(IDEX Online) - Robert Weldon, director of the RTL Gemological Library & Information Center at GIA, has been awarded the Antonio C. Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology for 2020.
The award is given by the Accredited Gemologists Association (AGA).
Before joining the GIA, Weldon worked as a journalist at both JCK and Professional Jeweler, which he helped found. He has photographed some of the most important gem and jewelry collections known and he has published and lectured extensively on gemological issues.
"Robert's contributions to the field of gemology are simply incomparable," said AGA president Stuart Robertson.
"I'm humbled by this incredible honor," said Weldon. Long ago, I set out to be a very different kind of gemologist. I focus on gems of course, but also on the colorful personalities of the industry, exploring people's successes, challenges, needs and dreams."
The Bonanno Award will be presented at AGA's Gala Dinner Dance at the conclusion of its Tucson Conference on February 5, 2020....
A pedestrian walks past the Federal Reserve building on Constitution Avenue in Washington on March 19, 2019.
Leah Millis | Reuters
Federal Reserve economists warn that printing money to pay for deficit spending has been a disaster for other nations that have tried it.
In a paper that discusses the burgeoning U.S. fiscal debt[1], Fed experts note that high levels are not necessarily unsustainable so long as income is rising at a faster pace. They note that countries that have gotten into trouble and looked to central banks to bail them out haven't fared well.
"A solution some countries with high levels of unsustainable debt have tried is printing money. In this scenario, the government borrows money by issuing bonds and then orders the central bank to buy those bonds by creating (printing) money," wrote Scott A. Wolla and Kaitlyn Frerking. "History has taught us, however, that this type of policy leads to extremely high rates of inflation (hyperinflation) and often ends in economic ruin."
They cite Weimar-era Germany, Zimbabwe in the 2007-09 period and Venezuela currently. All three faced massive deficits that led to hyperinflation due to money printing.
"An important protection against this type of policy is to create an independent central bank that is insulated from the political process and has clear objectives (such as a specific target for the inflation rate) so that it can make policy decisions to sustain economic health over the long run rather than respond to political pressures," the economists added.
The paper never specifically mentions Modern Monetary Theory, though the approach it describes meshes with central tenets of the MMT approach. The Fed analysis does reference a paper on MMT...
(IDEX Online) - An auction of polished diamonds manufactured by Alrosa and held in New York has generated revenue of $4.8 million. The auction was organized by Diamonds of ALROSA, the company's cutting and polishing division.
The company sold 255 polished diamonds with a total weight of 435 carats, or 80 percent of all the stones on offer.
This included 73 fancy colored diamonds and nine sets of colored stones with a total weight of 65 carats.
This was Alrosa second auction of polished diamonds in New York this year. The first, which took place in June, saw 140.4 carats sold, which generated revenue of $3 million....
HTTP/2 200 date: Tue, 26 Nov 2019 16:00:06 GMT content-type: text/html; charset=utf-8 content-length: 203530 etag: W/"31b0a-Dea68UUG3IIDYG+7QL6+SZhAtTY" vary: Accept-Encoding x-varnish: 418315095 419256178 age: 46 via: 1.1 varnish (Varnish/5.2) accept-ranges: bytes
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says monetary policy stance is appropriate - AxiosThis site uses cookies to enhance your reading experience. By using this site, you consent to our use of cookies.Okay
Fed chair Jerome Powell said the Fed’s monetary policy stance is appropriate, for now, though he noted in a speech [1]Monday night the central bank is not on a “preset course.”
Why it matters: It was Powell's final public remarks — and the last opportunity to recalibrate market expectations[2] — before the Fed enters its "quiet period" ahead of the next interest rate decision.
(IDEX Online) - The Gem & Jewellery Skill Council of India has announced that it will be hosting the first Indian Jewellery Excellence Symposium in Mumbai. The two-day meeting will include sessions on different on management, skill and technical subjects.
Scheduled sessions include the future in designing using CAD, blockchain technology and upskilling bench skills to reach global standards.
Confirmed speakers include designer Deidre Featherstone, Tracr general manager Jim Duffey and jeweler Jeff Kantra.
The symposium will also include opportunity for attendees to book one-on-one meetings with the speakers.
The Indian Jewellery Excellence Symposium will take place January 8-9 at the Leela Mumbai hotel. ...