Title: Oiled Spinel Abstract: Figure 1. Bojan brand “King Ruby Red Oil” from Chanthaburi, Thailand, along with a parcel of rough Thai rubies purchased by the author in 2016. Note the red stain on the plastic bag. Photo by Wimon Manorotkul.

When it comes to clarity enhancement with oils and resins, a common belief is that the refractive index of the host gem must match that of the filler. If one follows this logic, it would seem that using oils or resins to clarity enhance corundum (n = 1.76) or spinel (n = 1.72) would not be at all effective, since there is a yawning gap in RI between those gems and that of any oil or resin.
Certainly, Burmese gem traders have never bought into that idea, for we regularly encounter oiled rubies, sapphires, and spinels from Myanmar. In fact, Burmese traders have told us that it is common practice to immediately immerse rough into oil after it is unearthed (figure 1). Oiling rough not only makes viewing the interior easier but also significantly enhances the gem’s clarity. In our experience, such treatment is almost never disclosed to buyers.
In 2013, while visiting various mines and markets in Myanmar’s Mogok Stone Tract, we were taken to a small house where a man was heat-treating spinel. Gems were placed in a crucible and heated for a period of time. Then, while still relatively hot, they were dumped into a vessel containing red oil. It was a remarkable piece of performance art. After the oil was wiped off, we could discern no change in color from the heating.
Because of the prevalence of oiling, we now check every stone with fissures for oil, no matter the origin or type of gem. This is typically done with a hot point under the microscope. The hot point gently heats the gem until, with oiled stones, the oil leaks out of the fissure in beads on the surface of the stone. With the exception of emerald, customers purchasing colored gems are not expecting them to be clarity enhanced. As one major Bangkok trader told us several years ago, “I cannot sell an oiled spinel.” For this reason, when we determine that a gem other than emerald has been fissure-filled with an oil or resin, we notify the client and allow them two opportunities to remove the filler before we issue the report.

Figure 2. On the left is the 3 ct spinel as initially submitted. At right is the same stone after removal of the oil. The difference is striking. Following cleaning, a large reflective fissure is visible parallel to the girdle plane. This demonstrates the ability of an oil/resin to mask fissures even when there is no close match in refractive index between the filler and host. Photos by Chanon Yimkeativong/Lotus Gemology.
In September 2020, Lotus Gemology received for identification a 3 ct spinel that originated from Mogok. We noticed a fissure on the pavilion running parallel to the girdle plane, and application of the hot point caused oil to leak out. After two rounds of oil removal by the client, the difference was truly remarkable. The gem was now disfigured by a highly reflective eye-visible fissure (figure 2).
This clearly demonstrates that oil can have a significant impact on the clarity of a gem even when there is a big difference in RI between the host and the oil. The greatest impact will be found in stones like this spinel, where fissures lie perpendicular to the viewing angle. Source: GIA @topic:1


Title: Embrace the Renewed Energy – and Opportunities – of the Season Abstract: Twelve alumni chapter leaders gathered at GIA’s World Headquarters to join the 14th Annual Sinkankas Symposium, a day of education featuring leading researchers and industry experts on this year’s theme – sapphire. From left,  alumni chapter leadership representing California – Los Angeles, Golden Gate and San Diego; Texas – Lone Star and Houston; Manhattan; and Germany chapters. Courtesy: Kate Donovan

	The first four months of each new year go by in a flash – from Tucson’s gem and mineral shows, the Hong Kong Fairs, Baselworld’s glitz and glam to many other shows, events and conferences – the industry moves ahead with renewed energy as spring dawns and fresh new ideas for design, sourcing and opportunity inspire us.

	I am especially excited when I see this same enthusiasm for education. Whether it’s new students arriving at GIA’s campuses or starting eLearning programs, our alumni registering to participate in the annual GIA Continuing Education Recognition Program, or the surge of education events and activities planned and hosted by our alumni chapters – they all are equally important. The flurry of excitement motivates me and personally reaffirms we are in the greatest industry on Earth!

	Gem and jewelry professionals are connected by a passion for knowledge, driven by nature’s beauty and design, and the common goal of a global community committed to excellence – we are privileged to share this.

	I’m often told my love for gems is palpable. If so, I hope my enthusiasm motivates you to embrace this renewed energy and opportunities. Nurture the industry relationships you have and expand your horizons, stay connected and stay informed, get involved and lead by example. Invest in yourself to cultivate your commitment to knowledge, integrity and excellence – the GIA Alumni Association can help you.

	Since our last roundup of activities was published in mid-February, you will clearly see that our chapters, members and the Alumni Association team have been busy bringing education, networking and fun to all who choose to participate.

	More than 50 events were organized by our chapters to serve and support alumni worldwide since February 2017. Opportunities to connect were plentiful and enjoyed at trade fairs in Basel, Hong Kong and Munich along with notable industry conferences, including AGS Conclave (hosted in Los Angeles this year) and the Sinkankas Symposium at GIA’s campus in Carlsbad, California.

	The GIA Alumni Association also hosted a reception at Baselworld in March at the Museum der Kulturen Basel, Switzerland for more than 150 alumni and industry friends. The event and reunion drew guests from across Europe, North and South America, Asia and the Middle East. Alumni chapter leadership representatives from Germany, London, Switzerland, and the U.S. were in attendance.

Anna Martin, GIA senior vice president of global development, welcomes attendees at the GIA reception in Basel. Photo: Edward Johnson/GIA

	Chapter Activities

	Here are some of the highlights of chapter news and events in the last three months:

		GIA speakers shared their expertise with alumni around the world. Dr. James Shigley, distinguished research fellow, provided an update on synthetic diamonds at chapters in Greater Cincinnati and Michigan. Russell Shor, senior industry analyst, highlighted an overview of “Auction Insights: Mega-Diamonds and Gemstones Shatter Records” for the Ontario – Canada chapter. Dr. Mei Mei Sit from the Hong Kong laboratory spoke on “Colored Stone Identification and Treatment” in Macau. Representatives from the New York laboratory shared a talk on “Color and Chemistry in Gemstones” in Manhattan.

		The first-ever design awards and formal dinner were held at Inhorgenta Fair in Munich. Congratulations to the Germany chapter for coordinating a GIA alumni table at this glamorous evening and inviting alumni from across Europe.

GIA Alumni Germany Chapter members and guests celebrate in style at the Inhorgenta Awards Gala dinner in Munich. Courtesy: Germany chapter

		The Arusha show brought many to Tanzania in May, providing the perfect opportunity for the Africa chapter to host a social event for local and visiting alumni, as well as show attendees.

		Multiple chapters, including Georgia, South Carolina and Washington, D.C., hosted events that provided reports of Tucson’s gem and mineral shows to discuss trends, gemstone prices and the overall business.

		Alumni, students and industry friends gathered together at Texas – Lone Star and Ontario – Canada for social gatherings.

Lone Star Chapter members meet for brunch in Austin, Texas to welcome new board members. Courtesy: Lone Star chapter

		Pearls were the focus of presentations by author Renee Newman at California – Orange County, and industry professionals Nick Kwan in Seattle and Teresa Tkacik in Washington, D.C. The Colorado – Mile High chapter shared GIA’s Continuing Education eLearning video on pearls followed by a Q&A session led by specialist and dealer, John Dunn.

		Alan Bronstein discussed colored diamonds at “A Magical Mystery Tour” to attendees in London.

		Colored gemstones, hands-on gemology study groups and industry reports remain popular among all chapters, including Colorado – Mile High, Monterrey – Mexico, Ontario – Canada, Minnesota – Twin Cities and California’s Golden Gate and Orange County chapters.

		Adventures in mining, localities and gemstone production were presented at the Houston chapter by gem experts David Epstein on Brazil and Crystal Dorris on Colorado mines. “The Game of Stones” was presented by Sindi Schloss (president of Metro-Phoenix) to the Ohio chapter.

		Matrix, CAD and 3D printing education and knowledge sharing were the focus at a recent Michigan chapter event. Attendees saw live demonstrations, shared experiences and stretched their creative talents at this interactive learning opportunity.

		Meteorite expert Dr. Carleton Moore shared his knowledge with guests at a Metro-Phoenix event.

		Presentations on auctions and auction house tours were enjoyed by Hong Kong and Switzerland.

		Jewelry history, heirloom jewelry and famous makers were topics at the Manhattan, Metro-Phoenix, Mexico City and California’s San Diego and Golden Gate chapter meetings.

		Marketing, PR and social media tips were shared by industry professionals for Hong Kong, Michigan, Monterrey – Mexico and Vermont members and guests.

		Field trips to local museums and special exhibitions were enjoyed by alumni in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Washington, D.C. The history and treasures of Somewhere In The Rainbow, a private collection of outstanding gems and jewelry, was shared by its curator Shelley Sergent at the California – Golden Gate chapter.

The Taiwan chapter enjoyed an educational field trip to Coral Kingdom. Courtesy: Taiwan chapter

	Alumni News – Take Note

	There are a few notable upcoming events we want to share with our global alumni. Mark your calendars – we hope to see you participate in these global education and experience opportunities.

Gemological Safaris to Mexico and Brazil. The Mexico City chapter invites all alumni to its upcoming Gemological Safaris to the Pearl Farm Harvest, Sea of Cortez (Mexico) June 29-July 2 and Brazil Mine Tour (Minas Gerais, Brazil) Aug. 10-20. Space is limited for both trips. All interested parties should contact the Mexico City chapter for more information.

Second Annual CalTech Gemology Lecture. The Los Angeles chapter has confirmed the second annual CalTech gemology lecture, featuring Dr. George R. Rossman, in August. Rossman, a renowned educator and professor of mineralogy in the division of geological and planetary sciences at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech), has authored or co-authored more than 320 publications in the mineralogical and chemical sciences and is a former GIA Board of Governor. To join the mailing list for further event details, email alumni@gia.edu.

World of Gems Conference V. The World of Gems Conference V will be held on Sept. 23-24 in Rosemont, Illinois and will include a lineup of international gemological experts and attendees. GIA speakers include Nicholas Sturman, from the GIA laboratory in Thailand, and Al Gilbertson, the recent Antonio C. Bonnano Award recipient, from the GIA laboratory in Carlsbad, California. The last conference hosted more than 200 attendees from 15 countries, including seven GIA alumni chapter presidents in attendance. Visit the website for more details and registration.

GIA Session at GSA. GIA will host a session at the 129th annual meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA) in Seattle, Washington on Oct. 22-25. “Gemological Research in the 21st Century: Characterization, Exploration and Geological Significance of Diamonds and other Gem Minerals” will include speakers and poster sessions;  GIA is accepting abstracts  for presenters.

GIA Symposium in 2018. GIA will host its sixth International Gemological Symposium in Carlsbad Oct. 7-9, 2018. Details of the two tracks – business and research – will be announced soon. This symposium will include a lineup of world-renowned researchers from the gemological community and a business track offered in conjunction with the Harvard Business School. GIA has offered annual programs with Harvard Business School since 2014.

	If you’re not already attending these great alumni events, I hope one of these opportunities or activities inspires you to become more involved with your Alumni Association. It is a great way to support your passion and industry success.

	Thank you to all of the chapter leaders who work so hard to reach GIA alumni in their area to build the relationships and bonds that make our industry so special.

	I have a feeling a busy 2017 will continue! Source: GIA @topic:11


Title: Sapphires from Australia Abstract: During the last 20 years, Australia has assumed a major role in the production of blue sapphire. Most of the gem material comes from alluvial deposits in the Anakie (central Queensland) and New England (northern New South Wales) fields. Mining techniques range from hand sieving to highly mechanized operations. The rough is usually sorted at the mine offices and sold directly to Thai buyers in the fields. The iron-rich Australian sapphires are predominantly blue (90%), with some yellow, some green, and a very few parti-colored stones. The rough stones are commonly heat treated in Thailand to remove the silk. While production has been down during the last two years because of depressed prices combined with higher costs, prospects for the future are good. Source: GIA @topic:1


Title: Moldavites: Natural Or Fake? Abstract: Figure 1. Glass in a silver brooch, hallmark from 1866. Private collection, photo by Jaroslav Hyršl.

              Tectites are members of a large group of impact glasses, formed by the collision of a meteorite on the Earth’s surface and the subsequent melting of surrounding rocks. The most famous tectites used as gemstones are moldavites from southern Bohemia in the Czech Republic. These were formed by a meteorite’s impact in the Ries crater in southern Germany 14.7 million years ago, about 500 km from their occurrence (V. Bouška, Moldavites: The Czech Tektites, Stylizace, Prague, 1994). Moldavites are popular for their pleasant green color, enigmatic origin, and interesting etched texture. They are used in jewelry, in either faceted or natural form. The price of moldavite has risen in the last few years, and as a logical consequence imitations have become more widespread.

In fact, moldavite imitations are nothing new. Faceted moldavites were very popular in Czech jewelry during the second half of the 19th century, often with Czech garnets (chrome pyropes) or small river pearls. Their use diminished in the beginning of the 20th century when imitations made from green bottle glass began to appear. Nevertheless, the author’s recent study of five moldavite sets (bracelet, brooch, and earrings) from the second half of the 19th century in the collection of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague revealed an unexpected result. Only one set contained moldavites—a donation to the museum by Olga Havlova, the first wife of Vaclav Havel, the late Czech author and statesman. All of the stones in the other four sets proved to be glass imitations. This means that glass imitations have been around decades longer than previously thought (figure 1).

Fortunately, the identification of faceted moldavite is simple. Besides their flow texture and abundant bubbles (almost always much more abundant than in an artificial glass), moldavites contain “wires” of lechatelierite, a high-temperature form of SiO2. Lechatelierite is very easy to see with a loupe due to its lower RI.

Figure 2. Two moldavites from southern Bohemia, Czech Republic (top row) and two recent imitations from China (bottom row). The natural specimen on the top right measures 44 mm across. Photo by Jaroslav Hyršl.

Figure 3. One of two huge moldavite fakes seen in Hanoi. Photo by Jaroslav Hyršl.
The identification of moldavite with a natural-looking surface is much more difficult. Rumors of moldavite imitations from China have been circulating among Czech dealers for many years, but only recently has the author been able to study some examples (see figure 2). Two large moldavite imitations were seen in a high-end jewelry shop in Hanoi during the 2013 International Gemmological Conference (figure 3). Their size was astonishing, because very few real moldavites weigh more than 100 g. Their shape was also too perfect, making them easy to recognize.

Figure 4. Typical bubbles and inclusions of lechatelierite in natural moldavite; image width 5 mm. Photomicrograph by Jaroslav Hyršl.
Chinese producers are now manufacturing small stones weighing just a few grams that are very realistic. The surface feature of natural moldavite is caused by natural etching, and an almost identical feature can be created artificially, likely in hydrofluoric acid. If the stone in question has a polished surface, the presence or lack of lechatelierite “wires” (figure 4, top and bottom) is the best diagnostic tool, along with refractive index (table 1). For rough, immersion in water or especially oil with a similar RI is very helpful to reveal lechatelierite. Imitation moldavite also has a different density, UV-Vis absorption spectrum (figure 5), and fluorescence (again, see table 1). The color of natural moldavites is caused by very low concentration of iron; all other tectites are more Fe-rich and therefore black. Fluorescence is particularly helpful because it may be used on large mixed lots. Some imitations are not fluorescent, however. One imitation seen by the author several years ago was not fluorescent, but its very high specific gravity of 3.60 immediately ruled out natural moldavite.

TABLE 1. Characteristics of natural and imitation moldavite.

				Moldavite

				Chinese imitations

				19th-century glass imitations

				Color

				Light green to brown

				Light green

				Light green

				RI

				1.490 (1.480–1.510)

				1.520

				1.545–1.580

				Density

				2.35 (2.27–2.46)

				2.52–2.53

				n.a.

				Fluorescence

				Inert in UV

				Chalky in short-wave UV

				Inert in UV

				Absorption spectrum

				Minimum at 550 nm

				Maxima at 460 and 640

				n.a.

Figure 5. Absorption spectra of natural moldavite (black and red lines) and imitations (green and blue lines). Source: GIA @topic:1


Title: Bench Tip #4: How To Adjust Earring Backs Abstract: Adjusting earring backs

There are many types of backs available to hold earrings securely in place. Clutch, friction or butterfly backs are discs with curled-up tabs that oppose one another, acting as springs that pinch the ear post. The post has notches on it that function as stops so the clutch backs can hold the earring in place. Adjusting the tension of these springs so the earrings fit comfortably and securely is a routine service task for the bench jeweler.

Loosening the tension in the curled springs reduces the friction on the post but makes the catch less distinct, posing a very real risk of losing the earring. Tightening the curled springs, on the other hand, increases the friction on the post and gives the catch a better connection. But this can make it uncomfortable, even painful, for your customer to put on and take off the earrings.

Simply deepening the grooves on the ear post also has limitations, because the post is weakened without a noticeable effect on the catch. The curled springs bridge the notches, leaving a barely noticeable stop.

Here is a better way to tighten earring springs. First, you need to make the curvature of the springs smaller at the point of contact with the post. This allows the curls to sink deeper into the notches and create a more secure catch. Mark this point of contact on the outside thickness of the clutch back with a marker. Next, open the curled springs to the point where they can be grasped with the appropriate pair of pliers and give each spring a little extra curl at the mark you made. Then restore the original curvature to the remainder of the spring, adjusting for the desired tension as you go. In many cases, this sufficiently enhances the hold of the catch.

This may not be tight enough for some, so use a 1.0 to 1.3 mm ball burr to make miniscule indents in the curled springs of the clutch back. This will enable them to sink even deeper into the ear post notches and make the catch considerably more pronounced. Working from the top of the clutch back, simultaneously rest the ball burr on both springs as you cut a tiny indent dead center. Repeat this step from below the connection with the ear post. You will likely have to pinch the shaft of the burr between the curled springs and pull back on the burr to avoid excessive widening of the hole in the disc.

	A close-up of the earring post and back shows how the back catches in the grooves of the post.
Bear in mind that commercially available clutch backs can be less than 0.2 mm thick, so it takes little to burr right through them. But very small indents can create secure stops that are safer than even the strongest possible tension between the curled springs. If properly positioned, these indents should stabilize the position of the clutch back on the post. Source: GIA @topic:7


Title: The Eyepiece Pointer: A Useful Microscope Accessory Abstract: The eyepiece pointer is a very useful microscope accessory for the gemologist. It is always in focus and points to the center of the microscope's field of view regardless of the magnification or plane of focus within the stone. The eyepiece pointer simplifies the task of pointing out microscopic features on or in any gemstone, whether mounted or unmounted. It can be fashioned easily for use on virtually any microscope. Source: GIA @topic:7


Title: Russian Flux-Grown Synthetic Emeralds Abstract: A relative newcomer to the international gem market is an attractive flux-grown synthetic emerald of Russian manufacture. This article provides a general discussion of the technique used to grow these stones and describes their gemological properties and chemistry. The Russian flux-grown synthetic emeralds were found to be similar to other flux-grown emeralds in refractive index and specific gravity, and therefore to be readily distinguished from natural emeralds on the basis of these two properties. Source: GIA @topic:3


Title: A Pink Sapphire Ring with a Message Abstract: Sapphire ring designed by Rachel Chalchinsky: 5.18 ct heated mixed-cut pink sapphire (11.0 × 9.4 mm), 1.24 carats of diamonds, 0.36 carats of no-heat padparadscha sapphires, and 0.65 carats of orange sapphires, set in 18K rose gold. Photo by Robert Weldon; courtesy of Color Source Gems.
At the AGTA show, Rachel Chalchinsky (Color Source Gems, New York) showed us a triple-halo ring (see above) designed to commemorate surviving breast cancer. “It’s hard to live with it and go on,” she said, “but once you do, you feel powerful.” After her diagnosis in August 2018 and finishing chemotherapy in January 2019, she wanted to “replace” the tumor with “something good and positive.”
Chalchinsky had three requirements for the center stone: that it be pink, for breast cancer awareness; the same size as the tumor (11 mm); and heated, to symbolize the radiation treatments she received in March 2019. After nearly three years of searching, she found a 5.18 ct heated mixed-cut pink sapphire measuring 11.0 × 9.4 mm.
“I used to have very big curly red hair, and I wanted to represent that in the ring,” she said. “Now I have grayish hair. So I put orange sapphire around the outside. Then on the inside, I used white diamonds to represent gray hair. And on the side of the ring, I used the breast cancer ribbon. I had that graduated to fit on the sides of the band and set it all in rose gold.”
When people admire the ring, Chalchinsky often tells them the story behind it “to bring awareness that people need to get their diagnostic tests and not wait.” She noted that delaying or avoiding her annual mammogram and ultrasound could have resulted in a more serious prognosis. Chalchinsky said her story compels people to share their experiences with cancer. “It becomes almost like a bonding because we’ve all been through these emotional journeys.”
Chalchinsky also uses Instagram to share the message. During Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, she posts photos of pink stones, sometimes in pairs, asking people to get checked and make sure their loved ones do so as well. “I’ll say, ‘Ask your mom. Ask your loved ones. Nag them—take them by the hand to go with them.’”
Chalchinsky recognizes she is fortunate to have had excellent healthcare and supportive family and friends—and that many women undergo more invasive surgery or have a worse outcome. In 2021, Color Source Gems donated funds to White Plains Hospital in Westchester County, New York, to cover 10 mammograms for uninsured women.
“In Judaism they say that if you can rescue one person, you’re saving the world,” Chalchinsky said. “I really feel that is extremely important—that we all help each other.”

	Interview with Rachel Chalchinsky Source: GIA @topic:6


Title: Pardieu Brings Ruby Rush to Life with Stories, Updates from Madagascar Abstract: Vincent Pardieu, GIA’s senior manager of field gemology in Bangkok, shared stories from his recent trip to the ruby deposit in Madagascar’s Zahamena National Park in a lecture to Carlsbad students and staff. “Gem mining is mainly about hope and hard work. Witnessing miners working gives me energy,” Pardieu said. “It’s a privilege to keep moving. When you see the way people are working … and when you have the privilege of being able to work, there is no excuse not to work hard.” Photo by Emily Lane/GIA

	A gem “fingerprint.”

	That’s what Vincent Pardieu, senior manager of field gemology for GIA in Bangkok, and his six-person team are looking for as they traverse the globe – and log hours in the lab – finding, analyzing and cataloging colored stones for GIA’s Colored Stone Identification and Origin Report reference collection.

	So when Pardieu’s team learned of a newly discovered ruby deposit in northeast Madagascar in July 2015, they arranged a field expedition and set to work investigating and documenting the rubies of the island nation’s Zahamena National Park. On Nov. 4, just a month after their trip, Pardieu and field assistant Manuel Diaz visited GIA’s Carlsbad campus to share their findings − and sometimes harrowing experiences − with students and staff.

	“To have a reference collection, you need to build it. And the best way to build it … is to send somebody to the field – to go and visit every gem mine that is known, and collect samples,” Pardieu said.

		“The two most powerful tools we have in the lab to identify if a stone is coming from this place or that place are its inclusions and trace element chemistry. But if a stone is clean (or heated), inclusions are useless … so chemistry is more powerful than inclusions because we can get chemical data from a gem any time.”

		Vincent Pardieu, senior manager of field gemology for GIA in Bangkok

Pardieu, a GIA Graduate Gemologist with a long career as a gemological researcher, tour guide and gemology writer, said that prior to recent discoveries, Madagascar was known primarily for its active sapphire mines.

A 2000 discovery “deep in the rainforest” of the eastern Andilamena district “put Madagascar on the map for rubies,” Pardieu said. And though miners carried bags brimming with the stones (“I never saw a place with so many rubies,” he said), most of them were too heavily fractured for use in jewelry without treatment. The deposit really started to be active after the discovery of the lead glass treatment in 2004. The area became known for the stones’ low quality until a 2012 discovery of sapphire and ruby near the small, remote village called Didy.

Didy’s stones were comparatively clean, beautiful and big (“I heard about rubies over 20 carats,” Pardieu said). A gem rush occurred, but mining was stopped within a few months because, unlike the previous deposit near Andilamena, that deposit was located in a protected area near three national parks.

“If the discovery was noticed by the gem trade, due to the quality of the stones produced, it was also noticed by conservation groups, who began to be very concerned about gem mining in protected areas in that country,” Pardieu said.

	Manuel Diaz, left, met Pardieu just a year earlier – as a Graduate Gemology student at GIA. He and photographer Didier Gruel accompanied Pardieu on the Madagascar expedition in the fall of 2015. Photo by Emily Lane/GIA
When he received a Facebook message last summer with photos of rubies from the area of Zahamena, he immediately started planning an expedition. The group consisted of Pardieu, cameraman Didier Gruel and Diaz, a recent GIA graduate whose 30 years as a Marine gave him experience in the jungle. The two-week trip began with challenging and even treacherous conditions, as seen in a dramatic video Pardieu showed the audience.

“We had to walk for five days in the jungle – walk, sleep and eat in the jungle – in order to reach the area with miners,” Pardieu said. “And we had to take security with us because we were informed that a lot of bandits were active in the area. If you go there as a foreigner without anybody, you will probably get attacked on the road. In many new mining areas, it’s like the Wild, Wild West.”

Once they finally arrived at the site, they discovered it was inside the Zahamena National Park, where mining is illegal. They witnessed between 500 and 1,000 informal miners working the deposit with hand tools. The arrival of such a large number of people inside the park was obviously a serious problem for people in charge of conservation in Madagascar, Pardieu said.

“It’s very important to (conservation groups) to keep places like Zahamena safe, especially [because] you don’t have a lot of forests left,” he said. "Less than 5 percent of the island still has forests, and they are very unique because the type of plants and animals there are found nowhere else on the earth.”

Most of the samples they saw were dark and quite opaque.

“You had also some stones that were nice-looking, with bright colors, and some of them were really nice,” he said. “This is a small minority – probably less than 1 percent of the production in the area, but for the informal miners it was worth the effort to come to such remote place as prices given by foreign merchants in town were attractive. We heard about some stones that were clean and over 10 carats. That is the type of stone that might one day be submitted to GIA, so we have to be able to get the reference samples because we need to be able to recognize them in the future.”

With the help of a local licensed gem merchant, the GIA team was able to acquire a range of samples from the informal miners. Back in Bangkok, they wasted no time and started to work on the samples: taking photos, cataloging them and collecting data.

They began then their search for the Zahamena rubies’ gem fingerprints.

“The two most powerful tools we have in the lab to identify if a stone is coming from this place or that place are its inclusions and trace element chemistry,” Pardieu said. “But if a stone is clean (or heated), inclusions are useless … so chemistry is more powerful than inclusions because we can get chemical data from a gem any time.”

“Nevertheless, the best way is when you have the combination of all the techniques, when you get the same result with inclusions, chemistry and spectroscopy. When everything is pointing in one direction, then you can feel quite confident about the origin of the stone,” he said.

Pardieu said that after a 15-sample analysis of the common inclusions (including unhealed fractures; long, thin silk; zircon crystals; rutile and apatite) and trace element chemistry, he was optimistic about the GIA laboratory’s ability to determine the rubies’ origin should they show up in the lab down the road.

The inclusions were “quite characteristic” of the deposit, he said. “Rubies from the Zahamena region will be in a very good position to be identified.”

Pardieu said that he sees a host of challenges and opportunities for gem mining in Africa.

“One of the questions the trade has to think about is ‘Should people just go mine everywhere?’ Obviously, the trade would benefit by promoting responsible business practices.

“There is a huge potential to associate gems – and the gemstone business – with the good guys,” he said, citing examples of companies that employ transparency efforts and finance conservation efforts.

“But the danger is that if the trade does nothing, and if illegal mining threatens places like National Parks it will be associated with the bad ones … and that would not be a good thing for our industry as we need more friends than enemies,” he said. “As a field gemologist visiting the places where gems are mined, it is quite obvious to us that what happens where the stones are mined also become important. We believe it is our duty to pass that message along − as equally important as it is to bring back samples to be able to identify the gems from this source.” Source: GIA @topic:7


Title: Trapiche Garnet from Vietnam Abstract: Figure 1. The color zoning in this 3.57 ct almandine garnet creates a cross structure that forms three-arm (top of A) and four-arm trapiche patterns (B) at every intersecting point of the crystal. These color zones are arranged along the edges of the dodecahedron (C). Photos by Le Ngoc Nang.
The garnet group contains the most gem-quality species for jewelry manufacturing. Phenomenal garnets such as almandine and pyrope species are also known for their four- and six-rayed asterism. Nevertheless, the trapiche structure found in emerald, ruby, sapphire, tourmaline, and quartz is extremely rare in garnet. This structure can be considered an immobile star phenomenon. Inclusions and color zoning are responsible for the formation of two-, four-, or six-arm trapiche patterns.
Recently, the authors received a garnet sample originating from Thac Ba Lake in the Yen Bai province of Vietnam, obtained by a local miner. The 3.57 ct polished gem was pinkish white and reddish brown, translucent to opaque, and measured 7.11 × 6.90 × 6.40 mm. The diamond-shaped pinkish white portions were surrounded by reddish brown color zones, creating three-arm and four-arm trapiche patterns (see the video below).
Gemological testing revealed the sample’s specific gravity of 4.16 and refractive index of 1.78. The stone displayed absorption spectra with distinct bands at 504, 520, and 573 nm, and it was inert under ultraviolet light for both long-wave and short-wave. All the data confirmed the almandine garnet species.

Figure 2. This 3.57 ct garnet emits vivid red through the trapiche patterns when shining a flashlight through the gem. Photo by Le Ngoc Nang.
Observing all sides of the stone, we identified 14 trapiche patterns, including 6 four-arm and 8 three-arm patterns, surrounding 12 diagonal faces (figure 1). The arms grew outward from the center of the four-arm trapiches and inward for the three-arm trapiches. While the reddish brown portions extended along the edges of the garnet crystal, the diagonal lines formed the faces of the rhombic dodecahedron crystal, a typical crystal habit of almandine originating from metamorphic rock. Interestingly, when illuminated with a flashlight, the trapiche patterns glowed a fascinating vivid red and outlined the diamond-shaped portions in sharp contrast (figure 2).
Using the gemological microscope, we found that the reddish brown color zones were not colored by inclusions. In contrast, we hypothesized that the reddish hue might be induced by the dispersion of metal ions—in this case, iron (E. Fritsch and G.R. Rossman, “An update on color in gems. Part 1: Introduction and colors caused by dispersed metal ions,” Fall 1987 G&G, pp. 126–139). The position of the color zoning along the edges of the crystal might be explained by the concentration of coloration elements in the crystal’s symmetrical planes. The reddish brown zones had higher transparency than the crystal planes, producing a “glowing net” when shining a light through the stone.
Although the trapiche pattern has been observed in several gems, it is rarely seen in garnet. The 14 trapiche patterns together in one specimen make this garnet unique.

	Trapiche Patterns in Vietnamese Garnet Source: GIA @topic:3


Title: Colombian Emerald Industry: Winds of Change Abstract: Independent miners at the Rio Itoco in the Muzo Valley. This husband and wife mining team worked the tailings MTC (Mineria Texas Colombia) dumped by the river for local independent miners to go through. They are examining a significant rough emerald they found. Photo by Andy Lucas/GIA

Andy Lucas, GIA’s education manager of field gemology, researches and documents the mine to market journey of gemstones. Lucas shares the changes he observed in Colombia’s major emerald mining and cutting areas in a presentation he made at the 2017 JCK Las Vegas show.
Lucas interviewed local participants in the emerald trade to see what is causing changes in Colombia’s emerald business. He learned that there is a generational shift in approaches to mining and that the government is working to standardize the industry. The main effort is focused on combining traditional and modern mining methods to advance Colombian emeralds in the global market.
In the video, Lucas discusses the five pillars of the Colombian government’s mining plan, introduced in October 2015 during the Emerald Symposium in Bogotá. The plan is meant to formalize, regulate and provide help for geological studies and infrastructure. The goal is to create a balance for the country’s indigenous people and the publicly traded companies.

	Colombian Emerald Industry

Before joining GIA, Lucas founded and operated an international wholesale and private client retail gemstone jewelry and antiquity business. He began his GIA career as an instructor, and later developed educational products before becoming education manager of field gemology. He has published articles, created documentaries and presented lectures at countless international seminars. Source: GIA @topic:7


Title: Romancing the Source: Cambodia Abstract: Cambodia

	Mining for sapphire in Cambodia requires hard physical labor and exposure to deadly malaria and extreme heat and humidity.

	This series of articles and videos follows a team of GIA Field Gemologists on their travels from the mountains of Afghanistan to the jungles of Sri Lanka in search of the sources of colored gemstones and the people who pursue them. This thrilling journey will take you to remote gemstone-mining areas, where you’ll witness the extreme effort required to wrestle nature’s treasures from the earth.

In a river in Cambodia, an artisanal miner searches for sapphire. Photo by Andrew Lucas/GIA.

	The romance of a colored gemstone arises from its beauty, the exotic qualities of its source’s location, the adventure leading to its discovery, and the stories of the people who seek it. These factors have united to create the allure of gemstones through the ages, and continue to do so even in modern times.

	Pailin, Cambodia, is located right next to Thailand, and this area has known more than its share of hardship. As a major battleground during the wars with the Khmer Rouge, the amount of civilian suffering is almost unimaginable. Today, there are still numerous reminders in the form of citizens, including miners, with legs lost to the Khmer Rouge mines that were planted all over the area. Drug-resistant malaria also plagues locals, especially miners working in the jungles.

	The rubies and sapphires brought to the surface by volcanoes are a source of income for this struggling area. Although production has decreased, hard-working individuals can still be found in the jungle, working small pit-mining operations and mining the rivers to search for treasure that will provide revenue for their families and perhaps even significantly change their lives. Source: GIA @topic:7


Title: How to Travel Brazil: Gemstones Edition Abstract: A selection of Brazilian gemstones. (From top, clockwise): rubellite tourmaline, emerald, aquamarine, imperial topaz, yellow topaz, bicolor tourmaline. Center: Paraiba tourmaline and brown diamond. Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA.

Brazil is a tropical locale well-known for exotic animals and plants, futból, sandy beaches, and jungle-clad mountains. Some of these mountains rise like monuments in the middle of cities, such as Sugarloaf Mountain in the ever-colorful and playful Rio de Janeiro. The country also contains the renowned Amazon River, not to mention superb gemstones in a kaleidoscope of saturated, luscious colors.

From the Mirador, this iconic vista of the city of Rio de Janeiro encompasses picturesque bays and inslets, surrounded by inselbergs, or mountains that jut out across the landscape. Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA
 Brazil’s rich natural gemstone resources include many varieties of tourmaline, topaz, beryl, and quartz, among others.

		If you’re a gem lover, Brazil is the dream destination, sure to top your bucket-list of must-see places in the world.

So as you plan your dream vacation, read these travel tips and information to help you get the most of your trip to Brazil.
Tourmaline

In tourmaline alone: orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet varieties hail from almost every corner of this enormous country. They are particularly found in Brazil’s state of Minas Gerais (a name which appropriately translates to “General Mines.”) It is also home to Paraíba tourmaline, a unique, electric blue-green variety, which derives its color from microscopic traces of copper. These gems are found in the northern state of Paraíba, to which they owe their name. Occasionally, the colors in tourmalines are mixed, resulting in bi-color or multicolored gemstones. There’s enough choice in tourmaline to capture everyone’s fancy.
Beryl

Miners often use water and specific gravity in a sifting exercise to separate out denser materials like gemstones. When the basket is emptied, upturned on the ground, the gems are visible on the top. Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA
Almost every member of the beryl family is represented as well: ocean-blue aquamarines and leafy green emeralds, delicate pink morganites and bright yellow heliodors make up this interesting Brazilian gem family. Cat’s-eye chrysoberyls and the extremely rare color-change alexandrites are found in Brazil as well.
Quartz

In Southern Brazil¹s state of Rio Grande do Sul the gem mines there include important deposits of amethyst and other quartzes, as well as chalcedonies. Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA
Take a trip down to Southern Brazil, known for its quartzes. Amethyst, citrine, rock crystal, and a huge variety of agate come from the State of Rio Grande do Sul. From the State of Bahia to the north comes one of Brazil’s most exotic quartzes, the dazzling, rutilated quartz. This beautiful gemstone features gleaming streaks of golden rutile running through the gem. One of Brazil’s most celebrated and unique gems is mined close to the colonial Baroque town of Ouro Preto in Minas Gerais. It is the orangey-gold variety of topaz that is often tinged with pink. In the trade, it lives up to its exalted name, “imperial topaz.”

People from all over the world collect Brazil’s finest mineral specimens, such as this amethyst and rock crystal quartz geode. Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA
Other gems you might not necessarily associate with Brazil are found here too, such as opals with strong play of color, as well as fire opals. Garnets are found in Brazil as well, and delicately-hued pink kunzite.
Diamonds
Few people are aware that Brazil was once the foremost source of diamonds, and that it remains an important source still today. In the 1700s and early 1800s, some of the world’s most celebrated diamonds were found in this enchanting land, including extremely rare red diamonds as well as green, and other fancy colors. Alluvial diamonds continue to be found in Brazil, mostly mined from riverbeds and from conglomerate host rock.
Your Brazilian Gemstone Journey: 4 Tips To Consider
Gem Places to Visit
The sprawling cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo are both hosts to some of Brazil’s most venerable jewelers, such as H. Stern, Amsterdam Sauer, Natan, and Manoel Bernardes. Beyond these two metropolises, each of these jewelers also has retail outlets in Brazil’s principal cities and in many hotels and airports. They have deep roots to the gem sources of Brazil, in many cases owning mines in Brazil’s interior.

A local jeweler in Ouro Preto takes all kinds of credit cards. Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA
H. Stern is famous for taking busloads of newly arriving international passengers to its premiere headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. A tour of the facilities includes a walk through a virtual mine, a chance to see gemstones being cut and polished, and a glimpse behind the scenes to observe jewelry being made. It is a unique mine to market experience with a special Brazilian flair. Amsterdam Sauer has a museum that features Brazil’s most celebrated minerals and gemstones. The city of Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais has one of the country’s most important gem and mineral museums, the Museu das Minas e do Metal.
If you are traveling in the interior of Minas Gerais, the Baroque Colonial city of Ouro Preto is a must-see for its picturesque architecture, spectacular churches, and rolling hills. It is near to the imperial topaz mines and a gold mine that you can visit. Diamantina is also a Baroque colonial city that was once the center of the diamond business in Brazil – hence the name. Both of these towns are UNESCO world heritage sites.
Taking Care of Yourself
If you’re traveling in Brazil, a few words of caution. Because of disparity in incomes and rising populations, visitors need to be aware of some dangers. As anywhere in the world, tourists need to be cautious of pickpockets and theft. Even though Brazil is extremely photogenic, cameras and other valuables such as cell phones and jewelry should be kept concealed as much as possible in larger cities. In fact, we recommend leaving your most valuable jewelry behind to remove the possibility of it getting lost or stolen. Rio de Janeiro has made great inroads in halting crime along its beaches, but petty theft remains ubiquitous, even in broad daylight. This threat diminishes dramatically as a traveler goes into smaller towns and villages in the interior of Brazil.

Ouro Preto is an old colonial Baroque town in Minas Gerais that was made famous for its gold deposits and also for the so-called Imperial topaz mines. Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA

What Else to See
Rio de Janeiro is famous for its beaches and also for Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar), a peak that rises dramatically in the middle of the city of Rio de Janiero. A trip to the summit of Corcovado is a must, from where you can see the spectacularly beautiful layout of the city with its bays and inlets and islands. If you have a chance to witness a soccer game at the famous Maracana stadium in Rio, you will experience Brazilian fervor at its zenith. São Paulo is in Brazil’s interior, devoid of Rio’s laid-back beach atmosphere. It is a sprawling metropolis filled with art galleries, malls, gardens, cathedrals, and swanky restaurants. São Paulo was the Portuguese colonists’ springboard to the discovery of Brazil’s interior in the 1600s.
What To Eat
Brazilians love meat. When you’re in any big town in Brazil, a visit to Fogo de Chão, or other churrasquerias is a must, though you should arrive with an empty stomach. For those who prefer to skip the meat at the famous Brazilian steakhouses, the salad bar will supply ample diversion. Pão de queijo, a small cheese-laden bread made with yucca flour, is found throughout the state of Minas Gerais, which is a huge agricultural region (in addition to mining). Feijoada is a bean-based meat and corn stew that is enjoyed across Brazil. A variation of stew called moqueca in which seafood is cooked in coconut milk, is found in coastal cities to the north, such as Salvador in Bahia. Yum!

Brazil and its people are among the world’s warmest and most hospitable. It is one of the greatest gemstone sources in the world where you will also be able to enjoy the deep-rooted culture, the country’s delectable food, the passion of its people, and the spectacular landscapes.

When you go home, take a gemstone with you. You’ll be returning with a small piece of Brazilian real estate, and memories to last a lifetime. Before you pack your bags for your trip, you might want to brush up on your gem photography skills with these 6 Tips for the Best Gem Photos. Source: GIA @topic:1