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The 2005 American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) Spectrum Awards competition concluded in October with 57 winners chosen from a field of 420 gemstone and jewelry entries. The Spectrum Awards competition encompasses two major awards: the Spectrum Awards for outstanding jewelry design and the Cutting Edge Awards for the lapidary arts. Within the Spectrum Awards, additional prizes are given for the Manufacturing Honors and the Platinum Honors..... (2005) Complete Story
Until fairly recently, gem cutting was one of the few areas of the world economy to remain uncontaminated by the computer revolution. All of that changed with the proliferation of personal computers in the 1980's and 90's Since that time, new computer based technologies have trickled to all segments of the trade from huge, commercial gem cutting operations to thousands of semi-professional faceters and hobbyists at work around the globe. Nowadays, gem cutters from Boston to Bangkok work hand in hand with computers, software, sophisticated instrumentation, and robotic automation to maximize efficiency and reduce waste.... (2003) Complete Story
If each sapphire deposit has its own unique chemical mix, in theory it should only be a matter of careful analysis to figure out where a stone came from. But there remains an element of art to determining country of origin, partially because of the limitations of the science itself, and partially because no one has yet compiled complete data on each gem locality..... (2002) Complete Story
Think they just lie around? Oh, no! Rocks are constantly meeting, mingling, and occasionally making gemstones....
Every so often you hear about a miner who literally trips over a rock, or takes a good. hard look at the ground in just the right place, and suddenly discovers a gemstone deposit. For the serious prospector, though, finding a deposit requires a good grounding in how the Earth is put together - the different types of rock you encounter and the conditions under which they formed. all of which determine whether or not gems could have grown there.... (3) Complete Story
Gem smuggling, The term evokes pictures of swashbuckling pirates and trench-coated international spies. The reality is far more gritty and physically dangerous on an individual level. Real smugglers, known as "mules," often carry stones from the mine over treacherous terrain by foot, horse, or motor scooter to gem brokers in bordering countries who sell to international buyers. Those international buyers may themselves become smugglers, bringing the gems into their home country illegally.... (2004) Complete Story
