The middle class is changing its approach to buying jewelry and affordable luxury goods, the NRF said.
Live from Tucson: A New Book on Rubies, Sapphires
It gives all the information on the two corundum varieties a gem hound could want, and its author will be in Tucson.

New York--Ruby and sapphire lovers, take note. There’s a new book out that will give all the information on the two corundum varieties a gem hound could want, and more.
Gemologist Richard Hughes, of Bangkok-based Lotus Gemology lab, has released “Ruby & Sapphire: A Gemologist’s Guide,” a companion resource to his 2014 volume “Ruby & Sapphire: A Collector’s Guide” that’s aimed specifically at working gemologists, appraisers and students.
Priced at $200, the book is available now to be shipped from the author in Bangkok.
In addition, Hughes will be in Tucson this week; he’ll be at an author’s table in the Galleria at the AGTA GemFair, where he will be joined by Richard Wise, author of “Secrets of the Gem Trade (Second Edition),” and Hayley Henning, who co-authored “Tanzanite: Born From Lightning.”
Hughes’ new book is an update to 1997’s “Ruby & Sapphire” volume, compiling 40 years of experience and research and delving deep into the history of the stones and their popularity. It also includes an update on sources, prices, quality analysis and gets into the difference between the two stones, treatments and more.
The also uses more than 1,000 photos, maps and illustrations, as well as pulls from 3,500 references to offer one of the most comprehensive looks at sapphire and rubies on the market.
The 800-plus page book is so packed with detail, in fact, that it was deemed the “holy book of corundum” in a review from The GemGuide’s Stuart Robertson.
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