Americanics

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6 Ways to Better Dialogue

By Jeff Heisler

Question: What’s wrong with this segment?

“Hey John!” Sam shouted.
“Yeah, what?” John replied, puzzled.
“Look at this,” Sam implored to John.
John replied, “Look at what?”

Answer: A lot. It needs some work in dialogue

mechanics.

So what are the rules for dialogue in fiction?

Let’s go through a few points in no particular order.

1) Simple dialogue tags work best. The most

effective tag in fiction is “he said” or “she said.” No

“he uttered,” “he stated,” “he implored,” or anything

similar.

2) You don’t need a dialogue tag on every line.

Here’s some examples for illustration:

—————————————-

“Hello sweetheart,” he said.
“Hello honey,” she said.
“How was your day?” he said.
“Fine, how was yours?” she said.

—————————————–

Now- let’s look at it again without so many

tags.

——————————————-

“Hello Sweetheart,” he said.
“Hello honey.”
“How was your day?”
“Fine, how was yours?”

——————————————

Ahh- that’s better. In the second example we

get the dialogue without being distracted by the tags.

3) You can also use to few tags. IF you have

long strings of dialogue, make sure you throw a tag in

now and then so the reader doesn’t lose their pace. A

good way to do this is to throw some action in there

with the dialogue. For example, if you’ve had a long

exchange between the husband and wife in the eample

above you could throw in a line like this.

————————————-

She sat down at the kitchen table. “I went to

the bank today,” she said.

————————————-

That exchange breaks the monotony of the simple

dialogue exchanges and places a touch of action, however

small, into the scene. It also serves to keep the

reader tuned to the right speaker. It’s easy to get

lost in long lines of dialogue. This technique helps

readers keep their place.

4) Leave exposition out of dialogue.

————————————–

“Come on in the car,” Frank said.
Sam hopped in.
Frank started down the road. “This car is

great,” he said. “It has a 255 horsepower engine,

sunroof, and a great stero system.”

————————————–

Let’s try this instead.

—————————————

“Hop in,” Frank said.
Sam hopped in and sank back into the passanger

seat.
Frank turned on the radio and opened the sunroof

before they started off down the road. The engine

roared and pushed Sam back in his seat. He smiled at

Frank. “Nice car.”

—————————————

5) Compress dialogue that contains needless or

repetitive details.
For example, let’s say a character who we’ll

call John has just been told an amazing story by another

character named Mike. Now John needs to share that

story with Betty. Instead of repeating the dialague the

reader has already heard, just do something like this:

————————————–

“Wait till you hear this,” John said. He told

Betty the whole story.
“Wow,” said Betty.

————————————–

There, now you’re ready to move on with the

story.

6) Use dialect sparingly. It’s too taxing on

the reader’s mind. If you have a character from Texas

with a thick southern accent, instead of this:

————————————

“Y’all ain’t see nothin’ like dis here messa

trouble.”

————————————

Use this:
———————————–

Kip spoke in his thick Texas drawl, “You all ain’t seen

nothing like this here mess of trouble.”

———————————-

That’s it. Use those rules and your dialogue will show

that professional style you’ve been looking for. Good

luck.

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Jeff Heisler is a freelance writer and editor of Write

Away.
Read more of Jeff’s writing articles at

http://www.heislerink.com/writeaway.asp.
You may also write to Jeff at jheisler@heislerink.com
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About the Author

Jeff Heisler is a freelance writer and editor of Write

Away.
Read more of Jeff’s writing articles at

http://www.heislerink.com/writeaway.asp.
You may also write to Jeff at jheisler@heislerink.com

A good white paper is a paper that makes you look good.

You look good when your white paper makes sense, when it’s readable, when it concentrates on benefits and examples, and when it’s easy to get. Here’s why:

Reason #1. Many people would rather die than talk to a sales representative right off the bat, but they will read a white paper. When people start researching a product, they are not prepared to talk to a salesperson. They have no idea if the product is for them, or if they even need the technology at all. They’ll also be resistant to new and innovative technologies. Well-written, benefit-laden white papers will qualify your product to the reader, and qualify the reader to you at the next stage in the sales cycle.

Reason #2. White papers build a bridge between the prospect and your organization’s salespeople. When the salesperson does call, it’s not out of the blue. If a user has downloaded a white paper, there is an established connection between user interest and your company. The call can even be welcome if the customer has more questions and is interested in moving forward.

Reason #3. White papers are simple to host on the Web, where people can easily download and read them. In addition to your own company Website, there are numerous sites that host white papers and make it easy for prospects to download the paper. Many companies take this opportunity to capture reader information, including if the reader wants to be contacted. If they do request contact, for heaven’s sake contact them! They are coming highly qualified.

Reason #4. You’re not just reaching prospective customers with white papers, you’re also reaching journalists. Or you should be. This is why you should always include a solid technical section in a white paper: journalists doesn’t want to download a white paper and find a brochure, it makes them cranky. But if you deliver a valuable white paper, the journalist is far more likely to speak well of you and your product. (This, of course, is the essence of media relations.)

Reason #5. And speaking of journalists, what do they do when they pick up or receive expensive press kits? They throw them away, but they do keep valuable information like booklets and white papers. As a senior editor and editor-in-chief for data storage magazines, I can’t tell you how many beautiful and pricey press kits I picked up, then threw away. What did I keep? White papers. Who did I think of when I was writing a story on that technology? The company that wrote the white paper.

The CLEAR Process

All white papers need to combine good writing, good structure, and clear technical explanations — high level or not, depending on purpose and audience — and case studies. The process is CLEAR:

• Clarify the problem
• List your technology’s features
• Educate your customers on benefits
• Add proof points
• Restate your case

People like technology white papers if the paper is clear, useful, readable and available. Make sure your white papers fit the bill with the CLEAR process, or call a professional white paper writer for your next project.

Christine Taylor is president of Keyword Writing, which helps marketing and PR pros leverage their relationships with technology clients. E-mail her at chris@keywordwriting.com, call her at 760-249-6071, or check out Keyword’s Website at www.keywordwriting.com.

Surprisingly, book stores are not always your greatest source of book sales. Most authors and publishers do want their books to be available in all of the book stores, and rightly so. You want your book to be there, too. You want your book to be a “household name” - a topic of conversation in coffee rooms and at dinner tables everywhere. Your publicity campaign is designed to create interest in your book, and to drive buyers to the book store market.

Unfortunately, those traditional book store sales aren’t always “sold”. The books might be returned over and over again. That’s the sad reality of the book retail industry.

Your book’s fame, however, can help you to acquire nonreturnable sales in the nontraditional market where a sale actually is a sale - where sales of 25,000 copies and more are not uncommon.
Here are 19 strategies that will help you acquire those sales:

1. Write your book for a very broad market - nonfiction works best.

2. Write a book that people will be happy to give as a gift.

3. Add as many photos and illustrations as you can afford.

4. Keep the topic light - avoid heavy social commentaries, controversial topics, scientific theories and other “heavy” subjects.

5. Have your book professionally designed.

6. Have your book professionally edited.

7. Give your book a catchy name - avoid boring titles such as How to Have a Happy, Fulfilling Life.

8. Make sure that the cover design is appealing, appears three dimensional and can compete with all of the major publishing houses. Hire a professional designer.

9. Sell the benefits of your book on the back cover. That is where you will sell buyers on the reasons why they just can’t live without your book.

10. Price the book competitively in your genre.

11. Make your book look like it is good value for the price - it’s all about perceived value in the minds of the buyers.

12. Don’t write for yourself - write for the end buyer. Fulfill a need for them or make them feel better.

13. Think of the corporate market when you are writing. Make a list of corporations that can benefit from your book, and then contact them.

14. Submit your book to the book clubs at least six months before you publish.

15. Find an agent who sells to the gift market.

16. Find an agent who sells foreign rights.

17. Find an agent who sells to the display market.

18. Don’t be afraid to offer large discounts on nonreturnable sales.

19. Seek licensing agreements - they are a great source of income for no work on your part.

A professionally designed book opens many doors while an amateurish appearance closes many doors. It is vitally important that you invest in your book at the beginning to create sales in the long term. Plan for publicity and marketing before you print your books - printing is not the final expense in your marketing plan. It is the beginning. You can have the best book in the world, but if no one knows about it, no one will buy it.

Create a book that buyers just can’t resist.

© Copyright 2004 Ink Tree Ltd.
Ink Tree Ltd. helps authors publish, market and sell books. We have all the tools you need to succeed in book publishing. Let us help you make your book a success. http://www.inktreemarketing.com

About the Author

Ink Tree is a book marketing firm that aims to help writers publish, market, and sell books. Learn everything you need to guide you from Idea to Book… to Success - the fast, easy, simple way. www.inktreemarketing.com

1. Understand the needs of the grantors. Behind every foundation grant is a philosophy, intention or basic principal. These principles not only determine how grants are funded, if you pay attention, they will also tell you how to approach the foundation and what areas of your proposal are the most important to the foundation. Before you even start writing the grant, you need to:
Find out about the granting organization and understand the reasons they are offering grants
Determine what they want in return for the funds positive publicity, leverage of funds, provide vehicle for in-house volunteers?
Discover who actually will be reviewing your application is it the director, a funding or grants committee, bureaucrats?
If the information isn’t available on their Website, ask for examples of recently funded projects, and also for some that have been rejected.

2. Develop your proposal to fit the application. You have a great idea, you’ve identified a need, and you’ve got the tools to make it work. And you have found a grantor who shares your goals. But you still have to make sure that your project matches the funding guidelines of each potential funder.
Make sure the major budget items in your project are clearly eligible for funding.
If only part of your project is relevant to a particular funding opportunity then find other way to fund the rest of the project, and let them know (this not only shows them how resourceful you are, it will ensure that you have enough money to actually fund your project).
Use the restrictions and guidelines of the grant opportunity to make sure that you’ve thought your project through and have planned for all contingencies.
If you don’t understand what the funder needs or wants, the ASK don’t make assumptions.
Look at your project through the eyes of the grant reviewer. Where is your project weak? What are it’s strengths? Are you duplicating services? Do you have the capacity to carry out the work? If you’ve got any doubts, now’s the time to address them.

3. Make sure that you understand and can comply with the eligibility requirements and regulations you must comply with. It’s a waste of everyone’s time and resources to apply for grants whose requirements are beyond your resources.
Be certain you understand what you’re getting into including grant deadlines, scope of work, reports, etc.
Can your organization commit to the contract and other legal requirements?
If the application process takes a long time and funding is not for six months to a year, will your project still be relevant and ready to go?

4. Get a second opinion, and ask for help when you need it. Often people don’t flock to help with fundraising activities. (I don’t know why!). But, if you’re new to proposal writing and you’re taking on the grant writing job for your organization, once you’ve done the research and know what it’s going to take to put together a winning grants package, ask for the help you need from others in your organization.
Get someone else to proofread your application, and make sure that it’s clear and compelling. A confusing application will end up in the discard pile. When possible, ask someone who knows little or nothing about the project, because if they can understand the need, urgency and goals of the project, you have a better chance that so with the grant reviewer.
The budget is one of the most important parts of your application. If you don’t understand them, get help from your accountant or someone who does.
Don’t be afraid to ask the grantor for help. Don’t expect them to write the application, but they can answer specific questions and even help you to brainstorm ideas.

5. Bring your own resources to the table. Even if you’re not applying for a “match grant” every funder wants to get the maximum “bang for their buck”. Identify partners, associated projects, volunteers, supporters, donors, resources, etc. You want to give them the sense that you are able to stretch the resources you receive to the maximum amount.
Provide documentation that you have more time, resources and expenditures invested into the project than the amount you’re requesting funds for. Funders want to fund projects that are important and valuable.
Show that you have resources from a variety of places; the broader the support the better. This will demonstrate that you’re a good risk.

6. Show the public support for your project. Every project can benefit from grass-roots support and involvement.
Document the support. This can come from a record of volunteers, testimonials from clients, newspaper clippings, letters of support, etc.
Go beyond support from the “usual suspects”. Think outside the box who else in the community would benefit from your project, or support it? (Think of corporate volunteers, other organizations who are in a similar line of work, or who have similar issues, your local city council members or other politicians, youth or church groups, etc.)
Provide ways for volunteers to help with your project, even in the beginning stages. Keep track of the hours spent, take pictures, get letters of support.

7. Make your application come alive in the minds of the grant reviewers. Help them to see your project. Use words that paint a picture of what you want to accomplish. Let them feel your excitement and passion for your work.
If they are conducting a site visit, have clients attend. Prepare a short slide show, or put together a photo album. Put pictures on a Website. (And by the way, don’t forget about new marketing tools such as blogging. There are many free blogs now, and you can post pictures, invite comments and provide interaction. You can let the funders know about your blog before you send in the application, or include the url with your contact information.
Know your audience. Don’t assume they know technical jargon or acronyms related to your project. State your goals and objectives clearly and concisely.

8. Make sure that every sentence in your application counts. Say what you need to say, but make your words convey exactly what the funder needs to hear to be able to say yes. Don’t waste their time or try their patience.
If you don’t have a good answer for some of the questions, be honest and say so.
Use bullets, or bold-face type, or a list of key elements to convey the high points of your project, and don’t bury them in paragraphs of verbiage.
If you’re invited to do a presentation, practice first, and stick to the point.
Make the grant easy to read; use a reasonable-sized font and leave enough blank space. Don’t include voluminous attachments, unless you have a very good reason clearly stated in your application.
Make every word convey an important point to the grant reviewer; if it’s not relevant, leave it out. If allowed, use pictures, diagrams, plans, or maps instead of long, confusing descriptions.
The history and war stories of your project are vivid and important to you, but a grant reviewer may not care; keep your background and history brief and focus instead on the project.

10. Give them what they ask for. If you can’t provide the information requested, call the grantor to be sure it is alright to send in without it.

About the Author

Cheryl Antier is the President/CEO of Dream Weaver Enterprises, a business and fundraising consulting company that helps their clients to “weave their dreams into reality” by helping them consistently find the funding they need to succeed.

Are your closets looking clumsy? Are you wasting hours of time in searching something in the closet? All this means that the closet space is not organized properly. Getting a closet organizer is the probably the best way of avoiding such a problem. One can find closet organizers at any of the local home improvement stores or departmental stores. However, the prices at these stores are fixed and tend to be a bit expensive. One good way of finding closet organizer at a cheaper rate is to search for closet organizers for sale on internet.

While searching for closet organizers for sale on internet, one can use search engines such as Google or Yahoo. In this way, it is easier to locate a closet organizer store on the internet. Important fact is that there are various online stores that sell closet organizers.

Apart from these online stores, one can even look for closet organizers on sites such as eBay. Since these stores need not invest any extra money towards establishment costs, the prices of goods sold on these online stores are comparatively far less than the prices at retail outlets. Another advantage of shopping through the internet is that one can obtain much greater variety on online stores, thus making it easy to select a closet organizer that suits one need and requirements. Also, these sites provide a secure and safe payment transaction gateway that makes the entire procedure of buying and selling hassle free.

More outdoor fireplaces, home improvement and outdoor living features and closet things.

I Want to Do an Ezine! Part 5 More Promoting!! Copyright Terri Seymour

To continue on with the promotion part of this series of articles, I would like to discuss networking with discussion lists and message boards as a way of promoting your business/ezine.

Those of you who know me, know that I am a big believer in online networking as an effective method of promotion. I enjoy it for other reasons as well, such as meeting new people and making friends, but that is the icing on the cake!

Participating in message boards and discussion lists gives you a chance to make yourself known as an expert in your field and also to build your reputation.

What you need to do is give advice, help, support and share your experiences whenever the opportunity arises. This will draw people to you and get them to check out your site and/or subscribe to you ezine.

There are a few things to remember when getting involved in boards and groups.

* Always follow the rules and guidelines when posting. * Never insult people or put them down. This is flaming! * Do not spam. * Help others when you get the chance. * Make sure you have an effective sigtag. This is how you promote your ezine. * Give of yourself and get involved with the people. * Relax, enjoy and have a good time!

Here are some lists and boards to get you started:

Message Boards

http://www.momtomomchat.com/boards.html http://zineadz.com/forum/ http://www.internetbasedmoms.com/bb/index.php http://www.ablake.net/forum/ http://www.friendsinbusiness.com/board1/

Discussion Groups

mailto:digital-women-subscribe@yahoogroups.com mailto:Ebook_Talk-subscribe@yahoogroups.com mailto:hbj_chat-subscribe@yahoogroups.com mailto:ideasbypos-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Another effective way of promoting your ezine/business is by getting involved in joint ventures with other publishers. This would include things like:

ad swapping - discussed in last week’s article group pop-up or group pop-under windows sharing your subscriber thank you page promoting each other in your welcome letter

Things like this have proven to be very effective in gaining subscribers. I participate in each and everyone of these methods and am very satisfied with them. You can find an example of the sharing a thank you page at http://www.myownezine.com/subscribing.shtml You can also see a group pop-under at MOE. This is just to give you an idea of all the different and varied ways you can promote your ezine by working with - not against, your fellow publishers!

This is the last article in this series. I hope they have given you some useful information and have helped you. Please feel free to email if you have any questions about this or any other article.

Good luck and much success to you!

David Geer is the publisher of “Success 4U Marketing Ezine” - a weekly ezine, providing tried and proven eBiz tactics, practices, insider secrets, and expertise. It’s free … sign-up today by visiting: http://www.ezinelistbuilder.com/ezine.htm

KH: How important has publishing an ezine been to your business?

DG: Any decent money that I’ve earned online has come from either my ezine, or from someone else’s ezine.

For example, a few months ago, I exchanged solo ads with a publisher from Ireland. On the day my ad ran, I sold 41 ebooks, at $67.90 a pop. And, over the next few days, I sold about 10 more.

The above can only happen, though, if your ad runs in an ezine in which it’s editor/publisher has earned the trust of the subscribers. That’s the key to making money with ezine marketing.

KH: How long have you been running an ezine and how many subscribers do you have?

DG: I started Success 4U Marketing in the first part of 1999. Now, I have 20,000+ great subscribers. I usually get between 50 and 100 new opt-in subscribers per day depending on how well my promotional efforts work.

If, for instance, one of my articles gets published in an ezine that targets my market, this can easily generate 100 or more new subscribers.

Believe it or not, getting subscribers is the easy part. The hard part is keeping them. So, it’s most important that you treat them like gold because that’s their potential for your ezine.

KH: Do you submit your ezine to directories and/or announcement lists and if so how effective has this been in gaining new subscribers to your publication?

DG: Yes. It’s fast and easy. That’s because I use software that automates the process.

KH: Do you write and use your own articles to promote your ezine? How valuable has writing articles been in promoting your ezine?

DG: Yes, and it’s powerful. If you can write well for your target market, you already own one of the best subscriber generators. Discover how to use it and you’ll never want for a huge opt-in list.

The secret here is to find your niche and focus, focus, focus on it. Discover all that you can about your niche, educate yourself about it, and become an expert. I think it was Einstein who said something like:

If you study something for just 15 minutes a day, before long, you’ll become an expert about that subject.

So, it’s not that hard, but it does take dedication.

KH: What methods do you use to promote your products or services within your ezine?

DG: Before I answer this question, I’d like to make a short comment:

Until you build a trusting relationship with your subscribers, they won’t respond well to your promotional efforts. And, in order for your subscribers to trust you, they must know that you have their best interests at heart.

For example, if you’re going to recommend an eBook to those folks, you should have first read that eBook. How else would your recommendation be honest?

Bottom line: Never personally recommend anything to your list just to make a buck or two.

Now, back to the question. The two promotional methods that work best for me are:

* Solo mailings to my subscribers, which I only send three or four times a year. That’s because, if you bombard your list with solos, it can lead to a depressing number of unsubscribes.

* Writing product/service reviews. Again, make sure your review comes from personal experience, not a rehashed ad from someone else. Otherwise, your review will fall on deaf ears.

KH: How do you go about preparing your ezine for publication?

DG: Usually, I work on my ezine everyday. Sometimes, it’s just a few minutes here and a few there. For example, if I discover a powerful quote, it gets added to the *Empowering Thoughts* section of my ezine or, if I hear about either a free report or a free ebook, they might get added to the *Enjoy the Benefits* section.

Bottom line here: by getting your ezine ready ahead of time, your *send day* can be stress free.

KH: Any advice to future ezine publishers? Things to look out for or things to concentrate on when publishing an ezine?

DG: Great question … just hope my response does it some justice; however, that would probably take a long article - maybe even a booklet. Anyway, to keep it short, I’ll just offer the following short list of suggestions and information:

* Ask yourself, ” Why do you want to publish an ezine?” If it’s just to make money, or because some guru recommends it, or because everyone else is doing it, or because you want the status of ezine publisher, and so on, you won’t succeed for long. That’s because your readers don’t care about what you want they only care about what you can do for them.

* Before you start your ezine, educate yourself. Learn the basics, such as how to format one, which list server you might want to use, the best day to mail your ezine, and so on.

* Also, I’d suggest subscribing to some great ezines that cover the area that yours will cover. Those ezines will give you some great ideas for your ezine. Don’t, however, become a copycat. In other words, you want to add your personal touch, not serve up a rehash of what’s already there.

* Yet another wise move for you: Before you decide on your publishing schedule … daily, weekly, monthly … or whatever, put together three to five ezines … ones ready to mail. This will give you a good idea about how often to publish.

* Last, keep in mind that your ezine will be read by living, breathing, feeling human beings … those folks want to connect with other living, breathing, feeling, human beings.

_________________________________________

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–> A premium Web Hosting Account - 500 Megs of Space and 10 Gigs of Transfer. This is professional, ad free web hosting!

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Cowboy Central Rewards NRHA Exhibitors

NRHA corporate sponsor, Cowboy Central, is recognizing NRHA exhibitors who participate during the 2004 show season by offering chances for prizes just for showing in affiliate ancillary classes.

Each time an NRHA member shows in an ancillary class at an affiliate show, the exhibitor’s name is automatically entered into a drawing. At the end of the qualifying period, three names will be drawn from each of the seven regions. The first name drawn will win a custom-made Cowboy Central Saddle valued at more than $3,500. The second and third names drawn will receive tack packages valued at more than $500 and $300, respectively.

“We are proud and excited that Cowboy Central takes their commitment to our membership and organization to the level that they recognize not only our champions, but also the NRHA exhibitors across the board,” commented Dan Wall, NRHA Executive Director.

Cowboy Central’s partnership began shortly after the 2003 NRHA Futurity & Championship Show. McDonald and her staff hit the ground running as an NRHA corporate sponsor, setting their sights on the 2004 NRHA Derby as the first of several shows where their specially designed saddles will be awarded for championship titles, including the European Championship and the 2004 Cowboy Central Saddle Series. All told, Cowboy Central will award more than 60 saddles in 2004.

The Cowboy Central Exhibitor Rewards program-qualifying period is January 1 through September 6, 2004 for North American affiliate shows and January 1 through May 31, 2004 for European affiliate shows. For more information about the Cowboy Central Exhibitor Rewards program, please log on to the NRHA web site at www.NRHA.com. The National Reining Horse Association is the governing body of reining, responsible for promoting the sport, working to ensure the highest standards of competition. With corporate support from Cinch, Cowboy Central, Profile Nutrition, Horse & Rider magazine, Markel Insurance, Quarter Horse News, Kiser Arena Specialists, Houston Embryo Transfer Center, Classic Equine, Bloomer Trailer Mfg., Cowboy Tack, John Vance Auto Group, LaQuinta Inns & Suites and the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau, the NRHA continues to educate its members and the public about reining. For information on the NRHA or the sport of Reining visit www.nrha.com or call 405-946-7400.

NRHA Marketing & Communications Contact: Lisa Garza 3000 NW 10th Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73107-5302 Tel: 405-946-7400, Fax: 405-946-8610 E-Mail: lgarza@nrha.com or Web site: www.nrha.com

© 2004 gggems.com All rights reserved.

Extracts of Articles

Amethyst The art of lapidary is to place the color correctly in order to make homogeneous the tone of the cut stone. The distribution of the color in a cut stone is observed simply by immersing it in water contained in a transparent container and colourless. Corundum Corundum is composed of pure alumina; its colouring is due to metallic oxide traces or inclusions. Gems are generally found in alluvium, but come either from basaltic slag, or from metamorphosed limestone.

Tourmaline Coloured tourmalines are related to sodolithic pegmatite. One distinguishes two principal types of tourmalines: the hexagonal type and the triangular one.

The Mine of Anjanabonoina, located in the high plateaus, produced rubellites, green tourmalines, and a variety of rare stones. Garnet

The Besafotra river carry the spessartites on several kilometers from their source, doubtless a sodolitic pegmatite. Tanety “grounds bordering the river,” are also the object of the orange garnet’s fever. Malaya Garnet Discovery This marvellous chromium-spessartite garnet from Madagascar was discovered in its bedrock in 1996. This discovery remains exceptional by the quality of its product and also by the fact that it was the second deposit in the world to deliver this type of Malaya garnet. Crystalline Systems 7 systems of crystallization: There are 32 possibilities of combinations of the elements of symmetry. All the geometrical operations which cause a repetition of the pattern are called operations of symmetry. Cutting Styles

Table, Crown, Girdle, Pavilion, Culet. Fancy Styles Back to Top Shield Cut, Trillant Cut.

Cutting Characteristics When a stone is cut according to good proportions, the light is reflected from one facet to another and arises by the top.

Gemology

Microscopes: the binocular one, i.e. to double objective is best adapted for gemology. The microscope is of first importance in the detection of counterfeits. Indeed, the study of inclusions which the stone can contain is a practical means to identify the gems while explaining to a certain extent the conditions under which they were formed in nature. Size & Weight Back to Top Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald. Madagascar gem safari

At the time of the great dryness in the south, sapphire samples are found on the ground, several centuries after their first discovery. Actually, one of the most beautiful quality in the world is just leaving ground. Rare Stones Safari

The Yellow orthoclase from Itrongay, was found in eluvium, but comes from a pegmatite with diopside of a very special type, which presents the single characteristic to be made of transparent minerals only.

About Ilakak

It is in the accesses of the downwards brook named Ilakaka that the first sapphires were found in 1998. The excavations follow the gravel deposits which the Madagascans call lalam’ bato, (the way of stones.)

The essential characteristic of the Isalo formations is their main constitution of soft sandstones, very permeable, badly cemented which disaggregate easily on surfaces by giving thick siliceous sand coverings. Sakalama This sapphire of natural color, therefore untreated was found in alluvium in the sandstones. This is why it does not have any more its original shape. The first deposits consist of conglomerates, gravels and sands, One finds there elements of rocks and minerals: quartz, feldspars, micas, zircons, tourmalines, ilmenites, magnetite, monazite, rutile, chrysoberyls, corundum. Andranondambo Area The occurrences of the Andranondambo area were industrially exploited since 1993 and have been almost abandoned few years later. Actually, it is very difficult to exploit sapphire direct in the mother rock, because the corundum is not concentrated enough. This sapphire was sold as a Kashmir Sapphire by some dealers on the international market.

Pakistan Gem Safari The Northern areas conceals treasures, such of rubies, emeralds, sapphires, aquamarines, topazes, tourmalines etc. This is at the occasion of one of our visits in the valley, that some children tolled us that they found some fragments of emerald in the Swat river. Gem Adventure (novel)

The plane landed early - something extremely rare on the AirMad line serving Tananarive. Mrs. Nory was standing on the airport’s tarmac, right next to a gendarme. She welcomed her daughter Tina coming back from Belgium. © 1987 - 2004 gggems.com All rights reserved.