The Rainbow Gem – Featuring Tourmaline
Monday, 05 October 2020
Fall has officially begun which brings crisp morning air, the reddening of leaves, and the month of tourmaline. Parallel to the wide range of fall colors, tourmaline itself has one of the widest ranges of color expression among all gems. Octobers birthstones include tourmaline and
- Published in Gem Hunter Blog, Gem Knowledge
Peridot From Mogok Myanmar One Of My Favorite Gems!
Tuesday, 11 August 2020
For lovers of the ‘apple green’ color, the most beautiful gem just might be peridot, from high in the mountains of north-central Burma. My last trip to Burma (Myanmar) took me to one of the most beautiful and remote areas of S.E. Asia. It is
- Published in Gem Hunter Blog, Gem Knowledge
Spinel, the Royal Jester’s Ruby – FEATURING SPINEL
Monday, 20 July 2020
You can’t talk about ruby without mentioning the incredible ruby-red colored Spinel. Whether in the thick of the asian gem markets or at a dusty mining site I always keep an eye out for spinel. One incredible find happened in Sri Lanka while sifting through
- Published in Gem Hunter Blog, Gem Knowledge
The Story of Sleeping Ruby – FEATURING RUBY
Monday, 06 July 2020
July is here and so is the month of ruby. So to celebrate, I’ll be starting this week’s blog with an incredible ruby story from the mysterious land of Mogok in Myanmar. Many gems have incredible and ancient stories. So, I’m going to tell you
- Published in Gem Hunter Blog, Gem Knowledge
The Journey of Fair Trade – FEATURING COLOR-CHANGE SAPPHIRE
Monday, 22 June 2020
When sourcing gems for clients, fair trade is one of our chief concerns. And in no small part many customers concerns as well. Recently I’ve been doing a deep dive into the history and current climate of gemstone fair-trade. True guilt-free trade becomes more pervasive
- Published in Gem Hunter Blog, Gem Knowledge
The Trends Are Shifting – FEATURING ALEXANDRITE
Tuesday, 09 June 2020
Hi friends, this is Ben Artinian. This week I’d like to bring to your attention some exciting trends occurring, right now, in our industry. Simply put, many consumers, in jewelry and gemstones have shifted their purchasing habits. Specifically, we’ve seen a shift away from the
- Published in Gem Hunter Blog, Gem Knowledge
I’m Watching the Jewelry Industry Transform – FEATURING GREEN GARNET
Tuesday, 26 May 2020
If you’re a reader of mine you likely know by now, that I’ve been working to institute Virtual Private Shows as an industry standard. A month ago, in the middle of the night, the answer to a desperate question became clear. We were in the
- Published in Gem Hunter Blog, Gem Knowledge
“It’s Emerald baby!” – FEATURING EMERALD
Tuesday, 12 May 2020
If you’re lucky, you’ll be enjoying the warmth of spring by now. Welcome to May, and of course, welcome to the month of emerald. Emerald is known for its connection to renewal and rebirth. The rich greens of emerald are refreshing and soothing. So, let’s take
- Published in Gem Hunter Blog, Gem Knowledge
RETAILERS MAKING HISTORY – FEATURING FANCY SAPPHIRE
Thursday, 30 April 2020
Recently, I read about Nevada’s tourist industry being devastated. This means the loss of jobs for many. For us outside Nevada, this means the JCK show is cancelled. This is happening across all industries in all places in our nation. So, where is all of
- Published in Gem Hunter Blog, Gem Knowledge
A Fascinating Story of Blue Sapphire
Friday, 24 April 2020
It’s David here. If you are like me, lock-down means that business as usual has come to halt. Yet, there are two sides to this coin. There’s the scary, uncertain side, fed by the endless news, and there is also another side. This other side
- Published in Gem Hunter Blog, Gem Knowledge
Sapphire – An Ancient April Birthstone
Wednesday, 15 April 2020
Diamonds are for April, right? We all know this because our modern list of birthstones was originally formulated at the National Association of Jewelers, in Kansas City, in August of 1912. Apart from a few additions, our current list of birthstones has been the same
- Published in Gem Hunter Blog, Gem Knowledge
Tanzanite One Of Natures Most Rare Gemstones
Monday, 23 March 2020
Tanzanite, is found in just one place on earth, in northern Tanzania, not far from the watchful eye of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Tiffany & Co named this blue-violet variety of zoisite in honor of Tanzania, where it was first discovered in 1967. Because the crystals show
- Published in Gem Hunter Blog, Gem Knowledge
