Privacy Policy

Effective as of 24 October 2013

The International Gem Society ("IGS") is committed to protecting your privacy and providing a safe online experience. This Privacy Policy applies to the www.gemsociety.org website and any other web properties which are owned or operated by IGS (collectively, the "Site") and governs data collection and usage by IGS. By using the Site, you consent to the collection, storage, use and disclosure of your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the practices in this Privacy Policy, please do not use this Site. Each time you use this Site, the current version of the Privacy Policy will govern your use. Accordingly, when you use this Site, you should check the date of this Privacy Policy (which appears at the top) and review any changes since the last version.

Collection of your Personal Information
IGS may collect and store personally identifiable information disclosed by you, such as your e-mail address, name, home or work address or telephone number. IGS may also collect and store anonymous demographic information, which is not unique to you, such as your ZIP code, age, gender, preferences, interests and favorites. Other information that may be gathered from you and stored by IGS includes, but is not limited to, community discussions, chats, correspondence through the Site, and correspondence sent to us.

IGS also automatically collects and stores information about your computer hardware and software. This information may include: your IP address, browser type, domain names, access times and referring website addresses. This information is used by IGS solely to provide general statistics regarding use of the Site.

This Privacy Policy only applies to information that is collected through the IGS site; it does not apply to any information that may be collected by other Site users, such as through email communications between you and another user. If you disclose your information to other Site users, different rules may apply to their use or disclosure of your personal information. IGS does not guarantee the privacy or security of the personal information you provide to others. We therefore encourage you to evaluate the privacy and security policies of the other Site user before sharing your information. You should also review the privacy statements of websites that have links within the IGS Site and which you choose to navigate to from the IGS Site so that you understand how those websites collect, use and share your information. IGS is not responsible for the privacy statements or other content on websites outside of the Site.

Use of your Personal Information
You agree that IGS may collect, store and use your personal information to operate the Site, to deliver the information you request, and to deliver the information that you disclose to third parties through the Site. IGS may share your personal information with service providers under contract with IGS to help with our business operations. Such service providers will be required to maintain the privacy of your information in a manner at least as restrictive as this Privacy Policy. If, through the use of the Site, you receive personal information about another Site user, you agree to (a) keep such information confidential and protect the personal information of such user in a manner at least as restrictive as the manner in which IGS protects such information as set forth herein; (b) use the information only for Site transaction-related purposes; or (c) use the information for other purposes expressly authorized by the information owner. You agree that IGS may also use your personally identifiable information to inform you of other products or services available from IGS and its marketing partners. IGS may also contact you via surveys to conduct research about your opinion of current services or of potential new services that may be offered.

IGS keeps track of the pages our users visit within the Site, in order to determine what IGS services are the most popular. This data may be used to deliver customized content and advertising within IGS to users whose behavior indicates that they are interested in a particular subject area.

IGS will not sell your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes without your prior consent. IGS may combine your information with information it collects from other companies and use it to improve and personalize IGS's services, content and advertising. If you do not wish to receive marketing communications from IGS or participate in its ad-customization programs, simply send us an email indicating your preference.

IGS will disclose your personal information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to legal requirements or comply with legal process served on IGS or the Site; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of IGS; (c) enforce our policies; (d) respond to claims that a listing or other content violates the rights of others; (e) protect the personal safety of users of IGS or the public; or (f) to report suspected illegal activity. All such information will be disclosed in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

Use of Cookies
The Site uses "cookies" to help you personalize your online experience. A cookie is a piece of text that is placed on your hard disk by a Web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most Web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the Site.

Security of your Personal Information
IGS will take reasonable precautions to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. Individuals who have been granted access to personal information are aware of their responsibilities to protect the security, confidentiality and integrity of that information. As effective as modern security practices are, no physical or electronic security system is impenetrable. We cannot guarantee the security of our database, nor can we guarantee that the information you supply will always remain private. IGS retains your personal information to comply with the law, prevent fraud, collect any fees owed, resolve disputes, troubleshoot problems, enforce our General Terms of Use, and take other actions as permitted by law.

Contact Information
IGS welcomes your comments regarding this Privacy Policy. If you believe that IGS has not adhered to this Privacy Policy, please contact IGS. We will use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly determine and remedy the problem.

Changes to this Policy
IGS reserves the right to modify or amend this Policy at any time by posting the amended Policy on this Site. All amended terms take effect upon posting. Each time you use the Site, the current version of the Policy will govern your use. Accordingly, when you use the Site, you should check the date of this Policy (which appears at the top) and review any changes since the last version.