A gem dealer's journal

Hey Loungers,   Been a while since our last interview came in. Sorry about that, we got busy with your jewelry and other gem hunts. Nevertheless, I think today’s interview will be a treat! The interview that we promised for so long about gem cutting is finally in and we have none other than Nomad’s Josh Saltzman to talk to us about it! Buckle up and enjoy the show guys!   Photo of Josh Saltzman in the Nomad's Bangkok office.  Photo Credit: Prangpak Ruahong and Maria Arkhipova   Asia Lounges: Hi Josh, thanks for accepting Asia Lounges' invitation today and to...

Hi Loungers,  With "Journey through the Rough: The Making of a Gem" we discovered the very first step of the jewelry making process. Today, we'll see what happens when you contact the Creation Lounge in order to turn your dream piece of jewelry into a reality. To this end we will follow Lotus Gemology's Billie Hughes' journey with our team. Traditionally, there are two ways to start a jewelry project (either designing the piece of jewelry around a gem or, finding the gem that goes with a specific design). This time around, Billie asked us to come up with a design that would highlight her gemstones in...

Dear Loungers,  Today's post is one I have been wanting to go through for some time: The making of a Gem. How do Mother Earth's finest treasures turn into lovely gems? While not being a cutter myself, I have recently indulged in purchasing rough and proceeded to have it faceted into the gems that make our heart sing! While I wish I could be exploring with you the cutting process of every single gems we are purchasing at Asia Lounges, I decided to guide you through one of them: this lovely Green Tea Tourmaline!  First came the Rough and with...

Dear Loungers,  In today's interview we welcome Gonzague Zurstrassen who will be our guide into the jewelry world. We will explore the jewelry making process and what may be going through the creative minds of our favorite designers! Buckle up!   Asia Lounges: First of all, thank you Gonzague for meeting us today. Tell us who you are? What is your Background? Gonzague Zurstrassen: I m a Belgian national passionate about gemstones and art in general, after graduating in 1996 from the Hoge Raad of diamant  in Antwerp (H.R.D) I meet Fred Mouawad in Geneva, Switzerland and moved to Bangkok where he...

Loungers, We are pleased to re- introduce you to our favorite gemologist, E. Billie Hughes but this time, we invite her not as the lab gemologist but as the multiple photography award winner. Today, days after being awarded the title of best photomicrographer of 2016 by the Gemological Association of Great Britain (Aka Gem-A), Billie is back with us for an interview on her favorite topic: Photomicrography!    Excuse me while I pierce the sky -By E. Billie Hughes (Award Winning shot of the 2016 Gem-A photomicrography contest)   AsiaLounges: Hi Billie. I'd like to extend our congratulations to you for...