A Mixed Bag of December-News

December 2020, we are approaching the end of what must be the most traumatic year in memory for the world as a whole. Vaccines on the horizon have given us all hope for a much better 2021 - could it possibly be worse?

A bit of news about the state of the gemstone market.

With the various restrictions of movement due to quarantines around the world we are just beginning to see signs of shortages of gemstones.

Luckily for us, Thailand, where our offices are based, has built up large stocks over the years but without the dealers from Asia and Africa able to fly in and out everyday even here will become strained.

With a worldwide downturn in both jewelry sales and confidence in markets such as tourism, airports, shopping centers and souvenir outlets we are seeing a reluctance by many gemstone processors to invest in the time and money needed to replenish stocks.

It is possible that these shortages in the supply chain could lead to prices of gemstones increasing but so far things have remained quite steady. We at GemSelect feel that there could be a general rise in cut gemstone prices early in the new year.

We have a good deal of great gemstones in stock and are still able to put up new arrivals every day. Our team of suppliers are confident that stock will continue to arrive so we should be able to keep our prices consistently fair.

A quick word about December birthstones.

Those born in December are lucky enough to have three interesting gemstones to choose from in Turquoise, Tanzanite and Zircon. These three stones tend to come in cool blue tones - a color associated with prosperity and good luck but it also reminds us of the icy blues of winter.

Take a look at our page on December gemstones if you are interested - ideal for a loved one’s birthday or for Christmas.

Apologies once again to our friends in the southern hemisphere but with winter about to hit us here in the north (well not so much here in Thailand) you might want to cheer yourself up with a gemstone for winter. The article here can help you choose the perfect one for you or a special friend.

Please click on the image to see our winter gemstone article

Just to try to keep everyone happy we have an article on summer gemstones for all those lucky enough to call the southern hemisphere home, you can find it here, full of bright summery colors.

Take a look at our summer gemstones article right here

A bit of sad news from Australia

Australia announces the closure of the Argyle diamond mine in the Kimberley region of Western Australia after 37 years. During this period, the mine produced a huge amount of very valuable naturally colored diamonds including 90% of the world’s pink diamonds.

The company that owns the mine has said they will spend the next five years closing down the operation then restoring and rehabilitating the land before handing it back to the traditional aboriginal custodians.

We plan to send out another newsletter just in time for Christmas but you know how time can disappear at this time of year so if you do not hear from us have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year.

Customer Questions

Every month we answer questions of general interest from our customers. Please feel free to send your questions or suggestions to our support team at help@gemselect.com

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Everyone please stay safe

Happy Gemstone Hunting!

Team GemSelect