November 2018 Program Information
November 2018 Program
Our presenter was Richard Wise, who wrote Secrets of the Gem Trade (www.secretsofthegemtrade.com).He and his wife Rebecca recently moved to Charlottesville from Lennox, MA. He has traveled extensively around the world collecting and studying gems.
As a dealer himself, he wanted to learn how tradesmen qualify the value of gems to determine price, but was not given much information - so he decided to educate himself. After many years of studying and experimenting, he wrote several articles and this book to share his knowledge.
Richard explained that he uses a “4C” process – color, cut, clarity, and crystal (this is his preferred value, as tradesmen use carat as their fourth C).
Richard went into detail about each of these identifiers, and showed photographs of minerals that matched each category.
For color, he used a graph showing the saturation point of various hues that compared the values to primary colors, the type and light source, and % of white to black within the stone.
Clarity compares the “eye” value to a 10X loupe value.
Cut is the only determination that depends on human design by cutting the gem to reflect and refract light as it passes through the gem.
To determine the crystal quality, one must compare samples of the same stone type, moving it back and forth under light to determine the transparency (light return to the eye) and the mosaic of color.
We were impressed with the suggestions Richard gave us and were awed by many of the photos he showed us – especially the Mdivani-Hutton jade, valued at $27.44 million!
He explained that the best way to judge gems is to study only one type at a time, especially if visiting large gem shows where the tendency is to “see them all”.
The buyer must be aware of “enhanced” specimens that have been heated, dyed, oiled, or lab-created.
Of course, price and personal preference are usually the deciding factors! 
Richard maintains a blog with many interesting articles and posts here:
http://secretsofthegemtrade.com/blog/
Recent posts include:
- The Arcane World of High Priced Gems
- A Meditation on Cultured Pearls; Part Three
- 11 Facts to Know Before Buying an Engagement Ring
Recommended!
He also has sample chapters of his book available to read:
Preface
Chapter 1
Chapter 19
Additionally, Richard has written a historical novel called The French Blue, which gives the back story of the Hope Diamond. It won a 2011 International Book Award in Historical Fiction. A Kindle sample is available at the included link.
We thank Richard and Rebecca for taking the time to visit and share with us.