Market Update and Exceptional Colored Gems

Edward Boehm
Rare Source
Interview with Edward Boehm, Rare Source
In an exclusive interview with Edward Boehm at the 2013 Tucson Gem Show, GIA uncovers a rich vein of current information on supply and demand in the rare and high-end gem market. Boehm, a geologist, gemologist and gem dealer with his own company, Rare Source, ranges over a spate of hot topics, including the rebirth of the emerald market, the fallout from the US ban on Myanmar, and the importance of estate sales.

Boehm reports the emerald market is coming back strong after a decade of suffering under the weight of buyer suspicions regarding treatment. He says that emerald dealers from both South America and Africa seem to have learned the hard lesson of those days and have embraced the policy of full disclosure on treatments.

Although the US ban on rubies from Myanmar has created a severe shortage in supply and kept ruby prices high, it has also opened the door for rubies from other locations. Thus buyers in the US and Europe are now more receptive to rubies from such places as Mozambique and Madagascar, whereas before it was the legend of the Burmese product that prevailed.

Boehm further relates how secondhand jewelry from estate sales becomes a primary source of material in times of tight supply. Sadly, he tells us, these often-vintage pieces usually become more plentiful during tight economic times.

To complement his knowledgeable narrative, Boehm also shows off some impressive gems in the video that follows. Among them is a 32 ct. Liddicoatite that Boehm says he would never sell. But you can view it up close here in the video.

Mr. Boehm is a geologist, gemologist, and accomplished gem dealer who works with rare and higher-end gems. He has traveled to a wide variety of gem sources across the globe and often speaks on both the supply and demand side of the market. Mr. Boehm discusses the overall colored gemstone market as well as markets for specific gemstones in his interviews.