All of us at JCK are deeply saddened and distressed by the terrible devastation and loss caused along the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people afflicted there, especially our colleagues, friends and family members in the jewelry and gem businesses. We urge our readers to make a contribution to our industry’s efforts to provide assistance (see our news stories for specific information, such as this one), and to the Red Cross Hurricane 2005 Relief fund (www.redcross.org).

JCK