International Precious Stones Fair, Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais, Brazil, August 24-28, 2010

2010-06-23T12:23:00.002-03:00

20th International Precious Stones Fair

22nd Open Precious Stones Fair

Locale: Clube Palmeiras, Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais, Brazil

24-28 August 2010

"The largest international precious stones fair in Latin America"

Registrations: http://www.geabrasil.com/inscricao.php

20ª Feira Internacional de Pedras Preciosas, Teófilo Otoni, MG, 24-28 agosto 2010

2010-06-23T12:12:00.002-03:00

20ª FEIRA INTERNACIONAL DE PEDRAS PRECIOSAS

22ª FEIRA LIVRE DE PEDRAS PRECIOSAS

Local: Clube Palmeiras, Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais, Brasil

24-28 de agosto de 2010

"A MAIOR FEIRA INTERNACIONAL DE PEDRAS PRECIOSAS DA AMÉRICA LATINA"

Inscrições: http://www.geabrasil.com/inscricao.php

Daniel Katz of Australia has something to add to the GAAJ story -- their side:

2010-05-25T21:49:00.000-03:00

Daniel Katz of Australia has something to add to the GAAJ story -- their side:

More to come but in the meantime this has been GAAJ official response:

On Tue, May 25, 2010 at 11:28 AM, Daniel Katz wrote:

GAAJ-ZENHOKYO

Sirs,

Please explain :

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/...na014000c.html

" Major gem company manipulated color standards to overestimate diamond quality

A leading gemology company engaged in diamond grading had deliberately overestimated diamond qualities by manipulating color evaluation standards, it has been learned.

The Gemological Association of All Japan (GAAJ) had been using the manipulated color standards between late February in 2007 and late October in 2008, affecting some 338,000 diamonds that were evaluated during the period, industry insiders told the Mainichi."

I would appreciate your quick reply

Daniel F Katz
www.DiamondImports.com.au

The Response

Dear Mr. Daniel Katz,

Thank you for your inquiry.

We are attaching the letter we sent to all our customers as response to the newspaper article.

We hope it will answer any questions raised after reading the article.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any more questions.

Sincerely yours,

Nadia Goldstein
Executive secretary
Nadia Goldstein
Zenhokyo Israel

The Letter

17th May 2010

To our customers,

Our view of MAINICHI Newspapers reports

Gemmological Association of All Japan Co.Ltd.
President Natsuki TAKAHASHI

On 15th and 16th May 2010, MAINICHI Newspapers reported that GAAJ-ZENHOKYO laboratory engaged company-wide in “manipulating colour standards to overestimate diamond quality”.

This press report is definitely not based on true facts. However, I
personally, as well as the company “Gemmological Association of All Japan Co. Ltd” are sincerely sorry for any inconvenience and anxiety that were caused to our customers- inconvenience and anxiety which were certainly not of our doing.

GAAJ-ZENHOKYO laboratory hereby announces that there is nothing fraudulent in our diamond grading, as publicised in the newspaper, and we have been, as always,performing fair grading at our laboratory.

We are determined to clarify the facts of the matter and will devote all our efforts to do it.

In Japan, diamond grading is performed based on the standards employed by GIA, and diamonds are evaluated on the so-called “4Cs” – cut, colour, clarity and carat.

Colour grading is performed based on the system using the masterstones approved by JJA/AGL, which was created by reference to GIA masterstones and was implemented in September 1996.

The system aims to prevent variations in colour grading among the
AGL (Association of Gemmological Laboratories Japan) members by letting the
members possess and properly operate the colour-masterstones, which are approved by Japan Jewellery Association (JJA) and AGL after consultation between them.

Diamonds are graded by highly experienced and trained expert graders.

However, there are always border stones (i.e. stones that are situated between one grade and the next).

Clarity and colour evaluation especially, cannot be quantified or mechanically gauged,so the grading results largely depend on the experience and subjective judgment of the grader.

GAAJ-ZENHOKYO laboratory holds regular meetings to match up individual
evaluation basis to eliminate variation between graders and branches.

The “direction” as described in the news report was a memorandum record of one of such regular meetings.

As it is, we had been receiving several comments that our results on colour gradingwere too strict compared to other gemmological laboratories belonging to AGL, whichraised our graders concern.

After an annual checking up session for diamond grading held by AGL, it was learned that the grading of GAAJ-ZENHOKYO laboratory traditionally tended to downgrade diamond colour that sat very close to the borders.

Atone of our regular meetings as mentioned above, we discussed correction of this tendency.

We systematically researched the trend of GIA or AGL member laboratories
on colour grading, and kept matching up and exchanging information between our expert graders.

As a result, we reached the conclusion that our grading determination on
borders should be slightly corrected, as stated in the in-house document.

The content of the memorandum therefore was summarised for our graders to show the correction range for those graders who tended to downgrade, in order to improve the operation of the approved masterstones with the border stones.

It was definitely not instruction to uniformly upgrade stones by half to one grade.

That regular meeting was held to eliminate variation on diamond grading between GAAJ-ZENHOKYO laboratory and other AGL members, in conformity with the approved masterstone system, and to seek consistent and uniform grading results between our expert graders.

Never did we aim to give “loose” or “favourable” grading results for our own interest as described in the news report.

Again please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused as a result of the news report.

We reaffirm our resolute stance against the report that is in no way based on true facts.

Meanwhile, we are making extreme efforts to prove the report as false and to restore confidence in the industry.

Your understanding is most truly appreciated.

Gemological Association of All Japan (GAAJ) appraisal company accused of overvaluing diamonds resigns from industry association

2010-05-22T16:52:00.001-03:00

Update: May 23, 2010

Gem appraisal company accused of overvaluing diamonds resigns from industry association

AGL directors at a news conference following an emergency meeting on Friday in Tokyo's Taito Ward. (Mainichi)

The Mainichi Daily News, May 23, 2010

A leading gem appraisal company that is accused of deliberately overestimating the color qualities of diamonds has given up its membership in the national gem industry association responsible for setting diamond grading standards.

The company, called the Gemological Association of All Japan (GAAJ), submitted a request for termination of its membership, which was accepted at an emergency board of directors' meeting on Friday of the industry association, called the Association of Gemological Laboratories Japan (AGL).

The reasons given for the termination included "creation and leaking of an internal document of dubious content," in reference to guidelines for artificially bumping up the "color" ranks of diamonds in an alleged bid to increase their price.

During questioning by AGL directors, the GAAJ admitted to creating the document, which advised "correcting" color values of diamonds a half to a full grade closer to "transparent" than they should have been based on standards set in part by the AGL.

The AGL has decided to offer free re-appraisals on request for diamonds the GAAJ appraised from February 2007 to October 2008. A diamond's accompanying appraisal certificate should show a date within that range to be eligible. The AGL has requested the unique serial numbers of the relevant appraisal certificates from the GAAJ.

Link: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20100522p2a00m0na005000c.html

Gemological Association of All Japan intentionally and fraudulently manipulated diamond color grades to over-estimate quality

2010-05-22T10:47:00.005-03:00

Why am I posting this news article below?

I am so doing because I noticed that GAAJ was publishing -- excuse the expression -- crap about "paraíba" tourmalines, research reports (what a joke those were) about andesine, and other stones.

This article goes to the heart of that lab's total lack of credibility.

Major gem company (GAAJ) manipulated color standards to overestimate diamond quality

This chart shows how the GAAJ manipulated its color evaluation of diamonds, with the left column showing grades based on the industry's standard, while the arrows and the right column indicating the result of manipulated grades. The higher the grades are, the more clarity the diamonds have.

by The Mainichi Daily News, May 22, 2010

A leading gemology company engaged in diamond grading had deliberately overestimated diamond qualities by manipulating color evaluation standards, it has been learned.

The Gemological Association of All Japan (GAAJ) had been using the manipulated color standards between late February in 2007 and late October in 2008, affecting some 338,000 diamonds that were evaluated during the period, industry insiders told the Mainichi.

The Association of Gemological Laboratories Japan (AGL), which is responsible for the industry's uniform evaluation standards and to which GAAJ belongs, is poised to question GAAJ over the suspected manipulation at an early date.

The GAAJ, however, has refuted the allegations, saying, "We only rectified deviations of our in-house evaluation standards."

According to industry sources, the GAAJ discussed manipulating diamond color evaluation standards during a technical meeting at its Tokyo headquarters on Feb. 24, 2007. Two days later, the association's board officially decided to go ahead with the manipulation so that color evaluation of diamonds weighing 1-carat (0.2 grams) or over would be upgraded by a half to one grade compared to the industry's uniform standards, and that of diamonds weighing less than 1-carat would be upgraded by a half grade.

Following the decision, the association started overestimating diamonds at the Tokyo headquarters as well as its Osaka and Fukuoka branch offices.

In October 2008, a jewelry shop in Tokyo reported to AGL that the evaluation conducted by GAAJ's Fukuoka office was wrong, prompting AGL to re-evaluate the questionable diamonds. As a result, it turned out that GAAJ had overestimated diamond quality in terms of color.

GAAJ is one of the top three gemology companies in Japan that boast a combined 70 to 80 percent share of diamond evaluation in the domestic market. The evaluation certificates such companies issue are used to value diamonds retailed at major department stores and other outlets across the country.

If the color evaluation of a diamond is upgraded by one grade, the retail price can rise tens of thousands of yen to over 100,000 yen higher. As a result of the GAAJ's manipulation, retailers and consumers were effectively made to purchase overpriced diamonds.

"The more highly appreciated diamonds are than their true value, the more profits import companies can make. The GAAJ probably tried to pick up more orders for evaluation by overestimating diamond quality," said a former employee at GAAJ's Fukuoka office.

In Japan, evaluation certificates are only issued for diamonds, specifying their weight, cut and other qualities. The certificates are issued by private companies and their appraisal method does not entail official attestation. International evaluation standards are based on those set by private organizations in Europe and the United States, and Japanese companies mostly adopt the method used in the U.S.

The most commonly used evaluation items are the so-called "4Cs" -- cut, color, clarity and carat -- of diamonds. Only carats can be mechanically gauged, while other qualities -- color in particular -- ultimately depend on appraisers' senses and are subject to varying evaluation.

The credibility and fairness of evaluation certificates are not only important to consumers but also to retailers. AGL and other organizations set uniform color standards in the 1990s by creating "standard gem sets" in collaboration with leading U.S. evaluation organizations and distributing them to its member companies. However, since consumers cannot assess fine details in quality, they have no choice but to believe in dealers' claims that they have appraised the diamonds based on the standard gems.

Link to article: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20100515p2a00m0na014000c.html

Oregon sunstone and treated feldspar from Mexico are easily identified by Raman photoluminescence: Rossman and McClure's findings in error

2010-05-20T17:01:00.003-03:00

ISG: The story of the ISG Raman Microscope scans of andesine.

Numerous errors in claims and reports abound throughout the industry!

At the recent Sinkankas Symposium on Gem Feldspar, Dr. George Rossman posted up a slide (you see at left) of one of our composite Raman scan images and declared our findings to be incorrect.....based on a quote he attributed to us that we never made. Indeed, Dr. Rossman has never seen any of our study specimen group (in spite of our offering same) and has not actually tested any of our specimens. And yet, he incorrectly made the declaration that we were wrong in our findings.

The problem: what he claimed we said wrong, we did not say at all. What we did say...he totally ignored.

Confused? So are we! This brings to light the problem with this entire andesine fiasco, certain members of the industry have continually tried to protect the alleged perpetrators of the andesine problem at the expense of truth.

Since Dr. Rossman chose the Symposium at the GIA to present his case without our having the opportunity for rebuttal of his statements, we feel it only fair that we have the opportunity to do so here

We will first share with everyone what our andesine study group actually looks like...or at least part of it. Rather than allowing the alleged perpetrators of the andesine fiasco to supply our specimens, the ISG has purchased hundreds of specimens on the open world markets. We have sought out mine owners from the various mines to obtain proper specimens from as many locations as possible, received specimen submissions from consumers for testing, and we have paid for virtually all of our other specimens so that our research will remain independent and without encumberance to outside influence. Pictures of just a few are below including the inbound shipping envelopes we maintain for records.

With the help of many consumers who wanted answers, the ISG obtained an Enwave Raman Microscope that we had custom built with a Meiji Techno MX microscope. We proceeded to do over 1000 Raman scans of the specimens including specimens from all origins and all colors. The image you see at the top of this page is only a single composite of two scans. We thought you would be interested to see the whole ISG Raman Story.

We wish to acknowledge and thank Marty Haske of Adamas Gemological Laboratory for his research and website covering the topic of Raman Photoluminescence. Mr. Haske's work proved pivotal in our research to identify the diffusion treatment of andesine. Here is how it worked......

In the image at left you see a composite of many scans done on Oregon Sunstone from as many mines as we could gather. We have literally thousands of specimens of Oregon Sunstone in our office, and the Raman Photoluminescence scan you see at left is classic for all.

Then, we tested a number of the Chinese and Mexican feldspar specimens.

At left is a composite image of the scans from the Mexican yellow feldspar and Chinese red andesine. The Chinese andesine includes stones claimed to be from Tibet, Mongolia, and the Congo.

As you can see, we did not rely on the peaks as claimed at the Sinkankas Symposium, but rather the whole of the Raman Photoluminescence reaction.

With over 4 kilos of Casa Grande/Chihuahua Mexican material, and several hundred Chinese andesine, the results we got were repeatable, and verifiable in stone, after stone, after stone, after stone....you get the idea.

Once we compared the three groups, we found that indeed the Oregon Sunstone had a unique, predictable and repeatable Raman Photoluminescense result, and that it was significantly different than either the Mexican or Chinese andesine.

In all cases, the Mexican and Chinese material all tested out the same.

Which....was our first report: That the Chinese andesine tested the same as the Mexican andesine with the Raman.

But we did not stop there.

We obtained transparent plagioclase feldspar specimens from as many sources as we could find and verify. These included: Madagascar, Oregon, Mexico, Tibet, Mongolia, Congo, India, and Tanzania.

As you can see at left, each source had a unique Raman Photoluminescent reaction with the exception of the Mexican and Chinese. These were identical.

This was the crux of our Raman reports, and our findings that the Chinese andesine tested the same as the Mexican feldspar. Did it actually originate from Mexico? Who really cares? We don't. But apparently someone at Caltech and DSN cares. However, as the California Appeals Court ruled in the past few days, the origin of the material is not as important as the selling of the diffusion treated andesine without disclosure. The origin is of little or no importance based on the findings of the court in deciding against Direct Shopping Network in their lawsuit.

But there is one step further we need to go in this ISG Raman Story....

"The GIA is currently unable to separate diffusion treated red Tibetan andesine from natural red Oregon Sunstone," GIA Executive at the Sinkankas Symposium

Also at the Sinkankas Symposium a high ranking GIA executive made a presentation statement that you read above. The GIA cannot separate the natural red Oregon Sunstone from the diffusion treated Chinese material. Regardless of the refractive index differences that we have already demonstrated, the Raman Photoluminescense can.....well, I will let you see for yourself.

At left is a Raman Photoluminesence composite of a Plush Oregon Sunstone and a Tibet red diffused sunstone.

Can you separate these two?

Just for arguments sake, we performed a set of scans on Plush Oregon sunstone and a tray of Mexican yellow feldspar and Chinese red diffused andesine.

Again, the image speaks for itself.

At the risk of appearing flippant and/or a bit sarcastic, I will tell the following true story......

I gave my 8 year old son 2 red stones and had him perform scans with our Raman Microscope. He was able to separate the Oregon Sunstone and the Chinese diffusion treated andesine by Raman Photoluminescense. He has no idea how it works technically, but the Enwave Raman and support software has advanced to the point that even an 8 year old can separate natural Oregon Sunstone and diffusion treated Chinese andesine. Seriously!

With the ruling of the California Appeals Court that says Direct Shopping Network failed to prove a prima facie case on any of their accusations against myself and Interweave this is only the end of one chapter in this never ending story.

The next part goes to Andegem and the AGTA who DSN blames for all of this. Andegem for supplying it, and AGTA for certifying it as all natural and untreated. We have implored both of these organizations to step up and do the right thing before lawsuits and court rulings began. They failed to do so.

Perhaps they will now since DSN seems to be willing to throw both of them under the bus.

But that.....is another story.

Robert James

President, International School of Gemology

Vindication for Robert James and Colored Stone Magazine versus Art Garabedian, DSN, and Andegem

2010-05-19T16:33:00.003-03:00

Vindication For Free Speech And Opposing Ideas

by Lisa Brooks-Pike, May 18, 2010

On Monday, May 17th, the Court of Appeals of the State of California, second appellate district, division four, reversed the previous ruling in Direct Shopping Network, LLC (DSN) v. Interweave Press, LLC.

In late 2008, Art Garabedian of Direct Shopping Network, LLC (DSN) filed a law suit against Robert James, Colored Stone Magazine, Colored-Stone.com, Interweave Press, LLC, and Does 1-1000, for trade libel, interference with contract, and intentional and negligent interference with prospective economic advantage. Attorneys for Interweave Press responded by filing an anti-SLAPP motion, a motion which would prevent the case from going further as they deemed it a “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.”

The anti-SLAPP was heard in Los Angeles County Superior Court by Judge Laura Matz who denied the anti-SLAPP motion on 04/10/2009. Attorneys for Interweave immediately filed an appeal and yesterday won the case and were awarded costs when Judge Matz’s ruling was “Reversed in Full.” Click to View

The findings of the appellate court are profound and send a message to the gemstone and jewelry industry.

Regarding DSN’s claim for trade libel, the courts find that DSN presented no admissible evidence. Garabedian attempted to stand behind a solitary AGTA report listing as natural an Andesine sample purchased from Andegem. The court determined that not only was the test performed on only one sample, but that the AGTA report itself was hearsay, and that the report itself stated it was subject to numerous limitations and conceded that “some treatments commonly applied to gem materials are not currently detectable.”

The courts also outline that statements of opinion are protected speech, and go on to say, “under the first amendment there is no such thing as a false idea. However pernicious an opinion may seem, we depend for its correction not on the conscience of judges and juries but on the competition of other ideas.” The court documents point out that “James and Dr. Rossman tested different stones and James offered to make the stones he tested available to DSN.”

The courts found that DSN produced no evidence that the claims of color treatment were false. DSN was also unable to provide proof that it lost sales because of the suggestion of Mexican origin rather than the presence of treatment, nor did DSN provide proof that any contract had been disrupted. It was the court's opinion that the artificial treatment of the gemstones superceded the issue of origin.

The conclusion of the courts: “DSN presented no evidence that defendants interfered with any particular relationship or expectancy. Moreover, DSN identified no wrongful conduct apart from the allegedly false and defamatory statements made about its product. As we have concluded the statements concerning treatment were not false and the statements concerning origin were not demonstrably defamatory, there is no support for the “wrongful conduct” element of the interference claims.”

“The order denying the motion to strike is reversed. Interweave is awarded costs on appeal.”

Click to see the 35 page court ruling
Copyright© 2010 Jewelers Ethics Association
The above article may be reprinted, reproduced and distributed in its entirety, with all copyrights in tact.

__________________

David Federman, JEA Industry News: Why I Am Not Going To The GIA'S Feldspar Conference

2010-04-17T17:45:00.007-03:00

Jewelers Ethics Association Industry News , Vol. 2, No. 4 (April 16, 2010).

Posted with permission from Jewelers Ethics Association. Copyrighted 2010 by JEA.

Why I Am Not Going To The GIA'S Feldspar Conference

by David Federman, JEA Contributing Editor

How I would like to blame my decision not to attend the GIA's feldspar conference this weekend on financial hardship.

But that would be an excuse--not a reason.

And making excuses would be just one or two degrees shy of lying. I'm too old to lie or rationalize or give doctor's notes.

No, the reason I'm not going to the feldspar conference is that this conference is too little too late--and it will not bring the American jewelry industry any closer to clarity and closure about the scandals that have wracked the most popular feldspar of modern times: Oregon sunstone.

Just look at who are absent from the rostrum--the people who know most about this scandal as well as the people who have been most damaged by it. I'm talking about the whistle blowers like Robert James and Joel Arem; I'm talking about the Oregon sunstone miners who have lost millions of dollars due to frauds involving non-disclosure of treatment. If some of these heroes and victims are silly enough to pay money to sit impotently in the audience, this reporter can only lament their decision to waste their money on a cause whose most profound effect will be more frustration for them.

As far as I'm concerned, the conference owes these brave gemologists and defrauded miners honor and obeisance, but they will receive neither. No, the conference will be too busy debating spurious sources for andesine in Tibet and Mongolia--sources that have been thoroughly repudiated by geologists and mining authorities in China. No mention will be made of the economic and marketing necessities for an ample andesine source in "greater China" because of its not-coincidental status as an official Olympics gemstone. Will conference presenters explore Chinese andesine as possibly an elaborate science fiction?

Don't bet on it. Don't even hope for it.

We all know the facts and fictions about the andesine mess. The stuff used to fleece consumers comes from Mexico--by the ton. There is no other proven source capable of providing the material needed for fraud on the scale that we have seen it. I don't care what lab equipment says. Experts can and have been fooled, especially since they're testing material none or very little of which was bought from the TV networks and Internet sellers who engaged in feldspar fraud. It was selected at random from dealer inventories. So I have serious doubts about the relevance of the scientific testing conducted. If the wrong samples were used, the results don't prove anything. At issue here is where the tons of rip-off material needed for the con came from--not whether or not some mountain side in China may produce a couple kilos of bona fide andesine (something I highly doubt). There is only one gemologist I know of who restricted his testing to "store-bought" andesine: Robert James. Moreover, there is only one gemologist I know of who tested hundreds of samples--most of it bought at his own expense: again, Robert James. Yet James has not been invited to present at the conference. Hell, he should be its keynote speaker.

Consequently, to me, the best we can hope for from the conference is that it will be an exercise in hindsight rather than insight. Actually, I would be glad if it could achieve even that much. True hindsight in this matter would involve a thorough critique of the shabby methods used to investigate this scandal and the continuing lack of preparedness to prevent subsequent gemological frauds of similar magnitude.

The truest hindsight would lead to the following foresight: the jewelry industry is a sitting duck for repeat offenses, some of them by repeat offenders such as the shop-at-home TV networks.

So I'm staying home where I know I won't be missed and I certainly won't be missing the action. I hear the weather here on the East Coast is going to be warm and sunny--a match for that on the West Coast. So maybe some of you might want to fly out to Philadelphia and convene a post-mortem for the andesine tragedy. That post-mortem would involve the creation of a gemological civil defense plan that will show the world that the jewelry industry is finally ready to learn from history rather than to continue ignoring it.

FIPP2010 (Feira Internacional das Pedras Preciosas), Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais

2010-02-10T16:50:00.005-03:00

FIPP2010 (Feira Internacional das Pedras Preciosas), August 24-28, 2010, Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais

Wow! Time sure is flying. Seems like only yesterday we were all biting our nails, down here, wondering how FIPP2009 was going to turn out, especially after the June gem show in Governador Valadares was cancelled suddenly just before the event.

Turns out that FIPP2009 was better than everyone's drastically lowered expectations.

News from dealers in Tucson is that sales were better than expected.

Photos of FIPP2009 (Feira Internacional das Pedras Preciosas), Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais

2009-12-13T12:35:00.001-03:00

Yesterday, I ran across a very nice set of photos of FIPP2009:

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/uly4/2/1251291872/tpod.html#pbrowser/uly4/2/1251291872/filename=overview-of-a-show-section.jpg

...

Baby blue and baby pink iridescent bicolor tourmaline bought in Teófilo Otoni

2009-10-27T11:22:00.003-03:00

OK, I admit it! I am a sucker for tourmalines, I really am.

When I saw this baby blue/baby pink bicolor tourmaline, I fell in love. The internal iridescence is just icing on the cake!

"Campbell Bridges 1937–2009: The Bridges' Family Needs Your Help" by Lisa Brooks-Pike, RGA

2009-10-21T18:42:00.010-03:00

Dear Readers,

Movies such as "Born Free," "Safari," "King Solomon's Mines," "Mountains of the Moon," "A Nun's Story," "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" (and the book by Hemingway, of course), and "Out of Africa," and the books The Golden Impala, West with the Night, The Lion, The Poisonwood Bible, The Blue Nile, The White Nile, and many others have all informed my images of Africa, although I have never travelled there.

I didn't know Campbell Bridges. I had read only sporadically about him.

But the poignancy in his son's telling of his death, the survivor's remorse, the way we can see that he keeps playing it over in his head, thinking that if only, if only he had done something differently, his beloved father would not have died.

It's heartbreaking.

No one deserves to die like that.

Lisa Brooks-Pike has written a moving article of her interview with Bruce Bridges, and she is appealing to us to step up to the plate and sign the petition for justice for Campbell Bridges in an attempt to move Kenya to act as a nation of law.

Tenney

Campbell Bridges 1937–2009: The Bridges' Family Needs Your Help

by Lisa Brooks-Pike, RGA

It was an honor to meet recently with Bruce Bridges, son of Campbell Bridges, in the office of Tom Elliot, owner of the North American Gemological Laboratory (NAGL). Within moments of Bruce’s arrival, it was clear that he had the same great qualities and values as his father, and his passion for family and Tsavorite is extraordinary. Bruce and his family have suffered great adversity and even greater loss yet Bruce’s dedication to his father’s lifetime of work and to Tsavorite drive him forward with amazing strength and focus.

Bruce’s visit to NAGL was driven by this passion and dedication. He was there to honor Campbell, and protect the Scorpion mine and the brilliant vanadium-bearing grossular garnet known as Tsavorite. Bruce brought with him a carry-on bag filled with the Scorpion Tsavorite selected as the cream of the crop by Campbell before his brutal murder.

Like a child seeing the moon for the first time, I was in awe of the material Bruce carefully laid out on the desk before us. It was all beautiful – perfect in deep green color, expertly cut and meticulously polished. I expected as much from material hand-selected by Campbell Bridges; I did not expect to be equally awed by his son. Bruce knew every detail of every stone as if he had nurtured and raised them as children. He could touch one and with that touch he knew the exact carat weight and every tiny detail of that gem. These stones were special.

Bruce shared the largest gem quality Tsavorite to come out of the Scorpion mine – a 20.24-carat wonder. I held my breath as it lay in my hand. "The Scorpion King," I thought. Equally as impressive was the perfectly matched suite of graduated pear-cut stones that made their way to a center pear worthy of royalty: his Queen.

The 44 best stones were selected, all over 3 carats, all breathtaking. These 44 stones were about to receive a special inscription by Tom to identify them as Tsavorite mined under the watchful eye of Campbell Bridges. Watching the first stone being inscribed to honor Campbell and protect what he had created was a very emotional and moving experience, but paled in comparison to Bruce’s story.

Bruce’s own account of this tragic event was both heartbreaking and infuriating. He spoke of that awful day as a son who has suffered irreversible loss, but also as one who refuses to give up and bravely fights on through his sorrow. When we spoke he informed us that the local government had only one man in custody, even though he and his security team had provided them with the full names and photographs of the attackers. As of this writing, no other has been arrested, and the man in custody has been released.

He spoke of the current status of the Scorpion Mine with very real trepidation; while Bruce is currently paying armed guards to protect the mine, no one is there to work it. Mining has ceased, and he does not know when security will be established to enable mining to resume. "We wait to see if the government will reestablish protection for the legal miners," he says.

To say that there has been little action regarding the apprehension of Campbell’s murderers would be a gross understatement. There has been some misinformation regarding the identity of the attackers. While some published reports convey the idea that the attackers were locals, Bruce’s own words in his interview with the BBC say something different. Taken from the interview: "There were several politicians, that for their own greed, funded bandits, gangsters and these criminals, and it's the criminal, it's criminals that we fought with, not farmers. The people that murdered my father were known criminals." In fact, Bruce told me that "the vast majority of attackers were Kenyan Somalis with a couple local gangsters."

Bruce has sought the aid of the British and U.S. embassies, but has been informed by both that without a direct invitation by the Kenyan government, they cannot intervene. Tsavorite U.S.A. has sponsored a petition aimed at creating some forward movement and bringing more attention to this tragedy. As of right now, they need only 22 additional signers to reach their goal of one thousand.

I would like to personally urge anyone who has taken the time to read this article to click on the link, sign the petition, and help to bring to justice the murderers of a man who did so much for so many, without asking anything in return.

UPDATE: the petition has reached its goal of 1,000 signatures -- thanks to everyone!

Please click here and sign the petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/130/justice-for-campbell-bridges

Bruce Bridges' interview with BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8199627.stm

Update:

From Bruce Bridges: "Three men have been arrested and one man released. None of these men are the masterminds but mid to lower tier in the murder, yet are all involved."

Article published online at the site of the Jewelers Ethics Association:

http://www.jewelersethicsassociation.com/news

Kicking myself in the posterior again -- Andalusite becoming very rare in Teófilo Otoni

2009-10-13T19:21:00.004-03:00

Does anyone still remember when andalusite was a humble stone, unworthy of great consideration?

Sigh......

Oh! The stones I could have bought for mere centavos a few years ago.

[That was until IBAMA, the Brazilian environmental protection agency, decided to shut down the mine because it was polluting the area.]

To be continued...

Faceted Green Amber for Sale in Teófilo Otoni -- Part II

2009-10-07T20:50:00.013-03:00

A few months back, I wrote a post about the faceted green amber I had seen in Teófilo Otoni, earlier this year.

I am happy to report that some of the best pieces were still at the dealer's office when I went to see him, yesterday, and I am going to break down and buy one of these incredible beauties (for study purposes, of course!).

For those of you who have not seen the first post, here is the link:

http://gringa-gem-news.blogspot.com/2009/06/faceted-green-amber-for-sale-in-teofilo.html

Right now, I have only very bad photos that don't come anywhere near to showing the wonderful liquid green-gold lights bouncing off those facets -- here is what I have, but I will post new photos once I get back to Conquista and am able to use my old 4 Mp Olympus D580, which has good sensors for yellows and greens. (The stones in the background of the top photo are chrysoberyls.)

More info on the formation of amber here:

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/47998/title/Flowerless_plants_make_fancy_amber

Good news in earlier today from Teófilo Otoni gem dealers exhibiting at the 2009 Hong Kong Gem Show

2009-09-22T15:20:00.006-03:00

The news from Praça Tiradentes this morning is that so far sales have been good in Hong Kong for the Teófilo Otoni gem dealers.

What a break this is after lackluster sales earlier in Bangkok and at the FIPP2009.

As expected, the best movers were the larger, high-quality aquamarines, alexandrites, and tourmalines, in particular the indescribably beautiful mint green tourmalines from the Pirineo mines.

Among the sellers from Teófilo Otoni with stands in Hong Kong are: Oswaldo Tavares, Marcelo Gemas, Mamão, Duarte & Bastos, and Emerson Tavares. (Remember that Teófilo Otoni is a very small town, and the well known sellers may be recognized by only their first names.)

Stands in Hong Kong can cost US$8,000. Add to that the cost of flying and hotel rooms, and if these dealers are sending happy news, then they must really be pleased!

What I wouldn't give for one of these beauties from Pirineo!

Photo by Anfilófio Bastos, 2009.

Gorgeous, enormous, and problematic green tourmalines in Teófilo Otoni

2009-09-22T08:20:00.013-03:00

Let's talk about these two beauties.

The first one, at the top (or on the left, depending on how your browser displays this page), is actually green going into blue-green. It is a good 2 inches long. If you were to buy it for yourself, all well and good. But if you are buying it to resell, what to do? What types of clients do you have? For example, what is a jeweler going to do with such a long stone? Really, it is too long to put in a ring. Should it be set into a pendant? I dunno. A pendant would not really show off the beauty of this stone. What about a brooch? Do you have jeweler clients who specialize in making brooches? Hmmm. This leaves you with thinking about your clients who are collectors and who are not interested in setting this stone. It is a marvelous example of a flawless bicolor tourmaline that goes from green into blue-green.

OK, now let's have a look at the second stone on the right (or below). This beauty has even more problems than the first one. This stone is so large that it is next to impossible to set (if I remember correctly, it was somewhere between 40 and 60 carats). This leaves it for a collector. But look at the cut. Look at the table. Hellooo! Really nice window to the bottom, isn't it!

You could have the stone recut as a round, but it might still be way too large to put in a ring, unless you are willing to lose a lot of carat weight. And for that, you need to pay a low-enough per carat price, because basically we are talking about rough here now, aren't we?

This stone is a perfect example of the prevailing tendency (by the less sophisticated dealers) here in Brazil to cut the stone as large as possible. This is called to aproveitar the stone (or to "take advantage" of the stone). They will have the stone cut as large as possible while still avoiding inclusions. Some of the really unsophisticated sellers will have the stones cut even larger and include inclusions in the belief that size is more important than an obvious flaw.

On Pink Tourmalines from Araçuaí, Minas Gerais -- To Heat or Not To Heat

2009-09-21T15:04:00.009-03:00

The tourmaline mines around Araçuaí in Minas Gerais are aptly famous for their pink tourmalines, although they have great greens, as well.

Pink tourmalines from Araçuaí are routinely heated because they often have a strong underlying brown tone. You can see examples of unheated and heated in this image taken in a dealer's office in Teófilo Otoni in March this year (click on the image to see the entire photo):

Generally speaking, many of these pinks look very light and washed out in daylight, but at night, under incandescent light, they have a wonderful color shift and change to a brilliant cherry color, although the brownish tone doesn't ever seem to be totally eliminated by heating.

In 2007, I bought an 18-carat oval for my mother -- IF at 30x -- and I had a terrible time trying to photograph it. In fact, I did not succeed. It looked just horrible in daylight, but at night -- wow!

Here is my best shot after several desperate attempts to manipulate the colors using Microsoft's Picture Manager, and it comes nowhere near doing justice to that stone:

On that same trip to Teófilo Otoni, I bought a 15-carat, peachy-pink, trillion-cut tourmaline that has something extra special about it that I have not seen before or since. As best as I can describe it, it was neon. And talk about not being able to photograph the particular beauty of that stone! Goodness! But I sent a message to a client in Rio de Janeiro, and he bought it sight unseen. When he received it, he sent me an e-mail to say that his eyes had fallen of his head when he saw it. It is nice when you have clients like that because if the sale had been based on a photo and not on trust, no one in their right mind would ever have bought that stone.

Imperial topaz, characteristics and description, from the Ouro Preto region of Minas Gerais, available in Teófilo Otoni

2009-09-18T08:58:00.017-03:00

[Photo copyright of Anfilófio Bastos. Please click on the photo at left to see the full screen image in all its glory! Or, click on this text to go to a collection of photos of stunning examples of the finest imperial topaz from the region of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais!]

Recently, on one of the gemology forums, there was a discussion of imperial topaz. I was pretty surprised by the confusion as to what exactly is an imperial topaz.

For one thing, no one mentioned that the internal structure of real imperial topaz is quite different from common topaz. I don't have the technical vocabulary to describe it, but I can tell you what it does.

First, imperial topaz comes only from Minas Gerais in the region near the city of Ouro Preto. Minas Gerais is a very large state, comprising an area about 50% larger than the state of California, just to give you an idea.

The crystals are usually quite small in comparison to common topaz.

Unlike common topaz, their internal structure contains many tiny fractures. Thus, while cutting and polishing an imperial topaz, great care must be taken or it will break. And, sometimes these fractures are large enough to permit the polishing material to enter. Very fine visible fractures are normal in imperial topaz. Such fine fractures visible only at 10x normally do not affect the value of the stone greatly, although of course a really clear stone is more valuable, much like a clear rubilite tourmaline.

As already mentioned above, the crystal's color will intensify when viewed through the c-axis.

But the main difference is something called in Portuguese brilho de fogo, or "brilliance of fire."

Imperial topaz has a special way of reflecting light that causes it to shimmer.

Anyone who has actually seen real imperial topaz of even moderate quality will have seen this shimmer. It is somewhat similar to a schiller effect, but it is much finer and is extremely difficult to photograph, although I have come close even with my little amateur cameras.

Imperial topaz is defined by these special small shimmering crystals with internal fractures, and so far as I know, the only region in the world where they are found is in Minas Gerais.

As to color: imperial topaz comes in colors from a weak pale yellow to a better gold, to slightly orange, to salmon, to sherry and on along this sort of spectrum -- but they are all imperial topazes.

The difference is in the prices that are paid for these colors.

Some are heated to become pinkish. Lavender is a highly desired but rare color.

Nowadays, some are irradiated, but this is usually discernible because the colors have an intensity and tone that are not natural.

Generally, imperial topaz cannot be cut in the same way as common topaz due to the breakage problem. Thus, there are traditional cuts specific for imperial topaz.

I have seen irradiated citrines and low-quality rubilites cut in these imperial topaz cuts and hawked as imperial topaz.

Five years ago or more, common topaz (slightly off white in color) from the Khatlang province of Pakistan was being irradiated, and this process produced a very strong coppery orange shimmer, which unfortunately faded over time. It was noticeable that the shimmer effect was not nearly so fine. Nevertheless, these stones were often quite pretty.

The producers of this irradiated topaz did not bother to have it cut in the traditional cutting styles of real imperial topaz.

Very often, the irradiation produced very easily discernible color zoning -- something I have never seen in real imperial topaz.

The color was usually an orange copper with grey and brown undertones. It was especially easy to see these undertones and the color zoning if one put the stone, table down, on a piece of white paper and looked through the pavilion.

Sizes could go up to 40-50 carats -- an almost unheard of size for real imperial topaz.

But the dead giveaway was the price.

Even the lowliest cut imperial topaz with a washed-out, orange-salmon color (VS) would cost $12-$15 per carat in Teófilo Otoni.

A great website for finding the technical data on minerals, and with many good photos of these minerals, is www.mindat.org

That site currently has over 50 photos of imperial topaz crystals of the various natural colors. The first, a light golden brandy in color, displays the typical size, shape, color, and form of the most commonly found imperial topaz crystal, not to mention the internal fractures. These crystals can be had for pennies, as they are not gem quality and are sold merely as curiosities. The descriptions of the imperial topaz crystals on mindat contain a lot of hype. Almost none of the brandy-colored crystals is gem quality. The lavender crystals, however, are valuable. Here is the link:

http://www.mindat.org/min-8110.html

Copyright © 2009 N. Tenney Naumer -- All rights reserved.

Here is a link to a flickr album with photos of variously colored imperial topazes cut and available at the firm of Duarte & Bastos in Teófilo Otoni (photos by Anfilófio Bastos):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dbprecious/sets/72157622158501184/detail/

FIPP2009 is opening auspiciously!!!

2009-08-26T20:24:00.003-03:00

The latest news on FIPP2009 is that lots of international buyers are in town!

Naturally, the dealers are very pleased and excited about this.

I won't have much more information until Friday or Saturday, but I will just say that I am very happy for the gem dealers and miners of the region.

International buyers are already in Teófilo Otoni, in advance of FIPP2009

2009-08-22T10:55:00.004-03:00

The news from Teófilo Otoni is that buyers have already been in town for a week ahead of FIPP2009. My sources tell me that they have seen buyers from Germany, Italy, and Israel. In particular, the buyer from Germany was surrounded by sellers, meaning that he actually is spending some money.

Normally, the big buyers come in before the gem fair begins and buy all the good stuff early. However, current production of good rough continues to be very low. Good stones are not available in large quantities, except from the larger more established firms, with very high prices, except for aquamarines, which as I have written before, are as common as popcorn.

OK, this is just my opinion, but I will give it, anyway.

Firms that are well positioned to ride out the crisis (those who have managed their cash flow wisely and did not take risks and become overextended) are using this opportunity to buy for clients who are in the same situation, and they are also buying with the long-term future in mind.

It is my understanding that prices have declined only a little. This is where the laws of supply and demand come in. There is relatively little supply of good stones because mining production has been greatly reduced for several months.

I would tend to say that any real buyers are buying now to snap up what is left of production.

And these are the buyers who can afford to wait a long time for sales or who already have orders of some kind.

My good friend, Natasha Petrova, will be scanning the scene by this coming Friday.

At that time, she will be able to talk to the dealers and let me know how things went. I have also asked her to take some photos for posting to this blog. [This year, I had to make an unexpected trip to the States, so I will not be there, myself, as I had intended.] She has already told me that Russian jewelry companies have not placed any orders. [The financial crisis has hit Russia much more than other countries.]

FIPP2009 (Feira Internacional das Pedras Preciosas), Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais

2009-08-13T21:49:00.002-03:00

Last week, it seemed that FIPP2009 might not go on; however, according to Monday night's news broadcast, whatever complications there might have been have now been resolved, and FIPP2009 is good to go!!!

Here is a true gem -- my beautiful baby girl, Alais Elena

2009-08-01T13:59:00.002-03:00

FIPP2009 (Feira Internacional das Pedras Preciosas), Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais

2009-07-05T09:21:00.005-03:00

Feria de Piedras (for our Spanish readers), Teófilo Otoni

Just a tiny update here to let you all know that according to my contacts in Teófilo Otoni, the upcoming edition of FIPP is still on (August 25-28, 2009).

There is, however, a slight problem with the GEA website, possibly due to an error creeping into the code during a change. The FIPP2009 page with its poster has disappeared.

But the webpage for signing up for the gem fair is still there:

http://www.geabrasil.com/inscricao.php

Gemstone sales are dead right now in Teófilo Otoni

2009-06-30T19:21:00.002-03:00

hmm, I don't like to be the harbinger of bad news, but word on the street in Teófilo Otoni is that sales are dead. In Portuguese they say "parada" (stopped). Let me explain a bit. When things are not going well, no one admits it. They might say something like "sales are fine," "sales are ok," "sales are not bad," but no one tells you that they are absolutely terrible.

Except that now they are saying this.

You know what they say -- that in bad economic times the big juicy stones still move, the best still sells.

Except that now they are not selling.

Owners of mines were already laying off workers and production had declined dramatically a few months ago. It was nearly impossible to come across any good stones. Well, aquamarine is always available, the stuff grows like mushrooms.

In-house cutters were already at a minimum (one?).

A Japanese buyer (but was he buying? hmm, I will check) told a friend that things would not get better for 5 years. Personally, I think that is an exaggeration, but who knows? Certainly, no one is expecting things to go back to the way they were during 2004-2007 any time soon.

Faceted Green Amber for sale in Teófilo Otoni -- Who knew?

2009-06-05T18:36:00.008-03:00

Readers, I am very sorry that I did not get a photo of the absolutely gorgeous clear, faceted green amber that I was shown last month in Teófilo Otoni.

For one thing, I almost never buy something the first time I see it. I have to wait and investigate. Today, I finally found an article about this beautiful stone.

OK, of course, it is not from Brazil -- I am pretty sure of that.

This is what happened. I was sitting in the office of a dealer I like and trust, and he's telling me stories about this stone and that, when he mentions this guy who left a couple of bags of stones for him to sell if he finds any buyers.

The first bag was of those now notorious "andesine" labradorites from Mexico (or China, if you drink the cool aid). They were a very light golden color, not red. But they were easily recognizable. I'm like... uh, no thanks.

Then, he gets out a bag of these gorgeous dreamy green ambers. They reminded me of the color and clarity of the best sweet white wine I have ever had in my life, a golden nectar of the gods from Hungary that I drank back in 1979 -- you know, the kind of wine you never forget.

These faceted green amber gems were the type of stone that makes your eyes light up involuntarily as soon as you see them, and you lean forward, and everything about you tells the seller that you want them, and you want them bad!

Then, he tells me the per carat price.

Fortunately for me, or unfortunately, as the case may be, I was so damned cash poor that they were completely out of my league, especially as I didn't even really know what they were.

The dealer told me that a Japanese buyer had taken some away to be tested to see if they were really amber or not, and that he had come back and said that, yes, it was real amber, but he also didn't much like the price.

It was already late in the day, so I couldn't take a photo. However, today, while I was trying to find articles about the process for stabilizing amber, I ran across one on the treatment for green amber, so below, I am posting three photos taken by the author, Dr. Lore Kiefert, of the AGTA. I don't have permission, so eventually I may have to take these photos down. None of these stones was faceted, and only the really nice ones come anywhere near the stones I saw in Teófilo Otoni, but I think they will give you a pretty good idea.

All three photos were taken by Dr. Lore Keifert, who owns the copyright to their reproduction.

Below is the link to Dr. Lore Keifert's original article on the treatment process; UPDATE, October 14, 2009 -- the link is broken, and I have read on a forum that going to the AGTA site could involve receiving a Trojan virus, so please be careful there: http://www.agta-gtc.org/amber-green.htm

Climate change comes to Teófilo Otoni -- How to make donations for flood victims

2009-06-03T18:50:00.005-03:00

Here is my translation of the news story in the post below this one:

"Yesterday afternoon, a storm with extremely strong winds and hail caused damage in the city of Teófilo Otoni, in the Muruci Valley, Minas Gerais state. According to the Minas State Civil Defense Coordinating Office (Cedec), a daycare center and six houses had tiles ripped off their roofs. A tree fell on some wires and caused damage to the electrical system. The southern zone of the municipality had no electricity for a few hours. There were no reports of injuries.

Persons who had to leave their homes were put up by friends and family. Cedec is still adding up the damage caused by the storm. It is not yet known if additional support in the form of food packets will be necessary for the families affected.

Since the rainy season began in September 2008, approximately 113,300 people have been displaced and 1,540 have been made homeless in Minas Gerais state."

OK, so what is the big deal about a storm with strong winds and hail?

A single bad storm cannot be attributed to global warming. But according the the Brazilian weather service, the number of lightning strikes per year has doubled in the last 4 years.

I can attest to that. When I first moved here, 12 years ago, from my home in tornado alley, I was amazed at how quiet the storms were. The rain came, lots of it fell, but there was no thunder and lightning. I actually missed it. In the last two years especially, we see lightning here with almost every storm that comes through. It is a very noticeable change.

I was surprised to read just now that 113,300 people had been affected in Minas Gerais since last September. I knew that it had rained a lot, but I had thought that the main problem was in the north and northeast of Brazil, where there are more than 400,000 displaced and many homeless people -- many have been cut off from the basic necessities for two months. Up in the Amazon region, there is very little in the way of potable water, food, medicines, medical care, electricity, and just about anything else you might need. If you would like to make a donation, in this case I recommend the Catholic charity called Caritas because they have people on the ground in every community and the money cannot be diverted by the local politicians.

Please see my other blog for instructions:

Japanese & American donate to Caritas International for the flood victims in northern and northeastern Brazil -- Learn how!

Caritas - the charitable arm of the Catholic Church - is appealing for contributions to provide assistance to flooded areas in northeastern Brazil

If you are Brazilian and want to make a transfer to a bank account here in Brazil, this is the link to the list of accounts to make donations to the Red Cross:

Cruz Vermelha do Brasil: Como fazer doações p/ os atingidos das enchentes do Norte e Nordeste

Vendaval e chuva de granizo causam estragos em Teófilo Otoni

2009-06-03T18:05:00.000-03:00

Um vendaval, seguido de uma chuva de granizo, atingiu o município de Teófilo Otoni, no Vale do Mucuri, na tarde dessa terça-feira, causando vários estragos. Segundo a Coordenadoria Estadual de Defesa Civil de Minas (Cedec), seis casas e uma creche tiveram os telhados arrancados. Uma árvore caiu sobre a via pública causando estragos na rede elétrica. A zona Sul do município ficou sem energia por várias horas. Não houve registro de feridos.

Os desalojados foram abrigados em casas de parentes e amigos. A Cedec ainda faz um balanço dos prejuízos causados pela chuva. Ainda não se sabe se há necessidade de apoio complementar, como cestas básicas, para as famílias afetadas.

Desde setembro de 2008, início do período chuvoso, aproximadamente 113.300 pessoas ficaram desalojadas e 1.540 desabrigadas em Minas Gerais.

(Cecília Kruel/Portal Uai) Link to this article: http://www.uai.com.br/UAI/html/sessao_2/2009/06/03/em_noticia_interna,id_sessao=2&id_noticia=112998/em_noticia_interna.shtml

GEA: Gem Exporters Association (Associação dos Exportadores e Comerciantes de Jóias e Gemas do Brasil, list of members

2009-06-03T11:05:00.003-03:00

This is a list of the dealers and members of GEA (possibly somewhat outdated):

• AMS - IMPORTAÇÃO EXPORTAÇÃO DE PEDRAS PRECIOSAS
• APJ - APRENDER PRODUZIR JUNTOS
• AV PEDRAS PRECIOSAS
• BERYNO GEMS LTDA.
• BEZIM GEMS
• BRAZCRYSTAL LAPIDAÇÃO E COMÉRCIO LTDA.
• BRASGEMAS LTDA.
• BRASIL GEMAS
• CAIMEX - COMISSÁRIA E ACESSORIA IMPORTAÇÃO E EXPORTAÇÃO
• CIA DAS GEMAS
• CMP DO BRASIL
• COLORGEMS LTDA.
• CRISTAL GEMAS
• CRISTAIS CORINTO
• DUARTE & BASTOS LTDA.
• EMBRARAD - EMPRESA BRASILEIRA DE RADIAÇÕES LTDA.
• EMPRESA DE MINERAÇÃO BADIN LTDA.
• GEMAIA PEDRAS LTDA.
• GEMAS DA TERRA
• GEMAS MMD
• GEMS HÉRCULES PRECIOUS
• GEMS FROM BRASIL EXPORTAÇÃO E IMPORTAÇÃO LTDA.
• GMIR LTDA.
• GRP GEMAS E MINERAIS
• INDO BRÁS UNITED LTDA.
• JAA GEMAS LTDA.
• JG LTDA.
• KALINA NEUMANN
• K'ELAWAR LTDA.
• KELLES PEDRAS
• LAPIDAÇÃO KELLER
• LP GEMAS
• LUIZ MENEZES COMÉRCIO E EXPORTAÇÃO DE MINERAIS LTDA.
• LUPO MINERAÇÕES LTDA.
• MARKSTONE PEDRAS PRECIOSAS
• MINERAÇÃO TAPICURU
• NATURALE STEIN LTDA.
• OPALAS PEDRO II
• ORGANIZAÇÕES DUARTE LTDA.
• OTF GEMS - OGANIZAÇÕES TAVARES FILHO COM. EXP. IMP. DE P.PRECIOSAS
• QUARTZO ROSA COMÉRCIO E INDÚSTRIA LTDA.
• RAINBOW EXPORT SERVICES
• R. FIGUEIREDO BRASILIAN GEMS STONES LTDA.
• R & R GEMAS
• RSV GEMAS LTDA.
• SANTOS STONES
• SILVA E GUIMARÃES COMÉRCIO E INDÚSTRIA LTDA.
• STONE KELLER COMÉRCIO E INDÚSTRIA EXPORTAÇÃO LTDA.
• STONE WORLD INDÚSTRIA E COMÉRCIO LTDA.
• STONES PICTURES
• TAMIL - TAVARES MINÉRIOS E EXPORTAÇÃO LTDA.
• TEÓPHILO STONES
• TRANSPORT SERVIÇOS INTERNACIONAIS
• VALOR INDÚSTRIA E COMERCIO
• VIEIRA & SOARES GEMAS LTDA.
• VIEIRA LAPIDÁRIOS
• VIEIRA PEDRAS PRECIOSAS

Gem cutting in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil, and The One That Got Away

2009-06-02T16:04:00.021-03:00

For a long time I have wanted to write about the gem cutters here in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, and later about the cutters in Teófilo Otoni and Governador Valadares in Minas Gerais. Finally, I found the photos I had taken, back in late 2006, of my friend, Saturno. There are really only two cutters in this city, Saturno, and his teacher, Sr. Antônio.

One thing that amazes me about Saturno is that he is roughly my age (in fact, I think he is a few years younger) and he does not need to use reading glasses.

Of course, much more amazing is how he uses equipment that would be considered relatively unsophisticated or even completely inadequate in the U.S. and Europe.

OK, so the first photo here is of his grinding wheel (proper term to be inserted later) where he forms the rough, holding the rough stone in his fingers. He really does everything he wants to do right there.

Once, I was sooooo peeved with him because he had some gorgeous pinkish amethyst rough, and I sat next to him, and he formed a large piece of it into a triangular shape just the way I wanted it. The finished stone would have been about 80 carats. When I came back on the weekend to pick it up and pay for it, it was no where to be found. How does this happen? My mistake! If I had paid for the rough first, then paid for him to cut it, he would have made much more, but I wanted to pay by the finished carat weight. Once he had finished the stone, he must have decided that it was worth a lot more to another buyer, so away it went.

I, being American, assumed that we had a done deal -- after all, had I not sat there right next to him while he formed the rough to my specifications and agreed to have it finished at the weekend when I was to come and pick it up? There was a deal made, wasn't there?

Hellooooo! This is Brazil we are talking about.

There I am, completely confused because I have known Saturno for years, and he has never pulled a stunt like this on me before, and I was also extremely disappointed because that particular amethyst rough was so unusual. It was extremely sparkly, had a silver cast to it, and showed both pink and blue. It even sparkled in the evenings when amethyst is normally a fairly dull stone. Furthermore, there was no chance of getting any more because the owner of the mine had shut it down due to so much theft.

But really, the worst was that I had trusted him. And, in his Brazilian way, he made up all sorts of excuses and fibs about how he had had to give it to Sr. Antônio to cut it for him because he had had other work to do, and it was gone or it had broken or some such nonsense, and this being Brazil, I had to get over it right there on the spot and not get mad and just accept the fact that he had found someone willing to pay a lot more money, and it was my mistake for not paying for the rough up front.

This is called "going native."

Or, "live and learn."

The first rule of business here is: don't trust anyone!

The second rule of business here is: don't trust anyone!

The third rule of business here is: well, maybe trust just a little bit, but not really.

Here are some photos of one that did not get away:

Sr. Antônio is a bit hard to get along with, but his work is better. I asked him to put twice the number of facets on the pavillion as usual -- this is called "fantasia," here. So, this is the best I can get, here, which is the reason that I am in search of a really confiável (someone I can trust -- LOL) cutter in Teófilo Otoni who I can work with. I am beginning with the french-fried tourmalines guy, so we'll just have to see how that goes.

By the way... That big oval was cut back in 2006, and I sold it to a really nice client of mine in São Paulo. He was also studying gemology with the GIA there. After he received the stone, he phoned me all in a panic, saying that it was giving the wrong Chelsea filter reaction. I was like, please, Arnaldo, calm down. Ask your teacher. I know this is a real stone because I saw the rough. Look, you can see the growth layers. Later, he phoned back and told me his teacher, a nice guy from Spain, had checked it out, and indeed, yes, it was natural.

I still have some smaller rough around here, so once I get a strong LED light, I am going to have a good look with my own Chelsea filter. Chelsea filters drive me nuts because they are so dark, and I can't hold the stone up to my eye -- oh, I can hold the filter there, but even with reading glasses I have to hold the darned stones so far away that it is very difficult for me to see things. It really bugs me.

International Gem Fair will be held!!! FIPP2009, August 25-28, 2009, Teófilo Otoni, Brazil

2009-05-26T18:55:00.010-03:00

Boy, am I ever pleased to be able to write this post!!!!

Here is the official site for registering for the 2009 Feira Internacional das Pedras Preciosas (FIPP: International Gemstone Fair)!

In Portuguese and English: http://www.geabrasil.com/inscricao.php

In better times (I am thinking of 2006 and before), the fair was held in the main square (Praça Tiradentes), where you can stand under the trees outside the pavillion and have the birds drop fruit juice from the berries on top of your head or in your eye while watching the tree sloths. Tree sloths are called preguiças in Portuguese (loosely translated, this means "lazy" or "sleepy" ones), and the praça is the only place where I have seen them.

Did you know that "Tiradentes" means tooth puller? Perhaps an archaic word for dentist? No, Tiradentes is a great hero of Minas Gerais who was executed by impalement in Ouro Preto -- Yikes!!!! Don't worry, it was a very long time ago! For more on the history of this Mineiran hero, click here: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Tiradentes

[OK, here it is -- it doesn't matter where you are as a tourist, the tour guides will often tell you the most complete nonsense right off the top of their heads. I visited Ouro Preto in 1998, and the guide actually showed me the very spot where Tiradentes had been executed. I absorbed it all. However, if you go to the above link, you will read that he was executed by hanging in Rio de Janeiro. hmmm]

According to the gem dealers I have talked to over the past few weeks, they expect the show to be held inside the Palmeiras Country Club. In fact, this is a pretty good spot, although without the small town charm of the praça. I prefer the praça because it is close to the offices of the dealers, some of the best cutters, all the banks, and lots of places to eat with good food and good prices.

The Palmeiras Country Club does offer good security, and it is very close to one of the better hotels (more on this later), as well as being within walking distance of the SESC pousada. The SESC pousada does offer wireless Internet (but I will check on this, again, next week, to be sure), and it is very close (5 minutes walking) to the bus station. Almost directly across the street from the pousada is a wonderful place for having lunch with a wide variety of fresh dishes that only Mineiras can cook. I am thinking of going down to Teófilo Otoni early next week, so I will firm up all these little details with business names and addresses.

I am not sure where all of the little stands will be located (another detail to be provided later).

The fair is organized by the GEA (known as the Gem Exporters Association in English, but the Portuguese name is Associação dos Comerciantes e Exportadores de Jóias e Gemas do Brasil, which translates as Association of Business Owners and Exporters of Jewelry and Gems of Brazil). Brazilians are fond of pronouncing the anacronyms as if they were words, so the GEA is called the "gee ah" (that is a hard "g" as in gadfly). I'll tell ya, though, Brazilians talk so fast that even knowing what they are going to say, I find it difficult to catch it all.

That's all for now, folks!

(But I am soooo happy!!!!)

Copyright © 2009 N. Tenney Naumer -- All rights reserved.

Brazil Gem Show (13ª Feira Internacional de Gemas e Jóias, Governador Valadares, 2009) cancelado -- notícia official do Sistema Sindijóias Ajomig

2009-05-13T17:04:00.010-03:00

UPDATE -- PLEASE DO NOT CONFUSE THE SHOW IN GOVERNADOR VALADARES WITH THE SHOW IN TEÓFILO OTONI. THE SHOW IN TEÓFILO OTONI HAS NOT BEEN CANCELLED AND WILL BE HELD 25-28 AUGUST 2009!

UPDATE -- ENGLISH TRANSLATION RECEIVED TODAY, JUNE 3, 2009 (I'm thinking they need to hire me to touch up their translations, although this one is not really all that bad.)

Dear Visitor,

As you already know, the international economical turbulence in the main jewelry consuming countries has had a significant impact in the whole industry worldwide, notably in the gem business. As a direct result, all the players in this segment are being forced to adapt to the current harsh market situation, aiming at minimizing the losses in the short and medium terms. Having this perspective in mind and hoping to preserve the interests of exporters and importers, we regretfully inform that the 13th Edition of the Brazil Gem Show, which was scheduled for the period of June 24 thru 27, in Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, has been postponed for 2010, at a new date to be defined in the near future, taking in consideration the international trade shows calendar. We hope to receive your full support and patronage in the next Brazil Gem Show, which will certainly enhance its success history. We are at your disposal for any further clarification.

Sincerely yours,

Recebido, agora, dia 13 de maio do 2009

Prezado,

Como é do conhecimento de V.Sas., a turbulência econômica nos principais países consumidores de jóias provocou um impacto relevante no âmbito de suprimentos dessa cadeia produtiva, sobretudo no setor de pedras preciosas, o que vem obrigando os operadores desse segmento a uma adaptação às circunstâncias de mercado a fim de minimizar as perdas a curto e médio prazos. Alinhados a essa perspectiva e no sentido de preservar os interesses maiores dos empresários exportadores e dos clientes do setor, comunicamos o adiamento da 13ª edição da BRAZIL GEM SHOW - FEIRA INTERNACIONAL DE GEMAS E JÓIAS, que estava agendada para o período de 24 a 27 de junho próximo, na cidade de Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais / Brasil, para 2010, em data a ser definida, levando-se em consideração o calendário de feiras internacionais do setor, a fim de garantirmos a participação de V.Sas.

Na época oportuna faremos a divulgação do evento, esperando contar com sua presença, que será significativa para o sucesso do evento. Colocando-nos à disposição para maiores esclarecimentos, subscrevemo-nos.

Atenciosamente,

Sistema Sindijóias Ajomig

Brazil Gem Show homepage in English:http://www.brazilgemshow.com/en/index.htm

Brazil Gem Show homepage in Portuguese:http://www.brazilgemshow.com/pt/index.htm

Interesting website -- Sistema Sindijóias Ajomig: http://www.ajomig.com.br/produtos.php?prod_tipo=1

Prasiolite and Rose Quartz purchased in Teófilo Otoni, cut in Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais

2009-05-12T22:32:00.008-03:00

Pssst! Don't tell anybody, but if you know the right people, you can buy these pretty rose quartz or prasiolite stones for $2.50 a carat there in Teófilo Otoni!

My camera doesn't show the colors very well. The prasiolite was a light mint green, and the rose quartz was more open.

French Fried Tourmalines in Teófilo Otoni

2009-05-08T23:06:00.009-03:00

And this is why you should never ever turn your back on a six year old!Just click on the photo to enlarge it and see the details.

The cutter and owner of the oven told me that he had been babysitting his young daughter at his place of business, and when he got ready to leave, someone stopped him to talk while he was walking out. His daughter was behind him, and was eye level with the dial on the oven, which she must have turned to the right, up to well over 700 °C, and so the blue-green tourmalines he had cut were cooked from Saturday afternoon until Monday morning.

Note that the stones were cut and polished before heating, just like the ones in the photo that were not over cooked. Another dealer told me that if the stones are not polished before heating, in which case the surface is not smooth, then during heating the stones can acquire a coating that cannot be polished out.

Brazil Gem Show, Governador Valadares, and FIPP2009 (Feira Internacional das Pedras Preciosas), Teófilo Otoni

2009-05-05T18:08:00.006-03:00

UPDATE: FIPP2009 IN TEÓFILO OTONI WILL GO FORWARD -- WILL BE HELD ON 25-28 AUGUST 2009!

I'm here in Teófilo Otoni, a city I really love (especially when the weather is as it was today -- the temperature was perfect and the humidity was low).

I was expecting the streets to be a bit calmer, but like many cities in Brazil, Teófilo Otoni has been experiencing quite a bit of growth in recent years (not due to the stone business, I might add).

OK, so the word on the street is that the Brazil Gem Show has been cancelled. That is a great pity, but if too few people have signed up, then what else can they do?

So what is going to happen in Teófilo Otoni this August with FIPP2009 (Feira Internacional das Pedras Preciosas)?

I sincerely doubt we will know the answer to that question for a couple more months.

Copyright © 2009 N. Tenney Naumer -- All rights reserved.

2009 Brazil Gem Show cancelled -- had been scheduled for June 2009 in Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais

2009-05-04T13:11:00.005-03:00

UPDATE: PLEASE DO NOT CONFUSE THIS CANCELLATION WITH THE SHOW TO BE HELD ON AUGUST 25-28, 2009, IN TEÓFILO OTONI -- THE SHOW IN TEÓFILO OTONI HAS NOT BEEN CANCELLED!

There is no official word, yet, and nothing on the website, but word is racing all over Teófilo Otoni that the Governador Valadares show has been cancelled. This is not good for the gem business in Brazil which has been in decline since mid-2007.

Let's hope the FIPP2009 doesn't go the same way.

Brazil Gem Show homepage in English:

http://www.brazilgemshow.com/en/index.htm

Brazil Gem Show homepage in Portuguese:

http://www.brazilgemshow.com/pt/index.htm

FIPP2009 cancelada? Feira Internacional das Pedras Preciosas, Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais, August

2009-05-04T11:28:00.006-03:00

UPDATE: July 3, 2009: my friends in Teófilo Otoni are telling me that sales are dead, but the FIPP2009 has NOT been cancelled.

____________________________________________________

UPDATE: May 9, 2009: right now it appears that all systems are go for the 2009 FIPP!

____________________________________________________

Well, if this happens I will be really, really disappointed, and I won't be the only one.

There is some talk now that the gem fair in Teófilo Otoni, scheduled for August, will be cancelled.

From what I understand, the association was thinking of having it at the Palmeiras Country Club, which is just up a steep hill from the SESC (a nice, clean, inexpensive place to stay!).

If the vendors and the association do not have enough funding to rent the pavillion and hold the fair in the square, then indeed, the country club would be a great venue.

The club is still far from the banks, cutters, and dealers' offices, but it is also located near the better hotels and also very near the bus station (not to mention SESC). There are also some nice restaurants in that neighborhood of town.

The praça (square) was the most ideal location, but if it is not doable, then the country club idea ain't half bad.

OK everybody, please cross your fingers and hope the gem fair in Teófilo Otoni will carry on.

Brazil Gem Show homepage in English:

http://www.brazilgemshow.com/en/index.htm

Brazil Gem Show homepage in Portuguese:

http://www.brazilgemshow.com/pt/index.htm

Copyright © 2009 N. Tenney Naumer -- All rights reserved.

Brazil Gem Show foi cancelado? Scheduled for June 2009 in Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais

2009-05-04T11:10:00.005-03:00

UPDATE: PLEASE DO NOT CONFUSE THIS CANCELLATION -- FIPP2009 HAS NOT BEEN CANCELLED, THE SHOW TO BE HELD IN TEÓFILO OTONI, ON 25-28 AUGUST 2009, HAD NOT BEEN CANCELLED!

My friends in Teófilo Otoni are telling me that the Brazil Gem Show scheduled for June 2009 has been cancelled. However, there is no official word on this as of yet, and the website is not showing anything on this.

Here is the current list of exhibitors:

Auriverde
BC Gemas
Ben Sabbagh Bros.
Bezim Pedras
BGC Gemas
Blue Gem Ind.
Caimex
CAMBRY
Carneiro Gems Stone
CMP Cristais
Cosmos
Cristalina Ltda
Di Grande
Embrarad
Enigma Gems
Gemas de Minas
Geometa Ltda
GRP Gemas
ICA
Igem
J. G. Ltda
J. Pinto Pedras
Js Gems
Lapidação Industrial
Lapidação Minas Gemas
Lapidart
Luciane Sabbagh
Manoel Bernardes
Manoel Nogueira
Marcelo Gemas
Marjon Bio-Jóias
Mineração MG
Mosalite
Natural Gems
Neiva & Neiva
Nevestones
Opalas Pedro II
OTF Gems - Org
Paixão Pedras
PinkStone
Possebon Jóias
P. P. Brazil
Premier Gems
Ribeiro Precious
Rocha Mineração
RM Gemas
Salomon Design Ltda
Tecnoforte
Topázio Imperial
Transport
Vianna Jóias
Vasconcelos Pedras
Wilson's Pedras

Brazil Gem Show homepage in English:

http://www.brazilgemshow.com/en/index.htm

Brazil Gem Show homepage in Portuguese:

http://www.brazilgemshow.com/pt/index.htm

12th Annual Brazil Gem Show, Governador Valadares, MG, June 25-28 2009

2009-05-02T10:50:00.006-03:00

UPDATE: THE SHOW IN GOVERNADOR VALADARES WAS CANCELLED.

THE FIPP2009 WILL GO ON! THE GEM FAIR IN TEÓFILO OTONI WILL BE HELD ON 25-28 AUGUST 2009!!!

Below is the text of the press release for the upcoming annual gem show in Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil, to be held on June 25-28, 2009. The exhibition center will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 25th is a Thursday, and most of the big spenders will come in at least one day before the show to see if they can pick up everything they want and leave before the lesser mortals show up. June 28th is a Sunday and is likely to be the day when the local public are allowed to come in and look around. (This is pretty much the same thing that occurs in Teófilo Otoni in August.) Now, differently from Teófilo Otoni, there are not many places to sit and haggle over bargains on the final day. In Teófilo Otoni, the gem show ends on a Saturday, and exhibitors will already begin to pack up on that day. But, I happen to know that if you stay until Sunday, you can go to the praça and continue to pick up good deals, if you make arrangements beforehand. There is really no convenient way to do this in Governador Valadares.

I have a few words to say about the text below. You will note that it says they had 15,000 visitors. Hmmm, I would really like to know how they came up with that figure. My friend, Natasha and I were there in 2007, and it was fairly slow. Natasha has been attending since 2006, and she reported back that 2008 was very, very slow. Things were very nice at the shows in Teófilo Otoni in August 2005 and 2006, but after that, attendance at both shows has dropped off a lot. If there were 15,000 attending, last year, then most likely they were locals. During the first few days of the show, only registered visitors, dealers, and exhibitors are permitted to enter. On the final day, the local public may enter. That might account for the attendance figure. Generally, the locals hardly buy anything -- after all, they live in a gem center all year round, and prices during the show are much higher than they are during the rest of the year.

Now, let's talk about the "180 exhibitors." Hmmm, not inside the main exhibition hall (there are two floors), I would say. But, just outside under tents, there are the smaller sellers of less precious stones and minerals. You can get some good buys on mineral crystals, rose quartz, smoky quartz (also known as "morion" here), dendritic quartz, agates, etc. But, the "good stuff" is inside.

The exhibition hall is situated just up from the bank of a river, making it a very picturesque spot in an area otherwise mostly devoid of natural beauty (the region is largely deforested). However, this year, there has been an absolutely astounding amount of rain, so everything should be very lush and green as opposed to the years of drought. This reminds me that I should check into the situation of the river since so many areas of Brazil are flooding due to the abnormal quantity of rainfall.

One thing that you should know about Governador Valadares is that it is hot! I mean, really hot! And humid! The interior of the exhibition hall is not air conditioned but has a system of misters hanging down from the high ceilings that sprays a fine mist of water into the air. This actually cools things down inside the hall, which gets heated up due to the high-intensity spots that many exhibitors use to show off their wares. But be prepared to sweat!

On the backside of the exhibition hall, there is a large restaurant with pretty good food, and you can sit outside on the ample balcony, resting your feet while overlooking the river, and where there is usually a nice breeze -- very nice and refreshing, indeed!

12th Annual Brazil Gem Show

The world of precious stones trading is here.

Latin America’s largest gem show, the Brazil Gem Show is held in Governador Valadares, one of the major mineral and stones extraction areas in the world. It success in attracting public, attractions and trading have made it a great opportunity to do business with hundreds of exhibitors who offer a large variety of gems and precious stones of incomparable quality. A success in public attendance, attractions and sales, the show is one of the biggest trading opportunities, with hundreds of exhibitors who offer a large variety of incomparable quality gems and precious stones.

The largest gem show in Latin America

Visitors from 22 countries
13 Brazilian states
180 exhibitors
15 thousand visitors

A show of opportunities

The show presents visitors with the trends, products and development policies for the precious stone industry. In a single venue, the visitor will find a wide variety of Brazilian stones, which are the highlight in the domestic and international markets.

The Brazil Gem Show is a Sindijóias Ajomig event (the Minas Gerais Syndicate and Association of Jewelers, Precious Stone, Watch and Fashion Jewelry Traders) and IBGM, the Brazilian Gems and Jewellery Trade Association in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, the Government of the State of Minas Gerais, the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA), the Governador Valadares Municipal Government, FIEMG (Minas Gerais State Industrial Federation), Apex Brasil (Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency) and Sebrae-MG (Brazilian Support Agency to Micro and Small Companies).

____________________________________________

Link to this page: http://www.brazilgemshow.com/en/brazilgemshow.htm

This link will take you to a page where you can sign up to receive upcoming information: http://www.brazilgemshow.com/en/index.htm

Here you can sign up to be a visitor (this is a good idea since you need to register to be permitted to enter -- however, I believe that registration can also be done onsite, provided someone brings you inside and past the security at the main entrance): http://www.brazilgemshow.com/en/beavisitor.htm

Here you can sign up to be an exhibitor (not free and not cheap): http://www.brazilgemshow.com/en/becomeanexhibitor.htm

____________________________________________

Here is some additional information concerning the 2006 show -- 2006 was really a high point in both Governador Valadares and Teófilo Otoni. Let us all hope that such good times return!

Exhibitors and Visitors

The Brazil Gem Show is an event aimed at two different kinds of public:

The main exhibition area with stands and other facilities for gems and jewells trade, exclusivelly open to previously registered professionals with credentials such as exhibitors, traders, designers, buyers, dealers, exporters, newspeople and authorities. The outside area, with restaurants, veranda, hancrafted products exhibition and commerce, workshops and seminars halls will have public free access, representing a large number of visitors from regional communities such as from Valadares, Teófilo Otoni, Ipatinga, Belo Horizonte. The previous exhibition, the 10th Brazil Gem Show represented a big sucess as for public attendance, events and sales. The 2006 Show had 150 exhibitors, 3,500 visitors with credentials and a major 14,000 people flow of visitors to the event.

Link: http://www.brazilgemshow.com/en/brazilstones.htm

Strongly pleochroic tourmalines from Araçuaí in Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais, Brazil

2009-04-10T14:38:00.010-03:00

As promised, here are two photos of some nice furta-cor (parti color) tourmalines encountered in Teófilo Otoni, in March 2009.

The top photo shows a selection from a rather pricey salada. [The price was high because the seller owed the buyer a bundle of money, so he over-priced the stones.] The golden tourmaline in the front is considered furta-cor. If you look closely, you can see that it is gold and pink. From the side it is greenish, if I remember correctly (always a good question).

The bottom photo shows what is known as "millenium" cut around here. Any cut on the bottom of the stone that is remotely similar is called a millenium cut. Just the local jargon. These furta-cor tourmalines were actually much paler in color than the photo would have you believe. In fact, Natasha would have bought them if their colors had been stronger, but based on her experience in trying to resell such stones in Moscow, these lighter colors are not very salable (at least with regard to tourmalines -- morganites and aquamarines are a different matter entirely).

Most of these tourmalines are probably from the region of Araçuaí, Minas Gerais.

Copyright © 2009 N. Tenney Naumer -- All rights reserved.

Rubilite rubricks from Teófilo Otoni, March 2009, and a dearth of good tourmalines for buyers and sellers

2009-03-22T10:20:00.017-03:00

Sad to say, Natasha and I are not getting any younger -- she is 59 and I am 54. What this means is that both of us are getting to have terrible eyesight. I need really strong light and high magnifications, and she does, too.

So, the week before last, she saw this yummy looking rubilite -- by yummy, I mean the color, because the cutting was not that great and the stone could have used a bit more altura.

[Height? Depth? I'll have to come back and correct this post once I learn the proper cutting terms. Natasha speaks no English, and I speak no Russian, so we have to communicate with each other in our bad Portuguese; thus, most of the gem business vocabulary that I know, I learned in Portuguese, not English. UPDATE: yup! Altura is the distance between the very bottom of the stone and the table.]

But on this particular trip to Teófilo Otoni, we really didn't see much to buy. There was a real lack of decent merchandise for sale, particularly of tourmalines.

I will come back to that later.

But first, I just want to point out something about the photo above. That stone had really nice color and flash, a lot of life, but the cutting could have been better, and the stone could have had more depth, which brings me to its window. The windowing wasn't the worst that I have ever seen, but notice how most of it has been hidden by a convenient reflection covering at least a third of the table. (Whenever looking at oval cut stones, notice the windows! More altura usually means less of a window if the cutting is done properly.)

Convenient (NOT!) -- I took the photo like that on purpose!

more later...

Baaack! OK, why was Natasha thinking of buying this particular stone? Answer: she wants to resell it to a jeweler in Moscow.

Sound of loud warning buzzer going off...

Look, if she had wanted to buy it for herself because of the yummy color and because the price was low, then that would be all right.

But, she wanted to resell it.

We were in Teófilo Otoni for only two days, running around like crazy, so Natasha did a smart thing -- she made a deal with the seller to take the stone home and come back in two weeks and pay for it.

Whaaat!?!

Yeah, sure, the dealers in TO know Natasha, and they have this thing they do, which always makes me feel funny when they try to do it to me -- they say, "Take them with you!" and they try to put the stones right into your hands.

They want to close the deal, and if they think they can count on you to pay and if at the same time they think they can afford to risk losing the merchandise, they just put it in your hands, then, yes, you can go home with the stones and pay later (within the month, or then you have to pay interest charges of 5% per month -- not per year).

To make a long story short (because I need to finish up this post), we came back home with this stone, I had a real good look at it with a loupe, and, having seen at least two major problems, I borrowed it from Natasha to take photos just to post on this blog, because the stone has such great examples of typical tourmaline problems.

First, click on the photo below so it will enlarge to show you the real deal.

Do you see the two major problems (although there are others)?

OK, obviously the big black inclusion coming up from the bottom, at the girdle (which is called a rodízio in Portuguese), but notice also the gray spot up on the top.

Both of these are likely to be the result of the polishing material entering the stone via a fissure (like the black one) or a tiny hole (growth tube?) (like the gray one). Well, they are both the result of tiny holes, but let's leave that aside for the moment.

I have to try to get my hands on that stone, again, to see if I can take photos of the entrances.

To be updated...

UPDATE: well, I didn't take any more photos of the stone, but Natasha printed out the one just above so that she could show it to the seller when she returned the stone (because I finally managed to talk her out of buying it).

Personally, the only thing that I could think of doing with this particular stone was to have it recut, but even if the price were right, there would still be a good chance that the same thing might happen again -- polishing material going into tiny growth tube holes and ruining it. So, why bother? Skip it! Keep looking. Don't imagine that this will be the only yummy-colored rubilite you will ever see in your life. If you have money to burn -- whatever. But if not, give this stone a pass if you are looking for top quality rubilite tourmaline in Brazil -- there is better available (but naturally it will be more expensive).

Copyright © 2009 N. Tenney Naumer -- All rights reserved.

Natasha being swamped by gemstone sellers at the entrance to 22 Rua Minervino de Castro Pinto, Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais

2009-03-19T20:03:00.008-03:00

OK, first let me just say that Natasha is not really being "swamped" -- she is a relatively experienced buyer, well known there, and the stone sellers on this, the most important of the streets where gems are sold in Teófilo Otoni, are a very polite bunch. Times are rough, business is down, they are an anxious lot.

The sellers on the street or in the praça are there because they never made it big or got that lucky break or they couldn't manage success when they had it or maybe they are there trying to sell someone else's stones on commission. In any case, one needs to respect the fact that they are there trying to make a living just like the next person. Unfortunately, over 90% of the time, they will show you inferior stones.

On that street, there are two unassuming but very important buildings where gem dealers have their offices.

More later...

Morganite and kunzite, treated and untreated, Teófilo Otoni, March 2009

2009-03-16T21:15:00.018-03:00

Morganite and kunzite are just really special stones -- especially if you like a real purdy light pink or violet. [Please click on the photo to enlarge it.]

The big trillion (ca. 54 cts.) morganite on the left has been irradiated. Notice it has been cut without a table. Personally, for morganite, which has an extra special brilliance compared to a beryl like aquamarine, I love this type of cut. It throws out flashes of light all over the place. On this trip, I didn't see treated morganite with horrible greyish tones. I was told (OK, time for a GOS -- grain of salt) that there is a new morganite treatment and that the stones were being sent to Germany for it, but who knows. This trillion had a very slight orangy tone to it, especially in low light or artificial light.

The second, smaller trillion is also morganite. I was told that it had not been treated (GOS). Its color is still very decent considering that its depth is so much less than the larger stone. Morganite is one of those stones that opens up when it is cut and can turn out a lot lighter than the rough appears to be. Notice that this stone's table gives it more of a window than the larger trillion.

The two trillions were most likely cut in Teófilo Otoni. A couple of years ago, I had some morganite rough cut just like the stone on the left, right across the street from where this photo was taken. It was over 40 carats when finished and was nearly completely branco ("white") or colorless, as we would say in English, although the rough was a light salmon pink.

[In Brazilian Portuguese, the color of transparent, colorless stones is referred to as branco. Although the words for "stone" (pedra) and "gem" (gema) are feminine in Portuguese, the word for "color" (cor) is masculine (or maybe just neutral), and since, in this case, branco is the adjective for cor, it ends in an "o" instead of an "a."]

The fat pear is a kunzite. I was told (GOS) that it was an untreated Brazilian kunzite. Kunzite is a really weird stone for cutters. It can be in the final polishing stage and just suddenly split in two. All that work for nothing. Nevertheless, they are cutting gobs of it in Governador Valadares (and I was also told that they mine it right around GV -- GOS alert), about 2 hours from Teófilo Otoni. And the cuts are so sparkly and beautiful that you could just drool over them.

Some years back, most of the kunzite I came across was emerald cut or a mixture of the emerald and scissors cut (as it is known here -- if anyone can tell me what the proper name is, please leave a comment). Those two cuts certainly do show off the strong concentration of color at the end of the crystals (oops, another vocabulary deficiency I hope to fix in the near future -- isn't it nice the way you can go back and change anything you want in a blog!), but they do not show off the brilliance and flashes. Let's just put it this way -- these fancy oval and pear cuts put a lot of life in kunzite that will never show up in an emerald cut.

Of course, my wimpy little amateur camera can't begin to show the beauty of these stones.
more later. . .

OK, so if you click on the photos, they will enlarge dramatically and show lots of details -- the flaws! Take a good look at the kunzite in the top photo. Rotate the photo 90° (or turn your head or whatever). Look at that little fissure on the bottom right, almost exactly where a prong might press if the stone is set.

For me, since this stone is a kunzite, I would have to reject it without another thought. I could be wrong (and I am often wrong, so feel free to comment if you think so), but since kunzite has that peculiar tendency to snap in two, I would not buy one with a fissure right in that spot (where a jeweler is going to have to apply some pressure with a prong) or maybe any spot at all -- why take the chance?

Copyright © 2009 N. Tenney Naumer -- All rights reserved.

Gem buying in Teófilo Otoni and the Caixa Dois (the second till), or how it is normal for businesses to run a bit illegally in Brazil

2009-03-16T19:43:00.013-03:00

Caixa Dois -- the other cash register

Wow! Whoa! This topic is so large that several books could be written on it. I wonder if accounting majors cover this topic at Brazilian universities. If they don't, they should, because all Brazilian accountants must know how this thing works in order to be able to do their job properly, which is to help their clients maintain the caixa dois.

On the most basic level, caixa dois is the means by which sales and purchases are kept off the official books of a company in order to avoid taxes. There are other things that can be kept off the books in order to avoid taxes, for example, employees (that saves any business an absolute ton of money) and assets (Brazilian politicians love this one).

Let me just start off by stating that the Brazilian internal revenue service (called the Receita Federal) is fully aware that probably 90% of businesses do not have everything on their official books. As long as the business owner does not go overboard or so long as they can grease the right palms adequately, they will not get in trouble.

This begs the question: "Is any business done completely legally and above board in Brazil?"

For an answer to this, please ask any Brazilian and watch how long it takes them to come up with an answer.

Sure, on a daily activities level, you can go to a store and buy groceries or to a shoe store and buy shoes -- those sorts of things are pretty normal. At least as far as the consumer goes. It is the back room operations that are murky.

And, you can open a bank account and have your salary deposited there and even have all your bills paid automatically, if you want.

However, you had better keep a close eye on your balance. Just offhand, I can name three people I know who have had their accounts cleared out -- all inside jobs. They all got their money back, but it sure messes up your life while you wait.

What does all this have to do with going to Teófilo Otoni to buy gems? Just let your mind voar ("fly around," as they say here) on that one.

First, most all the sellers love for transactions to occur off the books. Some of them do not even have books in the first place because they have never set up a business entity.

Second, what about you, the buyer? Are you going to declare the value of all those gorgeous stones at Customs when you get back to the U.S.? Well, are you?

Let's assume that you are as honest as the day is long and that you will declare the stones upon your arrival back home.

You're going to need a receipt.

Here in Brazil, there are two types of receipts: that flimsy one on the smaller pads usually with a piece of carbon paper in between the original and the copy, and the other kind, the official kind that is recognized by the state government tax authorities of whichever Brazilian state you happen to be in, and it may come in up to five copies. It is called a nota fiscal.

That flimsy one? That is for the caixa dois. But you know what? The U.S. Customs Service couldn't care less about a Brazilian business trying to avoid paying Brazilian taxes -- what they care about is you not cheating on your U.S. taxes.

Let's go back to the non-official receipt. You can probably have the seller fill it out any way you want. That is going to be up to your own level of honesty or ability to self-righteously deceive yourself that you already pay enough taxes and why should you pay more and it cost a lot to come on the trip in the first place and you'll never be able to afford that stone that you just gotta have if you also have to cough up at Customs, etc.

Pay attention here! If you want a receipt, don't forget to ask for one!

For most gem transactions, if you forget to ask the seller for a receipt, he/she will not bring it up, unless they are a very large reputable firm who pays most of their taxes (in which case, chances are, you are going to be paying through the nose for whatever it is you are buying).

But even in the case of the official receipt (nota fiscal), things may not need to be entirely kosher.

To be continued . . .

Update -- I will write a Part II to this post as a separate post, and then I will put the link here.

Copyright © 2009 N. Tenney Naumer -- All rights reserved.

Paraíba tourmalines from São José da Batalha, Paraíba state, Brazil, purchased at FIPP2005 and FIPP2006

2009-03-15T15:43:00.014-03:00

Tiny but faaaaabulous!!!!

I think the biggest one might have been 10 points. And this photo was taken in the shade because in direct sunlight they just knock you out!

These 3 were bought at FIPP2005. I sure wish that I still had them! The word on the street (March '09) is that the Japanese are paying top dollar for even the tiniest ones of just a few points (although the cutting on these might not be up to par for the Japanese -- for that matter, they might even be too included), and they only want the real ones, not those Nigerian or Mozambique wannabees.

[Post incomplete -- more later . . . ]

OK, I'm back. The word on the street circa March 2009 is that there is no production of the true paraíba from São José da Batalha. This is exactly what the word was back in early 2007. So, is there any production?

Yeah, maybe, but I would be willing to bet (and I am very risk averse) that there are buyers right there at the mines scooping up whatever little gem material rough is coming out.

I was told (extra large grain of salt) that the tiny good real paraíbas of just a few points were going for US$300 per carat because the Japanese wanted them so bad, that they were being cut and sold in Hong Kong, and that (and now get this cute little detail -- who knows if it is really true?) you can't even pick out the ones that you want -- you take what you are given. LOL

So, who is going to do the good cutting for those tiny stones? Not around here, probably. I am pretty sure that no one in Teófilo Otoni has either the skill or the equipment to do precision cutting on tiny stones. Maybe in Governador Valadares. If I find out more on this, I will report back to you. If I am wrong about this, I will correct this post, but in the meantime, take it with a grain of salt (GOS).

Copyright © 2009 N. Tenney Naumer -- All rights reserved.

Green and blue-green tourmalines available in Teófilo Otoni in 2005

2009-03-15T15:03:00.017-03:00

Tourmalines selected from a "salada" and purchased in late 2005 in Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais, Brazil, from Valdair Santos.

What is a salada (salad)? Well, a salad is a bag of tourmalines of all different shapes, sizes, and colors. The bags can be of different qualities of the stones.

For example, the selection above was taken from a very high quality salad. In fact, the seller was doing me a big favor to let me select out the ones that I thought were the best (or at least the ones that I thought that I could afford).

These saladas that are a large quantity of cut stones in a big plastic bag have some essential drawbacks -- 1. you are not going to find any matching pairs. 2. the chance of finding an undamaged stone is really slim -- they are not being well-treated by being flung around together like that. 3. since it is difficult to find a stone in relatively good condition, you will have to spend a lot of time looking.

But if you have the time and patience and you don't go blind while you spend hours looking at the stones with a loupe, then you may be rewarded by finding some very pretty tourmalines.

Once, while still a relative newbie, I spent 10 hours over two days looking through saladas, only to buy just R$800 worth of tourmalines (about US$400, at that time), but it was worth it. I did actually see nothing but colored tourmalines dancing in front of my eyes when I tried to sleep that night.

Usually, dealers prefer to sell the entire salad in one go (yeah, who wouldn't?). They would rather not waste their time while some tourist or buyer without much money sits there and spends an hour picking over their wares.

They particularly would prefer that someone not pick out all the really good stones and leave the rest. (A few years back, dealers would "sweeten" the salada by putting in a few larger, higher-quality stones to make the whole salada look better.) Those were the good ol' days, long gone, now, it seems.

Usually, on the last day of the annual gem fair, the prices will go down, and on the day after the last day, you can sit out in the praça, in the morning, and possibly get some really good prices. Some mighty nice pickin's are to be had if you can stay over an extra half day.

Have a look at this salada from the Brazil Gem Show held in Governador Valadares, MG, in 2007 (photo taken indoors under artificial light). I picked over it for at least an hour and found nothing.

But, there are also other types of saladas, for example when cut stones, often with some that match in size, cut, and color, are laid out on pieces of cotton covered with saran wrap (the stones sort of stick to it) and folded up in sheets of white paper.

THIS POST IS INCOMPLETE -- TO BE CONTINUED . . .

OK, this photo is of a lot of wimpy-colored, rubelite tourmalines, but I am using the photo to show you how a salada is laid out on saran-wrapped cotton. Also, notice the middle stone in the second row from the bottom. That might be a keeper. And also possibly the one to the left of it. Or, on second thought, maybe not. Look, this is not the real juicy rubelite color. But, if you click on the photo, you will be able to see in detail some of the usual rubelite inclusions. Personally, if someone shows me a rubelite with no inclusions at all, I am not going to buy it unless I know and trust that seller really, really well.

Do you wanna go window shopping? Just look at 'em all!

Do you see any stones that have the same dimensions so you could buy a pair to be used in earrings?

Don't pay a lot for this muffler!

Copyright © 2009 N. Tenney Naumer -- All rights reserved.