This month's issue

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The latest news, posted as we get it in! Includes updates to past stories.

Irradiated Topaz: What's Next? - 12/27/07

Highly Doctored Emeralds Raise the Question: Where's the Beef? - 11/20/07

Jewelry Industry Boycott of Burmese Gems is Gaining Momentum - 10/18/07

Blue Topaz: The Ban That Never Was - 10/10/07

Chinese Pearl Trade Faces Crisis - 9/25/07

Is Chinese Pearl Farming Imperiled? - 8/30/07

Topaz Troubles: Irradiated Topaz Updates

Will Blue Topaz Be ‘X-rated’ for X-mas? - 8/15/07

Exclusive Statement from the NRC on Irradiated Topaz - 8/8/07

Topaz Troubles Part II
The NRC Brings its Geiger Counters to NYC for spot checks of neutron-irradiated blue topaz. - 8/3/07

Natural Pearls Set Auction Record
The famed Baroda Pearls sold for more than $7 million at a Christie’s auction on April 25. - 5/15/07

ICA Meets in Dubai
The 12th biennial International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) Congress covered topics spanning the range from emerging markets to consumer confidence. - 5/14/07

Scientists Discover Kryptonite
A new mineral discovered in Serbia has a chemical makeup almost identical to that given for the fictional mineral kryptonite in the film Superman Returns. - 4/30/07

Basel Ends on High Note
The 2007 Baselworld trade fair, held April 12-19 at the Exhibition Center Basel in Basel, Switzerland, ended with a record number of visitors: 101,700 — an 8 percent increase over 2006. - 4/20/07

GIA Joins World Jewelry Center
The World Jewelry Center (WJC) recently inked a deal with the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to offer GIA courses at the center. - 4/17/07

Collectors Universe Offers Gem Loans
Collectors Universe, a publicly-traded company that specializes in certifying rare and collectible items, is offering loans to trade and public with gemstones as collateral.
- 3/22/07

Tanzanite Foundation, IGI Team Up on Grading
The Tanzanite Foundation, a non-profit organization funded by the tanzanite industry, has announced a partnership with the International Gemological Institute (IGI) to offer tanzanite grading services. - 3/22/07

Thais, Japanese Deal on Beryllium Sapphire
The Thai Gem and Jewelry Traders Association (TGJTA) and the Japan Jewelry Association (JJA) announced at the recent World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) congress that they had come to an agreement on disclosure of beryllium-treated corundum. - 3/21/07

Rashmikant Durlabhji Dies at 70
One of the most prominent colored gemstone and jewelry dealers in India, Rashmikant Durlabhji, died of natural causes on February 28 at a hospital in Jaipur. - 3/1/07

Signity Acquires Leslie & Co.
Signity, the world’s leading distributor of precision-cut natural and created gemstones, has acquired Leslie & Co., producers of color-treated topaz. - 2/15/07

AGL Launches Fast Track Certs
New York-based American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) has introduced a new gemstone certification service: Fast Track, a program designed to give retailers and dealers an affordable way to certify gemstones. - 1/24/07

Researchers Find Link in Oyster Deaths
A study conducted on non-pearl-producing oysters in the eastern waters of North America found that even relatively low levels of heavy metal pollution can interfere with oysters’ metabolic processes, and that the effects of this pollution become particularly notable when coupled with high seasonal temperatures. - 1/4/07