Gemology expert Mary Johnson gets into the nitty-gritty of some common colored-gemstone treatments.#160;pa href=”http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1Jm7B9SGAM0WZ0JMMKxydd_mErk/0/da”img src=”http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1Jm7B9SGAM0WZ0JMMKxydd_mErk/0/di” border=”0″ ismap=”true”/img/abr/a href=”http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1Jm7B9SGAM0WZ0JMMKxydd_mErk/1/da”img src=”http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1Jm7B9SGAM0WZ0JMMKxydd_mErk/1/di” border=”0″ ismap=”true”/img/a/p

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American Gemological Laboratories is modifying the disclosure terminology it uses for treated rubies by exchanging the term “inorganic (fluxtype)” with “heating residues” in its descriptions of heat-treated rubies, the lab announced.pa href=”http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1vhTqqP-8NYeo0LZZidBmQxmGh8/0/da”img src=”http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1vhTqqP-8NYeo0LZZidBmQxmGh8/0/di” border=”0″ ismap=”true”/img/abr/a href=”http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1vhTqqP-8NYeo0LZZidBmQxmGh8/1/da”img src=”http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1vhTqqP-8NYeo0LZZidBmQxmGh8/1/di” border=”0″ ismap=”true”/img/a/p

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates–The CIBJO Pearl Commission has voted on a number of amendments to the Pearl Blue Book, a definitive set of standards for pearl grading, methodology and nomenclature that the commission has updated each year since the guide’s publication in 2006.

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The American Gem Trade Association Gemological Testing Center (AGTA GTC) has issued a lab update regarding dyed tourmaline.

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Diamond Nexus Labs is thrilled to announce that we have been chosen as the official jewelry sponsor of the 2009 Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe pageants. As the first eco-friendly jeweler in history chosen for this honor, we are inspired by the commitment of the Miss Universe Organization and NBC to show the world that Green is important, beautiful, and universal!

Be sure to tune in to NBC to witness the unveiling of the first of these prestigious crowns as Miss USA 2009 wins her title and is crowned live from Las Vegas on April 19, 2009. We hope that each of these crowns moves you as they reflect our passion for creating an enduring and dazzling symbol of peace and unity to the world.

Check back frequently on our website for more exciting crown news and for your chance to “Choose the Miss Universe Crown” in April.

Click here to view the official press release.

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New York–Companies concerned about releasing a diamond on memo in these shaky economic times have another online resource to turn to for information.

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This is the first of a three-part series by the Natural Color Diamonds Association. Diane Warga-Arias of DWA Communications discusses the basics of color diamonds, including the rarity and strength of color and the diamond size, and how they relate to the value of the diamond. This seminar and the two remaining parts of the series are available as video podcasts on the NCDIA Web site.Related Links: The NCDIA Web Site   Use Natural-Color Diamonds to Jump-Start Sales  NCDIA Founded to Promote Natural Color Diamonds  NCDIA to Focus on Consumer and Trade Strategy as a Non-profit

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Carlsbad, Calif.–In yet another sign of how the recession is impacting the jewelry industry, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has announced that it is cutting 11 percent of its U.S. staff and trimming executive salaries by 10 percent.

A GIA spokeswoman confirmed the cuts to National Jeweler on Friday, saying that the job cuts were a “last resort” move for the institute, spurred by trying economic times.

“Obviously, we’re in a deep recession, and we’re not isolated from the rest of the gem and jewelry industry,” she said. “Anything that happens to them, happens to us…There are fewer stones going into our laboratories for servicing.” (more…)

Ramat Gan, Israel–The worldwide economic crisis–and subsequent credit crunch–have the world’s major diamond centers looking for a little government intervention to help loosen up the flow of cash.

On Wednesday, Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association (IsDMA) President Moti Ganz called on the Bank of Israel to intervene and make credit available to the Israeli diamond industry.

In a letter sent to Prof. Stanley Fischer, governor of the bank, Ganz proposed that the bank establish a $2.25 billion credit fund for the diamond industry out of the bank’s foreign exchange surplus.

In addition, Ganz asked the bank to reduce the credit margins charged to diamantaires to the level set in January 2008, between 1 percent and 3 percent.

Credit margins have increased between 0.25 percent and 1 percent since the beginning of the financial crisis.

“This increase is a major burden to the industry,” Ganz stated in the letter.

He also noted the importance of the diamond industry to Israel–with polished exports in 2007 totaling about 20 percent of the country’s total industrial exports–and concluded that the diamond industry is not the cause of the current financial crisis, yet it is being forced to deal with its consequences every day.

“We are the only industry in Israel that has not leveraged itself, has not issued bonds to the detriment of the economy,” Ganz wrote.

Meanwhile, in India, Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) Chairman Vasant Mehta is lobbying for governmental concessions that will help that country’s ailing diamond-manufacturing sector. (more…)

New York–RapNet, the Rapaport Diamond Trading Network, has launched a new online member rating system that allows RapNet members to give feedback on transactions, performance and quality of service.

The system is intended to increase transparency among members of the RapNet community and to improve the safety of online transactions.

The system launches today.

The comments and ratings posted on RapNet will serve as important indicators of a trader’s reputation and provide valuable knowledge to other members. Members’ ratings will be made public so members can build up their reputations while allowing other members to benefit from their experiences. (more…)

New York–The Treatment Action Group (TAG), an organization dedicated to AIDS research and treatment advocacy, has honored Diamond Information Center (DIC) Director Sally Morrison for the significant impact she has made in AIDS activism.

On Dec. 14, at the group’s 2008 Research in Action Awards, actress and fellow activist Julianne Moore was on hand to present Morrison with her award.

The awards ceremony took place at New York City’s Astor Center, with fellow honorees including actress Doris Roberts of Everybody Loves Raymond fame; Ambassador Mark Dybul, U.S. global AIDS coordinator and coordinator for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief; and restauranteur and AIDS activist Florent Morellet. (more…)

New York–Members of the New York Diamond Dealers Club (DDC) recently approved amendments to the organization’s by-laws that will increase term limits for officers and directors to five consecutive two-year terms.

The vote took place at a meeting held on Dec. 4, during which a divided DDC heard three people speak in favor of the proposed changes and three speak against the extended term limits, according to a release from the DDC.

In the end, the amendments passed by a margin of more than two-thirds. The vote by members followed an earlier 13-4 vote by the DDC’s board of directors to allow the organization’s general membership to vote on the issue of term limits. (more…)

Ottawa, Canada–Members of the Kimberley Process (KP) Civil Society Coalition are calling upon the KP to suspend Zimbabwe’s membership in light of the recent violence unleashed on diamond diggers in the South African nation.

According to a release from Partnership Africa Canada (PAC) and Global Witness, police in Zimbabwe–backed by the government and President Robert Mugabe–reportedly shot and killed as many as 50 artisanal diamond diggers in a November raid on the Chiadzwa diamond fields, allegedly called “Operation No Return.”

According to PAC and Global Witness, revenues from Zimbabwe’s diamonds are being used to support actions such as this and “are helping to prop up Robert Mugabe’s repressive and increasingly violent regime.”

“The KP was designed to halt and prevent conflict diamonds through an international regulatory regime based on internal controls in each participating country,” said Ian Smilie of PAC. “The perpetration of human rights abuses and indiscriminate extra-judicial killing by governments in pursuit of Kimberley Process objectives is little better than the problem the scheme seeks to end. The Kimberley Process should act to condemn and prevent such violence.” (more…)

New York–Waldman Diamond Co. has formed a new partnership with the Gem Certification and Assurance Lab (GCAL) through which the lab will certify the company’s diamonds as conflict-free Canadian stones.

According to a news release, Waldman, a Rio Tinto Select Diamantaire, will use GCAL’s Source Veritas process and Gemprint technology, a system that can find a diamond’s unique optical fingerprint, to certify that its diamonds were mined in Canada, specifically from the Diavik diamond mine in the country’s Northwest Territories. (more…)