Welcome to opalholicsanonymous.com where opal season lasts forever.

I'm not sure where to post this one so since this topic is for impostors and imitations, I decided to put it here. Counterfeit Money Orders "Should you accept a money order as payment for goods sold online? How do you know if it's real? Identifying counterfeit money orders is easy if you know w...

This is extremely important for all interested in the andesine/labradorite debacle brought to light by the ISG last year, and confirmed in this report: Interim Report; 14-Sep-2009 The Red Feldspar Project George R. Rossman, California Institute of Technology "...Is There a Mine in Tibet That Pr...

Let this be a reminder to all of us that there's always someone out there who will go to great lengths to deceive others for profit. Alarming Rough Diamond Imitations in the Market By Thomas Hainschwang The Phenakite / Topaz Diamond Rough Scam "Until a few years ago rough diamonds were relative...

Thanks great article Pink. I shocked a dealer/cutter at a gem show ~20 years ago picking up garnets with a magnet and getting a very rough indication of iron content. Did ISG testing indicate magnetic orientation? Should the stone face a pole or a side of the magnet? The article made me think of th...

It is only recently that magnetism in gemstones has been recognized, and magnets can be a an adjunct tool in the gemologist's toolbox. The ISG newsletter today has some great information and demonstrations on magnetism in gemstones that y'all will enjoy. ISG Magnetism and Gem Identification by YourG...

Looks like things are going to get interesting with EGL International. Reports From Former EGL International Are “Counterfeits,” Says EGL Network By Rob Bates, News Director - Posted on February 9, 2015 " The European Gemological Laboratory (EGL) civil war has intensified, with the EGL network ...

GIA Changing Colored Stone, Pearl Reports By Rob Bates, News Director - Posted on January 29, 2015 " Gemological Institute of America has tweaked its colored stone and pearl reports, adding better imagery and more information geared toward consumers. Beginning Feb. 1, GIA will issue the same f...

Me thinks Rapaport is pushing his plan too far by attempting to make GIA the industry standard. RapNet’s New Plan to Police Grading on Its Site By Rob Bates, News Director - Posted on December 30, 2014 "Along with TV station WSMV and the Nashville class action bar, Martin Rapaport and his RapNe...

...and the saga continues.... EGL Int’l Is Not Going Away Quietly By Rob Bates, News Director - Posted on December 19, 2014 "On Dec. 3, fresh off his appointment as the global manager of the EGL network, Menahem Sevdermish told me that EGL International was closing down. Later he walked that ba...

More problems at GIA's lab. Apparently they have gotten so big that they subcontracted their sealing service they offer for diamonds out to another party, and somebody screwed up big time, so they've had to shut down the service. Tsk tsk on them again. They should have kept it in-house, and maybe ev...