Coyote Gold

What a lovely arm pit in the middle of Australia. This is where we get much of our gold for use in jewelry and electronics. This Coyote gold pit is producing tons of gold and the tailings are producing a headache for the Tjurabalan People whose land it sits. The amount of gold gets richer the farther the pit deepens. Would make one heck of a swimming pool when the pit is spent whcih could be many many years from now.

Tanzanite Market is Blue

The cobalt coating of the tanzanite produced an iridescence that can be seen when observing the stone’s surface in reflected light. The rectangular area near the point of this facet also highlights an area on the tanzanite where the coating did not adhere.

The folks at Sterling Canyon continue to see things that boggles our minds. The new item of interest is the report that poor quality Tanzanite is being enhanced by essentially being given a dye job to enhance its natural blue color. The only way of detecting this falsetto is to look at it under a magnifier. If you're just looking to buy something that only impresses the untrained eye, go for it.  But be cautious.  Cheap dye jobs can rub off on clothing, especially if you're sweating.   If you're looking for true blue Tanzanite, stick with Sterling Canyon or other reputable dealers.

Blue-Blue Topaz

It seems that there is fake Topaz circulating amongst the unsuspected. Sterling Canyon doesn't deal with Topaz but plans to soon.  Now the Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires all Blue Topaz to be irradiated to test for authenticity. If the Blue Topaz does not have the NRC certification, don't buy it! Actually non-certified Topaz will be illegal to sell in the U.S. This new regulation went into effect November 30, 2007. The retailers have had plenty of time to clean out their stock of artificial Topaz.  However, if you are in the position to buy a blue Topaz necklace or ring, it might be a good idea to ask the jeweler for certification.

Koodoos for the Feds.

Nevada Gold!

There's gold in them thar hills. Actually in them thar desert scrub. Golden Cycle Gold Corp is pursuing rich veins of gold in the Nevada countryside. This mine pictured above cannot be seen from the highway. Don't want to destroy the beautiful Nevada scenery now do we? They also have gold mines in Cripple Creek and the Philippines. Sterling Canyon does not deal in gold jewelry for the reason of price. Looks like the gold industry is doing well as long as the price per ounce remains above $900.00/ounce. Watch out for the cheap jewelry. Gold jewelry should be expensive at these prices. If it's not, it's not real gold.

Grand Canyon being protected from mining....

Efforts to protect the area surrounding the Grand Canyon from uranium mines got a shot in the arm recently with proposed legislation in the U.S. Congress. According to the Arizona Daily Sun newspaper, more than 1 million acres will be made off limits to mining interests in a Bill introduced in the House by U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson. Leave it to the democrats to protect our environment and preserve our natural national treasures. Thousands of claims have been made in the Tusayan National Forest surrounding the Canyon but have yet to be processed. Hopefully this Bill pending in Congress will run these miners out of the area for good. A similar Bill passed protecting a smaller area in New Mexico and is working well. It appears that the Obama administration is keen to the needs of our environment and is all out to protect what Bush and company was out to destroy. Write the congressman and support this Bill. We'll keep you posted on this developing story.

Diamonds are a Girl's...

Diamonds are a girl's best friend but after this weekend that friendship may develop a few cracks in it. It was reported in newspapers today that DeBeers diamond company had lost a class-action lawsuit resulting in a $295 million payout. Anyone who had purchased a diamond from 1994 and 2006 will receive a rebate. Depending on how many people file for claims, that amount could be between a few thousand dollars to 2 bucks. It seems that DeBeers, which controls 40% of the world diamond market is guilty of price fixing and monopoly practices. And it doesn't matter whether you purchased your rock at Van Cleef & Arpels of Beverly Hills or the local Walmart (I didn't know Walmart sold diamonds), if you have a receipt proving the date of purchase and price, and file before May 19th by visiting the website http://www.diamondsclassaction.com/, your rebate can be in hand before the end of the year. It seems that greed propagates greed, but don't despair, your best friend will always be by your side.

Tanzanite Blues

Just a quick note about Tanzanite, the beautiful blue stones are mined only from Tanzania.  

Tanzanite is mined in primative mine shafts, some as deep as 1000 feet. In 1998, flooding rains poured into those shafts and killed 160 miners. Since then, the government has taken safeguards to minimize this from happening again. The full fascinating story is found at www.gemsplusg.com/. Typical mine and typical workers. But boy what beautiful gems.

Gemstones - Greenside

Buying gemstone jewelry from your local jewelry store or online like Stcanyon.com may be a best bet if you're environmentally conscious about the source of the stones. However, National Geographic is reporting that where those gemstones originate makes a big difference for the environment. Think of China with its poor human rights and environmental records. Think of Brazil and their destruction of the rain forests. Now think of countries that are more friendly to the environment; like Kenya, Madagascar, Israel, India, Belgium and South Africa. These countries are not perfect when protecting the environment. But there positive actions are noticed on the world stage. According to N.G. your conscious would fair well buying gemstones that originated from these sources. Check the jewelry store you're buying from. If they can't tell you where the gemstones originated, don't buy them. The store may be ashamed to tell you.  Or worse yet, they may lie.  Case in point - Macy's.

Andean Hematite Mine

Along the southern Pacific coast of Peru, archeologists have discovered a 2,000 year old iron or Hematite mine. The mine sits on the face of a mountain ridge and is in the area where the Nazca peoples lived, pre-dating the Incas. Remember the Nazca, the people who created the carvings on the Nazca Plain made famous by the silly books of Erik Von Daniken? Hematite was used by the Nazca as red pigment dyes on textiles and body paint. According to Kevin J. Vaughn, an anthropologist at Purdue University who reported the find to National Geographic, they did not make tools or spaceships out of the ore. Modern uses of Hematite include everything from spaceships to jewelry, although our spaceships are not used for drawing animal figures on a plain. The mine, named Mina Primavera, also contained other artifacts like corn cobs, pottery shards, and stone tools. These items linked the Nazca peoples to the site.