| Lots of retailers sell jewelry, but you don't often | | | | trade is that gems are mined and cut and polished |
| see the sign "Colored Gemstones For Sale." That's | | | | in far flung regions of the world. So if you want |
| because the loose gemstone business is a rather | | | | to be a gemstone dealer, North America or |
| specialized one. Most of the people who buy loose | | | | Europe is not the best place to be. Indeed, |
| gemstones are either gems dealers themselves | | | | American buyers have to wait for the annual |
| or jewelry designers. There aren't enough | | | | Tucson gem show for dealers from all over the |
| gemstone collectors or aficionados in most places | | | | world to bring their goods to the USA. |
| to justify a gemstone store at your local shopping | | | | The main cutting centers for colored gemstones |
| mall. | | | | are in Thailand and India. Since Thailand has better |
| There are actually a large number of gemstone | | | | infrastructure, it has some advantages as a |
| buyers, but they are distributed all over the world. | | | | trading and manufacturing center. Thailand has the |
| So successful gemstone dealers have learned to | | | | the good luck to be located next to Burma, the |
| reach the market via the internet. Recently we've | | | | source of some of the finest ruby, sapphire and |
| seen attempts to use television shopping channels | | | | spinel; and next to Cambodia, the source of some |
| as well to reach consumers, but it is too soon to | | | | of the finest zircon. Thailand has also become an |
| say if any companies can survive doing that, | | | | important trading center for African gems such |
| given the very high marketing costs. | | | | as tourmaline, tsavorite garnet, tanzanite and |
| One of the challenges of the colored gemstone | | | | spessartite garnet. |