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Travelogue

Yvonne Raley
Written by Yvonne Raley
Filed under
Antanarivo, antsirabe, apatite, aquamarine, Broker, cecile raley designs, gemstones, Grandidiarite, iPhone, jentsch mineralien, madagascar, malgasy, moonstone, old phones, ruby, Yvonne Raley, zircon

Madagascar Part 3 - More Gem Buying and Saying Farewell

Yvonne Raley
Written by Yvonne Raley
After I had been in Madagascar for four days, the brokers started to get to know my taste in gems, called their vendors in return and produced nicer pieces for me. You see the broker is only the middle man (or woman in this case). Some brokers know a lot, some don't. But they are told to make a high price and then see. If you come back with reasonable offers (not trying to rip them off but also...
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Yvonne Raley
Written by Yvonne Raley
Filed under
antsirabe, Betafo, Burial, Burial Cloth, cecile raley designs, Clan, Exhumation, Famadihaha, Gems, gemstones, madagascar, Mausoleum, Raising the Dead, Rice Water, Turning of the Dead, Vazahy, Yvonne Raley

My Trip to Madagascar, Famadihana

Yvonne Raley
Written by Yvonne Raley
As I reported in my previous blog post, I got a very intimate sense of living in Madagascar when I was invited to an exhumation. The locals call it 'Famadihana': Turning of the Bones. This is the tradition of exhuming the bodies of the dead, which takes place every 3-7 years, depending on the family's wishes. The body is removed from the mausoleum or dug out of the ground. Bodies are wrapped in...
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Written by Joanne Simmons
Filed under
Antanarivo, antsirabe, aquamarine, Broker, Gem Markets, gemstones, Goshenite, Grandidiarite, madagascar, mines, Morganite, Phenakite, sapphire, tourmaline

My Trip To Madagascar - Part One

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Written by Joanne Simmons
We arrived safely in Antanarivo, Madagascar, after a few hiccups: baggage not checked through, plane delay, long lines upon arrival and a nail in the tire on the way to Antsirabe. We got to the airport at 2 a.m. The airport is small and a big plane from Italy arrived before us - too much for the police to handle so it took a while to get through all the lines. Our arrival party, Jochen's friend...
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Written by Joanne Simmons
Filed under
africa, antsirabe, arusha, congregation, Felician, Garnets, gem market, gem shopping, gem trade, Gems, geologist, graduate school, madagascar, Nairobi, safari, sapphire, sphene, tanzania, tourmaline

Yvonne Goes to Africa

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Written by Joanne Simmons
Yes, this is really happening, a dream come true. On August 17th, in just a few days, I'll be flying first to Germany to see my mom and then to two of the world's most famous gem paradises: Madagascar and Tanzania. This trip has been in the planning stages for about a year. My friend Jochen Hintze from Jentsch Mineralien, a German geologist who travels to Africa up to 10 times a year, is going to... Continue reading
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Written by Joanne Simmons
Filed under
AGTA, AGTA Gemfair, France, gemstone purchasing, Germany, GJX show, JCK, JCK show, trip to france, tucson

Preparing for Tucson

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Written by Joanne Simmons
Even though right now I am sitting in small hotel in France, sipping red wine and enjoying the holiday markets and wintry atmosphere during a much needed break, I am already thinking of warmer weather and of purchasing gemstones.
My Hotel Sitting Room in France
Holiday Spirit in Alsace, France
On February 1, when my home town New York will be in the thick of winter, I will be leaving for my annual...
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