How to value magic - Cecile Raley Designs

Design with us How to value magic

Dainty is Big: How to Make Jewelry More Affordable

– Apr 17, 2025

Let’s face it. The world economy is totally topsy turvy these days. Gold has become so expensive that making platinum …

All about gems How to value magic

Ruby or Sapphire, Emerald or Green Beryl? Borderline Cases and Gem Pricing

– Dec 5, 2024

A few years ago I treated myself to a two carat Merelani mint garnet, a gorgeous pear shaped gemstone that …

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When ‘Rare’ Goes Mainstream: Colored Gems' Market Share

Yvonne Raley – May 15, 2024

In the spring of 2022, everyone wanted to buy emerald cut teal sapphire. This year it is blueish purple and …

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The Rise and Fall of Grandidierite

Yvonne Raley – Feb 28, 2024

One of the ten rarest minerals on earth! That’s how grandidierite has been advertised in the last decade or so, …

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Knowing When to Sell Your Colored Gemstones (& When to Wait!)

Yvonne Raley – Dec 5, 2022

A couple of months ago I asked one of my gem sellers if I could “memo” (i.e. the jewelry trade …

All about gems How to value magic

Precious Gems: Pricing for Propriety and Profit

Yvonne Raley – Aug 18, 2022

During the height of the pandemic, a young woman started purchasing gems from me in the hopes of making a …

All about gems How to value magic Inside the industry

Investing in Precious Gems: What You Need to Know

Yvonne Raley – Jul 6, 2022

If you feel the way I do about 2022 so far, then you’ll agree we live in very unpredictable times. …

All about gems How to value magic Inside the industry

The New “Gold” Rush: Colored Gems

Yvonne Raley – Mar 28, 2022

If you’ve been buying gems in the last few months, you will have noticed that gemstone prices have been sharply …

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What You Need to Know Before Buying Gems Overseas

Yvonne Raley – Aug 25, 2021

A couple of weeks ago a new client asked me if “sellers from India have genuine natural gems at low …

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Paraiba Tourmaline: from Beads to Unicorns

Yvonne Raley – Jun 14, 2021

I got into Brazilian Paraiba tourmalines during my first Tucson show in 2015. I had heard all the lore about …

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The Great Padparadscha Debate PLUS Sapphire Tales from Denver

Yvonne Raley – May 27, 2021

The May Denver gem show is actually fairly tiny, even during non-covid times. But with nothing else big coming up …

Design with us How to value magic Inside the industry

How We Source Stuff: Hunting for Gemstone Treasures

Yvonne Raley – Mar 11, 2021

Since Cecile Raley Designs started selling gems on Etsy, the number of shops offering cut stones online has pretty much …

All about gems How to value magic Inside the industry

The Emeralds of Chivor

Yvonne Raley – Aug 7, 2019

On Thursday, our 6th day in Colombia, we got up early with the intention of managing the drive from Muzo …

All about gems How to value magic

Why Buy Gems at Retail Price?

Yvonne Raley – Jun 13, 2019

Once upon a time – in the not too distant past, in fact – jewelry shopping was so easy and …

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Padparadscha – Lab Certification Roulette

Yvonne Raley – May 9, 2019

Guest Blog by Inken Krause, Enhoerning Jewelry Entire book chapters and countless longish essays have been written about the ideal …

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What’s up with all these “new” Emeralds: Emerald Origins Revisited

Yvonne Raley – Mar 14, 2019

As you may know, emerald is one of my favorite gems. So, it should be somewhat surprising that I have …

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Padparadscha Sapphire – What’s the Story?

Yvonne Raley – Jun 20, 2018

Every since Britain’s Princess Eugenie has been sporting a Padparadscha sapphire engagement ring valued at over $130,000, these lotus flower …

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Emeralds Revisited – New Arrivals, New Origins and A Word about Treatment

Yvonne Raley – May 24, 2018

I haven’t talked about emeralds for some time and with the Las Vegas Gem Show coming up I should do …

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What is Retail and Wholesale Pricing – Really? An Unofficial Opinion

Yvonne Raley – Apr 16, 2018

You must have asked yourself this question as well. What (on earth) does it mean when someone tells you that …

All about gems How to value magic Inside the industry

Sapphire Treatments: What Matters and What Doesn’t (By Yvonne Raley and Inken Krause)

Yvonne Raley – Apr 5, 2018

Every month I give sapphires to my lab to certify that a sapphire is unheated, which is essential for my …

All about gems Design with us How to value magic

What Color is this Gem – really? Commonly Asked Color Questions and Difficult Answers

Yvonne Raley – Mar 15, 2018

Nature doesn’t make it easy, does it? Is it a ruby or a sapphire? Is the Paraiba more greenish or …

All about gems How to value magic Inside the industry

Gem Lab Reports: Some FAQs

Yvonne Raley – Feb 28, 2018

As you’ve probably noticed, Cecile Raley Designs provides certificates with certain gems, or we offer to provide one upon request. …

All about gems How to value magic Inside the industry

Rare Gemstones – A Seller's Market

Yvonne Raley – Oct 5, 2017

Anecdote: in late summer I got a call for a 4+ carat lagoon tourmaline of a very specific cut and …

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Opals: Some thoughts on their special allure and their challenges for the jeweler

Yvonne Raley – Aug 17, 2017

Opals: Some Thoughts on Their Special Allure and their Challenges for the Jeweler If you’ve been following my shop for …

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Russian Demantoid: What’s the Deal with Horsetail Inclusions?

Yvonne Raley – Jun 26, 2017

As many of you know, I have been selling quite a few Russian demantoids on my site in the last …

All about gems How to value magic Inside the industry

From Kashmir to Tanzania: How to Pick a Sapphire

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

September is sapphire month, and although I personally think that birthstone jewelry is just a sales trick, I will start …

All about gems How to value magic Inside the industry

A word about natural gemstones

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

So I practically got yelled at. This was by a gemstone dealer at a jewelry show last spring, in response …

All about gems How to value magic Inside the industry

Dime a Dozen or Hard to Find?

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

It really took me a while to get the hang of determining which gemstones are rare and which aren’t. This …

All about gems How to value magic Inside the industry

December Birthstones: Is Tanzanite a Good Buy?

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

As most of you who read my blog know, I don’t think much of birthstones. My own birthstone is pearl, …

All about gems How to value magic Inside the industry

Garnets and the other Garnets

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

January is garnet month, or so the Jeweler’s Association says, at any rate. And if you are thinking red or …

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Emeralds: Before the Oil, After the Oil, and After That

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

So my gemstone dealer D. and I decided to conduct an experiment. It was an ancient one, and he’s done …

All about gems Design with us How to value magic Inside the industry

The Green Diamond

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

So this is the story as it happened. I am got permission to write about it, but there will be …

All about gems Design with us How to value magic Inside the industry

“Could This Gem be a Little Bigger?” (How Big is Your Wallet?)

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

I get asked the question posed in the title about once a week. Two out of three times I don’t …

All about gems Design with us How to value magic Inside the industry

What is an Old-Mine Gem?

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

I’d heard the term many times, but couldn’t make much of it initially. I looked it up online, but the …

All about gems Design with us How to value magic Inside the industry

How to Judge a Ceylon

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

It’s been an interesting year for Ceylon sapphires. Last summer, they were fairly reasonable in price, and I bought one …

All about gems Design with us How to value magic Inside the industry

Can You Get a Gem Like This? Some Brief Notes on Odds

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

I periodically get questions like these: can you get a 5mm princess cut blue tourmaline? Or: do you have a …

All about gems How to value magic Inside the industry

Addicted to Spinel

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

You must have wondered: how much more spinel can she list on her Etsy site? Well, instead you should ask: …

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Topaz: Worth Having?

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

Topaz is one of the birthstones of November, aside from Citrine. But it has kind of gotten a bad rep …

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The Other Tanzanite

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

Last December I pooh-poohed Tanzanite as a bad investment. I guess I always say what I think, even if it …

All about gems Design with us How to value magic

Inclusion or Crack? A Fine Line

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

We’re getting sucked into the lore together, my customers and I. Once you own a couple of pretty pieces, you …

All about gems How to value magic

How to Sort Through Diamond Prices

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

Diamond pricing is tricky business. You may have noticed this when you browse different listings and you see two stones …

All about gems How to value magic

The Intricacies of Gemstone Pricing

Yvonne Raley – Dec 14, 2016

Gemstone pricing can seem to be all over the place. Quotes on the same stone fluctuate depending on the seller, …