A brief look at the famous emerald and alexandrite from Russia's Ural Mountain mines.

The phenomenon of pleochroism in doubly refractive (DR) gemstones is described, as it relates to overall color appearance in the context of faceted gems. With strongly pleochroic gems, pleochroism can be seen in faceted gems, even if the table facet is oriented perpendicular to an optic axis. This is because facets change the direction of light as it moves through the gem.

An examination of the problem of separating pink sapphire and padparadscha from ruby.

The use of Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) in gem identification, with examples of sapphire & jadeite.

When it comes to gemology, whether it is practiced in the lab or jewelry store, the importance of traveling to the source cannot be emphasized enough. Not only is information more accurate at the source, but the experiences will also make you a better salesperson.

The believe-it-or-not story of Australia's Lenny Cram and his opal mine in a mason jar.

The early history of beryllium diffusion in sapphire, starting with the 2001 appearance of large numbers of padparadscha sapphires in the Thai gem market.

Jadeite jade is a stone intimately associated with Burma (Myanmar). But there are deposits in other countries. This article details Russia's jadeite deposits in the Polar Urals and Khakassia.

An account of the authors' 1997 visit to Burma's jade mines.

In 1996, several gemologists set off for Burma's remote jade mines, the first visit by foreigners since the early 1960's. This is the story of their epic journey.