Gemstone Sourcing: A Guide for Investors

Some General Notes

Face-to-face interactions and relationship building have more overhead costs than working over the Internet, but they also have a lower overall risk level.

This gemstone sourcing list is by no means exhaustive. For example, it doesn’t address the many on-the-ground sources in foreign locations like Bangkok, Sri Lanka, or Myanmar. However, newcomers to gem investing should find contacting the following sources fairly easy.

Polygon

Polygon is an online trading community where diamond and colored gemstone dealers, as well as dealers in finished/estate jewelry, gather to sell their goods. There are many colored gemstone dealers on Polygon, including many AGTA members.  

Level of Risk

Low. You must be a professional with a reputation to become a member of Polygon, and that means demonstrating that you are a bona-fide business. (They have revenue requirements, you must have an entity, etc).

Advantages

The “Bargain Channel” section of Polygon can be an interesting place to acquire stones. Plus, the Polygon network allows you to make requests, which is great if you’re searching for specific, hard-to-find gems.

Memoing is a standard practice here, so people will ship you goods based on your credit. You can then evaluate the gems and pay for…

International Gem Society

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