All Natural Zultanite
	These two exceptional rings with Zultanite gemstones were designed by David Hrubec. David was born in one of Europe's nurseries of art: In the ancient city of Prague. The Zultanite gems were cut by award winning cutters, brothers Ralph and Rudi Wobito from Ontario, Canada. For prices and availability go to www.Zultanite.org or send us an email to sales@ZultaniteDesign.com

Michael O'Connor Predicts Golden Globes Jewelry Trends
My Daily Jewel
This week Michael O'Connor, leading style expert and host of MovieStyle with Michael O'Connor on Reelz Channel,will host StyleLab's jewelry event for Golden Globe Award nominees, presenters and stylists at a private venue in Los Angeles.
American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) designer Campbellian's Bella Campbell designed a pair of round drop earrings that feature royal blue moonstones surrounded by diamonds. Since all of these baubles will draw attention to the jawbone, they will look perfect with plum colored lips! Be on the lookout for the return of pendant necklaces. Trendsetting stars like Sienna Miller or Zooey Deschanel will fall in love with AGTA's My Blue Heaven designer Cara Lichtenstein's black enamel pendant brooch set in platinum, featuring a 41 carat black opal accented with white diamonds -- very vintage-inspired. MORE

Pearl Length: Which is Right for You?
Hamilton Jewelers - AGTA Member
The pearl has enchanted women for thousands of years; a symbol of elegance and romance that has become one of the most coveted gems in the world. Whether you are bride, planning an outfit for a night on the town or preparing for your big professional debut, every girl needs her pearls - question is - which length is right for you? Mikimoto, the foremost producer of the finest quality cultured pearls, shares a few simple considerations that will help you pick the right strand length for your personal style and lifestyle. MORE

Bring it to Life with high quality single stones, matched pairs, and suites from Gem 2000
	Beautiful Ceylon and Madagascar blue and fancy color sapphires in a large range of size and shape, as well as matched pairs. Yellow, pink, lavender, purple, peach, orange, and green sapphire all clean and well cut. For over 27 years, Gem 2000 has been importing fine gems from all world sources in a large range of materials, offering exceptional service and expertise to our customers.

David Brown: Manage Your Cash Flow
INSTORE - AGTA Member
There can be a big difference between the profit that a jewelry store owner can make and the amount of money he has in the bank. Never is this more obvious than when it comes time to make a payment to the IRS on profit you have supposedly made, only to find the cash isn't there! MORE

Carlsbad Institute Helps Brighten the Holidays for Local Children
GIA - AGTA Member
Staff and students at the Carlsbad world headquarters of GIA (Gemological Institute of America) got into the spirit of the season during the institute's annual Holiday Gift Drive to support Casa de Amparo, a San Diego nonprofit organization focused on treating and preventing child abuse and neglect. GIA employees donated more than 200 toys and $2,840 to support the organization. MORE

AGTA's 17th Annual Coyote Classic Charity Golf Tournament The first event of AGTA GemFair™ Tucson "tees off" on Sunday, February 3rd, with the 17th Annual AGTA Coyote Classic Charity Golf Tournament sponsored by FedEx. Join us this year for a Trick Shot Show by professional Long Driver Vincent "The Pasta Man" Ciurluini, who is a Graduate Gemologist and is married to AGTA Member Dallas Prince. The tournament will be played at the incredible Omni Tucson National Resort! And most importantly, the tournament combines competition and fun for a great cause, the Tucson Officer's Run for Special Olympics. Click Here to Register

Smuggle Ivory Discovered
Cool Earth
The most recent in a string of alarming contraband ivory seizures in Hong Kong over the last few months has yielded 779 elephant tusks weighing over 1 ton. The tusks were discovered in a container originating from Kenya with paperwork stating that the container was full of architectural stones. After Hong Kong customs x-rayed the container, their suspicions were alerted. No-one has been arrested to date. MORE

Gemstone Color Change vs. Color Shift - A Grading System
YouTube - David Stanley Epstein
This video illustrates color shift and color change in transparent gemstones and a suggested system for classifying them. MORE

AGTA Member Community Facebook Group: Join Today!

Calling all AGTA Members!  Looking for a place where you can connect with your peers?  Need information on a gemstone or have a callout for a special gemstone?  The AGTA Member Community Facebook Group is just the place for you!  On our new community site AGTA Members can discuss business-related issues with each other in a secure setting.  Click here and request to be part of the group!

Australian Thieves Tunnel into Wrong Building, Get Chicken Nuggets Instead of Jewels
Mining.com
Two Aussie men in their early 30s were arrested over the weekend after tunnelling into a KFC restaurant instead of into the adjacent jewellery store, reports The Telegraph. Once inside the fast-food restaurant, the duo improvised a hold-up and escaped with around $2,700, after threatening staff with a metal bar. MORE

4 Steps for Successful Social Media Training
Mashable
Traditionally when companies design a policy or guideline, they also try to create a mechanism for employees to learn about whatever the policy relates to. And most of the time, companies call it training -- it's the transfer of knowledge about a specific topic.
Social media has been around long enough for most companies to realize it's not a fad. MORE

Step inside the Diamond Council Reading Room! The Diamond Council of America invites AGTA members to visit our online Reading Room, which features a library of articles, videos and other resources to help your business thrive.