|
March/(April) 2017
- Newsletter
|
|
To promote the understanding and appreciation
|
|
Greetings from the ICA
Below is our monthly newsletter, offering original content and very important colored gemstone news from around the globe.
IN THIS MONTH'S NEWSLETTER
Zimbabwe Economy, Retailing, and Informal Mining
by Faye Marsh, Ambassador to Zimbabwe
Tucson Meeting provides for free InColor magazines online!
Recently concluded HK International Diamond, Gem & Pearl show and the ongoing Hong Kong International Jewellery Show have so far received good turnout this year, thus hinting at positive signs for the overall gems and jewellery industry.
"There has been growing interest in colored stones amongst the most influential jewelry designers, and this is now beginning to hit the mainstream and become a legitimate trend across all price points."
The 3rd Mediterranean Gemmological and Jewellery Conference, organized by Independent Gemological Laboratory Athens (IGL-Hellas), Swiss Canadian Gemlab Inc. (CGL-GRS, Canada), in conjunction with CERTILINE (Italy) and the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA-USA), is scheduled to be held between May 11th to 14th, 2017
Four gemstones are pictured on Australia's Rare Beauties stamps to be issued March 30, the opening day of a philatelic exhibition in Melbourne.
ICA Members Honored at the Annual IDCA Banquet in Tucson
Gemfields - Mining to Marketing Award
BJ Hackman - Industry Leadership Award
The American Gem Society (AGS) will honor three leaders in the jewelry industry at its annual Circle of Distinction dinner on July 25 in New York City.
Dr. James Shigley, a distinguished research fellow at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in Carlsbad, CA, will receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for his significant contributions to the industry throughout his career.
|
Zimbabwe Economy, Retailing,
and Informal Mining
by Faye Marsh 
ICA Ambassador, Zimbabwe
For the past five years, jewelers in Zimbabwe have been struggling with a range of challenges: inflation, corruption and disproportionate taxes and levies. As a result, jewelers who once had many outlets have been forced to close down all but their main branches.
In addition to this, retailers' businesses are struggling due to wholesalers and stone cutters operating directly with the public instead of creating a conventional supply chain.
However, this is not working as a long-term policy, since clients are not receiving professional service from these suppliers as most of them are not qualified. In addition, a new Chinese-built mall has opened on the west side of the capital city, Harare, and a new Chinese gemstone shop has opened. This store is bringing gems straight from China at vastly reduced prices and confusing clients and causing an alarming decline in sales of top-quality gemstones.
There is also a huge amount of fake stones, with large numbers of synthetic and treated corundum on the market of a level which has not been seen in this region before and there is a strong need for qualified gemologists. All the top jewelry stores rely greatly on sales to Chinese clients as local clients just do not have the money to buy jewelry. With the opening of the new mall, all jewelers have lost a huge amount of business as Chinese clients clamber to their own store seeking cheap prices.
There is also a huge amount of blue glass on the market; I have seen large pieces which are circulating among informal market traders much of which is being cut by inexperienced gem cutters such as St. Anne's Aquamarine.
Last June, Zimbabwe faced a huge financial crisis which has lasted until today and crippled business. Four well-known jewelry stores closed down in December. And the financial crisis is so severe that even my shop, which was originally doing well for a store in a new location, has seen almost no clients for the past five months as clients across the financial spectrum will not spend one extra cent especially on luxuries such as jewelry. Their money is kept for fuel, electricity and food. No jewelers had any Christmas sales, a situation which has never before been seen.
People cannot withdraw more than $100 per day from banks. And on the occasions when clients come in for jewelry repairs, they are asking to pay as little as $10 from their accounts as they have no cash. The queues for cash withdrawals stretch as far as a block away from the bank, and just before Christmas people were sleeping in the street in the hope of securing $50. New Zimbabwe 'bond notes', in one and five dollar denominations have been released to help alleviate cash flow problems.
In 2000, the present government took over the white-owned farms which resulted in the collapse of many of our jewelry businesses as farmers had constituted 80% of our customer base. As a result, gemstone mining came to a grinding halt as the new farm owners would not permit miners on to their farms and colored gemstone mining has ceased altogether.
In recent times, due to the harsh economic climate some new farmers have started to mine gemstones on their properties in a small and haphazard way but this has all been totally informal and most of the gemstones do not find their way into normal business channels, but rather find their way across the border to South Africa. And jewelry store owners do not see the best of the gems due to this informal trading, and reliable sources say that Chinese buyers are buying colored gemstones straight from the source, such as aquamarine, tourmaline topaz and from Hurungwe, and alexandrite from Masvingo.
Investing in gemstones is not part of the culture of Zimbabweans and people are more concerned with having enough money to buy food on a daily basis. Therefore, valuable gemstones are often sold by informal miners to secure money to feed their families for a day or a week with no vision for tomorrow and absolutely no knowledge of the real value of gems. During the diamond rush in the eastern Marange region a decade ago, illegal diamond miners were selling a bag of diamonds in return for bottles of fresh drinking water and a cell phone.
With the start of this new diamond mining industry in Zimbabwe, these investors have also shown an interest in colored gemstones which has created a new rush for colored gemstones with unqualified businessmen from all sectors giving up their jobs and seeking fortunes often in vein. All that glitters is not gold!
Gemstone Mining In Zimbabwe 2016-2017
As stated above, most gemstone mining is informal and therefore there are no
recorded statistics. For the past five years, the Sandawana emerald mine has been closed as the former owners concentrated on extracting tantalite from the mine and the gemstone division has been closed since then.
Zimbabwe, once known as emerald country, changed overnight after the 2006 Marange diamond rush and now most clients ask for jewelry set with diamonds not emeralds.
Nevertheless, local gemstone networks indicate that the Sandawana emerald mines will reopen soon. Negotiations are currently taking place as the government-owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) has secured a new investor who is currently carrying out due diligence, and is reported to be largely content with the results. The investor is said to be an international company with interests in the global emerald sector.
|
The events preceding and following the Congress:
- One Day Jaipur Sight Seeing
- One Day Agra Sight Seeing ( 245 Km from Jaipur)
- One Day Ajmer Pushkar Sight Seeing ( 145 Km from Jaipur)
- Two Day Tiger Safari Ranthambore ( 180 km from Jaipur)
- Visit to Gems & Jewelry Industrial Zone ( 25th October)
- Palace On Wheels Tour ( Starts 11th October 2017 for 7 nights 8 Days from Delhi)
Agenda Of Congress:
Day 0- 20th October 2017, Friday: Arrival & Registration of Golfers & Others
Day 1- 21st October 2017, Saturday: Registrations, Golf-Cricket & Inaugural Dinner
Day 2- 22nd October 2017, Sunday: Business Session
Day 3- 23rd October 2017, Monday: Business Session
Day 4- 24th October 2017, Tuesday: Half Day Session & Board Meeting
Day 4- 24th October 2017, Tuesday: Gala Dinner
*Two Dinners ( 22nd & 23rd October 2017) at exotic Locations in Jaipur
List of Speakers for the Congress: Still yet to come!
Reasons to Come to the Congress
*Jaipur is India's second important gems and jewelry exporting centre and the first in sales to foreign tourists. With a history dating back to more than 280 years, the famed Indian Gems City of Jaipur is still a hot spot in Gems 'n' Jewelry
*Jaipur is known for traditional Indian warmth and kind hospitality. You will relish the latest trending jewelry, hand crafted beautiful gemstones, handicrafts and architecture that have been part of our culture and heritage for centuries.
*Jaipur is one of the most visited city by tourists for its for forts, royalty and architecture.
*The city's heritage status and proximity to the national capital New Delhi have attracted people from far and wide. All of the city is a magnificent gem, so be it a cultural procession, weddings, sound of gem cutting traditional factories or a simple walk around the streets of the old city.
*The speakers featuring in the congress will cover the most recent and important developments in international trade scenario. We are sure that each one of us always wishes to feel the pulse of global markets and trends.
*There are special programs planned and designed for spouses and younger ones that they will enjoy and will be very happy to be a part of such a magnificent event.
Events Related to Diwali Prior to Congress :
There can be events related to 'Diwali' -The Festival of Lights, which could include the following:
* City tour in an open bus or car showing the beautifully lit pink city of Jaipur.
* Exclusive sit down dinner at the City Palace overlooking the lit palace.
* Witness the sky light up with fireworks with an exclusive dinner at 'Padao', Nahargarh fort.
|
|
Your Board of Directors hard at Work!
Tucson - 2017
Our ICA Board of Directors met on Sunday January 29th for a full day of business, discussing the ICA annual budget, the progress for the upcoming Jaipur Congress, a review of our show pavilions in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai, an update of the new F.I.G. laboratory and our association with the new lab, nominations for 4 new directors, including ones from the US, China, Europe and Israel, InColor magazine going through a redesign and being offered free online only until the Jaipur Congress, as well as a report from the ICA offices in New York and Hong Kong.
News from Jaipur regarding the Congress is exciting as pre-Congress activities were detailed, along with specifics regarding the Fairmont hotel being the site for the 2017 Congress. The Federated International Gemlab, FIG, is opening soon and will be offering a discount to all ICA members. Located in the IJT in Bangkok, the lab will be staffed by well-known gemologists and will be producing standard colored gemstone gemological identification reports. InColor magazine is getting a face-lift, as the board is asking for more ICA visibility. The new design will go online only and free for the first two issues and a possible print issue will be discussed in Hong Kong at the September board meeting. Last on the agenda, the ICA New York office was in the process of moving across the street and up a few floors into a larger space, now at 31 West 47th, suite 1103. Be certain to stop by the office next time you are in New York.
|
Gemstone Images from Tucson
Emerald from ICA Member, the Belmont Emerald Mine in Brazil
|
 SSEF Trade Alert:
In recent weeks, the Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF has analysed a significant number of sapphires from a new deposit at Bemainty, near the small town of Ambatondrazaka in Madagascar, which were submitted to us by several reliable independent sources.
Bemainty/Ambatondrazaka is the site of a new gem-rush in Madagascar, which, over the past few months, has produced an impressive amount of sapphires, fancy coloured sapphires, and padparadschas of partly exceptional size and quality (Krzemnicki 2017 in SSEF Facette www.ssef.ch/research-publications/facette/ and upcoming Journal of Gemmology, Perkins 2016, Perkins & Pardieu 2016, Pardieu et al. 2017), and it appears to be a new gem source of greater importance than anything we have seen in recent years ...
Read more here ......
|
F.I.G.
Federated International Gemlab
Preparations continue to open lab in IJT.
All current ICA members receive a 10% discount on laboratory services.
|
|
Diamond World Magazine
Recently concluded HK International Diamond, Gem & Pearl show and the ongoing Hong Kong International Jewellery Show have so far received good turnout this year, thus hinting at positive signs for the overall gems and jewellery industry.
|
US Survey Uncovers US Millennials' Interest
in Colored Gemstones
Luxury Daily
Research by Gemfields shows that consumer interest in colored gemstones such as rubies, emeralds and sapphires is on the rise, particularly with the Millennial generation born between 1980 and 2000.
"There has been growing interest in colored stones amongst the most influential jewelry designers, and this is now beginning to hit the mainstream and become a legitimate trend across all price points," Gemfields US director of sales and marketing Sally Morrison told Luxury Daily. "Fashion and the editorial community have been hungry for new options, and color has stepped in to meet that need," she said.
In its report, conducted in the United States, Gemfields aimed to examine interest in the potential of colored gemstone jewelry. Gemfields surveyed around 4,000 consumers, aged 21 to 64, who have purchased or received colored gemstone jewelry within the last two years.
Despite little marketing and brand awareness work, Gemfields found that colored gemstones are seeing significant popularity in the United States. Just over 30 percent of female consumers surveyed had purchased or received jewelry containing a ruby, emerald or sapphire since 2014. And among millennials, the figure was even higher, with 41 percent having acquired a colored gemstone jewelry item in the previous two years.
|
Internet Stones.com
The 3rd Mediterranean Gemmological and Jewellery Con
ference, organized by Independent Gemological Laboratory Athens (IGL-Hellas), Swiss Canadian Gemlab Inc. (CGL-GRS, Canada), in conjunction with CERTILINE (Italy) and the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA-USA), is scheduled to be held between May 11th to 14th, 2017 in the ancient and historic city of Syracuse, Italy, following the great successes of the inaugural conference held in Athens, Greece in 2015 and the second conference held in Valencia, Spain, in 2016. This is in keeping with the policy of the organizers in changing locations of the annual conference from city to city in the Mediterranean coastline,allowing delegates to experience new and exciting locations each year. The conference is an annual get together of the world's top independent lab gemmologists, appraisers, gem experts, dealers and jewellers aimed at updating their knowledge on the latest developments in the gem and jewellery industry and trade that include crucial topics that are most worrisome to Jewellers, Gem Dealers and Appraisers, such as the knowledge on natural and synthetic diamonds; new colours and treatments done on natural and synthetic diamonds, and the gemological advances made in the detection of synthetic diamonds and simulants, as well as treatment and color enhancement in natural diamonds and their detection.
|
Gemstone Images from Tucson
Brazilian opals from ICA Member, Ben Sabbagh Bros.
|
Southern Alberta's Ammolite Mine Expanding
Toronto Metro
The world's only ammolite mine, in Alberta, Canada, is expanding production, according to a local media report. The multi-colored rock is an organic gemstone created by the fossilized remains of ancient sea creatures and its colors often compare with those of opals.
"As they died, they floated down to the bottom of the ocean floor and were covered by volcanic ash from activity in this area," explained Jay Maull, president of Korite, the company that owns the mine. "It either preserved the colors or changed the colors - we don't know."
A small pocket of land near Lethbridge is the only known place ammolite is found in the world. Korite has been around for 35 years, turning the gem into jewelry. The firm is opening up an additional eight acres of land to mine the stone. Annual production is around six million carats - and that figure is seen increasing by two million by the end of this year.
|
|
Proud Promotion!
|
|
|
Here are just a few business cards we picked up
in Hong Kong, Tucson, and Las Vegas,
members proudly promoting their ICA membership!
Advertising logos can be used on business cards,
in magazine advertisements, as well as on parcel papers, letterhead and invoices.
If you do not have already, please contact the ICA office for logo artwork.
|
|
Linn's Stamp News
Four gemstones are pictured on Australia's Rare Beauties stamps to be issued March 30, the opening day of a philatelic exhibition in Melbourne.
|
Gemstone Images from Tucson
Spinel Trio from ICA Member, Claudia Hamann Edelstein GmbH
|
ICA Members Honored at the Annual
IDCA Banquet in Tucson
Gemfields - Mining to Marketing Award
BJ Hackman - Industry Leadership Award
|
|
|
Gemstone Images from Tucson
Spinel Trio from ICA Member, Claudia Hamann Edelstein GmbH
|
|
 |
|
|
Gemstone Images from Tucson
Cat's-eye Emerald from ICA Member, Kiai Co. Ltd. |
|
GIA's James Shigley to Get AGS Award
Idexonline.com
The American Gem Society (AGS) will honor three leaders in the jewelry industry at its annual Circle of Distinction dinner on July 25 in New York City.
Dr. James Shigley, a distinguished research fellow at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in Carlsbad, CA, will receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for his significant contributions to the industry throughout his career.
In addition, Myriam Gumuchian, Co-Owner of Gumuchian, and Peter Engel, President of Fred Meyer Jewelers, will both be awarded the distinctive AGS Triple Zero Award for their accomplishments and dedication to the fine jewelry industry.
"The Circle of Distinction dinner is a proud tradition of the American Gem Society, honoring excellence and the outstanding contributions to our industry," said Katherine Bodoh, CEO of AGS and AGS Laboratories. "This is my first Circle of Distinction dinner as CEO of the AGS, and I am truly honored and inspired by these three individuals who stand out as exceptional leaders in the fine jewelry industry."
|
Gemstone Images from Tucson
Kunzite, Mandarin Garnet, and Euclase from ICA Member, Noor Gems Japan
|
|
|
|
|
