I can’t believe it’s right around the corner: the biggest and most fun gem trading event of the year, the Tucson gem shows.  Both the AGTA and GJX shows open on Tuesday, February 5th and run for six consecutive days, during which we will have our 20% off gems sale.  This year, the sale will be preceded by a 30% off sale of items we’d like to move out to make room.  We are happy to take suggestions for what to include in our sale.  Those of you who watch our inventory carefully will know which items have been with us longer.  Offers on a package of several items are welcome too, just keep in mind that 30% is more than our profit margin, so there are limits to what we can offer, especially on newer items.

Also, at the end of this blog, you will find a list of consignment gems we are considering returning at the end of the Tucson show, so now’s the time to make your purchases on those. Or, if your wallet isn’t big enough, let us know if you’d really like us to keep the gem a little while longer.  You’ll notice we borrowed a lot of sapphires and demantoids, as well as a few spinels. 

To those of you who have filled out the Tucson survey: thank you thank you thank you.  It is very helpful for us to know what’s on your mind and how we should allot our funds.  If you haven’t yet filled it out, please do, it’s invaluable to us and to our survival as a small company.  I wish so much that we could buy everything, but in the end we are all in the same boat.  We have to choose!

Link for Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DSTPPZ7

Here’s what we’ve learned from you so far:

1. Your favorite colors are blue-green, lavender, purple, and you’d like us also to carry more color change gems. Fewer respondents than expected favored peach.
2. Gem cuts we’ve not designed enough jewelry for are all the squarish and rectangular cuts: emerald and radiant, aascher and princess, cushion cuts.
3. Among your favorite gems are red and pink spinels, blue tourmaline, ruby, Paraiba, emerald, green tourmaline, in exactly that order. (Opal, star gems and cat’s eyes, fancy diamonds were at the bottom of the list).
4. Pendants and statement rings are your favorite jewelry items.
5. You’d like to see more sales and discounts (favored over a loyalty program which was second, a referral program, giveaways, and expanded free shipping).
6. Lastly, many of you would like us to carry larger focal gems. We are happy to do that, but we need to hear more from you.  Also don’t forget we can source just about anything from our vendors, so all you need to do is ask!

But we have hadonly about 40 responses so far, and the more we can get, the more we can report back to you on whether these results are representative.

Given your responses, we will keep our eyes peeled for the bluest tourmalines on the market (hopefully within a reasonable price range), and lavenders/purples will be our first priority. 

In fact, the VERY first thing we plan to do is find my lavender sapphire source from Thailand.  He’s the one with the melee you have been buying, pinks, blues and lavenders in the smaller sizes, as well as ruby melee and small rounds.  Did you notice I listed a few more from last year by the way?  They were bought in February 2018 but the bag had fallen behind my cabinet and was buried under my favorite winter slippers from last year!

I’m also hoping to score a few more Paraiba cabochons in the 2-3mm range from someone at the GJX show.  And benitoites.  While the latter haven’t gotten much love from my first 40 survey takers, they have been among my most searched items in the Etsy shop, together with Paraiba.

Ok folks, that’s it for now.  More updates coming next week.  Stay tuned to our social media channels!

Consignment gems we may return, your last chance to buy!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/618061147/star-ruby-untreated-star-ruby-ruby

https://www.etsy.com/listing/639026177/star-sapphire-burma-sapphire-blue

https://www.etsy.com/listing/622679949/star-sapphire-purple-star-sapphire

https://www.etsy.com/listing/617582778/pear-shape-spinel-loose-pink-spinel

https://www.etsy.com/listing/668779021/pink-spinel-pear-shaped-pair-of-spinels

https://www.etsy.com/listing/628203150/ceylon-sapphire-sapphire-cushion-pink

https://www.etsy.com/listing/613934638/ceylon-sapphire-sapphire-cushion

https://www.etsy.com/listing/609108540/pink-sapphire-hot-pink-sapphire-loose

https://www.etsy.com/listing/613928204/peach-pink-sapphire-padparadscha-colored

https://www.etsy.com/listing/639714522/unheated-ceylon-sapphire-blue-sapphire

https://www.etsy.com/listing/654933316/lavender-sapphire-oval-ceylon-sapphire

https://www.etsy.com/listing/634203651/ceylon-sapphire-sapphire-round-5mm

https://www.etsy.com/listing/652801901/unheated-ceylon-sapphire-ceylon-sapphire

https://www.etsy.com/listing/636238201/demantoid-demantoid-gem-russian

https://www.etsy.com/listing/611949160/demantoid-garnet-demantoid-gem-horsetail

https://www.etsy.com/listing/605409558/sapphire-rounds-blue-sapphire-unheated

https://www.etsy.com/listing/611958244/demantoid-garnet-demantoid-gem-demandoid

https://www.etsy.com/listing/618679889/demantoid-garnet-demantoid-gem-demandoid

https://www.etsy.com/listing/223445381/lavender-spinel-vietnamese-spinel

https://www.etsy.com/listing/653447710/pink-spinel-vietnamese-spinel-cushion

https://www.etsy.com/listing/653921722/pink-sapphire-unheated-ceylon-sapphire

https://www.etsy.com/listing/239917817/color-change-sapphire-unheated-sapphire

https://www.etsy.com/listing/659326339/lavender-sapphire-loose-oval-sapphire

https://www.etsy.com/listing/640642008/pink-sapphire-hot-pink-sapphire-loose

https://www.etsy.com/listing/639434962/lavender-ceylon-sapphire-loose-oval

https://www.etsy.com/listing/647148179/lavender-sapphire-round-ceylon-sapphire

https://www.etsy.com/listing/241562380/pink-sapphire-round-unheated-pink

It’s that time again!  In a little less than 3 weeks I’m leaving on my trip to the AGTA and JCK Shows in Las Vegas for more gem sourcing.  As always, I am happy to take pre-orders for gems so please email us if you are interested!

What's New this Year: 

I’ve set up an appointment with Sergey, my Russian demantoid connection, who will be exhibiting at JCK. He’s bringing more smaller sizes of demantoids for me this time, especially 2mm and 2.5mm, and I’ve also requested some in the 4mm range as that seems to be what most of what you guys are interested in.  But I’m also switching out larger pieces I had on memo.

Same with Dudley Blauwet, my contact for Ceylon sapphire and Burma spinel.  Expect some fresh inventory there, and please do tell me what you are interested in so I know what to source.  Kornerupines are not likely to be refreshed, I’m going to have to make do with what I have here as there’s no new material on the market.  Last time I checked with Steve from New Era Gems in April, all the rough had been sold.  I know one supplier that still has some but I will only get them on request as everyone is holding on to what is left, now that interest in this rare gem has gone up.

Regarding spinels, I still have Vietnamese and Burmese materials that I held back from the last trip and you’ll see these put up on sale starting Memorial Day weekend.

Emeralds: I have neglected those a bit as of late, and plan on stocking up!  There will definitely be Colombian materials, and if I can manage, some of the bright green Afghani gems too!

Tourmaline: A new shipment of Namibian materials has arrived with my supplier already, you will see some of those in the shop soon...

Benitoite: With the renewed interest I am seeing in my shop, I am gunning for more slightly larger pieces as well as more melee sizes.

Red Beryl: Haven’t had those lately but some untreated melee sizes are coming up.

Paraiba: Again, a new shipment is expected and I have an appointment already, but this shipment is very small.  However, I am still holding back some stock acquired earlier.  So for now there is still stuff, just not as much as before. 

Lastly, there’s been an interest in more precision cuts lately, and you will definitely see those in the shop. 

Now, one other thing that’s important.  As you probably know, some of our inventory is on memo – on loan, that is, from other suppliers.  That material gets switched out periodically, suppliers want back what doesn’t sell, and there’s no point in it sitting in my shop.  So what I thought I would do this time is supply you with the list of these for you to decide if you’d like any before they go “back home”.  Gems are on sale till Sunday and then once again starting memorial day.  There will be a flash sale in the meantime on some older inventory, but not on anything on this list.

Sapphire matched pair: 

 Sapphire pears: 

and 

and this one: 

Sapphire oval:

Sapphire round:  

and Round Pair

Aquamarine baguette matched pairs: and 

This aquamarine pair

Mint tourmaline round:

Cobalt spinel oval: 

Pink sapphire oval: 

Lagoon tourmaline: 

Pink tourmaline pear:

Green tourmaline emerald cut:

Demantoid pear suite:

Demantoid round: 

Demantoid pear: 

Demantoid cushion: 

Enjoy and stay tuned on our social media channel for news and videos!

We did go overboard this year.  I bought SO MUCH STUFF and it will take me weeks to release it all on Etsy.  But let me get out a couple of news items for you first, and then I'll give you an overview at least.

1. Tanzania. With a new government in place since last fall, there have been a lot of export restrictions in an effort to stop corruption and black market trading.  My friend Jochen from Jentsch Minerals had to pay a lot of extra fees to export his crystals, Steve from New Era Gems didn't get his entire shipment out, and reports I heard from other vendors are that there were restrictions on all gemstone rough exports.  But the situation is slowly straightening itself out - Tanzania lives off the gemstone trade after all.  I don't know further details, but we may have to expect some slowing down of exports for a few months.

2. Mogok.  There are travel and mining restrictions in Mogok as well so there's been difficulty exporting rubies and sapphires.  At Tucson most sellers seemed to have older stock.

3. Russia.  While there are new finds of Russian demantoids, it is still very difficult for Russians to export their goods.  Shipping gems is illegal, they have to be set in jewelry, so people have to travel with their inventory and then keep it abroad.  

Disclaimer: I haven't done any serious research online to determine more details about what is really happening in Tanzania, Mogok and Russia, but my main interest is always to find out which gems are flowing freely and which aren't so I know what to stock up on and when.  So take this information as vague and subject to change.

Purchases.

1. Paraibas: I bought some but mostly I bought before I got to Tucson.  The situation is roughly the same as the past couple of years.  Prices have not increased drastically but there's also very little product.  I got smaller single stones (2-3mm), some cabochons, and that's more or less it.  What I have left has to be priced individually so it will trickle out slowly.  Also watch for some slices coming out.  

Paraiba 1mm Melees

2. Kornerupine: I got almost nothing so you won't see much more in the shop.

3. Burma spinel: I got some more melee, not a ton, and I did get that larger cushion single and cushion pair, which matches.  Those were really nice buys despite the price.  Very neon color.  I got the cushion on the first day actually, both purchases were old stock.  In other spinel news, I also have some old Vietnamese material (no longer on the market) - a precision cut pear, and a larger suite of 8x4mm pinks to lavender color.  

Cushion Spinels

Vietnamese Spinel Ombre

4. Demantoids: I stocked up on some medium sized pieces and pairs (not many), and I will be listing stuff in the 1-4K category, which I didn't really have before.  I also got some super bright melees, 1.5mm and 1.3mm.  I didn't list those yet.  I went back for more but they were sold out the first day.  I also have a couple of ombre layouts that would work in my 2mm hexagon settings.

Opal & Demantoids

5.Sapphires: watch for more 2.5mm purples (2 and 3mm are gone already), more purple singles, a pink pair, blue pairs, and a little more in terms of blue singles.  I also have yet to list my unheated Madagascar pink sapphire/rubies - they have a super saturated color and are smaller rounds at 2.5-3mm.  I also have some very strong saturated pink sapphire melee (1.5-1.7mm)..  The ruby pair I have listed is also awesome.  I have a small pair of baguettes also not yet processed.

Pink Sapphire & Tourmaline

Blue Spinel & Pink Sapphire

6. Benitoite: that almost sold out from under me but I secured some melee, ombres and two smaller rounds on the first day.  

7. Tourmaline: I have more Namibian pieces, especially blue pairs, I got some Afghan mints, some lovely old mine Zambian yellows, 4mm and one 5mm rouind pinks, pink pear pairs, other green rounds (blue green to mint green) and some precision cuts.  

Canary Tourmaline & Grey Spinels

Yellow Zambian & Pear Shaped Pink Tourmaline

Afghani Tourmaline & Marquis Shape Paraiba 

And to tie up loose ends, watch for more of the following: 4.5mm mali garnet, sphene, grey spinel, opal pairs, zircon (blue), precision cut aqua (mostly sold out though), Afghani emerald (small pairs), one nice round blue spinel, 

Precision Cut Tourmaline & Round Burma Spinel

Precision Cut Tourmaline & Peridot

Blue Zircons & Grey Spinels

Boy that IS a lot of stuff.  No wonder I am broke:)

In my last blog entry, I talked a bit about what I am planning on buying / not buying during my upcoming trip to Tucson.  I’ve now contacted most of the gem dealers I work with to see what’s new, what they will bring, etc. 

Starting with my shipment from Madagascar: it will arrive on 1.19.  My friend Jochen Hintze from Jentsch Minerals is bringing it – he’s passing through on his way to Tucson.  If you want to visit his booth by the way, he will be at the Inn Suites from 1/27-2/8.  He doesn’t sell faceted stones, however.

I will be getting a box of chrysoberyl, a box of sapphire, and a box of grandidierite.  All are part of a trade.  My friend Irene from Antsirabe needed some funding last summer to prepare and deliver a shipment of calcite to a French/Malagasy couple that was selling them in Denver and Tucson.  Irene needed an ox-cart, an oxen and some men to transport the material, as well as labor to cut the rough into egg shapes and other shapes.  I sent the money via Western Union and expressed the offer to trade for gems.  So with your purchase of any of these, you will have directly funded a small business enterprise and helped a family in Madagascar.

Not yet Processed Chrysoberyl

I’ve also talked with my friend Dudley Blauwet.  He has worked up some more of his older kornerupine rough which I plan to get.  I’m especially hoping for 3.5-4mm sizes.  The more reddish Burmese spinel are nearing the end but there are more pinkish ones still, and a LOT of sapphire, which  I’m always excited about. There will be a little more of the Afghani emerald and Dudley is also enthusiastic about a new lot of pink sapphire/ruby.  There will be mostly rounds, 3-3.5mm, all Madagascan material, no heat.  I received a photo but it’s not a very good one so I’m not going to publish it here. Also, with more experienced gem dealers that know me well, I can work by description only, the photos, in the end, don’t add any informational content.

Chrome Beryl with Red Burma Spinel

Afghani Tourmaline with Red Burma Spinel

There will also be a tiny amount of small cobalt spinel, I’ve asked for that to be held for me and I plan on grabbing that right away.  Listings for that should be up on the 31st or 1^st.

Paraiba tourmaline will also be available.  I just got off the phone with those sellers and they are in the process of grading a new batch.  I am going to go on Tuesday 23^rd to inspect it – before it ships to Tucson.

I hope to be picking up a few pieces of lagoon tourmaline later this week, to be listed on the weekend if I have time. 

What I have NOT been successful with is hauyne.  I have contacted the dealer but not heard back.  And I don’t know where else to look.  Dudley had some, but it has ALL been bought at this point. There was a dealer in GJX from whom I got quite a few two years ago, but last year he wasn’t there.  It’s a seller who usually trades in Vietnamese goods (spinel mostly) but last year they didn’t have enough material to bother with the trip.

Our Tucson sale starts Sunday 28^th but expect some listings to show up earlier. 

Finally, if I may, it would help us a lot if you could fill out the questionnaire we are sending out.  We’d like to get as much information as possible before we start spending our hard earned funds, so that we don’t end up getting our cash stuck with purchases that don’t move.  So even if your own kitty doesn’t allow it this time around, it would help us to know what interests you most.  The toughest and riskiest decisions for any gem dealer are what to buy and what to leave alone, even if we like it ourselves.  Once your money is traded for gems, you’re stuck with what you have and you HAVE to try to sell it!

Afghan tourmaline super close up (not yet listed, 6x4mm in size)

That’s it for me folks.  A news blast is scheduled next week to officially announce the sale (so if you read this blog you are ahead of the game!), other than that you’ll have to stay tuned to Social Media and the shop to find out what’s new.  We will do our best to keep you informed as we head for 14 hr working days (and hopefully a trip to Tombstone) in the less frigid Tucson.

(Picture of the lavender sapphires I am hoping to buy in smaller colors and other shapes, i.e. round).

TUCSON Gem and Mineral Show 2018: New Ventures, and Revisiting some Old Ones

I'm excited to introduce a new travel and purchasing trip this year: the gem shows in Denver.  Every September, there are approximately 10 overlapping gem shows: The Intergem show, Denver Coliseum Show, The Denver Fine Mineral Show and the Denver Expo Fine Mineral Show, among others.

For a complete show schedule, go here: https://xpopress.com/showcase/profile/2/denver-gem-mineral-showcase

Most shows focus on minerals, but you can also get beads, gems and jewelry, as well as fake dinosaur eggs and all kinds of other entertaining stuff.  

My friend Jochen Hintze from Jentsch Minerals is exhibiting in the Coliseum show, so I've decided to hop along to check out what's happening. I will be attending shows from the 14th to the 17th of September, and on the 18th we are leaving on a road trip to Tucson crossing over the Rockies and turning south into Utah for a few days so that Jochen can put his minerals back into storage until the Tucson shows.  Jochen's promised me a couple of Canyons - as a rock hound, he's been through much of these areas with an RV, and I'm sure he will have a lot to teach me about the geological history of the region.  I'll be sure to post pix in addition the obligatory gem photos.

I am planning on a gem sale starting the 24th but you will see me trickle out listings from the show beforehand as time permits.  Karen, Debbie and Joanne will be working from New Jersey to continue with shipping and custom orders.  Items listed from Denver will be shipped after the 22nd.

The Denver shows do not have as many high end gemstones as Las Vegas or Tucson, but I will be meeting up with a couple of vendors that I don't otherwise get to see to stock up.

My friend Dudley Blauwet is exhibiting as part of the Main show and I have already requested sapphire pairs, sapphire singles, larger kornerupine (insofar as possible), Burmese spinel, kenyan tsavorite, and emerald.  Dudley said he was working on several parcels of Afghani emeralds, no oil, that he will have ready for me.  I get to come to the show during setup so I can pick from the rarer goods early!

At the Merchandise Mart I will meet up with my Benitoite supplier to get some more ombre suites (currently oversold), some larger (ish) singles, and also some Sweet Home rhodochrosite, which he cuts little by little only for these shows.  (Production of both benitoite and rhodochrosite ended a few years ago.)

In addition, Jochen has promised me some grandidierite from a recent find in Madagascar, the pieces will be larger but not as clean.  

I also plan on stopping by the Denver Expo in the Quality Inn to say hello to Steve from New Era Gems.  I'm sure he will have some nice new Mahenge garnets and other stuff.

So as you can see, I will be pretty busy, and I'm really looking forward to this because I've never been to Colorado or Utah.  

I will keep you posted on Facebook, Instagram and Etsy. Stay tuned.

Upcoming Vegas Show: The Culture of the Gem Trade

This summer marks the 9^th year of Cecile Raley Designs, and in August, I will have been on Etsy for 8 years.  As many of you know, I started out with beaded necklaces, only slowly moving to more fine jewelry, but from the start, I was attracted to working with real gemstones, no glass, resin, or other materials.  I almost never buy opaque stones like agates, jaspers, or turquoise.  I like faceted, glossy, vibrant, eye catching beauty that you can spot from afar in a gem tray – or on someone’s neck for that matter.

Suppliers & Buyers at the AGTA show in Las Vegas

Last years AGTA show in Las Vegas

I went to my first real trade show in 2009: Jeweler’s of America in New York.  I love going to trade shows.  Not just because I love gem shopping, I also enjoy the interactions – the gem talk – and I love studying people and behavior.  The gem trade, to me, has its own unique sociology.  Its culture is ancient and many families have been in the trade for generations.  They size up buyers in a matter of seconds, and they trade information among one other.  While they are competitors, there’s also an understanding that the trade can only survive as a whole.  Competition is healthy, but the individual niches people carve out are also respected.  Before, during and after the show, the traders hand out among one another and exchange the stories of the day.

In its entirety, the American gem trade is dominated by no more than a couple of hundred sellers, and most know each other.  They buy and borrow from one another.  So as a buyer, going behind one seller’s back isn’t a recommended strategy.  Bad buying behavior, e.g. stretching out payment plans (if offered), putting too many goods aside for the day and not buying them, asking for the lowest and best price rather than waiting for an offer, trying to return goods, all those strategies get around. 

Gem dealers come from all over the world, and while sellers from the same countries often have closer bonds, respect for all cultures and backgrounds is crucial to the trade.  Most gems no longer come from the US or Europe, cutting is done either on location or on a large scale in Thailand and India.  Mining takes place in Africa, Asia and South America.  Many gem dealers travel and buy on location.  They understand the customs of their buying locations, they know the languages.  Dudley Blauwet speaks Hindi and several other Asian languages, my friend Jochen Hintze speaks French, English, German, Swahili, and can at least say polite things in Malgasi.  Vinod Kotahwala, who buys emeralds in Colombia, is fluent in Spanish.  Almost everyone knows at least a little bit of the local language of their travel locations.  It is polite and it furthers business. Skin color is not a barrier, I would go so far as to say it is of no consequence to the trade.  What may be more important at times is exact origin of an individual, because that informs you about the local culture.  Business practices in Hong Kong are not the same as in Tanzania. 

Aside from the main dealers who have booths at the big shows like AGTA, GJX, JA and JCK, there is also a vast network of smaller traders who sell out of their pockets.  While you are negotiating with a gem dealer at a booth, you may spot a person with a briefcase nearby who is politely waiting their turn.  That might be a seller who is walking the show floor.  Some of these sellers do cold pitches, others are well known to the exhibitor.  Remember that all gem sellers are also gem buyers, and the most successful gem sellers are excellent at buying.  It is fun to watch those interactions sometimes, insofar as they take place in a language I can understand.  Most of these sellers can be reached by phone if you know them, or know someone who does, and you can meet up in the lunchroom or outside, or after and before the show.  Some have low end goods, but others are well known for extremely expensive stuff. I’m not sure that show rules allow this kind of selling – I suspect they do not – but the goods often end up back on the dealer’s table and so it really furthers business and benefits the show hosts.  Many of these smaller dealers are international; they travel to the US just for the shows.  Others are from the US but they are smaller and not members of the AGTA, so they will be in Vegas during the show and you can make private appointments.

There’s so much more to be said here, but blogs are supposed to be short, so let me close with one final observation: while much of the trade is about sharing information, it is also extremely secretive.  Gem dealers do not give away their suppliers or the purchase prices, not even to each other.  You are not supposed to ask or try to follow the trail back.  Also, price negotiations are totally private.  I have almost never been asked by anyone what I got from whom or for how much.  And when other sellers are at the booth I politely step out of ear shot to signal that I am not going to violate the rule.  I also won’t approach that seller and try to make deals unless explicitly encouraged by the exhibitor (i.e. that person is a friend of mine or the seller has goods that they have no interest in but I do).

In the end, it all comes down to mutual respect. Passing up what initially looks like a good opportunity out of respect for the people you do business with only increases your chances for good buys at good prices in the long run.  I work hard to maintain my integrity in the business.  Good ethics is good business too.  It was hard to convince business students of this fact when I was teaching ethics, but now that I’m seeing it in the real world, I have no doubt it is true.

Yippie – it’s gem shopping time again.  In just over 2 weeks, Cecile Raley Designs departs for the JCK and AGTA shows in Las Vegas!  I’m going to start the shopping by doing absolutely nothing  in Mandalay bay for a couple of nights.  Normally it’s pricey so I stay in the tomb (the Luxor is a pyramid and pyramids are tombs I’m afraid).  But before the show starts you can still get more of a bargain price at Mandalay Bay so I’m taking advantage before going back to the tomb.  Last year my assistant “complained” that we never got to use the pool.  So I’m rectifying that, despite the fact that she’s not actually coming with me, lol.  Karen and Debbie will be holding down the fort in Jersey City, but all items purchased in Vegas will be shipped after I get back.  I had some lost packages in Tucson last spring after dropping them at the hotel for the USPS pickup, and I’m not going to risk that again.

The AGTA show officially starts Sunday (JCK starts Monday), and my gem sale will start then as well.  The plan is 15% off all gems for 10 days. 

I’ve placed several phone calls and emails to my supplier.  As you have probably noticed, I am completely sold out of the 2-3mm demantoids, I’m down to 6 pieces of Burmese spinel, totally out of hauyne, low on 1.6mm Paraiba melee, out of smaller and larger kornerupines, and out of my nicest unheated sapphire pairs.

"Camellia" ring with 1.6mm Paraiba

The great news is that I can restock on all those in Vegas.  Getting convos from you with your interests would be great.  Hauyne is still pretty sold out, so I won’t be getting a ton of those, but I CAN get old stock demantoids (2mm and over 3mm), more of the old stock Burma spinel (the stock is from 15 years ago, which explains the rarity) and Kornerupine rounds, among other things.  There may be a little bit more Kenyan Tsavorite as well.  And sapphire rounds and pairs, mainly Ceylon, not heated – these are freshly restocked from my supplier’s most recent trip to Sri Lanka.  All these items are on my list for the first day if I can manage.  So you should see them trickle out in the shop Sunday evening and Monday morning.  If there are any pre orders I can set them aside.  You can email us your pre-orders or send them via convo.  Please include your cell phone number in case we want to send you photos while we are at the show.

The hauyne seller from Germany has promised to bring me whatever he has left, so hopefully there’s a tad more inventory for me to buy.  He also sells great opals, so if there is any interest in Australian opals (black, boulder), let me know.  Most opals are not calibrated, which makes custom work involving them a bit more expensive, keep that in mind.

 Boulder Opal

Australian Black Opal 

I am planning on getting more Colombian emeralds as well.  For now I have just what is listed on Etsy.  I saw some amazing large ovals a couple of weeks ago and asked the seller of those to bring that parcel.  Please let me know if there are any more “needs” in smaller rounds, emerald cuts or squares.  But be aware that they are $800-1000 per carat, so I don’t just keep these lying around.  I prefer to buy based on request. 

 Colombian Emeralds

As some of you know, I have recently connected with a colored diamond dealer who specializes in untreated materials, from melee up to larger pieces.  He will be exhibiting at the JCK show.  This seller also has diamond rough in yellow, blue, and pink, which I sometimes use.  As well as matched pairs yellow.  Again I would buy these only based on request.  Prices for those are starting at $1500 a pair.

I was also promised a couple of special treats: some pink spinels from Mozambique (lighter pink), and Afghani emeralds in melee sizes. 

Red beryl will be available as well, but all of it stabilized. 

On a separate but related note, I have more Lily sizes coming up – that’s my most popular seller right now.  The smallest takes 3.5, 3mm and 1.5mm stones with some wiggle room (.1-.2mm up or down). The largest takes 5mm, 4mm and 2mm stones, but I have an engraved version that allows me to fudge the 4mm – I can use 3 and 3.5mm in the inner petals, and I can use pears or ovals also, in the 4x3mm sizes.  The medium version is coming out shortly, that one takes a 4-4.5mm center, 3-3.5mm and 2mm sidestones respectively.  All will come in pendant and ring form and the medium and large will have engraved versions that allow for smaller sidestones and for leaving the outer petals “blank”.  When you put ovals or pears into petals, they need to be narrower.  So if there’s room for a 4mm stone, you can do a 4x3 oval or pear.  And so on.

 Small "lily" pendant engraved

 Large "lily" ring 

 Large "lily" ring engraved