A strikingly textured crystal is suspended within a pink spinel.
Figure 1. A strikingly textured crystal, likely a metal sulfide, is suspended within a pink spinel; viewed under darkfield and diffuse fiber-optic lighting. The step-cut facets on the stone’s pavilion provide a sense of depth to the image. Photomicrograph by E. Billie Hughes; field of view 3.4 mm; courtesy of Pamir Gems.
Recently, a 3.14 ct pink spinel was submitted to the Lotus Gemology laboratory, with encouragement from the owner to examine its inclusions. When viewed under the microscope, the spinel did not disappoint. Suspended within was a richly textured, opaque metallic crystal (figure 1). Although attempts were made to identify the inclusion using micro-Raman spectroscopy, its identity remained inconclusive. However, based on the crystal’s appearance, it was likely a metal sulfide. Similar inclusions in spinel have been reported as pyrite (E.B. Hughes et al., “Spinel inclusions: An exercise in aesthetics,” InColor, No. 43, 2019, pp. 66–73; N. Renfro et al., “Micro-features of spinel,” Spring 2021 G&G, pp. 46–49).
About the Author
E. Billie Hughes is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Lotus Gemology. She oversees the company's day-to-day operations while continuing gemological research and laboratory work. After graduating from UCLA in 2011, Billie became a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (FGA) in 2013. Her research focuses on ruby and sapphire, including low-temperature heat treatment, and she has authored and co-authored articles in leading gemological journals. An accomplished field gemologist, she has traveled to gem deposits around the world, including nearly every major ruby and sapphire locality.
Billie is an internationally recognized educator who has lectured for trade organizations, museums, and luxury jewelry houses. She has collaborated extensively with Van Cleef & Arpels on educational programs and lectures. An award-winning photographer and photomicrographer, her images have received honors in the Nikon Small World and Gem-A competitions and have appeared in publications including National Geographic and Forbes. She is also the creator of Hyperion, Lotus Gemology's online inclusion database, reflecting her commitment to making gemological knowledge more accessible.
Billie developed an interest in gemstones from an early age, accompanying her parents on expeditions to mines and gem-producing regions around the world. That lifelong passion for fieldwork, laboratory research, education, and photography continues to shape her work at Lotus Gemology today.
Notes
This article first appeared in Gems & Gemology, Winter 2025, Vol. 61, No.4, p. 404.