Publish Year: - Title: Holiday Pins: A Few of Our Favorite Things Abstract: A selection of holiday pins on display at the Richard T. Liddicoat Gemological Library at GIA in Carlsbad. Curated by librarians Chris Rogers and Rose Tozer. Photo by Kevin Schumacher/GIA

                      It’s that most wonderful time of the year: the lights, music and good cheer are on full festive display. For many jewelry lovers, a favorite way to celebrate the season is with a treasured holiday pin – or two, or more – front and center on a coat or sweater.

Rose Tozer, a senior research librarian at GIA in Carlsbad, has been known to wear more than a dozen at once to get display time for as many of the nearly 200 in her collection during the holiday season.

“My mother started me on them when I was in college. She would look at my outfit and say ‘you need a little pin’ and then she’d lend me one,” Tozer said. “The very first pin my mom gave me was an enameled snowman I would wear on my herringbone tweed overcoat.”

Holiday pins first came into fashion by way of “Art Deco masterpieces” in the 1920s and ‘30s, according to Kathy Flood, who has written several collectors’ guides, including “Comprehensive Jewelry Guide to Christmas Tree Pins,” published earlier this year. Homemade felt pins were popular during the Depression and holiday corsages were popular in the 1940s, but it wasn’t until the 1950s and ‘60s that holiday pins were mass-produced.

	A glittering clear crystal Swarovski tree and an authentic Weiss tree. The stone-on-stone construction of the Weiss tree makes it too complicated to copy, according to holiday pin expert Kathy Flood. Photo courtesy Kathy Flood
The most-purchased tree from that era was the Weiss candle tree design, said Flood, which was in stores for the 1962, ’63 and ’64 holiday season. “Available in three sizes, sometimes it feels like there wasn't an American child or man who didn’t buy one for their mother, teacher, girlfriend or wife,” she said.

Many holiday pins ‒ costume jewelry composed of plated, enameled metal, plastics or wood, all often ornamented with crystal stones ‒ were the creations of major jewelry houses such as Eisenberg, Trifari, Swarovski, Hollycraft and Weiss. Well-known individual designers and companies include Miriam Haskell, Stuart Freeman, Erickson Beamon, Robert Lee Morris, as well as couture names from Nina Ricci and Elsa Schiaparelli to Givenchy and Molyneux.

Even the highest-end names ‒ Bulgari, Cartier, Chanel and Belperron ‒ produced treasures in trees that are most coveted and prized.

“They are stunning arbors of precious metals and fine gems, loaded with design integrity,” Flood said. “These truffles of the jewelry world, on the occasions they turn up for sale, are hunted out at top auction venues such as Christie's and Sotheby's. Some trees have turned up on catalog covers for December sales.”

	This 1991 Christie’s auction ad features a Christmas tree pin of jade and other gems.
	Photo courtesy Kathy Flood
The Christmas tree – an iconic symbol of many people’s favorite time of the year – is the most popular pin motif, recreated a thousand different ways, said Flood, who trimmed her holiday forest down to 1,000 trees.

“It's surprising how much effort designers put into creatively portraying them,” she said. “They range from beautiful to funny, inspired to classic, wild to a snooze. Also, many collectors come to trees because their mothers loved them and collected, or they inherit a collection.”

Snowflakes, wreaths, bells, Santas, reindeer and snowmen are other holiday pin motifs.

“Probably every collection has a terrific St. Nick, beautiful bell, etc., especially when someone wants all of a house's designs, but most effort seemed to be put into trees, so, they are the wittiest, prettiest and were issued in more profusion, so there's more to choose from,” Flood said.

	Some of GIA librarian Rose Tozer’s most treasured pins include this tree and wreath
	from her mom’s collection. Photo by Kevin Schumacher/GIA
Tozer’s favorites – a wreath, tree and Santa – are the ones that once belonged to her mom.

“After she died, my sister and brother very generously let me have all of them,” she said. “My next favorite one would definitely be an Eisenberg Ice Christmas tree: all white glass. That was my first expensive pin ($48). I had buyer’s remorse for months! I bought it in August and not until I wore it in December did I relax about it! That is one I always make sure I wear.”

Treasure Hunts for Holiday Pins

The reasons jewelry lovers are drawn to collect holiday pins are as varied as their designs, but for many it is often an emotional connection.

Flood distinctly remembers when she discovered them at a hair appointment in November 1993. The salon owner handed her a glass of wine and the December issue of Vogue, which she happened to open from the back.

“If I hadn't, I never would have seen Candy Pratts Price's stunning “Last Look” page, with 18 of the most gripping holiday brooches ever designed,” Flood said. “It's hard to express the feeling I had when I saw them. They produced an intense aesthetic pleasure.”

	This plastic tree was created by Stuart Freeman for Vogue magazine. The trunk is made from real bark from Central Park. Photo courtesy Kathy Flood
“And amid the masterpieces by Bulgari, Cartier and Mme Belperron was a plastic tree wound with glittering jeweled garland and a trunk of real bark from Central Park,” she said. “That tree really penetrated my desire zone and I looked for its designer, Stuart Freeman, for a decade.”

Flood’s passion for the pins was strong enough, she knew she could get at least one book out of it. Research would be required – which conveniently paved the way to building a collection. Her background as a journalist helped her develop expertise in key areas, such as designers, manufacturers and the jewelry industry in general.

‘When I first began looking for Christmas trees, if you'd asked me how many different trees or designs there are, I would have guessed 50. Now I'd estimate closer to 5,000,” she said. “The first Christmas after I discovered the tree as collectible holiday pin, my husband bought five for me as gifts and thought, ‘Well, that's that. There can't be any more.’ That's the madness of it all: there are always more. One you've never seen, even after 21 years of forest ranging, suddenly springs up and you're like, ‘What?’”

Tozer, whose mom encouraged her to add a little sparkle to her coat, said she didn’t really become a devotee until she started to work at GIA in late 1989, “where most everyone has caught the jewelry bug.”

Since then, she’s found them everywhere: garage sales, antique/collector’s shows, the car wash (“truly, some of my best finds!”), department stores, stationery stores, the pharmacy.

	Tozer makes sure she wears this all-white-glass Eisenberg Ice Christmas tree every year.
	Photo by Kevin Schumacher/GIA
“Usually when I’m not looking for them is when I find them,” she said. “When I started collecting, I refused to pay more than $10 for a pin. After all, I really only wear the pin once. I was pretty successful for a long time holding to that amount but it’s hard to find them that cheap anymore. I’ve now bumped that up to no more than $40.”

Flood, who lives in St. Louis, Missouri, said one of her most thrilling buys was the unopened Christmas tree pin inventory of a drugstore in the Southeast.

“It was the old-time kind of drugstore that carried all sorts of wonderful goodies,” she said. “The owner, who must have died suddenly and the store closed, had ordered gorgeous tree pins by Laguna, made in Austria. They were all still boxed, on their original velvety green cards and wrapped in crinkly brown paper stamped Austria all over. It's one of the all-time great trees.”

Sometimes, however, just the experience of hunting the pins can be almost as fulfilling as coming home with one.

“We walked into an antiques shop on Cherokee Street in St. Louis during the holidays,” Flood recalled. “The proprietress was engaged in an overly long conversation with a customer, so we decided to leave,” she said. Before they got out the door, however, she called out to them and Flood asked if she had any Christmas pins.

“She glared at me in a rude and suspicious way. It turns out she was a major collector of Christmas tree pins and thought I was pulling her leg. I had no idea,” Flood said. “She started pulling out tray after tray of the best trees from under the counter. All hers; none for sale.”

They got together every year during the holidays, and even traded trees. Then one year, the shop was boarded up, and Flood learned the woman had died.

Flood did fulfill a decade-long pin quest when she finally found Stuart Freeman, designer of the Christmas tree with real bark in that 1993 Vogue. The whole experience came full circle in 2014 when Freeman had lunch with editor Candy Pratts Price, who originally created the page that launched Flood in this collecting sphere.

“Stuart got a photo of Candy in the cafe, holding up my book. It was almost as thrilling as hearing Stuart say, when I first found him, ‘Yes, I think I have a few of my Vogue trees left in storage,’” she said. “That was a cue-the-medics moment!”

The Richard T. Liddicoat Gemological Library in Carlsbad is home to thousands of books, journals, videos and images on gems and jewelry. GIA librarians often use those resources to create displays on a specific theme to encourage students, staff and visitors to learn more about a topic. @topic:6


Publish Year: 2024 Title: Montana Sapphire at Obsessed Over Gems Abstract: Figure 1. Untreated Montana sapphire showing a variety of cuts and the range of in-demand green to blue hues available. The stones range in size from 3.34 ct (stone on the far right) to 5.78 ct (third from the left). Photo by Jennifer Stone-Sundberg; courtesy of Obsessed Over Gems.
At the AGTA show, miner and owner Don Johnson (Obsessed Over Gems, Helena, Montana) showed us an array of unheated Montana sapphires in a range of hues, cuts, and sizes (figure 1) while describing what is in demand from his customers. Pale green is particularly popular, followed by pale blue.

Figure 2. Three Montana sapphires showing a range of silkiness, from virtually none (2.80 ct green round cut by Craig Oliveira) to moderate (10.33 ct blue cushion cut by Victor Tuzlukov) to strong (21.20 ct hazy green “silk bomb” cut by Tuzlukov). Photo by Robert Weldon; courtesy of Obsessed Over Gems.
“Silky” stones with a soft appearance were in high demand this year, an observation echoed by other vendors. The abundance of needle inclusions in some of Johnson’s silky stones rendered them translucent to virtually opaque, such as the dark green sapphire in figure 2 that he referred to as the “silk bomb.”

Figure 3. A 4.44 ct grayish violetish blue modified round brilliant Montana sapphire, precision cut by Joyce Wang to maximize light return. Photo by Robert Weldon; courtesy of Obsessed Over Gems.
In response to the demand for natural colors and unaltered inclusions, Johnson has moved away from heat treating any newly mined sapphires. He has many of his stones precision cut by notable cutters, resulting in clean stones with so much fire that at first glance, one could mistake them for a stone with a much higher refractive index (figure 3).
For his larger and more significant stones, Johnson has been providing mine-to-market origin and traceability reports. These certifications document both the rough and the resulting cut stone. He uses two laboratory services (GIA and AGL) for each stone he deems important enough to provide this documentation for.
Johnson, along with many other vendors, sees no softening in the Montana sapphire market; in fact, it keeps getting stronger each year. He noted that the first day of the AGTA show this year was the busiest he has ever had. On that opening day, he sold almost all of the stones with origin and traceability reports that he had brought to Tucson. @topic:2


Publish Year: - Title: GIA's Gubelin Gem Project: Garnet Abstract: Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA

Often thought of as a deep red gemstone, garnet can also be yellow, orange, green or brown – any color except blue. There are six common garnet minerals – almandine, andradite, grossular, pyrope, spessartine and uvarovite – and several rare species. Gem varieties include green demantoid and tsavorite, orangy red hessonite and pink/red rhodolite. Besides brilliance and attractive colors, garnets sometimes exhibit optical phenomena such as asterism (a star-shaped pattern of reflections), chatoyancy (a “cat’s-eye” seen in reflected light), or a color change when viewed under different types of lighting.

33197

			18.34 ct Garnet (Almandine - Spessartine)
			Czech Republic (PDF)

33222

			12.86 ct Garnet (Almandine - Spessartine)
			India (PDF)

33308

			2.10 ct Garnet (Andradite)
			Korea (PDF)

33282

			16.02 ct Garnet (Andradite)
			South Africa (PDF)

35637

			1.67 ct Garnet (Andradite) - Demantoid
			Iran (PDF)

33307

			4.12 ct Garnet (Andradite) - Demantoid
			Italy (PDF)

33303

			4.24 ct Garnet (Andradite) - Demantoid
			Locality not stated (PDF)

33301

			4.31 ct Garnet (Andradite) - Demantoid
			Locality not stated (PDF)

33300

			5.22 ct Garnet (Andradite)  - Demantoid
			Locality not stated (PDF)

33223

			3.59 ct Garnet (Grossular)
			Mali (PDF)

33265

			6.57 ct Garnet (Grossular)
			Tanzania (PDF)

33242

			11.04 ct Garnet (Grossular)
			Tanzania (PDF)

34991

			14.54 ct Garnet (Grossular)
			Tanzania (PDF)

33239

			16.95 ct Garnet (Grossular)
			Tanzania (PDF)

33298

			10.99 ct Garnet (Grossular) - Hessonite
			Sri Lanka (PDF)

33299

			12.36 ct Garnet (Grossular) - Hessonite
			Sri Lanka (PDF)

33293

			14.18 ct Garnet (Grossular) - Hessonite
			Sri Lanka (PDF)

33292

			16.99 ct Garnet (Grossular) - Hessonite
			Sri Lanka (PDF)

33281

			23.86 ct Garnet (Grossular) - Hessonite
			Sri Lanka (PDF)

34842

			25.65 ct Garnet (Grossular) - Hessonite
			Sri Lanka (PDF)

35007

			6.96 ct Garnet (Grossular) - Hessonite
			Tanzania (PDF)

34358

			1.75 ct Garnet (Grossular) - Tsavorite
			Kenya (PDF)

35569

			3.65 ct Garnet (Grossular) - Tsavorite
			Tanzania (PDF)

33229

			3.87 ct Garnet (Pyrope)
			Tanzania (PDF)

33278

9.22 ct Garnet (Pyrope) Tanzania (PDF)

33313

			11.45 ct Garnet (Pyrope)
			Tanzania (PDF)

34395

			12.22 ct Garnet (Pyrope - Almandine)
			Madagascar (PDF)

34542

			10.24 ct Garnet (Pyrope - Almandine)
			Myanmar (PDF)

34841

			8.14 ct Garnet (Pyrope - Almandine)
			Sri Lanka (PDF)

34769

			19.12 ct Garnet (Pyrope - Almandine)
			Sri Lanka (PDF)

34759

			30.60 ct Garnet (Pyrope - Almandine)
			Sri Lanka (PDF)

33201

			11.42 ct Garnet (Pyrope - Almandine)
			Tanzania (PDF)

35213

			14.55 ct Garnet (Pyrope - Almandine)
			United States (PDF)

33459

			1.92 ct Garnet (Pyrope - Almandine) - Rhodolite
			Tanzania (PDF)

33461

			2.54 ct Garnet (Pyrope - Almandine) - Rhodolite
			Tanzania (PDF)

33206

			4.43 ct Garnet (Pyrope - Almandine) - Rhodolite
			Tanzania (PDF)

33199

			18.88 ct Garnet (Pyrope - Almandine) - Rhodolite
			Sri Lanka (PDF)

35021

			14.38 ct Garnet (Pyrope - Almandine) - Rhodolite
			Tanzania (PDF)

33198

			18.53 ct Garnet (Pyrope - Almandine) - Rhodolite
			Tanzania (PDF)

34387

			44.28 ct Garnet (Pyrope - Spessartine)
			Madagascar (PDF)

35068

			13.80 ct Garnet (Pyrope - Spessartine)
			Tanzania (PDF)

34338

			14.57 ct Garnet (Spessartine)
			Kenya (PDF)

34719

			7.42 ct Garnet (Spessartine)
			Namibia (PDF)

33251

			11.29 ct Garnet (Spessartine)
			Nigeria (PDF)

33249

			5.13 ct Garnet (Spessartine)
			Sri Lanka (PDF)

34844

			9.81 ct Garnet (Spessartine)
			Sri Lanka (PDF)

34899

			13.07 ct Garnet (Spessartine)
			Sri Lanka (PDF)

35227

			7.94 ct Garnet (Spessartine)
			United States (PDF) @topic:1


Publish Year: - Title: GIA's Gubelin Gem Project: Corundum Abstract: Corundums (ruby and sapphires) occur in all colors of the spectrum, and have remained popular gemstones from ancient times to the present day. Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA

Ruby and sapphire (usually blue, but also in every other color) have been the most important colored gemstones for several thousand years. Originating historically in southeast and central Asia, and more recently in eastern Africa, these colored varieties of the mineral corundum have been much sought as gems because of their rarity, color and durability. Gem corundum can display asterism and chatoyancy due to the presence of oriented mineral inclusions, and in some cases, a change of color when viewed under different light sources.

33066

1.77 ct Corundum - Ruby  Myanmar (PDF)

33068

1.62 ct Corundum - Ruby  Nepal (PDF)

33069

2.02 ct Corundum - Ruby  Sri Lanka (PDF)

33070

3.05 ct Corundum - Ruby  Sri Lanka (PDF)

35115

 2.47 ct Corundum - Ruby  Thailand (PDF)

35103

1.92 ct Corundum - Sapphire Cambodia (PDF)

34572

2.97 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Myanmar (PDF)

33081

3.46 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Myanmar (PDF)

33085

4.38 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Myanmar (PDF)

34575

5.78 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Myanmar (PDF)

33078

6.40 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Myanmar (PDF)

35147

3.89 Corundum - Sapphire  Thailand (PDF)

35146

3.97 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Thailand (PDF)

34581

6.99 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Myanmar (PDF)

34580

8.29 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Myanmar (PDF)

33092

3.48 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Sri Lanka (PDF)

33074

4.51 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Sri Lanka (PDF)

33075

6.36 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Sri Lanka (PDF)

33061

7.74 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Sri Lanka (PDF)

33063

8.70 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Sri Lanka (PDF)

33079

9.16 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Sri Lanka (PDF)

35144

4.94 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Thailand (PDF)

35128

5.28 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Thailand (PDF)

33084

15.87 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Sri Lanka (PDF)

33087

4.29 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Tanzania (PDF)

33077

 5.06 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Tanzania (PDF)

35138

2.20 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Thailand (PDF)

35095

2.72 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Thailand (PDF)

35111

 2.72 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Thailand (PDF)

33080

2.86 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Thailand (PDF)

35112

3.01 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Thailand (PDF)

35113

3.39 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Thailand (PDF)

35110

3.76 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Thailand (PDF)

33091

7.65 ct Corundum - Sapphire  Thailand (PDF) @topic:2


Publish Year: 2023 Title: Gübelin Gem Museum Opens in Switzerland Abstract: Figure 1. A look inside the new Gübelin Gem Museum in Lucerne, Switzerland. Photo courtesy of Gübelin.

Figure 2. A display case featuring emerald at the Gübelin Gem Museum. Photo courtesy of Gübelin.
In July 2023, the Swiss firm Gübelin, known for its luxury timepieces and jewelry and its gemological laboratory, opened the Gübelin Gem Museum in Lucerne, Switzerland (figure 1). The collection allows visitors to explore the formation, origin, and diverse colors of fascinating gemstones (figure 2), as well as the history of the family-owned business, founded in 1854.
The opening of the museum commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Gübelin Gem Lab, which became a world-renowned institution in the field under the leadership of Dr. Edward J. Gübelin. Recognized for his gemstone inclusion research, Dr. Gübelin’s groundbreaking work is a focal point of the museum, including many of his instruments and gemstones he collected during his travels worldwide. Visitors will discover 174 gemstones selected from the company’s reference collection in addition to selected Gübelin watches and jewelry pieces from various eras.
The compact space not only houses historical exhibits but also provides a window to the future. Visitors will learn about Provenance Proof, the company’s blockchain technology for colored gemstones, and Gemtelligence, a colored gemstone analytical tool that uses artificial intelligence to increase consistency in data interpretation, origin determination, and identification of heat treatment. It is also the new home of the Gübelin Academy, offering courses to inspire students in the museum setting. Through digital and interactive elements, the exhibits will be continuously updated and expanded, ensuring new experiences for years to come. For more information, visit www.gubelin-gemmology.com. @topic:8


Publish Year: - Title: Book Review: Pegmatites and Their Gem Minerals Abstract: By Michael Menzies and Jeffrey Scovil, hardcover, $125.00, 616 pp., Canadian Mineralogist Special Publication No. 15, Mineralogical Association of Canada, 2022.

This new publication describes the special igneous rocks classified as pegmatites and the gems and other minerals recovered from them. Pegmatites often occur as dikes, sills, or pods in igneous and metamorphic rocks. Most have a composition similar to granite; they may consist of simple minerals such as quartz, feldspar, and mica or, in addition, a more complex set of minerals containing uncommon elements. They can display either no internal zonation or an internal structure with zones of distinct mineral assemblages. Some contain open cavities or pockets into which high-quality crystals can grow unobstructed by surrounding minerals. Pegmatites are major sources of gem tourmaline, beryl, topaz, spodumene, and garnet, along with a variety of other minerals.
The book represents a valuable reference work that will be indispensable to anyone seeking information on these uncommon rocks that produce spectacular crystals of so many colored gemstones as well as various industrial minerals. It focuses principally on pegmatites of granitic composition, since they have been the most prolific gem producers. It is divided into seven chapters, plus an extensive reference list and two appendices. Contained within are nearly 650 photographs along with well-prepared locality maps and educational line drawings. The photographs include images taken in the field as well as those of world-class mineral and gem specimens. The authors’ goal is to provide a broad description of gem-bearing pegmatites based on fundamental geological concepts, combined with field observations and magnificent photographs, written in a less technical and very readable style. The emphasis is on those localities that have produced gem-quality crystals and aesthetic mineral specimens. It is well organized, clearly written, and attractively laid out.
Following the introduction, Chapter 2 presents a historical summary of pegmatite studies and some of the researchers who have made significant contributions to the scientific understanding of these rocks. Chapter 3 contains a brief discussion of important geological concepts and terminology related to pegmatites. Chapters 4 and 7 introduce the current understanding of the occurrence and formation of pegmatites and of the conditions that allow for the creation of open spaces or pockets. Granitic pegmatites represent the results of the latter stages of magma crystallization. Uncommon elements not incorporated in the formation of earlier minerals can become concentrated in these residual magmas to produce minerals that are otherwise rare or absent in most igneous rocks.
Chapters 5 and 6 represent the most important sections of the book. Chapter 5 presents an extended review of the major gem-producing pegmatite districts and localities throughout the world. Localities described include those in the United States, Afghanistan, Brazil, Canada, Italy (Island of Elba), Madagascar, Myanmar, Namibia, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, and elsewhere. Each section includes a historical background, a summary of the geological setting, and information on the mines and the gem minerals found in each deposit. Chapter 6 provides a similar review of the most important gems and minerals that occur in pegmatites, along with a brief discussion of the causes of color in pegmatite minerals.
Pegmatites and Their Gem Minerals is a comprehensive reference for geoscientists, gemologists and gem dealers, mineral collectors, and anyone interested in the occurrences that have supplied some of the world’s finest mineral and gem crystals, as well as the geological conditions that allowed for the formation of these fascinating igneous rocks. It is a magnificent publication. @topic:1


Publish Year: 2022 Title: Conversation with True Blue Opals and Gems Abstract: Figure 1. A 13.12 ct black opal from Lightning Ridge, 19.7 × 14.4 × 7 mm. Photo by Robert Weldon; courtesy of True Blue Opals and Gems Inc.
At the AGTA show, we spoke with Natassa Patel, who along with her mother, Salma, owns and operates True Blue Opals and Gems (Tucson and Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia). While they typically specialize in black opal from Lightning Ridge (figure 1), the closure of Australia’s state borders during the pandemic prevented them from traveling there. Canceled trade shows and the inability to see clients face-to-face also limited business, but their online sales increased and they began sourcing from Queensland’s Yowah and Koroit boulder opal fields. The majority of the stones at the booth were Yowah and Koroit boulder opal, with only one showcase of black opal.
“Circumstance made us specialize in Yowah and Koroit,” Natassa said. “I think my mom has taught me that, to make the opportunity. We could have just left it at home because everybody’s chasing black opal, but we didn’t. We believe in it.”
According to Natassa, buyers don’t want “generic” stones anymore, and opal is “very non-generic.” She said boulder opal (figures 2 and 3) is “like a bouquet of flowers” with its immense variety of colors and patterns. “I think it appeals to the uniqueness we all want to feel, with our imaginations running wild in trying to see landscapes and faces and paintings that are so prevalent in the patterns of boulder opals,” she said.

Figure 2. A Yowah boulder opal or “Yowah nut” weighing 312.6 ct and measuring 74.6 × 67.3 × 22.6 mm (detail on the right). Photo by Robert Weldon; courtesy of True Blue Opals and Gems Inc.

Figure 3. Boulder opals: “Rainbow Jungle” (left), 73.53 ct and 52 × 25 × 7 mm, and “Red Lantern” (right), 188 ct and 54.8 × 41.4 × 22.0 mm. Photos by Robert Weldon; courtesy of True Blue Opals and Gems Inc.
Natassa said that despite the common belief that anticipating customer demand is the way to success, it’s important to her and her mother “to stay true to ourselves and sell what we like.” She added that if you focus on persuading people by sharing knowledge rather than on trends, you can create a trend. “I like to pave the road. I don’t like to follow: I want to go first.”
When True Blue began exhibiting in Tucson in the early 2000s, they often had to educate customers on black opal. Natassa estimated that the number of opal dealers at the Tucson shows has increased perhaps tenfold since, which has increased customer understanding of the gem. Boulder opal has become more popular, but they still have to inform people about Yowah and Koroit boulder opal.
“No matter if we sell one stone or a hundred stones, the focus, for me, should still be the same,” Natassa said. “To bring something new, to educate people. What’s the point of doing all this, if people still misunderstand opal or they don’t see the value in it?”
Natassa noted that while many more designers use opal now, customers are still coming to terms with pricing. She attributes this to a lack of understanding of opal mining: The cost of opal is difficult to standardize because there are too many variables in its mining. “If you find one pocket in five years, and you’ve spent half a million dollars in mining, then that parcel is half a million plus,” she said. “And sometimes there’s a drought—no water to wash the dirt to see if there’s opal trace.”
True Blue celebrated their 20th anniversary last year, but Salma’s passion for opal goes back further. After the Patels moved from Vanuatu to the Gold Coast in 1988, Salma was free to wander the shops while Natassa and her siblings were in school. She became fascinated with the black opals that were so different from the familiar gold and diamonds. After learning they were from Lightning Ridge, she traveled there with an opal dealer friend in the early 1990s. “I think it’s something that she was called to,” Natassa said. “I think what happened to her was what happened to me.”
In 1995, Salma bought a small store on the Gold Coast, initially focusing on small parcels. Natassa helped her mother on nights and weekends while attending university, although she wasn’t interested in gemstones at first. “I’m assertive, but I’m not aggressive,” she said. “I didn’t know how to push them.”
Salma’s first visit to Tucson was in 1995, and a few years later she exhibited at the Globex Gem and Mineral Show (now held at the Red Lion Inn). In 2002, after Natassa finished her master’s degree, she went to live with family in New Jersey and look for a job in finance. Salma asked her to help at that year’s show, but Natassa was still reluctant about selling. Salma promised she only had to stand behind the booth and rely on set prices. Natassa made a good salary based on commission over the two-week show. “It took her a while, but she convinced me to join the business,” she said.
Soon Natassa started going to the opal fields with Salma and doing the smaller trade shows in Tucson. “I’m a good listener, I think,” Natassa said. “And I believe I’m a good observer. So I learned quickly. It just kind of started rolling off my tongue eventually.”
Since then, Natassa has only missed the Tucson shows twice, once while completing the Accredited Gemologist program at the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences (AIGS) in Bangkok. “I felt that opals weren’t in the mainstream,” she said. “There was so much misinformation.” She wanted to be able to explain opal in gemology terms “because it’s this mysterious stone to most people.” She found she loved gemology and being in the lab. “I love the microscope,” she said. “It’s pretty cool to see opals under microscopes.”
True Blue’s first AGTA show was in Las Vegas in 2005. Natassa got a call on opening day offering them the booth of an exhibitor who hadn’t showed. “Back then we didn’t have any money,” she said. “We used to put stuff on credit cards.” The cost of the booth was $7,000—the cost of the entire trip. “I’m thinking, how are we going to do these two booths? Is there enough stock to spread around? Plus seven grand. Plus it’s already opening. Then we said okay—we’ll just do it.” Their first big sale that day wasn’t an opal but a giant clam (Tridacna gigas) pearl they’d bought a few days prior, for which another exhibitor paid $10,000 cash. “So we covered our booth,” Natassa said.
“We’re blessed, because there have been difficult times for us personally and financially over the last 28 years,” Natassa said. “For my mum, even more so because she was on her own before me. All these things I’ve learned from her, day in, day out.”
Natassa recalled that in the early years some customers, expecting a male dealer, would ask where the owner was. “They just assumed that we weren’t. A client would say, ‘Go ask your boss if I can get a better deal on this.’ I’d say, ‘Well, I am the boss, and this is the price.’ It’s easier now.”
Natassa and Salma try to find niches in the local market, such as opal beads (figure 4), which they began selling in the late 2000s. The beads use the precious part of the opal as well as the potch. “The really dark potch is jet black,” Natassa said. “If you can wear a black spinel strand, you can wear a potch opal strand.”

Figure 4. Faceted beads of black opal from Lightning Ridge totaling 45.15 carats. Each bead is 4 × 4 × 3 mm. Courtesy of True Blue Opals and Gems Inc.
Natassa revealed that she never intended to stay in the opal business this long. “But I think it’s God’s plan for me,” she said. “I don’t think I could do anything else.” She hopes someone in the family will take over and operate True Blue when she and her mother no longer can.
The Patels (figure 5) have been discussing what to do when they return to Australia. They have considered splitting their stock fifty-fifty between black and boulder opal. “Black will always be king of all opal,” Natassa said. “That’s our favorite. We grew up on black opal, so we can’t help ourselves.”

Figure 5. Salma and Natassa Patel of True Blue Opals and Gems at their AGTA show booth. Photo by GIA Staff. @topic:13


Publish Year: 2022 Title: Large, Rare Faceted Collector Gems Abstract: Figure 1. A 7.36 ct colorless, modified triangular brilliant-cut colemanite displayed at the AGTA show. Photo by Emily Lane; courtesy of Barker & Co.
Barker & Co. (Scottsdale, Arizona) exhibited remarkable stones at this year’s AGTA show, including some extremely fine, rare gemstones for collectors. Two of their collector stones, colemanite and phosphophyllite, stood out for their record-breaking size.
The colorless colemanite in figure 1, a modified triangular brilliant weighing 7.36 ct, is believed to be one of the largest faceted examples of its kind. Colemanite is known to fluoresce a strong yellow under ultraviolet light and phosphoresce green.
The strongly saturated bluish green hue of a 17.52 ct phosphophyllite echoed that of some of the finest hues of Paraíba tourmalines, though the stone is very different both structurally and chemically. Phosphophyllite was named in 1920 as a homage to its phosphate composition and perfect leaf-like cleavage (from the Greek phyllon, meaning “leaf”). Ann Barker of Barker & Co. explained that this particular phosphophyllite has a significant provenance. Once owned by author and renowned mineral collector Dr. Peter Bancroft, it was mined in the famed Potosí mine of Bolivia in 1958. Many years later, prize-winning gem cutter Stacy Whetstone took the striking 45.42 ct rough and expertly faceted the material into the finished 17.52 ct rounded trillion (figure 2). Given phosphophyllite’s considerable heat sensitivity, the gem took four weeks to cut and finish.

Figure 2. The evolution of a 45.42 ct rough phosphophyllite in the hands of Stacy Whetstone (left). It took four weeks to cut and finish the stone due to its heat sensitivity (center). The finished 17.52 ct bluish green, modified triangular brilliant-cut phosphophyllite was displayed at the AGTA show (right). Left and center photos courtesy of Barker & Co.; right photo by Emily Lane.
Colemanite and phosphophyllite, like other collector stones, are seldom faceted due to their low hardness (4.5 and 3–3.5, respectively) and durability issues. As collector stones, they hold a unique position in the gem and jewelry industry, valued for expanding private collections. In recent years, with the help of a little luck and a lot of talent, collector stones are being seen more in jewelry. @topic:2


Publish Year: 2021 Title: Fura Gems’ Inaugural Ruby Sale Abstract: Figure 1. Small lots made up of stones weighing more than 1 g often showed more color variety within a single grade. Photo by Wim Vertriest; courtesy of Fura Gems.

Fura Gems hosted its first sales event for rough Mozambican rubies in August and September 2021. The international gem mining and marketing company has assets in Colombia (emerald), Australia (sapphire), and Mozambique (ruby). After previous sales events for Colombian emeralds in the first months of 2021, the firm now offered its rubies to the trade for the first time.
Mozambican rubies have been available in the trade since 2009, and the region quickly became one of the most important sources for the red variety of corundum. Fura is only the third company to bring rubies to the trade in a formalized tender. During the first years after the deposit’s discovery in 2009, gems were recovered by artisanal miners and traded locally.
In 2014, the first large-scale sale of Mozambican rubies by an organized mining group took place. During that tender, Gemfields offered nearly two million carats of rough ruby, and they have hosted 14 auctions since then. Mustang Resources hosted a rough ruby tender in 2017, which was not well received by the trade. Fura took over existing ruby mining permits and equipment in Mozambique from various companies, including Mustang Resources, acquiring the largest ruby mining license in the country.
Invited buyers were able to view Fura’s rubies in Jaipur and Bangkok, locations that host the largest colored stone manufacturing industries in the world. Each company was able to view the stones over two days in a secured space. Precautions against COVID-19 included a limited number of attendees per day, which caused the entire event to last more than 24 days across the two locations. This allowed all potential buyers ample time to inspect the rough rubies.

Figure 2. The majority of the stones offered were on the smaller side (below 0.5 g). These lots were highly desired by manufacturers for their intense colors and bulky appearance, which will result in smaller finished stones with a saturated bodycolor. Photo by Wim Vertriest; courtesy of Fura Gems.
The rough gems were offered in pre-graded schedules, based on size and color. The grading system was designed with the gem cutting process in mind, especially aiming for the most commonly used calibrated sizes. Stones with similar hues are put in the same category, creating separate classes for stones with purer red color vs. those with a stronger orangy/purplish tint. Stones with lower saturation are separated from those with stronger saturation. Specific grades are designed to highlight those with lighter colors that would result in fancy sapphires such as pink and reddish orange.
All stones were offered as found in the mine and untreated. A significant percentage of Mozambican rubies can benefit from heat treatment to lighten the color, but this decision was left to the final buyer. While heat treating rubies might improve their appearance, it can also lower the value in the current market. This is especially true for larger stones.
The material showed a wide range of red tints, including strong orangy and purplish colors, but most goods still fell within the color range of ruby. Some stones had lighter saturation that could result in fancy sapphires, especially pinkish materials. This is in line with the regular production from Montepuez, Mozambique, that we have seen over the last decade. Rubies with a dark tone, sometimes referred to as “closed color,” were rare at this tender. All the material showed some fluorescence under long-wave UV, a feature that is absent in certain types of classic Mozambican ruby.
Over 63 kg of rough ruby was offered (figures 1 and 2). The vast majority of the rough weighed under 0.5 g, but with a bulky shape that would result in a good yield. A few hundred stones weighed more than 0.5 g, and some exceptional pieces exceeded 2 g.
The rough rubies had the typical rounded crystal appearance of gems found in secondary deposits, as was confirmed by Fura, which mines the material from gravels that contain a higher concentration of rubies. This is in contrast with primary deposits, where gems are extracted directly from the host rock.
Evaluating rough rubies is a challenging affair. Before assigning a value to a parcel, buyers had to account for each stone’s final shape and cutting style, weight, and potential improvement through treatment. They submitted closed bids via an online platform before the closing date. On closing day, Fura reviewed all the offers and, once accepted, notified the successful buyers.
The company reported that 35 of the 47 lots sold, including all high- to medium-grade lots. They also announced that the price per carat for goods in the calibrated sizes exceeded expectations. According to several ruby dealers, this category is in highest demand and the material was most attractive.
This auction comes at a time when the industry is struggling for rough stones, as many of the regular supply chains have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The manufacturers have a clear hunger for rough rubies, though they also have limited financial reserves. Nevertheless, the addition of Fura as a Mozambican rough ruby supplier, along with Gemfields and the artisanal mining community, makes for an exciting change in the gem scene. @topic:9


Publish Year: 2021 Title: Dudley Blauwet (Dudley Blauwet Gems) Abstract: Figure 1. Unoiled Russian emeralds (a 1.29 ct emerald cut and a 1.14 ct pear shape) from Malyshevo, Ural Mountains, with intense bluish green color reminiscent of Paraíba tourmaline. Photo by Aria Agarwal; courtesy of Dudley Blauwet Gems.

              In February, colored stone dealer Dudley Blauwet attended the only 2021 Tucson “show,” held at Mineral City and the adjoining Sun Gems building. The Mineral City hub consists of several steel unit buildings that are classified as permanent business storefronts and therefore were not subject to the same COVID-19 requirements as events. In the 18 days Mr. Blauwet was there, he estimated that fewer than 500 people attended, including those associated with the 20–25 vendors. Beyond these vendors, another 6–10 gem- and mineral-related businesses that own warehouses in Tucson were open. Mr. Blauwet and one other vendor were the only ones carrying cut gems, while everyone else was offering minerals exclusively. A lack of fossils and meteorites was noticed.

Since summer, business has been fine for Dudley Blauwet Gems, as many of his online customers have been doing well and are looking to fill specific orders or rebuild stock. Using WhatsApp, he has been able to continue communicating with and purchasing material from suppliers such as a Sri Lankan family the business has worked with for nearly 40 years. This has included viewing sapphires from photos or videos almost daily. He has also been working with Russian contacts to purchase unoiled emeralds (figure 1), alexandrite, phenakite, and some demantoid. A source in Southeast Asia has also been supplying gray spinel.

Sales have been predominantly natural sapphire, unoiled emerald, gray spinel, and Vietnamese cobalt spinel. He noted that other stones such as aquamarine, green beryl, and morganite have been popular. The persistent demand for sapphire has been dominated by requests for teal, green to icy green, peach to apricot, “padparadscha,” periwinkle, purple-blue, and light to icy pink sapphire, as well as for traditional blue colors. Recently, he has received numerous calls for Mandarin garnet from Loliondo, Tanzania; heated blue zircon from Cambodia; and to a lesser extent Malaya garnet from Mahenge, Tanzania. Mr. Blauwet’s business mainly offers untreated natural sapphire, but they have had steady demand for heated blue rounds and matched pairs.

With the 2021 Pantone colors of the year being “Ultimate Gray” and “Illuminating” (a medium gray and butter yellow, respectively), Mr. Blauwet has seen a bit more interest in yellow sapphire over last year and steady interest in gray spinel (figure 2).

Figure 2. Yellow sapphire, gray spinel, and gray moonstone represent popular gems matching the 2021 Pantone colors of the year. Gray moonstone: 3.94 ct cabochon from India. Yellow sapphire: 2.39 ct oval from Dela, Sri Lanka, and 2.90 ct long cushion from Gilamale, Sri Lanka. Gray spinel: 0.93 ct cushion, 2.81 ct pear shape, and 1.16 ct round, all from Mogok, Myanmar. Photo by Aria Agarwal; courtesy of Dudley Blauwet Gems.
They have also developed a good market for unoiled Russian emerald, with some vendors regularly restocking.

Mr. Blauwet was able to provide some insight into the movement of material coming from mines around the world and the rough supply situation. With the political upheaval in Myanmar, Burmese gem production is expected to slow if not outright end for a while. Madagascar is opening up for travelers, but with a lack of express mail service, very little rough has left the island since last March. Some of the biggest gem mining operations in Sri Lanka are currently down. These combined supply slowdowns and stoppages have resulted in serious challenges—a very limited supply of rough worldwide and reduced movement of rough and gems to trading centers such as Bangkok or Hong Kong. As a result, the available supply of gems has been significantly dampened.

Mr. Blauwet mentioned that most of their trade shows for this year have been canceled, so they are handling increasingly larger orders and shipping 20 to 100 stones at a time to their manufacturing customers. Also, for the first time in Mr. Blauwet’s life, he has started a website to sell gems wholesale. His business is struggling to supply enough rough to its cutting factories to keep all of the cutters busy. Occasionally, they have been able to buy small rough to cut precision diamond melee in calibrated sizes, still a very popular product.

Finally, Mr. Blauwet shared with us some blue spodumene he has been storing in the vault. For decades he has been buying Afghan spodumene crystals, which have a strong blue color on the c-axis and a green color on the a- and b-axes. To avoid any exposure to daylight, these stones were wrapped in paper at the mines in Afghanistan. He has kept them in closed boxes to sell to customers specifically wanting spodumenes that have not been exposed to UV. As a test, he exposed several of them to Colorado sunlight in June and was able to literally watch them change to a full purple color down the c-axis and a pink color down the a- and b-axes within 40 minutes. Mr. Blauwet currently has several clean faceted stones in sizes up to approximately 300 carats (figure 3).

Figure 3. A 166.25 ct blue spodumene removed from storage. The stone is from Parun, a few kilometers from Paprok in Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. It was cut in Peshawar, Afghanistan, with the table perpendicular to the c-axis to achieve a blue color rather than green. Photo by Dudley Blauwet; courtesy of Dudley Blauwet Gems.
He has seen some dealers buy these crystals and take them to a show and watch in horror as they change over the course of three to five days from exposure to the various wavelengths of light present in the showroom—often the transition color before pink has strong unattractive gray tones. He reports that there are plenty of irradiated Afghan spodumenes on the market in Peshawar with a very strong emerald green color, including on the c-axis. The color is very unstable and with exposure to UV or daylight will change rather quickly, often turning an undesirable yellow-gray color. Mr. Blauwet described once making the mistake of buying a faceted example of these treated stones at a gem show in Peshawar from a dealer he did not know. When he unwrapped it years later, it had changed to an unattractive gray color with no exposure to UV or sunlight. @topic:11


Publish Year: 2021 Title: Eric Braunwart (Columbia Gem House) Abstract: Figure 1. Popular sapphire colors, including bicolor stones from Montana. These heated stones from the Gem Mountain, Missouri River, and Dry Cottonwood Creek areas are 4.0 mm in diameter. Photo by Dillon Sprague; courtesy of Columbia Gem House

              Eric Braunwart, founder of this gemstone mining, cutting, and wholesale marketing company, reported that they have stayed busy during the pandemic after the initial shock to business with the hard shutdown last spring. Columbia Gem House had already started transitioning three years ago to doing more business electronically. When the pandemic hit, they were well positioned to experience a less dramatic shift in how they interact with clients than some more traditionally run gem dealers. Mr. Braunwart sees the pandemic as having universally pushed people involved in all stages of the gem trade to do more of their business online.

Overall, Mr. Braunwart is happy with the way business is going but thinks that much of what he is experiencing has more to do with the clientele he has attracted and his move toward a strong digital platform. Currently, his customer base is part of what he considers the “new industry,” composed almost exclusively of women under 35 years old with independent stores, galleries, or studios. These buyers have grown up with smartphones and had already been doing business online but were pushed even further online with COVID-19. Columbia Gem House’s fair trade and responsibly sourced position in the marketplace resonates with this “new industry,” where these factors are an important part of the business models and branding and their clients’ lifestyles. Additionally, these buyers tend to purchase more unusual items with respect to color, cut, shape, and presence of inclusions.

Mr. Braunwart noted that the biggest disruption to the supply chain with COVID-19 has been at the mines, where mining has slowed with less travel and demand—greatly restricting the supply to wholesalers. This has particularly been the case with small miners who have not had travelers coming out to purchase at the traditional venues. This has pushed some small miners to explore selling online to reach some of the market and realize some of the markup that traditional cutters and wholesalers see. Gem cutting has also slowed significantly, with less rough coming out of the mines and restricted flow of goods crossing borders, due both to the pandemic and political issues. On a very somber note, COVID-19 has personally hit many small businesses along the supply chain, with some longtime miners, cutters, and traders dying from the disease.

When asked what has been in high demand this past year, Mr. Braunwart stated that sapphire is still the king in terms of volume and dollars. A variety of North American stones are still doing well and sales continue to increase. The recent increase in the desire to buy American continues, and now these products are more recognized in the marketplace. Demand for teal and other nontraditional sapphire hues remains very strong (figure 1). About half of the customers pursuing these nontraditional colors popularized by the sapphire mines in Montana want American sapphire, but the other half are concerned only about obtaining the desired colors and are buying material coming from Africa and Asia.

Figure 2. A variety of popular small-stone shapes such as kites, hexagons, trillions, and briolettes. All are heated Missouri River sapphires. The kites are either 6.0 × 4.0 mm or 5.0 × 3.0 mm, the hexagons are 3.5 mm in diameter, the trillions are 4.0 mm wide, and the briolettes are 4.0 × 3.0 mm and side-drilled. Photo by Dillon Sprague; courtesy of Columbia Gem House.
 A notable trend mentioned was the continued and increasing popularity of melee and smaller stones (baguettes, briolettes, trillions, kites, and hexagons; see figure 2). Both saturated and pastel hues of these smaller stones are in strong demand (figure 3).They are being used not only as accent stones but also as the main stones in many jewelry pieces. This reflects a growing fashion direction where more affordable pieces can be made using both precious gemstones and precious metals. Mr. Braunwart mentioned a shortage in 1.0–1.3 mm melee, as this size is very difficult to cut and mines traditionally do not collect the small rough that would produce these sizes. This means that melee in these sizes are coming from larger rough and scraps.

Figure 3. Melee and small sizes of fire opal and neon green beryl. The fire opals are from Mexico and range from 0.10 to 0.20 ct. The neon green beryl material is from Nigeria—the rounds are 3.0 mm in diameter and the baguettes are 4.0 × 2.0 mm. Photo by Dillon Sprague; courtesy of Columbia Gem House. @topic:11


Publish Year: 2020 Title: American Gem Society Upcoming Events Abstract: The American Gem Society (AGS) will hold virtual and in-person educational events at the newly announced Confluence, slated for April 26. This event aims to provide industry professionals with content specifically designed to increase sales and refocus business strategy. Katherine Bodoh, CEO of AGS and AGS Laboratories, is pleased to offer a selection of programs that speak to “vital subjects our members need to reach new heights in their professional development.” Members will also have access to AGS PRO, a learning portal filled with an array of relevant topics from leading experts in the field.
Conclave, which normally takes place each April, has been rescheduled for September 12–14, 2021. It will be held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel in Dallas, Texas. @topic:11


Publish Year: - Title: Instruments Revolutionize Gem Identification Process Abstract: Robert Shipley Jr.

                      Robert M. Shipley Jr., a bespeckled, quick-tempered young man who liked to drive fast and had a genius for innovation, joined his father at GIA in early 1933. His creative tinkering forever changed the way jewelers and gemologists around the world did business. The gem-testing equipment he designed made it possible to apply accurate gem-grading standards and made his father’s dream of gemology as an ethical, professional discipline a practical reality. While the father wasthe magnificent salesman of the gemological idea, it was the son who gave it a solid scientific backing.

Shipley Jr. quickly realized the advantage of dark-field illuminationin examining the interior of gemstones. He combined the idea with low-power stereoscopic magnification and produced the first DiamondScope, which he patented in 1938. Inspired by Edwin Land’s work at Polaroid, and with the help of French tool-and-die maker Raoul Francouer, he developed the first gem polariscope. Over the years, he also helped modify and perfect the refractometer, the Diamond Colorimeter, the Diamolite (later redesigned and named the DiamondLite), the Pearloscope, the Universal Motion Immersion Stage and the Mark III GemoLite microscope.

Shipley Jr.’s work inspired a band of gemological brothers to follow in his footsteps. Lester Benson, Kenneth Moore and Gale Johnson strove to meet the needs of the industry as the challenges of gem identification shifted and changed over the years.
Like Shipley Jr., Benson saw things from a “different” perspective. Alike in inventive imagination, these two men could not have been more dissimilar in temperament. Shipley Jr. was all “accelerator and brake,” while Benson was “calm and charming.”

	Benson’s contributions to gemology started shortly after he joined GIA in 1948, when developed the method of taking spot Refractive Index (R.I.) readings that is indispensable to gemologists today. To take advantage of this new technique, he later designed the first GIA Duplex Refractometer.

	His other contributions were equally far-ranging: he designed a pearl-testing X-ray unit, a base for gemological microscopes, and electrical conductometer, a light fixture with multiple baffles that turned florescent light into multiple spots and GIA’s Jeweler’s Camera. An expert in gem identification and photomicrography, he also redesigned the lab’s X-ray diffraction unit and adapted the spectrophotometer for gemological studies.

	When Benson died unexpectedly in 1961 at the age of 39, Liddicoat wrote that “Gemology was robbed of one of its leaders.”

	Shipley Jr. had begun his own instrument-manufacturing company after World War II, but when his interest in gemological instrumentation faded in the 1950s, he gave up the business. Benson, Moore and Johnson filled the void with iterations of the business until GIA bought it in 1966 and created GEM Instruments.

	The company grew steadily in the 1960s and ‘70s and created the ProportionScope, Mark V GemoLite microscope and overhead light, the GIA Illuminator Polariscope, the GIA Duplex Refractometer and the MiniLab. It introduced the revolutionary ColorMaster, designed to take the guesswork out of color-assessing colored gemstones, in 1980. This latest instrument set GIA firmly on the path of using special electronics in its equipment.

	At about this time and moving into the 1990s, GIA began to expand its product line to include electronic instruments that could detect diamond simulants. This equipment was created by other companies, but GIA’s research team often suggested adaptations to improve their features. GIA also began the shift in early 2000 to more advanced computer-based instrumentation designed to screen natural diamond from synthetic diamonds and simulants.

	Today, the instruments division is focused on meeting the needs of GIA research and education around the world and making sure its products meet global safety standards and regulations.

	Lester Benson

	Kenneth Moore @topic:8


Publish Year: 2017 Title: Importance of the Secondary Market for Fine Gems Abstract: Figure 1. This exceptional oval-cut, 55.52 ct copper-bearing tourmaline from Mozambique was previously sold by B&B. They recently reacquired it through the secondary market. Photo by Eric Welch; courtesy of B&B Fine Gems.

	At the AGTA show, Dave Bindra (B&B Fine Gems, Los Angeles) showed us some exceptional items he recently sourced from the secondary market. These are previously sold goods recirculated back into the market by the former owners or their heirs.

	Bindra also updated us on his perception of U.S. traders’ reaction the withdrawal of sanctions against Myanmar (Burma) and what that means for U.S. dealers like him. According to Bindra, most U.S. dealers greeted lifting of the trade embargo with enthusiasm as they can legally import and trade Burmese rubies again. Prior to this they were limited to trading items that had come into the country “pre-ban.” Bindra doesn’t expect prices to come down; rather, he projects they will strengthen as American demand and consumption of Burmese goods grows. He noted that during the ban, some consumers and certain major brands stopped consuming rubies altogether, basically because they weren’t open to consuming rubies from sources like Mozambique, which has become a prolific source of commercial-to-fine grade gems. Now that the ban is lifted, Bindra hopes many of these companies will start buying and selling Burmese rubies again. The main issue now is the very limited supply coming out, but he says there’s definitely a strong market for fine-quality stones.

	Dave Bindra - B&B Fine Gems

	In this interview, Mr. Bindra explains the importance of the secondary market as a source for fine gems. He also provides perspective on the recent withdrawal of sanctions against imports of Burmese ruby and the implications for U.S. traders.

	Bindra highlighted some exceptional pieces at his booth to illustrate the importance of the secondary market for his inventory. The company also procures gem materials from currently active mining areas, but the secondary market is important for larger, more important stones, which are scarce as a percentage of new production. As an example, he shows us a fine, oval-cut, 55.52 ct copper-bearing tourmaline from Mozambique (figure 1). He notes this particular stone came out of the original 2007 production from Nampula Province, northeastern Mozambique, near the village of in Mavuco (see B.M. Laurs et al., “Copper-bearing (Paraíba-type) tourmaline from Mozambique,” Spring 2008 G&G, pp. 4–30).

	B&B actually sold this stone about seven years ago, and was lucky to reacquire it when the opportunity arose in 2016. Bindra considers this fortunate as there is no production from this deposit today and it would be impossible for them to find an item like this, other than the secondary market.

	Another example he cites is a beautiful 5.06 ct trillion-cut benitoite (figure 2). This gem—a barium titanium silicate—is typically colorless to blue, and is noteworthy for its high refractive indices, moderate birefringence, and strong dispersion. It comes from just one mine, located in San Benito County, California (see B.M. Laurs et al., “Benitoite from the New Idria District, San Benito County, California,” Fall 1997 G&G, pp. 166–187). The benitoite mine has been closed for years. Bindra describes this 5 ct as an “astronomical size for this deposit”—the typical size range of commercially available finished gems from this mine was between 0.30 and 1.70 ct. He noted that this gem was a prized possession of an original mine owner.

Figure 2. This fine-quality 5.06 ct trillion-cut gem is exceptionally large for benitoite. Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA; courtesy of B&B Fine Gems.

	Bindra also showed us a couple more recirculated pieces: a fine 15.06 ct double-sided black opal cabochon (figure 3) with broad flashes of play-of-color from Australia’s Lightning Ridge and a 19 ct antique-cut Brazilian Imperial topaz. This last stone was old, unheated material from Ouro Preto. The stone came out of an old collection and was a little over 20 ct. They were able to recut it with minimal loss of weight to significantly improve luster and brilliance. Bindra told us these gems underscore the importance of the secondary market for his inventory. While it doesn’t supply the day-to-day production B&B needs, it does produce truly exceptional items from time to time. He noted that fine colored gemstones always retain their value, which is why B&B is often able to reacquire items over a period of time. He always keeps this in mind whenever selling rare, esoteric gemstones.

Figure 3. This 15.06 ct double-sided black opal cabochon from Lightning Ridge was another recirculated gem offered by B&B. Photo by Eric Welch; courtesy of B&B Fine Gems.

	Next, Bindra showed us one of the most exceptional stones he’s had in years: a 10.22 ct cushion-cut Brazilian alexandrite. He adds that B&B has trouble fulfilling orders for 6 mm (approximately 1.00 ct) round alexandrite with current Brazilian production, so finding a 10 ct size is really an anomaly. According to Bindra, it came out of an old collection in Japan, where it sat in a safe for 20 years. He said he “couldn’t write the check fast enough” to get it into B&B’s inventory. In this case, there was no need for repolishing. The gem is unusual not just for its size and the quality of its color change, but also because of its brilliance. He notes that Brazilian alexandrite of this rich blue-green to reddish purple color tend to be “over dark” and lack life. This stone was faceted with a typical Portuguese pavilion, which confers considerable brilliance. Due to these factors, Bindra adds, the wholesale value of a truly fine gemstone like this is well over $55,000 per carat.

	Finally Bindra shows us a 20-ct-plus star sapphire with a sharp six-rayed star, strong blue bodycolor, exceptional translucency, and a well-proportioned, high-domed cabochon shape. It’s another piece that’s “come out of recirculation,” says Bindra. He suspects the current marketplace scarcity of fine blue star sapphires is due to a newly discovered heating process, leading to a lot of fine-color examples being recut into faceted gems. He cites an example of a 23 ct star sapphire, which might be heated and refashioned into a top-gem royal blue color faceted stone in the 10–15 ct range. For some people, that’s more desirable, so stars are becoming rarer. Not every stone can be heated and improved, as they might break due to the unforeseen way inclusions react to the heat.

	Bindra sees strong demand from the top one percent of consumers. He notes that exceptional gemstones are in very high demand, as more than ever people find value in hard assets—fine art, classic automobiles, fine wine, high-end watches, important diamonds—and colored gemstones are “in that same conversation.” Bindra professes some skepticism about the middle of the market, where commercial to mid-grade material is not moving as well. At the top end of the market, high-end colored gemstones are difficult to find because of competition from overseas—from new markets, from new capital—especially in Southeast Asia, where there is a cultural affinity for consuming fine colored gemstones. @topic:11


Publish Year: 2018 Title: Michael Dyber’s Innovative Gem Carving Abstract: Figure 1. For 30 years, Michael Dyber has designed and fashioned gems, such as this aquamarine, in ways that please the eye and amaze the connoisseur. Photo by Albert Salvato.

Michael Dyber (Rumney, New Hampshire) discussed how 30 years as a gem artist have influenced his techniques and informed the creation of his optically stunning carvings (figure 1). He believes his method is a gift, one from the heart, and knows that his approach would not suit everyone’s style.

Dyber prefers to pay premium prices for flawless material, as flaws that cannot be removed during preforming affect the polished piece’s entire appearance. He finds sourcing rough to be a challenge and buys select pieces rather than lots of material. He also makes his own tools in his studio. When starting a piece, he chooses the rough by intuition and begins preforming the stone on a large grinding wheel by removing sharp edges and letting the lines and sides join together naturally. After preforming, he sits at the wheel with his handmade diamond tools and looks for inspiration in the piece, which he might find in the shape or an inclusion.

Michael Dyber Discusses His ProcessGem carver Michael Dyber provides insight into his process for cutting, carving, and polishing his unique pieces.
“So instead of trying to force a design into the stone,” Dyber explains, “what I end up doing is sitting and looking at it and deciding, ‘Let’s start here,’ and not having to think about where it’s going to go. By doing this, and having this open-minded, I’m not confined.” Dyber works with the stone in three dimensions—from the front, back, and sides—without any dopping or affixing to a surface. He holds the stone throughout, even during the four-hour process of drilling each one-millimeter hole into a piece (figure 2); this allows for a more continuous workflow. He noted that the pre-polish is the most important step of all. Carving can be finished quickly, but the pre-polish requires a great deal of patience or else the scratches will remain in the piece for good. Over the past three decades, he has managed to reduce pre-polishing from six steps to three. While the work is time consuming, Dyber finds his work emotionally satisfying, because he gets to see the potential of the rough transform into the finished piece.

Figure 2. Each hole Dyber drills into a gem, as in this Brazilian green beryl, can take up to four hours to complete. Photo by Albert Salvato.
In the future, Dyber wants to keep refining his techniques so that his pieces stay simple without losing their dynamic. “That’s the excitement of the work, what drives me on. Just changing something I’ve done for years and seeing how it turns out. Sometimes it’s that simple.” @topic:6


Publish Year: 2019 Title: Thoughts on the Chinese and Japanese Gem Markets Abstract: Figure 1. Paraíba tourmaline, such as this 3.71 ct pear-shaped stone, was popular in Japan when Shahin entered the gem trade. Photo courtesy of SR Trading.
At the Tucson shows, Shahin Aboosalih, director of SR Trading, spoke to us about his path to the gemstone and jewelry industry and his company’s gemstone business in Japan and China.
Shahin, as he prefers to be called, comes from four generations of Sri Lankan gem merchants, but initially he took another career path. He spent seven years in the Sri Lankan banking industry and then decided to go to school in Japan to study the language, with no intention of entering the gem industry. In fact, his father always encouraged him to pursue a career outside the gem business. In 1993, after completing his Japanese language studies and gaining experience in computer graphics, Shahin returned to Sri Lanka and joined Dilmah, a major tea exporting company, as a packaging designer. In 1996, he was offered an opportunity to work in Kofu, Japan, by STS Gems Japan Ltd., an Indian multinational colored gemstone and jewelry company. This was his stepping stone to the world of gems. “At that time, I didn’t know what a tanzanite or sapphire was, even though my family had huge knowledge in corundum from Sri Lanka for several generations,” he explained.
When Shahin started in the industry during the 1990s, Japan’s economy was in recession, yet fine gemstones like Paraíba tourmaline (figure 1) were still in demand. As the recession continued, gemstones that were once rare and more difficult to source—such as fine blue star sapphires, emeralds, and Paraíba tourmaline—kept momentum and held their prices.
Sunil Agrawal, CEO of STS and one of Shahin’s early mentors in Japan, taught him everything “from scratch.” The company sent Shahin to Jaipur, India, for several months to learn colored stone identification. Then he traveled to Brazil, India, South Africa, Thailand, and Sri Lanka to find new material to meet the heavy demand from his Japanese clients for a wide range of stones, including fine corundum, spinel, tourmaline of all kinds, and aquamarine. He also learned finer cutting techniques in Sri Lanka from his father-in-law, Naji Sammoon (founder and chairman of Sapphire Cutters (Pvt) Ltd. in Colombo). He used these skills, along with his computer graphics background, to perfect gem cuts and meet the high standards for faceted stones in the Japanese market. "The trade is looking for nice material, precision, and perfection,” Shahin said.
At the height of the global recession in 2008, Shahin became managing director of SR Trading, his older brother’s company. Japanese clients were looking for unusual and rare material that had become more popular in recent years, including grandidierite and benitoite. In 2012, Shahin transitioned to the Chinese market. His brother Ruzaik Aboosalih runs the business in Japan, specializing in padparadscha sapphire, Paraíba tourmaline, and other rare stones. Shahin sees great opportunity in China and Hong Kong. He has developed a very strong client base along with Cindy Xin Hao, who started out as his Chinese translator and has become a gem expert and managing partner of the Chinese business.

Figure 2. This rare blue-green beryl from Madagascar, weighing 10.19 ct, contains iron, chromium, and vanadium. Photo by Kevin Schumacher, courtesy of SR Trading.
Shahin thinks of China as a “young” market with consumers who are curious to see variety, more so than their traditional Japanese, European, and American counterparts. Here he targets almost every colored gemstone. His Chinese clients look for a wide variety of colored stones: corundum, emerald, and aquamarine and other beryls (see figure 2), as well as precious opal and tourmaline in its many colors. This gives Shahin opportunities to look for more stone varieties every day. Despite this market’s demand for a wide variety of gem material, gemological education is relatively new in China. Therefore, Shahin and Cindy conduct mini-seminars to groups of 10–15 people to teach them about gemology and the supply, demand, and value of colored stones. They also conduct gem mining and leisure tours in Sri Lanka for small groups from China. They educate the tourists about the process, from mining and cutting to the finished product.

Figure 3. A 2.95 ct grandidierite from Madagascar. Photo courtesy of SR Trading.
Shahin said that historically some of the finest corundum has come from Sri Lanka, but currently most sapphire is sourced from Madagascar. For other colored stones—such as grandidierite (figure 3), spinel, and Paraíba and other tourmalines—the main producers are mainly Brazil, Tanzania, Kenya, Congo, and India. Shahin buys stones from Hong Kong and Bangkok as well; such gems include spinel, rubies, mint-green garnets, and tanzanite (figure 4). Most of the time he buys faceted material, but as a perfectionist, he will recut 90% of his stones in Sri Lanka. He purchases all his stones, and they all undergo his personal inspection and quality control. His passion for his stones is what makes them easy to sell, because they are all very special to him. “I love them all,” he said.

Figure 4. A 22.6 ct precision cushion-cut deep blue tanzanite. Photo by Kevin Schumacher, courtesy of SR Trading.
Shahin sees plenty of opportunity for those who can bring value-added merchandise to the market. The global industry is looking for attractive, ethical, value-added gems. While it can be a struggle to find quality material—be it corundum, Paraíba tourmaline, spinel, or any other colored stone—it is worth it to work hard and be patient enough to find the right opportunity and source. Shahin notes, “With the experience and connections and what I’ve learned in the past 20 years, it helps to meet the right people and product to satisfy the demand. This demand will continue, and I see that as an opportunity to make business in the future.”

	Thoughts on the Chinese and Japanese Gem Markets @topic:11


Publish Year: 2019 Title: Jeff Hapeman: Stories from a Gem Cutter Abstract: Figure 1. Left: This 4.37 ct unheated bicolor sapphire from the Potentate mine in Montana features Jeff Hapeman’s signature Helena cut. Courtesy of Jeffrey R. Hapeman, Earth’s Treasury. Right: A 4.57 ct heated blue sapphire from Potentate. Photo by Kevin Schumacher.
Jeff Hapeman of Earth’s Treasury (Westtown, Pennsylvania) loves a gemstone with a good story. Whether it’s the story of a young couple buying one of his Montana sapphires for an engagement ring or the amethyst he dug out of the ground on an Amish farm in rural Pennsylvania, Hapeman feels that every gemstone needs a story. His own story starts with a boy reading old rock and mineral magazines, staring in fascination at the new find of blue-cap tourmalines coming out of Pala, California, in the early 1970s. These images were fresh in Hapeman’s mind when he took a break from his career in finance technology in Southern California to work at the Oceanview pegmatite mine. One of the miners thought he might have the talent for cutting stones and pushed him to take up faceting.
Since cutting his first gemstone in 2013, Hapeman has developed his own style, creating designs he describes as “somewhat modern and somewhat classic at the same time.” The modern elements are seen in the elegant but slightly angular and geometric appearance of many of the stones he cuts. At the same time, Hapeman claims there is a simplicity to his designs, even though “simple” is certainly not a term that comes to mind when you see his work. His designs are often born out of necessity as he fits the cut to work with a piece of rough that would not work with his previous designs. One of his more recognizable designs is the Helena cut, named in honor of Montana’s state capital. Rough Montana sapphires are often found in flattened, slightly oval shapes. Ovals are among the least rewarding stones for many lapidary artists. Even when skillfully executed, the results can be boring. And yet, through a fine balance between rigorous mathematical modeling and his own gut feeling and intuition, Hapeman has managed to produce a visually interesting oval cut that is well suited for Montana sapphires, deepening the color of these typically pastel-hued gemstones (figure 1).
Montana sapphires have become particularly important in Hapeman’s career. He became involved with the Potentate Mining operation at Rock Creek as they were developing their mine. Montana sapphires can be trickier to cut than blue sapphires from Asia and Africa. While they often have exceptional clarity, fine cutting can greatly benefit Montana sapphires due to their sometimes lighter pastel colors and pleochroism. Early on, Hapeman cut many Montana sapphires in order to demonstrate this to Potentate Mining. Since then he has become one of the most prominent cutters working with Potentate’s production, and he often collaborates with them to cut and market some of their larger and finer stones.

Figure 2. A collection of eight Montana rubies from Rock Creek, mined by Potentate, ranging in weight from 0.172 to 0.578 ct. Photo by Kevin Schumacher, courtesy of Jeffrey R. Hapeman, Earth’s Treasury.
When sourcing material, Hapeman seeks out the unusual. His involvement with Potentate gave him the opportunity to cut several exceptionally rare Montana rubies from the Rock Creek deposit (figure 2). Unlike some lapidary artists, he actually likes cutting round brilliants, as he appreciates the beauty and symmetry of a perfectly executed cut. He especially seeks out materials with high luster and dispersion for his experiments with round brilliants, such as the scheelite from China in figure 3.

Figure 3. This rare faceted scheelite weighs 6.08 ct. Photo by Kevin Schumacher, courtesy of Jeffrey R. Hapeman, Earth’s Treasury.
Hapeman also discussed the use of social media in the gem and jewelry industry. Social media has helped cutters like him who deal largely in nontraditional stones by allowing them to reach clients with eclectic tastes. It has profoundly reshaped the gem industry by giving more control to end consumers to purchase exactly what they want. Hapeman said that those in the gem and jewelry trade who can harness social media will gain a competitive edge. This is especially true for the younger generation of cutters and designers, who are using social media to find a market for gems and jewelry that could have been hard to move 10 or 20 years ago.

	Jeff Hapeman Discusses His Style @topic:6


Publish Year: 2019 Title: Merelaniite in Gem Diopside from Merelani, Tanzania Abstract: Figure 1. Left: Prismatic diopside crystal (1.5 cm tall) included with abundant merelaniite whiskers, associated with graphite at the termination, and aggregates of radiating white acicular mesolite crystals on some prism faces. Photo by Tom Stephan. Top right: Close-up of the merelaniite inclusion (field of view ~8 mm), viewed through one polarizer to reduce the effects of diopside’s birefringence. Bottom right: Detail of some of the merelaniite inclusions showing spindle structures due to non-uniform layer growth around the whisker axes (field of view 1.5 mm). Photomicrographs by J.A. Jaszczak.
A recent Micro-World entry (Summer 2018 G&G, pp. 226–227) described merelaniite occurring as dense inclusions in a tanzanite cabochon and as inclusions in two gem tanzanite crystals. While the Merelani tanzanite mines have also become well known for green diopside in recent years, in July 2019 the authors observed, for the first time, dense inclusions of fine merelaniite whiskers in gem-quality yellow-green, prismatic diopside crystals (figure 1, left).
Seven merelaniite-included diopside crystals, reportedly mined in 2018 and obtained by one of the authors (WR), ranged in size from approximately 1 to 5 cm long. Apart from the merelaniite inclusions, all but the largest had excellent clarity, although one 1.7 cm crystal was so densely filled with merelaniite that half of the sample appeared very dark. Similar to the inclusions observed in tanzanite, the merelaniite inclusions in diopside were predominantly cylindrical whiskers with metallic luster and variable diameters and lengths. The longest whiskers in the largest diopside spanned up to 2 cm (figure 1, top right), and many extended to the surface, where they terminated. Some of the merelaniite whiskers showed a spindle- or wheel-type structure with diameter that varied along the axis of even a single whisker (figure 1, bottom right). Some ribbon-like inclusions also occurred that were likely merelaniite. All of the diopsides were also associated with white spheroidal clusters of radiating acicular mesolite crystals, while several crystals were associated with graphite and one was associated with a transparent blue fluorapatite crystal.

Figure 2. Left: A 1.35 ct faceted gem diopside containing merelaniite inclusions. Photo by Diego Sanchez. Right: Close-up of wheel and whisker morphology of the included merelaniite. Photomicrograph by Nathan Renfro; field of view 1.03 mm. Stone courtesy of Bill Vance.
While reviewing an earlier version of this report, GIA’s Nathan Renfro made the connection between these included diopside crystals and a faceted Merelani diopside gemstone (figure 2, left) containing dark whisker inclusions. Author JIK obtained that diopside from Bill Vance, the stone’s cutter, in approximately 2012. The whiskers in this 1.35 ct stone, some of which were surrounded by remarkable dark circular growths (figure 2, right), have also been confirmed by Raman spectroscopy as merelaniite. @topic:1