JTV Blog

Pearls, Color Gemstones and More as the JTV World Tour Takes You to Hong Kong

Beginning Thursday, March 24th, Jewelry Television makes its next stop on the 2011 JTV World Tour, Hong Kong! This exciting destination hosts some of the top Gemstone and Jewelry Shows every year and JTV makes every effort to send our seasoned gemstone and jewelry buyers to these can't-miss events. See some of our behind-the-scenes photos on our facebook page at facebook.com/jewelrytelevision to get a feel for the hustle and bustle of the show, as well as the sheer majesty of the historical trade port that is Hong Kong. And tune in to Jewelry Television, watch jtv.com/live, or watch us on your mobile phone, to own a piece of the Hong Kong gemstone and jewelry trade. We'll bring you incredible JTV-only deals on loose pearls and color gemstones, or if you prefer, buy them already set into rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets or pendants. The choice is yours during the 2011 JTV World Tour! - Dana Sebby, JTV.com Online Community Manager

JTV Weekend Update: Gemstones from Thailand, Spring Romantics Jewelry, and Bajidoo

Jewelry Television and jtv.com have so much in store for you this weekend I decided I had better put a quick weekend update out on the blog! We're deep into the JTV World Tour and there will be loads of precious sapphire, zircon and more from Thailand available at incredible JTV prices.

Jewelry lovers, we have the easiest, breeziest necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings that go perfectly with the JTV Spring Romantics trend. Feminine is in! Lace, soft pastels, muted prints, and ruffles are all great this season. Check out our New Romantics collection of jewelry at JTV.com. Think: layers of peal strands, drop earrings, and rings in a flower motif. 

And lastly...got Bajidoo? Watch the video below and find out why Jewel School by JTV is so excited about the upcoming show on Sunday, March 20th at 9:00am Eastern Time. You won't want to miss the JTV special offers over the weekend on gemstones and jewelry and jewelry making supplies. - Dana Sebby, JTV.com Online Community Manager

 

Beautiful Sapphire Encrusted Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception: JTV World Tour Thailand

JTV World Tour Thailand: JTV Buyer Choi Visits the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Inside The Chanthaburi Gem Market in Thailand

As the JTV World Tour heads to Thailand this week, Choi from our Bangkok buying team wanted to share some beautiful imagery from Chanthaburi, one of the world’s most important gemstone trading centers. Chanthaburi’s famous Gem Market has a stately Catholic Cathedral that is now a little over 100 years old, known as the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and is Thailand’s largest Catholic church.

At the end of 2010, the Church became home to a beautiful stature of the Virgin Mary which is studded with all precious gemstones. Taking more than a year to complete, the statue is crafted from gold and silver and is studded with over 200,000 gems!

The statue was gifted to the church by the Chanthaburi Christian gem dealers and goldsmiths community. Once completed, it was carried to the church in a river boat procession across the Chanthaburi waters before being placed in its present position.  JTV Gemstone Buyer, Choi, tells us he was very humbled to witness the arrival of the statue to the Cathedral.

 The Statue was not only constructed for religious reasons: it was also made to represent Chanthaburi as a world leader in the gemstone trade, and processing of sapphires, rubies, spinel and other exotic gems from around the world. The Virgin Mary stands tall on the globe beneath her feet. The gems used to complete the statue are primarily sapphires from Songea (in Tanzania), Thailand and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The statue stands 120 centimeters in height, which is almost 4 feet.

Thailand is a land of many beautiful gemstone creations. Join JTV as we bring you sapphire, spinel, ruby and more from this enchanting stop on the 2011 JTV World Tour.

 

 

 

JTV World Tour: Thailand, Global Trade Center for the Gemstone Industry

Join JTV as we bring you gemstones and jewelry from Thailand, one of the world's most prolific centers for the gemstone trade.  Watch Jewelry Television beginning on Thursday, March 17th through Sunday, March 20th, for the best deals in incredible gemstones from Thailand. JTV Vice President of Merchandising, Dan Chase, shares some of his amazing photos and memories from his time in this city of wonders. Like Jewelry Television on facebook to see our exclusive behind-the-scenes photos of our buyers' time in this exotic location.  Enjoy! - Dana Sebby, JTV.com Online Community Manager

From Dan:

This brilliant gold statue on the left represents Buddha as a young man.  This statue is located in a magical area housing the “Wat (Thai word for Temple) Phrathat Doi Suthep” in the Northern part of Thailand near the city of Chiang Mai.  The statue is positioned in front of a portion of the temple known as a “chedi” or “stupa”, where “Buddha’s relics” would be kept.  The flowers you see are fresh and have a strong floral aroma, which combined with the scenery and almost haunting silence will make this place somewhere I will never forget.  Nearby, there were Monk’s blessing the visitors, tying a string around each visitor’s wrist.  The string is a reminder of the blessing.

 

This vibrant orchid is one of the many varieties you will find growing wild in Thailand.  They are everywhere, and amazing in their vast array of colors and sizes. 

  A perfect example of the artisan skill from the people of Thailand - this tree trunk tells a rich story in its hand carved glory.  I found this on the grounds of the Bhubing Palace near Chiang Mai in the mountains of Northern Thailand.  This Palace was built for the Thai Royal family 50 years ago.  Queen Sirikit keeps a spectacular Rose Garden near this piece of art.  You will notice elephants as a main focal point in the carving.  Elephants (or “Chang” in Thai), hold a very special place in the hearts of the people of Thailand.

Stay tuned to Jewelry Television and JTV.com for the latest gemstone and jewelry deals brought to you on the JTV World Tour!

 

JTV World Tour South America Gemstones and Spring Jewelry Trends, This Weekend on JTV!

There's tons of fun in store for you this weekend on JTV. There's something for gemstone and jewelry enthusiasts alike.

Gemstone lovers, you won't want to miss the South American gemstones we'll be bringing to you at incredible savings on the JTV World Tour! Ever wanted to own a Colombian emerald, fire opal, or tourmaline "by the slice"? Now's your chance to do so--and to do it at JTV's unbeatable prices.

Love gemstones, but prefer to wear the finished product (jewelry)? You know we have something special in store for you, too. After all, we're not called "Jewelry Television" for nothing! Peruse the JTV Spring Catalog here. Check out the new jewelry that has arrived just in time for our Spring Jewelry Event , Spring Unique!

Colombian Emeralds Available at JTV During the JTV World Tour: South America

Colombian Emeralds at JTV Have Us Thinking Green Just in Time for Saint Patty's Day!

The following is an excerpt from a Colombian emerald Market Report by Shawn O'Sullivan, Senior Gemstone Buyer for JTV: This year has started off with very strong sales reported from three big Gem and Jewelry Shows: Tucson, Bangkok, and Hong Kong. Most vendors are excited about the upbeat feeling in the market, but also expressed their concerns about the gem shortages.

One gem whose presence was severly missed at the shows is Colombian emeralds. One of the most renowned mines in Colombia, the Muzo Mine, was recently bought into by a major US company. Production seems to be down and prices are up...approximately 30%+, especially for better goods. Most Emerald production in the Colombian market is what I would call "thin" meaning that the goods are consumed as soon as they are cut. There does not seem to be large reserves stockpiled for slow periods of production. (The photo on the right is of JTV Senior Gem Buyer, George Williams, during an emerald buy.)

When we asked Shawn (pictured left) what all of this means for the JTV customer who wants Colombian emeralds, he responded: "This is where a blending of knowledge, experience and a wee bit o' luck helps tons. The relationships with key vendors we have built over the years keeps us up to speed on the market conditions, as well as giving us the best buying opportunities. So even though the emeralds are hard to come by in the market at this particular time, JTV has some of the finest collections of Colombian Emeralds we have had in some time available for our customers...even some that are calibrated in size!!! JTV customers will be thrilled with the quality of these green beauties...well cut, crystaline, and full of life...and very affordable! These are a must see!!!" Look for great opportunities to own Colombian emeralds during the JTV World Tour: South America event, all weekend long on Jewelry Television and JTV.com.

 

South American Gemstones (Emerald, Amethyst, Citrine, Fire Opal) on the JTV World Tour: South America

Join Jewelry Television and JTV.com as we take you to South America, the sixth stop on the 2011 JTV World Tour! As the fourth largest continent in the world, South America has plenty of places to grow gorgeous gemstones such as emerald, amethyst, citrine and fire opal, to name just a few. Tune in to the Jewelry Television broadcast--or watch JTV live online--beginning on Thursday, March 10th, as we bring you some of the finest examples of South American gemstones and the exquisite jewelry made from them.

There are so many ways to JTV! Remember, you can shop all of the destinations on the JTV World Tour at jtv.com/worldtour. Another fun way to get a great deal is to visit our auction site, jtvauctions.com, as they are featuring several auctions on gemstones and jewelry that coincide with our World Tour. View our JTV World Tour Videos on youtube.com/jewelrytelevision. To view behind-the-scene photos of the JTV World Tour like us on facebook at facebook.com/jewelrytelevision. Enjoy! - Dana Sebby, JTV.com Community Manager

 

Demantoid Garnet and Sphene from Madagascar: JTV World Tour

Update on Sphene and Demantoid Garnet from Madagascar Market by JTV Senior Gemstone Buyer, Jay Boyle

From Jay: Two rare gemstones that we had a good run of product have reportedly dried up. Starting about 18 months ago, sphene (pictured left) and demantoid garnet (pictured below) flowed from new finds in Madagascar. As is the case with all all new finds (when the supply is at its heaviest), many of us lapsed into thinking that these gems will always be available. Wrong!  Availability for both of these rare gemstones has stopped. The new finds have been played out and now find ourselves back to the way it was during the last 30 years--no sphene, no demantoid from Madagascar.
 
We had planned to buy more sphene and demantoid from the "new productions" mentioned above at Tucson, but several key suppliers who buy this rough there reported the same lack of supply that we are seeing. It was fun while it lasted, and at JTV we have had some great quality sphene and demantoid garnet from Madagascar--really the best we have seen for years. But it’s over. These rare gemstones go back to being super rare until--and IF--there is another find somewhere. But we know they aren’t finding them in Madagascar at this time. Shop the JTV World Tour today. for your chance to own sphene and demantoid garnet while we still have it available.

JTV World Tour: Madagascar Aquamarine, Apatite, Sphene, Tourmaline and More Exciting Gemstones

Jewelry Television makes its next stop on the tour: JTV World Tour: Madagascar! As always, we know you will be amazed at the stunning gemstones and jewelry we have sourced from this exotic locale (pictured right), such as tourmaline, aquamarine, apatite, sphene, morganite, kunzite and more.

Check out the behind-the-scenes photos of our time in Madagascar on JTV's facebook page to get a feel for this vibrant land and the lovely gemstones it produces. Here's a few of the photos to get you started. See the rest here.  - Dana Sebby, JTV.com Community Manager

 

    Gorgeous apatite

At the sapphire mines

Recognize this little fella? He's everywhere in Madagascar!

JTV World Tour: Tanzania. More Tales from JTV co-founder, Jerry Sisk

JTV World Tours are always full of fun and adventure. Case in point..have you ever seen an ostrich up close? With no bars or walls between you? Before I travelled to Tanzania, I had only seen ostriches in zoos, and they looked smaller and less intimidating from a distance. Of course, that all changes when you see these two-legged raptors running beside your four-wheel drive vehicle in the Serengeti. They look much, much bigger! They also look less friendly than their counterparts at the zoo--not exactly the petting type. In any event, I was impressed as these 8-9 foot amazons of the bird world not only paced us, but easily passed us as we struggled through rocks, shrubs, and holes in our four-wheel drive vehicle. I am pretty sure that one of group (ok, flock) turned his head and made what could only be construed as a bird laugh before they left us in the dust. No crackers for Polly…
 
The first thing I noticed when driving around in the Serengeti is the lack of modern conveniences, the first of which is something resembling a road. Take a loot at this photo of JTV Senior Writer/Producer Maureen Pierce and JTV Senior Gemstone Buyer Jay Boyle. They are standing in the "streets" of Arusha, where some of the biggest and best tanzanite is bought and sold. You can forget about road signs too, although you may accidentally run into a wooden sign pointing to “such and such” village or mine. Of course, none of these seemed very permanent, so I had no idea if they were even facing in the right direction. I saw the wisdom of having a GPS device of some sort, or better, a local guide that could get us back to McDonalds in Arusha. Ok, just kidding…there is no McDonalds in Arusha. You have to bring your own…
 
Having visited the tanzanite mines on many occasions, our group decided to try something different. We heard about a mine in northern Tanzania that produced fine-quality ruby-zoisite for carving. Some of the pieces we saw in Arusha were stunning, so we had to see this source. That is where our host stepped in and hired a local guide who assured us he had been there many times. Off we went without a care on our collective minds. Our journey started on paved roads that changed to gravel, then quickly to dirt (actually some were not roads, just passable spots through the Serengeti). After about three hours, I was wondering why this is taking so long. Don’t get me wrong, I was enjoying the wildlife along the way, but we needed to film the mine and get back to Arusha before dark.

It was at this point in my thought process that the lead vehicle suddenly stopped. Our host got out, ran over to the driver’s side, and started shouting at our guide. Evidently he (the guide) got confused about some hills or knolls, and took us in the wrong direction. That is when we realized we weren’t in Kansas any longer--Kansas or Tanzania for that matter. We were in the Serengeti of southern Kenya--without any passports. The good news? We were so far from anywhere that we had not seen a another human in over an hour, so the chances of running into a Kenyan official were slim to none. That being said, we turned around and headed back to Tanzania and the mine. (The second time was a charm…we got our film footage and interviews and photos--like the one on the right.) And in case you are wondering, we didn’t make it back before nightfall, but at least we could admire the stars sans light pollution…a wonderful site to behold!

I hope you've enjoyed some of the stories of our time in Tanzania. To see more of the Tanzanian photos, visit the Jewelry Television facebook page at facebook.com/jewelrytelevision. And be sure to stay tuned to the JTV World Tour as we take you to Madagascar!

- Jerry