Cultured pearls come in different sizes, shapes, and colors. Perhaps the best-loved gems of all time, pearls—both natural and modern cultured pearls—occur in a wide variety of colors. The most ...

A look at the history of analytical instruments used for gem testing. UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy measures how gemstones absorb and interact with light across the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared ...

GIA is the creator of the 4Cs of diamond quality and the leading research and education center for gems and gemology. Considered the world authority on gems, the Institute is open to the public Monday ...

If you were born in the month of June, you are lucky enough to have three birthstones to call your own. June is one of only three months (the others are August and December) that has three birthstones ...

Large quantities of rubies—both rough and faceted—from a commercially important new source in Myanmar (Burma) have been available on the Bangkok market since 1992. The ruby crystals from the Mong Hsu ...

Since late 2007, rubies and sapphires have been mined by hand methods from both eluvial and primary deposits at Winza in central Tanzania. The gem corundum is related to “dikes” of amphibolitic rocks ...

This note deals with some gemological applications for a tool well known to microscopists: the first-order red compensator. In gemological microscopy, the compensator can be useful in locating ...

The various techniques in use today to alter colorless topaz to produce brown, pink, and most commonly, blue stones are discussed. Special attention is given to the three irradiation sources -gamma ...

During the past 25 years, the corundum market has been transformed from one of medium to high-priced gems to one that encompasses nearly all price ranges. This transformation was caused by the ...

In recent years, significant amounts of gem-quality sodalite/hackmanite—some unusually transparent—have been produced from the Mogok region of Myanmar and Badakhshan Province in Afghanistan. Samples ...

Brazil is currently the leader in overall production of amethyst. This article describes the author's visits to three of Brazil’s most important mining areas: Marabá, Pau d’Arco, and Rio Grande do Sul ...

In the process of cutting kunzite, a lapidary comes face-to-face with problem properties that sometimes remain hidden from the jeweler. By way of examining these problems, we present the example of a ...