Lang scholarship in the April/May/June Jewelry

Transcription

The
Jewelry Appraiser
a publication of the national association of jewelry appraisers
Serving the Professional Jewelry Appraiser With Pride©
April/May/June 2016
VOL. X1, NO. 2
Message From The ED
New & Valuable
Member Benefit
A Change in Policy for Appraisal
Studies Course Students
How many times have members and
non-members called the NAJA office
asking for pricing history of colorless
diamonds? How many times have
members on the chatline asked for
assistance in researching the price of
a (say) 1.25 carat, round brilliant, SI1,
G in 1997?
Rakel
Hall,
NAJA’s
Office
Associate, and I have started a
searchable listing of Rapaport deep
from the archives of Howard Rubin’s
library! Yes, Howard was reluctant to
let go of any pricing research.
Each dated RDR PDF file has:
1. the typical red sheet of New
York Asking Prices,
2. Parcel Price List from India,
3. RapNet Asking Price List,
4. RapNet Trade Sheet’s Index
(Internet Diamond Exchange)
Diamonds Offered for Sale, and
5. periodic Auction Results.
At this date, we have thirteen PDF files
with a whole stack of RDRs to do yet.
Progress is slow right now because
our immediate attention is given to the
upcoming conference. We feel this is
a worthy project to invest our labor
intensive resources.
NAJA has recently made an important
change to the format of our Appraisal
Studies Course. In the past, students
were able to complete the course at
their leisure, taking as much time as
necessary for each lesson, completing
their certification in six months or six
years. However, we have concluded
that it is much more effective for the
student to move through the course
in a deliberate manner, with a definite
completion date on the horizon.
With this in mind, NAJA will now
require that the entire course be
completed in eighteen months.
Students will still be able to take each
lesson at his or her preferred pace,
but all of the work must be finalized
within eighteen months of the start
date.
The final exam should be
taken within a reasonable timeframe
thereafter, preferably within one or
two months, but is not included in
the time limit. Should a student be
unable to complete the course in the
allotted time, there will be a $150 reapplication fee.
We believe this deadline will
assist students in setting goals and
completing lessons in a timelier
manner. Focusing on the material
within a concentrated period of time
will help with retention and resolution.
Current students were notified of
this change via email. If you are a
current student and did not receive a
notification email, please let me know
immediately so that I may be sure we
have up-to-date contact information.
CALL TO ACTION!
Perhaps other NAJA members have
some diamond price lists tucked in
a file drawer or a corner of the book
shelf and would like to contribute to the
wealth of collective information? Let’s
create an awesome historic colorless
diamond reference to be shared on the
Members Only page!
Gaile Brett Levine, GA GG
Executive Director
1
In addition, we have begun
the preliminary work of getting the
Appraisal Studies Course online. It
is a big job, and will take a substantial
amount of time to complete, but we
are certain that it will make submitting
lessons simpler and the coursework
more accessible in general, for all of
our students. Please note, however,
that all final exams will still be
proctored.
Just as a reminder, NAJA invites
members who have purchased the
NAJA course in the past to exchange it
for the updated version for $50.00. All
you need do is to send the old course,
without the three ring binder and
without the tabs, to NAJA, P. O. Box
18, Rego Park, NY 11374 via USPS
media rate.
We will continue to update you on
the exciting changes to the Appraisal
Studies Course. As always, if you
have any questions, comments, or
suggestions, please feel free to
contact me directly. I look forward to
seeing many of you at the Mid-Year
Conference!
Deborah J. Finleon, GIA GG, CMA
(NAJA)
NAJA Associate Director, Chair of
Education
[email protected]
Calendar of Events
Certified Gemologist- Sales
Representative/Appraiser
Fairfield Center Jewelers
1498 Post Road, Fairfield, CT 06824
203-259-5693
[email protected]
46th ACE©It Annual Mid-Year
Conference
Fairmont Hotel
Newport Beach, CA
August 13 -16, 2016
Full-time Position
Certified Gemologist Appraiser, Repair,
Precious Metal Buyer and Sales – Jewelry
The position of Certified Gemologist Appraiser, Repair Manager, In-House
Precious Metal Buyer, Floor Sales exists to provide a specialized and
unique service by offering customers appraisal work, diamond, colored
gemstone certification and grading to GIA standards. Management of
the Repair department includes organizing work to outside vendors,
overseeing cost and expense tracking with outside vendors.
47th ACE© It Annual Winter
Conference
Tucson Convention Center
Tucson, AZ
Jan 29 - 30, 2017
We welcome your articles and photos
for The Jewelry Appraiser. Acceptable
file formats for photos include JPG,
PDF, TIF or EPS files.
For further details, please email
[email protected]
The
Jewelry Appraiser
Gail Brett Levine, GIA GG
Executive Director
Publisher/Editor
David Atlas, GIA GG
Associate Director
Chair of Ethical Issues
Martin D. Fuller, GIA GG
National Secretary
Deborah Finleon, GIA GG
Associate Director
Chair of Education
NAJA Exhibit Dates
AGTA GemFair
Tucson
Convention
Center
Tucson AZ
Jan 31 - Feb 5,
2017
Booth G-11
Atlanta Jewelry
Show
Cobb Galleria
Atlanta GA
March 4 - 6, 2017
Lobby #9
The Smart Show
Navy Pier
Chicago IL
April 2 - 4, 2017
Booth T-6
Rakel Hall
Office Associate
Bob Mitchell
Webmaster
PUBLISHED BY
National Association of Jewelry Appraisers
P.O. Box 18, Rego Park, NY 11374-0018
718.896.1536 • fax 718.997.9057
[email protected]
www.NAJAappraisers.com
©2016 National Association of Jewelry Appraisers
All Rights Reserved
2
CONTEMPORARY
DESIGNER JEWELS
AUCTION
September 26 | Beverly Hills
Consignments Invited
Van Cleef & Arpels Necklace
Sold For: $8,750
Contact Our Jewelry Team at 877-HERITAGE (437-4824) | HA.com/Jewelry
Jill Burgum
Senior Director
[email protected] | Ext. 1697
Jessica DuBroc
Consignment Director, Dallas
Gina D’Onofrio
Director, Beverly Hills
Ana Wroblaski
Consignment Director, Beverly Hills
Peter Shemonsky
Director, San Francisco
Eva Violante
Director, New York
Tracy Sherman
Director, Florida
DA L L A S | N E W YO R K | B E V E R LY H I L L S | S A N F R A N C I S C O | C H I C AG O | PA L M B E AC H | PA R I S | G E N E VA | A M S T E R DA M | H O N G KO N G
Paul R. Minshull #LSM0605473; Heritage Auctions #LSM0602703 & #LSM0624318. BP 12-25%; see HA.com. 40021
3
46th ACE© It
Mid Year Education Conference
Newport Beach, CA
August 13-16, 2016
Welcome to the beach! Newport Beach, CA to be exact, where the shopping is
nothing short of a gilded experience and the dining is just as exquisite. Newport
Beach, California is a coastal fantasyland where leisure and style come together
in ten distinct neighborhoods, each with its own unique charm — Airport District,
Balboa Island and surrounding seven islands, Balboa Peninsula, Balboa Village,
Cannery Village, Corona del Mar, Fashion Island, Mariner’s Mile/Westcliff, Newport
Coast/Crystal Cove, and the Back Bay. Are you as excited as I am to find out
what Newport Beach has to offer you? First things first, you will be staying at the
amazing Fairmont Hotel located at 4500 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach, CA.
The hotel is equipped with a full service spa, two lit tennis courts, room service,
Two Tiered High Speed Internet Access in all rooms, concierge, gift shop,valet
service, house car service (based upon availability), car rentals and dry cleaning
service. The Fairmont Newport Beach also offers two fabulous dining options at
Citrus and Avo Bar + Restaurant during your visit to the hotel.
Looking for a little fun in the sun? The hotel offers you a shuttle to and from
the beach. Perched above the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean, Corona del Mar lives up
to its name, “Crown of the Sea.” Locals call it “CDM,” and though the chic hamlet
is part of Newport Beach, it has an aesthetic all its own, with vintage cottages and
stunning new houses side-by-side on flower-named residential streets. Visitors
can enjoy restaurants, quiet music spots, and gastro pubs to feed their hunger
for diverse dining choices at a majestic Orange County Beach. The two main and
most easily accessible Corona del Mar beaches are Big Corona and Little Corona.
Big Corona features surf, cliffs, a jetty, and a variety of activities from surfing and
skim boarding to volleyball.
One of the most unique things to do in Newport Beach is enjoy a dinner cruise,
or what we like to call it, dock and dine. Nearly a dozen Newport Beach restaurants
have docks welcoming the marine community, allowing boaters to pull up and
enjoy a great dining experience. Shopping, who doesn’t like to shop? Located
in the heart of Newport Beach, Fashion Island shopping is Southern California’s
premier coastal shopping and dining experience. With panoramic ocean views and
towering palm trees, Fashion Island stores include prestigious department stores
and specialty boutiques, more than 30 dining options and
restaurants, including Fig & Olive, CUCINA enoteca,
True Food Kitchen, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse &
Wine Bar and Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine.
Fashion Island Newport Beach is also home
to Orange County’s only Neiman Marcus,
as well as Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s,
Bloomingdale’s Home Store, Elie Tahari,
Trina Turk, Kate Spade, Jonathan Adler
and Anthropology, just to name a few.
Newport Beach is a wonderful
experience that is waiting for you.
Come enjoy the 46th Mid-Year ACE©
Conference with NAJA. You don’t want
to miss it this time around!
Conference Location:
Fairmont Hotel
4500 MacArthur Blvd
Newport Beach, CA 92660
949.476.2001
f. 949.476.0153
http://www.fairmont.com/
Rakel Hall, NAJA Office Assistant
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Newport Beach 2016
Hotel Reservations
Reserve accommodations at the
Fairmont Hotel by calling reservations
at 949.476.2001 by July 15, 2016, and
mention that you will be attending The
NAJA Conference, or use group code
NAJA, to receive the special daily rate of
$159 (standard/double).
This courtesy rate is extended three
days before and three days after the
conference. Reservations made after
July 15th will be handled on a space
available basis and special rates cannot
be guaranteed.
Travel Arrangements
Arrive at John Wayne Airport, Orange
County (code SNA) then call the hotel to
pick you up.
On-Site Registration Hours
Participants may pick up their conference
notebook and name tag in the Bay Laurel
North, which also serves as NAJA’s Exhibit
Room starting Friday, August 12th noon to
5 PM. Saturday, August 13th registration
continues in the Bay Laurel North, 7:00
to 8:00 AM. The NAJA Exhibit Room will
also be opened during extended breaks
& lunches and after the last session until
6:30 PM.
Tax Deductible
Treasury Regulation 1.162-5 permits an
income tax deduction for educational
expenses to improve or maintain
professional skills (registration fees, travel
and a portion of meals and lodging are
included).
Cancellation Policy
Your registration fee will be refunded
100% if your written or faxed cancellation
is received by July 15, 2016.
Cancellations after July 15, 2016 there
will be charged a service fee of $125.
Friday, August 12, 2016
NAJA Certification Examination
10:00 - Noon Review for the Certification Examination – Theory – Sequoia Ballroom
with Deborah Finleon, Chair of Education
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Certification Examination - Sequoia Ballroom
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Muzo Emeralds; Gemology, Mining and a Future
Perspective
A slide show about the past, present and future of
mining in Muzo, with an emphasis on what has been
happening in the last two years. There are many
newsworthy developments to report as well as future
plans. I know you will also want a gemology section
with slides of micro photos of emerald inclusions.
Ronald Ringsrud has been a resident of
Saratoga, California since 1992. For 25 years he has independently imported
emeralds from Colombia for the American jewelry trade. Now he is Director of Emerald
Quality at Muzo International, the company that operates the Muzo emerald mine in
Colombia. Ron owns a home in Bogotá, Colombia and is very familiar with the region’s
miners, dealers and cutting centers. Ron was a featured speaker on Colombian
emeralds at GIA’s 1991 International Symposium. He also lectured at the First World
Emerald Congress in Bogotá, Colombia in 1998. In 2002, Ronald was interviewed and
featured in a Discovery Channel special about Colombian Emeralds and was recently
on National Geographic Explorer, also about Colombian emeralds.
The Challenges of Creating a Gemstone Brand
Trying to create a marketing plan for a “new brand” had
many hurdles to jump. Starting with the challenges
of mining, to distribution, trademark protection and
issues from within the trade and the FTC. All of these
challenges were far from what we expected to face
which ultimately encouraged us to change our brand
name to Emeryl and rebranding our gemstone. We
will discuss in detail the distribution, advertising
channels and expenses to build this brand.
Patrick Coughlin, GIA GG is the Founder of the
Yellow Emerald Mining Company and President of American Diamond Importers. He
and his wife Marga also operate Coughlin Jewelers an independent jewelry store in St.
Clair, MI.
For 25 years, Patrick has traveled the world extensively searching for gemstones
and diamonds for his clients and in 2009 his world changed. In a trip to Brazil, Patrick
was offered the opportunity to be lowered 1200 ft below the earth’s crust in a hand dug
hole. Once the dust settled from the blast, hardly able to breathe or see, a pocket of
high quality beryl gemstones were opened and the colors of yellow to gold started to
breathe. After some test marketing with the new gemstones in Michigan, the Yellow
Emerald Mining Company was formed and sales exploded once the public saw the
colors and quality.
A 33 year journey began as a part-time salesman in a jewelry store on weekends
to eventually owning his own store. Patrick is now a jewelry manufacturer, wholesaler
and part owner in a mine located in Brazil.
How To Identify A Luxury Counterfeit Watch
This session will show you how to determine if a
watch is real or fake covering areas such as case,
crowns, dials, bezels, bands and movements. We
will review the legalities of after-market diamond
watches. A generous amount of time will be spent on
YOUR Q&A and, of course, what we all want, show
and tell!
Joe Akar’s passion is to help educate his fellow
jewelers; providing them with the knowledge, tools
and resources needed so they can buy and sell preowned luxury watches with confidence, eliminating the risk and fear. Joe has over 25
years of experience in the watch and jewelry industry, and is the founder and CEO
of Chronofy. Chronofy is an innovative, subscription based service featuring a watch
guide that assists watch dealers identify, valuate and authenticate pre-owned luxury
watches.
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Newport Beach 2016
What to Bring
Casual business attire
Loupe - because you don’t leave home
without it
Other specific equipment/tools will be
suggested in your confirmation letter
Continuing Education Points
Attendance at this conference garners
four (4) continuing education points.
You will be given official attendance
recognition.
Monday, August 15, 2016
Member’s Party
Join us for a night of fun and a feasting
at Ten Asian Bistro - a short walk from
the Fairmont. Upon arriving you will
experience a beautiful grand waterfall
at the entrance. Once inside, the Asian
design continues where a 16-foot Buddha
overlooks the beautiful main dining room.
Cash bar will be available.
The Old Euro Revisited
A lot has happened in the arena of Old Euro and Old
Miners - markets changed, attitudes change, dealer
and dealing has changed. An intimate look from one of
the market makers of old style diamonds will enlighten
and delight. Part II of the ongoing skirmish between
GIA’s laboratory reports on Old Europeans and the
real world grasp of what are parameters of grading
diamonds outside of the round brilliant cut.
Michael Goldstein, has been a NYC dealer of
antique diamonds and jewelry for 35 years. He boasts a
domestic and international clientele of dealers, retailers
and designers. Michael has given frequent lectures
and has written numerous articles on the subject of antique diamonds for industry
publications. Michael is available for help with appraisals and fair market values on
antique stones.
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Treatments and Synthetics: A Visual Review
With the millions of carats of synthetics that have
been produced and sold into the gem trade since the
introduction and fraudulent sale of so-called Geneva
rubies in the 1880s, and with the countless numbers
of treated stones, it never hurts to reexamine the
main identifying characteristics of some of the most
important of these materials. In terms of damaged
professional reputation and lost revenue, an error in
the identification of a synthetic or treated stone can be
extremely costly to any jeweler or appraiser.
The separation of natural gems from treated
stones and synthetics is very often accomplished using the gemological microscope as
the primary investigative tool. Sometimes this is the only instrument required, and it may
even be the only means we have at our disposal to accomplish a specific gemological
task. However, whether or not those treated stones or synthetics are recognized is a
direct result of gemological training. It is up to each gemologist to gain the knowledge
needed to be successful in the ever-evolving gem trade.
While today’s main focus is often on the various treatments being done to gems
to artificially “improve” their superficial outward appearance, it should be remembered
that all of the most important natural gems have also been synthesized in significant
quantities , and this is still being done today. So a jeweler’s chance of encountering
synthetic gem materials during the routine course of business is virtually 100%.
The microscope offers a completely nondestructive means of analysis and
inclusions and micro features provide many of the major clues we need to identify gems
and the materials that are used to imitate them. Aside from their obvious gemological
applications, inclusions also serve to remind us of the role nature plays in creating rare
and unusual gemstones, and of how technology has been applied to try and duplicate
that natural world..
John I. Koivula, GIA GG, joined the GIA in 1976. He has spent more than fifty
years studying and photographing the microworld of gemstones, and has published
more than 800 articles and notes on inclusions in gemstones and related topics. John
is a contributor to several books including the American Geological Institutes Glossary
of Geology, Robert Webster’s Gems, Geologica, a book on crustal landforms, and
the GIA’s Diamond Dictionary. Mr. Koivula is co-author with Dr. E. Gübelin of the
Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones, Volumes 1, 2 and 3, and the author of The
MicroWorld of Diamonds. John holds university degrees in both geology and chemistry,
the gemological credentials: G.G., C.G., F.G.A., was awarded fellowship in the Royal
Microscopical Society, and also serves on the executive board of the International
Gemmological Conference group (IGC). He is an honorary life member of the Finnish
Gemmological Society and the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, and was
named as one of the 64 most influential people of the 20th century in the jewelry
industry by Jewelers’ Circular Keystone Magazine. His awards include GIA’s Richard T.
Liddicoat Award for Distinguished Achievement, the Robert M. Shipley and Richard T.
Liddicoat awards from the American Gem Society, the Scholarship Foundation Award
from the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, and the Antonio C. Bonanno
Award for excellence in gemology by the international Accredited Gemologists
Association. He previously worked for Cominco American as an exploration field
geologist, and is currently the analytical microscopist at the Gemological Institute of
America, headquartered in Carlsbad, California.
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46th ACE© It Mid Year Conference Newport Beach, CA
Digital Photomicrography for Gemologists
Until recently, film was the preferred medium used
for capturing images through the microscope,
primarily due to resolution limitations of digitalformat cameras. The image quality that can now
be achieved by digital cameras is equal, and in
many ways superior, to the quality offered by film.
Digital photomicrography allows gemologists the
opportunity to instantly see the resultant images,
which can then be adjusted with image-refining
software so that they represent their subject as
realistically as possible. This can be particularly
useful to document stones for appraisals, or to
appreciate the artistic perspective the micro-world of gems can offer. No
instruments will be required for this presentation.
Nathan Renfro, GIA GG a native of western North Carolina, developed
an interest in minerals during his late teens, which was sparked by his
grandfather rock collection. In 2006 he completed his undergraduate studies
in geology and then went on to enroll at GIA for the resident Graduate
Gemologist (GG) program as a recipient of the William Goldberg Diamond
Corporation scholarship. Mr. Renfro also completed his FGA in 2014.
After completion of the GG program, he was hired by the GIA laboratory
as a diamond grader and soon transferred to the Gem Identification
department in 2008. Since then, Mr. Renfro has authored or co-authored
several gemological articles and lectured to several gem and mineral groups
throughout the Unites States. His primary areas of gemological interest are
inclusion identification, photomicrography, gemstone cutting and defect
chemistry of corundum. Mr. Renfro is currently the Analytical Manager of
the gem identification department and also Analytical Microscopist in the
Inclusion Research Department.
Bird on a Rock: An Insider’s Guide to
Preparing a Blue Box Appraisal
• Why can’t I use the “Tiffany Setting” in my
appraisal?
• What lawsuit?
• Why can’t they just do it themselves?
• Isn’t this is an antique?
• Is this really a designer piece?
• Is this a knockoff?
All of these questions will be answered along
with live comparative Tiffany and Company gem stone visuals to help you
recognize Tiffany and Company jewelry, identify designer signatures and
become knowledgeable with the procedures and process of owning a
Tiffany and Company jewelry item. As well we will cover why they don’t need
an appraisal on current assortment merchandise and how to be complete
when composing an appraisal for Tiffany and Company merchandise. A
brief history of Tiffany and Company will be included as well as a question
and answer session.
Lauren Kalman Abramowitz, GIA GG, was born in New York and her
accent can still be heard in several words even though she has been in
Arizona since 1998. Her extensive jewelry career hit a high point in 1998
when she was hired on by Tiffany & Company to open the Scottsdale,
Arizona location and grew with the company to become the Assistant Store
Manager of the newly opened Tucson Tiffany & Company location in 2006.
While working for Tiffany’s, Lauren was an award winning employee and
studied Gemology at the Gemological Institute of America where she earned
her Graduate Gemology diploma in 2008. Lauren also holds degrees from
the Fashion Institute of Technology, the State University of New York at
Albany and her Masters in Science from Long Island University. Lauren is
a member of the Women’s Financial Group Advisory Council in Phoenix,
volunteers with the Phoenix Zoo Auxiliary and the Network of Executive
Women; as well as maintaining memberships within the International
Society of Appraisers and the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers.
She currently resides in Glendale, Arizona and runs her own business
called A To Z Jewelry Appraisals.
Evaluations in a Millennial World
Apple is not a telephone and Starbucks is not
coffee – companies, designers and proprietary
jewelry add value beyond the basic components
of their products. The market has expanded
with consumer choices of Generic, Hybrid, and
Custom Jewelry. Today’s jewelry appraisers can
no longer derive at market values by routine
formulas and approaches.
As our industry
transitions from Craftsmanship to CAD-manship,
the artists’ hand becomes less involved creating a
common market for uniqueness.
As the internet becomes more refined it
creates a demanding generation of consumers
that consider themselves pseudo experts. Learn
how these changes impact your appraisal business whether it’s branding,
intellectual property, or cause marketing. Acquire an appreciation for the
new, ever changing evaluation in a millennial world – and the tremendous
opportunities it offers.
Anne Dale, FGA owns and operates a fine jewelry retail store. She
is a Gemologist, Appraiser, Designer, Speaker, Educator, Entrepreneur,
Philanthropist Author of the book “Swept Away” and the Discoverer of the
Louisiana State Gemstone.
Anne is a Graduate Gemologist of the Gemological Institute of
American, Professional Gemologist of the Columbia School of Gemology,
and a British Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain.
She is a member of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers and
an expert witness for the Internal Revenue Service. As a Louisiana native
she was a recipient of “Louisiana Artist Award” and “Woman of the Year” by
the Professional Business Women’s Association of Saint Tammany Parish,
Louisiana. She is a recipient of “The Diamond in the Rough Award” by the
Association of Women Gemologist. Her jewelry designs have been sold to
retailers and wholesalers nationwide as well as Disney, Sam’s, Walgreens,
museums, jewelry manufacturer Stuller Inc, and produces a line of jewelry
for the Statue of Liberty gift store.
Monday, August 15, 2016
Training Your Eye
A participatory presentation in which the viewer
chooses one piece of antique jewelry over another
depending on rarity and craftsmanship. These
images and this lecture constitute an exercise in
choice. At the end of viewing some eighty images,
one should be better informed about what, how and
why choices are made. The focus of the exercise is
to, as the title says, “Train Your Eye”!
Karen Lorene spends one half of her life writing
(Buying Antique Jewelry, Skipping the Mistakes;
Building a Business, Building a Life; ABeCedarian;
Dancing with Bear; Tilling Time, Telling Time). A She also has published
a literary journal, A Signs of Life, A for the past twelve years. The other
half of her life is given over to maintaining Facere Jewelry Art Gallery. The
in-between hours are focused on her husband, Don, and a rescue puppy,
D’Arcy. They live happily together in a houseboat on Lake Union.
Appraiser Challenges of a Lifetime
The list is long. You have appraised for years and there are old and new
challenges that make your job interesting but difficult. We know what the
challenges are because we get the calls every day. • Get ready for some answers to guide you.
• Synthetic and treated diamonds—can you identify and how to price;
• Understanding the impact of brands on price and value—they are not the
same;
• Obscure and classic origins—when do they influence price;
• The pitfalls of research in diamonds and color—what does the sea of data
really represent and when do you really have a comparable; what about
liability when you cannot identify treatments or other attributes—are there
any limiting condition statements that can protect you?
This is the basis of the talk and there could be more by conference
time. Bring your personal challenges along and we will address them with
real world answers.
7
Richard B. Drucker, GG (GIA), FGA is
the president of Gemworld International, Inc.
in Glenview, Illinois. His credentials include:
Graduate Gemologist of the Gemological Institute
of America; Honorary Fellow of the Gemmological
Association of Great Britain; Senior Member of the
National Association of Jewelry Appraisers; Senior
Gemologist, Accredited Gemologists Association.
As a third generation in the jewelry industry, he
began a pricing publication in 1982 now known as
the GemGuide. This publication is used in more than 40 countries and is the
industry leader in gem pricing and market information. In 2002, he became
the owner of GemGuide Appraisal Software. He has also published six
industry books on various gemological and appraisal topics. In 2014 he codeveloped the World of Color nomenclature and grading system for colored
gemstones. In 2006, Drucker was bestowed the Antonio C. Bonanno
Excellence in Gemology industry award. In 2012 he was awarded honorary
fellowship in the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (FGA). Drucker
now serves as publisher, appraiser, consultant, lecturer, and author. He
has hosted four international gemological conferences brining gemologists,
jewelers and appraisers together from around the world.
Stuart Robertson, Graduate Gemologist (GIA)
is the Vice President and Research Director of
Gemworld International, Inc., located in Glenview,
Illinois, USA. Gemworld International, Inc., is
a research and consulting firm that analyzes
and reports market conditions relevant to the
international diamond and colored stone trade.
Mr. Robertson was appointed to this position in
October, 1998. He also serves as Gemstone Editor
of the periodicals published under the company’s
GemGuide and Gem Market News brands. In
addition to research director, Stuart currently serves as appraiser, lecturer,
consultant and author. He is the co-developer of the industry course,
Corundum Treatments and Pricing.
Into
the
Depths
of
French
Hallmarking ... Come out singing La
Marseillaise!
As professional gemologist appraisers
with NAJA, you are aware of French
hallmarks. This class will expand upon
what you are familiar with by examining
what were the motivations of a French
society in the middle ages to implement
hallmarking, and explore the evolution of its methodology into modern
times through that country’s history - from the time of Joan of Arc to that of
Napoleon Bonaparte - across the Mediterranean to their colonial expansion
into Africa - and then returning to visit the modern pure metal marks found
in the finest jewelry salons in the Place Vendome today.
As attendees you will learn the origins of a wider range of French
hallmarks including town marks, excise, obus, charge, discharge, and
fermiers marks as well as the petite warranty, bigorne, colonial, export and
return hallmarks. Also covered will be the early platinum hallmarks and
special use hallmarks such as foreign exhibition marks, under karat marks,
weight and length marks, and the meanings of “deposé and brevet” marks.
Included in this exclusive 2 hour NAJA session will be private observations
on maker’s marks, the research availability of printed sources, and the
practical limits of their identification.
The goal of this lecture is to help you understand the complexities of
early French hallmarking and expand upon the modern, so that you leave
ready to research, identify and explain what any sequence of hallmarks
mean on virtually any French item of gold, silver or platinum. You will be
so immersed in France that by the end of this session, not only will you be
singing France’s National Anthem - La Marseillaise, you will understand the
shocking words as sung proudly by French citizens - giving you an insight
never before imagined!
William Whetstone and Danusia Niklewicz, both experts in their fields of
jewelry and appraising, who have joined forces to create the most dynamic
presentations on hallmarks and hallmarking available today. These lectures
are provided by the Hallmark Research Institute. Speakers for this session
will be HRI Directors - Together with their associate and fellow appraiser
Director Lindy Matula, they have founded the Hallmark Research Institute.
These three have tackled and authored the new standard in hallmark
identification in their “World Hallmarks” book series. Scheduled for late this
summer is the release of their long awaited second book - “World Hallmarks
– Vol.II – Asia, Middle East, Africa with commentary on Non-Hallmarking
Countries including Australia and the Americas.”
The 1950s and 1960s: Change and Innovation: A
Jewel for Every Taste and Every Person
An appraiser prepares documentation with
descriptions and condition reports on the jewels
being appraised. In producing these descriptions,
a factor often neglected is the identification of the
estimated date of manufacture of the jewel. The
1950s and 1960’s were a high point in innovation,
manufacturing techniques, and design in jewellery.
Gold was still at a fixed price, and there were more
and more people seeking to display their personal
style. Designers were breaking boundaries, and
traditional houses were pushed into new territories. In this presentation,
we will explore forms, inspirations, and lasting impressions of jewels of the
1950s and 1960s.
Duncan Parker, FGA started his interest in gems living in Nashville
Tennessee, and buying gems at roadside stalls on road trips with his family
at the age of five. It went downhill from there, living in New York, Toronto
and London, and buying small items at auction, then moving back to his
birthplace in Australia and learning to cut gems as a hobbyist through his
teenage years. After completing graduate studies in medieval literature and
Victorian history, Duncan looked back to his hobby, and studied gemology.
While working as a diamond buyer and gemologist in Australia, he studied
appraising with the Jewellers and Allied Trades Valuers Council (JATVC),
and came to Canada, where he worked as a coloured gem buyer, and bench
goldsmith for several years before joining Harold Weinstein Laboratory,
an independent gemological and appraising laboratory, where he was a
partner for 21 years before joining Dupuis Fine Jewellery Auctioneers as
Vice President. Duncan is past President of Jewellers Vigilance Canada,
and was President of The Canadian Gemological Association for 16 years.
He chaired the Industry committee that created the Jewellery Appraisal
Guidelines for Canada, and the Guidelines for the Sale and Marketing of
Diamonds, Coloured Gemstones and Pearls. He’s constantly called on to
prove that he’s a clever Jewelry Expert, sometimes with some success.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
AHA! (Appraisers Helping Appraisers)
Appraising - From the Essentials into the
Nonsense
This is your chance to get acquainted with Dave
Atlas. During his interactive Q&A session on
these topics. My take on Rapaport’s awakening
of conscience. A Rumplestiltskin moment. Basic
testing for type IIA diamonds. What it can and can’t
do. A hint of science. What specific gravity refers
to. How specific gravity changes the weight and the
volume of objects. Why are precious metals are alloyed by weight. Proper
abbreviations for pennyweight and grams.. New lighting which has color
temp choices built in. My push for more complete Certification testing for
NAJA members. What is going on to ensure our Certified Members meet
reasonable standards of knowledge in their field. Additional studies before
testing and what should be mandatory basic knowledge
Dave Atlas, GIA GG, began in the jewelry business in 1967 with his
father in the family firm created in 1988 by his grandfather, the original
David Atlas. Dave worked at the bench for a number of years and migrated
into manufacturing, gem buying, designing and then into appraising. In the
course of this training he became a GG (GIA), 20 year CH (AGS), MGA
(AGA), Member (ISA), Senior Member (ASA) and International Chairman of
ASA Gems & Jewelry, Ethics Chair AGA, He is currently a Certified Senior
Member Chair of Ethical Issues and Associate Director of NAJA. He is an
active as a consumer advocate on Pricescope.com.
8
The Appraisal Challenge - How Will Yours
Hold Up?
The key to a professional appraisal is in
understanding the assignment and then
creating a credible argument for value. When
someone wants to poke holes in your appraisal,
how successful they will be begins with the
choices we make in building our argument
for value. Did we choose comparables
reasonably? Did we use theoretical pricelists
or hard and fast sales data? In Real Property, every commercial and
residential property sale is documented and available in a database.
We do not have that luxury in our field, and yet even in Real Property
appraising, the available sales data must be analyzed to sort the
wheat from the chaff. What is the difference in “citing” data versus
analyzing it to create a viable argument for value? There are few
hard and fast rules, but there are methodologies that are successful.
In this session, we will explore the questions and employ logic and
common sense to produce a credible appraisal, not matter what the
assignment.
Martin Fuller, GIA GG, is a recognized expert in the field of
gemology. He began his jewelry career in 1970 working four years
in retail followed by ten years working with a Norwegian Master
Goldsmith, before beginning his own appraisal firm in 1984. A popular
speaker and mentor, he has appeared as a regular guest lecturer
at the Smithsonian Resident Associates Program, and at numerous
professional conferences. Committed to educating the public and
industry, he has also acted as a consultant to investigative reports
and trade journals. He is in demand as an expert witness. Mr. Fuller
is frequently called upon to testify in court cases and also acts as a
consultant to other gemologists.
Conflict Management: Tales from the Dark
Side
One of the challenges of dealing with the public
is that we will inevitably face conflicts. Whether
that conflict is with our clients, colleagues, or
even our own ethics or interests, we must learn
to successfully manage such situations, before
they spiral out of control. In this interactive
session, we will examine several real-life
case studies involving successful, and notso-successful, conflict management, and look at several possible
methods of handling each circumstance. At the end of the session,
we’ll find out what really happened. Would you have done things
differently? Can there be more than one best solution to a conflict?
During the question period, tell us your own tale, and we’ll discuss
possible resolutions you can apply immediately. You need to stay for
what is sure to be an interesting and enlightening session!
Deborah Finleon, GIA GG, has over fifteen years of experience
in the jewelry industry, ranging from design to retail to appraisal. Her
work as an independent appraiser spans countless assignments
for both retail and private clients, as well as attorneys, estates, and
consulting. Her firm, DJF Appraisal Services, was founded in 2010,
serving the Washington DC metro area, Virginia, and Maryland.
Along with Gail Brett Levine, Deborah fully updated and revised the
NAJA Appraisal Studies Course in 2015. Deborah is a Graduate
Gemologist, Certified Master Appraiser, Associate Director of NAJA,
and the Chair of Education.
Color Vision Testing Available at the Newport Beach Conference
For everyone, a Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue test will be given.
This test is more useful for gemologists (and it is used in other
occupations where the assessment of color is critical) as it is a
test of color aptitude and gives a numerical score between about
0 (perfect) and 400. A lower score indicates better color aptitude/
discrimination.
In both Farnsworth tests, there are colored caps that are
presented in random order. The individual is to put the caps in color
order based on starting caps that the examiner will indicate. The
individual’s cap placements are compared against a perfect order
and a score assigned.
No studying is required; however, being well rested, limiting
your consumption of coffee (for that morning) and not taking
Viagara (one of the side effects is that it can color your vision with
a bluish tint) the night before will assure good results. Please bring
glasses if you need them for reading as the color vision tests are
given at reading distance.
You will be receiving a copy of the results of your color vision
tests. The original will be stored in your file and the database will
be updated. We encourage you to note in your appraisal report
resume page the names of the color vision tests and date of your
test.
Also, this year participants will be offered the choice to
voluntarily allow their test results to be used anonymously for
research purposes. It would be totally optional. We assume,
because it’s our job, that our color vision aptitude is superior to that
of the general population. Dr. Ng would like to do a short study to
see if it’s true!
It is required that all NAJA members have color vision testing once
every five years. Color vision discrimination changes with age,
mostly due to the changes of the crystalline lens in the eye. With
age, changes in the lens of the eye eventually cause everyone to
need reading glasses. The lens also changes color and transmits
less light with age. This change in lens color and reduction in light
cause color discrimination to get worse, though it can be partially
compensated for by using higher light levels when examining gems.
At the Conference this year there will be scheduled
appointments offered only on Saturday, August 13, 2016. Testing
will be performed by Dr. Jason S. Ng of Ketchum University. The
tests will take 15-20 minutes and are given throughout Saturday’s
sessions.
Testing will consist of:
Richmond HRR 4th edition
In this test, people need to identify shapes made up of large
dots: circles, triangles or X’s. For individuals with affected
color vision, the shapes will be hard to identify or unidentifiable
among a sea of grey color dots.
Farnsworth Tests
For those that don’t do well on the HRR test, a Farnsworth
D15 test will be given to determine clinical severity of any color
issue.
9
Gemstones and Color and
Colorless Diamonds
Color and colorless diamonds and
gemstones have become increasingly
difficult to identify as natural, treated
or synthetic. All diamonds and most
gemstones are subject to treatments that
vary from easy to highly difficult to detect.
Currently, few appraisers and small
gem labs have any of the equipment to
screen out color and colorless diamonds
and gemstones that potentially have
issues of treatments or origin. The small
number that would be screened out need
to go to major laboratories for definitive
scientific examination which requires costly
equipment operated by highly trained
experts.
Consumers should obtain proper
paperwork from the retailer selling them a
diamond or gemstone which reports the
natural or other origin of the major stones
along with revelation of any treatments
present. This is beyond the scope of what
most independent appraisers can provide to
their clients. Appraisers always make some
assumptions to produce reports but now, in
2016, we need to make assumptions of
importance on virtually every diamond and
most gemstones.
Since each report is a different
situation, it is up to the appraiser to
determine what assumptions should be
stated on the report. Your appraiser will
discuss this subject with you in order to
formulate the correct set of assumptions
based on the evidence and history of the
diamonds or gemstones which are being
evaluated.
Suggested by David Atlas, GIA GG,
Associate Director, to be added to your
“Limiting Conditions” page in your appraisal
report
New Ivory Regulations
There is a new Code of Federal Regulations guidelines on
prohibiting selling African ivory as determined by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service in an effort to curtail the ivory trade.
NAJA members need to be aware of these new regulations which
become effective July 6th. They entire twelve page document can
be found on the Members Only page of the NAJA website (use your
2016 userid and passcode). Go to “Member Contributed Materials”
and scroll to African Ivory Rules Effective 7/6/16.
10
Lang Antique &
Estate Jewelry
Announces Launch of
Fine Arts Scholarship
Premiere Vintage and Estate Jewelry
Company Introduces New Scholarship
Opportunity for Undergraduate and
Graduate Students
Lang Antique & Estate Jewelry is proud to
announce the launch of the first-ever Fine
Arts Scholarship for incoming college
freshman or current undergraduate and
graduate students.
Each applicant is required to submit
an essay of 500 words or less describing
an example of how he or she was inspired
by a work of art from the past, and describe
how it influences his or her present day
artistic style. In addition, the applicant is
asked to give his or her opinion on what
style or technique in today’s art world will
be the most popular in the future. The
essay does not have to be about jewelry
in particular, but can be drawn from any of
the fine arts – painting, sculpture, music,
dance, or another creative aspect of art.
“We believe that scholarships can
give students motivation to pursue their
dreams with less worry about tuition and
other school-related expenses.” Suzanne
Martinez, Owner
All applicants must submit their
essay online through the Lang Antiques
Scholarship Form by Aug. 31, 2016.
One student will be awarded a $1,000
scholarship, and will be notified via email
about two weeks after the deadline for
submissions.
“At Lang, we know that saving up
for school can be tough,” said Suzanne
Martinez, owner of Lang Antique & Estate
Jewelry. “We believe that scholarships
can give students motivation to pursue
their dreams with less worry about tuition
and other school-related expenses.”
The winning essay will be judged
on the content, style, creativity, and how
persuasively the applicant presents his
or her point of view. After the deadline
of August 31, 2016, all entries will be
reviewed, and the winning essay will
subsequently be selected by a panel of
three judges.
All submissions are subject to the
Guidelines for the Lang Antiques Fine
Arts Scholarship.
For more information, visit www.
langantiques.com/scholarship or call
Book Review
Jewelry by Suzanne Belperron Patricia Corbett, Ward Landrigan, Nico Landrigan
Foreward by Karl Lagerfeld
Published by Thames & Hudson, 2015
Member Benefit: $68.00
One may feel free to judge this particular book
by its cover, which is a striking velvety black
and embellished with oversized platinum and
diamond spire (spiral), brooches by Suzanne
Belperron. Her remarkable career and absolutely
distinctive designs are laid out in 238 pages
of colour photographs, reproduced design
sketches, and fashion photography chronicling
over half a century of her work.
Born in 1900 as Madeleine Suzanne Marie
Claire Vuillerme in the town of Saint-Claude in
the French Jura mountains, the young Suzanne
came by her interest in the gem and jewelry trade
honestly. Relatives on both sides of her family
were employed in the local industries of lapidary
and watchmaking, and Suzanne Vuillerme
followed in their footsteps by enrolling in her
teens in a local decorative arts design course to
learn the technical skills she would need in her
future trade. The book lays out early influences
in a convincing manner, from the peculiar pastels
of the local stone, to neoclassical wrought iron
balusters in her house’s courtyard, to Egyptian
artifacts on display in the town museum.
Vuillerme’s subsequent completion of her
training and relocation to Paris saw her taken
on as a designer by Maison Boivin at the age
of 18. Earlier known for their eclectic showroom
of antique wares and new pieces in the revival
tradition, the direction of Maison Boivin shifted
dramatically in the first few years after Vuillerme’s
arrival. Suzanne’s last name also changed, to
Belperron, upon her marriage to Jean Belperron,
a fellow native of Saint-Claude.
While at Boivin the provinciale Mme
Belperron adapted her earlier influences of
historical motifs into bold shapes, moving away
from the figurative tradition of the Art Nouveau
toward more sculptural forms and employing
finishes and textures that asked to be touched.
She was “blind to the status of her materials”
and worked extensively with humble quartz
and chalcedony, both at Maison Boivin and
throughout her career.
The book lays before the reader page after
page of Belperron’s designs, both in sketch form
and as completed jewels. Of interest to jewelry
appraisers is the fact that Belperron never signed
her finished pieces and stated many times
to those who questioned her, “my style is my
signature.” Often the only decisive link between
an attributed piece and a definitive answer is
an unsigned sketch. The authors of this book
include many examples of Belperron’s distinctive
sketches, which have been used to make firm
attributions.
The exception to Belperron’s famous refusal
to sign her work is a series of 225 pieces issued
through Verdura between 1991 and 1998.
Produced to Belperron’s own famous standard
of quality and to her own designs, these pieces
were signed to prevent their being confused with
items made during Belperron’s lifetime.
Among the designs most closely associated
with Suzanne Belperron are the toit (roof) ring,
tourbillon (swirl) shapes, facetté (faceted) pieces,
and the Bibendum motif, with rounded, concentric
rings like the Michelin Man mascot. Each of
these and other designs of Belperron’s is seen
time and again as sculpted metal surfaces with
and without set gems or as carved chalcedony
and quartz.
Belperron famously deploys tone-on-tone,
edging soft blue-greys of chalcedony toward the
deeper cobalt of sapphire. In his Forward to this
book, Karl Lagerfeld praises Belperron’s play
of shine and shade, pitting fine faceted stones’
shine against the softly carved curves of quartz
shade. Belperron’s eye for contrast and quirk are
on display in page after page of brooches, clips,
and bangles. Her boldest offerings never veer off
toward gaudiness, but instead show a vibrancy,
balance, and respect for the materials that places
her in good company with the best designers of
the modern era.
After more than a dozen successful years at
Maison Boivin, having turned that house toward
a new age of bold and sought-after designs,
Belperron left to partner with Bernard Herz
in 1932. A pearl dealer to the major houses in
Paris, including Boivin, B. Herz offered Belperron
an opportunity to build her brand as a credited
designer. Most major jewelry houses, including
Boivin, did not assign individual credit, and
Belperron seems to have desired the chance to
distinguish herself publicly, if not sign her pieces.
This book allots a substantial amount of
space to the questions of execution that must also
accompany descriptions of cutting-edge design.
The master bench jewelers Maurice Groëné and
Emile Darde accompanied Belperron to B. Herz,
bringing with them all the skill that they and their
large team of craftspeople had used to create
Belperron’s pieces at Boivin.
Belperron was famously attentive to
questions of comfort and wearability, especially
in commissioned pieces. Wherever possible,
the client’s own person was used as a model for
designing jewels to achieve a perfect and wellbalanced fit. Earrings in particular were carefully
crafted to fit the client’s own ears, with the left and
11
right jewels created separately to accommodate
the ears’ natural asymmetry. Gems on opposite
ears might be cut in slightly different dimensions,
with a view to creating a symmetrical appearance
when worn.
The book also includes several illustrations
of designs employing a serti couteau (knife edge)
technique, which was developed by Belperron’s
bench jewelers to execute her many designs
featuring the pavé setting of irregular gemstones.
Groëne and Darde also pioneered a special
method of layering 22kt gold over 18kt to achieve
the exact tone and finish of a jewel required by
Belperron without compromising its structure.
Belperron enjoyed an unusually long period of
professional success, from 1919 until 1974. After
her business partner and close friend Bernard
Herz was killed in the Holocaust, the company
Belperron-Herz continued after the war with his
son, Jean, until 1974. Suzanne Belperron died in
1983, having carried on designing select private
commissions for her friends in her retirement.
Ward Landrigan, one of the book’s authors
and the individual responsible for the Belperron
Verdura partnership in the 1990s, maintains that
Suzanne Belperron “was the only female master
jeweler in the twentieth century to create her
own indelible aesthetic.” This volume certainly
makes a very strong case for that claim, with
plenty of excellent commentary to match the
great numbers of jaw-dropping photographs.
Although Belperron’s pieces are comparatively
rare, this quality hardcover can give each of us a
great insight into her designs and methods, and
instill in us respect for a talent that was “modern,
before the world was.”
Caitlin M St John, GIA GG
Book Review
Exotic Gems, Volume 4 - How to Identify Evaluate & Select Jade & Abalone Pearls
Renee Newman, GIA GG
Publisher: International Jewelry Publications Los
Angeles CA
136 pages, numerous color photos; 5 black &
white electron microscope photos
Retail: $19.95 Member Benefit: $16.00
This is the fourth book in the Exotic series
from Renee Newman. There are a total of 13
chapters. She tackles the rather difficult subject
of Jade and Nephrite in 12 chapters and there is
one chapter about Abalone Pearls.
The chapters follow a logical order, the
first 6 most useful starting with “Why is Jade
so prized”, followed by “What is Jade”, “Jadeite
or Nephrite”, “Imitation or Real Jade”, “Treated
or Untreated” and “Jadeite & Nephrite Price
Factors”. The remaining six chapters are
devoted to world Jade sources, most producing
Nephrite.
The book contains much information and
while directed to all buyers of Jade, including
the average consumer, it would be most useful
to the gemologist and stone professional. The
consolidation of information in one book is very
useful. In particular, there are three tables, table
3.1 “Characteristics of Jadeite Jade versus
Nephrite Jade found on page 21, table 4.1 “Jade
RI, Hardness & Fracture Compared to Simulants”
page 37 and table 4.2 “Jade Spectrum & other
Characteristics compared to simulants page 38.
The chapters about “Jadeite or Nephrite”
and “imitation or Real Jade” are full of
information and easy to understand. The chapter
about “Treated or Untreated?” makes the reader
aware of general treatments that are acceptable
such as wax for A Jade to the heavily altered,
buyer beware, B, C and B+C jades. Identification
guidelines are offered in this chapter but these
treatments are far beyond the ability of the
average consumer to identify.
In the chapter about “Jadeite and Nephrite
Price Factors” there are numerous price
examples for Jadeite. I would have liked to have
seen more prices for Nephrite and I think this
would be possible such as the three wedding
rings made by Todd Reed in Fig 6.36 on page
70. Pictured are green (Cassiar mine of British
Columbia) , black (Wyoming) and white Nephrite
(Siberian) and it is stated the white is “by far”
the most expensive. Actual prices would be
useful to give the reader an idea of how much
more expensive white Nephrite is than the other
colors.
The six chapters devoted to world sources
of Jadeite and Nephrite are informative. Jadeite
sources are limited to Myanmar (Burma)
Guatemala and a small amount found in
California. The remainder of the world produces
Nephrite. I thought China is the largest source
of Nephrite so found it interesting that British
Columbia is now the largest supplier of Nephrite
to China.
The final chapter of the book is “Abalone
Pearls”. I enjoyed this chapter about these
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12
pearls but am a bit puzzled why Abalone pearls
are included in this particular book rather than
include it in a book about pearls.
I enjoyed this book and recommend it to
anyone interested in Jade. Renee has produced
another good book at a very reasonable price
and it would be a good addition to a gem library.
- Rob Aretz, GIA GG
Product Review
Keeping Your Accounts Leak Proof
Your password is the last line of defense for
your personal information, yet many people
make the same mistake when setting up their
various password protected accounts: they
reuse their passwords. Password reuse is a
problem that most people do not consider,
but it is a practice that can have serious
consequences. Many password leaks occur
each year and when your password leaks, this
essentially hands over your email address,
username, and password combination to
individuals who will then try them on other
websites. One single website leak could
potentially allow access to all of your other
accounts. You then might, for example, lose
access to your bank accounts, credit cards,
email accounts and social media accounts.
By the time you recover, the damage may be
quite extensive.
So how do we prevent any leaks from
causing too much damage? Simple: use
a unique password for every website that
requires one, and your passwords should be
strong. Strong passwords are those that are
long and unpredictable (containing numbers
and symbols). Now I know what you are
thinking: it’s simple in theory, but it is nearly
impossible to remember multiple complex
passwords! The answer is a password
manager.
Password managers generate secure,
random passwords for you and remembers
them so you don’t have to. The password
manager encrypts your passwords in a
database with a master password. The master
password is then the only one you have to
remember. The password manager will store
your login information for the websites you
use and will log into them automatically for
you when you visit. Password managers will
do this heavy lifting for you across all your
devices as well, so you don’t have to try to
remember your passwords just because
you’ve switched over to using your phone!
Password Manager Basic Use
When you use a password manager you will
first visit that website normally, but instead
of typing your password into the website you
type your master password into the password
manager, which will automatically fill in the
login information on the website (if you’re
already logged into your password manager,
it will automatically fill the data for you). You
don’t have to remember what email address,
username, or password you used for the
website. The password manager does the
hard work for you.
It can also be configured to automatically
fill in information like your address, name,
13
and email address into web forms. If you’re
on a website where you need to create a new
account, your password manager will offer to
generate a password for you, so you don’t
have to think about coming up with a secure
password yourself.
______________________________
“Passwords are like
underwear: you don’t let
people see it, you should
change it very often, and
you shouldn’t share it with
strangers.”
Chris Pirillo
Founder and CEO of
LockerGnome, Inc.
______________________________
Password Manager Comparisons
A variety of password managers are available,
but three stand out. Each manager is a good
option and offer a free version, so the decision
of which to use really comes down to which
features you prefer.
Dashlane: This password manager is
somewhat the new comer of this group, but
they have great features and apps for almost
every platform (Windows, OS X, iOS, and
Android). They have extensions for every
browser, a security dashboard that analyzes
your passwords, and an automatic password
changer that can change your passwords for
you.
One large point of appeal for Dashlane is
that it’s free to use on a single device. After
trying it out you can upgrade your manager to
premium and be able to sync your passwords
between all your devices.
Where security is concerned Dashlane
allows you the choice to keep all of your
passwords locally on your computer or in the
cloud. All of your cloud synced passwords are
AES encrypted.
LastPass: This is probably the most well
known of the password managers. LastPass
is a cloud-based password manager with
extensions, mobile apps, and desktop apps
that work with all the browsers and operating
systems you could use. It is powerful and
offers a variety of two-factor authentication
options so you can be sure that no one else
can log into your password vault. LastPass
stores your passwords on their servers in an
encrypted form (the LastPass extension or
app locally decrypts and encrypts them when
you log in, so LastPass couldn’t see your
passwords if they wanted to).
As with Dashlane LastPass also offers
both free and premium versions. A nice feature
of Lastpass is that it can be set up to remind
you to change your passwords periodically,
as well as perform a periodic security
audit, making sure your passwords are
strong. For some websites, Lastpass will
even automatically change your password
periodically without having to do the work
yourself on some websites.
Lastpass can also be setup to share
certain passwords with chosen people, if
your family shares a Netflix account, for
example.
KeePass: KeePass is a free password
manager. It’s the most popular password
manager amongst those who aren’t
comfortable with a cloud-based password
manager. One possible downside to
KeePass is that it’s definitely on the DYI
side of the spectrum. It’s fully customizable
but the initial setup can be less user friendly.
KeePass is a desktop application for
managing your passwords. It also has
browser extensions and mobile apps.
KeePass stores your passwords on your
computer so you have complete control
of them. The big downside is that you’re
responsible for your passwords and you
have to sync them between your devices
manually. This is often done with a file
synchronizing service like Dropbox.
Once you’ve chosen which manager to
use the next step is choosing your master
password. Your master password controls
access to your entire password manager
database, so you should make it as strong
as possible (it’s the only password you’ll
need to remember). I would suggest that
you write down the password and store
it somewhere safe. You can change this
password later, but only if you remember it!
This ensures that no one else will be able
to see your password database without
the master password. After installing a
password manager, you will also (most
likely) want to start changing your website
passwords to more secure ones.
Password managers also allow you to
store other types of data in a secure form
(credit card numbers, email addresses,
etc). All of the data you store in a password
manager is also encrypted with your master
password. Password managers can even
help against phishing, because they fill
account information into websites based
on their web address (URL). For example
if you think you’re on your bank’s website
and your password manager doesn’t
automatically fill your login information, it’s
possible that you’re on a phishing website!
Web Browser Password Managers
Aren’t Enough
Web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Internet
Explorer etc.) do have integrated
password managers, but a browser’s
built-in password managers but they
cannot compete with dedicated password
managers. This is because many browsers
store your passwords on your computer
in an unencrypted form. Therefore your
password files could be accessed on
your computer, unless you encrypt your
computer’s hard drive. The browser Firefox
does have a “master password” that allows
saved password encryption with a single
“master” password and stores them on your
computer in an encrypted format. However,
Firefox’s password manager isn’t the ideal
either because it does not generate random
passwords and it lacks the ability to sync
across platforms syncing (for example,
Firefox can’t sync to iOS devices).
In
today’s
technology
heavy
environment it is important to take all
measures possible to ensure your safety.
A dedicated password manager will help
you to do this. A dedicated password
manager will store your passwords in an
encrypted form, help you generate secure
random passwords, offer a more powerful
interface, and allow you to easily access
your passwords across all the different
computers, smartphones, and tablets you
use.
Kathleen Marino, GIA GG
Editor’s Note: Now do you understand why
the NAJA passcode on the Members Only
page is traditionally so difficult?
GemDialogue®
COLOR DESCRIPTION STANDARD FOR THE GEM &
FANCY COLOR DIAMOND BUSINESS SINCE 1983
GemDialogue® Systems, Inc.
P.O. Box 7683, Rego Park, NY 11374
Tel: 718.897.7305
Fax: 718.997.9057
[email protected]
gemdialogue.com
14
Website Review
Stuck in the Time Zone – re-review
It’s been a few years since we visited
timezone.com, and my, has this site grown up!
It has become a highly informational portal into
the watch world.
It has attracted a bunch of sponsors from
Antiquorum (a Premier sponsor) to Yamron
Jewelers of Naples, Florida (sorry not quite
to the Z’s). The sponsors indicate a broad
spectrum of interests from manufacturers to
retailers to auctioneers. There is even an app
company sponsoring the site.
This influx of advertisers seems to show
a strong commitment by the staff at timezone.
com to run a site that has relevance to today’s
watch collector. As we have not visited this
since the last review, we were quite shocked at
the detail on every level, in the watch industry,
that this site now covers.
The home page reminds us of New York’s
Penn Station. There is a lot going on. Once
you get your orientation, then the exploration
can begin. The front page lists Industry
News, articles (most of which are less than
a week old), Sponsors, videos, blog posts,
tweets, sponsors, and (as a Premier Sponsor)
Antiquorum news. This page is also the
Gateway to the Forums.
The forums, we can only imagine, are one
of the bigger draws. Imagine, back in the day,
those guys that used to come into the store
and talk about watches forever. Now they can
talk to the whole world from the comfort of their
homes.
In addition to the forum, registered
members who have participated in the
message board (forum) are allowed to list
watches for sale. This is an excellent source
of comparable data. Any appraiser needing
information on Doxa, Helson, Glycine, or
another other obscure watch may find it here.
This is certainly a site where knowing sellers
sell to knowing buyers, all being cognizant of
all the facts.
The archive of this site is impressive. We
found the search field just under the main
banner and column headers and decided to
search for information on an obscure watch
brand, we chose “Glycine” as an example. The
search turned up seventeen years of articles on
Glycine, including one with photomicrographs
explaining the difference between genuine
Glycine dials and fake ones. Such is the value
for minutia in the watch collector’s world.
Timezone.com also hosts a watchmaking
class. In the class, the student becomes
familiar with the workings of a watch, how
to dissemble and assemble a watch, with
varying degrees of difficulty as the levels
progress. Timezone.com will sell toolkits and
movements to the student. Timezone.com
makes it clear that this course is only able to
make a student familiar with the watch repair
world. It suggests that if the student does well,
that there are places to go to find out how to
make a career in this field. Hopefully, this will
help get qualified persons interested in this
much-needed service.
Overall, Timezone.com is a site stored
with an incredible amount of information. As
appraisers, this information can be crucial in
watch pricing research. This website seems
to be a tool in gathering this information.
One can become a registered member of
Timezone.com for no charge.
Gary L. Lester, GG (GIA), CSM (NAJA)
15
Specialized
Insurance Products
for The National
Association
of Jewelry
Appraisers.
SterlingRisk is proud to offer
Professional Liability Insurance
(for you) & GemSafe Jewelry
Insurance (For your clients).
Professional Liability protects you,
the appraiser, against covered claims
arising from real or alleged errors or
omissions, including negligence in the
course of your professional duties.
Provides you with your own attorney
for each day or part of a day insured is
in attendance, at underwriter’s request,
at a trial. Pay all reasonable costs
incurred in the defense or investigation
of a covered claim. Limits of Liability
from $250,000 each claim/$500,000
annual aggregate, subject to a $1000
deductible. For more information,
contact Robert Sperber at 516-4175107 or [email protected].
GemSafe Jewelry Insurance
protects
your
client’s
financial
investment, from the moment of
purchase. With your appraisal or bill of
sale, your client’s protection is simple
and affordable. With this coverage, they
can return to the jewelry store for repair
or replacement. Complete replacement
protection covers loss, theft, damage
and mysterious disappearance of most
fine jewelry. To apply, visit GemSafe.
com for our quick application.
SterlingRisk Programs has been
administrating national risk purchasing
groups for over 20 years. We design
specialized products that offer our
clients the broadest protection for
the most competitive price. For more
information about these products or
other SterlingRisk Programs, contact
Robert Sperber at 516-417-5107 or
[email protected].
Silver Mining & Metallurgy
Contrary to gold, silver occurring in a pure metallic form is extremely rare in nature. Most
silver occurs in ores containing a mix of
metals, most commonly lead, zinc, nickel
and/or copper. As a consequence these ores
have to undergo some sort of refining in order
to extract the pure silver.
This wasn't any different in the Bronze Age.
You have got to give it to these early metallurgists, they were very resourceful. As early as
the early third millennium silver was extracted
from lead ores by means of a complicated process. First the ores had to be heated in a reducing atmosphere so that the metals are extracted from their base rock and form an alloy, a
process called 'smelting'.
Smelting is more than just 'melting the metal
out of its ore'. Most silver ores are a chemical
compound of several metals bound to other
elements, such as oxygen (as an oxide), sulfur
(as a sulfide) or carbon and oxygen together
(as a carbonate).
In order to get rid of the sulfur and carbon the
ores have to be crushed and then 'roasted'
which means that they are heated for prolonged periods of time under moderate temperatures. This happens in an oxidizing environment so that the sulfur and carbon react with
the oxygen and are driven off as the gases
carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. The roasting
will leave us with our metals bound to oxygen
only. The next step is to get the oxygen to free
the metal.
In order to achieve this these oxides have to be
heated to high temperatures in a reducing
atmosphere.
This means that the flow of oxygen is eliminated or, at least, limited in the furnace
while the metal is surrounded by an element
that readily binds with oxygen, such as
carbon in the form of charcoal. When this is
performed properly the oxides will undergo a
chemical reaction. The oxygen from the
oxides will form carbon dioxide with the
carbon provided by the charcoal and the
metals will form a metallic alloy.
Finally, this alloy has to be 'cupelled'. The
result of this method is an almost pure silver
as long as no gold was present in the ore.
Ancient silver does contain trace elements,
typically lead, gold, bismuth and other
metals and measuring the concentrations of
these 'impurities' can help the forensic
jewelry historian in determining the authenticity of classical items.
Read the full article on AJU
MGJ Conference in Spain Covered Diamond Treatments
On May 6th – 9th Valencia in Spain was host
to the 2nd Mediterranean Gemmological &
Jewellery (MGJ) Conference. This year’s event
had the theme of diamond treatments and
attracted gemmologists, jewellery appraisers,
dealers, retailers and scientists from 20 countries.
Among many Spanish jewellers, gemmologists
and appraisers we had 9 NAJA appraisers
and representatives from international mining
companies (Alrosa, Russia, De Beers, UK),
diamond processing facility (Suncrest, USA),
synthetic diamond producers (Algordanza,
Switzerland), major jewellery, appraisers and
gem organizations (CIBJO, JAW, ICA) and
retailers (Swarovski, Austria). This conference
was organized by CGL-GRS lab, Canada and
IGL lab, Greece in cooperation with NAJA, USA
and MLLOPIS Lab, Spain.
The opening address was delivered by Dr
Gaetano Cavalieri from CIBJO describing the
role of the organisation in protecting consumers
as specified in the ‘Blue Book’ series which
defines grading standards and nomenclature.
Examples were described of fraudulent or
misleading conduct by jewellers or traders which
have been acted upon by CIBJO. Dr David
Fisher from DeBeers Research (UK) was the
invited speaker for the conference describing
recent research towards understanding colour
defects in diamonds, particularly brown, and their
response to HPHT processes. This presentation
was followed with examples of commercial
treatments performed by Suncrest Diamonds
(USA) applying HPHT and irradiation treatments
to alter the colour of diamonds. Sonny Pope
emphasised the opportunities from transforming
low value brown diamonds into fancy colours, to
rival coloured gems.
The application of HPHT, irradiation and
combinations of these treatments to disguise
the nature of a diamond was revealed by Dusan
Simic (AG&J, USA) in his talk in which he
described instances of laboratories reporting
‘natural’ for synthetic or treated specimens. He
identified features in FTIR and PL spectra, such
as the width of the 741 nm irradiation peaks, as
useful indicators of treatment and considered
that improving laboratory techniques and
interpretations are making instances of misidentification rarer.
With analytical tools a key for detection,
Mikko Astrom
from
M&A Gemological
Instruments (Finland) described the principles
and practicalities of infra-red spectroscopy.
Examples of features were described for
diamonds and coloured stones, including
detection of fillers for emerald and amethyst.
Besides treatments, the source origin of
purchased gems is another consumer concern.
This growing concern was addressed by Jean
Claude Michelou (France) – a gem and jewellery
expert and policy advisor who highlighted the
difficulty in tracing the 17 different species of
coloured stones sourced from 47 countries
with undeclared or under-declared reports at
borders. The importance of source in the value
of a gem was illustrated by Jeffrey Bergman from
Primagem (Thailand) who showed examples
of opals, star sapphires and trapiches and
the influence on their value of source origin
and visible features. Lisa Elser from Custom
Cut Gems (Canada) provided her personal
experiences of buying rough gemstones in the
field including offerings of synthetics at minesites and the tactics of sellers.
The availability of different gems through
history as world exploration expanded had a
strong influence on jewellery design as revealed
during a presentation on Portugese jewellery
by Rui Galopin de Carvalho (Portugal) with
examples from the royal collection. A significant
British royal gem is the Koh-i-noor which was the
main topic of a presentation by Alan Hart from the
British Museum of Natural History. He traced the
history of the stone with casts from the museum’s
collection and examined how the polishing
anisotropy of diamond had a strong influence
17
on the shape of Mogul-style cuts. Delegates in
the audience noted the availability for scientific
research of over 1000 diamonds and almost
50,000 gemstones – all untreated.
The final conference session was a
‘round-table’ discussion moderated by John
Chapman (Gemetrix, Australia) on the topic of
diamond treatments. The discussions explored
technologies, detection, and consumer aspects
of treatments with the audience contributing
their questions and views to a panel comprising
experts from various fields. The Round table
panellists were Dusan Simic (AG&J), Gail
Brett Levine (NAJA), Sonny Pope (Suncrest
Diamonds), Mikko Åström (MAGI), Dr Gaetano
Cavalieri (CIBJO) and Branko Deljanin (CGLGRS).
A special feature of the MGJ conferences
are diamond workshops. Due to high interest
in testing new samples of treated and synthetic
diamonds, an extra day on Advanced Diamond
Workshop was added before the conference.
Three workshops (Basic to Advanced) were
conducted on natural, treated and synthetic
diamonds during which participants put their
learnings to test by identifying 50 diamonds
samples with the aid of microscopes, UV lamps
and cross-polarisers. UV-Vis, Raman and FTIR
spectrometers provided by MAGI (Finland, Italy)
enabled further testing for complicated treated
CVD and natural diamonds. A new ‘PL inspector’
developed by Gemetrix was used for checking
fluorescence/phosphorescence reactions and
continued on page 24
The New York Antique Jewelry & Watch
Show Attracts New Dealers
We Get eMails!
Hosted at the Metropolitan Pavilion
in New York City, July 22-25
Dear sir/madam,
I have a ruby ganesh that I am
looking to get appraised. It is pretty
good sized, supposedly 105,000
carats. I am located in the Oklahoma
Panhandle and was wondering if
you knew of anyone that would be
in this area that I could contact who
would be qualified to give me a fair
market value appraisal?
The New York Antique Jewelry & Watch
Show will return to New York City, this
summer. U.S. Antique Shows, will host the
event at the Metropolitan Pavilion on July
22-25, 2016.
The show gathers more than 100
of the most elite dealers and provides
attendees access to premium examples
of historical and unique merchandise
showcased in a relaxed setting. Highly
sought after collections representing all
eras of jewelry history will be on display. In
addition, collections from notable brands,
such as Cartier, Tiffany & Co., David Webb,
Harry Winston, Van Cleef & Arpels, Patek
Philippe, and more are popular among
attendees.
The New York show runs concurrently
with the summer trade-only event, JA New
York, held at the Javits Convention Center.
Attendees registered for the JA New York
Show will receive complimentary access
to the New York Antiques Jewelry & Watch
Show on Monday, July 25 at 9 a.m., two
hours before the show opens to the public.
As a continuing courtesy, Mary Bender,
Marketing Director for U. S. Antique Show,
is comping NAJA members by using the
code NAJA16NYA when registering for this
event.
Show times are Friday, July 22 to
Sunday, July 24 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and
Monday, July 25 from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Admission is $20 for all four days. For
more information about the show or to
register, call 239.732.6642 or visit www.
NYAntiqueJewelry.com.
April 25, 2016
Thank you for your help,
_________________________
April 5, 2016
I was wondering if anyone knew any
history on this piece. It belonged
to my mother and she does not
remember where she got it.
Thanks,
Seen at the JCK Show
Largest Synthetic Blue Diamonds
_________________________
May 1, 2016
i have diamonds looking for market
_________________________
I was watching Bones on TV last
night. One of the characters
received an engagement ring
and the ladies were looking at
it. Bones said- it was “a nice
specimen of a well marketed
mineral masquerading as an
investment”.
It kind of takes all the
romance out of it when you look
at it that way. ;-)
Observed by Joyce Panitch, GIA GG
18
Four elements have just
earned a permanent
spot in the periodic
table
The seventh row
officially complete.
is
now
Officials from the International Pure and
Applied chemistry (IUPAC) have confirmed
the discovery of elements 113, 115, 117 and
118, announcing that there are now enough
evidence to give them permanent places on
the periodic table, which means they’ll also
need new official names.
You won’t find these four elements
in nature - they are synthetic elements
that can only be produced in the lab, and
because they decay in a matter of seconds,
their existence has been extremely difficult
to confirm. Until now, elements 113, 115,
117, and 118 had temporary names and
positions on the seventh row of the periodic
table because scientists have struggled to
create them more than once.
“For over seven years we continued
to search for data conclusively identifying
element 113, but we just never saw another
event,” Kosuke Morita from RIKEN in Japan
said of one of the four elements. “I was not
prepared to give up, however, as I believed
that one day, if we persevered, luck would
fall upon us again.”
Morita’s team has been credited with
the confirmed discovery of element 113,
which means they’ve won the naming rights
too. Until now, the element been known
by the temporary name, ununtrium, and
temporary symbol Uut.
The three remaining elements, 115,
117, and 118 - known temporarily as
ununpentium (Uup), ununseptium (Uus),
and ununoctium (Uuo), respectively - will
also get new names.
The IUPAC has announced that a
team of US and Russian researchers have
fulfilled the criteria for proving the existence
of the remaining three elements, 115, 117,
and 118, and will be invited to propose
permanent names and symbols. They have
been temporarily known as ununpentium
(Uup), ununseptium (Uus), and ununoctium
(Uuo), respectively.
“The chemistry community is eager to
see its most cherished table finally being
completed down to the seventh row,”
Jan Reedijk, president of the Inorganic
Chemistry Division of IUPAC, said last
week.
The organization advises that the
new elements can be named after a
mythological concept, a mineral, a place or
country, a property, or a scientist, and will be
presented for public review for five months
before a final decision about the new official
name and symbol is made.
While reports on the confirmation
of elements 115, 117, and 118 are yet to
be published, details of element 113’s
discovery have been reported in the Journal
of Physical Society of Japan.
The RIKEN researchers describe how
in 2003, they began bombarding a thin layer
of bismuth with zinc ions travelling at about
10 percent the speed of light, and according
to theory, the reaction should occasionally
produce an atom of element 113.
In 2004 and 2005, the team saw signs
of dubnium-262 (element 105), which is
believed to be the decay product of element
113, but this was not enough evidence to
prove its existence.
“[T]he group performed a new
experiment, where a sodium beam was
collided with a curium target, creating
borhium-266 and its daughter nucleus,
dubnium-262,” explains a press release.
“With this demonstration, the grounds for a
stronger claim were laid. They just needed
to wait to see an atom decaying through
the alpha chain rather than spontaneous
fission.”
It wasn’t until 2012 that the team
achieved this, and it took almost four years
for the IUPAC to wade through the scientific
literature and confirm that the evidence met
their criteria for the discovery of elements.
“Now that we have conclusively
demonstrated the existence of element
113,”says lead RIKEN researcher, Kosuke
Morita, “we plan to look to the uncharted
territory of element 119 and beyond, aiming
to examine the chemical properties of the
elements in the seventh and eighth rows of
the periodic table, and someday to discover
the Island of Stability.”
New State of Water: Strange 6-Sided Molecule Found
By Tom Metcalfe, Live Science Contributor | May 11, 2016 10:30am ET
Researchers discovered that water in beryl displays some
unique and unexpected characteristics.
Photo Credit: Jeff Scovil
A strange new behavior of water molecules has been
observed inside crystals of beryl, a type of emerald, caused
by bizarre quantum-mechanical effects that let the water
molecules face six different directions at the same time.
Read more: http://www.livescience.com/54710-strangesix-sided-water-molecule-found.html
Forwarded to NAJA from Eric Hoffman, http://www.
hoffmanjade.com/pages/about.htm and frequent presenter
at NAJA conferences
19
What Really Happens When
You Boost a Facebook Post
Have you flown on a plane recently?
Yesterday on my flight I noticed there
were three separate sections to the cabin.
First, we had first class (and everyone
understands the implications of that). Next,
we had something called “business class.”
After that, in the back, the cattle car.
Here is what “business class” means:
If you don’t want to be jammed in among
the cows mooing in the back of the plane,
you now need to upgrade to business
class. It’s something that we fliers used to,
in many cases, get for free. But now, to get
the same legroom on a flight that you used
to get before, you need to pay an additional
fee.
The same thing happened to Facebook.
THE BAD
Not so long ago, Facebook changed an
algorithm so that not all of the people
who “liked” your business page would see
all of your updates to your page in their
newsfeeds.
Facebook recently instituted yet
another algorithm change that reduced that
number even further.
Some experts now claim that the
percent of people who have liked your page
who will see one of your organic posts has
now dropped into single digits.
So how can you get more of your fans
to see your posts?
You are now required to “boost” your
posts. In other words, to pay for what you
used to get from Facebook for free.
Now, despite what you might think, this
is not all bad.
THE GOOD
For instance, you probably have liked
multiple Facebook business pages yourself.
Could you imagine if you saw every post
from the owner of every business page?
Your Facebook newsfeed would soon start
to look like your email account - which can
now be up to 80 percent spam.
Even further, let’s assume that you are
a wedding photographer. Facebook now
gives you the ability to place your post or
an ad in the newsfeeds of the people who
are not yet aware of your page but are most
likely to desire your services. For instance,
your can now target all of those Facebook
users within your community who have
recently changed their status to “engaged.”
This presents you with an opportunity
that you can get in no other medium. For
instance, instead of wasting your resources
to put your message in
front of grandfathers (like
me) who have no need
for your services, you can
cost-efficiently target only
likely prospects.
And because the
information would be more
relevant to that target
audience, they would be
more likely to engage
with your post, and other
similarly boosted targeted
posts, they now find in their
newsfeeds.
Certainly makes a lot of sense.
THE TEST
So, I decided to put boosting a post to the
test.
Based on my experience and insights,
I had written an article on “The Association
Conference of the Future.” The article
does not directly promote services, but
instead discusses the benefits of having an
interactive keynote address at a conference.
I elected to spend $20 for the day to
boost the post on Facebook.
Since I am not a wedding photographer,
but a professional speaker, when it came
time to select the interests of the people
on Facebook that I want to reach, I chose
“Meeting and convention planner or
Meeting Professionals International in the
United States.”
Then I spun the wheel.
THE RESULTS
A day later, Facebook informed me that had
achieved for me following numbers:
•576 - number of people I had reached
with my boosted post
•40 - number of people who had liked,
commented or shared the post
•$20.00 spent
•$0.50 - cost per action
All of which seemed very commendable
and reasonable, considering that I had
recently mailed postcards to association
contacts, at a cost per action that was
nearly double. Might Facebook be a more
economical way to reach similar prospects?
THE DEEP DIVE
But then I took a look at the profiles of
those who had actually liked my post,
and I discovered the following in their
descriptions:
•works at Self Employed and Loving It!
20
•studied at Apollo College of Medical and
Dental Careers
•worked at Getting MONEY
•self-employed and works at Detective
Works
•in an open relationship
•works at Asplundh Tree Experts
•security guard at Admiral Security
Services Inc. and sales associate at
DIRECTV
•operations packed down crew member
at Home Depot
•blow mold operator at Igloo Coolers
•works at Titan Tube Fabricators and
Wortham Theater Center
•studied CDL Class A license at College
of Life and lives in Mayaguez, Puerto
Rico
•stay-at-home parent
•studies at Ecumenical Theological
Seminary
•works at VIP Handbags & MORE and
Local Union 1175
•help desk at Ernst Conservation Seeds
•worked at Hustler
These were not the kinds of Facebook
users I had intended to reach when I had
selected my interests.
No meeting professionals were among
the group.
No members of Meeting
Professionals International. Some users
were not even from the United States.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Based on this deeper dive, I elected not to
re-boost the post.
Although, in theory, being able to target
your intended audience on Facebook is
very appealing, the results that I achieved
left something to be desired.
Submitted
by
Ted
Janus,
www.
JanusPresentations.com. Ted is an invited
journalist.
Historic Flooding in Texas
Email sent to all NAJA members in Texas
on June 4th:
Colleagues
From my safe and dry perch I watch in
horror what the unrelenting rain is doing
to my birth state! Then the human interest
stories of how it is affecting people, pets
and livestock. I just can’t imagine what it
must be like to experience this to you, your
neighbors and friends.
Please let me know how are you doing,
how you are coping - I am so concerned
about you.
Gail
__________________________________
Gail, I didn’t realize that you were born in
Texas! Thanks for asking, Austin’s doing
fairly well.
Joy Aiken
__________________________________
Hello Gail! I did not know you originated
from Texas!! I knew you were awesome!!!
Well from the Austin area we are doing well.
Thanks for asking. The lakes are at 120%
which is much more than we have had in
many years!!
Texas misses you!!
Diana Zavala
__________________________________
All is well for us here Houston/Memorial
area. Our backyard is a dry creek & it never
would flood.
Thanks
for
your
concern
&
thoughtfulness.
Many hugs,
Angelica Chapman
Hello Gail:
You are so sweet to think of us.
Flooding hasn’t been so bad here in Dallas
So we are thankful for that. I have heard
Houston has had it much worse Its soooo
sad!
We are okay in Sugarland, Texas. I am
1/2 to 1 mile from the Brazos River which
crested in areas close to me. If we would
have gotten another 10 to 15 feet worth of
rain. It would have flooded out my house
and my area.
Kind Regards!
Steven W. Jarvis, G.G.
__________________________________
Regards
Steven Reiner
__________________________________
Thank you Gail. All is okay here in San
Antonio. Maybe some hail damage to the
roof but that is all.
We are on high ground at my house.
There has been some flash flooding in the
area but that seems to be routine when we
have heavy rain. The hail damage is what
has hit people the hardest.
We are OK here in Fort Worth/Southlake/
Dallas. However, it is raining AGAIN today
and it has caused lots of traffic problems for
those of us who have a long commute to the
store. Thanks for checking in. We are sad
for Texans who are really suffering with the
flooding. Also, the temperature has been
erratic. 65 or 75 degrees during the storms
and then 96 degrees and high humidity for
days after.
Thanks for your concern,
Kile Rocha
__________________________________
Hi Gail,
Some places are very affected;
however, we are secure. We have a friend
that had her house totaled except for the
standing walls. These weather changes
are so dramatic that we are constantly on
guard for the next assault. In all my years
in Texas, I have never seen hail like this
year. I have experienced the tornado of
1956 which took trees out of the ground
across the street from my family’s home
and destroyed a church less than ¼ mile
away. But tornado alley is alive and well I
hope the major storms are over. Thanks for
the concern.
Patricia Ann Cole
__________________________________
Hope things are good with you!
Helen Cross
__________________________________
Hi Gail.
I’m on vacation but my son has said
things are just fine in Dallas. I think that
Central Texas though has had a rough time.
Take care,
Shawn Shannon
__________________________________
Michael Carter is staying safe. Rains
appear to have stopped for now. Thanks
for the concern. You’re wonderful to think
about us.
__________________________________
continued on page 24
21
Kudos to...
Melinda Adducci, GIA GG, Julia
Afanasieva, GIA GG, Miek Burnette,
GIA GG, Patricia Cole, GIA GG, Duane
Hutchison, GIA GG, Harold Lindsay, GIA
GG, Carole Richbourg, GIA GG Heidi
Straus, GIA GG, Nancy Weiss, GIA GG,
David Wolf, GIA GG and Kennon Young,
GIA GG for attending ASA’s Appraising
Gems & Jewelry for Advanced Assignments
in March.
Marc Alonso, GIA GG, for being elected to
the Board of Directors of the Texas Jewelers
Association in April.
Elizabeth Berger, GIA GG, for achieving
Certified Member status.
Julio Blackburn was one of the 2016 JCK
Jewelers’ Choice Awards in the Platinum
Jewelry (under $10,000) category.
Jill Burgum, GIA GG, Deborah Finleon,
GIA GG, Heidi Harders, GIA GG, Padraic
Lavin, FGA, Travis Lejman, GIA GG, Gail
Brett Levine, GIA GG, Berthy Nayor,
GIA GG, Adrian Smith, GIA GG, George
Spyromilios, FGA, Angelina Yip, GIA
GG, for attending the 2nd Mediterranean
Gemmological and Jewellery Conference
in Valencia, Spain.
Jeffrey Ira, GIA GG, for being elected as
a member of the Boston Jewelers Club.
Jeffrey was also re-appointed by the
Governor’s Council as a Notary Public for
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for
another seven year term.
Gail Brett Levine, GIA GG, presented “It’s
all About The Comps” at the AGS Conclave
in Washington, D.C. in April. She was also
quoted in “Old Cut Charisma” in the June
issue of Rapaport.
Mona Miller, GIA GG, presented “If the
Ring could Only Talk” and “In & Out, Up &
Down, Writing a Credible Appraisal” at the
AGS Conclave in Washington, D.C. in April.
Shirley Mitchell, FGA, Stuart Robertson,
GIA GG and Chuck Stoddard, GIA GG,
for attending the Scottish Conference in
May.
Barbara Nevius, GIA GG, for presenting
“Victorian Jewelry” to the Princeton DAR
group in December 2015.
Surbhi Pandyva,GIA GG, for presenting
“Diamonds and Energy” at the AGS
Conclave in Washington, D.C.
Jo Ellen Cole, GIA GG, for her review of
Cartier Royal in the spring issue of G & G
Magazine.
Laima Rastenis, GIA GG, for receiving the
2016 Woman Making A Difference Award
by the Women’s Jewelry Association’s
Chicago Chapter.
Gina D’Onofrio, FGA, for her article “Gold
Standard - How Volatile Gold Prices Make
for Tricky Appraisals” in the May issue of
Jewellery Business.
David Rotenberg, GIA GG, presented
“Appraisal Report Writing” as well as “AGS
Facebook Appraisal Forum” at the AGS
Conclave in Washington, D.C. in April.
Richard Drucker GIA GG, presented
“Colored Gem Grading and Pricing
Workshop,”Market Trends and Issues” at
the AGS Conclave in Washington, D.C. in
April. Richard also presented at the JCK
show,“State of the Industry.”
Art Samuels, GIA GG, for being quoted
in the article “Yellow Fever” in the June
issue of Southern Jewelry News. He also
presented “Gem & Jewelry Frauds” at the
June AGA Conference in Las Vegas.
Eileen Eichhorn, GIA GG, for participating
in “Do you use You Tube to market
your store?” in the April issue of InStore
Magazine.
Deborah Finleon, GIA GG, Gail Brett
Levine, GIA GG and Jody Perkins, GIA
GG, for attending the ASJRA Conference in
Washington, DC in May.
Eric Fritz, FGA, for presenting “Spectacular
Spectrums,” “Organics,” and “Separating
Similar Looking Stones” at the AGS
Conclave in Washington, DC.
Ben Gordon, GIA GG, for being awarded
the 2016 Pinnacle Award for Excellence
in the Workplace from the Houston Better
Business Bureau.
Mary Haindel, GIA GG, for becoming the
President of the Louisiana Chapter of the
GIA Alumni.
Ira Savoie, GIA GG, for becoming the Vice
President of the Louisiana Chapter of the
GIA Alumni.
Cory Schifter for being featured in “For the
Success of Your Store - Shoptalk” in the
May issue of JCK Magzine.
Nancy Stacy, GIA GG, for producing
her first webinar “Conquering Diamond
Comps”. She also was elected to a position
on ASA’s G&J Discipline Committee
Darlene Wong, FCGmA, for her article
“Micro Mosaics, Relics of the Victorian
Grand Tour” published in the Journal for
Advanced Appraisal Studies April 2016
edition.
Kennon Young, GIA GG, achieved
MGA status with the American Society of
Appraisers.
22
Please welcome
the following New
Members
Sharon L. Allinson, GIA GG
Accredited Jewelry Appraisers
1475 Chain Bridge Road
McLean, VA 22101
703.786.5349
[email protected]
Kimberly Keighley, GG
Austin Private Jewelry
3604 Penwood Cove
Round Rock TX 78664
512.963.8949
[email protected]
Selah Kopelman
Selah Vie Jewelry
70 North 7th Street
Brooklyn NY 11249
707.888.6267
[email protected]
Yoshinori Nakagawa, GIA GG
Superior Gem Appraisal Practice
2275 Huntington Drive, Suite 816
San Marino CA 91108
626.799.6709
[email protected]
Veronica Poteat
7515 Coal Creek Circle
Colorado Springs CO 80911
719.660.3722
[email protected]
Heidi Straus, GG
Estate Gem Lab LLC
900 Rancho Lane
Las Vegas NV 89106
702.908.3430
[email protected]
Raimie H. Weber
Raimie H. Weber, Inc.
P. O. Box 176
Canton Ct 06019
860.409.3400
[email protected]
Stephen R. Turner, GIA GG
Certified Senior Member
Tell us about your journey to Certified Senior Member - what was the
motivation?
Though designations have never been super important to me, I have
always been a proponent for training and education. Knowledge is
power, you know. Truthfully, it was Gail who gave me the nudge to take
the steps to complete the program. So glad I did – Thank you Gail!!
What is it about NAJA that made you continue your support and
commitment over all these years?
I guess it has to be the ethics and the people –like-minded, like
motivated and a fun bunch to be around!
How did you enter the jewelry industry?
I stumbled on the jewelry business in the early 70’s while waiting for a
job to open with the FAA. The first job was with a chain store, which
was simply a step that next led to an independent, AGS store. This was
where my real introduction occurred. Still consider them family!
How long have you been appraising?
I did my first appraisal (with lots of supervision) in 1976. I started
Gemcorp Inc. in 1985 as a “private jeweler”. By 1988 my focus was
primarily appraising and consultation. I can’t tell you how thankful I am
to be out of the “inventory business”
Do you have a staff? If so, are they qualified appraisers or in training?
I have the most awesome staff!! They are all part time and excellent at
what they do and we constantly work on cross-training. My “right hand”
is Andria who has taken GIA Diamonds and is instrumental in helping
with consultations. She does a yeoman’s job daily and has the near
impossible mission of keeping me on task. I am also thrilled to have
Ann Marie who is a GG and had worked in the GIA Lab before leaving
to raise a family. I have known her for 20 years and when the time came
to re-enter the work force, she reach out and now is an integral part of
the staff. The newest member of the team is Mary Margaret and has
excelled at the business aspect of the business.
What advice would you give a novice appraiser?
At the re-risk of repeating myself, knowledge is power. Keep up the
learning… and know your limitations. Ask for assistance. There are
plenty of folks willing to help and guide. We have to take care of each
other!!
Did you have any mentors that you would like to mention?
Not enough room to mention them all, but Miriam Cohen would have
to be at the top of the list. Not a gemologist but wise and ethical to a
fault. I am so blessed and thankful to have encountered her early in my
jewelry career.
Are you now doing it full time or part time?
This is my full time gig.
How long did it take until you felt appraising would be a business instead
of a sideline? Did you begin appraising as a part of a jewelry business
or did you open up an appraisal business and began to expand?
The three years 1985 – 1988 were incredible difficult and lean as a
start up jewelry business. I was doing repairs, engraving and trying to
sell everything I could. These were the early days of USPAP and I had
had training with AGS and ISA. The appraisals I was doing were frankly
superior to others in the market, which garnered a lot of attention by
the trade and insurance companies. In August of 1988, I decided to try
doing appraisals exclusively and to give it a year. I guess it worked out!!
What or who has been your greatest inspiration?
Again, I would have to say Jay and Miriam Cohen, who taught me
about the “real” jewelry business. They gave me opportunities that
many would not have.
What types of appraisals are the bulk of your practice?
The primary written appraisal we prepare is Insurance Replacement.
In the past 8 years we have done an increasing amount of fee based
consultations for purchase confirmation, grading, market analysis for
sale, etc.
What has been your greatest achievement?
My greatest achievement would have to be having a small role in
raising a couple of wonderful children.
What is the greatest challenge in your job?
Staying on task, which is why Andria is SO crucial to us having the
success we do. If not for her, I would be the best GG Beach Bum in
the Caribbean!
Has NAJA helped you? If so, how?
Over the years, I have been a member of all of the appraisal
organizations. In fact, I had left NAJA for a while. After a time away and
with Gail’s request that I take a fresh look, I did. So glad that I did too!
I look forward to the Education Conferences. The membership is very
approachable and I enjoy having a great group to network with and
have to refer.
What is the most sophisticated gemological (or otherwise) equipment
you have?
I’m a tool and gadget guy so we have acquired a lot over 30 years.
The most recent is a Gemlogis, a neat little device that separates earth
mined from Lab and HPHT diamonds.
Is there anything you can say that would help other appraisers build
their business?
At the risk of repeating myself, knowledge is power. Keep up the
learning.
What is it about NAJA that serves your needs over the last two years
of membership?
In a couple of words, education and fellowship.
23
continued from page 17
proved a very useful tool to separate natural
from synthetic diamonds. This and other
portable instruments and books, as well
membership to MGJC are available on-line
at https://www.gemconference.com/store
A conference dinner completed the
weekend while a guided city tour provided
visitors with a deeper appreciation of the
host city.
The conference and workshop received
very positive feedback for its organization,
excellent speakers and practical workshops
from more than 75 participants and many
expressed a desire to come back again.
Next year’s conference is planned for
Syracuse, Sicily (Italy), with the theme of
coloured diamonds. A detailed program
with two new workshops will be announced
in September 2016.
continued from page 20
Gail, Thanks for your concern and support.
Houston, San Antonio and Austin areas
have been clobbered over the past few
years. Dallas, my home, generally is
spared.
Thank you for your concern. We live in
an area that is high and dry, but there is
flooding around us. Our friends and family
in Houston are having some problems,
but no severe flooding. The rivers are up
everywhere, but this is Texas and we are
used to this kind of problem.
God be with us all.
Elliott Cumonow
__________________________________
Thanks for your concern, Gail. Here in my
part of Texas were doing pretty good. For
some reason the worse storms go around
us. Only got little over an inch of rain from
this latest series of storms.
Richard D. Armstrong
Carolyn Schmid
Comfort, Texas
__________________________________
Gail,
Thank you for your concern. Thank
God we were unharmed. Our property
backs to Oyster Creek, which is a runoff
Details of the conference series can be
found at www.gemconference.com
Branko Deljanin, CGL-GRS, Canada,
Conference Chair [email protected]
George
Spyromilios,
IGL,
Hellas,
Conference Co-Chair [email protected]
John Chapman, Gemetrix, Australia,
Proceedings Editor [email protected].
au
for the Brazos. Fortunately, the creeks
flow is moderated with nine flood gates.
Unfortunately, the continuing downstream
flow of the raging Brazos is now affecting
communities that have not seen this kind
of flooding in the 100-plus years of record
keeping. Of course, population in southeast
Texas was also significantly lower a century
ago. Nice to know that Texas folks are
pulling together, and will overcome!
Best,
Quenton Elliott
SOMETIMES YOU JUST
HAVE TO THROW ON A
CROWN AND REMIND
THEM WHO THEY’RE
DEALING WITH.
a publication of the national association of jewelry appraisers
24

Lang scholarship in the April/May/June Jewelry

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