Many years ago I joined a gem buying tour to Brazil. It was a wild ride in more ways than one driving for hours through miles of red, red earth stripped of trees, or looking into lush chasms filled with what I would call jungle. It was fascinating to visit the mines, the lapidary schools, the cutting shops set off sometimes in what seemed like nowhere, and to watch the open air trading in parks and on the streets in gem mining areas. And the people! What beautiful and fascinating faces. If I were a portrait painter, I think I’d die happily in Brazil. Continue reading →