IndependentsFeb 06, 2025
106-Year-Old Jewelry Store Saved by New OwnersTwo attorneys purchased Windsor Jewelry, which was set to close, and will retain all existing staff at the downtown Indianapolis store.
GradingFeb 12, 2019
System for Comparing Color in Gemstones Launched in Tucson
ColorCodex offers a way for the trade to communicate and compare the color of faceted gemstones using numeric values.
The new ColorCodex system features color “windows” attached to numeric values to provide a way to compare and communicate the color of faceted gemstones.
Tucson, Ariz.—A new color referencing tool launched in Tucson, designed to help the industry communicate and compare the color of gemstones in a consistent manner.
Chris Smith, developer of the system and president of American Gemological Laboratories, debuted ColorCodex during the AGTA GemFair trade show with a workshop event along with others who had a hand in the project.
The tool, built by gemologists for gemologists, allows industry professionals to compare and reference the color of faceted gemstones.
“Throughout my career in gemology, I’ve always marveled at how an industry that’s built on color is always struggling with how to communicate color and how to deal with color in stones,” Smith said during the Tucson event.
The ColorCodex concept originally debuted in beta form, so to speak, during the AGTA GemFair in 2017. Gem dealers, market analysts and major international laboratories have been testing it for the past two years.
ColorCodex consists of 13 color sheets of 40 color “windows,” each with a reflective and patterned foil to mimic the appearance of a faceted gemstone. Each window has a corresponding numeric code—without any color descriptors—so the designators can be used for many applications, developers said.
There is a total of 65 different hues.
In the system, each hue is represented by its own column, which is then divided into eight windows depicting the varying intensity or saturation of that specific color. 
The colors, or hues, are evenly numbered horizontally across the page from 10 through 138, while the vertical windows showing intensity are given odd numbers from 03 through 17.
Combining these two numeric values therefore defines not only a specific color but also its level of saturation.
Space also has been left between the color windows on each sheet to allow for when a gemstone’s color may fall in between two.
Developers addressed when gemstones also have an added tonal element to their color by designing gray overlay cards.
“In transparent faceted gems, cutting will create brightened reflections of brilliance and color as well as blackened areas of extinction,” Smith said in a press release. “The ColorCodex system was specifically engineered to mimic this appearance and present color more as we see it in gems.”
Smith
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
added in Tucson that he is purposefully not dictating ColorCodex’s use to allow “the industry itself to determine how it can be used and what the applications can be.”
But developers have a few suggestions.
Appraisers can use ColorCodex to assign color reference for value without relying on trade terms, gem dealers and suppliers can better match stones and fulfill orders, or new gemologists can be trained about the nuance of color in various gemstones and varieties.
Another area of possible use noted at the launch event is to help the industry set parameters for varieties that are defined by color; for example, setting borders to differentiate between ruby and pink sapphire, imperial and precious topaz, and the like. In this case, it could be useful to trade organizations and gemological laboratories.
AGL has started using ColorCodex internally to standardize color calls and structure its trade names, Smith said. He added that he has approached several labs about using the system as well.
The tool is priced at $2,000 and can be ordered online.
It includes 13 color referencing sheets, five overlay sheets and three plastic travel sleeves. It also comes with a guide on how to use the tool as well as how to apply it when it comes to zoned and bi-color stones.
At the ColorCodex launch event in Tucson, developers said they also would like to address the issue of changing color perception based on lighting conditions.
They will do this by creating their own light to go along with the tool, which will have the full spectrum with less UV, to allow for uniform lighting among all users.
Developers are still working on prototypes but are hopeful the ColorCodex lamp will launch soon.
But developers have a few suggestions.
Appraisers can use ColorCodex to assign color reference for value without relying on trade terms, gem dealers and suppliers can better match stones and fulfill orders, or new gemologists can be trained about the nuance of color in various gemstones and varieties.
Another area of possible use noted at the launch event is to help the industry set parameters for varieties that are defined by color; for example, setting borders to differentiate between ruby and pink sapphire, imperial and precious topaz, and the like. In this case, it could be useful to trade organizations and gemological laboratories.
AGL has started using ColorCodex internally to standardize color calls and structure its trade names, Smith said. He added that he has approached several labs about using the system as well.
The tool is priced at $2,000 and can be ordered online.
It includes 13 color referencing sheets, five overlay sheets and three plastic travel sleeves. It also comes with a guide on how to use the tool as well as how to apply it when it comes to zoned and bi-color stones.
At the ColorCodex launch event in Tucson, developers said they also would like to address the issue of changing color perception based on lighting conditions.
They will do this by creating their own light to go along with the tool, which will have the full spectrum with less UV, to allow for uniform lighting among all users.
Developers are still working on prototypes but are hopeful the ColorCodex lamp will launch soon.
More on Grading
The Latest
MajorsFeb 06, 2025
Oscar Heyman Employee Celebrates 60 Years With the Company Adam Heyman joined the family business in 1965, just weeks after graduating from Columbia Business School.
CollectionsFeb 06, 2025
De Beers Jewellers’ New High Jewelry Pays Homage to the Beauty of TreesThe “Essence of Nature, Chapter One” collection echoes trees and roots, literally and figuratively, through three sets of high jewelry.
Brought to you by
3 Ways to Capitalize on America’s Newfound Love of Colored GemsColored stones are stepping into a jewelry spotlight typically reserved for diamonds—are you ready to sell color?
IndependentsFeb 06, 2025
Hamilton Jewelers Revamps Palm Beach BoutiqueThe fourth-generation, family-owned jeweler has given its Worth Avenue store a new look.
Weekly QuizFeb 06, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
CrimeFeb 05, 2025
‘The Timepiece Gentleman’ Sentenced to 5-Plus Years Behind Bars Luxury watch dealer Anthony Farrer pleaded guilty late last year to defrauding clients in a scheme with Ponzi-type elements.
FinancialsFeb 05, 2025
Pandora Posts Double-Digit Growth After Strong Holiday SeasonIn its full-year results, the retailer shared its 2025 outlook and an update on the global rollout of its lab-grown diamond collection.
Brought to you by
3 New Year’s Resolutions for Jewelry Lovers The new year feels like a clean slate, inspiring reflection, hope, and the motivation to become better versions of ourselves.
TrendsFeb 05, 2025
Amanda’s Style File: Feeling Fabulous in FebruaryCelebrate February birthstones and the gem shows in Arizona this month with a versatile stone like amethyst.
MajorsFeb 05, 2025
DCA Promotes Kristen Scheetz to Director of Education, MembershipScheetz has been with the nonprofit since 2007.
SourcingFeb 04, 2025
New Deal With Botswana Is Done, De Beers Confirms The agreement will allocate an increasing proportion of the country’s rough diamonds to the government of Botswana over the next decade.
Events & AwardsFeb 04, 2025
Van Cleef & Arpels’ Astronomy-Inspired Jewelry to Land at AMNH“Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry From the Collections of Van Cleef & Arpels,” opens April 11 at the American Museum of Natural History.
SurveysFeb 04, 2025
Valentine’s Day Jewelry Spending Forecast to Hit Record High, Says NRFThose celebrating Valentine’s Day this year are expected to spend a record $27.5 billion on jewels, flowers, candy, and more.
EditorsFeb 03, 2025
Best Jewelry Moments From the 2025 Grammy Awards From Lady Gaga’s 1930s Tiffany & Co. necklace to Taylor Swift’s “T,” Michelle Graff recaps the night’s most memorable jewelry looks.
MajorsFeb 03, 2025
Qurate to Close HSN’s Florida HQ Amid RestructuringLayoffs will reportedly start next month as HSN plans to move into QVC’s location in Pennsylvania.
EditorsFeb 03, 2025
Q&A: 5 Jewelry Designers on Shopping the 2025 Tucson Gem ShowsA group of creatives talked to Associate Editor Lauren McLemore about their approach to the annual Tucson gem, mineral, and fossil shows.
AuctionsJan 31, 2025
Elizabeth Taylor’s Diamond Bracelet Outshines Estimate at U.K. AuctionThe auction also featured the sale of a Cartier necklace made when Egyptomania was sweeping Great Britain.
CollectionsJan 31, 2025
Piece of the Week: Lalaounis’ Good Luck Charm for 2025The “Blossom Rosette” blooms with love, beauty, and hope for the year ahead.
IndependentsJan 31, 2025
Harvey Rovinsky, Longtime Owner of Bernie Robbins Jewelers, Dies at 77Rovinsky is remembered as a great mentor who made the employees of his stores feel like family.
Events & AwardsJan 31, 2025
Facets of Fire Has a Diamond Challenge for RetailersFor every jeweler who tries their luck, the company will make a donation to Jewelers for Children.
MajorsJan 30, 2025
WJA Chapter Leaders Resign as Fallout From DEI Remarks SnowballsThe boards of at least five chapters have resigned in response to controversial statements the WJA national board president made last month.
Policies & IssuesJan 30, 2025
RJC Executive Director Melanie Grant Is Stepping Down An experienced jewelry writer and curator, Grant led the organization for two years.
CollectionsJan 30, 2025
Pharrell Williams Brings Tahitian Pearls to His New Tiffany & Co. CollectionFive new designs were added, all donning Tahitian cultured pearls and spear-like trident motifs, along with the new “Titan” setting.
Events & AwardsJan 30, 2025
Registration Open for Converge 2025The inaugural event is being co-hosted by the American Gem Society and the Gemological Institute of America.
MajorsJan 30, 2025
24 Karat Club of New York Elects 5 New MembersJewelers of America’s Annie Doresca and AGTA CEO John W. Ford Sr. are among the new members.
CollectionsJan 29, 2025
Boucheron’s High Jewelry Takes the Form of ‘Untamed Nature’The jeweler’s latest high jewelry collection looks into the Boucheron archives to create a “living encyclopedia of high jewelry.”
FinancialsJan 29, 2025
LVMH Watch, Jewelry Sales End the Year DownWatch and jewelry sales slipped 3 percent in 2024, though the luxury conglomerate did see business pick up in the fourth quarter.
