>7son,
>Where do you get this information?
Bruce, first of all the TGX website:
truenorthgems.com
Worldwide annual ruby sales account for a US$1 billion industry
I would put a fair amount of trust in TGX on that -- they have the best gemstone expertise in Canada available to them, IMO.
Another site -- an online news journal on Thailand and South-east Asia (note that this is the centre of the world's ruby gem industry -- if anyone knows the ruby business one would think that it people in that region):
irrawaddy.org
World ruby production amounts to about 15 million carats of polished stones a year, with the total value of those stones at about US $2 billion.
Here are some of TGX's staff, in case you don't think they know what they're talking about regarding the world gemstone market --
William Rohtert, M.Sc., GG.
Position: Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Rohtert is an internationally renowned economic geologist and graduate gemologist.
Originally educated in Earth Science at UCLA, he went on to complete his graduate studies at the University of Colorado. Mr. Rohtert has advanced training in gemology from the Gemological Institute of America.
Mr. Rohtert has managed multi-commodity exploration campaigns covering vast regions of remote terrain throughout the world. Since 1989, the focus of his activities has been the mining, manufacturing and marketing of diamonds and coloured gemstones. He has worked extensively in the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Brazil, Laos, Thailand and Russia.
Mr. Rohtert's contribution to True North Gems is three core areas: the management of their initiatives in gemstone manufacturing and marketing, the evaluation and cultivation of acquisition opportunities and strategies for corporate growth and business development.
Brad Wilson, M.Sc.,F.C.GM.A
Position:Technical Advisor
Mr. Wilson has been actively involved in the mineral exploration industry since 1978. After completing his M.Sc. in economic geology from Carlton University in 1987, Mr. Wilson has been focused on the exploration and evaluation of North American gemstone prospects. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Gemology Association and has published several papers on Canadian gemstones.
Mr. Wilson brings the experience of being a gemcutter, gemmologist and geologist to the group. In addition he has spent many field seasons prospecting specifically for gemstones.
Mr. Wilson is the owner and operator of Alpine Gems and has been importing rough gemstones, cutting gems and marketing the finished products to jewelers, museums and collectors. He is also a principal of Coast to Coast Rare Stones International, a coloured gemstone company with four offices, one in Kingston Ontario, Nashua, New Hampshire, Martville, New York and Missoula, Montana specializing in rare, soft and collector gemstones.
Mr. Nicholas Houghton, A.G. (C.I.G.),
Position: Director
Mr. Houghton is an accredited Gemmologist with 30 years of experience in jewellery manufacturing, design, and marketing. He has worked in both retail and wholesale markets for diamonds and coloured stones, and also brings a wealth of expertise in design work and marketing to True North. Mr. Houghton is currently the President of Cadiam Investments Ltd., a Vancouver-based polished gemstone marketing company
As for synthetics, you might conclude otherwise, but I don't think that the statements made about ruby market include or are referring to them. Rubies and sapphires are the best selling stones in the world behind diamonds -- why do you assume that the market for them is small, or that unlike diamonds people are spending their money on synthetics instead? Rubies as synthetics cost almost nothing to make and sell for about the same wholesale. |
