Ramble On Ron

Diamonds, Music and other Facets of Life

Diamond Market Report 2022

I can’t believe my last diamond market report was in 2015. Where did the time go? COVID, getting lost in transactions, trying to keep things going here, opening a new office in Richmond, we’ve been busy. The diamond market has been pretty volatile the past few years, below are my thoughts: How have Lab Grown […]

Is This Another Gold Rush?

Gold soared past $1600 an ounce yesterday, making it the highest since 2013. Can you say #coronavirus? So what does this mean for the future of gold, silver, and other metal prices? We can try and draw comparisons to the run of 2011, when gold climbed to an all time high over $1900 an ounce, […]

Man Made, Lab Grown, Synthetic Diamonds

The newest substitute for natural diamonds are now man made or lab grown diamonds. Unlike CZ’s and Synthetic Moissanite, these diamonds actually have the chemical composition of a natural diamond, and can be grown anywhere, like California or Washington DC. Perhaps the most well known startup, Diamond Foundry, is backed by Hollywood bigwigs like Leonardo […]

Diamond Market Report 2015

I would be lying if I were to say that 2015 was a banner year in the diamond market. Let’s be honest, it was rough out there. The FORMER monopoly of Debeers didn’t heed the call of the market and continued to raise prices at their sales. What ended up happening was that a majority […]

The Meaning of “Mazal” In The Diamond Business

After reading an article in New York Magazine titled “The Secret Slang of the Diamond Diamond District,” I thought that this would be a good opportunity to write a blog post about the most important term in the diamond business, MAZL,(or mazel or mazal) and what it means. Also, I wanted to explain that this […]

Jewelry Market Report 2014

Each year I give a Diamond Market Report where I explain what’s happening in the diamond world and where I think market trends and prices will be. As I read over my report for 2013 it seems that 2014 was a very similar year with all trends continuing on the same path. Colored and larger […]

Role Reversal: Jewelry E-tailers Now Trying Brick and Mortar

A recent article in National Jeweler magazine, “Blue Nile Now Displaying It’s Rings In A Store,” discusses how Blue Nile, the biggest and baddest online diamond seller, is now showcasing their rings at Nordstrom in Seattle, where both companies are headquartered.  I’m sure Blue Nile wants to get their name out a little more and […]

Diamond Market Report 2013

Every year I give a report on the diamond market, what people in the industry are thinking, and even worldwide sentiment about the diamond industry. This year, it was very difficult to get a really accurate gauge into the market, being that it was so unpredictable. Here are some trends in 2013 that I am […]

Diamond Market Report 2012 – Q4

I received an email from Martin Rapaport this year talking about the diamond and jewelry industry. I don’t always read his emails, but this one in particular hit home because it was not just about diamonds but about the business world in general. I’ve written about Mr. Rapaport before. He’s arguably the most powerful man […]

A Lesson in Sales

Several years ago, when we had the pawnshop, I learned a valuable sales lesson from my father. We had a great guitar, a Fender Stratocaster, for sale. An old customer who doesn’t play guitar picked it out and brought it to the counter to purchase it. I got bent out of shape about it. If […]

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