#TucsonGemShow - Meet The Authors at AGTA GemFair, Part One

Each year authors come to Tucson to debut their new books and  the latest editions of familiar favorites.  This year features a little of both and so many that I will be presenting them in two posts...

A new feature at the AGTA Gemfair this year is an Author's Booth (#59)on the Galleria Level at the entrance to the  Galleria / Tools, Technology & Supplies / Ballroom

There are three authors scheduled in the booth at this time...

First up:   "Secrets of the Gem Trade" Second Edition by Richard W. Wise

Richard W. Wise is a Graduate Gemologist and began his career as a goldsmith and jewelry retailer.  His R.W.W. Goldsmiths shop was a local favorite in his Lenox, Mass community.

His early interest in gemstone connoisseurship led him to travel extensively and he subsequently began putting his experiences on paper.  Since then he has written articles for Gems & Gemology, Jeweler’s Quarterly, Colored Stone and many other publications. But he is probably best known for his Gem-Wise Columnist for National Jeweler. 

This new edition of his popular Secrets of the Gem Trade is completely revised and expanded with 11 new chapters: Jade / Demantoid Garnet / Natural Nacreous Pearls / Conch Pearls / Sunstone / Moonstone / Peridot / Cobalt Blue Spinel / Red -Pink Spinel / Golconda (Type IIa) Diamonds. 

Five new introductory essay: Blue-white diamonds / Jadeite / Natural Pearls / Spinel / Feldspars. Plus 278 color photographs (171 additional) which include exclusive images from major museum collections and the latest auction market icons.

This Limited Collectors Edition may not be available in Tucson due to its popularity

Books by Richard W. Wise:

     Secrets of the Gem Trade

     The French Blue

Mr. Wise will have copies of his books at the Author's Booth at the AGTA Gemfair

....for the latest updates, follow the event page on Facebook.

His first book Ruby & Sapphire is a technical work that elicits anything other than yawns is always a scarce item. But Ruby & Sapphire is just such a book--a rare combination of fact and fun, the pertinent and the peculiar.

The product of over 15 years of firsthand experience, it covers every facet of the subject from A-Z. Sources, prices, quality analysis, synthetics and treatments, Ruby & Sapphire is a virtual encyclopedia of the subject.

Open Ruby & Sapphire and you step into a secret world where, with each page turned, a new adventure awaits. Journey to Burma's Mogok Stone Tract, where pigeon's blood rubies are pried from both soil and central government control. Marvel over India's maharajahs, the world's greatest gem collectors, for whom no price was too great. Explore the legendary Valley of Serpents, into which pieces of meat were cast to trap rubies. And ascend to the lofty snows of Kashmir, home of storied blue-velvet sapphires. These are but a few of the amazing and colorful tales in the original Ruby & Sapphire.

...and now, the new, Ruby & Sapphire: A Gemologist's Guide. Based on Richard W. Hughes' 1997 classic, Ruby & Sapphire, this edition is fully updated. The product of nearly 40 years of firsthand experience and research, it covers every aspect of the subject from A–Z. History, sources, prices, quality analysis, synthetics and treatments, everything is here! 

Richard Hughes in his own words..."The seeds of my life in precious stones were sown at age 17, with a classmate's invitation to visit Europe upon graduation from high school. "Let's go! University can wait," Seth teased. "What better way to learn than to drink directly from the Fountain of Life? Just imagine, we'll run with Hemingway's bulls, explore life's meaning with Sartre on the banks of the Seine, discover love to a symphony of Crete sunsets. And have a damned good time, to boot. Whaddya say?"

I was captive – swallowing hook, line, sinker and angler's elbow. Two weeks after graduation, we found ourselves aboard Icelandic Airways. Europe and the world lay below. We were all aboard for the first of life's great adventures."

"Late in 2004, a dear friend of mine, Ken Scarratt, contacted me. We had known each other since he took over AIGS following my departure, and had become blood brothers during the beryllium wars of the new millennium. Following the Asia economic crisis of 1997, he had moved on to New York, founding the AGTA Gemological Testing Center, which quickly established itself as the premier colored stone lab in the US.

Ken was looking to hire experienced people. With his sweet British accent, he managed not only to lure me away from Pala, but to get John Koivula from the GIA. Together John and I opened a Left Coast branch of the AGTA-GTC. Along with the addition of Lore Kiefert (formerly of SSEF) and the rest of the NYC staff, AGTA-GTC built a "dream team" of the finest gemologists in the world."

For the complete "autobiography" of Richard W. Hughes CLICK HERE  

Mr. Hughes will have copies of his books at the Author's Booth at the AGTA Gemfair

....for the latest updates, follow the event page on Facebook.

From the JCK 360 Blog by Jennifer Heebner:

"Tanzanite: Born From Lightning is a two-year labor of love from longtime journalist Didier Brodbeck and former Tanzanite Foundation executive director Hayley Henning, featuring 208 pages of stunning, one-of-a-kind tanzanite jewels from brands like Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels as well as respected independent artists like Lorenz Bäumer, Stephen Webster, Wallace Chan, and Erica Courtney. The book’s design and layout is the handiwork of Brazilian designer Ícaro Carlos, who helms The Luxury Studio and has experience working for high-profile brands in Europe and South America."

Hayley in her own words...."Tanzanite has been such a large part of my life for over 15 years—seven with TanzaniteOne in Johannesburg and eight running the Tanzanite Foundation in New York City—so helping to make this book completed the circle. It was a team effort, with longtime journalist and author Didier Brodbeck, and our Brazilian designer and art director Ícaro Carlos; my contribution was my experience in the industry, knowledge of tanzanite—some of the sources from which we acquired stories, and many of the designers working with it. A lot of what I did was to connect designers and brands to the dealers, encouraging the use of tanzanite to build their collections and grow their businesses."

From International Jewelry Reporter, Katerina Perez

"What do you know about the precious stone tanzanite? Many respond to that question saying that they know basically nothing. In fact, this relatively new precious stone was only discovered in 1967. It has been found and mined in only one place on the planet: in the African nation of Tanzania, which gave the stone its name. This isolated concentration of a particular mineral has made the stone unusually rare and valuable, so it’s worth getting on familiar terms with it. All the useful information you need to know can be found in the newly published Tanzanite: Born from Lightning, written by the journalist and author of multiple books Didier Brodbeck together with the founder of The Tanzanite Foundation Hayley Henning."    

Find the full review on Katerina's Website

HAYLEY HENNING IS CURRENTLY VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES AND MARKET DEVELOPMENT FOR TRUE NORTH GEMS
Ms. Henning has twenty years of marketing and corporate social responsibility (CSR) experience in the gemstone and jewellery industry. Her career highlights include her role for the last several years as Executive Director of the Tanzanite Foundation, the marketing division of TanzaniteOne Mining Ltd.

Ms. Henning will have copies of her books at the Author's Booth at the AGTA Gemfair

....for the latest updates, follow the event page on Facebook.