tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-298619932008-05-12T10:18:58.169-04:00Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-1412030826800296372008-05-03T10:48:00.035-04:002008-05-09T11:41:40.873-04:00

Had an interesting conversation with Josh Humbert, Josh is the proprietor of the Kamoka Pearl Farm in the Tuamotu Islands www.kamokapearls.com , a far-flung windswept archipelago about 300 miles north of the capital island of Tahiti. Josh’s farm is located on the atoll of Ahe located 350 miles north east of Tahiti in the Tuamotu Islands. Unlike Tahiti, which is a volcanic island, the

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-87506262442346582322008-04-30T12:48:00.014-04:002008-05-07T12:21:27.944-04:00

GIA Weighs In: The Spring 2008 issue of GIA's Gems & Gemology features a full length article on Mozambique cuprian tourmaline. Under the heading “Nomenclature Issues” the authors, there are eight of them, four work for GIA, make the point that the now infamous Laboratory Manual Harmonization Committee (LMHC) has made it optional for its member to use the term Paraiba as either a variety

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-74267625155661474442008-04-10T15:58:00.006-04:002008-04-11T11:21:28.349-04:00

“I never do anything with my hands” and other myths of the jewelry repair game. by Richard W. Wise, G.G. ©2008 If one more client comes in and tells me her ring should not need repair because “I never do anything with my hands”, I think I am going to spit-up. You know, just after you mention a price to do the repair she bristles like a porcupine then exclaims: “I don’t understand it

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-48834226841499518692008-03-13T16:24:00.009-04:002008-04-17T14:55:39.103-04:00

From our workshops: ©2008 By Richard W. Wise, G.G. Its been a long cold winter in the Berkshires. The tourists are gone and the snowbirds have flown south. During the winter months we have the peace and quiet required to think about converting some of the gem treasures we have acquired on various buying trips into beautiful hand-made originals. The Gem: One of our newer acquisitions is

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-51613317216145252332008-02-26T16:33:00.013-05:002008-03-06T15:32:02.977-05:00

Exceptional Spinel Enters The Market. ©2008by Richard W. Wise, G.G. Cut gems from the 52 kg. giant crystal found last August at Mahenge, Tanzania were very much in evidence at the 2008 show. The material is exceptional! Although the occasional dealer is calling it red, for the most part it is a light-medium toned visually pure pink to orangy pink hue. (image left, run of colors of

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-91755436167745659872008-01-05T09:43:00.000-05:002008-01-05T16:10:57.109-05:00

By Richard W. Wise, G.G. ©2007 We spent most of the afternoon watching and asking questions about various aspects of the cutting process. It was a unique opportunity to sit at the feet of a master, to watch, listen and learn. (image: left: Murmurs of a goddess; Blue Morpho Butterfly of Colombia) Step #2: Dopping Before the faceting operation can begin, the pre-formed stone is first

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-6749401973094138752007-12-27T10:59:00.000-05:002007-12-28T10:05:49.048-05:00

By Richard W. Wise, G.G. ©2007 "Round and round she goes and where she stops, nobody knows." I have heard it said that each time you put an emerald on the wheel the chances of breaking the stone are about 50/50. I recall one hot and dusty afternoon in the late 1980s I was sitting with some friends at a cafe in Teofilo Otoni, a town which was, at that time, the gemstone capital of Brazil.

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-26057102451755689072007-12-21T10:59:00.000-05:002007-12-23T07:50:23.444-05:00

The Emerald of Colombia Part I By Richard W. Wise, G.G. ©2007 Green Gold: There they sat, scattered like match sticks across the white desk blotter, glowing a rich cool green in the late afternoon sun. My breath catches in my throat. I do my best to maintain my cool, to politely keep my eyes on those of my host, a suave youngish Colombian businessman in a white

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-6206966637105975762007-11-23T17:13:00.000-05:002007-11-28T16:42:18.608-05:00

About once a month on one of the gem forums someone asks the question: "What color is pigeon's blood." by Richard W. Wise, G.G. ©2007 The real question is, of course, "what is the best color in ruby." Although I cover the question in some depth in my book; Secrets of The Gem Trade, The Connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstones, it appears that a few people have yet to read

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-85336763783728186012007-11-12T12:16:00.000-05:002007-11-12T12:44:28.502-05:00

by Richard W. Wise ©2007 Al Gilbertson, G.G. The Gemological Institute of America Paperback, 214 Pages. $29.95 American Cut, The First 100 Years, sets the record straight. Al Gilbertson tells the true story of the development of the ideal cut round brilliant diamond. First, Gilbertson clears away the prevailing myth endlessly repeated by industry writers, including this one, that

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-31582111681107464032007-11-09T11:42:00.000-05:002007-11-17T18:06:34.209-05:00

Chaos Reigns as Giant Red Crystals are Unearthed. by Richard W. Wise ©2007 According to my writing partner, globe-hopping gemologist Vincent Pardieu, a new strike of giant red spinel crystals has sparked a gold-rush mentality in the gem fields of Mahenge, Tanzania. Hundreds of miners have abandoned other gem producing areas and descended en mass on the area where red spinel crystals

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-73545788696629061392007-10-31T10:27:00.000-04:002007-11-09T11:42:00.760-05:00

Gem Prices in The New Gilded Age By Richard W. Wise, G.G. ©2007 Gem prices are definitely on the rise. However, these price increases seem to be following general market trends that is, the largest price increasing have been at the very upper end of the market while commercial qualities have remained more or less static. This compares almost exactly to the situation in the U. S.

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-43036720524881430622007-10-13T11:09:00.000-04:002007-10-16T11:03:17.447-04:00

You can't smell it, you can't taste it, you can't see it but its presence or absence can make a difference of tens of thousands of dollars in the price of a tourmaline. What is it? Copper! By Richard W. Wise ©2007 In late 1990 copper bearing tourmaline from Paraiba first entered the market. In 1991 I wrote an article for Colored Stone "Tourmaline, A Modest Proposal" in which I

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-25538269552813335582007-09-27T22:59:00.001-04:002008-04-15T17:24:01.534-04:00

Prices at the 2007 Hong Kong Show by Richard W. Wise ©2007 Dateline Hong Kong. This Thursday the Hong Kong Post reported that the U. S. dollar had reached a historic low against most major world currencies. Perhaps more important, the dollar which has been steadily losing ground against the Thai baht since its 2001 high, recently went into freefall. Historic

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-50402630579355922602007-09-21T15:56:00.000-04:002007-09-22T15:56:43.893-04:00

by Richard W. Wise ©2007 This year I will be doing several projects for Colored Stone Magazine. To begin with I will be writing a market survey piece on the Hong Kong Gem and Jewelry Show. I love Hong Kong; hotels are reasonable, choice of restaurants amazing and the city fairly pulses with life. For those of you who visited Hong Kong a few years ago, things have changed. Remember those cute

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-38666996456033499592007-08-17T10:59:00.001-04:002008-05-11T10:04:31.958-04:00

Golconda: The Legendary True Blue White Diamond--The Rarest of Them All by Richard W. Wise © 2007 Just recently it was my good fortune to examine one of the legendary diamonds of Golconda. These gems were originally mined in India in the 16th-18th Centuries. The mines were tapped out by about 1725. Many of the world's most famous diamonds, including the Regent and the Sancy (pictured

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-28768090251290188382007-06-23T17:05:00.000-04:002007-10-14T07:29:18.068-04:00

Golconda Diamond by Richard W. Wise © 2007 Just the other day one of my readers emailed a question about Golconda diamonds. A search of the literature reveals a great deal of uncertainty about the exact meaning of the term. The source of some of the confusion can be traced to the fact that the term Golconda diamond, like many another bandied about by diamond dealers and auction houses

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-11835907915962324582007-06-09T12:37:00.000-04:002007-08-18T11:38:56.004-04:00

New Auction Record For Natural Pearls: The April 25th Christie’s sale followed a now familiar patter of jaw dropping, world record prices for large rare gem. Previous records for Burmese Rubies and Kashmir Sapphires have been smashed. The Baroda Pearls (image left), a double strand of 68 natural pearls that were formerly the property of the Gawkwar of Baroda was auctioned along with matching

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-36751773831632006292007-05-17T07:14:00.003-04:002008-04-15T17:27:26.358-04:00

A Victory of style over Substance? April 25th at Christies, in a packed auction gallery, lot 261 a cushion cut 22.66 carat Kashmir sapphire set in a pendant surrounded by diamonds sold for a world record price of $3,064,000 to an anonymous bidder. At $135,000 per carat, this sale topped the former world record held by the 66.02 carat “Rockefeller Sapphire” a Burmese gem that

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-77362769504408829312007-04-23T16:16:00.000-04:002007-04-26T14:55:00.886-04:00

Color change/color shift; whats the diff?More on Topaz prices: By Richard W. Wise © 2007 I Get Emails: I love hearing from readers. I get numerous emails every week from all over the world mostly from folks have read Secrets Of The Gem Trade. Some of you write asking detailed questions, often already answered in my book, which would require much more time than I have available to answer.

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-25767132603016228442007-04-02T19:28:00.001-04:002007-04-03T09:13:44.039-04:00

In this post: Book Review: Hope Diamond by Richard Kurin by Richard W. Wise, G.G. ©2007 Semiprecious is like semi-pregnant, it is a word that makes no sense. No less an authority than Robert M. Shipley, the founder of GIA, called it “an indeterminate and misleading classification”. Still, some people, including a good many dealers, stubbornly cling to it like limpets sucking

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-74338411408964149852007-03-20T16:37:00.000-04:002007-03-23T17:08:46.674-04:00

Mine Owners Manipulate Local Market By Richard W. Wise, G.G. © 2007 Collectors in the U. S. have noticed a substantial spike in topaz prices. Rumors have recently been circulating in the trade to the effect that price hikes were the result of forced closings of topaz mines by government environmental officials. I heard similar rumors from usually well informed

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-9408897316785379482007-03-12T13:58:00.000-04:002007-03-17T13:55:34.551-04:00

Collector’s Corner; How and What to Buy © 2007 Everybody wants a steal, 'er, deal: I get a lot of emails from my readers with various questions. Friday I got a call from Diane, she read the book and wanted to know what stones a budding collector should be looking at. Now, when most people ask me that question what they really mean to ask is “what is available and cheap.” Why not,

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-65248308751066344612007-02-22T10:20:00.000-05:002007-02-28T08:18:06.865-05:00

Handmade Originals By Richard W. Wise, G.G. © 2007 Well, we are home and back in the saddle again. I am sure that you are all heartily sick of images of us having fun in the sun but, Rio, St. Helena’s, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique and Kenya: what a great trip. One good reason to come home, a chance to see two beautiful new creations from the workbench of Laurie

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29861993.post-9640010678088743592007-02-17T14:58:00.000-05:002007-02-22T10:52:24.556-05:00

by Richard W. Wise 2007 Few people take the route around the Cape of Good Hope these days. Perhaps that’s what made this trip so special. The trip around the Cape of Storms as the Portuguese first named it was a big thing in the Fifteenth through the Eighteenth Centuries. I was particularly excited about the opportunity to trace, in reverse, the route taken by the French gem dealer and

Richard W. Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02088702432299414336noreply@blogger.com