Gemology

Single-row pavé, which consists of a single row of small diamonds set into a narrow strip of metal, is a...

Orange and red stones of every kind stood out at this years sensory-overloaded Tucson gem and mineral shows, but one...

Since the beginning of time, man has sought to improve upon nature. Pearls are no exception. The majority of today's...

Gem smuggling, The term evokes pictures of swashbuckling pirates and trench-coated international spies. The reality is far more gritty and...

To simplify your pursuit of gemstone knowledge, the varieties discussed in this book will be described in the mineral species....

"My birthstone is emerald," a potential customer recently told me. "But I don't like green," she continued, "so I never...

Carat, karat, caret, and carrot are all pronounced the same, but each has a different meaning. Carat and karat, of...

The prime requisite for coloration of gemstone is that it be porous . That is to say there must be...

The most widely-used gemstone exploration techniques today are ground-penetrating radar, known as GPR; trace-element analysis, which involves seeking signature elements...

Although gemstones are hard substances, they aren't indestructible. Some can be ruined by contact with certain chemicals, while others break...

Afghanistan's ruby/spinel mines are one of the great mysteries of gemology. Historically, rubies and red spinels have been produced from...

This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers...

Until fairly recently, gem cutting was one of the few areas of the world economy to remain uncontaminated by the...

How does concave faceting create so much more brilliance than regular flat faceting? Imagine a typical flat, square mirror, Now...

Many gemstone owners enjoy wearing their treasures. Few things can ruin that enjoyment faster than the discovery of damage such...

Ginseng, green tea, and herb and oil extracts are just a few of the main ingredients in millions of cosmetics...

Beryllium diffusion typically brightens the color of ruby or sapphire, making a stone more yellow, orange, or red, depending on...

Birth stones are stones associated with each person's month of birth. Each month has a different stone associated with it,...

With the exception of orthorhombic zoisite (tanzanite and thulite), discussed in the first article on the sorosilicate class of minerals,...

Fluorescence is the emission of visible light from a substance under the stimulation of radiation of a shorter wavelength. It...

Do you know what diamonds, rubies, and emeralds are? "Jewels" is the answer most people offer. It's an accurate answer,...

Can the colored stone industry choose a standard light source from the multitude on the market?

If each sapphire deposit has its own unique chemical mix, in theory it should only be a matter of careful...

Smalt is a word used to describe ground glass when it is either mixed with oil and applied to canvas,...

When the Babylonians observed the passage of the heavenly bodies across the firmament many thousands of years ago and believed...

PMC is not a traditional material, and so a few pioneers went about tentatively setting cubic zirconia's, and lab grown...

The gem's first known owner was Abu Said, a Moorish prince of Granada in Spain in the mid-1300s. Abu Said...

Warming waters, changes in weather patterns, and increases in storm activity may all affect the future success of pearl farms,...

There are only a few inorganic processes, in my experience at least, that will impart pinks or reds to gemstone....

Ring Sizing Chart Ring Size 4.00 4.50 5.00 5.50 6.00 6.50 7.00 7.50 8.00 8.50 9.00 9.50 10.00 10.50 11.00...

Pearls don't need polishing or faceting to reveal their natural beauty. That's why pearls were among the first gems worn...

Porcelain – for over 600 years a well kept secret of the Chinese, before it was discovered for a second...

Every substance on Earth falls into one of three groups: animal, plant or mineral. Minerals are compounds of elements, like...

Imagine, if you will, two colored stones. Both exhibit good color. Both are relatively inclusion free. Both tip the scale...

While a worldwide shortage in gem rough sends prices spiralling upward, gem deposits in Africa are lying unworked, or underworked,...

The fascinating depth and quality of the intesive colors that are created by melting stained glass on a metal surface...

When the first warnings about color enhancement of golden South Sea pearls came out five years ago, fear struck the...

High quality ruby is being mined in the province of Rukwa , in the southern highlands of Tanzania , according...

Dendrites, moss, plume and similar inclusions have added interest and value to gemstone for about as long as man has...

Due to their magical variety of color, opals are evocative of a solidified rainbow. These gemstones seem to have captured...

This book is the culmination of some twenty-five years of personally supported research on the use of inorganic chemicals to...

No other precious gem is as familiar — and coveted — as diamond. Learn the legends and histories behind some...

The varieties of beryl found worldwide include one of the most prized and one of the lesser valued of gemstones....

Andalusite, kyanite, and sillimanite all contain identical amounts of aluminum, silicon, and oxygen, combined with other trace elements. I find...

Peridot, often called olivine and chrysolite, is a gem variety occurring in the solid solution series between fosterite (Mg2SiO4) and...

The most important detail in the preparation of gemstone for chemical coloration is that it be clean. Oil and grease,...

My cats like to participate in most of my activities. Their "assistance" generally involves batting supplies off my desk. When...

Staurolite! Why would one of the most ordinary, patently unattractive minerals, used as a religious talisman and a good luck...

I’m hoping this series of articles will save some of you time, money, and embarrassment by discussing some of the...

Silicates comprise about a quarter of the known minerals and almost 40% of the common ones. The basic unit of...

Beryllium is a hard and shiny metallic element. Extremely rare, it's prized in industry for its high melting point and...

Amber begins as resin exuded from trees millions of years ago. All known deposits of amber come from various tree...

Garnet is a common mineral distributed worldwide. It occurs as crystals, in massive and granular forms, and as tumbled pebbles....

A petrified miracle of creation – most deserving of this kind of finely sensual description is agate. Agate is found...

For this demonstration of Setting a Pear Shape Emerald in a Full Bezel I will be setting a large emerald...

Platinum casting with gemstones in place has been the latest development before the end of the second millennium. It has...

Previous articles discussed the polymorph gemstones andalusite, sillimanite, and kyanite of the Al2SiO5 group of the nesosilicates. Topaz and staurolite...

Richly colored morganite gems are among the more valuable of the secondary gemstones. The value of morganite has increased with...

The minerals grouped as jasper belong to the quartz family. Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth....

The mythical properties and symbolic potency attributed to jade (celestial stone) are stronger than those linked to almost any other...

Historically gem possession has been reserved for wealthy, royalty, or high religious leaders. It has always been human nature to...

The region of pegmatite dikes in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil has been the primary source of gem...

A perfect crystal is bounded by plane faces which meet at angles specific for each kind of material (angle analysis...

There are only two ways that I know of to induce black into gemstone. One of these involves carbon while...

Whether they are cable, balloon, Maderia, rose, rolo or wheat chain, chains can be worn in almost any way. As...

The fragile opal first flashed its fiery colors at mortals millennia ago, igniting a love affair that has survived the...

The use of cobalt compounds to impart blue hues to glass, glazes and enamels has been known for centuries. "Cobalt...

Various and attractive shades of blue can be induced in gemstone by the use of copper compounds. This is perfectly...

On an excursion in the Alps in 1797, mineralogist, R. J. Hauy discovered some highly vitreous, piezio-electric wedged-shaped crystals that...

Tourmaline is one of the most unusual of all gemstones. Unlike other gems, which we often identify with a single...

It's called moissanite and it's described as a proprietary, nearcolorless, lab created gemstone. It's visually almost identical to diamond, and...

It is morning in Hweka, deep in northern Burma’s Kachin State. Outside the window, the roar of the river below...

For the past 125 years, textbooks and museum displays have relied on the beauty of tiger's eye to add interest...

The history of Burma’s jade mines in the West is a brief one. While hundreds of different reports, articles and...

Tanzanite! Baron Sigismund Zois von Edelstein of Slovenia could never have imagined that a variety of the mineral he discovered...

The works of the British environmental sculptor Andy Goldsworthy are never actually complete, but are always either in the process...

I'm hoping this series of articles will save some of you time, money, and embarrassment by discussing some of the...

Goshenite is the transparent, colorless, alkali-bearing pure beryl that was discovered in Goshen, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. The Lily Pond mine...

Historically speaking, gemstone mining has always been hit or miss. When miners make a big strike, gemstones flood the market,...

One of the important reasons for the dominance of diamond in the gem market is the existence of a comprehensive...

One of the most beautiful blue gemstones is native to our own country. In 1906, a prospector found what he...

Since the discovery that the principle of electrochemical displacement of metals can be used effectively and easily to induce inclusions...

Long associated with Spring and birth, gloriously green emeralds have an extensive history of healing and supernatural powers. Green is...

This is an exciting era for gemologists. High-tech analytical techniques now make it possible to identify trace elements, treatments, and...

There are several reactions well known to chemists, involving iron compounds and prussiate compounds (ferrocyanides and ferricyanides) that yield characteristic...

Moonstone and sunstone, seemingly opposites because of their names, are in reality closely related members of the feldspar family. Formed...

It seems that everyone likes the greens in chemically colored gemstone. Probably this is because greens are almost universally pleasing...

Amber's warmth and rich glow convinced our earliest ancestors that it was petrified sunlight. Later, others believed it to be...

The art of gemstone carving had its absolute heyday during the 19th century in Paris. The main center of the...

When setting a series of diamonds in a row, I use a 156C and just touch the inside wall of...

Think they just lie around? Oh, no! Rocks are constantly meeting, mingling, and occasionally making gemstones. Every so...

Coveted for their beauty and rarity, fancy color diamonds remain the hottest category in the diamond market. At gem and...

All-natural Oregon sunstone and similar-looking treated andesine once sold as natural are locked in apples-and-oranges competition that is both unfair...

Australia's most famous opal mines lie on the periphery of this Great Artesian Basin. Mintabie, Coober Pedy, Andamooka, White Cliffs,...

What is one of the causes of a "rippling or jagged" effect around an inside cutting edge in a Gypsy...

Well worth a fresh inspection under the loupe is some fine blue spinel currently on the market. An ancient group...

Currently identified with love, diamonds are the gemstone of choice in engagement, wedding, and anniversary rings. Contrary to popular belief,...

Bench Jewelers often use different methods to accomplish the same work. I believe the end results are what is important,...

Ever since childhood, I’ve been fascinated by rocks and gems. I started cutting cabs more than 40 years ago, and...

The sorosilicate class of minerals is composed of more than seventy minerals. Most are rare, and only a few are...

At first consideration, it might seem poor organization to include browns and yellows in the same chapter. However, I do...

GIA recently released a video that provides an overview of lead glass-filled rubies and explains why it has begun to...

An experienced bench jeweler will often be able to create almost any design that doesn't actually violate the laws of...

Prized for its sky-blue color, turquoise has been used in amulets and jewelry since antiquity. The oldest known piece of...

Tin inclusions can be induced in agate and other gemstone varieties in much the same way as with copper. Just...

“You should know what kind of shape you’re in,” joked Arthur Anton Skuratowicz during an MJSA At the Bench Live...

The marketing slogan 'All Natural' has been used for years to advertise products from cereal to shampoo. Now some gem...

Like many gems, rubies are known by several names. One of its earliest titles was ratnaraj, which is Sanskrit for...

You never know how visiting the doctor could change your life. While Tony Snodgrass of Kent Jewelry in Rolla ,Missouri,...

Titanium was not recognized as a metal and chemical element in its own right until the end of the 19th...

Two gemstones bear the name jade: nephrite and jadeite. Nephrite, first known as yu, was treasured by the Chinese for...

Quartz, the most abundant mineral, is also one of the most diverse minerals known. It's found in a rainbow of...

Design is becoming more important in Poland. Jewelry isn’t yet playing a starring role, but it is also one of...

Pantone’s picks are comforting, enveloping, and easy to wear. Warm. Comforting. Effortless. These are just a few of the words...

Silicon dioxide, better known as quartz, is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth. Mineralogists divide quartz into two...

A year ago, there wasnt much new to be said about tanzanite, the oven-blued zoisite found only in its namesake...

Opal is a fascinating gemstone with an ancient history. Pliny the Elder gives an eloquent description of opal, comparing its...

Internationally known designers and artists now come and go where up until 17 years ago mine workers and coal dust...

The Allgemeine Gold- und Silberscheideanstalt AG, founded in Pforzheim in 1891, is among the leading European firms in the precious...

Lapis lazuli, as lovely as its exotic name, has decorated humans and enhanced their art for thousands of years. Normally...

Which is the best to buy: natural, enhanced, imitation, artificial or synthetic gems? The answer depends on how you plan...

One address in Stockholm’s gallery district is especially well known to experimental-jewelry enthusiasts: The gallery “Metallum” represents a multifaceted mix...

If we needed more proof that our society is obsessed with celebrity style, we have only to look at the...

Dioptase incorporates the native metal, copper in the Si6O18 ring structure with water to form the only gem material that...

Lets Talk Gemstones - Zircon is the single member of the zircon group of the nesosilicates that is suitable for...

Morgan Beard, the editor-in-chief of Colored Stone magazine examines the current world mining production of Ruby ' Sapphire, Emerald, Tanzanite,...

This page contains the list of Gemstone Glossary from the book Gem Dealers' Secrets - Handbook for the Gem Buyer,...

Colored gemstones have enchanted mankind since the dawn of time. The variety of colors, their mysterious sparkle and their extreme...

When buying cultured pearls, consumers must consider several quality characteristics that are very different from the four C's of diamonds...

Where does nature end and art begin? This question is the subject of an exhibition that renders almost tangible the...

This article showcases book reviews for "The Art of the Jeweler", "Bead Setting Diamonds, with Pavé Applications", "Custom Knifemaking: 10...

I. We began the jurying of the 1996 Exhibition in Print by passing the morning in silence, looking at the...