The Inside Scoop

Unveiling the Beauty of Umba Sapphires: Exploring Their Unique Inclusions
Unveiling the Beauty of Umba Sapphires: Exploring Their Unique Inclusions
Introduction: When it comes to gemstones, sapphires are hailed for their captivating beauty and remarkable durability. While the world is familiar with popular sapphire sources like Kashmir, Ceylon, and Montana,... Read More
Unsung Heroes
Unsung Heroes
We sometimes get asked how we manage to have such a variety of gems. It seems like a good time to take a moment to celebrate our buyers. Due to... Read More
Why we show our stones on white paper
Why we show our stones on white paper
Many will have noticed that in our videos and photographs, we will usually show our rough stones on white paper. It may seem like a trivial thing but placing a... Read More
Let's Tour a Tanzanite Mine!
Let's Tour a Tanzanite Mine!
Take a tour of a  tanzanite mine and get a feel for the effort that go into mining these precious gems. It truly is remarkable! Read More
Mogok Sein Phoo crystal donation
Mogok Sein Phoo crystal donation
It’s been 53 days since we held our last fund-raising event for the miners and their families in Mogok, Myanmar (Burma). We sold Sein Phoo crystals through our Instagram page and... Read More
Looking Back
Looking Back
It’s been 8 years since I sold my first piece of rough and 6 years since Joe Henley Rough & Gemstones was officially launched. I remember vividly the afternoon 8... Read More
Introducing Gem Dragon Points!
Introducing Gem Dragon Points!
Redeeming Gem Dragon Points   Every purchase* earns points that can be used for discounts1. One point is awarded for every $10 spent. Points are automatically added toyour account.2. When... Read More
The Umba Valley's Buried History
The Umba Valley's Buried History
Out beyond the land of cellphones and electricity is a village in the Umba Valley called Kigwasi. It's located at the end of a long red clay road that winds... Read More
On Ethical Gems
On Ethical Gems
Ethics is such a tricky subject when the conversation is gems. I often see the term used as a marketing gimmick or hashtag with little understanding (or definition) of what “ethics" means... Read More
How We Grade Our Rough
How We Grade Our Rough
I’ve been thinking a lot the last few weeks about writing a blog post which explains the process and terms we use to describe our stones. No better time than now... Read More
What A Little Heat Can Do
What A Little Heat Can Do
We buy parcels of zircons and I usually pick out the darkest colors and let them collect until I feel like dealing with them. As one might imagine, there isn't... Read More
Grading Garnet Color
Grading Garnet Color
Often I make reference to Garnets being "Color A", "B" or "C" and so I wanted to make a quick demonstration post showing what that means. In Tanzania, particularly in... Read More