Nephrite jade with high market value and production potential from the Chinese city of Hechi, in Guangxi Province, was tested by standard gemological methods, polarizing microscopy, scanning electron ...

Diamond “type” is a concept that is frequently mentioned in the gemological literature, but its relevance to the practicing gemologist is rarely discussed. Diamonds are broadly divided into two types ...

The soothing soft pink shades of rose quartz appeal to gem carvers and collectors. – Valerie Power, courtesy Arunashi People accept a certain amount of sand, dirt, and dust as ordinary ingredients in ...

GIA’s laboratory in Bangkok, Thailand conducts research and provides services such as diamond grading and origin determination, colored stone grading and origin determination and pearl identification ...

Figure 1. Glass in a silver brooch, hallmark from 1866. Private collection, photo by Jaroslav Hyršl. Tectites are members of a large group of impact glasses, formed by the collision of a meteorite on ...

Diamonds are known for their hardness – their ability to resist scratches and abrasions. But diamonds are not impervious to damage, since their hardness is uneven along different crystal directions.

Figure 1. Sapphires from Madagascar: a beautiful 3.29 ct untreated faceted stone and an assortment of rough in the background. Madagascar has produced many high-quality stones in the last few years ...

In November 2022, a parcel of 24 approximately 0.5–1.2 ct spinel crystals, described as cobalt-diffused, were obtained directly from a treater by the research team at GIA in Bangkok. Of these, seven ...

Diamonds are the most amazing of gems. Just as amazing, however, is how natural diamonds reach Earth’s surface. Diamonds are formed 150 to 700 km deep in Earth, and are then carried upward in a rare ...

Gem-quality synthetic or laboratory-grown diamonds are more available in today’s jewelry marketplace than ever before, causing both interest and concern about lab-grown diamonds and whether ...

Raman spectroscopy confirmed the identity of the material as pezzottaite by an intense peak at ~1100 cm –1, which is not present in beryl. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy showed features ...

Most consumers in today’s marketplace choose round brilliant-cut diamonds fashioned to meet modern concepts of beauty. These sparkling gems represent the collective talents of generations of skilled ...