Hi all New guy here and thank you for allowing me to join your forum. I am an African based in the UK and intend to start trading in gemstones from southern africa namely sandawana emeralds (zimbabwe), tourmaline, rubies, acquamarines (from mozambique) and tanzanite and possibly diamonds (zimbabwe). Obviously diamonds will be very very hard to source but doable
My question is assuming all the above gemstones were of average quality, what would you recommend i concentrate on. What will give me the highest returns. Also the best places to sell each of those stones.
As i am based in the UK whats the best method of bringing them here regarding customs, taxes etc. I am thinking bring them to UK makes it easier for me to move around the world from here as opposed to from africa. I would also be very grateful for any resources to help me learn how to identify, assess quality and so on
Would also appreciate anyone with experience of gemstones from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and surrounding areas.
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 8:14 pm Posts: 1383 Location: Royal Oak, Michigan US
Welcome to the forum! I believe you will find that private messaging is not available until you are an established member.
In addition, some of the questions you have raised have been asked on this forum before. In the top left of every page there is a built-in search function that scours GemologyOnline for answers to your quest. You may find this helpful. This way, you can jump start the process as some of the answers are likely the same today.
Good luck in your venture - and remember, if it was easy, then everyone would already be doing it.
Welcome to the forum! I believe you will find that private messaging is not available until you are an established member.
In addition, some of the questions you have raised have been asked on this forum before. In the top left of every page there is a built-in search function that scours GemologyOnline for answers to your quest. You may find this helpful. This way, you can jump start the process as some of the answers are likely the same today.
Good luck in your venture - and remember, if it was easy, then everyone would already be doing it.
Thank you for your reply. I totally appreciate it will not be a walk in the park and i have been doing my own research and establishing contacts with artisinal miners for the said stones and i think i have covered that side of things fairly well
Its the market side of things which has me stumped and dont even know where to begin. I will try to search the forum as you suggested
In meantime suggestions are very welcome from all I am eager to learn
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 8:14 pm Posts: 1383 Location: Royal Oak, Michigan US
africanlion wrote:
ROGER DERY wrote:
Welcome to the forum! I believe you will find that private messaging is not available until you are an established member.
In addition, some of the questions you have raised have been asked on this forum before. In the top left of every page there is a built-in search function that scours GemologyOnline for answers to your quest. You may find this helpful. This way, you can jump start the process as some of the answers are likely the same today.
Good luck in your venture - and remember, if it was easy, then everyone would already be doing it.
Thank you for your reply. I totally appreciate it will not be a walk in the park and i have been doing my own research and establishing contacts with artisinal miners for the said stones and i think i have covered that side of things fairly well
Its the market side of things which has me stumped and dont even know where to begin. I will try to search the forum as you suggested
In meantime suggestions are very welcome from all I am eager to learn
Africanlion, as I'm sure you've noticed, there haven't been many replies to your query. Asking your future competition to share with you (publicly) their unique selling proposition, well - quite frankly you are asking a lot of people. I doubt you will see many, (or any) responses.
Add to this the fact you are asking a question that would take serious time and thought to answer -- when anyone who has any gravitas in the gem trade is at or on their way to the annual Tucson Gem Show.
To help you along, you may want to consider investing in two books that MAY assist you with overcoming the initial learning curve.
These will only get you started, as there is so much more to learn. Expect this to take 4 to 6 years. Seriously. And, again, continue to research this forum, as there isn't anything else like it on the internet.
Welcome to the forum! I believe you will find that private messaging is not available until you are an established member.
In addition, some of the questions you have raised have been asked on this forum before. In the top left of every page there is a built-in search function that scours GemologyOnline for answers to your quest. You may find this helpful. This way, you can jump start the process as some of the answers are likely the same today.
Good luck in your venture - and remember, if it was easy, then everyone would already be doing it.
Thank you for your reply. I totally appreciate it will not be a walk in the park and i have been doing my own research and establishing contacts with artisinal miners for the said stones and i think i have covered that side of things fairly well
Its the market side of things which has me stumped and dont even know where to begin. I will try to search the forum as you suggested
In meantime suggestions are very welcome from all I am eager to learn
Africanlion, as I'm sure you've noticed, there haven't been many replies to your query. Asking your future competition to share with you (publicly) their unique selling proposition, well - quite frankly you are asking a lot of people. I doubt you will see many, (or any) responses.
Add to this the fact you are asking a question that would take serious time and thought to answer -- when anyone who has any gravitas in the gem trade is at or on their way to the annual Tucson Gem Show.
To help you along, you may want to consider investing in two books that MAY assist you with overcoming the initial learning curve.
These will only get you started, as there is so much more to learn. Expect this to take 4 to 6 years. Seriously. And, again, continue to research this forum, as there isn't anything else like it on the internet.
Once again thanks for the information. i will read the books you suggested
Roger Dery already covered a few things that I was going to say. You will find many established dealers who are unwilling to share information and perhaps see you as cutting into potential profit. Some established dealers can actually be quite discouraging.
You will however find many newcomers too. I believe, given world economies and the shifting access to the marketplace via the internet you will find it an excellent time to enter this field. There are many changes taking place and some of the old models are dropping away. With just a little bit of persistence you will find a cadre of buyers and sellers and it sounds like you already have some good contacts.
It does take time to develop any business – and I look forward to seeing you around!
Best Regards,
Jeffery Hunt
The established dealers and players need not worry about me as pontential competition. I am not planning on cornering the market or being a big player. My ambition is to build my dream house by the beach in Africa and get out of the rat race here
But i do understand what you guys mean. Consider me a potential future partner or contact for your needs (in terms of stones)
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