Hi Margaret,

> Dien - another thought - I think (although
> someone else might correct me on this) that
> here dealing in second-hand
> bullion/jewellery might need a license
> .......... I don't know if that's something
> you've discussed? I guess it's required here
> for consumer protection.

Ah, no, I haven't looked into that yet.... Thanks for noting that!

It makes sense, of course.... I really didn't think about it, but you're right, this is probably an area where it's definitely "buyer beware," since it's often not easy for a non-expert to spot fake jewelry....

I asked this gemmologist I mentioned about distinguishing diamonds from cubic zirconium. (Cubic zirconium looks like diamond, but it's artificially made and much cheaper....)

He said that there's no fool-proof way to tell the difference between the two without specialized equipment. He said the only way he can tell by sight is if a "diamond" looks "too" perfect (that is, has no flaws), he says it's most likely cubic zirconium, since natural diamond tends to have flaws, while artificially made cubic zirconium often doesn't....

I guess this illustrates the hazards of the business!

- Dien