EXPORT PROBLEMS
It would be exceedingly naive for any inexperienced individual to travel to a gem-producing country such as Brazil, Burma, Thailand, Mada¬gascar, or Ceylon and expect to bring back quantities of rough or cut gems at bargain prices. First of all, the local experts are fully aware of values, some of them having been born and raised in families whose busi¬ness for generations has been buying and selling rough and cut gemstones. There is no reason to believe that they are ignorant, a view which unfor¬tunately is held altogether too often by visitors from abroad. Second, the natives realize that the major portion of their income is derived from regular dealings with foreign customers who are trustworthy mem¬bers of the gem trade. If they sold anything but trash to the casual visitor, they would imperil their relations with their important customers, and of course, this they cannot afford to do.

In the case of individuals who wish to import gems and rough on a permanent basis, numerous problems exist, which in variety and com¬plexity are simply amazing to a person accustomed to dealing with the relatively simple customs procedures of his own country. Such com¬plexities, and associated problems, are to be expected in Brazil and other Latin American countries, and also in Madagascar, Mozambique, Burma, Thailand, Ceylon, India, and others. Learning how to thread one’s way through the maze of regulations is partially accomplished by obtaining the appropriate publication issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce