Posts Tagged ‘GIA’
Thursday, May 12th, 2011
This headline caught my eye in a recent email— the answer to this trick question is anyone! A newsletter by an insurance industry organization highlighted the fact that there are no federal or other governmental bodies setting qualifications for who may be a jeweler or a jewelry appraiser. A study by a related group also […]
Tags: AGS, AGTA, ASA, Certified Gemologist, Certified Gemologist Appraiser, feel good appraisal, GIA, Graduate Gemologist, Insurance Appraisal, NAJA
Posted in Featured Post, Gem Industry News, Jewelry Facts, Jewelry Services | Comments Off on Who can call himself a jewelry appraiser?
Thursday, March 31st, 2011
We just appraised this beautiful bright yellow ~2 ct. round diamond for a client. She had inherited the stone, which was accompanied by an appraisal from a gemologist which described it as a “Canary Yellow” diamond, which implied but didn’t state specifically that the stone was natural-color. Our client said the diamond had originally been […]
Tags: Artificially Irradiated, Canary Yellow Diamond, Fancy Color Diamonds, Fancy Vivid Yellow, Gem Trade Laboratory, GIA, HPHT
Posted in Estate Jewelry, Gem Industry News, Gemstone of the Month, Gemstones, Jewelry Services, Mardon Happenings | Comments Off on Appraising Fancy Color Diamonds
Saturday, January 22nd, 2011
These days, we buy a lot of jewelry, used as well as new. Today, I worked with a young lady, a bit down on her luck and on the rebound from a relationship that didn’t work out. She was looking to sell her white gold solitaire ring that was set with the one carat round […]
Tags: Built-Up Diamond, diamond grading report, GIA
Posted in Gem Industry News, Gemstones, Jewelry Facts, Jewelry Services | 2 Comments »
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
This tale of woe illustrates some of the risks and challenges we jewelers face in our fascinating business. Last year, I had seen this lovely and large reddish purple tourmaline several times. Gem dealer Jack had tried mightily to tempt me with it, an unheated stone from the country of Mozambique in East Africa, an […]
Tags: AGS, AGTA, Cuprian Elbaite Tourmaline, GemGuide, GIA, LMHC, Mozambique, Nigeria, Paraiba
Posted in Gemstones, Jewelry Facts, Jewelry Services | Comments Off on The Perils of Paraiba-Jewelers Tears #2
Thursday, September 16th, 2010
Our old friend and former colleague at GIA, Gary Roskin, has published an absolutely fascinating account of a major event at the pinnacle of the gem world. Under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institute, the most famous of all gems, the Hope Diamond, was brought together for the first time with the Wittelsbach Blue, now […]
Tags: Gary Roskin, GIA, Hope Diamond, Roskin Gem News Report, Smithsonian Institute, type IIb diamonds, Wittelsbach Blue Diamond, Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond
Posted in Estate Jewelry, Gem Industry News, Gemstones, Jewelry Facts, Jewelry Services | Comments Off on The Rarified World of the Rarest of Gems
Saturday, June 12th, 2010
We thought this would be a great post the week before Father’s Day. Often at Mardon Jewelers, we’re asked to perform an expert service by a client. Such was the case recently when we restored the ring that originally belonged to Robert M. Shipley, the founder of GIA. Early in his career, Mr. Shipley realized […]
Tags: American Ge, American Gem Society, diamond recutting, father to son, Father's Day, GIA, Jabel, Mardon Jewelers, Old European Cut, Robert M. Shipley, smoky quartz, smoky topaz
Posted in Featured Post, Gem Industry News, Jewelry Facts, Jewelry Services, Mardon Happenings | Comments Off on Restoring the Ring of GIA founder Robert M. Shipley- A Father’s Legacy
Saturday, May 22nd, 2010
A couple of weeks ago, I did a gemological consultation for a young man who had purchased a diamond solitaire from a diamond merchant’s Ebay site. He was able to win a diamond auction and wanted my opinion of the stone. I looked over the stone first before asking him about the price paid, the […]
Tags: AGS, Blue NIle, diamond auction, Ebay, EGL, GIA, GRA, HRD
Posted in Gem Industry News, Gemstones, Jewelry Facts, Jewelry Services, Mardon Happenings | Comments Off on A Tale of Two Diamond Clients
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
As promised, here’s a story that should get some chuckles– it’s an episode that turned out to be a long and winding road, so typical of the gemstone and jewelry business. Several months ago, I was contacted by a gentleman residing in London, England. He was impressed by my series of blogs about Pigeon’s Blood […]
Tags: Burma ruby, gem broker, GIA, GRS, pigeon's blood ruby, Tom Lantos Act, unheated ruby
Posted in Custom Jewelry, Gemstones, Jewelry Services, Mardon Happenings | Comments Off on A Seinfeld Holiday, Episode 2
Thursday, September 10th, 2009
Blue sapphires are found in many countries worldwide. The geological conditions in which they form determine the quality of the sapphire crystals. Some locales are known to produce exceptionally fine crystals, yielding extra fine gems. Each locale produces a range of gem material that shares common characteristics that are directly related to its unique geology. […]
Tags: alluvial mining, Burma, Ceylon, county of origin, gem gravel, GIA, GRS, heat treatment, Kashmir, Madagascar, Mogok, Sri Lanka
Posted in Gemstone of the Month, Gemstones | 1 Comment »