# Publication Year: 2005
# Title: Treated-Color Pink-To-Red Diamonds from Lucent Diamonds Inc.
# Abstract: Lucent Diamonds has developed a new treatment process for natural type Ia diamonds that produces colors ranging from pink-purple through red to orangy brown, using a multi-step process that involves HPHT annealing, irradiation, and low-pressure annealing at relatively lower temperatures. Those stones that achieve a predominant pink-to-red or purple color are marketed as “Imperial Red Diamonds.” Gemological properties and characteristic spectra are presented for 41 diamonds, representing the range of colors produced thus far. These treated-color natural diamonds can be readily identified by internal graphitization and surface etching seen with magnification, distinctive color zoning, and reactions to long- and short-wave UV radiation. The color is caused primarily by the absorption of the (N-V)- center, with further influence from the (N-V)O, H3, H4, and N3 centers. Other characteristic infrared and UV-visible absorption features include the H1a, H1b, H1c, 6170 cm-1, and, frequently, 594 nm bands. This type of defect combination is not known in naturally colored diamonds. @chapter:29 @chapter:1 @chapter:29


# Publication Year: -
# Title: US Retailers Continue to Cite ‘Challenging’ Environment, Synthetic Melee Detected
# Abstract: Good demand for diamond jewelry at the March Hong Kong Gem and Jewellery Show helped buoy industry sentiment. Photo by Russell Shor/GIA

	U.S. employment figures continue to rise along with the stock market – and other economic indicators remain strong – but Signet Group’s latest lower results continue to point to a “challenging” retail environment. Signet is the largest jewelry chain in the U.S. and other large retail jewelers are seeing sales decline as well.

	So, what are the issues here?

	Signet’s CEO Mark Light spoke of weakening traffic in shopping malls, where nearly all of its stores are located, and a move to “omnichannel” retailing, which includes physical stores, online shopping and mobile phone/tablet buying. Signet’s online sales are down as well, however, and Blue Nile, which is expected to report later this month, may show stagnant or a decline in sales.

	Signet’s Kay/Jared division sales declined 4% while transactions declined 11%. Its Zale division fell 2.5% while e-commerce sales fell 1.6% all for the fourth quarter, which ended Jan. 25.

	Economists, both liberal and conservative, recognize that the decline in middle class purchasing power is directly affecting some consumer products – and jewelry is one of those categories. This trend is accelerating, they note, because millennials are making less money than the previous generation at this point in their lives. In jewelry, retailers serving the top end of the market generally have kept their numbers up and brands like Pandora are seeing large sales increases in the lower end. This is what drove the 3.8% increase in overall jewelry sales for 2016 that the U.S. Department of Commerce reported.

	In addition, diamond producers and other segments of the industry are trying to develop marketing campaigns designed to appeal to a millennial audience, which is besieged by competitive products and experience-oriented (travel, dining) opportunities, with incomes that have not kept pace.

	A fairly positive Hong Kong show this month lifted the spirits of the diamond trade and helped keep prices firm for most categories of polished stones. While there was some downtrading and discounting, Chinese retailers have reported demand improving after a long slump.

	De Beers remains optimistic and its $545 million February cycle (sight) saw prices slightly higher on average with few deferrals. Its January sale of $727 million was the highest in several years. Alrosa sold $390 million worth of rough and $12 million in polished during the same period, saying “demand appears to be stable.”

	Both DeBeers and Alrosa noted that the results of the Hong Kong Show give reasons for optimism.

	The upcoming Baselworld Fair should provide a bellwether for the luxury market; the early June JCK Show in Las Vegas will be a good indicator of the U.S. market.

	SYNTHETIC MELEE

	GIA’s lab in Mumbai flagged more than 100 synthetic melee diamonds in a parcel of 323 stones in early March, which brought home trade concerns that parcels of melee that normally do not go through grading labs could contain synthetic stones.

	The GIA Melee Analysis Service, which provides an automated analysis to identify possible synthetic and treated diamonds in melee-sized parcels, found 101 chemical vapor deposition (CVD) melee diamonds in the parcel, which averaged 0.14 and 0.15 ct. stones.

	Dr. Wuyi Wang, GIA director of research and development, said that the Melee Analysis Service launched in December has regularly identified small numbers of synthetics mixed into parcels. This, however, is the first time that such a large percentage of man-made material was identified.

The Jonker No. 5 diamond – to be auctioned by Christie’s on May 30 – is a key part of a legendary collection of diamonds from the world famous 726 carats Jonker rough, discovered by Jacob Jonker in 1934. Photo courtesy of Christie’s Images

	AUCTIONS

	Christie’s will auction the 25.27 ct Jonker V in Hong Kong on May 30. It is the fifth largest diamond from a piece of rough that made headlines when it was found 93 years ago.

	The 1934 discovery of a 726-carat diamond in South Africa by an artisanal miner named Jacob Jonker made world headlines that followed the diamond to New York, where it was purchased by Harry Winston. Winston entrusted the job of cutting it to the master diamond cutter Lazare Kaplan, who studied the diamond for several months before attempting to cleave it, according to a 1936 article in National Geographic Magazine.

	At the moment when Kaplan was about to strike the first blow, he noticed a slight bend in a surface crack that told him his calculations were wrong. After recalculating, he successfully cleaved the diamond into 13 stones – including the 25.27 ct diamond that Christie’s will auction.

	The D, VVS1 diamond, graded by GIA, is a rectangular cut and is conservatively estimated to sell for between $2.2 million and $3 million. @chapter:32 @chapter:3 @chapter:32


# Publication Year: 2016
# Title: Aquamarine from a New Primary Deposit in Mexico
# Abstract: Figure 1. Aquamarine was recently discovered in San Luis Potosí State in north-central Mexico. Here the aquamarine is shown in association with muscovite and quartz. The approximate size of the visible aquamarine crystal is 12.04 × 5.68 × 4.57 mm. Photo by M. Ostrooumov.

Scientists still have not adequately surveyed Mexico from a mineralogical or gemological point of view. But recent finds of amazonite, jadeite, topazolite, demantoid, and labradorite demonstrate the importance of systematic research of the Mexican subsoil, which may lead to the discovery of other gemstones and gem localities (M. Ostrooumov, “Gemstones from Mexico—A review,” Summer 2011 G&G, p. 141).

Recently, the author discovered transparent blue crystals with hexagonal-prismatic habit in a granitic pluton in the hills of Guadalcázar municipality, San Luis Potosí State, in north-central Mexico. These crystals, the largest of which measured 12.04 × 5.68 × 4.57 mm, were embedded in a single quartz vein in association with muscovite (figure 1). All observed aquamarine crystals were generally characterized by a lighter blue tone, lacking visible inclusions. The samples were submitted for identification at the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Michoacan in Morelia, Mexico.

Standard gemological testing yielded the following properties: refractive index (RI)—no=1.582−1.587 and ne=1.575−1.580; pleochroism—strong blue and near-colorless; birefringence—0.007, with a uniaxial negative optic sign; hydrostatic specific gravity (SG)—2.70−2.71; fluorescence—inert to both long- and short-wave UV radiation. These properties suggested beryl, which we later confirmed with UV-Vis-NIR and infrared reflection spectroscopy and Raman microprobe.

UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy showed absorption bands at 428, 452, 575, 630, and 805–815 nm. Narrow, weak absorption lines at 428 and 452 nm are attributed to the spin-forbidden transition of six-coordinated Fe3+. A broad intense band at 575 nm and a much weaker line at 630 nm, which are responsible for the aquamarine color, are assigned to an Fe2+-O-Fe3+ intervalence charge transfer transition (A.S. Marfunin, Advanced Mineralogy, Vol. 2, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1995, pp. 113−114). Finally, an intense broad band at approximately 805–815 nm is attributed to spin-allowed transitions of Fe2+.

Infrared reflection spectroscopy and Raman microprobe are methods of “fingerprinting,” and a combination of these techniques permits the user to identify a wide range of mineralogical, gemological, and archaeological objects (M. Ostrooumov, “Infrared reflection spectrometry analysis as a non-destructive method of characterizing minerals and stone materials in geoarchaeological and archaeometric applications,” Geoarchaeology, Vol. 24, No. 5, 2009, pp. 619−637).

Figure 2. Infrared reflection spectra and Raman microprobe results of the samples
confirm their aquamarine identity. The IR spectrum at the top is from the {1010} orientation,
while the middle spectrum shows the {0001} orientation. The bottom plot shows the
unoriented Raman microprobe results, with principal peaks at 322, 396, 447, 528, 684,
773, 916, 1011, and 1068 cm–1.
This study confirmed that the crystals belonged to the beryl group (http://rruff.info). The infrared reflection spectra were obtained on oriented crystal faces {0001} and {1010} in order to take into account the effect of orientation (figure 2, top and middle). These results indicate the presence of the typical Be-O band vibrations at 743–807 cm–1 and 1215–1276 cm–1. The infrared absorption spectra showed the presence of hydroxyl groups with a prominent band at 3450 cm−1 and a secondary band at about 3558 cm−1 due to the fundamental OH stretching vibration of water molecules, as well as the water-bending vibration at approximately 1630 cm−1. The Raman microprobe spectra (figure 2, bottom) showed excellent agreement with a reference spectrum for aquamarine from Ilmen, Russia, in the author’s FT-Raman database (http://www.mineralog.net). The Raman spectra of aquamarine in the water range from 3700 to 3500 cm−1 using 532 nm excitation wavelength showed two Raman bands at 3608 and 3598 cm−1 with different intensities. Water molecules in the channels are classified as type I or type II according to their orientation to the beryl structure. The Raman band at 3608 cm−1 is assigned to the vibration of type I water, and the Raman band at 3598 cm−1 is ascribed to the vibration of type II water molecules. UV-Vis-NIR, infrared reflection, and Raman microprobe techniques, as well as standard gemological testing, confirmed the discovery of aquamarine in the Guadalcázar granitoid deposits of San Luis Potosí State.

The recent discovery of in situ aquamarine in Mexico has renewed interest in the geology and mineralogy of gem deposits in that country. More discoveries are anticipated with further exploration in the region. @chapter:3 @chapter:0 @chapter:3


# Publication Year: -
# 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. @chapter:50 @chapter:3 @chapter:50


# Publication Year: -
# Title: Book Review: Stories In Stone: The Enchanted Gem Carvings of Vasily Konovalenko
# Abstract: Stephen E. Nash and Richard M. Wicker, softcover, 304 pp., publ. by University of Colorado Press, Boulder, Colorado, 2016, $39.95.

	Vasily Konovalenko (1929–1989) was a Ukrainian-born artist who spent most of his career in Soviet Russia. His whimsical and charming figures, carved in stone, have delighted collectors and museum visitors alike. Stories in Stone, written by Stephen E. Nash, curator of archaeology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, gives the reader an in-depth look at the life of this passionate artist. Konovalenko often said, “One can learn to paint with stone.” And paint he did. Through his carving, he created small vignettes of life in the Soviet Union in which he grew up, focusing not on the political dogma that the government demanded from artists, but of the lives of ordinary people, often just village folk in their homemade birchbark shoes, enjoying a drink with friends, playing musical instruments, or ice fishing. Often humorous, and delightfully whimsical, Konovalenko’s characters come to life in his “paintings” in stone. Nash has interviewed Konovalenko’s widow and friends as well as museum academics, and he has researched archival documents for this book. He delves into the incredible journey of Konovalenko’s life, from his early days as a sculptor and set designer at the Donetsk Musical Theater and Stalin Theater for Opera and Ballet in Ukraine, to his successful career at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. Nash tells stories of Konovalenko navigating the complex bureaucracy of Soviet Russian politics to bring his art to the public, and his eventual emigration to America in 1981.

	With a background in sculpture and set design, Vasily Konovalenko found an art form that ignited his artistic passion. While making a malachite box as a prop for a Mariinsky production of The Stone Flower, he fell in love with working in stone. The Stone Flower is a story of a young stonecutter Danila, and the trials he endures trying to woo his beloved Katerina with a beautiful stone flower he carves from malachite. Among the 20 Konovalenko sculptures on display at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science is a sculpture of Danila holding a malachite box. Nash states that Danila is “the totemic leader of all of Konovalenko’s sculptures,” perhaps representing Konovalenko himself. Danila, along with many other sculptures in this book, is photographed in great detail. The photographs show these sculptures close-up and from multiple views; as Nash points out, this is something not possible when viewing them in a display case. The reader can see the details of the young Danila’s face carved of Beloretsk quartz, the folds carved in his cacholong shirt with pearl buttons, and the brown jasper boots on a parquet floor, also made from pieces of jasper. The innocence and sincerity of Danila’s character is communicated with great sensitivity in Konovalenko’s carving.

	In “Sultry Midday,” he has created a scene of two heavyset women gossiping over bowls of soup and cups of tea as they sit bathing in a pool of water. Between them on a wood table is an intricately carved crystal samovar with a carved cacholong teapot. This theme of buxom, round-faced ladies gossiping over tea while bathing is repeated in “Twins.” Here, the charmingly ample-bodied women enjoy bathing in a pool of water created by agate edged by a ring of malachite. But this samovar is gold-plated silver with pastel cloisonné enamel decoration. An umbrella, also made of intricate cloisonné enamel patterns, shades the ladies, showing Konovalenko’s virtuosity in metalsmithing as well as stonework.

	His humorous creations include men as well. In “Sultry Afternoon 1,” he has created a portly man sitting in a pool of water eating a slice of watermelon. In “Sauna 1: The Thin and the Fat,” he shows a plump man on a table getting a massage from a skinny man; the juxtaposition between the two is quite humorous. Saunas have been very popular in Russia, and once a person had been in the warm steamy sauna, they emerged only to jump into ice-cold water. In “Walruses,” Konovalenko creates the illusion of a hole in a frozen pond by using layers of agate surrounded by snow made of calcite. Out of the hole pokes the head of a chubby woman wearing a red cap and an expression on her face that one can interpret only as “Brrr!” Standing outside on the ice is her husband, shirtless and wearing only a pair of shorts, boots, and a hat. Hunched over with his arms close to his sides and his hands clasped between his legs, he shivers in the cold winter air. These whimsical glimpses into the lives of everyday Russian people show not only the affinity the artist has for the subject, but also his wonderful sense of humor-- even when living under an oppressive government.

	Not all of Konovalenko’s work is humorous; he created some serious and emotionally powerful pieces, too. The sculptural group “Prisoners,” for example, shows two men dressed in prison uniforms made of black and white striped zebra jasper and building a wood shelter in the snow at their Siberian work camp. It was the norm in Stalin’s gulags that new prisoners would be forced to build their own barracks. On the back of each figure is a red target over where their heart would be, in case the order to shoot to kill was given. The red target, made of ruby, is the only bright color in this somber composition. Another moving sculpture is “Bereaved Mother,“ commissioned to commemorate the end of WWII. Here, a bereaved mother mourns over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The dates 1941–1945 are carved into the tombstone, and white calcite flowers grow in a planter. It has a dark color palette, all set on a large, roughly cut piece of black obsidian. The scarf on the woman’s head is modeled jasper, emulating the colors of traditional Russian headscarves. Poignant pieces such as these show Konovalenko’s empathy for the suffering evident in his Soviet world, and are a strong contrast to the sculptures that show the simple joys of everyday life.

	In a chapter “Unfinished Business,” found toward the end of the book, the reader gets a glimpse into Konovalenko’s creative process through sketches of pieces that were never completed. The humorous and whimsical characters he is known for are here in vignettes such as “Family Bath,” which shows a mother and father with children all bathing in a large barrel, and another drawing of two “Gypsy Women Arguing.” His design skills are very evident in these drawings with rich bold colors and larger-than-life characters dressed in elaborate costumes. Konovalenko was always thinking of subjects and compositions he could sculpt, and what gems and minerals he could use to make them come to life.

Stories in Stone documents the life and work of an artist that is little known in America, even though he lived the last few years of his life here creating some of his most interesting pieces. As master set designer, enameler, metalsmith, and “painter in stone,” he has left a small part of himself in every piece. This book is a fitting tribute to Vasily Konovalenko and to his legacy to the Russian tradition of stone carving. This book would be of interest to anyone fascinated by sculpture, stone carving, and gemstones in general; those interested in 20th century Russian history and decorative arts would find Konovalenko’s life story and work particularly intriguing. @chapter:28 @chapter:2 @chapter:28


# Publication Year: 2004
# Title: An Updated Chart on the Characteristics of HPHT-Grown Synthetic Diamonds
# Abstract: A new chart, supplementing the one published in the Winter 1995 issue of Gems & Gemology, summarizes the features of both as-grown (“non-modified”) and treated (“modified”) synthetic diamonds currently in the gem market (that is, those grown by the high pressure/high  temperature technique). It includes photographs of visual features, information about visible-range absorption spectra, and illustrations of growth-structure patterns as revealed by ultraviolet fluorescence imaging. The chart is designed to help gemologists recognize the greater variety of laboratory-created diamonds that might be encountered today. @chapter:9 @chapter:1 @chapter:9


# Publication Year: 2002
# Title: Identification of Yellow Cultured Pearls from the Black-Lipped Oyster Pinctada Margaritifera
# Abstract: Although the Pinctada margaritifera oyster usually is associated with the black pearls cultured in French Polynesia, it also can produce attractive large yellow cultured pearls, among other colors. An absorption feature at 700 nm can be used to separate these yellow cultured pearls from their more common counterparts produced in the South Seas by the Pinctada maxima. This absorption feature previously has been attributed to the presence of black pigments, and has been reported as an identifying characteristic of black cultured pearls from the P. margaritifera. An additional absorption feature in the UV region, between 330 and 385 nm, is indicative of natural yellow color in cultured pearls from the P. margaritifera. @chapter:11 @chapter:4 @chapter:11


# Publication Year: 2010
# Title: A New Type of Composite Turquoise
# Abstract: Several conspicuously colored specimens marketed as dyed and/or stabilized turquoise were recently examined. They were purple to purple-pink, yellow-green, and blue, in veined and unveined varieties. Testing revealed that all the specimens were composites of turquoise pieces bonded together; the purple to purple-pink and yellow-green samples were bonded with a colored polymer, and the blue ones had a colorless polymer. This article presents the gemological properties and EDXRF and FTIR analyses of this material, along with its reaction to the solvents acetone and methylene chloride. @chapter:5 @chapter:0 @chapter:5


# Publication Year: -
# Title: Alexandrite Description
# Abstract: This 7.19-carat alexandrite was cut to feature its beautiful color change. When the light source changes from daylight to incandescent light, the gem’s color changes from bluish green to reddish purple.

                      Alexandrite, with its chameleon-like qualities, is a rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl. Its color can be a lovely green in daylight or fluorescent light, changing to brownish or purplish red in the incandescent light from a lamp or candle flame. This is a result of the complex way the mineral absorbs light.

Alexandrite’s dramatic color change is sometimes described as “emerald by day, ruby by night.” Other gems also change color in response to a light-source change, but this gem’s transformation is so striking that the phenomenon itself is often called “the alexandrite effect.”

	Even in its rough form, this 70.94-carat alexandrite shows attractive color change.
Alexandrite is also a strongly pleochroic gem, which means it can show different colors when viewed from different directions. Typically, its three pleochroic colors are green, orange, and purple-red. However, the striking color change doesn’t arise from the gem’s pleochroism, but rather from the mineral’s unusual light-absorbing properties.

Because of its scarcity, especially in larger sizes, alexandrite is a relatively expensive member of the chrysoberyl family. It shares its status as a June birthstone with cultured pearl and moonstone. @chapter:13 @chapter:0 @chapter:13


# Publication Year: 2018
# Title: Exhibition Review: Cartier: The Exhibition
# Abstract: Figure 1. Once belonging to Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor, this necklace was originally created in 1951 and was altered in 1953. The necklace, measuring 37.5 cm in length, comprises Burmese rubies, diamonds, platinum, and gold. Photo by Vincent Wulveryck, courtesy of the Cartier Collection, © Cartier.

According to Simeran Maxwell, curator of international art at Canberra’s National Gallery of Australia, “decorative arts have long been relegated to the bottom of the art history pyramid.” They were aware, however, that the installation of Cartier: The Exhibition “would really excite audiences.” This is the first time ever that such a collection of the world’s most exclusive jewels has been made available for public viewing. The exhibition takes the visitor through fashion trends that reflect socioeconomic changes during the 1900s: the coming together of Old World aristocracy and the nouveau riche of the New World. The exhibition traces how the changing world of fashion is complemented by the timeless beauty of fine jewelry (figure 1). More than 300 items from Maison Cartier items spanning 70 years—from the turn of the 20th century through the 1970s—reflect the changes in both fashion and clientele.

For three years, NGA’s team worked collaboratively with Cartier and external agencies to deliver this exhibition, whichdisplays items from the Cartier Collection and several private collectors, as well as international organizations. Sections include “Defining Moments: 20th Century Icons,” “Royal Style: King of Jewellers and Jeweller of Kings,”’ “New Silhouettes: Art Deco and the Jazz Age,” “Exotic Fantasies: Eastern Inspiration,” and “Masculine Luxury: Effortless Style.” One area is devoted to the design house’s celebrity clientele (figure 2), highlighting Cartier’s talent for reflecting their clients’ personalities while creating memories and exotic stories.

Figure 2. Cartier: The Exhibition includes displays on royalty and other famous clients of Cartier.
 Photo courtesy of the National Gallery of Australia.
As the popularity of theater and film grew through the 1900s, so did the demand for fine jewelry by the stars of those mediums. One such star was Dame Nellie Melba (1861–1931), an internationally famous opera diva and one of Cartier’s best clients. In one year, Melba visited Cartier 25 times during May, her birthday month (S. Maxwell, pers. comm., 2018). The NGA exhibition includes two pieces by Cartier that belonged to Melba: the diamond and pearl devant de corsage (or stomacher) seen in figure 3, and a gem-set evening clutch, both on public display for the first time.

Figure 3. Dame Nellie Melba’s platinum, diamonds, and pearl devant de corsage (1902) has been converted into a necklace. From a private collection; photo courtesy of the National Gallery of Australia.
By the 1920s, Cartier was the leader in Art Deco Jewelry, with their sumptuous “Tutti Frutti” pieces conceived during that time. The jewelry house was also inspired by the treasures of Tutankhamen’s tomb—discovered in 1922—and incorporated references to ancient Egypt into their work. Cartier purchased Egyptian artifacts from Parisian dealers and worked them into contemporary pieces, often using diamonds, onyx, coral, and platinum settings. One piece contains a wonderful antique Egyptian lapis lazuli scarab (figure 4, top). Also on display was a design sketch of a similar piece (figure 4, bottom).

Figure 4. Top: A lapis lazuli scarab belt buckle (1926) features gold, platinum, Egyptian faience, diamonds, sapphires, and enamel. The piece measures 3.8 × 12.8 × 2.1 cm. Photo by Marian Gérard, courtesy of the Cartier Collection, © Cartier. Bottom: A design of a similar scarab belt buckle, also from 1926. Photo © Cartier.
The Great Depression of the 1930s and the World War II period are reflected in more subdued jewelry; the pieces from this era contrast greatly with the exuberance reflected in post-WWII pieces. A perfect example of this is the amethyst and turquoise bib necklace (figure 5) created for and owned by Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor. Other jewels owned by royalty are also on display. Among them are the Halo Tiara (figure 6, left), lent to Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, by Queen Elizabeth II of England for her 2012 wedding, and the engagement ring (figure 6, right) given to Grace Kelly by Prince Rainier III of Monaco.

Figure 5. Wallis Simpson’s 1947 custom-created bib necklace features gold, platinum, diamonds, amethysts, and turquoises. Photo by Vincent Wulveryck, courtesy of the Cartier Collection, © Cartier.

Figure 6. Left: The 1936 platinum and diamond Halo Tiara, measuring 3 × 18 cm, was worn by Catherine Middleton during her 2012 wedding to Prince William. The tiara was lent to the exhibition by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Photo courtesy of the Royal Collection Trust. Right: The platinum and diamond ring given to American actress Grace Kelly by Prince Rainier III of Monaco on their engagement in 1956. Photo by Vincent Wulveryck, © Princely Palace of Monaco.
Of special interest to the gemologist are the gemstones on display. Over the years, some of the most important and exciting gemstones have been brought to Cartier for use in jewelry, while other gorgeous pieces have used smaller, less notable gem materials. These gems are brought to life and beautifully incorporated in exquisite items, such as a Greyhound vanity case (figure 7, left), through Cartier’s design and attention to fine detail. An excellent example is the 1934 Cartier Paris jadeite necklace (figure 7, right) once owned by American socialite Barbara Hutton. To the gemologist, this is one of the most beautiful items on display, featuring 27 imperial jadeite beads along with a Burmese ruby and diamond clasp. The beads were crafted by Cartier and range from 15.4 to 19.2 mm in diameter. The piece’s simplicity and color contrast are divine. To see it in real life is an unforgettable experience.The necklace is a recent acquisition for the Cartier Collection, with the earliest written record of it in the Cartier archives in 1933. The precise origin of the jadeite necklace is impossible to determine.

Figure 7. Left: The 1920 Greyhound vanity case (9.5 × 7.7 × 2 cm) is a custom piece created from platinum, pink gold, onyx, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, citrine, and amethysts. Photo by Marian Gérard, courtesy of the Pierre Cartier Foundation, © Cartier. Right: Barbara Hutton’s 51.5 cm necklace (1934) is crafted of platinum, gold, jadeite, diamonds, and rubies. Photo by Marian Gérard, courtesy of the Cartier Collection, © Cartier.
Another fine gem on display is the 478 ct faceted blue sapphire, measuring 49 × 39 × 25 mm, that once belonged to Queen Marie of Romania (figure 8). Believed to have a Sri Lankan origin, the sapphire was first recorded by Cartier in 1913 and in 1921 was bought by King Ferdinand for his wife. Around 1947, the gemstone became the property of Harry Winston.

Figure 8. Platinum and diamonds complement a 478 ct sapphire—once belonging to Queen Marie of Romania—in this 1913 pendant. Photo courtesy of the National Museum of Qatar.
Of the many diamonds in the exhibition, among the most impressive is the Williamson Pink. The 58 ct rough was found on the surface at the Williamson diamond mine in Mwadui, Tanzania, in 1947. John Williamson, then owner of the mine, presented it to the future Queen Elizabeth II as a wedding gift. The stone was later recut to a 23.60 ct brilliant and set by Cartier at the heart of a flower brooch (figure 9). This piece is regularly worn by the Queen and said to be one of her favorites.

Figure 9. The Williamson Pink diamond brooch (1953) features platinum, diamonds, and pink diamond. The flower-shaped brooch, measuring 10 × 5.5 cm, was a wedding gift to then Princess Elizabeth of England in 1947. The brooch was lent to the exhibition by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Photo courtesy of the Royal Collection Trust.
Historical materials from Maison Cartier are also on display. These include Louis Cartier’s Book of Ideas, detailing his travels and purchases; original design drawings (themselves works of art); and plaster casts of jewelry produced throughout the years. Also shown are the benches of the craftsmen who made the pieces. Often little thought is given to those who crafted the jewelry, so this dedicated space acknowledges the jewelers and designers who made Cartier the jewelry house it is today.

While the chance to view Cartier: The Exhibitionis a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you can also immerse yourself in the world of Cartier with a captivating virtual reality experience—featuring actress María Félix’s glittering yellow diamond and emerald crocodile necklace—at https://nga.gov.au/cartier/. This will give those who cannot attend a taste of the wonder and fascination of Cartier.

Cartier: The Exhibition is on exhibit at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra until July 22, 2018. Tickets are AUS$27 for adults, AUS$25 for students, and AUS$20 for NGA members; children 16 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. The NGA is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The reviewers would like to thank Simeran Maxwell of the National Gallery of Australia for her insights. @chapter:20 @chapter:2 @chapter:20


# Publication Year: -
# Title: Diamond Growth from C–H–N–O Recycled Fluids in the Lithosphere: Evidence from CH4 Micro-inclusions and δ13C–δ15N–N Content in Marange Mixed-habit Diamonds
# Abstract: This article was published in Volume 265, Lithos, Pages 68-81.
Abstract
Mixed-habit (octahdedral + cuboid) diamonds from the Marange alluvial deposits in the eastern Zimbabwe craton have high nitrogen and hydrogen content that provides an opportunity to evaluate diamond growth mechanisms and C-N-H-O bearing fluids in the lithospheric keel. Light grey cuboid sectors with hydrogen-containing defects, trap abundant dispersed CH4 inclusions (Ra- man peaks at 2917 cm−1) associated with graphite (Raman peaks at 1580 cm−1). Clear octahedral sectors are richer in nitrogen and free of any such inclusions. Core to rim co-variations of δ13C- δ15N and N content can be explained by a mixing trend between earlier fluids that are CH4-rich and later fluids that are more CO3 - or CO2-rich. Marange diamonds have limited overall δ13C variation, but do show fractionation during growth towards higher δ13C values. This trend can be explained by diamond precipitation from mixed CH4 and CO2 fluids, where isotopic fractionation occurs as the amount of fluid wanes. Calculated δ15N values for diamond source fluids evolving in this manner are between +2.3 and +6.4 ‰. These N isotopic compositions require CH4-rich and CO3 -/CO2 -rich ’end-member’ fluids to have a recycled metasedimentary component perhaps introduced with subduction of eclogite.

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aGemological Institute of America, 50 West 47th Street, New York City, NY 10036, USA
bDepartment of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution for Science, 5241 Broad Branch Road NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA
cCanadian Centre for Isotopic Microanalysis, University of Alberta, 1-26 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, Canada

dGeophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, 5251 Broad Branch Road, N.W., Washington, DC 20015, USA @chapter:44 @chapter:1 @chapter:44


# Publication Year: 2023
# Title: The history of gemstones in Chanthaburi_26
# Abstract: Gem cutting in general involves various shapes such as round brilliant, oval, heart, pear, marquise, princess cut, and emerald cut. The process of faceting aims to enhance the gem's beauty by determining the suitable shape and optimizing its color distribution. Skilled lapidaries usetheir expertise to control the facets and angles of the gemstone during cutting.After shaping, the gem undergoes faceting to create the desired facets and angles. This is followed by polishing, which involves refining the surface to achieve a shiny finish. These 3-4 crucial steps are essential in maximizing the gemstone's beauty and brilliance. Gem cutting requires mastery in controlling the lapidary tools, managing the gem's weight and material loss, and ensuring minimal loss of material. A well-cut gemstone should exhibit a beautiful shape, excellent brilliance, transparency, and fire. @chapter:31 @chapter:2 @chapter:31


# Publication Year: -
# Title: The Smithsonian Gem and Mineral Collection
# Abstract: This raspberry-and mint-colored tourmaline—nicknamed the “Steamboat”—is one of the world’s finest and most valuable mineral specimens. Photo by Duncan Pay © GIA, courtesy The Smithsonian Institution http://geogallery.si.edu

                      “Born of fluid, heat, and pressure, minerals and gems dazzle us with their breathtaking colors, shapes, and diversity.” These words welcome visitors to the gem and mineral displays at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. As they explore—and come face to face with nature’s artistry—they end up with an understanding that gemstones actually came out of the earth in beautiful—but rough—form.

It’s what the museum’s curator, Jeffrey Post, Ph.D., calls a “teaching moment” for a lot of people. That’s the goal, he says—for people “to have that exciting moment, to think about the earth in a different way.”

	Earth’s Treasures

	Join curator Jeff Post as he introduces some of the Smithsonian’s gem and mineral treasures.
In early 2013, Dr. Post hosted a team from the Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) Carlsbad, California, campus. This series of videos documents that visit and gives you an intimate view of the museum’s public displays and scientific research collections.

View Gallery

	This slideshow takes you on a tour of the Smithsonian and its gem treasures.

	In the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals, the geometry and size of these topaz crystals capture visitors’ attention. Photo by Duncan Pay © GIA, courtesy The Smithsonian Institution http://geogallery.si.edu

THE SMITHSONIAN
The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum and research complex. Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the complex includes 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and nine research facilities.

The Institution’s original funding came in the form of a bequest to the US federal government, established by British scientist James Smithson (1765-1829) and awarded upon his death. In 1836, his legacy—with a value at the time of about $500,000—was officially accepted by Congress. After additional years of debate, the Smithsonian Institution was finally established in 1846 as a trust to be administered by a Board of Regents and a Secretary of the Smithsonian.

Today, the National Museum of Natural History is part of that vast complex. It opened in 1910 and houses exhibits that encompass the animal kingdom, human origins, world cultures, and the earth sciences.

Tucked into the eastern wing of the museum’s second floor is the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals. Dedicated to the earth sciences, it houses one of the world’s largest gem and mineral collections, including such world-famous gems as the Hope diamond, Logan sapphire, and Rosser Reeves star ruby, along with countless thousands of less-famous but equally spectacular gem and mineral specimens.

Directly behind the public display area is the mineral research wing, where the GIA team was allowed unprecedented access to this national treasure.

THE MINERAL REFERENCE COLLECTION
The museum’s mineral reference collection is one of three in the Department of Mineral Sciences: minerals (including gems), meteorites, and rock and ore. Dr. Post explains that this part of the museum deals with the “hard, non-living part of the earth…A small oasis of mineral sciences in a large sea of biology” within the museum. But, he adds, “since the earth is mostly made up of rock, we understand the importance of our role here.”

	Smithsonian curator-in-charge Jeffrey Post explains the Smithsonian’s mineral storage and cataloguing system. Photo by Duncan Pay © GIA, courtesy The Smithsonian Institution http://geogallery.si.edu
The research collection houses about 375,000 mineral specimens from around the world. It’s one of the largest collections of its kind, with great value to the scientific community. The purpose of the collection is to support scientific research. All specimens are available for use by researchers around the world, who either come to the museum or have specimens sent to them. Some of the Smithsonian’s own researchers also work in the Institution’s laboratories.

The minerals are arranged according to the Dana System, which classifies minerals into numbered categories based on chemical composition and crystal structure. The system was originally developed by James Dwight Dana (1813-1895), an American geologist and mineralogist. He outlined the original concept in his System of Mineralogy (1837). In 1997, the work was updated by a team of mineralogists to accommodate newly discovered materials and retitled Dana’s New Mineralogy, Eighth Edition.

The Smithsonian’s minerals are arranged in long banks of drawers, with all similar kinds of minerals grouped together. He points to the drawers in front of him, where quartz specimens are arranged alphabetically by locality.

Each specimen has a number that’s keyed to a computerized database, where they can find information about the specimen and also keep track of its location. If a researcher is interested in studying a particular mineral, museum staffers take a chip off the larger specimen and give or send it to the researcher, with the agreement that the researcher will then share the results of his or her study with the museum. This information is added back into that specimen’s database. Any scientist in the world has access to the reference collection as long as they’re connected to a legitimate research organization.

	A World-class Resource

	Curator Jeff Post introduces the Smithsonian’s mineral reference collection and explains its value to the world’s scientists.

ORGANIZING THE COLLECTION
Arrangement according to the Dana System means all similar kinds of minerals are found together, making it very accessible for scientists. “Not very good for the public,” Dr. Post observes, “but good for scientists.”

As he explains the collection’s layout, he’s standing in front of the beryls: “One of the more dramatic silicates in terms of crystals and colors.”

He has his assistant pull out a few beryl drawers. They hold a wonderful variety of crystal sizes and shapes and all the colors that make beryl so popular: blue-green aquamarines, pink morganites, green emeralds, gold-colored heliodors. Each specimen has a box and its own number, which is keyed to the collection’s computerized database.

The beryls are arranged alphabetically by where they came from. In the first drawer are the A’s and B’s—places like Afghanistan and Brazil; the next drawer includes Burma, California, Colombia; then a drawer with beryls from Colorado, Ireland, Italy, Mozambique, and Namibia. He points out that the alphabetical arrangement accommodates a mixture of states and countries.

Later, when asked about the possibility of different mineral types growing together, he takes out a large, spectacular specimen from a fairly new locality—Erongo, in Namibia. It’s studded with beautiful aquamarine crystals and two varieties of tourmaline, all embedded in a matrix of white albite for striking contrast.

	This specimen is a combination of aquamarine and tourmaline in albite. It’s from Erongo, Namibia, and is a superb example of how different mineral species can grow together. Photo by Duncan Pay © GIA, courtesy The Smithsonian Institution http://geogallery.si.edu
Dr. Post states that the advantage of the national research collection is that it will always be there, so that hundreds of years in the future, a scientist can re-study a sample of the same specimen studied by his centuries-earlier counterpart. This makes it the standard mineral collection for the international scientific community, available to present and future generations of scientists.

	Organizing Minerals

	Curator Jeff Post takes us through areas of the museum’s mineral collection and explains how its logical organization benefits scientists.

IN THE BLUE ROOM
The collection’s main secure storage area, which they call the Blue Room, is where they store the more high-value portions of the mineral collection. The Blue Room and the nearby Gem Vault contain about 20,000 mineral specimens. This area is the source of most of the pieces selected for public display. It also serves as an acquisition area: As new specimens come in, they’re placed in a secure work area for unpacking and classification.

	This drawer is one of many in the gem collection’s Blue Room. It contains beryl specimens from localities all over the world. Photo by Duncan Pay © GIA, courtesy The Smithsonian Institution http://geogallery.si.edu
Dr. Post explains that visitors to the exhibits have some idea where gems come from, but don’t always make the connection all the way back to the earth. However, when they walk into the galleries and see the beautifully formed crystals and extraordinary colors of the exhibit’s mineral specimens, they experience what he calls “a-ha moments.”

To illustrate, he cradles a spectacular specimen from Zambia—multiple emerald crystals still embedded in their surrounding matrix. “A specimen like this one,” he says, “really helps (people) make that connection.”

	Zambian emeralds glitter against a backdrop of coal-black mica in this superb mineral specimen. It’s one of the Institution’s most recent acquisitions. Photo by Duncan Pay © GIA, courtesy The Smithsonian Institution http://geogallery.si.edu
As an aside, he mentions that it was purchased for the Smithsonian by a member of the Smithsonian Gemstone Collectors, an elite support group that helps with financial support as well as acquisition of spectacular specimens like the one he’s holding.

IN THE GEM VAULT
Around the corner from the Blue Room is the Gem Vault, where they store high-value specimens and new arrivals under highly secure conditions.

He shows off a fairly new addition to the collection: a magnificent platinum and diamond necklace with a fascinating emerald carving as its centerpiece. It was willed to the museum by Madeleine Murdock, a New Jersey resident. The emerald itself weighs about 100 carats. What’s unique and unusual about it is that it’s a slice, a cross-section through an emerald crystal that still possesses the six-sided outline of the crystal’s original hexagonal shape. Its magnificent color is zoned from light-toned in the center to a darker green along the outer surface.

	This historic carved emerald is set into a platinum, gold, and diamond necklace. Possibly acquired in Colombia by Spanish conquistadors, the emerald was carved in the Mogul style, then set into the pendant and necklace in France around the turn of the 20th century. It was donated by Madeleine H. Murdock in 2007. Photo by Duncan Pay © GIA, courtesy The Smithsonian Institution http://geogallery.si.edu
Based on its characteristic inclusions, museum researchers identified Colombia as its source. From there, it was probably shipped to India in the 1600s, where the Mogul rulers were particularly fond of emeralds from the New World. Its lotus-blossom motif was carved soon after its arrival in India. Two small drill-holes through the sides mean it was originally meant to be sewn onto cloth or ribbon as an amulet or garment decoration.

Markings on the setting indicate that the emerald carving eventually made its way from India to Paris in the 1920s, during the Art Deco period. In Paris, it was reset into a magnificent platinum and diamond setting. Eventually, it made its way to Mrs. Murdock’s collection. Dr. Post cites it as a wonderful example of an emerald moving around the world: from Colombia, to India, to Paris, to New Jersey, and finally to Washington, DC.

	Historic Emerald Pendant

	Jeff Post shows off one of the museum’s recently acquired treasures: a magnificent emerald pendant with a fascinating history.
Showing another specimen from the Gem Vault collection, Dr. Post holds a nondescript object that looks something like a small brown rock. It’s from an opal-mining area near a small town called Yowah in Queensland, Australia. He describes it as “a curious-looking object” that locals call a Yowah Nut. Of course, it’s not a nut—it’s actually an ironstone concretion. When miners break one open, they sometimes find opal inside.

	This unique Yowah Nut opal is divided so one side has the appearance of a black opal, while the other side appears lighter. Both sides feature beautiful play-of-color. Photo © Eric Welch, courtesy The Smithsonian Institution http://geogallery.si.edu
This one, first presented to Dr. Post by a particularly enthusiastic opal miner, was cracked open to reveal an especially beautiful opal interior. The “nut” was not cut exactly down the center, so the thinner layer—with its dark mineral background—shows a deep blue color, while the thicker layer has a more typical white opal appearance. Both sides display dazzling play-of-color. The miner called it his “OMG opal” because every time he opened it up to show someone, they’d exclaim “Oh my gosh!!” Thanks to one of the museum’s generous donors, it later became part of the museum’s collection.

Dr. Post enthuses that this falls in the category of “…when you think you’ve seen everything…”

“It reminds you that earth is a pretty amazing place and we haven’t seen everything yet…It’s one of nature’s really nice little surprises.” He also observes: “It’s not always the value of the object, it’s the sense of surprise…of something different. That’s one of the reasons we like things like this. We like to jar people out of their normal way of thinking a little bit.”

	Yowah Nut Opal

	An unpromising nugget opens to reveal a hidden interior: a beautiful opal with spectacular play-of-color. Curator Jeff Post explains how this opal miner’s find-of-a-lifetime came to be in the museum’s collection.
As Dr. Post tells it, the purpose of the Smithsonian’s public gem and mineral display, as well as its research collection, is to make people aware of how fascinating the earth really is. Inspired by that philosophy, Dr. Post and his staff have designed a vast and deep collection of the earth’s wonders and opened them up for all of the world to see. @chapter:23 @chapter:0 @chapter:23


# Publication Year: 2016
# Title: Fabergé Symposium
# Abstract: Fabergé’s Kelch Rocaille Egg (1902), featuring green translucent enamel, diamonds, and yellow gold rocaille ornament, is part of the McFerrin Foundation Collection. Photo by Hank Gillette/CC BY-SA 4.0.

	“The Wonder of Fabergé: A Study of The McFerrin Collection” was the title of the Fabergé Symposium held at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences (HMNS) November 3–4. Comprised of over 600 objects including the egg in the image above, the collection of Artie and Dorothy McFerrin is the largest privately owned assortment of Fabergé objects and Russian decorative art in the United States. (Worldwide, only the Fabergé Museum in St. Petersburg and Queen Elizabeth II have larger collections.) It has now been the focus of two Fabergé symposiums, the first in 2013. Photos from the McFerrin Collection were incorporated into all of the talks.

	Researcher Dr. Ulla Tillander-Godenhielm (Helsinki) presented “Fabergé in the Light of 20th Century European Jewelry,” which covered the years 1881–1915. In 1881, Carl Fabergé took over the family business from his father Gustav and, along with his younger brother Agathon, began building their brand. The Fabergé brothers opened shops in other cities and became court jewelers to Russia’s imperial family, but 1915 marked the end of the successful enterprise. The outbreak of World War I in 1914 increased the cost of materials and sent many goldsmiths off to the front lines. In 1917, along with the end of the 300-year reign of the Romanovs, the House of Fabergé was closed. Many of Fabergé’s workmen and their families emigrated to Finland to work for the A. Tillander firm in Helsinki. The speaker came to know these individuals as a young girl.

Dr. Galina Korneva (Russia) spoke on “Imperial Gifts Created by Fabergé for the Coronation of Nicholas II: New Archival Research.” Dr. Korneva and her sister Tatiana Cheboksarova have discovered and reviewed thousands of handwritten archival documents. The coronation of Nicholas II was celebrated May 6–26, 1896. Fabergé gifts from Nicholas II included a yellow and white diamond brooch in the shape of a rose given to his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorvona; a brooch and the Lilies of the Valley basket for his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna; 18 brooches in the shape of crowns for the Grand Duchesses; pectoral crosses for the clergy; plate and salt cellars; and bracelets, brooches, pins, snuffboxes, and cigarette cases for members of the imperial court and other dignitaries. Fabergé marked the occasion a year later with the Imperial Coronation Egg, which now resides in the Fabergé Museum.

	Art historians Timothy Adams (San Diego, California) and Christel Ludewig McCanless (Fabergé Research Newsletter, Huntsville, Alabama) discussed “Fabergé Smoking Accessories: Materials and Techniques of a New Art Form.” With the popularity of smoking in the first half of the 19th century and the demand for smoking accessories, the Fabergé firm had a production line for these items. In one studio, ten men made nothing but cigarette cases. These items were large, with a tinder cord and a vesta compartment that held matches, which were very expensive. The cigarette case became more streamlined with the invention of the cigarette lighter in the late 1800s, making the bulky tinder cord and vesta compartment unnecessary.

	Researcher Mark Moehrke (New York City) lectured on “Fabergé Silver-Mounted Art Glass.” These objects are both functional and decorative. Neo-classical in style, most of them are colorless cut glass, but they were also made from hardstones, metals, and ceramics with applied silver bases, handles, and stoppers. Included in the discussion were three objects from the McFerrin Collection: a Louis Comfort Tiffany favrile glass vase with Fabergé silver base, made by workmaster Victor Aarne; a Louis Comfort Tiffany favrile glass scent bottle with silver stopper, handles set with natural pearls, and a silver base; and a rectangular Lötz glass lamp with silver mounts, including a base of stylized dolphins and scrolls to imitate ocean waves, also by Victor Aarne.

	In “Collector Tales,” Artie and Dorothy McFerrin (Houston) described how they started accumulating Russian decorative arts. Their first purchase turned out to be an imposter egg, or “Fauxbergé,” which is on display in the museum. They also discussed their favorite pieces and took questions from the attendees.

Dr. Wilfried Zeisler (Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, Washington, D.C.) presented “From Canvas to Silver: Enameled and Repoussé ‘Paintings’ in Russian Jewelry at the Turn of the 20th Century.” Dr. Zeisler used examples from both the Marjorie Merriweather Post and McFerrin collections to illustrate how paintings were reinterpreted as art objects. The subject of a painting would find its way onto small boxes, caskets, and cigarette cases by way of engraving, enameling, or lithograph. Feodor Rückert, an enamel master from Moscow, supplied such items to Fabergé from 1886 to 1917.

Mikhail Ovchinnikov (Fabergé Museum, St. Petersburg) discussed “Fabergé’s Renaissance Style Objects in the Context of 19th Century European Revival Jewelry.” Fabergé was inspired by the pieces exhibited at the museums he visited on his grand tour of Europe. Objects made using the pietra dura method influenced his hardstone figures. Fabergé also worked in the Hermitage examining and repairing ancient jewelry, which would influence his later designs. @chapter:25 @chapter:2 @chapter:25


# Publication Year: 2022
# Title: Characteristics of Amber with Irradiation Treatment
# Abstract: Figure 1. A: Rough amber material after irradiation treatment. B: Irradiated amber products with dendritic inclusions. C: Irradiated amber pendants without root-like inclusions and irradiated amber with a red-white alternating pattern (far right). D: The current irradiated amber products have much more natural color. Photos by Yamei Wang.
The organic gem amber is particularly popular in China, Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia. With strong demand for rarer colors, some enterprises use electron accelerator–charged particles or 60Co gamma-ray radiation to irradiate amber and enhance its color from light yellow to orange-yellow and orange-red.
As early as 2012, foreign suppliers tried to introduce irradiation-treated amber into the Chinese market. Due to the booming demand for natural golden and beeswax amber in the Chinese market, amber manufacturers had little interest in the irradiated products. After the market cooled in late 2015, irradiated amber emerged as a new variety (figure 1). Some irradiated amber (containing microstructure defects in the original material before treatment) was accompanied by dendritic inclusions with color enhancement or change (figure 1B). The amber materials used for irradiation treatment were selected from Baltic amber. After irradiation, the red color was usually internally uniform when the weathered skin was polished. Due to differences in original bodycolor and flow pattern, the irradiated amber with the superimposed red color can be red, orange-red, orange-yellow, or yellow-brown, or have a red-white alternating pattern (figure 1C, far right). Early irradiated amber from the end of 2015 was easy to identify due to the presence of dendritic inclusions. Recently, the generation of dendritic inclusions has been suppressed and the quality of the samples has improved (figure 1C). The dendritic inclusions are basically inhibited, and the irradiated amber will not produce them as long as there are no cracks or defects on the surface that can be broken down by the irradiation source. Moreover, the enhanced color via irradiation treatment is much more natural (figure 1D).

Figure 2. A: The irradiation treatment of amber via an IBA Rhodotron TT200 accelerator. B: The color improvement of sample 1 at different irradiation doses: before irradiation (B-1) and after irradiation doses of 10 kGy (B-2), 150 kGy (B-3), and 200 kGy (B-4). C: Color enhancement and annealing of sample 2 with different irradiation doses: before irradiation (C-1) and after irradiation doses of 10 kGy (C-2), 170 kGy (C-3), and 200 kGy (C-5). C-4 shows discoloration after heat treatment (10 minutes, 100°C) after cutting. Photos by Yamei Wang.
The authors selected 13 Baltic rough amber samples for irradiation treatment via an IBA Rhodotron TT200 electron accelerator to investigate the effects of different irradiation doses on the color enhancement of amber  (figure 2A), considering that the utilization of high-energy gamma-ray could change its color into red, possibly accompanied by the introduction of dendritic inclusions.
Since the irradiated amber on the market consists of Baltic amber, 12 of the 13 sample groups were Baltic amber (including transparent, translucent, and opaque yellow polished double-sided wafers and round beads), and one group was Burmese amber. The irradiation dose ranged from 10 to 200 kGy (1 kGy = 1000 J/kg), accumulated multiple times, and the samples began to display a red color at 150 kGy. When the irradiation dose reached 200 kGy, the samples turned obvious red, and the irradiation effect showed most clearly. The color changes of representative samples (1 and 2) under different radiation doses were selected; only sample 1 with surface cracks produced dendritic inclusions. When the irradiation dose exceeded 200 kGy, the samples turned varying degrees of red (figure 2B); sample 2 most clearly showed the effect (figure 2C).

Figure 3. Various appearances of the dendritic inclusions. Photomicrographs by Yamei Wang.
The dendritic inclusions are triggered by microstructure defects (physically weak points) and extend like microfractures (figure 3). The roots usually start from the micro defects of amber and form a structural deterioration zone with microcracks. Under the high-energy electron beam, the microcracks in the degradation zone expand rapidly and connect to form a submicroscopic “tree.” The continuous development of the submicroscopic tree forms the root-like whisker region with a macro fractal structure. The growth of dendrites can be regarded as a random growth process of fractal clusters composed of discontinuous microcracks.

Figure 4. Discoloration of irradiated amber. A: Two irradiated round beads cut into halves (top). Bottom left: the half bead heated in an oven at 90°C for 10 minutes fades to yellow; on the bottom right, the internal color is uniform after irradiation. B: Heating the bead in the pressure furnace restores the original color but does not heal the root pattern. C: The irradiated color gradually fades after natural storage for 12 months. D: The color of irradiated amber becomes uneven after natural fading. E: Red spots appear at weak points of the dendrites. F: Red dots remain at the site of irradiation. Photos by Yamei Wang.
If the irradiated amber undergoes heat treatment at 100ºC for 10 minutes in an oven, its original color will be restored (figure 4A and figure 1, C-4); the treated color can also fade and return to its original yellow after heating in a pressure furnace. But once the dendritic inclusion is formed, it is irreversible (figure 4B). After about a year in a natural environment, the induced color from irradiation will automatically fade (figure 4C). Along with a significant reduction in brightness, the color will no longer be uniform (figure 4D) and color spots will appear (figure 4E). Even the original irradiation points are clearly displayed as color spots after fading (figure 4F), indicating that the irradiated color is not stable.

Figure 5. A: The UV-Vis-NIR spectra of natural and irradiated Baltic amber. B: The fluorescence characteristics of irradiated amber under a 365 nm UV lamp. Sample C-2 with a small irradiation dose of 10 kGy; sample C-4 shows discoloration after heat treatment at 100°C for 10 minutes. Photo by Yamei Wang.
Some irradiated ambers with bright color and high transparency that lack the dendritic inclusions can be distinguished using a conventional 365 nm ultraviolet lamp, but the treatment of lighter-colored amber is not as easy to distinguish. The non-irradiated natural Baltic amber showed a strong absorption peak at 521 nm. The irradiated Baltic amber (orange-red) showed three characteristic peaks at 535, 578, and 728 nm (figure 5A). Dendritic inclusions are common in the earlier versions of irradiated amber. In addition, as the irradiation dose increases, the fluorescence intensity of the amber weakens. Under the 365 nm UV lamp, irradiated amber (samples C-3 and C-5 with irradiation doses higher than 150 kGy) has weaker fluorescence intensity than natural amber. Furthermore, the weaker florescence is superimposed on the darker bodycolor of orange-red (C-3, C-5). The fluorescence of amber with heat treatment (C-4) is the same as that of unirradiated natural sample (C-1). @chapter:46 @chapter:0 @chapter:46


# Publication Year: 1993
# Title: Flux-Grown Synthetic Red and Blue Spinels from Russia
# Abstract: Examination of red and blue samples of a relatively new flux synthetic spinel from Russia established criteria by which they can be separated from their natural counterparts. The flux synthetic blue spinels can be recognized on the basis of their inclusions, ultraviolet luminescence, and visible absorption spectrum.  Magnification is sufficient to identify the flux synthetic red spinels when flux or metallic inclusions are present; in the absence of such inclusions, however, chemical analysis is required. Red and blue natural spinels both contain significantly more zinc than their flux synthetic counterparts. Also, trace amounts of Pb (from the flux) and Pt and Ir (from the crucible) were found in some of the flux synthetic spinels. @chapter:24 @chapter:0 @chapter:24


# Publication Year: -
# Title: Synthetic Diamond Articles from Gems & Gemology
# Abstract: When General Electric created the first gem-quality synthetic diamonds in 1971, the first place the company sent them after cutting was to GIA for examination and research. In the 44 years since then, GIA researchers have closely followed the development of laboratory-created diamonds – from those early experiments to the production of commercial quantities in the gem market. De Beers has conducted a robust research program on its own and has worked closely with GIA in this effort.

	The list of articles below chronicles GIA’s research efforts in this field to understand and identify synthetic diamonds. They are here for you to click, view and download.

Observations on CVD-Grown Synthetic Diamonds: A Review
By Sally Eaton-Magaña and James E. Shigley
	FALL 2016, VOLUME 52, NO. 3

Large Colorless HPHT Synthetic Diamonds from New Diamond Technology
By Ulrika F.S. D'Haenens-Johansson, Andrey Katrusha, Kyaw Soe Moe, Paul Johnson and Wuyi Wang
	FALL 2015, VOLUME 51, NO. 3

Near-Colorless HPHT Synthetic Diamonds from AOTC Group
By Ulrika F.S. D’Haenens-Johansson, Kyaw Soe Moe, Paul Johnson, Shun Yan Wong, Ren Lu, and Wuyi Wang
	SPRING 2014, VOLUME 50, NO. 1

Recent Advances in CVD Synthetic Diamond Quality
By Sally Eaton-Magaña and Ulrika F.S. D’Haenens-Johansson
	SUMMER 2012, VOLUME 48, NO. 2

CVD Synthetic Diamonds from Gemesis Corp
By Wuyi Wang, Ulrika F. S. D’Haenens-Johansson, Paul Johnson, Kyaw Soe Moe, Erica Emerson, Mark E. Newton, and Thomas M. Moses
	SUMMER 2012, VOLUME 48, NO. 2

Strongly Colored Pink CVD Lab-Grown Diamonds
By Wuyi Wang, and Patrick Doering, Joshua Tower, Ren Lu, Sally Eaton-Magaña, Paul Johnson, Erica Emerson, and Thomas M. Moses
	SPRING 2010, VOLUME 46, NO. 1

Latest-Generation CVD-Grown Synthetic Diamonds from Apollo Diamond Inc.
By Wuyi Wang, and Matthew S. Hall, Kyaw Soe Moe, Joshua Tower, and Thomas M. Moses
	WINTER 2007, VOLUME 43, NO. 4

Lab-Grown Colored Diamonds from Chatham Created Gems
By James E. Shigley, Shane F. McClure, Christopher M. Breeding, Andy Hsi-tien Shen, and Samuel M. Muhlmeister
	SUMMER 2004, VOLUME 40, NO. 2

Identification of Synthetic Diamond Grown Using Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)
By Philip M. Martineau, Simon C. Lawson, Andy J. Taylor, Samantha J. Quinn, and David J. F. Evans, and Michael J. Crowder
	SPRING 2004, VOLUME 40, NO. 1

Gemesis Laboratory-Created Diamonds
By James E. Shigley, Reza Abbaschian, and Carter Clarke
	WINTER 2002, VOLUME 38, NO. 4

A Chart for the Separation of Natural and Synthetic Diamonds
By James E. Shigley, Emmanuel Fritsch, and Ilene Reinitz, Thomas M. Moses
	WINTER 1995, VOLUME 31, NO. 4

The Gemological Properties of Russian Gem-Quality Synthetic Yellow Diamonds
By James E. Shigley, Emmanuel Fritsch, John I. Koivula, Nikolai V. Sobolev, and Igor Y. Malinovsky, and Yuri N. Pal’ yanov
	WINTER 1993, VOLUME 29, NO. 4

De Beers Near Colorless-to-Blue Experimental Gem-Quality Synthetic Diamonds
By Marie-Line T. Rooney, C. M. Welbourn, James E. Shigley, Emmanuel Fritsch, and Ilene Reinitz
	SPRING 1993, VOLUME 29, NO. 1

The Gemological Properties of the De Beers Gem-Quality Synthetic Diamonds
By James E. Shigley, Emmanuel Fritsch, Carol M. Stockton, John I. Koivula, C. W. Fryer, Robert E. Kane, and David R. Hargett, Clayton W. Welch
	WINTER 1987, VOLUME 23, NO. 4

The Gemological Properties of the Sumitomo Gem-Quality Synthetic Yellow Diamonds
By James E. Shigley, Emmanuel Fritsch, Carol M. Stockton, John I. Koivula, and Charles W. Fryer, and Robert E. Kane
	WINTER 1986, VOLUME 22, NO. 4 @chapter:36 @chapter:1 @chapter:36


# Publication Year: 2017
# Title: Letters: Note on CVD Synthetic Overgrowth
# Abstract: I read with interest the Summer 2017 G&G Lab Note titled “CVD synthetic diamond overgrowth on a natural diamond” (pp. 237–239). The concluding paragraph states, “This synthetic overgrowth on a natural diamond with a Fancy color grade is the first GIA has seen.” However, a Gem News entry published in the Summer 1991 G&G presented color photos of a synthetic bluish gray CVD diamond overgrowth over one rough and two faceted natural near-colorless type Ia diamonds (Koivula and Kammerling, 1991). This Gem News item was more recently reproduced in the G&G In Review: Synthetic Diamonds compilation book, published in 2005.

The treated gems were documented at the time by myself and other GIA researchers. A scientific article (Fritsch and Phelps, 1993) detailed the work first mentioned in the 1991 Gem News item. It already cautioned the jewelry industry about the availability of such a product and its possible misidentification. The highly doped boron film (approximately 220 ppm B, hence the dark color) was about 0.1 microns thick and deposited by the hot filament method. To everyone’s surprise, the crystallographic orientation of the natural type Ia substrate had no noticeable influence on the quality of the type IIb CVD film. The film could be detected by abrasions on facet edges, infrared spectroscopy (absence of the boron acceptor center), and UV-visible spectroscopy (presence of the N3 center). Of course, no detailed low-temperature photoluminescence was done, as this became common practice on diamonds only around 1999, with the onset on HPHT-treated diamonds. Neither is there a clear influence of the type IIb layer on the infrared spectrum, in part due to its thinness and the difference in efficiency with today’s infrared detectors.

The three samples were left with GIA Research. I would encourage the authors of the Lab Note to run a full characterization with more up-to-date methods. It is of interest that the stones were submitted to GIA as client stones and followed the normal procedure for blue diamonds at the time, yet this treatment went undetected.

This work predates by two years Yacobi et al. (1993), which the Summer 2017 Lab Note suggests was the first to report deposition of CVD synthetic diamonds on natural type Ia substrates, although not faceted, so less relevant to gemologists’ concerns. (Yacobi’s article, incidentally, was published in the same issue of Diamond and Related Materials as the Fritsch and Phelps article.) The recent Lab Note also states, “Deposition of a boron-doped CVD synthetic film of <10 microns on a natural gem-quality diamond was reported in 2005,” whereas this had already been published almost 15 years prior, in 1991. Furthermore, in contrast with the 2005 article cited, spectroscopic data was presented in the 1993 article.

Emmanuel Fritsch
University of Nantes, CNRS, Team 6502
Institut des Materiaux Jean Rouxel (IMN), Nantes, France
Reply
We thank Prof. Fritsch for reading our Summer 2017 Lab Note and writing this letter to Gems & Gemology. In it we mentioned that this synthetic overgrowth diamond was the first GIA had seen, and several factors support this statement. It showed sharp boron peaks at 2455 and 2800 cm–1, and nitrogen aggregates and platelet peaks in the 1000–1500 cm–1 region (figure 1). Therefore, we classified it as mixed type Ia and IIb. In their 1993 Diamond and Related Materials article, Fritsch and Phelps coated natural, near-colorless type Ia diamonds by depositing boron-doped CVD film. They extrapolated the boron concentration of their coated diamonds using electrical conductivity rather than calculating it from the IR spectrum, which did not show any boron peaks. According to diamond type classification (Breeding and Shigley, 2009), the IR spectrum indicates a type Ia diamond, not a mixed type. The diamond we reported on in the last issue is the first CVD-coated mixed-type diamond detected at GIA using FTIR.

Figure 1. Spectrum A is the IR spectrum of the Fancy blue CVD-coated diamond from Moe et al. (2017). It is a mixed-type diamond with boron peaks at 2455 and 2800 cm–1, along with nitrogen aggregates and a platelet peak between 1000 and 1500 cm–1. Spectrum B, modified from Fritsch and Phelps (1993), represents a CVD-coated bluish gray diamond. It does not show any boron peaks and therefore must be classified as a type Ia diamond.
CVD-coated diamonds previously reported in G&G were not client diamonds (see Fritsch and Phelps, 1993; Eaton-Magaña, 2014). The CVD layer was deposited on natural diamonds for research purposes. In contrast, our diamond was submitted by a client, suggesting CVD-coated natural diamonds have already reached the market. The color has also been improved. Previous CVD-coated diamonds were dark bluish gray (Koivula and Kammerling, 1991; see figure 2) and an initially gray color that altered to Fancy Dark brownish yellowish gray after nine years of wear (Eaton-Magaña, 2014; figure 2, center), whereas ours was graded as Fancy blue (figure 2, right). This was also the first undisclosed client-submitted CVD-coated diamond with blue color identified by GIA. The lack of disclosure and the Fancy blue color grade have significant consequences for the trade. Consequently, our note was translated to Chinese and Japanese on GIA’s website.

Figure 2. Left: GIA coated three near-colorless natural diamonds with CVD film on pavilion facets in 1991, changing their color to dark bluish gray. Center: In 2005, Dr. Eaton-Magaña coated her own diamond with CVD film, again on the pavilion facets, and achieved a Fancy Dark brownish yellowish gray color. Right: A client submitted a Fancy blue diamond, coated with CVD film on the table facet, for a Colored Diamond Grading report in April 2017. It was the first blue synthetic overgrowth on natural diamond identified by GIA.
The Lab Notes section is intended for new findings at GIA laboratories, especially among client-submitted stones. Unlike research papers, the entries are meant to be short. We try to choose only the most appropriate references. Fritsch and Phelps (1993) described the deposition method of the CVD layer and characterized the CVD-coated diamonds using spectroscopy and gemological methods. That same year, Yacobi et al. (1993) published a paper about growing CVD films on type Ia natural diamonds. They deposited the CVD film on the (001) and (111) planes at various temperatures. They discussed preferential incorporation of defects at different crystallographic planes using cathodoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy. Although Fritsch and Phelps (1993) is an important study, we felt that Yacobi et al. was a more comprehensive reference for our lab note.

Our team respects Prof. Fritsch’s invaluable contributions to gemology, and we thank him for taking time to comment.

Kyaw Soe Moe
GIA, New York @chapter:9 @chapter:1 @chapter:9


# Publication Year: -
# Title: Australian Retailer’s Focus on Customer Education Builds on Century of Success
# Abstract: John Whitaker said that learning to grade diamonds during his GIA studies felt “natural” to him. “I still love doing it,” he says. Courtesy Whitaker’s Jewellers

                      “We put all the cards on the table for our customers,” says John Whitaker, GG, and principal of Australia’s Whitaker’s Jewellers.

Whitaker, whose 112-year-old store is a staple in the community of Cooks Hill, New South Wales, specializes in diamonds, gemstones, custom and bridal jewelry. He attributes a large part of the store’s four generations of success to their client-comes-first approach.

“Open, genuine information builds trust,” he says, “and aids in creating an exciting, unique customer experience.”

Whitaker’s consumer education videos, which he posts on the store’s website, range from how to find out a woman’s ring size and natural style preferences, to why it’s important to buy a graded diamond.

“It’s important that the consumer is made aware of the differences in metals and stone qualities, so they can make a completely informed decision on what combination is right for them,” he says. “Most clients come to the store with a good general understanding of the 4Cs, but we have the knowledge and training to clarify any misconceptions – and enhance their appreciation of the stone through seeing it for themselves.”

	Whitaker’s Jewellers, pictured here in the 1950s, is a century-old institution in New South Wales, Australia. Courtesy Whitaker’s Jewellers
Whitaker’s enthusiasm for people, jewelry and the retail experience is a far cry from his early wariness to enter the family trade. His great-grandfather, Reginald Wilfred Whitaker, founded Whitaker’s Jewellers in Muswellbrook, Australia in 1903, and after many years and expansions to new locations, the business was passed to John Whitaker, Sr., Whitaker’s father.

“When I was growing up, the one thing I didn’t want to do was be a jewelry retailer,” he says. “I saw how hard my father worked and couldn’t see his profession as suitable to me.”

But when Whitaker began training as a salesperson in 1987, he had a change of heart.

“I fell in love with jewelry, and being a part of my clients’ special occasions and moments,” he says. A trip soon after to the Basel Trade Fair in Switzerland confirmed his growing passion; Whitaker says he was “blown away” by the experience and still has vivid memories of the diamonds and colored gemstones he saw there.

As the young man wrapped up his traineeship and changed course on a career path, his father pulled him aside.

“My father, in his wisdom, said to me, ‘You’ll need to know more than I do to make it. In the future, what I know won’t be enough to be successful,’” Whitaker recalls. “How right he was.”

The elder Whitaker had heard about GIA through trade media outlets like JCK magazine. “We decided I should attend GIA to ensure I had the latest and most highly regarded jewelry industry training and career foundation on the planet.”

Whitaker’s time studying in Santa Monica – he earned his GG in 1989 – was so revelatory that he says he almost needed help “coming back to earth” when he returned home.

“My experience at GIA was absolutely amazing,” he says. “I was transported into the world of diamonds and gems to a degree that I had not expected. The chance to grade and identify the widest variety of gemstones made a huge impression, but the thing that made the biggest impact on me was how my view of the global industry completely changed. I realized how much more there was for me to achieve after having my eyes well- and truly opened.”

	The look of Whitaker’s Jewellers has changed through the years, but its commitment to consumer education is still a hallmark. “Open, genuine information builds trust,” says John Whitaker, GG. Courtesy Whitaker’s Jewellers
Whitaker worked for his father for many years and across several of the store’s locations, only leaving for a couple of years to gain outside-the-family-business experience in Sydney. He oversaw teams and marketing for Whitaker’s Jewellers until 2006, when he and his wife, Leonie, took over the business and moved it to Newcastle.

“If I didn’t have my GIA qualifications, I couldn’t be doing what I’m doing today,” says Whitaker, who personally trains every team member and provides monthly instruction in diamond education. “I love being with people, whether that’s my clients or my team. It gives me great pleasure to see my team grow and be able to reach their goals in their careers with our assistance.”

Whitaker says that in addition to continuing education, he keeps on top of his business by “staying close to the ground.”

“My clients are a great way for me to stay connected to the sales floor and what’s happening, and it’s still the thing I love best,” says Whitaker, who cites diamond selection and grading as another favorite part of his job. “You have to keep your knowledge up to date, because the world of diamonds and gems never stands still.”

“The only thing that matters is the outcome for the client. If you’re in wholesale, you always need to be focused with what’s happening for your retailer with their clients. And retailers should have the complete client experience in mind at all times,” he says. “It’s the in-store experience that will get them off their chairs and walking back into stores.” @chapter:47 @chapter:3 @chapter:47


# Publication Year: 2019
# Title: Quarterly Crystal: Dioptase in and on Quartz
# Abstract: Figure 1. Measuring 25.28 × 17.51 × 7.67 mm and weighing 15.65 ct, this colorless quartz crystal from Namibia hosts numerous transparent blue-green inclusions of dioptase. Photo by Diego Sanchez.
Crystals of transparent colorless rock crystal quartz play host to a wide variety of mineral inclusions, some of which are highly attractive. Due to its transparency and bright blue-green color, one of the most visually striking inclusions occasionally found in quartz is dioptase. Occurring in the oxidized zones of some copper deposits, dioptase gets its vibrant color from copper, the chemical formula of dioptase being Cu6Si6O18•6H2O.
Recently we had the opportunity to examine an unusual arrowhead-shaped, fully terminated colorless quartz crystal that was decorated on one side with a crust of numerous trigonal transparent dioptase crystals that were both in and on their host. The geographic source for the crystal shown in figure 1is Kaokoveld, Namibia. Weighing 15.65 ct and measuring 25.28 × 17.51 × 7.67 mm, this unusual example of rock crystal plays host to numerous near-surface trigonal crystals (figure 2) up to 3.0 mm in length.

Figure 2. Trigonal blue-green crystals in and on the surface of this colorless quartz were identified by Raman analysis as dioptase. Photomicrograph by Nathan Renfro; field of view 11.75 mm.
The visual characteristics of the features—the trigonal micromorphology, degree of transparency, and color of the numerous inclusions—suggested dioptase; this was confirmed using laser Raman microspectrometry. The euhedral dioptase inclusions were situated on only one side of the quartz, which illustrates that they developed through directional deposition late in the quartz growth cycle. @chapter:15 @chapter:0 @chapter:15


# Publication Year: 2014
# Title: A Larger, Higher-Quality NPD Synthetic Diamond
# Abstract: In February 2014, these authors reported the first example of a synthetic nano-polycrystalline diamond (NPD) detected by a gemological laboratory. The 0.9 ct marquise was small and so heavily included with graphite crystals as to receive a Fancy Black color grade. The East Coast laboratory recently detected another undisclosed NPD synthetic diamond, a 1.51 ct Fancy Black round.

This NPD specimen was larger and had a much better transparency than the previous NPD, though it still graded as Fancy Black (figure 1). Infrared spectroscopy showed a diagnostic absorption pattern for diamond, with strong absorption in the one-phonon region (approximately 400–1332 cm–1). Absorption in this region is usually attributed to nitrogen impurity in different aggregation states, but careful observation showed otherwise.

Figure 1. This 1.51 ct Fancy Black nano-polycrystalline diamond (NPD) synthetic, submitted undisclosed, was larger and showed much better transparency than a previously detected NPD synthetic. Photo by Jian Xin (Jae) Liao.
The specimen’s infrared absorption pattern matched that of known NPD samples (figure 2). Further testing, including Raman spectroscopy and DiamondView imaging, confirmed the sample to be a NPD synthetic diamond. Microscopic observation revealed that the host material had the yellow color typical of previously reported NPD samples (see E.A. Skalwold, “Nano-polycrystalline diamond sphere: A gemologist’s perspective,” Summer 2012 G&G, pp. 128–131). The sample was heavily included with graphite, but less so than the previously reported 0.9 ct marquise, and therefore it had a better transparency (figure 3).

Figure 2. The mid-FTIR spectrum of the 1.51 ct black NPD synthetic diamond (red) displayed absorption in the one-phonon region similar to that of known NPD samples (green).

Figure 3. These photomicrographs, magnified 35× (left) and 40× (right), show abundant inclusions of graphite inclusions. Note the yellow color of the host material. Photomicrographs by Paul Johnson.
The origin of this synthetic diamond is not known, but it showed obvious improvements in size and quality compared to the marquise reported in February 2014. In the future, NPD synthetics could pose an identification challenge to the gem and jewelry industry. Careful gemological observations and advanced testing techniques were required to identify this undisclosed synthetic diamond. @chapter:9 @chapter:1 @chapter:9


# Publication Year: 2021
# Title: Fossilized Shell Consisting of Emerald
# Abstract: Figure 1. Eleven semitranslucent to opaque green and brown fossilized shells. Most of these specimens show clear shell outlines with green emerald grains. Photo by Johnny Leung.
Fossilized shells can be replaced by various types of gemstones, such as quartz and chalcedony (Spring 2014 Gem News International, p. 77), opal (A. Cody and D. Cody, The Opal Story: A Guidebook, Melbourne, 2008), and demantoid garnet (Winter 2013 Gem News International, pp. 257–258). In rare cases, emerald may also participate in the petrification of the shell and form pseudomorphs.
Recently, the Hong Kong laboratory received 11 fossilized shells composed primarily of emerald, measuring 13.00 × 8.20 × 6.16 mm to 24.54 × 16.72 × 12.57 mm and weighing 3.22 to 20.63 ct (figure 1). Most of them preserved the distinctive gastropod shell outlines, with different degrees of weathering.

Figure 2. Well-formed pyrite is a common accessory mineral associated with Colombian emerald. Photomicrograph by Johnny Leung; field of view 14 mm.
Under magnification, numerous small light green to green anhedral emerald crystals contained very fine fluid inclusions associated with well-formed brassy pyrite grains (figure 2), which is one of the most common mineral inclusions in Colombian emeralds (S. Saeseaw et al., “Geographic origin determination of emerald,” Winter 2019 G&G, pp. 614–646).

Figure 3. Clear shell structure and internal banding are shown in the X-ray radiograph (top left) of a fossilized shell measuring 22.06 × 14.85 × 10.32 mm and weighing 14.89 ct (top right). Scattered pyrite crystals (yellow in the colorized image on the bottom left) are deposited in a fossilized shell measuring 13.91 × 11.89 × 9.32 mm and weighing 5.07 ct (bottom right). Top images by Johnny Leung and Cheryl Wing Wai Au; bottom images by Ching Yin Sin and Emiko Yazawa.
An X-ray radiograph further revealed the spiral skeleton of the shell and scattered pyrite crystals (figure 3). The polycrystalline emerald was deposited evenly throughout the specimens, indicating complete replacement.
Fossilized gastropods were reported from the Matecaiia tunnel of the Gachala emerald mine in Colombia (P. Vuillet et al., “Les émeraudes de Gachalá, Colombie,” Le Regne Mineral, No. 46, July/August 2002, pp. 5–18). Gachala is not a principal emerald mining district but can produce high-quality material (D. Fortaleche et al., “The Colombian emerald industry: Winds of change,” Fall 2017 G&G, pp. 332–358). It is located on the Lower Cretaceous fossiliferous sedimentary rocks of the Eastern Cordillera Basin (B. Horton et al., “Construction of the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia: Insights from the sedimentary record,” in J. Gómez and D. Mateus-Zabala, Eds., The Geology of Colombia, Chapter 3, Vol. 3, 2020, Servicio Geológico Colombiano, Publicaciones Geológicas Especiales 37, pp. 67–88), where pyrite and emerald crystallized during the circulation of hydrothermal mineralizing fluids in black shales (G. Giuliani and L. Groat, “Geology of corundum and emerald gem deposits,” Winter 2019 G&G, pp. 464–489) and subsequently precipitated to form the fossilized shells. @chapter:5 @chapter:0 @chapter:5


# Publication Year: 2022
# Title: A Pink Sapphire Ring with a Message
# Abstract: Sapphire ring designed by Rachel Chalchinsky: 5.18 ct heated mixed-cut pink sapphire (11.0 × 9.4 mm), 1.24 carats of diamonds, 0.36 carats of no-heat padparadscha sapphires, and 0.65 carats of orange sapphires, set in 18K rose gold. Photo by Robert Weldon; courtesy of Color Source Gems.
At the AGTA show, Rachel Chalchinsky (Color Source Gems, New York) showed us a triple-halo ring (see above) designed to commemorate surviving breast cancer. “It’s hard to live with it and go on,” she said, “but once you do, you feel powerful.” After her diagnosis in August 2018 and finishing chemotherapy in January 2019, she wanted to “replace” the tumor with “something good and positive.”
Chalchinsky had three requirements for the center stone: that it be pink, for breast cancer awareness; the same size as the tumor (11 mm); and heated, to symbolize the radiation treatments she received in March 2019. After nearly three years of searching, she found a 5.18 ct heated mixed-cut pink sapphire measuring 11.0 × 9.4 mm.
“I used to have very big curly red hair, and I wanted to represent that in the ring,” she said. “Now I have grayish hair. So I put orange sapphire around the outside. Then on the inside, I used white diamonds to represent gray hair. And on the side of the ring, I used the breast cancer ribbon. I had that graduated to fit on the sides of the band and set it all in rose gold.”
When people admire the ring, Chalchinsky often tells them the story behind it “to bring awareness that people need to get their diagnostic tests and not wait.” She noted that delaying or avoiding her annual mammogram and ultrasound could have resulted in a more serious prognosis. Chalchinsky said her story compels people to share their experiences with cancer. “It becomes almost like a bonding because we’ve all been through these emotional journeys.”
Chalchinsky also uses Instagram to share the message. During Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, she posts photos of pink stones, sometimes in pairs, asking people to get checked and make sure their loved ones do so as well. “I’ll say, ‘Ask your mom. Ask your loved ones. Nag them—take them by the hand to go with them.’”
Chalchinsky recognizes she is fortunate to have had excellent healthcare and supportive family and friends—and that many women undergo more invasive surgery or have a worse outcome. In 2021, Color Source Gems donated funds to White Plains Hospital in Westchester County, New York, to cover 10 mammograms for uninsured women.
“In Judaism they say that if you can rescue one person, you’re saving the world,” Chalchinsky said. “I really feel that is extremely important—that we all help each other.”

	Interview with Rachel Chalchinsky @chapter:25 @chapter:2 @chapter:25


# Publication Year: -
# Title: Books: Wonders Within Gemstones II
# Abstract: By Anthony de Goutiere, softcover, 72 pp., publ. by FriesenPress, Victoria, British Columbia, 2014, Can$23.99.

                      In his second book on photomicrography, Wonders Within Gemstones II, Anthony de Goutiere presents remarkable photos of gem inclusions. De Goutiere reveals the natural beauty of these features by applying various lighting methods to a wide range of gemstones, including amber, beryl, corundum, diaspore, feldspar, garnet, malachite, meteorite, peridot, quartz, spodumene, and topaz. Readers will get a thorough overview on how to use these approaches to find “invisible” inclusions. It is a great resource for both the general public and those working in the jewelry trade and in gemological laboratories.

de Goutiere has mastered the use of oblique illumination, polarized illumination, and diffused illumination to reveal the most amazing aspects of many inclusions, such as iridescent color in fractures, cleavages, parting planes, thin films (like liquid inclusions), and voids. In one notable photo, the whitish mosaic thin film inclusions in aquamarine become remarkably colorful because of the excellent use of oblique illumination. The author demonstrates how darkfield and transmitted oblique illumination exhibit the sharp euhedral crystal faces of the syngenetic crystals inside gemstones. de Goutiere also uses diffused reflected oblique illumination to reveal distinctive surface etch markings and crystal growth markings, and shows how polarized illumination exposes internal graining and strain as well as birefringent spectral colors. It is such a vivid use of oblique illumination, which can be a very useful but challenging lighting technique for gemologists. The description of each photograph is concise, clear, and well organized. It covers stone information, inclusion detail, and lighting method. Some photos look like abstract art, and some are reminiscent of nature scenes such as mountains, rivers, and animals. These beautiful images are all strikingly rainbow-colored due to the effect of the light.

A Graduate Gemologist with over 50 years of experience, de Goutiere has filled his book with gemological knowledge, a persistent passion for gemstones, and an impressive aesthetic standard. Each photo is enhanced by his unique and artistic perspective. Wonders Within Gemstones II is an enjoyable read for anyone interested in gemstones. It is a valuable reference for any enthusiast who would like to start their photomicrographic adventure. @chapter:10 @chapter:0 @chapter:10


# Publication Year: 1988
# Title: Summer 1988 G&G Lab Notes
# Abstract: Star or Cat's-Eye Almandite Garnet
Grayish Purple Diamond
Diamond Saint Valentine's Inclusion
Treated Pink Diamond
Biron Synthetic Emerald
Unusual Glass
Jadeite Pendant
Jadeite Teapot
Imitation Pearls
A Rare Cultured Pearl
Plastic Costume Jewelry
Black Pyrope Garnet
Synthetic Sapphire
Brecciated Tiger's-Eye Quartz

To view the full section, download the PDF above. @chapter:27 @chapter:1 @chapter:27


# Publication Year: 1987
# Title: Gemstone Durability: Design to Display
# Abstract: Knowledge of the durability of a gemstone is critical to understanding the risks involved in the various setting, repair, and cleaning procedures commonly used by the jeweler. Some gemstones need attention in display because of their reaction to heat and/or light. This article reviews gemstone durability considerations for 31 species and their varieties as they affect design decisions as well as repair, cleaning, and display of the piece. In all cases, the reader is advised to consult an experienced bench jeweler before attempting any potentially damaging procedures. The recommendations in this article are offered from a gemological viewpoint and as guidelines only. @chapter:21 @chapter:0 @chapter:21