GemGeek
07-08-2009, 06:13 AM
I do not know when this was posted, but the man is a GG:
I recently came across an article about a jewelry store that specialized in "rare gems, not found in most stores." While that was a great come on, the article turned out to be a classic case of deceptive advertising.
Their most heralded gemstone was tanzanite. Through rare, you can find it in most jewelry stores. However, that part was minor. The owner went on to say that, while diamonds are found all over the world, tanzanite is only found in one small area of the world and the deposits are almost mined out. To state such a thing as a fact requires that you know what is inside the earth. Obviously we do not - nature is constantly surprising us with new deposits and new varieties.
This line of reasoning, that a certain deposit is almost mined out, is one of the most abused elements of gem advertising. I have seen it often used with Burmese rubies. In most cases it was true that a certain mine was nearly exhausted. However, what was not said is that new digs were turning up more rubies and there was no significant change in supply. So be cautious any time you hear about something being mined out. That is never the whole story and you should not take it at face value.
This particular jeweler went on to say that he had some dematiod garnets, which are the rarest in the world. While I don't have the statistics to say what is the rarest garnet, I certainly have to question this statement. A few very light pink garnets have been found, (tone 3 in ten carat plus sizes,) and I suspect they are less common that dematiod. There are also some very unusual color change garnets; some that turn blue and some that have three color changes, based on natural, incandescent and fluorescent light. You would certainly need to take these into consideration when determining the rarest garnet.
Any time you hear that some thing or other is the rarest you should immediately be on guard. These statements are almost always wrong. We have gems so rare that there are only one or two cut pieces in the world, yet I constantly hear people say that they have the world's rarest gem.
It is a sad fact that, even in an industry with as high standards of integrity as ours, there is a constant flow of deceptive information. Some of it comes from advertising, but much of it comes to us in the form of news articles. You have to be constantly on guard against such practices. Your best defense is education, but you also need to challenge everything you read. Much that is offered you is not true, but intended to line someone's pockets.
I recently came across an article about a jewelry store that specialized in "rare gems, not found in most stores." While that was a great come on, the article turned out to be a classic case of deceptive advertising.
Their most heralded gemstone was tanzanite. Through rare, you can find it in most jewelry stores. However, that part was minor. The owner went on to say that, while diamonds are found all over the world, tanzanite is only found in one small area of the world and the deposits are almost mined out. To state such a thing as a fact requires that you know what is inside the earth. Obviously we do not - nature is constantly surprising us with new deposits and new varieties.
This line of reasoning, that a certain deposit is almost mined out, is one of the most abused elements of gem advertising. I have seen it often used with Burmese rubies. In most cases it was true that a certain mine was nearly exhausted. However, what was not said is that new digs were turning up more rubies and there was no significant change in supply. So be cautious any time you hear about something being mined out. That is never the whole story and you should not take it at face value.
This particular jeweler went on to say that he had some dematiod garnets, which are the rarest in the world. While I don't have the statistics to say what is the rarest garnet, I certainly have to question this statement. A few very light pink garnets have been found, (tone 3 in ten carat plus sizes,) and I suspect they are less common that dematiod. There are also some very unusual color change garnets; some that turn blue and some that have three color changes, based on natural, incandescent and fluorescent light. You would certainly need to take these into consideration when determining the rarest garnet.
Any time you hear that some thing or other is the rarest you should immediately be on guard. These statements are almost always wrong. We have gems so rare that there are only one or two cut pieces in the world, yet I constantly hear people say that they have the world's rarest gem.
It is a sad fact that, even in an industry with as high standards of integrity as ours, there is a constant flow of deceptive information. Some of it comes from advertising, but much of it comes to us in the form of news articles. You have to be constantly on guard against such practices. Your best defense is education, but you also need to challenge everything you read. Much that is offered you is not true, but intended to line someone's pockets.