It's been an incredible experience to travel around Thailand the last week or two and Melanie and I have learned a lot.  For one, if they don't know your face you will get tourist prices no matter how well you can say "Keem me mai?" or "Do you have a tweezer?" or how well you handle that tweezer once it is in hand.  I expect to make more visits to Mae Sai before I am afforded the status of "dealer" prices and I did not get discouraged.  The fact that the Mong Hsu mine is so very close makes no difference!  The fact that I can not legally export Burmese ruby does not let me off the hook, and my lovely fiancee expects one for her finger!  No diamond for her.  Note the blue in the pile of rough above- heat fixes that and leaves a magnificent red behind.  The variety of stones in Mae Sai is impressive- from Australian boulder opal to maw-sit-sit carvings to gorgeous spinel crystals in white marble matrix.  The Chinese freshwater pearls continue to impress with the advances in quality to the point that I fear for the future of Akoyas.  Some of them are literally that spherical, that lustrous, and that flawless.  You will see some of these items in my eBay listings in the coming weeks.  I was coveting the jade bangles but that is a no-no so I do have some beautiful maw-sit-sit, granite, and carnelian bangles that will be on offer- at least the ones that do not become Christmas gifts.  Jeesh- am I the only gemologist is the family???

I doubt that we need to see pictures of sick kids or deformed beggars to gather up a little bit of help for Burma.  The Tom Lantos Block Jade Act is hurting the Burmese- badly.  Trust me that I did not have to wander long or hire a driver to seek out dirty streets of empty storefronts and vendors selling nearly worthless junk for prices that will not improve their lifestyle but will only preserve their life.  We may see a change in U.S. policy, but until we do there are organizations that are not struggling to meet the needs of the Burmese- the struggle has past.  They are turning needy people away where they used to provide medical care, food, and shelter.  If you can afford even $10, please immediately make a contribution to the Mae Tao Clinic:

Please give today if possible

This is some really gorgeous material that I bought direct from a miner in Bangkok who has his rough cut in Indonesia.  The quality is great and the prices are low.  The piece shown here is 5.92 carats and loaded with color in beautiful veins.  This is a durable, hard precious opal that is taking the collecting world by storm- let's just  hope the supply holds out!  I think $10 per carat is more than fair for such a stone, and you get the security of registered mail for an additional $7.50.  Note that this stone is untreated- it is formed inside a hematite "nut" (that's just a nickname as it is really iron) and once it is broken open and slabbed to reveal the color it is simply polished like a cabochon.