AZGem Gems
November, 2007
 
The World's Most Useful
Gem & Jewelry Monthly Newsletter
Written by Carolyn Doyle for customers of
The Dorado Company
and other visitors to the
azgem.com website who subscribe.
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Usable Gems... and a little opinion.
Burma Gem Boycott
Burma gem boycott is gaining momentum - or similar
words, are the headline for many current gem and jewelry industry news stories.
The (Myanmar) Burma gem boycott effort is a direct result
of the recent Myanmar government's killing of Buddhist monks and other
pro-democracy demonstrators.
The World Jewellery
Confederation (CIBJO), is among the latest groups and organization to condemn
the repression of human rights in Burma.
This week the CIBJO Presidents Council issued
a statement that vigorously condemns the ruling party for its human rights
abuses. The Presidents Council also calls on members of CIBJO’s member
organizations to refrain from purchasing gemstones from the Myanmar
government.
The statement text is reprinted here:
CIBJO deplores the violent repression of
individuals, human rights and democracy in Burma and fully supports the UN Human
Rights Council Resolution S-5/1: “Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar” of
October 2nd 2007. CIBJO also fully supports the UN Security Council
statement of October 11th 2007.
CIBJO reminds its members of their
commitments to abiding with the CIBJO Code of Ethics, with current particular
regard to the situation in Burma.
CIBJO advises its member associations to
urge their members to seek information from their suppliers as to whether
gemstones have originated from Burma and to consider seriously refraining from
purchasing any Burmese gemstones until such time as the United Nations indicate
that the process of democratic reform has started in Burma.
CIBJO further advises its member
associations to urge their members not to purchase gemstones directly from the
Myanmar Junta Government.
CIBJO President’s Council
Many leading gem and jewelry businesses are supporting the effort,
including most gem dealers and jewelers Cartier, Bulgari, and Tiffany & Co.
Recently the industry organization Jewelers of America
sent a letter to its 11,000 members requesting their
participation in an industry-initiated moratorium on selling
any gems known or suspected to have been mined in Burma.
Experience with "blood diamonds"
tells us that consumers will join the boycott as the effort is publicized.
Burma has been the preferred source for rubies for
many years. It has also been a major source for jade, spinel,
and sapphire.
That will change with this boycott... and Burma may never
regain a dominant position in the world as the preferred source
for ruby and jade.
There are other sources for ruby in south Asia
and other world locations. A ruby-bearing geologic feature runs from
Afghanistan to Vietnam, so ruby production should increase in
several locations along this belt.
Ruby deposits in Madagascar and a few African
countries also produce gem quality stones.
Gem dealers and jewelers are now beginning to
require certification of origin to verify where the gems they
are buying are actually from. This safeguard will drastically
reduce the smuggling of Burmese gems to other countries, and
then to be sold on the world market.
Those dealers and cutters buying gems along the
Thai-Myanmar border are presumably threatened with extinction
if they do not adapt quickly by moving their operations to
neighboring countries.
I would think these people and the communist
governments of the world are the only ones opposing the
boycott.
Editorial
Note: Instantly Wrong! The
paragraph above was written on 10/26/2007. On that same day,
the International Colored Gemstone Association issued a
statement "condemning the human rights abuses of
government protestors in Burma (Myanmar), but also cautioning
the jewelry industry from imposing a systematic ban of Burmese
gems."
We source few gems from
Burma, and we will decline to sell the ones we have during the
boycott (presumably several years). Most of our ruby and other gems come from Madagascar
and Sri Lanka.
To inquire about loose colored gems, finished jewelry, or
loose accent stones just send
me an email
to tell me what you want.
|
|
Click on the box...
and have Google start putting money in your bank account! |
burma gem boycott is a keyword search phrase that returns a number of
internet listings and ads with additional information and photos from
Google.
Gem Industry News...
World Jewelry Center
This past May when we attended the
Las Vegas Gem and Jewelry Shows, we stayed at a downtown hotel.
We had never seen the downtown area, and Freemont Street and we
were curious.
This hotel (and casino, of course) is located across the
street from Freemont Street with its huge covered walkway and
light show. The photo below shows the Fremont Street canopy as
seen from my hotel room.
The several casinos located along this walkway have
"older Las Vegas" character, and the light show is
interesting and worth seeing. I am glad we had the
experience.
But what I found equally interesting is the land behind the
hotel. I am informed this land was a railroad yard. It is now
being redeveloped as a business center. One of the planned high
rise building to be located here will be the World Jewelry
Center. This center is being touted as a new world class home
for gem and jewelry industry heavyweights.
We will talk more about the World Jewelry Center next month.
~~~
Now, on a completely different note... I received this email
note today:
When you are making out your Christmas card list
this year,
please include the following:
A
Recovering American Soldier
c/o
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900
Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C...
20307-5001
If you approve of the idea, please pass it on to your
e-mail list.
Jewelry
Dealers
Now is the time to begin implementing your holiday marketing
plan. Your plan should be fully implemented before
Thanksgiving.
Your plan should be updated and refined, based on
factors such as last year's experience, current trends, and the
higher price of gold.
If you do not have a plan, you should begin to develop a
plan now!
 |
Do you have a theme? |
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Will you promote a particular gem or piece of jewelry? |
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Is your email list fresh? |
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How will you contact your customers to remind them to
start thinking about their gift giving? |
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Will you be contacting customers individually? |
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Will you have an event (showing) with individual followup? |
Your customers are your business. Treat them well.
Jewelry
Dealers Program
Do you enjoy jewelry and gems?
Do you enjoy talking with friends and co-workers?
Could you use an extra income source?
Take a look at our great
Jewelry
Dealers Program.
Carolyn Doyle
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