All That Glitters Website and Info Changes for July 2009

Here are the changes to look for on the All That Glitters website for July 2009:

This Months Special: Saturated Deep Blue 5x7mm Oval Aquamarines - MATCHED

http://www.atggems.com/Monthly_Special.htm

The title says it all - due to size/color and the fact they are matched, this is truly another unusual, unique item from All That Glitters!

This Months Gem News: Variations of Southern Hospitality - Tales on the Road

http://www.atggems.com/Monthly_News.htm

Two very different stories encountered by All That Glitters, on the road in NC/SC, and within about 2 hours of each other!

Newly Faceted or Photographed Gemstones:

http://www.atggems.com/Photos_New.htm

33 Million Year Old Oregon Leaf Fossil; Purple Cuprian Mozambique Tourmaline;

2 LARGE Purply Magenta Rubellite-like Cuprian (?) Mozambique Tourmaline; Oval Ametrine;

two Natural Yellow Sapphires; Inlaid Intarsia Box with various minerals including Lapis Lazuli;

Black Lacquer Hand-Painted, Sign Russian Box; Parcel of Various Colored Rhodolite Garnets;

Unique Neon Blue Topaz; 2 Wonderful BLUE Tourmalines; 4ct African Rhodolite

===> We have received a number of emails and phone calls, the most recent just prior to sending out our monthly email notice, about the matched pair of Purple Tourmalines from Mozambique. For those who would like to have one of these rare Purple Tourmalines, the Purple Mozzie Tourmaline currently photographed, is a great color and is not overly large, weighing only 1.53ct. A super piece, it will be far less than the larger gems of this color, clarity and cutting, and has a wonderful Amethyst purple. In the future, when our inventory runs out at these low prices, we will be forced to pay the higher prices, and our prices will have to be expotentially higher than they currently are! :-(

All That Glitters Gemstones Appearing in Books/Magazines - Currently Available for Purchase!

Many of our gemstones have appeared in publications such as Gems and Gemology Magazine by GIA, Jewelers Circular Keystone (JCK), Cedar Wings Magazine (published as an in-flight magazine in the Middle East where all photos of gemstones/rough in the article came from the All That Glitters' Inventory!), and many more. A number of gems below are currently scheduled to appear in the second edition of a book on gemstones due out in 2010. There are collectors out there who desire to collect gemstones that have been published and seen throughout the world. Many people enjoy sharing their personal gemstone treasures with others, whether it is an unset gemstone in a collection or set into a piece of fine jewelry. It is a thrill for most to open a book or magazine and show a photograph of the very gemstone that they are showing to someone! Though All That Glitters gemstones are very often unique and rare due to size, color, clarity, polish and cutting, a few are even more special because they can be found in international publications. They are very much like a work of fine art which is known to belong to a museum - in this case, they may not only be found in some museums, but perhaps in your home or the home perhaps next door to you!

Many of the prices below are more in line with a retail price vs. a gemstone that has been published. A retail estimate is difficult to determine on many of All That Glitters gemstones, because they are typically very unique due to size, cutting, clarity, color, etc. As one famous jewelery stated before - All That Glitters gemstones are "so exclusive and one of a kind, that our customers would not be able to "price shop". Visiting another business and finding a similar gemstone is impossible."
Pricing has been based on the normal wholesale with an added percentage due to the publication of the photo. Overall, the prices are very far below where one would expect them to be, and may change at any time.

A number of the gemstones below are scheduled to be published. One can purchase these currently and it is hoped that they will be published in the future (2010). If they are indeed published, the new owner will be rewarded handsomely as they will own an even more rare gemstone, as very few gemstones are published in magazines, trade journals, newspapers or least of all, books on gemstones!


See the current inventory of available All That Glitters gemstones that have been or may be published in the future:
< Published ATG Gemstones >


It is not the norm for a business to have so many gemstones published in trade magazines and books, but this is indeed the business of All That Glitters - dealing in Fine Faceted Unique Colored Gemstones!

All That Glitters Website and Info Changes for June 2009

Here are the changes to look for on the All That Glitters website for June 2009:

This Months Special: Fossil Leaf From Oregon - 33 Millions Years Old

An interesting piece collected by the owner of All That Glitters on a fossil expedition to Oregon in 2007.

This Months Gem News: AGTA Andesine Disclosure and 'New Bling' Articles

Articles discussing the fact that all but the Oregon Red Andesine is diffusion treated and should be disclosed,and natural minerals/gemstones growing in popularity. (This also appears on our Blog)

Newly Faceted or Photographed Gemstones:

http://www.atggems.com/Photos_New.htm

The World Of Gemstones Introduction - Now Available Online!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiX4nyqLKtM

The Introduction to The World of Gemstones, sponsored by All That Glitters, with the Host being the owner of

All That Glitters, can be be viewed on YouTube. This was the introduction to the tv show and originally aired in 1996/1997.

All That Glitters continues to thrive and has added another 13 years of selling to the trade/public, totalling almost 3 decades.

Currently in the Cutting Process by Our Award Winning Master Cutter:

There is nothing currently in faceting. Though many might think that companies are selling their inventory at lower prices due to economic

circumstances, fine gemstones and gemstone rough is not only holding their prices, but increasing. We haven't been purchasing

much rough as the very fine rough we seek is not available; and when it is, the prices for the rough are far higher than gemstones we currently have already faceted and available for sale! All larger important rough in our inventory has currently been faceted, and no other material is being re-faceted. Though we have some fine blue green, neony blue, teal and similar colors in Tourmaline from the Nuristan area of Afghanistan, we have sufficient gemstones already faceted and have no plans to facet this old and valuable material for the time being.

All That Glitters Encounters Variations of Southern Hospitality - also known as Stories On The Road...

We found ourselves in North Carolina once again, this June. There was not enough time to visit some of the award winning goldsmiths as we had in the past, even though that would have meant more sales.

We never know what to expect when visiting a store for the first time, and we usually peruse the cases to see if there are fine gemstones and unique settings/custom work. If there is neither and the store simply purchases from jewelry manufacturers in the U.S. or abroad, the only potential sale of All That Glitters gemstones would be to the owners or employees, assuming they wish gems for themselves/family and understand quality, color, size, cutting, clarity, polish, etc. Only a small percentage of retail jewelry stores have a background in gems, and understand the importance of the factors mentioned above. Custom jewelry stores and custom goldsmiths are stores that we seek out.



Story 1 - The Usual All That Glitters Visit
We stopped into a jewelry store that was new to us in Charlotte. I was personally skeptical, as this was a true cold call, with no background check as to the quality and capability of the store to handle high end gems or to create custom designs. Before even getting to see what was in the cases, I was approached by a gentleman and I explained who I was in a few sentences. I typically open up a small gemstone case showing 8 gemstones. If the person is the gemstone buyer or a person knowledgeable with gemstones in general, they will realize that what they are viewing is something very different than what one normally sees in the trade, and I will be asked to show them more. In this case, I was asked immediately to the back office so he could see what I had with me on this trip - something irregular as most stores think that All That Glitters has the simple, standard, everyday inexpensive gemstones that most dealers have when they come through their front door. Once the first case was opened, his eyes lit up and he was in awe of colors of gemstones that he had no idea were possible (in this case, greenish/teal Tanzanite, our Super Blue Tanzanite, Neon Apatite, Neon Tourmaline and even our Custom Designed Elegante Cut dazzled this viewer). He called some of the other store personnel in, as I continued to show quality gemstones far finer than he or the others had seen during their years in the jewelry trade. At one point, he mumbled under his breathe - "Jesus....look at that one". He then yelled out to the front, "Bob, come in here. There are things here that you have never seen before". Bob too was amazed and it continued like that for about another 45 minutes. The store purchased two gemstones where the rough had been photographed for a JCK trade magazine article, and another U.S. gemstone that might appear in a book on gemstones in 2010. Both gemstones were faceted by our award winning master cutter from rough that the owner of All That Glitters had personally selected over the years. This particular store intends on displaying their two gemstone purchases in the case, and it was explained to me that it doesn't matter if they sell or not - they are beautiful, and are a natural draw to other items for sale within the same case.


The above story is true and also happened in another store the previous year, just a block away from the store above! This is more of the norm when All That Glitters hits the road and visits jewelry stores. Many times we walk into stores, and never show the store anything in gemstones. Sometimes we just have a conversation; other times, we just walk out. In over a quarter century in the gemstone business, we know who our customers will be and it is fruitless to attempt to sell gemstones to a store if their clients would not be interested or able to afford finer quality color. Some stores may be surprised by sales, if they would just make an attempt and put a few unique and unusual pieces in the case. If they do not sell, it certainly is impressive and customers won't forget it. If the store does custom work, we do make an attempt to talk to the gemstone purchaser, a gemologist, the owner, etc. to at least show them one case of fine color and always leave a business card and literature on All That Glitters.



Story 2 - The Most Unusual All That Glitters Experience in 28 years!
This interesting story took place just prior to the above case, in Fort Mill, SC, on Main Street which I think was the older section of that town. I had found this store via the internet, a company claiming - "Specializing in Top Quality Custom Design Jewelry, Manufacturing, & Repair". Since I was on the other side of town for business, I thought I would stop in. The temperature and humidity was already increasing and it was not even noon time. This part of town had a charm reminiscent of many small downtown's of the past. I looked into the jewelry store window, noticed the store was small and what was to be expected from a store that hadn't changed much since the 1940 or 50s. From the front window, I was skeptical of whether they really did custom design work, as many use that term if they resize a ring or set stones! I walked in and it was nice to get out of the southern heat. I was greeted in the background by an older saleswoman and a younger man sitting in a seat wearing the typical visor that a person who repairs jewelry might wear. This is how the conversation transpired and I have done my best to paraphrase:
Salesperson and Owner: Good Morning.
ATG: Good Morning.
Salesperson: And how are you this morning?
ATG: Hot. It is good to be in an air conditioned store. It's already too hot out there.
Salesperson: If I can help you with anything, just let me know.
ATG: I am just looking right now. Thank you.
(looking to see what my thoughts are as to the amount and type of custom jewelry they 'might' do, and looking at the colored gemstones.
Made my way to the back where they were both located, the woman goes more to the back and the owner is still sitting on the chair. I am the only one in the store. I do not really see items in the case where I think that he would be interested in our colored gemstones. I am here, 1000 miles from the office, and think that I should clarify his custom work and show him something, because the bottom line is, one just doesn't know - and he could also recommend that I see someone else in the area!)
ATG: Do you do lots of custom work?
Owner: Some.
ATG: Any designing with CAD/CAM?
Owner: No.
ATG: Do work with a lot of color?
Owner: Some.
ATG: I am Allen Brown, owner of All That Glitters in New England and with an office also on the West Coast in California. We are known for fine quality colored gemstones, traveling and purchasing rough from around the world and we facet the rough in the United States.
(I give him a card, take one of his. I open a case containing 8 gemstones.)
Owner: (Doesn't even look at the gems, sits there with his arms crossed) I thought that was what you were about.
ATG: (consufed and unsure of what the situation is...)
Not something you normally can use or work with?
Owner: I don't like your attitude.
ATG: (flabbergasted as they say, as I had come in smiling and happy, and if no sales, still looking to learn more about the store, the owner and have a good conversation, though possibly somewhat brief).
I'm confused. Attitude? What did I do or say?
Owner: You didn't identify yourself.
ATG: Didn't identify myself?
Owner: You should have told me who you were.


Needless to say, his attitude didn't change any, and I went back into the heat, where I received real praise and true southern hospitality, as well as sales, just about 30 mins away in Charlotte.


Maybe I should have yelled out "Gemologist Walking" as I entered the door. What was he expecting? Shouldn't a person coming in to a store, look to see what is there, not just out of courtesy, but so things can be discussed if I should see something that I would like to comment on? I would think that if I did go right over to him and explained who I was, he would have complained that I didn't look in his cases and therefore, I wouldnt have even had to ask about whether he worked with color. Of course, if I based my judgement on what was indeed in his cases, I probably would have walked out, not introduced myself, but then I wouldn't have had this wonderful story to relate to others in my travels!


This was the most bizarre story of being on the road in years and what some feel is just unprofessional on his part and others say is unfortunate for him. I told this story to a custom goldsmith two days later. This gentlemans store has incredible gemstones and custom design work (and has purchased gemstones from All That Glitters with hopes of purchasing much more in the future). This man KNOWS his gemstones and we get along tremendously well because of that fact. He got a chuckle out of my story and said that some goldsmiths can be quite eccentric. I asked him about other local stores that I should visit, as he is a good resource for those businesses who would use ATG quality color. He did mention one goldsmith and chuckled once again about this particular goldsmith, as he is known to be quite eccentric/odd, and believes no one is a better goldsmith than he. I also smiled, because I had visited his store the year before, and though I did walk past the goldsmith going into his store(and never got to meet him in person), I had the 2nd most bizarre story in years when dealing with his young female salesperson...but that is a story for another time!

The World Of Gemstones Introduction - Now Available Online!

The Introduction to The World of Gemstones, sponsored by All That Glitters, with the Host being the owner of All That Glitters, can be be viewed on YouTube. This was the introduction to the tv show and originally aired in 1996/1997.

All That Glitters continues to thrive and has added another 13 years of selling to the trade/public, totaling almost 3 decades.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiX4nyqLKtM

Natural Stones are the 'New Bling'

Quote below is from an article in
The Los Angeles Times, May 12, 2009

"The jewelry getting the most attention this spring leaves the flashy carats behind and seems to draw its inspiration from the mineral samples in a science museum gift shop. Agate, malachite, moonlight crystal, quartz and shimmering drusies are set in gold, wrapped in wire, strung as pendants or faceted as cocktail rings in ways that showcase the best of what nature has to offer....

Pieces that feel special but without over-the-top glitz make sense right now, says Los Angeles-based jewelry designer Devon Leigh. "People are reaching back to the Earth and to things that happen naturally," she explains. "There are a lot of negative things happening in the world, and ideas found in nature are balancing and comforting."...

The large, vividly colored stones make the accessories they're attached to statement pieces. And because the prices of quartz and geodes are so much lower than those of precious gems, designers can take creative liberties with the stones and sell pieces at reasonable prices (unless they add diamonds, of course).

The bohemian feel of this jewelry lends a relaxed and romantic vibe to any ensemble. Play up the art nouveau elements by pairing pieces with something soft, pale and flowing. Or use them to soften an outfit that's crisp and stark. The look is distinctive -- and decidedly down to Earth."

You can view All That Glitters Custom Hand-Made Sterling Silver Pendants and Earrings, set with naturally beautiful mineral/gemstone materials on the following page:

http://www.atggems.com/Photos_Jewelry.htm#Custom-Sterling

AGTA Requires Andesine Disclosure

"With consumer and buyer protection in mind, the AGTA will now require its members who sell or consign any red andesine-labradorite to disclose it as diffused material, and indicate this either in plain language or by use of the industry accepted code, “U”, for diffusion*. If it can be determined that the material is natural, as in the case of particular Oregon material; then it may be disclosed as untreated" -AGTA Email/Article

All That Glitters only has the Natural Oregon material. The gemstone that currently is available was found in Oregon by the owner of All That Glitters after days of digging in adverse conditions. It was faceted by our master cutter, who has won an award in the most recent AGTA Cutting Competition. He has won awards and recognition in past competitions also. This Natural Oregun Sunstone is currently scheduled to appear in a book dedicated to gemstones - to be published later this year. This is your chance to own not only a gemstone that has a great color, is of natural U.S. origin, contains desireable copper schiller, perfect facet junctions, proper angles which produce brilliance, a VERY high 100,000 diamond polish, faceted by a master cutter - this gemstone should be appearing in a book that will be distributed and viewed around the world. You can be the new owner!
http://www.atggems.com/Photos_Misc1.htm#Oregon-Sunstone

All That Glitters Website Changes and Info for May 2009

As our those on our email list already know, we did not have an April 2009 email sent. We explained that we had to attend to some business obligations. We were away for a few weeks in California setting up our West Coast Office! This new office, as well as our main headquarters in New England, is not open to the public. We will continue servicing our internet clientele from either office, and will now have the opportunity to visit goldsmiths and jewelry stores on the West Coast, as well as GIA. Many would say that the West Coast is known to be very different from the East Coast, with the East Coast being very traditional in gemstones and designs. Those on the Pacific side, tend to enjoy the unique and unusual, and it is our hope to continue our sales at even a faster pace by having direct access.

Here are the changes to look for on the All That Glitters website for May 2009:

This Months Special: 17+gram, Solid 14kt, 17 inch, Armenian Rope Chain

Wonderful 17", SOLID 14kt, Yellow Gold Armenian Rope Chain, measuring 4mm wide. This weighs over 17grams and is therefore, over 1/2 an ounce! Nice solid clasp has two features to keep it secure. This is a unique style that is not often seen - it takes a premium due to the time and workmanship required to produce this style. This is one of the most costly chains to make and a major reason one doesn't see this in stores/catalogs. It is a variation of a rope chain, but far more complicated. Priced to move - limited time only as it will be melted down for the gold content in the future!

This Months Gem News: Sunstone Mining in Oregon, Dust Devil Mine 2008

http://www.atggems.com/Photos_Sunstone-Dig-2008.htm

Once again, I found myself flying from Manchester, NH in to Reno, NV, as I had just slightly over one year previously. My goal was the same as it had been then - drive from Reno up past Plush, OR to one of the high deserts within Oregon where I would spend a few days at the Dust Devil Mine in search of Oregun Sunstone! See Photos and read the full story. (This article is also a permanent link on our Blog as well as our Learn More Page.

Newly Faceted or Photographed Gemstones:

http://www.atggems.com/Photos_New.htm

A Suite of Color consisting of two Tourmalines and three Garnets - purchase separately or save $$$ with the parcel purchase.

Large 14ct Radiant Cut (custom faceted 14x10mm for All That Glitters) Cubic Zirconium (CZ); Livelier than Canary Diamond

695ct Zincite Specimen

14kt Armenian Rope Chain - This Months Special

Sterling Silver/Turquoise Hand Made Zuni Pin Signed CJ (we have had this in our vault for possibly 20 years!)

4mm 18" Sterling Silver Diamond Cut Rope Chain

Sterling Silver Ring with nice round Brasilian Garnet - can't purchase the ring OR the Garnet at our asking price...

3 Fluorite Crystals from China - great color - place on your desk, toss them in your hand while on the phone instead of doodling!

Other: 1100+ct Tourmaline Slice, Two Wonderful Bronzes, One of a Kind Meteorite, All Kinds of Mineral Specimens (top notch pieces),

Sapphire, Purple Mozambique Tourmaline, Opal, Tsavorite, Tourmaline, Rings, Oregon Sunstone, Neon Apatite (the rough from which these stones were faceted, was featured in a JCK Article on Apatite), Incredible re-cut Burmese Hot Pink/Red/Orange Spinel and Much Much More on other pages. The items listed above under Other will be removed shortly to their respective pages and taken off of the Newly Photographed Page. There is no guarantee that the prices might increase from their Initial Public Offering (IPO).

Addition to Learn More Page:

We received a nice email from one of our customers who has purchased some very fine gemstones in the past. His email indicates that he does follow our monthly website changes as well as our Blog. We thank him for his feedback as without this feedback, we would not know if anyone was actually reading what we have written!

< An Email from an ATG Customer >

Special Purply Mozambique Tourmaline - Sold(?):

For those who have been eyeing the 6.10ct Squarish Purply Mozambique Tourmaline, faceted by our Master Cutter, Clean, and with a very unique color shift (we know of no others like this) - we believe that it has sold (currently awaiting input from the purchaser to insure that this particular gemstone will fit the bill, as they say). This is an item that is hard to price, but we priced it at the wholesale price of the Modern Jewelers Article that discussed the Mozambique Tourmaline and the Lavender Colored Gems. We always attempt to price items to move and to keep prices below, at or just above wholesale, without approaching the expected retail figures. Though the one photographed for the article was not clean (not even eye clean), did not have as nice a color as the All That Glitters example, did not color shift and was not faceted by a Master Cutter (most recent award was received at the AGTA Cutting Competition in 2008), we felt the price was very fair and reasonable, but as usual, we are sorry to see it go. This is a gemstone, like many in our inventory (and that certainly includes all of the Purplish Mozambique Tourmaline), that once gone, one can indicate that they are willing to pay 'anything' for a similar gemstone, and the fact is, this material is just not being found and it is just a unique one-of-a-kind piece. To see some of the Mozambique Tourmalines, click on the following link: < Mozambique Tourmalines > Or visit our website, go to the Photo Gallery Page and find the Mozambique Tourmaline link.

An Email From One of Our Customers

The email below was received on January 28, 2009, just prior to our trip to Tucson. It is from one of our customers who keeps in touch and has purchased some fine, high end colored gemstones from All That Glitters for use in not only his jewelry, but his wife's also:

"I have purchased several gems from you, including one of your first offered large faceted Turkish diaspore. It is one of my favorites!!!.

I am Emailing you to let you know I am still alive, and even more importantly to congratulate you on your excellent blog site as well as the updates on many pertinent events occuring around the world and challenging the gemstone business. I read all of the information you publish on your updates as well as your blog; I wanted to make sure that you know I and hopefully others appreciate the work you do and your proven record of honesty and asuring what you have before you sell it. Keep these qualities up, as I am sure you will.

I have not bought any gemstones in almost 2 years now, but try to keep up with the field. I appreciate all you do for the colored gemstone industry worldwide, and when i return to being a buyer, will certainly interact with you. I still have not obtained a neon vibrant Purple tourmaline(natural) nor a treated vibrant neon blue. I follow and agree on the nomeclature hassles of this stone, have looked at several "deals" but have not bought largely on what you have brought to my attention. You get what you pay for... I need to wait until I have he money to buy the best...from you.

I read with interest the issue occuring in Africa.....I am planning to go to Africa with my wife for our 40th yr annivesary in 2010, and plan to go to South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Nambia, Mozambique for a once in a lifetime trip to see this beautiful continent. I am planning it with several experts, and expect to be their about 1 month and do it right!!!! It will not be for gems, but for memories....

I know Tucson is coming up...and wish I could join you there as well. Let me know how it goes, and I am very interested in the pink Zircon issue once it is solved...I agree with you that the bright pink is likely heated (at least) and may not even be Zircon. I am sure you will be instrumental in getting to the bottom of this issue.

Lets keep in touch, and keep me on your distribution list. I would still love to interact professionally with you some time, and meet you in person."

--- The above is from one of our customers who lives in California. I would like to personally thank him for his input. Though I write and post a Monthly News page, Monthly Special, and update the Blog, we don't receive feedback and have no idea of whether anyone actually reads the information posted. During this years Tucson show, I did dinner with the previous colored gemstone editor for JCK (I say previous, because just prior to leaving for Tucson, JCK had a layoff of employees). He indicated that he also checked the All That Glitters Blog, and I had been working with him on attempting to find out more about all this 'pinkish' Zircon that is being seen in the market. There was also talk of publishing photos and an article on the October 2008 trip to mine for Sunstone in Oregon, but unfortunately, this is currently up in the air, though I have quickly written what could be considered a draft and that will be active on our website.

Sunstone Mining in Oregon, Dust Devil Mine 2008

Once again, I found myself flying from Manchester, NH in to Reno, NV, as I had just slightly over one year previously. My goal was the same as it had been then - drive from Reno up past Plush, OR to one of the high deserts within Oregon where I would spend a few days at the Dust Devil Mine in search of Oregon Sunstone!...

See Photos and Read the Full Story

< Sunstone Expedition October 2008 >

All That Glitters Opens West Coast Office

While other businesses are laying off and closing their doors, All That Glitters is expanding to include a West Coast Office. This creates a presence on both coasts of the United States. All That Glitters will continue to use associates offices in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, Brasil and other countries when necessary/traveling.

This office, as our main headquarters in New England, will not be open to the public. We will continue servicing our internet clientele from both offices, and will now have the opportunity to visit goldsmiths and jewelry stores, as well as GIA at times. Many would say that the West coast is known to be very different from the East Coast, with the East Coast being very traditional in gemstones and designs. Those on the Pacific side, tend to enjoy the unique and unusual, and it is our hope to continue our sales at even a faster pace by having direct access.

As explained previously on our website/emails/blog, the high end, unique and unusual gemstones are indeed rare and continue to increase in value and demand, whereas the more common gemstones, which can be found in all stores and in many deposits around the world, decrease in value. All That Glitters niche in the trade is that we stock quality and uniqueness at prices below the competition, and many times that means below, at or just above wholesale prices. All That Glitters can do this because of our contacts that have been established over a 30 year timeframe.

Was That The Tucson Show We Just Attended??

Well, the famous Tucson Gem Show is over once again. It has been held in Tucson for about 50 years, and many tens of thousands in the jewelry/gemstone trade typically attend annually. There are also shows that are open to the public, and so the city of Tucson swells until it is overflowing.

Last year, as in this year, construction woes of I-10 plagued attendees (whether exhibitors or attendees, but mostly attendees, as they are frequently found on the roads and highway attempting to drive to the many different shows). With the I-10 construction still continuing, and possibly going on for a number of years in the future, getting around if one stayed further north or south of the city, was a challenge due to traffic and lack of exits near the city center. Getting on north of the city meant getting off in the south of the city - no exits in the vicinity of downtown itself! The only way to avoid this was to take Frontage Road or drive through parts of the city.

We have attended and/or exhibited at the Tucson Show for over 20 years. This was by far the most different, if not bizarre Tucson Show ever attended. For the first time, hotels were not over booked. One could still find a hotel room! Usually, they are booked many months in advance. Hotel rooms, still seemed to be high, as prices always go up when the show is in town. Rental cars were available too. Restaurants were not as busy as they had been in previous years. Instead of an hour wait at some places, the wait was 15 minutes. Other restaurants were quiet or just downright dead. One associate of ours indicated that he had gone to a restaurant for dinner, and from about 6pm to the time they left about three hours later, there had been only three people in the restaurant - and that was in his party, at his table. No other people came into the restaurant during that timeframe. Of course, there are many of hundreds of restaurants in Tucson, and we had a wait of about 15 mins at one place, as it is popular with the locals and gem show people - that wait as stated above, used to be an hour in the past.

As far as attendance at the show, it was down as was to be expected. Though aisles had people, it was not overly crowded. At times, it was quite slow, especially if the show already had it's opening day and another show(s), were opening for the first time - the traffic, as to be expected, was at the opening show(s).

The most unusual story that we have, was regarding price quotes on items of interest to us. Since we really didn't need to purchase anything, as we travel abroad to purchase faceted gems and purchase rough so our cutters can facet it domestically, we were attending Tucson to see associates from other countries, find out what is being found/mined in other countries, learn about new treatments and also seeing what was out there on the market and what prices were. We would indeed make a few purchases if we found something of interest. In walking the floors of many of the shows, carat weights, descriptions and prices quoted by companies would be written down on their business cards noting what show and booth number we had encountered them at. There was nothing that we had to buy as we are nicely stocked in inventory, but notes were made and after walking a few of the shows, went back to make some purchases. When asking the price a few days later, on gemstones that were still available, we encountered something not expected. Prices were not the same as quoted previously. No, the prices were not less either. The prices were HIGHER! Yes, higher. On a new quote of 4 gemstones from two different companies, the price was higher. How much higher? In one case it was approximately 46% higher, and in the extreme case, it was 500% higher - yes, five times higher. So a quote in this one case went from $60 per carat to $300 per carat. Would they still honor the price quote of $60/ct? No.

Something else noticed this year and different from last year, the wonderful Mozambique Tourmaline that we have been bullish on, was in short supply. This is true not only of lower quality but also the higher quality that All That Glitters would stock in inventory. The nicer material was always scarce and now, it is non-existent. Though articles indicated that mechanized mining would begin in the mines over the past year, this apparently hasn't happened, or, the material is just not being found. All That Glitters has been purchasing this wonderful material, in the beautiful fuschia, magenta, purples, neony blues and greens. With less supply, expect prices to increase - we will attempt to hold prices steady, but wholesale prices of this material are, and have been, above what we are asking on line. Though our business manager wants to mandate that one cannot sell items for less than what it costs to re-purchase, we do try to hold our prices as long as possible.

A number of countries do not export their rough. One is Sri Lanka. Another one, is Madagascar, as the president put a stop to exports when apparently a gemstone that he was interested in, was sold and left the country. With rough not being able to be exported, rough stocks would have increased, and with the new law, the material would have to be faceted in their country. If rough is not moving in quantity to overseas buyers, continuing to mine it would produce a glut of material with no buyers. Therefore, people are not mining as they used to. With not being able to move quantities of rough, people are moving to other sources of income - thereby, decreasing rough available and even cut stones in the country. Good rough has always been difficult to find. The high end rough that All That Glitters seeks is even more scarce. Expect prices to stay firm and go up with time. This is to be expected regardless of economic factors - at least for the rare, unique, exclusive gemstones that All That Glitters seeks to have in inventory. Common gemstones that one can find in every store, on line, and just about everywhere, will stay low and will most likely decrease in value.




We were fortunate enough to catch a segment on National Public Radio (NPR) regarding the Tucson 2009 Gem Show. To paraphrase, what was selling - the more unique and rare gemstones were of most interest. This is in keeping with one of the aspects of the All That Glitters Philosophy - we travel the world seeking out the Unusual, Rare, Unique, One-Of-A-Kind and Exclusive gemstones. (The common everyday merchandise is Always available and Everyone has it. There is far more supply than demand. For the unique, it is an entirely different story - if it is not available and not being found, it doesn't matter how much one is willing to pay, it just is not available!)


To listen to the audio of - Is The Bad Economy Tarnishing Gem Show?
Click on the link to NPR below. If the audio has been removed, one can probably find it through a search of the archives on the NPR website.

NPR/Ted Robbins, February 17th, 2009
Is The Bad Economy Tarnishing Gem Show?
(Note that the interview seems to be the retail show, open to the public, at the Tucson Convention Center after the AGTA Trade Show had ended. Comments would therefore pertain to the retail show. However, the wholesale/trade comments are similar from the feedback we have heard.)

If the above link is not found or is inactive, you may listen to the broadcast at the following link, which will begin to stream the audio, assuming that you have an associated application that can play wav files:
< NPR - Is The Bad Economy Tarnishing the Gem Show >

All That Glitters Website Changes and Info for March 2009

This Months Special: Clear Quartz with Black Tourmaline Needles - Approx 32x22x17mm 74.53cts

This material was purchased during our travels in Brasil back in 1984/1985/1987.
Up to that point, when this material was seen on the market, the quartz was typically cloudy and they were always cut into cabochons. This material was water clear, had distinct black tourmaline needles running through it and these gemstones were faceted into unique shapes. The price currently listed above represents a very large savings over the price that we were selling it back 20+ years ago.

Was That The Tucson Show That We Just Attended?

This years Tucson Show was unlike all other Tucson Shows that we have attended over the past 20 years. Learn more about this years show as well as listen to commentary from National Public Radio (NPR) who interviewed trade attendees for one of their radio broadcasts.

http://www.atggems.com/Tucson_2009_Review.htm

Newly Faceted or Photographed Gemstones:

We have some really wonderful pieces to offer our customers this month - all very unique and in keeping with the All That Glitters philosophy of one-of-a-kind pieces priced below retail and with most in the vicinity of wholesale to just over wholesale. For this month, this includes the following:

A 1,105ct Madagascar Tourmaline Slice (Liddicoatite)

Bronze Donkey circa pre-1900 from the Senufo Tribe in Africa

Bronze Shiva originally from India circa 18th Century

Absolutely Unique Meteorite from Sikhote-Allin: This is in two distinct pieces that go together like a jigsaw puzzle!

8 Beautiful Mineral Specimens including Tourmaline, Smoky Quartz, Aquamarine, Green Beryl, etc.

Sterling Silver Agate Drusy Pendant

Purple Sapphire; Pinkish Orange (Padparadschah?) Sapphire; Neon Blue Glowing Sapphires (2) that look very much like Kashmir Sapphire; 6 Purple Mozambique Tourmalines (most likely Cuprian because this color has always come back with Copper found when certed) - this includes a MATCHED PAIR, which is something that we have never heard of existing; an incredibly colorful Matrix Opal from Australia; and a large bright neon medium green Tsavorite.