Title: Characterization of “Green Amber” With Infrared and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Abstract: A peridot-like bright greenish yellow to green gem material called “green amber” has recently appeared in the gem market. It is produced by treating natural resin (amber or copal) with heat and pressure in two stages in an autoclave. Differences in molecular structure between untreated amber and copal as compared to treated “green amber” were studied by FTIR and 13C NMR spectroscopy, using powdered samples. Regardless of the starting material, the FTIR spectrum of “green amber” showed an amber pattern but with a characteristic small absorption feature at 820 cm-1. Solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy of the treated material indicated a significantly lower volatile component than in the untreated natural resin, evidence that the treatment can actually “artificially age” copal. A new absorption observed near 179 ppm in the NMR spectra of all the treated samples also separated them from their natural-color counterparts.

	DATA DEPOSITORY

Photomicrographs
FTIR and NMR Spectra
Table DD-1: FTIR Spectral Features of Amber and Copal Before and After Heat Treatment
Table DD-2: Chemical Shift (ppm) of 13C NMR Spectral Features of Amber and Copal Before and After Heat Treatment
Parameters Used for NMR Spectroscopy
	Fall, 2009 Source: GIA @topic:1


Title: “Rainbow Lattice” from Australia Abstract: These “rainbow lattice” specimens, a 4.14 g rough stone and a 2.18 ct kite-shaped cabochon, are from Harts Range in central Australia. Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA, courtesy of Rainbow Lattice.
One of the most striking materials encountered in the Riverpark Inn (Pueblo) Gem Show was “rainbow lattice.” This rare phenomenal gem is a variety of feldspar exhibiting aventurescence from exsolution hematite crystals and a rainbow lattice effect from oriented exsolution magnetite crystals. Supply is extremely limited, and the only source is the tiny Utnerrengatye mine in Harts Range, Northern Territory, Australia. Rainbow lattice was discovered in 1985 and acknowledged as a new gem material in 1989. One of the original discoverers, Darren Arthur, showed us all-new material he mined in 2018 and subsequently sorted and cut (see above). With its scarcity and unique appearance, rainbow lattice is a must for any serious rare gem collection. Source: GIA @topic:1


Title: A Case of Mistaken Identity? Abstract: Before modern gemological testing, red spinel was often thought to be ruby. Left: Red spinel ring, courtesy of Jeffrey Bilgore. Right: Burma ruby, courtesy of Jan Goodman Co. Photos by Robert Weldon/GIA

Identifying a gemstone by color alone can lead to a case of mistaken identity, as numerous examples have shown over the course of history.
Take the most famous pretender, the Black Prince’s Ruby, for example. The large crimson, semi-polished crystal the size of an egg first appeared in 14th century Spain when King Pedro of Castille seized it from the Moorish Prince Mohammed of Granada as spoils of battle. It changed hands many times throughout the Medieval era, finally remaining in the possession of several British kings and resides in the Imperial State Crown of England.
But is the famous royal jewel identified as a ruby today?
For fun, let’s engage Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s fictional Belgian detective, to investigate the identity of the Black Prince’s ruby and get his opinion.
“Observe the gem under the polarizing filter while I shine a light through the stone. At the same time, I will rotate the filter and turn the stone in several directions to avoid looking down the optic axis. Does the gem blink or change color? No, it does not. Let me explain. If this were a ruby it would blink orangey-red to purplish-red. So you see, this red stone is an imposter! It could be a spinel or red garnet.”
Being a well-read detective, Poirot knew some basic differences between rubies, spinels and garnets. He knew that when light enters a ruby, the light beam will split (double refraction) and leave the ruby as two different colors (pleochroism): orangey-red and violetish-red (dichroic; two colors). But he also knew that there is one direction in a ruby that will appear as one color. In order to see these two colors, he has to look at the stone in at least three different directions. Red spinels and garnets, however, will remain the same color in all directions, which usually means they are singly refractive.
Single refraction in red spinel and garnet is a key factor in separating them from ruby. Double refraction is a key factor for identifying ruby, and sapphire. Emerald, citrine, tourmaline, and topaz can show weak double refraction and require careful testing.
Emerald and tsavorite garnet can appear similar in color. Using the penlight and loupe to look for doubling or pleochroism would separate emerald, which is doubly refractive, from tsavorite, which is singly refractive. Also, emerald’s luster is vitreous (glass-like) to waxy while tsavorite’s is greasy to vitreous.
Determining a gem’s optic character or refraction – along with visual observations of luster, transparency, cut, heft, fracture and phenomenon, if present – are the basics of gem identification.
What Gem is it?
Test your gem knowledge. Can you guess the identity of these gemstones?

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Color Can Be Deceiving
There are many characteristics other than color that can give clues to identification.
Inclusions
Visible inclusions using a 10x loupe could also separate emerald from garnet. Garnet usually has fewer inclusions than emerald, but if liquid or two-phase inclusions are present in emerald, they can be an identifying factor.
Separating peridot from demantoid garnet is easier if “lilypad” (unique disc-like liquid and gas inclusions found in peridot), are seen under 10x loupe magnification.
Luster and Opacity
Aventurine quartz and jade appear similar in color, but a close inspection of luster would reveal differences. Jade is dull in comparison to quartz’s vitreous nature.
Similar-looking transparent hard stones such as yellow sapphire, topaz, garnet and citrine quartz have a higher luster when polished.
A trained eye can easily see the difference of light reflecting off the surface of the sapphire, which is bright and shiny. Soft stones like yellow opal and amber will be waxy to dull in appearance. Both yellow sapphire and topaz have vitreous luster and are doubly refractive, so, advanced testing would be required to identify these gemstones.

These four blue gemstones all appear to be sapphire, but only one is! The top gem is color-change sapphire, courtesy of K & K International. From left: Kyanite, courtesy of GIA Dr. Edward Gubelin Collection; Benitoite, courtesy of B&B Fine Gems; and blue spinel, courtesy of Palagems.com. Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA
Hardness
Sapphire is very hard, registering 9 on the Mohs hardness scale; topaz is 8; citrine is 7; opal is softer at 5-6½; and amber is softest yet at 2. The amber’s heft is also noticeably lighter than other gems.
Although the instruments are simple, it takes a lot of practical observation and experience to become proficient at making separations. These principles are the foundation of modern gemology and remain at its core today. Source: GIA @topic:1


Title: Emerald Dealing in Afghanistan Abstract: Figure 1. This 260 g rough emerald parcel was used to demonstrate the methodology in grading and negotiating the purchase of rough gemstones in the field. Photo by Eric Welch/GIA.

Dealing rough gemstones is never easy. This is true even for gemstones dealers with decades of experience such as Arthur Groom of Eternity Emerald (Ridgewood, New Jersey). Groom has traveled all over the world to purchase emerald rough, and his current focus is Afghanistan. In Tucson, he demonstrated to us the art of rough purchasing and the critical decisions that must be made during this process.

Groom started by opening a parcel of about 260 g of rough emerald (figure 1), which he valued at a minimum of $600,000. He recounted the decisions he had to make in the field in Afghanistan when buying this parcel from miners. Just as with individual colored gemstones, the first thing buyers need to look at is the color of the whole parcel. Tip number one: Always spread out the stones after you get the first impression of the parcel. This is important, because colors always look better when stones are clustered together; spreading out the stones helps the buyer see the appearance of individual stones and better sort them into several groups. Next, do a quick estimation of the percentage of each group relative to the whole parcel. For example, a parcel may contain about 20% lighter-colored emeralds.

	Arthur Groom – Eternity Emerald

In this interview Mr. Groom shares from his lifetime of experience purchasing rough emerald from miners in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley. He advises buyers to pay attention to color, clarity, and crystal shape, and to negotiate in good faith with the miners, as respect is the key to building a long-term relationship that benefits both buyer and seller.
Since evaluation is the most critical step in rough purchasing, there are several aspects buyers must pay extra attention to when estimating the value of a certain piece or group. The color, the model (shape) of the crystal, and the clarity features are the three key observations that determine your decision. When looking at color, it is especially important to consider the crystal’s core. This is essential for Afghan emeralds, because many of them have a lighter core (figure 2). Stones like these will lose color after faceting, which demands extra planning and often results in a higher weight loss. For emeralds, darker rough is more likely to maintain its color after cutting. The lighter rough tends to lose color, especially when cut into melee.

Figure 2. Upon close examination of this emerald crystal, sorted out of a large parcel
during a buying trip to Afghanistan, Arthur Groom found the crystal core to be much
lighter in color. Photo by Andrew Lucas.
The rough dealer must visualize how the finished stone can be placed inside the rough based on the model, as it dictates the final yield of the rough. Groom demonstrated the types of emerald that achieve high weight retention and others that do not. There is a large quantity of pencil-shaped rough coming from the mountains of Afghanistan, material once regarded as waste by some miners and buyers. Groom said that with today’s technology, these stones can be cut into melee that command on average $500–$1500 per carat. Old Soviet ammunition from the war three decades ago is still used to blast the emerald-bearing rocks due to the shortage of mining dynamite in Afghanistan. This is a problem for emerald mining, since many larger stones are broken during the blasting. The broken crystals also limit the weight retention. For instance, a perfectly preserved rough crystal can reach a yield of 60%, compared to only 10–15% for a broken one.

The “Four Cs” of colored gemstones are generally the same as for diamonds; however, a fifth “C” is crucial for emeralds. This is clarity enhancement, a common practice in the emerald trade. Imperfections are removed by cutting them out or treating fissures to lower their visibility. In the case of emerald, the latter is more common if higher weight retention and better proportions are desired. The buyer must find the emerald’s fractures and make a decision on the possibility of enhancing them and leaving them in the stone. The essence of rough evaluation is to comprehensively consider all the factors and find the balance between them. Mastering the process requires years of practice and familiarity with both the rough and the finished stone markets.

After evaluation comes the art of negotiation. If the buyer is enthusiastic about purchasing the parcel, the negotiation takes off from there. Based on Groom’s experience, buyers need to stay cool and offer reasonable prices to get what they want. The key takeaway here is that as a buyer, you need to know the value of the parcel and show the miners that you know what you are doing. Ridiculously low offers should be avoided, since that would immediately cast doubts on your capability and reputation. Once both sides realize that a fair deal is going to happen, the “sweet spot” for the price can be reached quickly.

Dealing with gemstones is ultimately about dealing with people. Afghan emerald miners (figure 3) are a very strong-willed group. They always come together to sell their stones. These miners do not owe banks money, so there is no pressure for them to sell the goods. In this situation, winning their trust is the key to motivating them to bring in more stones that fit the buyers’ needs. Groom reminded us that respecting the locals and bringing value and benefit to them will guarantee good business and long-lasting friendship.

Figure 3. Buying rough emerald in the field under less than ideal conditions, like a miner’s office in Kabul, requires discipline and a systematic approach. Photo by Andrew Lucas. Source: GIA @topic:7


Title: Guardians of Trust: GIA’s Innovative Research, Instruments and Services Abstract: GIA researchers respond to rapidly changing gem treatment and synthesis technologies with cutting edge technology and analyze gems from known sources. Their work deepens the world’s understanding of how gems are formed, extracted, manufactured and sold. A group photo from a 2018 GIA research team meeting. Photo by Eric Welch/GIA

GIA has stood at the vanguard of diamond, colored stone and pearl identification, treatment detection and identification throughout its history. From the iconic jeweler’s loupe to breakthrough 21st-century technologies, the tools and products the Institute develops serve a single purpose: to protect all who buy or sell gemstones.
Consumers deserve – and want – information about their gems so they can make informed purchase decisions and have trust in their gems and jewelry. They want to know where their gemstones come from, and what factors affect their quality and value. They want to know if they are natural or man-made (also called laboratory-grown) or if they’ve been treated to enhance their appearance. They want to be protected.
Throughout its nearly 90-year history, GIA has created services and instruments to uphold its mission of protecting the public’s trust in gems and jewelry. This research-based effort grew in importance and impact as new gem treatments and laboratory-grown gems entered the market.
All of this built on GIA’s legacy of innovation.
Gemological Innovation: Central to GIA’s Mission
Gemology was a relatively new science when Robert Shipley, Sr. founded GIA in 1931. It was new enough that there were few suitable instruments that provided the ability to conduct detailed examinations of gemstones.

Robert Shipley Jr. developed several important gemological instruments that are still in use today, including the iconic 10x loupe. Photo by GIA
That did not deter Shipley’s son, Robert Jr., from adapting and developing instruments to accomplish that task. Within a few years, he developed several important instruments that are still in use today. In 1934, GIA introduced the iconic 10x loupe that hangs around every gem dealer’s and jeweler’s neck today. Shipley Jr. also developed a gem-testing polariscope to determine whether a stone is singly or doubly refractive, a very important factor in identifying gemstones. His binocular microscope with darkfield illumination remains standard equipment in every gem lab today.
These instruments were, and remain, invaluable for gemological work in differentiating minerals with similar appearances. For example, a “ruby” in the British crown jewels was later found to be a red spinel. Even with these innovations, the need for further gem testing equipment continued.

GIA has a long history of pursing scientific investigations to gather and analyze data on gemstones, identifying practical solutions to gemological challenges and communicating their findings. In this undated photo, from left, Robert Crowningshield, the longtime director of GIA’s New York laboratory; Thomas Moses, now executive vice president and chief lab and research officer; and Ilene Reinitz, a senior project manager.
In the early 1940s, Shipley, Sr. and Richard T. Liddicoat, who became GIA’s second president, devised a scientific process to standardize diamond grading that removed much of subjectivity and variations that prevailed in the market at that time. A decade later, Liddicoat and others built on the 4Cs of diamond quality (color, clarity, cut, carat weight) developed by Shipley and codified these standards into the International Diamond Grading System for D-to-Z diamonds, which established a common standard and language to describe diamond color and clarity. This system is the recognized and accepted standard worldwide; it has facilitated diamond trading and helped consumers to better know what they are buying for decades.
The influx of cultured pearls in the mid-1900s created the necessity to accurately differentiate them from natural ones. GIA scientists developed a specialized X-ray unit to provide a definitive answer at a low cost. In the 1950s, diamonds treated with radiation began showing up in the market. Robert Crowningshield, who was vice president of GIA’s New York laboratory and pioneered many gem identification techniques, determined how to recognize most of them using a spectroscope he adapted for gemological use.
A Research Team to Focus on Gem Treatments, Identification
By the mid-1970s, a growing number of gemstone treatments and laboratory-grown gems were entering the market – heat-treated sapphires, laser drilling of diamonds, more varieties of cultured pearls and an influx of laboratory-grown rubies. As consumer demand soared, so did the urgency to identify these stones. This prompted GIA to create a dedicated, full-time research department. This initially small research team was instrumental in developing colored stone, pearl and diamond identification methods and techniques to identify these treatments and sharing them with the industry-at-large through its quarterly professional journal, Gems & Gemology.

The Summer 2019 issue of Gems & Gemology features a wall chart of inclusions in natural, treated, synthetic and imitation opal. The platinum pendant shown on the cover features a 9.39 ct black opal accented by 0.25 ct pear-shaped diamond and 0.90 carats of round Paraíba tourmalines. Designed by Niveet Nagpal, courtesy of Omi Privé. The background is a photomicrograph of a black opal from Lightning Ridge, Australia, showing broad, angular flashes of play-of-color known as a harlequin or mosaic pattern. Diffuse reflected light, vertical field of view approximately 12 mm. Photomicrograph by Nathan Renfro.
A new treatment emerged in the late 1990s in which diamonds were subjected to high temperature and pressure to improve their color. Within a few months, the GIA research team employed a full array of available and adapted technology, and was able to determine how to identify the treatments and prevent a potential crisis of consumer confidence.
Moving into the digital age, GIA, as part of its diamond-cut research project, developed an accurate system to evaluate diamond cut quality. Based on this extensive diamond research, Facetware estimates the cut grade of round brilliant cut diamonds. The system is underpinned by the fundamental ray tracing work GIA did over decades, modeling the proportions of several million diamonds examined by GIA and using the results to polish additional diamonds to verify the modeled results. The Facetware software was then made available to instrument manufacturers to incorporate into their non-contact measurement devices.

GIA’s iD100® device screens for laboratory-grown diamonds and simulants. Photo by GIA
Screening for Laboratory-Grown Diamonds
One of the latest GIA advances is a result of the concern about knowing whether a diamond is natural or laboratory-grown.
Because the majority of melee-size diamonds do not go through gemological laboratories for grading and identification, GIA developed the iD100® device to screen for laboratory-grown diamonds and simulants. The desktop unit is particularly suited for retailers and jewelry manufacturers who need to be sure about the material they are selling or setting in jewelry. Using spectroscopic technology, the device can definitively separate all laboratory-grown diamonds (both HPHT and CVD) and all simulants (cubic zirconia and moissanite) from natural diamonds. The screening takes less than two seconds per stone and can the instrument can screen loose or mounted diamonds as small as 0.9 mm.
Ensuring Transparency, Traceability and Authenticity
More and more consumers want to know where their gems come from, including the country, and be assured of their quality and authenticity.
GIA has offered country of origin reports for some colored gemstones for many years. Scientists are able to make these determinations based on scientific data from samples collected by GIA field gemologists at mining locations throughout the world. These reports are available for ruby, sapphire, emerald, Paraíba tourmaline, red spinel and alexandrite.

GIA’s Diamond Origin Report service can confirm the country of origin of polished diamonds.
In March 2019, GIA introduced its Diamond Origin Report service, which can confirm the country of origin of polished diamonds. Rough diamonds submitted to GIA before they are faceted and polished are examined to record identifying information. Each rough diamond is assigned a unique identification number. Then, when the resulting polished diamonds are sent to GIA for grading, that same information is used to match the polished gem to its original rough. Through this scientific matching process, GIA can confirm the country of origin information provided by the participating mining company.
The GIA Diamond Origin Report includes the country of origin, a full 4Cs quality analysis of each diamond and a report number inscription. Consumers can access the diamond’s full grading details online through the GIA Origin app and the online GIA Report Check service, and also find video and photos of the rough and polished diamond, its corresponding original rough and detailed background information on the country from which it originated. Click here to see a sample report for a diamond from Canada.
GIA launched digital diamond grading reports secured by emerging blockchain technology with retailer Chow Tai Fook in 2018 to even further enhance the customer's knowledge of where their gem came from.
The GIA diamond grading information is added to Chow Tai Fook’s T-MARK app, enabling customers to confirm that their diamond matches the GIA report. The blockchain-secured reports provide confidence for the consumer and protects the integrity of GIA reports by ensuring transparency, authenticity and verifiability for diamonds throughout their journey from manufacturer to consumer.

The blockchain diamond grading report includes the key GIA grading data – Color, Clarity, Cut, Carat Weight, Shape and Cutting Style – and GIA’s Statement of Authenticity. Left, GIA blockchain diamond grading report; right, icon on GIA Report Check indicating blockchain-enabled report number.
Looking to Future Services
Institute leaders believe blockchain technology could have broader application to how GIA and its clients manage diamond grading and other reports and services in the future.
“We are working with IBM on research on how we might be able to use technology, including artificial intelligence, to scan a diamond and link – via blockchain – to the GIA grading report for that diamond,” says Tom Moses, executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer for GIA. “Blockchain technology might also be used as part of our diamond origin service, which can match polished diamonds to their original rough to confirm the diamond’s country of origin.
“Both applications demonstrate GIA’s commitment to making sure the diamond’s history is documented and transparent.” Source: GIA @topic:7


Title: Cutting the ‘Imperial Flame’ Topaz Abstract: The Imperial Flame, a superb natural color Brazilian topaz, was fashioned from a 615 ct crystal recovered over 20 years ago. The finished piece measures 89.53 × 20.56 × 19.15 mm and weighs 332.24 ct. Photo courtesy Sonja Kreis Unique Jewelry.

	One of the most spectacular gems at the 2016 Tucson show was a magnificent freeform 332.24 ct Brazilian topaz on display at the GJX booth of gem artist Alexander Kreis (Sonja Kreis Unique Jewelry, NiederwoErresbach, Germany), which the Kreis family has named the “Imperial Flame.” Described by International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) executive director Gary Roskin as a “showstopper,” this spectacular gem was cut from an exceptionally rare 615 ct crystal.

	Alexander Kreis specializes in unique cutting styles. He comes from a 500-year family tradition of gemstone cutting and jewelry making. The business is still a Kreis family affair: Alexander’s mother, Sonja, and sister, Vanessa, design the jewelry pieces that best complement his gems’ style, and his father, Stefan, procures the rough. Gems have been part of his life from an early age, as his father traveled the world dealing with rough stones. The young Alexander was fascinated by stories of faraway mines and the little bags of rough crystals his father brought back. This spurred him to pursue a traditional apprenticeship, where he learned the fundamentals of gem cutting. However, Alexander broke from tradition to follow his own unique appreciation for beauty. He strives to use the rough in a nontraditional way.

	Kreis always seeks the beauty in rough material. “Nowadays to find the right rough material is really challenging,” he notes. “Demand is growing for better material, especially in Asia.”

	Which brings us to the spectacular topaz: According to the family, the crystal came from Brazil’s well-documented Ouro Preto topaz mines. Topaz has been recovered from this area of Minas Gerais for over 200 years, with the first discoveries recorded in 1768, when the Portuguese court of King Joseph I marked the discovery of the gem in their Brazilian colony with a “splendid celebration” (P.C. Keller, “The Capão topaz Deposit, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil,” Spring 1983 Gems & Gemology, pp. 12–20).

Today a bustling city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ouro Preto owes its prosperity, institutions, and beautiful baroque architecture to the mineral wealth—namely gold, tourmaline, and topaz—in the surrounding hills. Photo courtesy Sonja Kreis Unique Jewelry.

	Today, as in the 1700s, topaz with this red, pink, or orangy yellow color component is rare and very valuable. One of the most sought-after colors is known as “Imperial” topaz, which most in the trade consider a medium reddish orange to orange-red. As noted in previous reports, only one to two percent of all the material recovered from Ouro Preto’s mines is of faceting quality, which makes the caliber of this crystal all the more remarkable. (see D.A. Sauer et al., “An update on Imperial topaz from the Capão mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil,” Winter 1996 Gems & Gemology, pp. 232–241).

	Although these topaz mines were once very active, there is no longer mining of any scale. To the best of the family’s knowledge, the crystal is “old production” mined at least 20 years ago. They first learned of it in September 2015 from an old acquaintance, an avid collector who believed Alexander could create something exceptional from the crystal.

Current production from Ouro Preto’s topaz mines is not as prolific as it was during the 1990s. Photo courtesy Sonja Kreis Unique Jewelry.

	In September 2015, Stefan and Alexander Kreis traveled to Brazil to view the stone. When they saw the crystal, they immediately recognized it as something “truly exceptional” that might be fashioned into a “piece of the century.” As family member Carsten Kreis remarked, “It has the rare red color as the main part. But what makes it even more beautiful for us, is that it depicts the whole range of warm colors an Imperial topaz can have, and does so with an amazing intensity.”

	Alexander Kreis contemplates the original 615 ct Imperial topaz crystal. Photo courtesy
	Sonja Kreis Unique Jewelry.

	The Kreis family acquired the topaz in December 2015. Before making a commitment to buy, they spent most of the previous four months analyzing the crystal to determine a fashioning plan. Although they briefly considered cutting the piece as three or more separate gems, their objective quickly became to cut the largest known top-quality Imperial topaz.

The original 615 ct topaz crystal from which Kreis fashioned the Imperial Flame. Photo courtesy Sonja Kreis Unique Jewelry.

	From the outset, Alexander realized that the sheer size and clarity of the rough was astounding and that this combination, along with the range and intensity of colors, was “just unbelievable.” After much contemplation, Alexander finally decided to fashion the crystal into a single piece. This decision, he recalled, came “out of love for the mineral…as a sculpture it would be something that hasn’t been done before.”

	As a gem, topaz has an Achilles heel—its basal cleavage. As a result, cutters must exercise extreme care to avoid grinding the stone perpendicular to the cleavage plane. Inclusions might also cause the stone to break on the wheel. According to Sauer et al. (1996), weight recovery depends on the amount of inclusions in each crystal. Well-formed, fairly clean crystals yield up to 2 ct per gram (5 ct), or a recovery rate of 40 percent.

	Because of this inherent physical property, topaz—especially in larger sizes—is challenging to cut, giving every savvy cutter pause for thought. “Imperial topaz is very difficult to cut because the gem has a tension residing in it,” says Alexander. “Thus, we had a thorough look at it—especially for inclusions that could release that inner tension and lead to the crystal breaking.”

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	Alexander started the cutting process with the intent of retaining as much weight from the crystal as possible while striving for the highest level of artistry. “You want to waste as little material as possible and at the same time bring out the most of its potential beauty,” he explained.

	Fashioning the crystal took a total of eight days, spread across a period of three to four weeks. Alexander stopped the cutting process from time to time to make test carvings with smaller pieces of Imperial topaz in order to gauge the reaction of his cutting concepts on the Imperial Flame. There were three stages: sawing or trimming away any fractured or included material, grinding to preform and shape the solid crystal, and faceting along with carving the reflective, grooved surfaces. The exact cutting procedure, equipment, and polishing compounds Alexander uses are proprietary. Previous sources (e.g., Sauer et al., 1996) indicate that Brazilian topaz cutters use a 360 grit grinding wheel and a 600 grit faceting disk, polishing the stones on a lead/tin lap with Linde A (Al2O3) powder. From an original weight of 615 ct, the cutting process yielded a finished gem measuring 89.53 × 20.56 × 19.15 mm and weighing 332.24 ct, a finished yield of 54 percent.

	Regardless of the exact methods used, the finished piece is a spectacular crystal sculpture: a winning blend of geometric flat facets and curves bearing carved grooves that reflect and reinforce the red to rosy peach hues of the topaz many times over. The carving produces glittering reflections that enliven the lower portion of the sculpture and lead the eye to the blaze of red at the tip of the crystal. It is truly a special piece fit for a connoisseur or high-end collector.

	 “Is it for sale?” we asked.

	“Yes,” came the answer. “Price upon request!” Source: GIA @topic:1


Title: Abstracts; Fall 2006 Abstract: This article, from the Fall 2006 issue of Gems & Gemology, is a compilation of abstracts of important gemology-related articles published outside of Gems & Gemology.

	DATA DEPOSITORY

Table: Magnetic Characteristics of Various Gem Materials Observed by the Direct Method
	Submitted by Sylvia M. Gumpesberger
	Fall, 2005
Table: Degree of Defect Formation in Natural, Synthetic, and Treated Diamond Samples
	Submitted by Joe C.C. Yuan
	Fall, 2005 Source: GIA @topic:7


Title: An Inside Look at the 2013 Tucson Shows Abstract: View Gallery

Every February, in Tucson, Arizona, the global colored gemstone industry comes together for one of the biggest gem shows in the world. Dealers, cutters, and miners descend on this town from all parts of the globe, bringing with them an amazing array of gems.

All kinds of gemstones, from emerald to agate and ruby to meteorites, are found in Tucson at this time, along with the industry leaders who bring these stones to market.

GIA interviewed a number of industry professionals to gain insight into the overall global market, as well as individual areas of expertise. Links to these informative interviews are listed below.

Rajneesh Bhandari, RMC Gems Thai Co. Ltd.
Mr. Bhandari is an expert in gem treatments, gemstone synthesis processes, and the creation of imitation gemstones. All of these are topics of the utmost importance to the trade and consumers alike. In these interviews, Mr. Bhandari discusses imitations of morganite beryl and bi-color tourmaline as well as the use of thin film coatings on gemstones and the future of treatments.
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Dudley Blauwet, Dudley Blauwet Gems
Mr. Blauwet is a colored gemstone dealer with decades of experience. His journeys to buy colored gemstones take him to deposits all over the world, including South East Asia, Central Asia, Africa and other localities. Join Mr. Blauwet as he describes his latest travels and the world’s supply of colored gemstones.
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Edward Boehm, Rare Source
Mr. Boehm is a geologist, gemologist, and accomplished gem dealer who works with rare and higher-end gems. He has traveled to a wide variety of gem sources across the globe and often speaks on both the supply and demand side of the market. Mr. Boehm discusses the overall colored gemstone market as well as markets for specific gemstones in his interviews.
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Bruce Bridges, Bridges Tsavorite
Mr. Bridges grew up in the colored gemstone market, working with his famous father Campbell Bridges at the prolific tsavorite-producing Scorpion Mine near Tsavo Park in Kenya. Mr. Bridges discusses the history of tsavorite mining, current production, and tsavorite qualities, as well as the assassination of his father and the current legal situation.
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Evan Caplan, Evan Caplan Fine Gemstones
Mr. Caplan is well known in the colored gemstone industry as a knowledgeable dealer in the upper end of the market. In his interviews, Mr. Caplan gives his insight into why supplies are tight and demand is high, as well as what he feels lies ahead.
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Paula Crevoshay, Crevoshay
Paula Crevoshay is a world renowned designer who is driven by uncompromising passion for her work. She has been dubbed the “Queen of Color” by the trade press. In these interviews, she conveys her philosophy of jewelry design and her sources of inspiration. She also describes some of her own magnificent pieces in detail.
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Michael M. Dyber, Ledge Art Studio
Mr. Dyber is a leading designer-gemstone cutter and carver. He has faceted and carved a variety of gemstones. He looks at the rough material and its potential as a true artist would. In these extensive interviews, Mr. Dyber discusses all aspects of artistic gem cutting and carving.
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Arthur Groom, Arthur Groom and Company
Mr. Groom is an expert on the emerald market as well as on emerald enhancement. His business encompasses buying rough emerald at sources around the world, including Afghanistan, as well as emerald cutting and enhancements, wholesale trading, and retail sales. In his interviews, Mr. Groom discusses the Afghan emerald market, evaluation of emerald rough, and describing emerald quality. During the interview, he describes a variety of emeralds he has on hand.
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Bob Halem, Manager, Royal West Warehouse
Mr. Halem was at the Tucson show with a large variety of quartz geodes as part of his inventory. He spoke to us on a wealth of topics, from geode sources, quartz treatments, geode cutting, evaluating geode qualities, packing geodes, and the geode business.
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Susie Kennedy, ICA Director, Susie Kennedy Jewelry, Ltd. and The Kennedy’s International
Mrs. Kennedy has been involved in all aspects of the colored stone industry. With her husband, she has truly been involved in the entire mine-to-market value chain. In her interviews, Mrs. Kennedy discusses gemstone production and the industry in East Africa and the future of mining in Africa. She also describes her start in the gem industry and gives perhaps the best advice around on building a career and creating a networking system in the gem business. Mrs. Kennedy also describes how she met a tight deadline to provide then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with a magnificent pair of tanzanite earrings for a dinner with the President of Tanzania.
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Moussa Konate, BC Gemas do Brazil
Mr. Konate is intimately involved in the mining of copper-bearing tourmaline, as well as some aquamarine, in Mozambique. He has been a driving force in copper-bearing tourmaline production. During his interviews, Mr. Konate discusses current production of copper-bearing tourmaline in Mozambique, changes at the mine site, the market for African copper-bearing tourmaline, and the Mozambique aquamarine mine he is involved in.
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Jeff Mason, President, Mason-Kay, Inc.
Mr. Mason is highly experienced in the jadeite market and is a prominent dealer of a variety of jadeite colors and cutting styles. In these interviews, he discusses the highly specialized market for jadeite, as well as jadeite treatments and carvings.
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Sam Naseri, Global Gems
Mr. Naseri was at Tucson with a large quantity of rough lapis lazuli, along with other materials like sugilite, and a variety of beads. He has been in the gem business since childhood and travels to Afghanistan to buy lapis lazuli. In his interviews, Mr. Naseri discusses all aspects of trading in lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, including government regulations, transportation of material, evaluating quality, old and new production, mine locations, and the market.
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Bryan Pavlik, ICA Director
Mr. Pavlik has been involved in many areas of the colored gemstone industry, including mining, buying of rough, gem cutting, dealing in loose colored stones and mineral specimens, jewelry, gemological laboratory work, appraisals for the Austrian Government, and liquidations.  During his interviews, Mr. Pavlik discusses the liquidation business, the global gem market, current market fever, and global gem shows.
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Stephan Reif, Sales Executive, the Green Dragon Mine
Mr. Reif has intimate knowledge of the Green Dragon demantoid garnet mine in Namibia. In these extensive interviews, Mr. Reif provides a wealth of information regarding the mine’s geology and production, along with government mining regulations and water requirements. Mr. Reif also discusses, in detail, the cutting of demantoid garnet, quality evaluation, and the market.
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Joshua Saltzman, Nomad’s Lapidary Company
Mr. Saltzman is involved with buying rough colored gemstones from around the world, and cutting and selling finished colored gemstones globally. His company focuses on precision cutting of a wide variety of colored stones at the higher end of the market. In his interviews, Mr. Saltzman discusses the company’s cutting philosophy, market update, spinel sources and production, Afghan tourmaline, the rubellite tourmaline market, and working with untreated stones.
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Menahem Sevdermish, CEO and President GemeWizard
Mr. Sevdermish is one of the leading Israeli colored gemstone dealers, cutters, and experts. He has been buying, cutting, and selling colored gemstones for decades and has focused on unique stones with exciting colors. He is also the inventor of GemeWizard, a computer software program for grading colored gemstones, as well as a provider of pricing information and an internet trading platform. In his interviews Mr. Sevdermish discusses natural-color gemstones, Tanzanian gemstones, Tanzanian production, and unique tanzanite colors.
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Bill Vance, Vance Gems
Mr. Vance has been involved with buying, cutting, and selling colored gemstones for decades. He received his Graduate Gemology Diploma in 1983. In his interviews, Mr. Vance discusses the reason for the current price increases in gemstones, availability of gemstones in the market, gem cutting, building credibility in the trade, and advice to young gemologists.
Learn More Source: GIA @topic:7


Title: Insider View of the Colored Gem Market Abstract: Evan CaplanEvan Caplan Fine Gemstone

Interview with Evan Caplan, Evan Caplan Fine Gemstone

It’s an emotional roller coaster following veteran gem dealer Evan Caplan in this exclusive GIA interview conducted at the 2013 Tucson Gem Show. At one moment, Caplan is despairing over how Brazilian environmental protection laws have made mining there prohibitively expensive for small companies. In another moment he’s nearly giddy at what a great success the gem show has been. At still another instant, he’s painting a bleak picture of the global availability of quality stones at reasonable prices. The next instant, he’s looking forward to a rosy future.

The laws in Brazil require the miners to restore the environment to its previous state after mining, making it only affordable for the biggest firms. In Sri Lanka, where no such laws exist, the digging is prolific as is the yield, but because of the overall tight market the prices are exorbitant. The prices are exorbitant in part, Caplan says, because the Internet has come to the Third World, and the suppliers are seeing the prices retailers are getting and want in on it.

Still, Caplan says, he had never seen a better and busier Tucson gem show—so busy in fact that he didn’t even have time to eat. But that busyness feeds his optimism about the gem trade in the long term. He remains philosophical throughout. “Sources come and go,” says Caplan. “Life is a roller coaster.” And so is this interview. Catch it here. Source: GIA @topic:7


Title: Market Update and Exceptional Colored Gems Abstract: Edward BoehmRare Source

	Interview with Edward Boehm, Rare Source
In an exclusive interview with Edward Boehm at the 2013 Tucson Gem Show, GIA uncovers a rich vein of current information on supply and demand in the rare and high-end gem market. Boehm, a geologist, gemologist and gem dealer with his own company, Rare Source, ranges over a spate of hot topics, including the rebirth of the emerald market, the fallout from the US ban on Myanmar, and the importance of estate sales.

Boehm reports the emerald market is coming back strong after a decade of suffering under the weight of buyer suspicions regarding treatment. He says that emerald dealers from both South America and Africa seem to have learned the hard lesson of those days and have embraced the policy of full disclosure on treatments.

Although the US ban on rubies from Myanmar has created a severe shortage in supply and kept ruby prices high, it has also opened the door for rubies from other locations. Thus buyers in the US and Europe are now more receptive to rubies from such places as Mozambique and Madagascar, whereas before it was the legend of the Burmese product that prevailed.

Boehm further relates how secondhand jewelry from estate sales becomes a primary source of material in times of tight supply. Sadly, he tells us, these often-vintage pieces usually become more plentiful during tight economic times.

To complement his knowledgeable narrative, Boehm also shows off some impressive gems in the video that follows. Among them is a 32 ct. Liddicoatite that Boehm says he would never sell. But you can view it up close here in the video. Source: GIA @topic:7


Title: Benitoite from the New Idria District, San Benito County, California Abstract: Commercial quantities of gem-quality benitoite are known from a single location in the world, the Benitoite Gem mine in the New Idria district of San Benito County, California. A barium titanium silicate, benitoite is typically colorless to blue, and is noteworthy for its high refractive indices, moderate birefringence, and strong dispersion. Benitoite occurs in altered blue schist within serpentinite. The gem crystals formed within fractures as a result of the alteration of blue schist by hydrothermal fluids derived from the regional metamorphism of the serpentinite. An extension of the historic deposit at the Benitoite Gem mine was discovered in the spring of 1997, which should contribute to continued stability in price and supply. The gemological properties of benitoite readily identify it from similar-appearing gems. Source: GIA @topic:2


Title: Sapphires from the Andranondambo Region, Madagascar Abstract: Since 1993, large amounts of gem-quality sapphires from the Andranondambo region of southern Madagascar have entered the international gem market. These sapphires, which are found in metamorphic skarn-type deposits, show a broad range of gemological and chemical properties, many of which are similar to those of sapphires from Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), and even Kashmir. Most of the Andranondambo sapphires are heat treated in Bangkok; these can be separated from their non-heat-treated counterparts on the basis of inclusion features and absorption spectra. Key factors in the separation of Andranondambo sapphires from synthetic sapphires of different manufacturers are chemistry (especially the Ga content of the natural material) and internal features. Source: GIA @topic:3


Title: The Indaia Sapphire Deposits of Minas Gerais, Brazil Abstract: The discovery of significant quantities of gem-quality sapphire in Minas Gerais could add corundum to the formidable list of gem species already commercially produced in Brazil. The presence of sapphire has been confirmed over a wide area within a 42-km2 mining claim, and exploration has yielded over 500 ct of corundum per square meter from alluvium in a small section of the claim. Faceting-quality stones typically range from 0.5 to 2ct; some are purple or violet, and many show a color change. Future production will depend primarily on the results of ongoing exploration and the feasibility of mechanizing an area of difficult access. Source: GIA @topic:1


Title: Winter 1990 G&G Book Reviews Abstract: “Gem Testing, 10th Edition”
By Basil W Anderson, revised by E. Alan Jobbins, 390 pp., illus., publ. by Butterworths , London, 1990. US$49.95

“Engagement and Wedding Rings: The Definitive Buying Guide for People in Love”
By Antoinette Matlins, Antonio Bonanno, and Jane Crystal, 269 pp., illus., publ. by Gemstone Press, South Woodstock, VT, 1990. US$14.95

“Islamic Rings and Gems: The Zucker Collection”
Edited by Derek J. Content, 551 pp., illus., publ. by Philip Wilson Publishers, London, 1987. US$115.00

“The Diamond Ring Buying Guide: How to Spot Value and Avoid Ripoffs”
By Renee Newman, 140 pp., illus., publ. by International Jewelry Publications, Los Angeles, 1989. US$12.95

“Le Lapis Lazuli, Son Histoire, Ses Gisements, Ses Imitations (Lapis Lazuli, Its History, Deposits, and Imitations)”
By Claire do Cunha, 139 pp., illus., publ. by Le Rocher, Monaco, 1989.

To view the full section, download the PDF above. Source: GIA @topic:9


Title: Kilbourne Hole Peridot Abstract: This little-known source of gem-quality peridot, located in southwestern New Mexico, produces small but brilliant gems. Kilbourne Hole peridot is found in the explosion debris of a 180,000-year-old volcano, usually in elliptical "xenolith bombs." Kilbourne Hole peridot has a greater color range than the San Carlos, Arizona, material and an additional characteristic inclusion. Although the deposit is not being mined commercially, thousands of carats of gem-quality peridot have been found there. Source: GIA @topic:1


Title: Seventh Annual Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award Winner Abstract: Suhan Wang’s winning necklace design sketch for the 2023 Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design, featuring platinum, emerald, ruby, diamond, and tsavorite.
Suhan Wang, a graduate of GIA’s Jewelry Design program in Taiwan, received the seventh annual Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design. The 18 finalists and winner were announced at the GIA Alumni Collective’s “Night at the Museum” event held during the AGTA GemFair in Tucson. Wang’s winning design, a necklace featuring platinum coils adorned with emerald, ruby, diamond, and tsavorite, stood out to the judges for its sense of movement and skill of execution (see above).
Created in partnership with the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation in 2018, the award recognizes outstanding talent in design among GIA students worldwide. Larry French, chief officer for North American strategies at the foundation, said, “On behalf of the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation and Rosa Maria Buccellati, we want to congratulate Ms. Suhan Wang, plus all the other designers whose work has honored this competition. We also want to send our appreciation to the talented GIA design instructors whose skill and efforts helped the students on their journey to celebrate the art of jewelry design in the highest way, an art that meant so much to Gianmaria Buccellati.”
As part of the award, Wang will travel to Italy and meet with a representative from the foundation.
The 2024 Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design competition is underway and open to students in GIA’s Jewelry Design courses who meet the eligibility requirements. Visit www.gia.edu/buccellati-foundation-award-jewelry-design for more information. Source: GIA @topic:11


Title: Gold Granulation by Zaffiro Abstract: Figure 1. Elizabeth and Jack Gualtieri of Zaffiro at their AGTA booth. Photo by Jennifer Stone-Sundberg.
Granulation, an ancient goldsmithing technique dating back nearly five millennia to Mesopotamia, involves the joining of tiny high-karat gold or other precious metal spheres (“granules”) to a metal base to create a decorative pattern (J. Wolters, “The ancient craft of granulation,” Gold Bulletin, Vol. 14, No. 3, 1981, pp. 119–129). These patterns can be very complex, and the granulation process is one that requires a high level of precision.
In the AGTA designer showroom, we spoke with Jack and Elizabeth Gualtieri of Zaffiro (Walla Walla, Washington; figure 1), who specialize in 22K gold granulation. They occasionally incorporate platinum as well. They find the granulation technique very rewarding and meditative, as it demands extraordinary focus.
The Gualtieris formed Zaffiro in 1996 in Portland, Oregon, after meeting at the University of Kansas several years earlier. Their focus on granulation was inspired by a seminar at the university and by Elizabeth’s study abroad in Florence. They chose the name “Zaffiro,” which translates to sapphire in Italian. The business was a part-time venture until they could dedicate themselves to it full-time starting in 2003. They have sold their pieces through galleries, retail shows, and private clients. In 2019, they moved to Walla Walla.
Jack and Elizabeth design and construct each piece from start to finish and consult with each other on their individual designs. They alloy their own 22K yellow, white, and rose gold and also create their own gold sheet, wire, and granulation balls. After clipping snippets of wire onto charcoal blocks, the blocks are heated to bead the metal into tiny balls of gold, which are then sorted by size through sieving. (See video below showing the process of making granulation balls).

	Granulation Process

The Gualtieris find inspiration in the stones they purchase, the natural world around them, and architecture. In fact, they sometimes have to negotiate over who will get to use a particular stone, as both artists may simultaneously envision designs for it.

Figure 2. “Where the Ocean Meets the Sky” is a one-of-a-kind pendant featuring a 19.51 ct Australian boulder opal and 11.37 carats of blue moonstone. The boulder opal is accented with 0.63 carats of tsavorite garnet. The granulated yellow gold is 22K, and the gold links between the elements are 18K yellow gold. Photo by Robert Weldon; courtesy of Zaffiro.
Jack’s opal, moonstone, and tsavorite garnet pendant design (figure 2) began with the Australian boulder opal. The moonstones inspired him to go larger with the design and add some movement to the piece. He said the use of green tsavorite garnet accent stones around the opal instead of blue stones was a riskier option but ultimately the right choice.

Figure 3. Tanzanite pendant designed and fabricated by Elizabeth Gualtieri containing a 46.15 ct tanzanite crystal in a hand-fabricated setting of granulated 22K gold. Photo by Robert Weldon; courtesy of Zaffiro Jewelry.
A heated rough tanzanite crystal inspired the pendant designed and built by Elizabeth in figure 3. This piece represents a signature style the Gualtieris describe as “talismans,” signifying the way in which collectors of the pieces connect with them. This jewelry collection features rough crystals or baroque pearls and represents some of Zaffiro’s most personal pieces. The intricate caps allow for a more expressive use of granulation and accent stones.
The fusion of this ancient technique with contemporary jewelry designs is a testament to the timelessness of granulation and its endless design possibilities. Source: GIA @topic:9


Title: Sixth Annual Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award Winner Abstract: Sara Guergova’s winning design sketch for the 2022 Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design, featuring gold, black onyx, ruby, diamond, tourmaline, and blue sapphire.
Sara Guergova, a graduate of GIA’s Jewelry Design program in London, received the sixth annual Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design. The 12 finalists and winner were announced at the GIA Alumni Collective’s “Night at the Museum” event held during the AGTA GemFair in Tucson. Guergova, the first student from the London campus to win the award, designed a stunning bracelet featuring swans to represent togetherness and loyalty (see above).
Created in partnership with the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation in 2018, the award recognizes outstanding talent in design among GIA students worldwide. Larry French, chief officer for North America strategies at the foundation, said, “On behalf of the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation, we want to congratulate Ms. Sara Guergova, this year’s winner, plus all the other finalists whose work so enriched this year’s competition. We also want to recognize the talented GIA design instructors who helped guide the students on their way to the final judging in Tucson.”
The 2023 Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design competition is underway and open to students in GIA’s Jewelry Design courses who meet the eligibility requirements. Visit www.gia.edu/buccellati-foundation-award-jewelry-design for more information. Source: GIA @topic:11


Title: Second Annual Buccellati Award Winner Abstract: Ching-Hui Weng’s design, which won the second annual Buccellati Award, was inspired by the Urocissa caerulea bird, which is representative of her native Taiwan. The finished piece features white and yellow gold, white and yellow diamonds, opal, aquamarine, lapis lazuli, black chalcedony, and coral.
Ching-Hui Weng, a 2018 graduate of GIA’s Jewelry Design program in Taiwan, received the second annual Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design. One of 18 finalists from GIA’s seven schools, her winning design was a bird brooch (see above) featuring white and yellow gold, white and yellow diamonds, opal, aquamarine, lapis lazuli, black chalcedony, and coral. “My inspiration for this piece is the Urocissa caerulea, a blue bird that represents Taiwan,” said Weng. “The gemstones in this piece illustrate the bird’s fierce temperament and flight.”
Weng will travel to Italy to meet Mrs. Buccellati and view part of the foundation’s collection. She will also receive a plaque recognizing her achievement.
“We are pleased to congratulate Ms. Ching-Hui Weng, and look forward to welcoming her to Italy. Together with GIA, we hope to continue to encourage and support the dreams of young jewelry designers throughout the world,” said Larry French, chief officer of North America strategies for the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation. “We know Gianmaria would have been proud to have his name on an event that celebrates, so beautifully, the art of jewelry design, the art that he loved so much.”
Submissions were presented as original, hand-rendered designs. Following several phases of judging, they were finally evaluated by a panel of industry experts. Weng was announced as the winner at the annual GIA alumni event held during the AGTA Gem Fair in Tucson.
The Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation sponsors the award to inspire beginning designers and honor the house’s founder. The 2019 award is now open to GIA Jewelry Design students who meet the eligibility requirements. Source: GIA @topic:6


Title: Fifth Annual Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award Winner Abstract: The winning design from the 2021 Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design, created by Meghan Simmons, a Carlsbad graduate of the GIA Jewelry Design program.
Meghan Simmons, a graduate of GIA’s Jewelry Design program at the Carlsbad campus, received the fifth annual Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design. The award was presented at the GIA Alumni Collective’s “Night at the Museum” event held during the AGTA GemFair Tucson. One of 11 finalists, Simmons competed against more than 80 students from GIA’s seven campuses. Her winning earring design (see above), inspired by the abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky, emphasizes the use of line and shape with gold, diamonds, and blue sapphires.
Simmons will spend a week in Italy, traveling from Florence to Venice to Milan, and will meet with a representative from the foundation.
Larry French, chief officer of North American strategies for the foundation, said, “This competition was born out of the life and work of Gianmaria Buccellati. We congratulate not only all the students who participated in this year’s design competition but also the talented instructors from GIA who guided the students on this beautiful art.”
The 2022 Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design competition is underway and open to students in GIA’s Jewelry Design courses who meet the eligibility requirements. For more information, visit gia.edu/buccellati-foundation-award-jewelry-design. Source: GIA @topic:11


Title: Amethyst History and Lore Abstract: This ancient necklace dates to 2000BCE. An inscription on the center stone is a South Arabian script from the 8th century BCE. - From "Gems and Gemstones: Timeless Natural Beauty of the Mineral World" by Lance Grande and Allison Augustyn, 2009, University of Chicago Press.

                      Because of its wine-like color, early Greek legends associated amethyst with Dionysus, the god of wine and pleasure. The Romans called him Bacchus. Other legends reflected beliefs that amethyst kept its wearer clear-headed and quick-witted in battle and in business affairs. Because amethyst was associated with wine, it was believed that wearing amethyst prevented drunkeness.

Fine amethysts have been set in religious jewelry and royal crown jewels for ages. It was once considered equal in value to ruby, emerald, and sapphire. It’s no wonder that fine amethyst adorns the fingers of bishops as well as the coronation regalia of British royalty.

Amethyst is the birthstone for February and one of the emblems of the twelve apostles. Source: GIA @topic:13


Title: One-of-a-Kind Designs from Zoltan David Abstract: Figure 1. Zoltan David working at the bench in his studio, located in his store in Austin, Texas. Photo by Patti David.
2022 marks the 42nd year in the industry for iconic jewelry designer Zoltan David (figure 1). At the AGTA show, the authors had an opportunity to converse with David about his passion, career, and inspired jewelry creations.
Curiosity and the drive to create led David to his career in metalsmithing. For David, creativity can be furthered by an in-depth understanding of the materials and skillful maneuvers. While modern technology allows for efficient jewelry sketching and design, the lack of knowledge about metals—base or precious—limits the execution of a great design or even the creativity of the design itself. David’s jewelry pieces reflect this philosophy. Each of his creations is a three-dimensional “architecture,” which must be viewed from multiple directions to fully appreciate its beauty.

	Zoltan David Interview

The “Time” pendant (figure 2) is David’s most recent award-winning design. In 2020, this piece won second place in the Business/Day Wear category of the AGTA Spectrum Awards. This pendant features a 19.54 ct fantasy-cut citrine as the center stone, surrounded by eight suspended metal elements forming two circles. The metal elements are made of iridescent blue and purple steel with 24K textured yellow gold inlays, a signature patented technique invented by David. In addition, all these metal elements are suspended and well connected with each other. David wanted to create a sense of rotation with this design: All elements rotate around the center of the universe, trying to find the perfect balance.

Figure 2. Exotic metals such as the iridescent blue and purple steel in the “Time” pendant are Zoltan David’s signature. 24K gold inlay is also a Zoltan David distinction. This piece features a 19.54 ct citrine. Photo by Robert Weldon; courtesy of Zoltan David.

	Zoltan David “Time” Pendant

More than four decades of knowledge building and practice have made David’s jewelry pieces the perfect combination of metal art and architectural construction. The “Mirror Mirror” pendant (figure 3) represents the continuous exploration and technique refinement by the master designer. To fully understand this piece, one needs to carry out a jewelry “anatomy.” Starting from the center of the pendant, an elongated oval pink opal is encased by a cut piece of mother-of-pearl, which was carved and inlaid with beaded pure platinum. The mother-of-pearl is surrounded by polished surgical steel and inlaid with 24K engraved and shaped rose gold. All of these elements are nestled in a framework of green gold leaves. From the side view, diamonds mounted in the surgical steel layer are exposed through the space between the green gold leaves (figure 3, right).

Figure 3. Zoltan David’s “Mirror Mirror” pendant combines multiple innovative techniques and materials. The piece features platinum inlays in the mother-of-pearl surrounding the pink opal center stone, highly polished surgical steel as the base frame (left), a leaf wreath made of green gold wrapping around the outer edge of the whole piece, and diamonds mounted in the steel base (right). Photos by Robert Weldon; courtesy of Zoltan David.

	Zoltan David “Mirror Mirror” Pendant

Although renowned for his metalsmithing, David is also drawn to spectacular colored stones. The “Ruby Flight” ring (figure 4), a piece from the Duchess collection, features a 2.45 ct Burmese ruby. The ruby is held by 18K gold prongs between two platinum wings inlaid with 24K gold. The engraved and shaped gold inlays form patterns on both sides of the wings. The interior walls of the wings are set with melee diamonds in between the gold inlays, while the exterior walls are set with melee rubies along the inlaid lines. More than 300 melee rubies also decorate the edges of the wings. The shank of the ring is also one of a kind, made up of three components: a melee diamond stud band sandwiched by the bottom of the two wings.

Figure 4. The “Ruby Flight” ring is representative of Zoltan David’s stone selection and construction of a complex jewelry piece. Photo by Robert Weldon; courtesy of Zoltan David.

	Zoltan David “Ruby Flight” Ring

From the start, David has been an eager learner and has never stopped his exploration of the metalsmith profession. He is involved in all aspects of his business: designing, crafting, and trading each one of his creations. As David said, he would like to keep traveling along this journey by continuously surpassing himself. Source: GIA @topic:6


Title: Spectacular Yellow Sapphire from Sri Lanka Abstract: Figure 1. This 160 ct yellow sapphire rough was found in a deposit outside of Ratnapura, Sri Lanka. Photo courtesy of Kreis Jewellery GmbH.
A return to the Tucson shows meant the opportunity to see the latest findings and designs from the Kreis family—stunning yellow sapphire from Sri Lanka. As G&G has reported in previous Tucson reports from 2014, 2015, and 2017, father Stefan buys the rough, mother Sonja designs the jewelry, and Alexander cuts the gems for the family business (Kreis Jewellery GmbH, Niederworresbach, Germany). Locating the sapphire rough in Sri Lanka required a combination of planning and luck, relying on the family’s previously established network while also acting on rumors of possible sources. Two successful trips in 2020 and 2021 yielded five exceptionally large rough stones from five different deposits in the area surrounding Ratnapura, Sri Lanka (figure 1).
Back in Germany, Alexander cut the five rough stones, and Sonja designed an exquisite bracelet (figures 2 and 3) to complete a suite of jewelry for a private collector. (Her previously designed pieces included a pendant, brooch, ring, necklace, and earrings.) The family aimed to create a harmony between the gems and the materials used, concentrating on gold colors that would not overshadow the sapphires. Alexander opted for a traditional cut for the outer shape but faceted the back to allow for more cross-reflection, mimicking this faceting in the diamonds that appear on the side of the bracelet. The creative combination of faceting and design perfectly captures the sunlight, creating magnificent reflections for the admirer. With an impressive total weight of 168.27 carats (containing 50.33, 32.80, 33.70, 23.98, and 27.46 ct sapphires), the bracelet is truly a breathtaking sight.

Figure 2. The yellow sapphires faceted by Alexander Kreis were set in a bracelet designed by Sonia Kreis. Photo courtesy of Kreis Jewellery GmbH.

Figure 3. The stunning finished bracelet features five yellow sapphires from Sri Lanka with a total weight of 168.27 carats. Photo courtesy of Kreis Jewellery GmbH. Source: GIA @topic:1


Title: Fourth Annual Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award Abstract: Belle Sin Ting Wong received the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design for her diamond, sapphire, pearl, jadeite, and enamel brooch, inspired by the Siamese fighting fish. Photo by Johnny Leung and Tony Leung.

Belle Sin Ting Wong, a graduate of GIA’s Jewelry Design program in Hong Kong, received the fourth annual Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design. This year, the prestigious award was announced virtually due to the global pandemic shuttering the Tucson gem shows. Sin Ting Wong (see above) was one of nine finalists selected from a competing group of more than 100 students from GIA’s seven campuses. Her winning design was inspired by the Siamese fighting fish and features diamond, sapphire, pearl, jadeite, and enamel set in 18K yellow and white gold.
Sin Ting Wong hopes to raise environmental awareness through this brooch design and advocates the use of sustainable products or “we might be very close to losing these beautiful creatures and quicken the pace of global warming.”
She will travel to Italy, where she will have the opportunity to meet Rosa Maria Bresciani Buccellati, the president of the foundation.
Laurie Bailyn, GIA senior manager of jewelry manufacturing arts, said, “It is incredible that so many students managed to complete their Jewelry Design studies in 2020, despite the challenges of the global pandemic. Many of the beautiful, original designs that students created this year were inspired by themes of connection and community.”

The 2021 Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design competition is currently open to GIA Jewelry Design students who meet the eligibility requirements. For more information on entering the competition, visit gia.edu/buccellati-foundation-award-jewelry-design Source: GIA @topic:11


Title: Adapting to the Changes with Paula Crevoshay Abstract: Figure 1. This award-winning pendant featuring a 5.30 ct heated orange sapphire from Montana depicts a blooming brown-eyed Susan. Wildflowers are one of Paula Crevoshay’s favorite themes. Courtesy of Paula Crevoshay.

With the cancellation of the 2021 Tucson AGTA show, this author’s annual meeting with jewelry designer Paula Crevoshay went virtual. The conversation started with her 2020 AGTA Spectrum Award–winning piece, followed by how her business adapted to the new norm under the circumstances brought by the pandemic.
Ms. Crevoshay’s “Brown-Eyed Susan” won the Gem DIVA Award for classical wear (figure 1). This bespoke 18K yellow gold pendant features a 5.30 ct orange Montana sapphire from the Rock Creek deposit, operated by Potentate Mining. Although this stone is heated, the color saturation and size still make it a significant sapphire from this location, according to the mine owner. The center stone is accented with yellow and orange sapphires (8.69 carats total) in addition to black and cognac diamonds (1.98 carats total).
While Ms. Crevoshay has always blended the nature of the stones with her art, she also tells stories through her jewelry creations. This piece is no exception. It continues the story from her first-ever flower themed piece, inspired by the bitterroot wildflower, which thrives on the hillsides of the Rock Creek sapphire mine. By early June, the slopes are covered by bitterroot and brown-eyed Susans. Upon seeing this orange sapphire, she immediately thought to place it at the center of a brown-eyed Susan pendant. Creating these beautiful floral jewelry pieces is never easy because of the time it takes to find so many stones in specific colors. This is also why she has never reproduced any of her jewelry, unless as a replacement for a lost piece.
As a business owner, Ms. Crevoshay also felt the impact of the pandemic. With careful planning and quick adaptation, she was able to keep her employees safe so that they could continue to work. In fact, 2020 was a good year financially for her company due to the relationships built with the stone supply chain over the past several decades and the customer base she has carefully maintained. To help manufacturers downstream survive, she also intentionally diverted her work to different jewelry-making studios, most of them located in Asia.
Being able to talk face-to-face with customers and provide fashion suggestions even beyond jewelry wear is an asset; connecting with them virtually during the pandemic is also critical. Ms. Crevoshay hosts regular online gatherings with her clients, which have been quite successful in keeping people in the loop. During the 2020 holiday season, she created a digital flipbook for customers to explore at their convenience (see figure 2).

Figure 2. Paula Crevoshay’s digital flipbook for the 2020 holiday season featured more than 50 jewelry creations. Courtesy of Paula Crevoshay.
Ms. Crevoshay advises that staying connected at all times and adapting to unexpected circumstances are key for both industry veterans and newcomers. Source: GIA @topic:9


Title: Color Origin of Phenakites from the Ural Emerald Mines Abstract: Figure 1. Phenakite with beryl in mica (left) and yellow phenakite (right). Photos by Mikhail Popov; fields of view 5 cm.
Phenakite (Be2SiO4) was first discovered at Russia’s Ural emerald mines, and was chemically identified in 1833. The mineral is widely distributed in beryllium deposits, but crystals of gem quality or large size are rare. At the Ural mines, however, there are large transparent crystals that can be used in jewelry. Jewelry-grade phenakite is generally colorless or yellowish brown (figure 1; see M.P. Popov et al., “Features of phenakite mineralization from the Ural emerald mines,” Bulletin of the Ural Branch of the RMS, No. 13, 2016, pp. 105–111). The main mineral inclusions are chlorite, talc, phlogopite, actinolite, and ilmenite; fluid inclusions with a gas-liquid composition also occur.

The color origin of phenakite using optical absorption spectroscopy has not been studied in detail. Many authors agree that the coloration is associated with electron-hole centers (see A.S. Marfunin, Spectroscopy, Luminescence and Radiation Centers in Minerals, 1975, Nedra, Moscow). This is indicated by the disappearance of color when phenakite is exposed to either ultraviolet radiation or high temperatures. According to one theory of absorption, this is related to the oxygen vacancies that have captured electrons (again, see Marfunin, 1975). Other researchers believe that the absorption features are associated with bridging electronic centers such as Al-O-Al, which are formed by isomorphous replacement of silicon by aluminum ions in the crystal lattice, in amounts up to 0.5% (see A.N. Platonov, Nature of Coloring of Minerals, 1976, Naukova Dumka, Kiev).

Figure 2. Absorption spectra of colorless phenakites (blue trace) and yellow-brown phenakites (black trace).
To determine the color origin of yellow-brown phenakites, we obtained optical absorption spectra of colorless and yellow-brown phenakite from the Mariinsky deposit. These spectra were collected in the 185–700 nm wavelength range, at room temperature, on a specialized Shimadzu UV-3600 spectrophotometer. A broad absorption band was noted in the 225–325 nm range of the yellow-brown phenakite spectrum, with a maximum at 268 nm. Absorption in the ultraviolet range of the optical spectrum was not detected in transparent colorless phenakites (figure 2).

Figure 3. Phosphorus ions replace silicon ions in a tetrahedral structure to form a [PO4]4– complex in yellow-brown phenakites. This complex is paramagnetic and gives several signals in the range of 320–340 mT. Splitting of the hyperfine structure of the signal occurs; lines 1, 2, and 3 appear and indicate the existence of the [PO4]4– radical. When the crystal rotates along its c-axis, it changes the intensity of these lines.
To study electron-hole centers and to reveal color centers in phenakite, crystals were examined using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). EPR is an informative method for studying dissymmetry of crystals, the role of the symmetry elements of the spatial group, and the distribution of impurity ions and point defects in the bulk of the crystal. Dissymmetry of crystals, as a result of the uneven distribution of point defects in the process of crystal growth, is a widespread phenomenon (see G.R. Bulka et al., “Dissymmetrization of crystals: Theory and experiment,” Physics and Chemistry of Minerals, Vol. 6, 1980, pp. 283–293; R.A. Khasanov et al., “Derivation of the conditions for equivalent positions in crystals: The dissymmetrization of barite by electron spin resonance,” Crystallography Reports, Vol. 57, No. 5, 2012, pp. 751–757; J.M. Hughes et al., “Dissymmetrization in tourmaline: the atomic arrangement of sectorally zoned triclinic Ni-bearing dravite,” The Canadian Mineralogist, Vol. 49, 2011, pp. 29–40). We used an Adani CMS8400 spectrometer (frequency ν=9, 4 GHz) at room temperature to perform EPR on our samples. During an experiment on the EPR spectra of the impurity radical [PO4]4– phenakite of deposits in Volynskii (see A.I. Novozhilov et al., “Electron paramagnetic resonance in irradiated phenakite Be2SiO4,” Journal of Structural Chemistry, Vol. 11, 1970, pp. 393–396), we found a difference in intensity of the lines of three magnetically nonequivalent centers for the impurity radical. The paramagnetic center [PO4]4– was only detected in the yellow-brown crystals (figure 3), and active centers were absent in colorless specimens. From this we concluded that the origin of the yellow-brown color of phenakite is associated with a paramagnetic complex [PO4]4– that produces absorption bands in the ultraviolet region, which in turn leads to the formation of this color in the mineral.

These results can be used in gemological identification of phenakites from the Ural emerald mines.

This study was performed in the context of the Russian Government Program of Competitive Growth of Kazan Federal University, “Paleogeodynamics and evolution of structural-material complexes in the formation of the continental-type crust ...,” theme no. 0393-2016-0019. Source: GIA @topic:3


Title: 3-D Printing: GIA Equips Students for a ‘Technology Revolution’ Abstract: Michelle Loon, a recent graduate of GIA’s Jewelry Design Technology program, holds the build platform containing the 3-D-printed resin prototypes of her jewelry design. Photo by Kevin Schumacher

                      Robert Downey Jr. presents an Iron Man-inspired, prosthetic 3-D-printed arm to a young fan. The “Pancake Bot” prints intricate, customized breakfast treats directly onto a griddle. Chinese construction company WinSun creates a five-story apartment building in Shanghai with a 500-foot long 3-D printer.

The incredible potential of 3-D printing is all over the news and our social media feeds. The applications are mind-boggling and their benefits game-changing for industries ranging from medicine to food to architecture – and to jewelry design and manufacturing, where time, precision and cost-effectiveness are highly valued.

These 3-D printing applications are part of a larger movement that has already begun to change the status quo, says Steve Workman, an instructor who uses the printers in GIA’s Jewelry Design and Technology (JDT) program.

		It’s [3D printing] the way the industry is going and it’s what every company wants, from huge manufacturers to the mom-and-pop stores.

		Kimberly Overlin, GIA’s dean of students

“Something remarkable happened to jewelry design and manufacturing in the past few years,” he says. “It underwent a technology revolution powered by Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) hardware, such as 3-D printers.”

3-D Printing: What is It, Exactly?

As much as 3-D printing has made headlines, many people still don’t understand what it is or how it works. It can be helpful to consider the broader context of 3-D printing through the terms subtractive and additive manufacturing.

Imagine a Renaissance artist gazing at a huge slab or marble, considering how he might create art out of the rough stone. That’s how Mike Magee, the manager of GIA’s Jewelry Manufacturing Arts (JMA) program, likes to explain subtractive manufacturing.

“If you think of it as starting with a big block of something and whittling away until what you want is revealed – like Michelangelo looking at that marble and seeing what is living inside of it – that’s subtractive manufacturing,” he says.

Additive manufacturing, including 3-D printing, starts with nothing at all: It involves creating a piece of jewelry, a pancake, a prosthetic arm or an apartment building from the ground up, one tiny layer at a time.

“These layers are down to 30 microns thick, typically,” Magee says. “That’s 3/100ths of a millimeter, for perspective.”

The 3-D printers, a type of CAM hardware, use additive technology to print objects like chains or mesh directly into 18K gold.

“That’s still pretty rare in our industry, though,” Magee says. “In other industries it’s more developed, but this is still very new to the jewelry world. Most of the time with 3-D printing, we’re creating a model – an object that’s going to be cast – like a ring or larger object that doesn’t have quite so many moving parts, and we’re creating it in a material that works reasonably like wax when it comes to the casting process.”

GIA Instructor Steve Workman assists Jewelry Design Technology students in supporting their CAD models as they prepare them for building on the 3-D printer. Photo by Kevin Schumacher
More Efficiency and Accuracy, Less Waste

There’s no doubt that Michelangelo’s famous David is an artistic masterpiece, but the artist also wasted a lot of costly Tuscan marble every time he took a chisel to the block.

That’s one of the greatest benefits of utilizing 3-D printing or any additive technologies - there’s less material waste. CAD technologies already make it possible to more quickly create proofs of concept, precise mirror images, modifications and customizations. The new 3-D printers only enhance that.

“In the past, manufacturers used rubber molds to make duplicates of the original master model,” Workman says. “If variations on that model were needed, the model maker would have to create a whole new model. With CAD software, changes can be made with clicks of a mouse, and the new model can be printed on demand on a CAM machine such as a 3-D printer. These printers enable manufacturers to print resin prototypes of the CAD model that can be easily cast.”

Michelle Loon removes the build platform from the 3-D printer. Photo by Kevin Schumacher
Kimberly Overlin, GIA’s dean of students and an alumna of the Institute’s graduate gemology and graduate jeweler programs, notes that it makes the consumer trend of wanting to “customize everything” possible.

“What was once potentially cost-prohibitive is now affordable and easy for us to do,” she says.

Magee adds that a “much more effective economy of scale” is another significant benefit. Since a 3-D printer typically allows printing more than one object at time, a manufacturer could potentially print 16 rings in six to eight hours instead of one in the same time period.

As a form of additive manufacturing, 3-D printing also “has the advantage of being able to create much more complicated geometry than you get with subtractive manufacturing,” he says.

“You can create hollow spots much more easily. On most 3-D printers, you are not limited by the geometry of the piece itself - there are no tools to get into a hollow spot, there is no drill you have to get into a weird angle.”

Jewelry Design technology students compare the visual communications of their designs to the 3-D-printed and cast prototypes. Photo by Kevin Schumacher
Equipping Students with In-Demand Skills

GIA utilizes 3-D printing in its 26-week JDT program, offered in Carlsbad and, in 2016, at the Institute’s New York campus. The program, which teaches design, engineering and jewelry manufacturing concepts, gives students hands-on experience in the creation, rendering and prototyping of designs with CAD software and CAM hardware, including 3-D printers.

Instructors, including Workman, Shaun Peterson, Darla Alvarez, Doug Hall and Kelly Borrello begin with the basics.

“We start off with a very simple ring,” Magee says. “Students create very simple geometry and supports for that, and gradually create more and more complex geometry and have to support it and print those pieces, as well. Eventually, they’re designing their own pieces, and by the end of the program they’ve got the skills to look at any object and figure out how they’re going to get it to successfully print and cast.”

Laurie Bailyn, GIA’s manager of JMA research, development and production, says new markets are opening up all the time for these technologies.

“Some large corporations, like Hewlett-Packard and Autodesk, that weren’t previously in this market are expressing interest in developing hardware or software for 3-D printing in jewelry,” she says.

Overlin concurs.

“CAD/CAM technologies like 3-D printing have been moving into jewelry for the past several years,” she says. “It’s the way the industry is going and it’s what every company wants, from huge manufacturers to the mom-and-pop stores. There is a much greater need for qualified people who can utilize them – the more graduates know and the more marketable they are, the better.”

Magee expects that GIA graduates will be well-equipped to meet the challenges and opportunities of the ever-evolving design and manufacturing market.

“The jewelry design technology class is going to give you a front-row seat to the tremendous change that’s going on in our industry,” he says. “It’s going to give you experience with the latest 3-D printers, the latest in technology – and how that is changing the entire marketplace.” Source: GIA @topic:11


Title: Sapphire Quality Factors Abstract: This sapphire from Kashmir has an intense velvety blue color. – Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA.

Sapphire is one of the Big three of jewelry colored gemstones—the other two are ruby and emerald. A durable stone that’s designated as a birthstone for September, it captures jewelry buyers with its practicality and aura of romance.

Corundum is the mineral species that includes both sapphire and ruby as varieties. Red corundum is known as ruby and all other colored corundum (including colorless, or white sapphire as it is known in the trade) is sapphire, although blue is the most well-known.
Colors of Sapphire
Sapphire is generally known as a blue gemstone but surprisingly it comes in a wide range of colors and quality variations. In general, the more intense and uniform the color is, the more valuable the stone.

Sapphires that are not blue are known as fancy sapphires, and may be any color—except red (which is a ruby). The fancy sapphire colors are: pink, orange, yellow, green, purple, and violet. There truly is a different color of sapphire to suit anyone’s taste!
Blue Sapphires
Color has the greatest influence on a sapphire’s value, and preferred sapphires have strong to vivid color saturation. The most valued blue sapphires are velvety blue to violetish blue, in medium to medium-dark tones. Sapphires with these qualities command the highest prices per carat. Less valuable blue sapphires might also be grayish, too light, or too dark.

Madagascar is a relative newcomer as a major sapphire source, but its stones can have an intense blue color that rivals the finest from more traditional sources. - Copyright: GIA & Tino Hammid
What is a Padparadscha Sapphire?

An extremely rare and collectible variety that is a mix of pink and orange is known in the trade as padparadscha. Such gems typically have a high value—much higher than many other types of fancy sapphires. Their color can be hard to describe. Some people say padparadscha sapphire colors should be called salmon or sunset. But the word padparadscha itself derives from the Sanskrit language and refers to the rich color of a lotus blossom.

Those who deal in these gemstones usually agree that padparadscha sapphires should range from light to medium pinkish orange to orange-pink.

Pink and Purple Sapphires

Pink sapphires range from light red (pink) to light purple with weak to intense color saturation which fall out of the color ranges for ruby or purple sapphire. Purple sapphires always have purple as the dominant color. They range from medium to dark reddish purple to violetish purple with weak to vivid color saturation.The major fancy sapphire color categories are padparadscha, pink and purple, orange and yellow, green, and colorless and black. Each category has its own color range, causes of color, and market.

Some pink sapphires have intensely saturated color. -- Photo: Lydia Dyer, gem courtesy of John Dyer & Co.
Yellow to Orange Sapphires

Yellow sapphire is also available in a variety color saturations from yellow to orangy yellow and in light to dark tones, while orange sapphires have deep golden, to mandarin, and deep orange colors.

Yellow sapphires may be affected by other colors within the same gem and can range from light to dark greenish yellow to orangy yellow with weak to intense color saturation. The finest yellow sapphire is yellow to orangy yellow with vivid saturation.

Orange sapphires range from yellowish orange to reddish orange. The finest orange sapphires are strong, pure orange to red-orange with medium tone and vivid saturation.

These sapphires range from yellow to a deep yellow-orange color called golden to highly saturated reddish orange. - Copyright: GIA & Tino Hammid. Courtesy: Varujan Arslanyan
Green Sapphires

Commercial-grade sapphires may contain a less desirable greenish blue color or strong greenish blue that is visible as you view the gem. Uniformly green sapphires that are saturated in color are actually rare and many collectors prize them. In green sapphires, a mix of yellow and blue sapphire accounts for the color a person sees.

Color Change Sapphires

Color-change sapphires are corundum’s chameleons—stones that change color under different lighting. Under daylight equivalent (fluorescent or LED daylight-balanced) light, the typical color-change sapphire’s basic color ranges from blue to violet. Under incandescent light, it ranges from violetish purple to strongly reddish purple. Some rare color-change sapphires change from green in daylight to reddish brown in incandescent light.

When gem experts judge color-change sapphires, they describe the color change as weak, moderate, or strong. The strength of the stone’s color change is the most important quality factor affecting its value.

The color of star corundum has a great effect on its value, though it is understood that miniscule inclusions are the cause of the asterism. They can affect transparency and color, and only very rare, exceptional gems exhibit transparency, depth of color and asterism. As such, the best star corundum has a crisp, distinct star against strongly saturated color. If the color is too light, it doesn’t provide enough contrast for the star’s rays, and the star will be less visible.

Star corundum can be red, pink, blue, black, gray, brown, purple, or yellow—practically every color under the sun. The term “star sapphire” encompasses all colors of star corundum except red, which is called star ruby.

Naturally, some colors of star corundum are valued more highly than others. In general, the most prized colors are the same as the colors most valued in non-phenomenal corundum: red and blue.

Trade terms based on sources can represent certain colors and qualities that are associated with a stone’s source, generally they refer to the finest stones from that source. But a single source never consistently yields gems that are all the same color and quality. In fact, the descriptive term might represent only a small percentage of its production.
New sources can produce material that is very similar to gems from classical sources or with a slightly different, but just as beautiful, appearance.

Sapphire Clarity
Blue sapphires typically have some inclusions, but they generally have better clarity than rubies. Blue sapphires with extremely high clarity are rare, and very valuable.

Several types of inclusions are found in sapphires. Among these are long thin mineral inclusions called needles. Fine needles are called silk when they occur as the mineral rutile in intersecting groups. Other clarity characteristics in sapphire are included mineral crystals, partially healed breaks that look like fingerprints, color zoning, and color banding.

These long, thin, intersecting inclusions of the mineral rutile are called silk. This arrangement can produce the star effect in corundum.

Generally, inclusions make a stone less valuable. Price can drop substantially if the inclusions threaten the stone’s durability. Even so, inclusions can actually increase the value of some sapphires. Many of the most valuable Kashmir sapphires contain tiny inclusions that give them a velvety appearance. They scatter light, causing the coveted visual effect without negatively affecting the gem’s transparency.
Star Sapphire

Star sapphires and star rubies belong to the phenomenal corundum category. The star effect is called asterism. It’s caused by reflections from tiny, needle-like inclusions that are oriented in several specific directions. Stars are usually made up of 2, 3, or 6 intersecting bands, resulting in 4, 6, or (rarely) 12 rays.

Tiny inclusions create magnificent reflections of light known as the star effect. - © GIA & Tino Hammid, courtesy Benjamin Zucker

Star sapphires usually have stars have 6 rays, and 12-rayed stars are quite rare. Two different sets of inclusions—one of rutile and one of hematite—oriented in slightly different directions can cause a 12-rayed star.

Hematite inclusions cause asterism in black star sapphires. The sapphire’s color is actually yellow, green, or blue, but the inclusions make it appear dark brown or black.

The finest star is distinct, centered on the top of the stone, and visible from a reasonable distance, about arm’s length. The star’s quality should be the same when viewed from all directions.

Ideally, the rays should be uniform in strength, reach from girdle to girdle on the cabochon, and intersect at the top center of the stone. The best stars are straight, not fuzzy, wavy, or broken. The reflective stars should contrast strongly against the gemstone’s bodycolor. The star should also have elegant “movement.” This means that, as you rock the stone, the star should appear to move smoothly across the surface.

The best and most expensive star corundum is semi-transparent, with just enough silk to create a well-defined star. Too much silk can harm transparency and also lead to poor color, lowering the value of the stone considerably.
Sapphire Cut

Oval shapes with triangular and kite-shaped facets on the gem's crown (top portion) and parallel rectangular facets on the gem's pavilion (bottom portion) are very common for corundum of all colors. Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA. Courtesy: Lewis Allen
The shape of a rough sapphire crystal influences the finished stone’s shape and size. Rough sapphire’s most common crystal form is a barrel- or spindle-shaped hexagonal pyramid. To achieve the best overall color, maintain the best proportions, and retain the most weight possible, cutters focus on factors like color zoning, pleochroism, and the lightness or darkness of a crystal to best determine how to orient the gem during cutting.

These sapphires are miniature works of art that have been expertly cut into custom designs. – Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA. Courtesy: Mark Gronlund, Umatilla, Florida
Color zoning—areas of different colors in a stone—is a common sapphire characteristic. Blue sapphire often has angular zones of blue and lighter blue. To accommodate color zoning in some sapphires, cutters orient the concentrated color in a location that offers the best visible color in the cut stone.

In Sri Lankan sapphires, the color is often concentrated close to the surface of the crystal. If a cutter can orient the culet within the concentrated area of color, the stone will appear entirely blue in the face-up position.

Pleochroism refers to different bodycolors in different crystal viewing directions. Blue sapphires often have greenish blue and violetish blue pleochroism. It’s most desirable to orient the cut so the stone shows the violetish blue color when it is set in jewelry.

Besides coming in all colors, corundum also comes in all cutting styles. – Photo: Jeff Scovil. Courtesy: Ballerina Gems
Star Sapphire Cut
Star corundum must be cut as a cabochon to display asterism. A finished stone’s attractiveness depends on the star’s orientation and the cabochon’s symmetry, proportions, and finish.

The cabochon must have an appealing appearance, with the star properly centered when the gem rests on its base. The stone’s outline should be symmetrical.

For most stones, the dome should be fairly high—about two-thirds of the stone’s width—to focus the star sharply. If it’s too high, the phenomenon loses its graceful motion when the stone is tilted. Excessive height also makes the stone difficult to mount.

If the dome is cut too shallow, the star will be visible only from directly above. Black star sapphires, however, are prone to parallel breaks, so they’re usually cut very flat to reduce the risk of damage.

A stone should not have excess weight below the girdle that doesn’t contribute to the optical effect or reinforce color.
Sapphire Carat Weight
Blue sapphires can range in size anywhere from a few points to hundreds of carats, and large blue sapphires are more readily available than large rubies. However, most commercial-quality blue sapphires weigh less than 5.00 carats.

Fine-quality blue sapphires in larger sizes are rare, but they’re still more available than ruby. The incredible blue sapphire in the center of this ring weighs 18.79 carats. - Vagabonde Bleue Ring © 2011 Fabergé Ltd
Large commercial-quality blue sapphires are rare, but more available than large fine-quality ones. As a result, size makes more of a difference in the price of fine-quality sapphire.

Sapphires are available in all sizes, shapes, and colors. Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA, Dr. Eduard J. Gübelin Collection. Source: GIA @topic:1