Subject: IMPERIAL RUSSIAN JADE

From: [email-masked] (John Patrick)
Date: 6 Mar 1995 04:54:53 GMT

After 42 years in business, retired gold manufacturer/gem lapidary 
offers old stock of exceptional quality IMPERIAL RUSSIAN JADE never 
before shown, for sale.  These are all unset, beautifully polished 
cabochons (dome shaped) of a very attractive lime green color.  Very, 
very limited supply available.

This is the same material that Faberge used in his famous Russian 
Imperial Eggs and Art Works.  All stones are described in standard 
shapes and metric sizes.  Price range: $35.00 to $285.00 per stone. For 
further details;  FAX 510-223-3800,Tel:510-222-3735.

After many years  of selling wholesale to gem dealers and jewelers. I 
cut out many layers of markup to offer these stones direct. Savings are 
approximately 60%, making this a unique offering and worthy of insertion 
in the <misc.forsale> category.

Regards

John Patrick
[email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked] (Stephen Kilnisan)
Date: 8 Mar 1995 09:05:19 -0500

GIA Announces Refinements for Fancy Colors 
 
By: John M. King, James E. Shigley and Robert  C.  Kammerling   
GIA  Gem Trade Laboratory, Gemological Institute of America 
 
The GIA Gem Trade Laboratory (GIA GTL) has made important  refinements 
to  its system for color grading colored diamonds. To help disseminate 
this information to the trade, the following report has been developed 
from  the  article  "Color  Grading of Colored Diamonds in the GIA Gem 
Trade Laboratory," by John M. King, Thomas M. Moses, James E. Shigley, 
and  Yan  Liu.  It  was  published  in the Winter 1994 issue of Gems & 
Gemology (Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 220-242), the quarterly journal  of  the 
Gemological Institute of America. Readers are encouraged to obtain and 
read the original article on this subject. Additional  topics  in  the 
article  include  a brief history of diamond color grading at GIA GTL, 
some basic color science  concepts,  GIA  GTL  color  terminology  for 
colored diamonds, and a note on some special situations encountered in 
describing colored diamonds. 
 
One of the primary goals of the GIA Gem Trade Laboratory is to support 
the  diamond industry through services that help protect the trade and 
facilitate business. Particularly significant to the trade  today  are 
colored diamonds. Two important concerns with these diamonds are their 
color origin--that is, whether their color is  natural  or  laboratory 
treated--and  their color description or grade. As part of its ongoing 
research and development efforts in the area of  color,  GIA  GTL  has 
recently  announced improvements to its system for color grading fancy 
color diamonds. These improvements represent refinements to the  long- 
established  system  which  in  its  essentials  remains  unchanged in 
concept and application. So that members of  the  trade  could  better 
understand  these refinements, GIA GTL decided to explain the concepts 
on which the color grading system is based through the  article  cited 
above. 
 
Why the Refinements?  Until fairly  recently,  colored  diamonds  were 
encountered  infrequently in GIA GTL, as in the trade. Today, however, 
increasing numbers, and a broader variety of  colors,  are  seen.  One 
reason  for this is the Argyle deposit in Western Australia, which has 
brought many more colored diamonds to the marketplace during the  last 
decade.  Some  of these diamonds, such as the intensely colored pinks, 
command high prices. In addition, recent auction  sales  have  spurred 
interest  in  colored  diamonds--and  these well-publicized sales have 
generated a number of articles in the trade press. Recognizing that  a 
system  to  communicate  the  colors  of  these  diamonds  clearly and 
consistently is vital for effective  commerce,  GIA  GTL  undertook  a 
comprehensive re-evaluation of its system. 
 
Importance of Standard Procedures Clearly, standard procedures must be 
established  and  followed  if  colored  diamonds  are  to  be  graded 
effectively and consistently. In the GIA  GTL  system,  color  science 
methodology  is  used  as  the basis for these procedures. At the same 
time, sensitivity must be maintained to both the unique properties  of 
colored  diamonds  and  GIA  GTL's  40-year  history  of grading these 
stones. Among the factors that must be taken into consideration during 
color  grading  are  the following: * A consistent, standard source of 
light with known illumination characteristics * An appropriate  visual 
environment  for grading * The "geometry" between the positions of the 
light source, the diamond, and the observer  *  The  use  of  standard 
color  reference  materials for color comparison * The normalcy of the 
color vision of the observer * The language used to describe  color  * 
The relationships between the chosen color terms 
 
To address these factors,  GIA  GTL  uses  a  standard  light  source, 
viewing  environment, and viewing "geometry"; in addition, all graders 
are tested to establish that their color vision is "normal."  For  the 
actual color grading of colored diamonds, we follow a basic three-step 
procedure: First, we determine  the  face-up  color  to  be  described 
(referred  to  as  the  "characteristic"  color).  Next, we locate the 
position of that color in relation to  other  colors  by  using  known 
reference  comparators.  Last,  we  select  appropriate terminology to 
describe that color. This process uses color grading concepts  similar 
to  those  applied  when  grading  near-colorless  to light yellow (or 
brown) diamonds on the D to Z color scale; for example, in most  cases 
boundaries  are  marked  with  diamond  masterstones,  color terms are 
applied to ranges of color appearances,  and  controlled  side-by-side 
visual  comparisons  are  made. Unlike D to Z grading where stones are 
judged primarily in the table-down position to establish the  relative 
absence  of  color, the fancy color grading system judges the relative 
presence of color in the face-up position. 
 
New Fancy Grades  
To strengthen the already-established system, GIA GTL 
has  expanded  the  use  of  its Fancy-grade terms to all hues and has 
introduced two new Fancy-grade terms--Fancy Deep and  Fancy  Vivid--to 
better  address  areas  of strong color. The other GIA GTL Fancy grade 
terms are: Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy Light,  Fancy,  Fancy  Dark 
and  Fancy  Intense. Fancy Deep is the term used to represent moderate 
to strong colors that are dark in appearance. Fancy  Vivid  represents 
hues  that  are  medium  to  light  but  very  saturated.           
The locations of boundaries  between  different  Fancy  grade  terms  vary 
depending on the diamond's hue. For example, a relatively rare diamond 
color such as blue, which typically occurs in  lower  saturations,  is 
assigned  certain  "Fancy"  grades  at  lower saturation levels than a 
color such as yellow, which usually occurs in higher saturations. 

 
--------- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Box A--Some Basic  Terms  Following  are  some  basic  terms  used  to 
describe and grade colored diamonds: Hue--The attribute of colors that 
permits them to be classed as, for example, red, yellow, green,  blue, 
or anything in between. 
 
Tone--The relative impression of lightness to darkness of color  (also 
called lightness or value) 
 
Saturation--The strength or purity of the color (also called chroma or 
intensity) 
 
Fancy Grade--The term used by GIA GTL to describe the combined  effect 
of   tone   and   saturation   in   a   colored   diamond.   --------- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
Analyzing  Color  Distribution   
 
The system has been further refined to 
recognize a long-established  evaluation  factor  in  the  trade,  the 
distribution  of  color. GIA GTL will now make a separate entry on its 
Colored Diamond Reports for the perceived distribution of color  (that 
is,  the  evenness or unevenness of color as seen face-up, in relation 
to the stone's total face-up area).  Most  fancy  color  diamonds  are 
considered  to  be  evenly  colored, and would be noted as such on the 
report. In those instances where the  characteristic  color  described 
clearly does not predominate face-up, the distribution is described as 
uneven. 
 
New Report   
 
Formats  GIA  GTL  had  traditionally  offered  two  basic 
services  for  colored  diamonds:  complete grading and an examination 
that focuses on color (the latter  covering  both  identification  and 
origin  of  color).  Both of these services continue to be offered. In 
conjunction with introducing refinements to the colored diamond  color 
grading  system,  GIA  GTL also looked closely at the way in which the 
information was presented  on  our  reports.           To  accommodate 
additional  information,  increase security, and align the look of the 
reports more closely to that of the benchmark Diamond Grading  Report, 
new  formats  have been developed. First, the new reports will include 
both a GIA GTL hologram, and a GIA "screen" (that  is,  "GIA"  printed 
repeatedly  in  very  light  type)  under  the report entries as added 
measures of security. The reports will have information  listed  in  a 
"tabular"  format  like that of the Diamond Grading Report. Finally, a 
graphic illustration will show the interrelationship of GIA GTL  Fancy 
grades,  and the mastheads have a new look.          Arrangements will 
be made to facilitate the transition to the  revised  report  formats. 
The  specifics  of this program will be made available to the trade in 
the near future. 
 
from steve 
 
would people like me to post future report similar to these? 
 
-- 
Stephen Kilnisan - Traders of Babylon - Fine Jewelers to the Internet and
Web - Diamonds and Gemstones at wholesale prices - Diamonds of all
shapes,sizes,colors and cuts with GIA certificates - All sorts of
Gemstones, fine quality and unusual - Ancient engraved gems from 3000 B.C.
to 1000 A.D.- Antiquities and Ancient coins loose or incorporated in
handcrafted designs - 47th Street N.Y.C. location,the Diamond & Gemstone
Capital of the World - call 212-221-1145 or email [email-masked] or
come visit us at the National Jewelers Exchange,4 West 47th Str.,Booths 65
& 66