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HEY GOOD LOOKING!
Yes, I know, it has been awhile (bad blogger) – sorry about that. The last few months have flown by. First the lead up to xmas and then the lead up to Valentine’s Day – no time to sit down and write about the wonderful world of diamonds.
For the next little while, I am going to try and write a weekly round up of diamonds of interest. I have access to so many different suppliers and there is always something there that makes me think ‘if only’, so I thought I’d share.
For many a diamond is a diamond is a diamond, but there are so many factors that make some stand out more than others. It could be the finest most flawless white, a piece of coloured perfection, an absolute bargain (well, it is relative) or a scrumptious cut/shape.
Because diamond prices are still linked to the US dollar, I am just going to give a ballpark.
Let’s start with coloured diamonds:
We have a massive 3.47 carat vivid yellow diamond, no eye visible inclusions, a lovely square (radiant) cut, hovering in the low end of $100,000 (I hear you – what a bargain!)
Not quite right – too big maybe? How about a one carat Asscher cut for low $20,000s? Oops sorry, I misunderstood – you want to spend more. Okaaaay, we have some lovely pinks, you can get 3/4s of a carat for around $200,000. Bear in mind, whilst it sounds steep, only 60 odd of these beauties are released on the market every year AND the mine has less than 10 years to go, so once they are gone – they are GONE. I keep fantasising about this stone. I have the perfect design, a finger waiting for it and everything – unfortunately that little fantasy falls on deaf ears (oh well).
Not your cup of tea? Ok, we shall move onto the world of white………..
There’s a close to perfect D VVS2 one carat round diamond, looks pretty good at around the $23,000 mark.
You want even more flawless (flawlesser?) how about a round brilliant 91 point D IF triple excellent, GIA certified stone for around $21,000 – looks pretty good to me.
Ok, you want something that looks perfect, is a reasonable size and wont break the bank – we can do that too.
Here’s a few……
EIF, round brilliant, triple excellent 52 points (just over half a carat) GIA certified – $4,000.
EVS1, princess (square) one carat, GIA – $8,000
EVS1, Asscher (yummo) one carat, GIA – $8,300
Something different? How about a heart?
Heart DIF – 1.5 carats, GIA – $36,000
Too big? Let’s have a look at what is happening in the half carat world.
Round brilliant, GIA – $2,900
Princess, GIA – $2,600
Oval, GIA – $2,200 (DVS2)
I could go on and on, but I will save some for next week. Diamond pricing is a confusing thing, but if you follow this blog series, it may start to make sense.
Until next time.
Melinda
www.ethicaljewels.com.au
Former Liberal leader Malcom Turnbull will join the Q&A panel this week in his first major media appearance since losing the leadership.
It will be interesting when the discussion turns to Climate Change, especially since this is a live show.
But then again, it seems that most of the panel (including the host Tony Jones), are ETS supporters – so perhaps it could all be a non-event. In any case I’ll be watching, just in case…….you just never know with Malcolm.
It airs live 9:35pm Monday on ABC1.
Are the decisions being taken today, and supposedly on our behalf, by our political leaders in the best interests of our children? or to be selfish in our best interests?
Perhaps the time has come for a line to be drawn between business and the need to consume AND the needs of people on this planet.
Capitalism has driven most of the advancement that we see today and that generally is a good thing, improvements in medical and social systems have made life more comfortable for the vaste majority, especially in those countries who have coupled this with a strong democracy.
The question now needs to be asked if the capitalism that has driven all this has become a force unto itself and now serves only itself and sees people only as consumers that contribute to the growth of capitalism rather than being the “servant” of those people.
The drive to consume and the incentives business pushes to increase consumption (to a point of greed) has reached a point where the system is in danger of collapsing. The recent “Global Financial Crisis” very nearly brought us all undone (which might not have been a bad thing) but we have come out of it, not by changing our ways and seeking a more equal and sustainable system, but by further incentives to increase our consumption.
Surely there is something wrong with this model?
Source ABC News
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has placed a $1 billion emissions reduction fund at the heart of the Coalition’s new $3.2b climate change policy.
Announcing the policy today, Mr Abbott said the Coalition would use the fund and its policy to invest in direct measures to help the public, industry and farmers cut emissions.
Those measures would include planting 20 million trees, a $1,000 solar panel rebate and soil carbon storage.
Mr Abbott said the plan would be simpler, cheaper and more effective than the Government’s emissions trading scheme and would deliver the same 5 per cent cut in emissions by 2020.
“Our policy will deliver the same emissions reductions as the Government’s, but without the Government’s great big new tax,” he said.
The policy would be funded from the Budget over the forward estimates but Mr Abbott is yet to explain where the Coalition would find the savings to pay for it.
But he says the Coalition’s policy is vastly cheaper than the ETS, which he says will cost $40b over the same period.
“It’s careful, it’s costed, and it’s capped,” Mr Abbott said.
The $1 billion fund would be used to provide incentives to farmers and industry to reduce emissions.
Those who cut their emissions below their “business as usual” levels would be able to sell that reduction to the government and those who pollute more will incur a penalty.
The fund will also be used to pay to store around 85 million tonnes of carbon in soil by 2020.
Any projects funded by the Opposition will need to be at no extra cost to consumers and have no impact on jobs, he added, saying the policy will be ready to go in 2011.
The Coalition also wants to roll out one million solar panels by 2020 and will give a $1,000 rebate on solar panels or hot water systems.
And it has committed to planting 20 million trees by 2020.
The release of the Coalition’s new policy comes just ahead of Mr Abbott’s debut as Opposition Leader in Question Time later today.
It also comes as the Government prepares to re-introduce its emissions trading scheme legislation despite little prospect that it will be passed in Parliament.
Earlier today Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he was sceptical about Mr Abbott’s proposal.
“The cost is either delivered through taxes or though increased prices, or both,” Mr Rudd said.
“You can’t just go out there and say, ‘Hey look, I’m Tony Abbott, I’ve just invented a solution to climate change and guess what? It involves no cost to anybody’.”
Greens Senator Christine Milne has slammed the scheme, saying the community will pay instead of the big polluters.
“Tony Abbott has joined Kevin Rudd in a pathetically weak target of 5 per cent reduction by 2020,” she said.
Senator Milne says the policy is a rehashed version of former prime minister John Howard, which was scrapped.
Another disappointing response from our leaders.
A slowly but surely developing auction site.
It has been around for a few years and generally I have found the experience to be OK. While not attracting buyers of things like heat exchangers, filterbags or vegetable oil products it definitely has a pretty loyal userbase.
I have found some sites around the internet, after doing some google searchs, that there is a few rather disgruntled banned and ex-users who seem to believe that they have some right to tell Oztion how to run the Oztion auction site. There are a few good laughs when you see the paranoia and arrogance of some of these people.
This type of activity on the internet is a whole series of discussions in itself and I might find some energy to pursue it later (or maybe I won’t, easier just to laugh).
Oztion.com.au is worth a look, basic listing is free and there are a number of different options available to suit most people. To some people any alternative to some of the larger auction sites is all that is wanted.
Another site I have found is Bookfair a niche auction site that is seeking to sell only books – more later as well.
General rating – Oztion is well worth a look.
Check out their forums as well but like all things on the internet do not take them seriously. They can provide good advice and be very helpful but they can also be a bit unforgiving for anyone with a thin skin 
Now hitting a month between posts – this is all a bit sad so perhaps I should try and pick up the pace as there has been a lot happening?
Source ABC News
Possibly a good one to close the year with. Admittedly it is a few years away, but after a few committee meetings and serious discussions on whether an impact will have an impact (no pun intended) on business. The world goverrnments could organise a major meeting somewhere where they can agree on nothing while having a really really nice time.
Heres hoping it will miss as the current crop of world leaders could not organise a sausage at a barbie?
Perhaps if it is really going to hit they could organise the meeting at the impact point? – being world leaders they should have the best view?
Russia’s secret plan to save Earth from asteroid
There is a small chance of a catastrophic collision with an asteroid in 2036. (Reuters: NASA)
Related Story: NASA downgrades asteroid threat Russian scientists will soon meet in secret to work on a plan for saving Earth from a possible catastrophic collision with a giant asteroid in 26 years, the head of Russia’s space agency said.
“We will soon hold a closed meeting of our collegium, the science-technical council to look at what can be done” to prevent the asteroid Apophis from slamming into the planet in 2036, Anatoly Perminov told Voice of Russia radio.
“We are talking about people’s lives,” Dr Perminov was quoted by news agencies as telling the radio station.
“Better to spend a few hundred million dollars to create a system for preventing a collision than to wait until it happens and hundreds of thousands of people are killed.”
The Apophis asteroid measures approximately 350 metres in diameter and RIA Novosti news agency said that if it were to hit Earth when it passes nearby in 2036 it would create a new desert the size of France.
Dr Perminov said a serious plan to prevent such a catastrophe would probably be an international project involving Russian, European, US and Chinese space experts.
Interfax quoted him as saying that one option would be to build a new “space apparatus” designed solely for the purpose of diverting Apophis from a collision course with Earth safely.
“There won’t be any nuclear explosions,” Dr Perminov said.
“Everything will be done according to the laws of physics. We will examine all of this.”
In a statement dated from October and posted on its website, the US space agency NASA said new calculations on the path of Apophis indicated “a significantly reduced likelihood of a hazardous encounter with Earth in 2036.”
“Updated computational techniques and newly available data indicate the probability of an Earth encounter on April 13, 2036, for Apophis has dropped from one-in-45,000 to about four-in-a-million.”
RIA Novosti said the asteroid was expected to pass within 30,000 kilometres of Earth in 2029 – closer than some geo-stationary satellites – and could shift course to hit Earth seven years years after that.
- AFP
Extermination by asteroid – sounds a lot more formal than global warming. Perhaps we should shut up shop now and avoid the worry?
Source ABC News
NASA downgrades asteroid threat
Posted Thu Oct 8, 2009 12:10pm AEDT
NASA has downgraded the threat of a massive asteroid slamming into Earth in 2036.
Apophis, which was discovered in 2004 and thought to pose a threat to Earth, is about 270 metres in diameter.
There is now a one-in-250,000 chance of a collision with Earth in 2036, sharply down from an earlier estimate of a one-in-45,000 chance, according to scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.
“The refined orbital determination further reinforces that Apophis is an asteroid we can look to as an opportunity for exciting science and not something that should be feared,” Don Yeomans, manager of the Near-Earth Object Program Office at JPL, said in a statement.
At first, astronomers worried the asteroid had a 2.7 per cent chance of colliding with Earth in 2029. Later calculations ruled out a collision in that year.
Apophis is slated to sail no closer than 29,450 kilometres above Earth’s surface on April 13, 2029.
- AFP
Just came across BOOKFAIR.
Looks like a site trying to define itself amongst all the other online selling areas. A bit different in that it appears to only want book sellers who have put in the hard miles to establish themselves rather than anyone who just wishes to sell books.
Worth a look.
http://www.bookfair.com.au/
I guess we all knew it was going to happen?
When dealing with politicians and short electoral cycles and the driving force of the vaste majority of politicians – power, it does not take long for the spon to start.
Of course the spin started long before Copenhagen. Before the tickets were booked there was discussion that an agreement was not going to be reached – and amazingly – the spin is starting to look as if it is correct.
It appears that there are now 2 camps, those where think temperature rise should be limited at 1.5 deg C or 2 deg C.
Give me a break, we have a system that from a majority scientific view seems to indictae is heading out of control and our representatives are arguing on a fixed point that probably has no chance of being succesful.
So many people are crying out for leadership and it appears all we will get is political bullshit and corporate spin.
As taxpayers always fix up the bill we should be, at least in western democracies penalising carbon emitters at the source.
Of course the cost of things will go up, especially those items that are carbon intensive, and all across our society will pay in one way or another but is this relevant if ultimately our kids will pay an even greater price?
The corporate bottom line or the local political cycle – this is all that appears to matter.
When our political system generates leadership spills and fights over some thing as important as climate change it only proves that politicians do not know and live in a short term world. The Liberal opposition leader Tony Abbott appears to have more spots than a leopard and he is rapidly trying to change them again.
From a position of being a John Howard devotee he pulled his head in and decided that he would “spupport the leader”, unfortunately this support lasted until he saw a chance to grab a bit of power for himself.
His position on climate change – I think it is a great big tax.
Of course it is Tony, somebody has to pay for the damage that the liberals in Government allowed to grow at an exponential rate.
Consumption and productivity are not the way forward, we need to be looking at stabilisation and sustainability.
All politicians do about the words that “we will make the hard decisions” is speak them.
We get the pollies we deserve……………………..
What’s been happening? Well Symantha (gem hunter extraordinaire) and I have been working very hard to create a brand new range of jewellery – it’s all very exciting and we are hoping to launch (as a joint venture between EJA and her business ‘The Australian Jewellery Box’) early in the new year. Different name, different website – the works.
Ethical Jewellery Australia has always focused on bridal jewellery, which is great if you are in the market for it, but not so great if you support the recycled metal/socially responsibility platform and also want some jewellery for reasons other than getting married.
Yes, I know, the purists say – well just don’t wear jewellery, but when made responsibly, this multi-billion dollar industry goes a long way towards supporting the lives of many. By keeping the manufacturing in Australia, sourcing as much as possible from Australia, it also greatly benefits the local community. Also by using stones sourced and cut in Australia, we are guaranteeing they are sweatshop free.
There are so many reasons why people purchase jewellery – celebrations, thank yous, marking milestones, supporting beliefs, attempting to enhance their health or just to make a statement about who they are. I am not about to say that is wrong, I would just like to offer a well made, as ethical as possible, alternative.
So keep an eye out for our new range of rings, earrings, nose rings, toe rings, belly rings, pendants and maybe even pet jewellery (I know frivolous – but rather cool) made using recycled silver and gold and featuring only Australian gemstones. There will be birthstones, zodiac stones, chakra supporting stones – you name it, we hope to make it. We are also producing a wholesale range of jewellery findings (earring settings, clasps etc.) for the jewellery trade. This is first time anyone will offer earring findings made entirely from recycled materials.
As I said, exciting times. I will update with progress soon.
As far as Ethical Jewellery Australia is concerned, it is full steam ahead as well. In the spirit of encouraging customers to ‘think outside the square’ to keep within their budget and still create something unique and beautiful, we have used Sapphires and cognac diamonds in some of our recent pieces. We have been so very fortunate to find some gorgeous (unheated) Australian Sapphires – a wonderful alternative to diamonds for use in an engagement ring. Coloured stones are also proving popular in our ‘promised ring’ packs – a lovely central stone, a sprinkle of accent diamonds, a chunk of gleaming metal – it looks great.
The business of romance is a fun world to inhabit.
Until next time.
Melinda
www.ethicaljewels.com.au
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