During the depths of the Depression, a middle-aged man with little more than ambition and charisma revolutionized the gem and jewelry industry. Robert M. Shipley established the Gemological Institute ...

Field reports, videos, photography, and firsthand accounts from mines and industry hot spots around the world.

Ruby is the July birthstone – and it’s one of the most coveted of gems. The name is derived from the Latin word ruber, meaning “red” – the color of love and passion. Few things catch the eye like the ...

Earth’s surface is divided into tectonic plates, and the ones that make up the ocean floor are destined to sink. Sheets of oceanic crust typically bend and sink down into Earth’s interior at so-called ...

Cuprian (copper-bearing) tourmaline, known as “Paraíba” tourmaline in the trade, has been an important gem since its discovery in 1989. Until now, almost all of the material reported has been ...

Blue zircon is perhaps best known from Cambodia, with most if not all of the material recovered as brown stones that turn blue upon heating. Recently, Brent Smith of Phoenix Gems supplied us with a ...

In February 2024, Mark Saul (Amor Gems, Kenya) informed author VP about a sapphire rush near Matepwende village, located in the Namtumbo district in Songea, in southern Tanzania. News of a rush ...

Recently, GIA’s Mumbai laboratory received an intriguing pair of mounted pearl earrings, which were later unmounted for identification and concluded as assembled pearls. Both button-shaped pearls were ...

Recently, the Mumbai laboratory received a parcel of loose white to light cream baroque pearls identified as filled natural hollow saltwater pearls after visual and chemical examination. Four of these ...

Insight into amethyst mining activity in Morocco. Characteristic “hourglass” color zoning (figure 1) and striking red hematite “finger” inclusions help distinguish Moroccan amethyst. Although amethyst ...

Yusuke Katsurada, Ziyin Sun, Christopher M. Breeding, and Barbara L. Dutrow ...

When the same gems and precious metals are used in jewelry, design is the element that ultimately distinguishes one piece from another. Real success is measured not only by the value of its materials ...