Prior to the 1930s, ruby and sapphire were mysteries, arcane gems oft-confused with spinel and other look-alikes. Enter Col. J.F. Halford-Watkins. Living in Mogok for more than two decades, he penned several articles and an entire monograph on the subject of these rare gems. Sadly he passed away before it could be published. In 1994, Richard Hughes came across a reference to the manuscript. Patrick Streeter, grandson of G. Skelton Streeter, and great grandson of the famed London jeweler, Edwin Streeter, had mentioned the Halford-Watkins manuscript while writing his book, Streeter of Bond Street. Following up on that obscure reference Richard Hughes stumbled upon something truly fantastic, an undiscovered treasure of the gemological literature. Over ten years in the making, The Book of Ruby and Sapphire is the realization of Halford-Watkins’ vision. Professionally edited and illustrated, it represents a gemological tour de force.

corundum, inclusions.5, quality.10, Burma.12, Kashmir.12, India.12, gems

The Mogok Stone Tract is situated in Myanmar’s Mandalay province, some 200 km northeast of Mandalay. Home to the world’s premier ruby mines, it is also one of the richest mineral concentrations on Earth. Aside from ruby, Mogok produces a potpourri of gems, including sapphire, spinel, peridot, topaz and moonstone, to name but a few. One of Mogok’s gems, painite, is found nowhere else on the planet. With over fifty different gem species mined at Mogok, in terms of gemological diversity, perhaps only Sri Lanka can compare.

corundum, Burma.12, Geology.11, Mogok, ruby, sapphire, gems

This article examines the definition of padparadscha sapphire, from early times to that developed by the Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee (LMHC) in 2005. It includes data from a survey undertaken by the author in Sri Lanka and Hong Kong in August and September 2012.

corundum, color.4, quality.10, padparadscha, gems

Prior to the 1930s, ruby and sapphire were mysteries, arcane gems oft-confused with spinel and other look-alikes. Enter Col. J.F. Halford-Watkins. Living in Mogok for more than two decades, he penned several articles and an entire monograph on the subject of these rare gems. Sadly he passed away before it could be published. In 1994, Richard Hughes came across a reference to the manuscript. Patrick Streeter, grandson of G. Skelton Streeter, and great grandson of the famed London jeweler, Edwin Streeter, had mentioned the Halford-Watkins manuscript while writing his book, Streeter of Bond Street. Following up on that obscure reference Richard Hughes stumbled upon something truly fantastic, an undiscovered treasure of the gemological literature. Over ten years in the making, The Book of Ruby and Sapphire is the realization of Halford-Watkins’ vision. Professionally edited and illustrated, it represents a gemological tour de force.

corundum, inclusions.5, quality.10, Burma.12, Kashmir.12, India.12, gems

The mining of natural red and green andesine in Tibet and near-colorless andesine in Inner Mongolia has been a subject of controversy. Large quantities of diffusion-treated andesine from Inner Mongolia entered the world markets without proper disclosure starting about 2000; however the idea that there might also be a source of natural red andesine in Tibet has been met with extreme skepticism from some quarters. This has not only polarized the gemological community, but has also created a lack of confidence in natural Oregon sunstone. This program will present the latest results from field visits to both Tibet and Inner Mongolia, along with advanced testing of stones from each of those deposits. Simple tests will be described to separate both Tibetan and Inner Mongolian andesines from Oregon sunstones. The purpose is to finally put to rest the controversy surrounding these stones.

gems, andesine, feldspar, Tibet, China

An investigation into nephrite and imitation nephrite pebbles purchased in Guangzhou, China's Hualin Street jade market.

jade, nephrite, China, Xinjiang, Khotan, Hotan, gems

Traditional gemology considers itself a science, but typically omits a key element of the scientific method. And is gemology simply a science, or something more? Read on to learn the answer…

gems, gem nomenclature, corundum, heat treatment, Broken Bangle

Corundum has been known in Mozambique since the Portuguese colonial times (Afonso, R.S., Marques, J.M. , 1998, Lächelt, S., 2004) but very little information has been published about rubies or sapphires from Mozambique in the gemological literature as the production was so small and most of the stones produced were cabochon quality at best. Nevertheless, the gem markets in Bangkok and other places have recently started to see an increase in rubies coming out of Mozambique. Most of the stones seen were heavily fractured and mainly used as a base material for lead glass treatment, but some stones seen at the GIA Laboratories in Bangkok, New York and Carlsbad were fine enough to be faceted and used in jewelry without any treatment. A preliminary study on rubies reportedly from the Niassa province was released by GIA gemologists on March 22nd 2009 (Pardieu, V.P., Thanachakaphad, J. , 2009). After some inquiries it soon became apparent that there were several sources and a GIA Field Expedition to the various ruby mining areas of Northern Mozambique took place and is still ongoing at the end of 2009. Rubies and sapphires in Northern Mozambique have been mined from 4 different deposits, 3 of them located in the Niassa province and one in the Cabo Delgado province, over recent years.

corundum, geology.11, Mozambique.12, gems

Spinel is rising. Like a phoenix, a gem that for centuries was associated with power, fire, beauty and life, is back again. Over the past several years, interest in spinel has grown and I am delighted to see the newfound fame for classic gem. I first became interested in gemology while studying the history of the 100 Years’ War between France and England. Who could forget the Black Prince’s Ruby, a stone given by the Spanish king to the Black Prince of England as payment for his military support in the civil war of 1366. Later, in 1415, the stone was said to have saved the life of King Henry V of England at the battle of Agincourt. Henry, who had placed the large red orb on his helmet, was struck by the battle axe of the French Duke of Alencon. Sword hit stone; both the ruby and Henry survived. If these stories were not already amazing enough, imagine a costly military campaign paid for entirely with a single gemstone. These are the legends of the Black Prince’s Ruby. But my greatest astonishment was learning that that the gem was not a ruby at all but, in fact, a red spinel. Since I had no idea what a spinel was, I decided to learn more about this mysterious gem. Thus began my interest in gemology. The gemology of spinel is a pleasure. Unlike ruby, there are few treatments and separation from both synthetics and simulants is straightforward. Nevertheless spinel is a rich subject, with a history nearly as long as ruby itself. The past fame, disgrace and recent resurrection of the gem are a lesson in the importance of nomenclature in marketing. Since gemology is truly a human science—mixing science, history, geography, art, trade and terminology—we must understand that human emotion is a crucial factor in marketing. Gems, even if rare and beautiful, also need a good name, and spinel is a classic example of that fact.

spinel, Burma, Tanzania, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, gems

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

gems, beryl, emerald, Russia, Malysheva, Russian beryl, emerald mines, Ural Mountains, alexandrite, inclusions

It is evening in the Madagascan town of Andilamena. In a small restaurant, three Hogmies and one Malagasy pore over a map, intensely focused on a blank spot where no road goes, miles from the nearest settlement. The Hogmies have traveled halfway around the world to visit this miniscule cartographic smudge of tightly wound contour lines. For it is here that Madagascar’s finest sapphires are said to be found. But perhaps I am getting ahead of myself. Let me begin a bit further back... My first recollection of Madagascar was grade school, where we dutifully learned that a prehistoric fish, long thought extinct, had been fished from the coastal waters of this errant isle. Later, in gemology class, my teacher again brought up the subject of this forgotten land, mentioning that the famous French naturalist, Alfred Lacroix had written a paper about it (Un Voyage au Pays des Béryls). From that moment on, Madagascar became known to me not just as something out of a Jules Verne novel, but as the “Beryl Island.” The Island of Madagascar is an anomaly in many respects. While lying just 400 km from the coast of Africa, it was not settled until roughly 2000 years ago, and not by Africans, but by adventurous sailors from the Malayo-Indonesian Archipelago, some 6400 km to the east. Today the country’s human population is a tumultuous stew spiced with Malay, African, Arab, French, Chinese and Indian ingredients.

corundum, geology.11, Madagascar.12, gems

In our business, travel should be de rigueur. But the headlines frighten so many away. Boo! Earth is one giant pool of war, disease and pestilence. Boo! International travel is undertaken only by the clinically insane or those with Special Ops experience. Boo! If the pox or pollution don't gettcha, al Qaeda is close behind. As Lou Reed sang: You've got a black .38 and a gravity knife. You still have to ride the train." Lou was singing about the New York subways. Having braved Manhattan's dangerous tunnels, we feel qualified to discuss what some might regard as an even greater peril: travel to Tajikistan. This article is based on a 2006 expedition to Tajikistan’s famous Kuh-i-Lal (spinel) and Snyzne (ruby) mines."

corundum, Afghanistan.12, China.12, Tajikistan.12, spinel, gems

A gemologist’s life would be far easier if gems were cut as parallel-sided plates. But they’re not. Facets are designed to reflect light back to the viewer, not transmit it. This means light entering the gemstone from behind (transmitted light) will typically not pass straight through. If we want to see inclusions, we must constantly change the light paths through the gemstone. This is done by changing the position of the gemstone relative to the light and changing the light relative to the gem. The most versatile and controllable method of doing this is with the fiber-optic light, an illumination technique “darker” than even darkfield. During a recent routine identification of a natural chrysoberyl a startling difference in two distinctly different types of illumination commonly used in the examination of gemstones was clearly revealed. These two methods are darkfield and fiber-optic illumination. When this chrysoberyl was studied in darkfield (Figure 1), only a fine linear growth band was seen. However, when fiber-optic lighting was directed in along the girdle plane, bundles of fine light-scattering silky needles extending at 90˚ from the linear growth band became abundantly clear. At the same time the linear growth band itself was also more clearly detailed (Figure 2). The difference in the amount of visual information provided by these two different lighting techniques was startling. In this instance darkfield was clearly inferior to fiber-optic illumination.

corundum, inclusions.5, photomicrography, gems

While a passport typically conjures up images of freedom, the open road and travel to exotic locales, not every destination is five-star. This point was driven home during the examination of a group of yellow sapphires recently sent to the laboratory for identification.

corundum, treatments.6, gems

Virtually all gemologists are aware of the curved growth lines and gas bubbles in Verneuil (flame-fusion) synthetic corundum, but few understand exactly why they occur and how they are distributed in these stones. This article clarifies these important identifying features.

corundum, synthetic corundum.7, gems

What follows is a love story. We admit it. Our heart is on our sleeves. We are smitten, head-over-heels in love with the exotic and beguiling internal lattice that gemologists call silk." How do we love thee? Let us count the ways. You are the one that lets some of our rubies and sapphires sparkle like the night sky, your asterism such a wonder of nature. Not to mention your beauty as you wink up at us when the light is just so. And finally, you are our guardian, our coalmine canary, a tiny thermometer in our gems, willing to sacrifice your own life to let us know when Man’s ego has grown so large that he thinks he can play God. For this alone, we sing your praises."

corundum, inclusions.5, gems

One of the greatest gemological challenges is determining if a ruby or sapphire has been heat treated. UV fluorescence can assist in that identification, as well as detecting fillers in emerald.

corundum, color.4, treatments.6, gems

A discussion of how inclusion patterns mimic crystallographic symmetry in ruby and sapphire.

corundum, inclusions.5, gems

Ever notice how gemologists and dealers toss the term padparadscha around like some kinda überrock. If the gem isn’t buff enough to make the centerfold of Gem & Gemology, it is sniffed at as a “lesser being” unworthy of the name. And when it comes to the crimson corundums, despite a decade’s worth of McCarthyism we Yanks still cannot sort out the difference between a pinko and a true red. By this point, I know what you’re thinking. Do I really want to continue reading? Straight out of the gate this man is three sheets into a gale-force Beat ramble. But follow me here, people. The crux of what I’m about to discuss is a desire – most human I admit – for a simple word to Separate something that has stymied the best minds of my generation. The question is whether or not a variety name should encompass hue position alone, or segregate gems of the same hue into different groups based on often poorly understood tone and saturation ranges – factors that often have a direct bearing on quality.

corundum, color.4, quality.10, Sri Lanka.12, gems

The jadeite mines of Upper Burma (now Myanmar) occupy a privileged place in the world of gems, as they are the principal source of top-grade material. This article, by the first foreign gemologists allowed into these important mines in over 30 years, discusses the history, location, and geology of the Myanmar jadeite deposits, and especially current mining activities in the Hpakan region. Also detailed are the cutting, grading, and trading of jadeite—in both Myanmar and China—as well as treatments. The intent is to remove some of the mystery surrounding the Orient’s most valued gem.

jade, jadeite, fei cui, nephrite, Burma, gems, maw sit sit