AGTA GemFair™ Tucson Introduces MJSA EXPO West
from AGTA
The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) and Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America (MJSA) announced recently that the MJSA EXPO West will be returning to the AGTA GemFair™ Tucson, February 2-7, 2010. The Pavilion will also be moving from its historical location in GemHall II. The MJSA EXPO West Pavilion will be conveniently housed in the Ballroom on the Galleria level, along with the Spectrum of Design Pavilion and the Antique & Estate Jewelry Pavilion. More

JCK Las Vegas to Move to Mandalay Bay in 2011
from JCK Online
JCK Las Vegas will move to Mandalay Bay in 2011 as part of a retailer-focused reinvention that includes additional programming and education as well as increased opportunities for networking and socializing. JCK Events, the show's organizer, also announced that the American Gem Trade Association, Hong Kong Jewelry Manufacturers Association, LUXURY, Plumb Club, Prestige Promenade, Swiss Watch, and Vicenza Oro Italian Pavilion were among the first to sign up for 2011. Other leading companies also have endorsed the move. More

September Birthstone: Sapphire
from The Deleuse Jewelers Blog
In folklore, sapphires are the gem of 'soul and autumn' which makes the the stone appropriate for September. Sapphire is said to preserve the wearer from envy and to attract divine favor which gave them the power to influence spirits. It is believed that "fraud was banished from its presence" and the stone enabled the ancient sages to hear and understand the most obscure of oracles. More

Target Female Self-Purchasers
from IDEX
The model family of the 1950s, Dad the sole earner and Mom at home cooking three hot meals a day, is hard to be found in the U.S. these days. In this multi-part series, take a look at what this means for jewelers. The good news: more women than ever before work outside of the home and now have the discretionary income to buy jewelry for themselves. The opportunity: age no longer a factor. More

AGL Conducts On-Site Testing in Hong Kong
from American Gemological Laboratories
American Gemological Laboratories will be performing on-site testing of colored stones for Identification, Enhancement and Origin reports during the Hong Kong Watch and Jewellery Fair Sept. 21-27 2009. As part of AGL's outreach program to support their national and international clients, staff members Christopher P. Smith and Sun Joo Chung will be available throughout the HKG Fair period to provide the same high-quality reporting services that are a staple of their New York based operations. More

What Gem Blends Nature and Beauty? Pearls
from CBS
They're there if you look, around the necks of women thought to be among the world's most beautiful. Poets, philosophers and artists try to capture them with words or pictures. But really, it is about just getting lost in their deep luster. People have been using pearls since ancient times to adorn themselves. And over the course of that long history, a lot of traditions have been created. The one we still celebrate today is about giving the woman you love pearls on your 30th wedding anniversary. More

New 'GIA GemPassbook™' for Colored Stone Services Offers Affordable Access to Identification and Origin Reports
from the Gemological Institute of America
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has introduced a new "GIA GemPassbook™" for the advance purchase of two of its colored stone identification services: the GIA Identification Report and the GIA Origin Report. Each passbook contains 50 pre-paid GIA GemPasses™ redeemable for identification or country-of-origin services. Identification GemPasses will be priced at $50 each, while passes for country-of-origin services will carry a fee of $100. Each GIA GemPass is valid for one service per stone, regardless of gemstone size. Passbooks may be purchased and redeemed at GIA Laboratories in New York, Carlsbad or Bangkok. More

Jadeite and Ruby Reminder When Traveling
from AGTA
As many AGTA Members prepare to travel overseas to the Hong Kong Show and beyond, please be aware of the restrictions now in place if traveling with your jadeite or ruby jewelry as found in the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE Act. Rubies and jadeite of non-Burmese origin are not restricted, but questions may arise upon re-entry to the U.S. from abroad. More