- 1. Lecture | Trick or Treatment | Tucson | 2 February 2025
- (Lectures)
- Lotus Gemology's E. Billie Hughes will review the major treatments of ruby and sapphire and how they can be identified. The treatment of ruby and sapphire is one of the biggest factors that influences ...
- Created on January 02, 2025
- 2. Lecture | Trick or Treatment | Bangkok | 13 September 2024
- (Lectures)
- Lotus Gemology's E. Billie Hughes will review the major treatments of ruby and sapphire and how they can be identified. The treatment of ruby and sapphire is one of the biggest factors that influences ...
- Created on July 04, 2024
- 3. Gem Treatment Disclosure | Notes from the Eastern Front
- (Articles)
- Discussion of gem treatment disclosure and its somewhat difficult history. A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent. —William Blake [1757–1827], Proverbs, Line 95 In 1987, ...
- Created on March 25, 2024
- 4. Madagascar Sapphire | Low-Temperature Heat Treatment Experiments
- (Articles)
- ... they undergo with low-temperature heat treatment in air, which is an oxidizing atmosphere. Introduction to this Madagascar Sapphire Study This study was sparked by a 2017 comment from noted Australian ...
- Created on October 27, 2019
- 5. Gem Treatment Disclosure | Trust
- (Articles)
- ... too. Value Everyone is taught that gemstones are valuable for three primary reasons – beauty, rarity and durability. Let's consider treatments in light of these factors. The purpose of a treatment ...
- Created on January 04, 2014
- 6. Lecture | Hyperion: Siamese Twins | Bangkok | 25 June 2025
- (Lectures)
- ... and grouped inclusions. These sets provide insights into treatment detection, geographic origin, and the art and science of photomicrography. Discover how patterns emerge not just from single ...
- Created on June 04, 2025
- 7. The Gemologist's Core Library | Classic Books on Gemology, Jewelry and Mineralog
- (Articles)
- ... the most complete coverage ever devoted to a single gem species. It's all here, sources, prices, treatments, etc. Ruby & Sapphire: A Collector's Guide by Richard Hughes, Wimon Manorotkul & E. Billie ...
- Created on March 16, 2025
- 8. Green Fire | Lotus Gemology's Guide to the Literature of Emeral
- (Articles)
- ... R. (1964) The French synthetic emerald [Gilson]. Journal of Gemmology, Vol. 9, No. 6, April, pp. 191–196; RWHL. Treatments Hughes, R.W. (1998) Cloak and dagger: The politics of Opticon. GQ Eye, ...
- Created on March 16, 2025
- 9. Con-juring Ruby | A Heated Flux Synthetic
- (Articles)
- ... heat treatment. Figure 4. Fine particles could be seen in the stone. Photo: E. Billie Hughes/Lotus Gemology Figure 5. Some of the fine particles formed more dense “rain-like” streams that could superficially ...
- Created on February 28, 2025
- 10. Lecture | Madagascar Sapphire | Bangkok | 23 February 2025
- (Lectures)
- Lotus Gemology's E. Billie Hughes will review key gemological features of Madagascar sapphire and how to detect heat treatment of this material. Madagascar Sapphire: Low-Temperature Heat Treatment ...
- Created on February 14, 2025
- 11. Lecture | A Canary in the Ruby Mine | Brussels | 19 October 2024
- (Lectures)
- Billie Hughes & Wim Vertriest report the results from their low-temperature heat treatment experiments on Burmese ruby. A Canary in the Ruby Mine: Low-Temperature Heat Treatment Experiments on Burmese ...
- Created on July 04, 2024
- 12. From Fei Cui to Jadeite and Back | Questions and Answers
- (Articles)
- ... Yes. Just as rubies don’t stop being rubies when they are treated, fei cui doesn’t stop being fei cui when it’s treated. All treatments are clearly stated on our reports. There are many gem aggregates ...
- Created on January 03, 2024
- 13. Detecting Corundum Fillers with the Long-Wave UV Torch
- (Articles)
- ... E. B., 2020). Although emeralds may be the most well-known gemstone that undergoes fracture filling treatment, it is far from the only one. In our laboratory, we have come across fillers in a variety ...
- Created on January 03, 2024
- 14. Lecture | A Canary in the Ruby Mine | Bangkok | 9 September 2023
- (Lectures)
- Billie Hughes & Wim Vertriest report the results from their low-temperature heat treatment experiments on Burmese ruby. A Canary in the Ruby Mine: Low-Temperature Heat Treatment Experiments on Burmese ...
- Created on January 03, 2024
- 15. Describing Color in Gems | A Fool's Guide ...
- (Articles)
- ... This process has completely upended the gem lab business. Formerly labs were only involved in identifying the type of gem, whether it is natural or man-made, and any treatments that might have been applied. ...
- Created on January 03, 2024
- 16. Yellow Sapphires with Unstable Color
- (Articles)
- ... 3. This small crystal with a melted appearance provides evidence that the specimen has undergone heat treatment. Photomicrograph by E. Billie Hughes; field of view 3.5 mm. Recently an orange sapphire ...
- Created on January 03, 2024
- 17. Canary in the Ruby Mine | Low-Temperature Heating of Burmese Ruby
- (Articles)
- Detection of heat treatment below 1200°C in ruby and sapphire can present challenges to gemologists. In this study, the authors heated Burmese ruby samples and detailed the features that help in the detection ...
- Created on January 02, 2024
- 18. Lecture | Greasy Business | Oiled Gems Fraud | Tucson | 1 February 2024
- (Lectures)
- ... of this treatment and, most importantly, the remarkable transformation in appearance it may produce. In this program, Richard will demonstrate how the oiling of gemstones other than emerald is now extremely ...
- Created on January 02, 2024
- 19. Lecture | Greasy Business | Oiled Gems Fraud | Taipei | 18 March 2023
- (Lectures)
- ... of this treatment and, most importantly, the remarkable transformation in appearance it may produce. In this program, Richard will demonstrate how the oiling of gemstones other than emerald is now extremely ...
- Created on January 02, 2024
- 20. Lecture | A Canary in the Ruby Mine | Tucson | 29 January 2023
- (Lectures)
- Billie Hughes & Wim Vertriest report the results from their low-temperature heat treatment experiments on Burmese ruby. A Canary in the Ruby Mine: Low-Temperature Heat Treatment Experiments on Burmese ...
- Created on January 02, 2024