gems, minerals, crystals, mineral collecting, corundum, Afghanistan, Greenland, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Macedonia, Burma, Nepal, North Carolina, Pakistan, Russia, Scotland, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Vietnam, Zimbabwe

What are the features that have made The Mineralogical Record so special over the last half-century? Certainly a major factor is the regular reporting on new mineral finds as they have reached the market. These reports form an unprecedented database for today’s collectors. Now, the Mineralogical Record has reprinted all of the “What’s New in Minerals” and related columns of the last 50 years in two massive hardcover volumes plus an Index volume, complete with the original illustrations. It can be thought of as a companion set to Tom Moore’s two-volume Compendium of Mineral Discoveries 1960-2015, published in 2017. Whereas the (unillustrated) Moore compendium summarized data from many different mineral journals and publications in that time period, this new reference work provides the full original text of The Mineralogical Record columns, including thousands of specimen photos, many in original full color (black & white for some of the earliest volumes). Reading through these columns and looking at the specimens again is like a half-century historical tour through the hobby of mineral collecting and a chronological review of the minerals that came out of the ground every year. It reminds us of the excitement that accompanied those discoveries, and provides a great educational background for young collectors and people who are relatively new to the hobby. The learning curve is steep for aspiring connoisseurs, and this compilation is an invaluable resource of critical knowledge. In serving the community of mineral collectors and mineralogists, The Mineralogical Record has reported regularly on new discoveries reaching the market ever since its first issue was published 50 years ago. Editor and Smithsonian curator John S. White wrote those first “What’s new in minerals?” reports, facilitated in part by his location in a museum where dealers routinely brought their best specimens seeking possible sales. He visited the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show as well, bringing back news of what was on offer there. Dealers and collectors sought him out to tell him of their discoveries, and he documented them for his readers, often with accompanying photos. In 1976 the responsibility for reporting mineral market news passed to Wendell Wilson, who also established market columns for other reporters such as Bob Sullivan (“Letter from Europe”), William Pinch (“Rare Minerals Report”), William Panczner (“Notes from Mexico”), and Thomas Moore (“Notes from Germany”), with occasional guest columnists (especially George Robinson) helping out along the way. Michael (“Mick”) Cooper took over Bob Sullivan’s “Letter from Europe” column in 1992. Tom Moore, returning in 1991 from a 14-year residency in Germany, began writing more American and European show reports, and was ultimately hired as a staff editor by The Mineralogical Record in 2001. Since that time he has been the principal author of market reports, with occasional help from Joseph Polityka, Wendell Wilson and others. Over the last half-century, 41 different authors have contributed to The Mineralogical Record’s unique body of reportage on the world mineral market—a record that now constitutes a highly important and useful historical repository of discoveries and provenance. Status as an “illustrated specimen” is always good to know for minerals a collector owns or is considering for purchase. However, after 50 years of publication, many illustrated specimens have lost their provenance. Now that distinction, at least regarding the many specimens that have been pictured in the “What’s New in Minerals” columns, can easily be determined and regained. THE INDEX: The challenge in utilizing such a massive compendium of columns and reports is: how do you find anything in over 2,000 pages? To answer that need, a 184-page index is included as a third volume, giving full access to all the published information. The Index provides access to every mention in this new compendium, by species and also by locality. When a specimen is found to have been illustrated, the owner may write to the Mineralogical Record and obtain an “Illustrated Specimen” label to go with it, indicating the volume, number and page of the illustration—a handsome addition to the specimen’s documentation.

gems, corundum, history.1, methods of fashioning.9

“And take a large clean mussel shell, heat it and put in wine vinegar, afterwards take the shell and make it into a powder and take crystal glass, also powdered”. These instructions on how “to counterfeit pearls” were noted down in a sixteenth-century manuscript now in Museum Plantin Moretus in Antwerp. The neat manuscript lists an array of recipes, including two that describe how to counterfeit pearls, along with a list of alchemical symbols, a drawing of an oven to bake painted glass, and instructions on how to make or improve upon pigments, discern fake from real stones, gild metal, and make ink, mirrors, enamel, and resins. Although the name “P. Koldenbergij” was written on the document at some point, it was previously unidentified. It has been claimed that it must have been in the possession of Pieter Van Coudenberghe (1517–1599), the Antwerp apothecary and botanist with an international reputation who corresponded with savants all over Europe. However, based upon a comparison with a handwritten letter by the apothecary, it can now be attributed to Van Coudenberghe himself.

gems, corundum, history.1, methods of fashioning.9

In the preface to his 1672 book, An Essay About the Origine and Virtues of Gems, the English natural philosopher Robert Boyle (1627–1691) expressed dissatisfaction with existing lapidary literature, opining: … That the Scarcity, the Lustre and the Preciousness of Gems have made them in all ages to be reckon’d among the finest and choicest of Natures Productions, is generally granted. But whether the Books, that have been divulged of them, be answerable to the Nobleness of the Subject, seems not to me so unquestionable. To address this shortcoming, Boyle looked beyond the available scholarship on stones to a remarkable range of sources, newly available thanks to the dramatic increase in European trade with the gem-producing regions of South and Southeast Asia over the course of the seventeenth century. Boyle took the matter quite literally into his own hands, and sought out a wide variety of stones “[to see] how far I could make out those thoughts [about gems’ properties] by my own Arguments and Observations.”

gems, tourmaline, rubellite, Brazil, California, Nigeria, history, mineralogy

Taking its name from the Latin rubellus, meaning “reddish,” rubellite was rare in the ancient world. Its unique properties set it apart from other hard, red gemstones, generically known then as “ruby” or “carbuncle.” That distinction was lost during the Dark Ages but revived in the Enlightenment, as science undertook its quest to understand the nature of things. For two and a half centuries, rubellite has had a part of that great unraveling. Today “rubellite” refers to the pink to red variety of tourmaline, a large group of borosilicates. Coveted most for its endless combinations of vivid colors, just a handful of species —elbaite, liddicoatite, rossmanite —form rubellite, which is found as large, gemmy, euhedral crystals in pegmatites across the globe. With articles covering history, culture, science, and localities, our expert authors explore the fascinating world of rubellite and its complicated mineral family. Extraordinary imagery illuminates their stories, enticing readers into the paradox of rubellite and its tourmaline brethren.

gems, corundum, beryl, emerald, origin

Origin determination is of increasing importance in the gem trade. It is possible because there is a close relationship between the geological environment of formation and the physical and chemical properties of gemstones, such as trace element and isotopic compositions, that can be measured in the laboratory using combinations of increasingly sophisticated instrumentation. Origin conclusions for ruby, sapphire, and emerald make up the bulk of demand for these services, with growing demand for alexandrite, tourmaline, and spinel. However, establishing origin with a high degree of confidence using the capabilities available today is met with varying degrees of success. Geographic origin can be determined with a high level of confidence for materials such as emerald, Paraíba-type tourmaline, alexandrite, and many rubies. For some materials, especially blue sapphire and some rubies, the situation is more difficult. The main problem is that if the geology of two deposits is similar, then the properties of the gemstones they produce will also be similar, to the point where concluding an origin becomes seemingly impossible in some cases. Origin determination currently relies on a combination of traditional gemological observations and advanced analytical instrumentation.

gems, corundum, ruby, origin determination, Burma.12, Mozambique.12, Madagascar.12, Kenya.12, Tajikistan.12, Vietnam.12, Afghanistan.12

Over the last several decades, geographic origin determination for fine rubies has become increasingly important in the gem trade. In the gemological laboratory, rubies are generally broken down into two groups based on their trace element chemistry: marble-hosted (low-iron) rubies and high-iron rubies. High-iron rubies are usually a straightforward identification based on their inclusions and trace element profiles. Marble-hosted rubies can be more challenging, with some deposits showing overlap in some of their inclusion scenes. But many marblehosted rubies, especially Burmese stones from Mogok and Mong Hsu, can be accurately identified based on their internal features and trace element profiles. This contribution will outline the methods and criteria used at GIA for geographic origin determination for ruby.

gems, corundum, gemology, field gemology, ruby, sapphire

GIA’s field gemology program was established in late 2008 to support research on geographic origin determination of colored gemstones. By building and maintaining an extensive collection of gem materials with known origins, GIA’s research scientists have been able to study and analyze rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and other gemstones using the best available reference samples. This has led to improved origin determination services while supporting numerous research and education projects. To date the collection has accumulated during more than 95 field expeditions on six continents and currently includes more than 22,000 samples. GIA’s field gemology efforts require a thorough understanding of the gem trade, including the evolution of gemstone deposits and the development of treatments. It is important to recognize potential new deposits and gemstone enhancement procedures immediately because they can change rapidly and leave a lasting impact on the trade. Field expeditions also involve documenting the mines and local conditions. These factors provide context for the gemstones and are becoming increasingly important in the eyes of the public.

gems, spinel, Tajikistan, history

During the 8th century, after a powerful earthquake, it seems that people started to find pink to red stones within white rock on the side of a mountain in Badakhshan. Locally called Laal," the gems rapidly found their way to the nearby markets on the Silk Road. Over the next few centuries, they fascinated scholars, traders (such as Marco Polo, who wrote about the gems even though he had not visited the mines) and most of all, powerful rulers in the Middle East, Europe, India and China. The red gems thus become very popular with kings, sultans, shahs, maharajas and emperors."

gems, corundum, treatments.6, synthetic corundum.7, titanium diffusion

Since 2015, a large quantity of a new blue diffused synthetic sapphire has appeared in the Chanthaburi market. It is interesting to compare its gemmological properties with those of a blue diffused natural sapphire that came onto the market in 2012. In immersion, both types of blue diffused sapphires showed the “spiders’ web effect” — a cut-related colouration pattern — and rather high titanium content on the surface of the samples, both effects being diagnostic evidence of Ti-diffusion treatment. The synthetic test stone, however, also displayed strong chalky blue fluorescence to SWUV radiation (also in the DiamondView™), the presence of curved bands, minute particles or gas bubbles under a microscope, very low Ga contents, and no Fe³⁺-related absorption peaks on the UV–Vis spectra. In contrast, the natural one showed the occurrence of tension discs, altered solid inclusions and altered fingerprints, often with colour concentration along healed fractures, cavities seen under the microscope, significant Ga content, and some Fe³⁺-related absorption peaks on the UV–Vis spectra. The thickness of the blue colour rim of the diffused natural stone was apparently much thicker than that of the diffused synthetic one. The reason is that it is the penetration depth of titanium that controls the colour rim thickness of the natural stone, while it is the penetration depth of iron that controls that of the synthetic one. Because of the difference in colour rim thickness and the repolishing process, the “spiders’ web effect” in the natural stone is less pronounced, while that in the synthetic one is more obvious. The formation of the blue colour rim and multi-element diffusion found in both synthetic and natural sapphires are also discussed here.

gems, corundum, beryl, tourmaline, alexandrite

Geographic origin determination is one of the most pressing issues facing the industry—a subject with many facets and complexities that should be addressed if the discussion is to be thorough. As part of GIA’s consumer protection mission of ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry, our purpose with this issue is to lay out what we know about determining geographic origin and how we arrive at those opinions. These articles will present every aspect of geographic origin as these authors understand it—including full transparency on the approaches and testing methods typically applied in GIA’s gemological laboratories. We intend for this issue to promote healthy and useful discussion and debate—fueled by our collective interest in bringing more understanding and consistency to the reporting of the geographic origin of colored stones.