Gem Quality and Values

I enjoyed seeing some of my former lab clients at my latest Gem Quality and Values workshop run with Tracy Jukes in Hatton Garden on the 5th July. Retailers from the North East, West and South East England discussed the following topics with reference to a large variety of coloured stone samples:

Gem Descriptions
The current problems in describing gem colours, varieties (e.g. Paraiba), treatments (e.g. filling of fissures in ruby and coated topaz) and synthetic and imitation stones

Gem Qualities
· What qualities are attractive ? How to describe gem quality to suppliers and customers?
· Examples of any one gem variety, e.g. ruby, seen in the marketplace do vary in quality. How do we judge gem quality?
· How does quality affect the price of gems? How does the origin of the gem affect prices?

Gem Values
What are the current prices of coloured stones? Price and value: what’s the difference?
· How do the different types and extent of gem treatments (e.g. heat, fissure-filling, etc) alter gem values?
· How does the availability of Man-made gems (both synthetic and imitation stones) affect the values of their natural (mined) counterparts? Are there consumer awareness and a demand for Man-made gems?

Consumer issues
Coloured gem certification and insurance documents
Care of jewellery: durability of gems and stability of their treatments
Ethical gems and ethical jewellery.

The next workshop is on Oct 25th. See my website for further details and you can book here