Hello everybody. First of all, I would like to thank all that post on pricescope for sharing so much knowledge on a rather enigmatic industry. I am still very much a neophyte but am finding myself drawn to the international gem market. I run a small organic tea/spice/ayurveda product import company and got the bug while in Jaipur India last summer. Although we were on other business, my business partner and I happened to stumble upon many Rajastani gem develepoment corporations (relatively easy given the sheer numb er of them) and decided to spend a week watching stones get cut polished and sold. After buying a parcel I was hooked. Upon my return to the U.S., I dove in and started trading. I am now working as an apprentice to a dealer as well as selling loose color and finished jewelry on my own. My curiosity currently lies in Brazil and I''m wanting to take a trip to check out the market in Minas Gerais and elsewhere. I have a few friends that have been on tourmaline and aqua buying trips but their results have been mixed. Does anyone have advice on what market conditions are like? Is it even worth going with small capital (30k USD)? My friend who I would bring (I do not speak Portugese) is from Minas Gerais but has no experience with gems and would be brought along purely as a translator. Anyone have any recent experiences Brazil? Anyone have experinces dealing directly with gariempeiros? Right now I am still in the brainstorming phase but any and all help is greatly appreciated.
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