From NGI to GIA

Many people ask about becoming a Graduate Gemologist (G.G.) through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the foremost school for gemology in the industry and creators of most of the gemological systems used in the trade today. Whether studying in residence at GIA’s Carlsbad California campus or through correspondence while staying at home, the processes of diamond grading and gemstone identification with hand’s on training at NGI will set you up for success.
Just ask Audrey Forrest, newly
anointed G.G. and former NGI intern– now employed here, assisting in our gemology classes and at the lab, while learning the processes of appraising fine jewelry. As an NGI student, Audrey exercised our offer of studying for the GIA courses using our school equipment. Already knowing the fundamentals, she cruised through her studies with near-perfect scores, becoming a
G.G. in well under a year while employed locally by Mill Creek Jewelers.
Over the years, several NGI graduates have gone one to become G.G.’s and found little trouble with the GIA curriculum because they had already learned the tough stuff right here at NGI!
For a small investment, you will gain confidence in the examination of diamonds, their treatments and substitutes and learn to use gem ID equipment such as the refractometer, polariscope, dichroscope, specific gravity liquids and, of course, the microscope. Even if you do not wish to become a G.G., an NGI education pays big dividends for both those in industry and consumers.

Pssst...Wanna buy a loupe?

Did you know that we sell basic gemological stuff, like jeweler’s loupes, tweezers and books? Recently, we found great buys on some other things and would like to share them with you now. All purchases are at our lab in Bellevue, WA with applicable sales tax.
Colorful Jeweler’s Loupes
10X corrected loupes are available in exotic colors such as Mocha Brown (a Seattle favorite), Lapis Blue, Emerald Green and Hot Pink. Of course, basic black is always in fashion: $25 plus tax. We also have a 20X loupe at $27.50.


Ultrasonic Cleaner Kit
A real ultrasonic cleaner with stainless steel tank, 42,000 oscillations per second and included industrial strength solution. We also throw in a jeweler’s rouge cloth for a finishing touch.
The complete kit is only $69.95 plus tax.



Metals Gram Scale
Accurate to 0.1grams or pennyweights. Also measures ounces (to 0.001) and carats (0.1). Fits in a shirt pocket. $59.95 plus tax


We also have a limited number of books available

Tucson Review

Each year, I take a small number of my gem students (see Ted’s Tucson Tour NGI/ school section) to the world’s biggest gem and mineral show in Tucson, Arizona early February. This year our contingent researched gem prices, bought a little (some a lot) and made future contacts.
What’s Hot? After many years of speculation, Tanzanite has finally gotten a more solid base price - not as much from new material but the selling off of old stones at firmer prices. The future should be interesting, what with a push for more localized production, selling though a cartel style arrangement and price ”augmentation” to stratify the production into a wider range of qualities– we’ll see. And as prices for the best material approaches that of decent blue sapphire, why would one want a brittle, heat induced zoisite instead of durable sapphire, anyway? Maybe I will do an article on the tanzanite hype, next time.
Pink stuff is hotter than ever. Sapphires, tourmaline, topaz, spinel, etc. are still trendy. Last year’s Be-diffusion scare on sapphires seems to have subsided, but bear in mind it can take a pink sapphire to a 1/10th its apparent value. Be – ware. (Be means beryllium treatment, a diffusion process that induces color at a nearly undetectable rate and has made orange sapphire almost un-saleable). Because other colors can also be created the endorsement of
un-treated gems has gained increased marketability.
Pearls are more stable this year, with better management of Tahitian production and marketing, more controlled Chinese production and sale and higher end products available. Interesting multi-color strands of mixed regions (Tahitian, South Sea, Philippine, etc.) were more prevalent. Some had natural and treated colors and a few were guaranteed to be of natural coloration.
Next year’s Tucson class roster is already filling, and with the right gem course prerequisites, you could join us.

Lab notes...tales from the Lab-or-a-tory

Every hundred bridal sets or so, we get to appraise something really different. Here
are a few of the more interesting items encountered at the lab recently. 1) Opals. Lovely
black opals within an Art Nouveau necklace with pique-a-jour enamel and diamonds. A
magnificent piece of art. Unfortunately, some of the opals were crazed - meaning light
fractures within the stones - took away nearly all of their value. While those opals did not
contribute to the overall value, the piece was still worthy of significant auction interest. Apparently,
long storage in a safety deposit box was the culprit. 2) Synthetic Diamonds. Occasionally, a client brings in an item without prior information. Sometimes that brings about red flags. Especiallywhen the item happens to be a green diamond. Add a yellow one and a colorless one—all small stones, and our firstthought was either a collector with new specimens, or synthetics . With the colored diamonds being flawless, we got suspicious. When the colorless diamond showed black metallic looking characteristics, we were certain. When confronted, the client confessed we are viewing synthetics. She was a business reporter doing an article on a new synthetic diamond process. Her article highly quoted G.I.A. director Bill Boyajjan and noted the lab that detected the synthetics- us.
3) Pretty Big Diamond. Yeah, I know I speak flippantly of diamonds as merely crystallized carbon, maybe because I grade so many every day. We in the Seattle area do get the occasional big diamond (that would be over ten carats) and even I get impressed. A recent entry pegged in at our largest in a while at 11.45 carats. We placed the value at about 200G’s (the resale/wholesale gap gets very narrow at this level) and it was put up for an E-trade auction. Happy bidding.