A gem dealer's journal — ruby

Simon Dussart: Your book emphasises the mine to market approach in the trade. What changes would you like to see, believe we should operate, in how the gems are sourced and sold to ensure a more ethical practices? Actually, how would you define ethics in the trade ?

Richa Goyal Sikri: I’ve written several articles on responsible sourcing, and four years working on this book has been an incredible learning experience for me in this space. Think of responsible behaviour like a multi-tier cake. You can’t start from the top. The first step must be the foundation, which in my opinion is transparency. What I mean by this is being true and clear in what you are selling? Treatments, enhancement, and origin (to whatever extend possible). Be clear in what you know about the stone and what you don’t know. To this layer, we can add others such as responsible behaviour towards our suppliers, employees, community, and environment. Often when you say the word ‘responsible’ the tendency is to point a finger to a miner or a merchant, what about the government? How is the government and the bureaucracy supporting the industry?

Hey Loungers, Many have mentioned that we do not interview enough females in these columns. While I disagree, I find myself interested to study a new pattern in our trade: The Path of Inheritance in the Trade, is it a curse, a boon or a bit of both? To that end, we have decided to interview Kamila Guerchouche about her new brand, Kaerche and used this opportunity to ask her a few questions about her path as a second generation gem dealer. If you are as interested in that story and potential new questioning arc, follow us with this very...

Hey Loungers, You often hear us talking about Thailand, and Bangkok in particular, as being the beating heart of the gem trade yet never really explained why. Well, today, we can finally help you get a better grasp over the importance of Thailand for our merry trade. Today, we have the pleasure of introducing you to one of Chantaburi’s Lords of the Ruby trade. Today, we have the pleasure of interviewing the owner of the titanic Gemburi company, the jovial and outgoing Phuket Khunaprapakorn! Khun Phuket, the floor is yours!   Discover Gemburi's K. Phuket Khunaprapakorn story now as a...

Hey Loungers, By now we have all heard of the legendary Lotus Gemology team. We all know via papers and interviews, the ruby & sapphire colossus, Richard W. Hughes, and his equally talented daughter, E. Billie Hughes. Yet little is known about the missing link in that trinity. Wimon Manorotkul is not only a talented gemmologist in her own right, and a skilled photographer to boot, But she is arguably the person that brought the other two members of her family to the world of gems. You read that right, she is the one who enrolled Richard for his first...