Author Archives: admin

About admin

Independent appraiser of fine and antique jewelry and gemstones with 45 years professional experience and credentials. Professional and published historian of American history with emphasis on Thomas Paine and late eighteenth/early nineteenth century transatlantic democratic reform.

Alert: Shopping and GemTV Spinel (treated)

Caveat emptor – let the buyer beware. Diffusion treated spinel is showing up the TV shopping and GemTV type networks and, as usual, they are giving them the hard sell and hype that “really blue Spinel” is worth $____ per … Continue reading

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Diamonds provide vital evidence to time of colliding continents

http://www.geologyin.com/2016/10/diamonds-pinpoint-start-of-colliding.html#IWI6XUXxUIDBAzV3.99

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GIA SPOTS 5 carat undisclosed synthetic CVD diamond:

http://www.diamonds.net/News/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=58065&ArticleTitle=GIA+Spots+Undisclosed+5ct.+Synthetic+Diamond#divEmailctl00_ContentPlaceHolderMainContent_ucSocialMediaT

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Burmese ban lifted !!

http://www.jckonline.com/2016/10/10/burmese-ruby-jade-ban-now-officially-ended?utm_source=JCK+eNewsletters&utm_campaign=024fad2ec8-2016_10_10_Big_Picture_Monday&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_56301e74d4-024fad2ec8-306522777

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Jeweled Butterfly collection at the Natural History Museum

http://www.nhm.org/site/research-collections/mineral-sciences/butterfly-collection    

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Great article on jade: the stone of heaven.

https://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/china-stuff/chinese-culture/an-introduction-to-jade/

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The synthetic diamond scam: “cultured,” “foundry” and other unnatural nomenclature.

Tempted to purchase a synthetic, manufactured diamond? This professional appraiser will value it fairly for you at today’s replacement cost, but based on past history of similar trade phenomena it seems unlikely to hold its value and resale or trade … Continue reading

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Large colorless synthetic gem diamonds: China

http://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2016-gemnews-large-colorless-hpht-synthetic-gem-diamonds-china

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Wittelsbach Blue Diamond

http://www.jckonline.com/2016/03/31/fancy-vivid-oppenheimer-blue-could-fetch-45-million

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Speaking of diamond crystals …

Check out this little honey:

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