Top 10 Luxury Brands: The Jewellery Connoisseur’s Wish List
Do you dream about a sparkling high jewellery collection featuring world-leading brands? Christa Van Eerde MA MLitt FGA DGA discovers the quintessential pieces from the top 10 houses leading the luxury jewellery sector. CARTIER Every jewellery enthusiast desires a Panther or Tutti Frutti piece. The iconic panther is rooted deep within Cartier’s heritage, and exudes […]
Questions to Ask When Buying a Piece of Gemstone Jewellery
Buying a piece of fine jewellery is often an emotional experience. Whether it’s an engagement ring, a wedding band or a special occasion gift, a piece’s particular combination of diamonds, gemstones, precious metal and design is chosen by the customer for a purpose. Yet with such a wide array of stones, cuts, colours, styles and […]
Gem-A Gemstone & Mineral Collection: Understanding Dioptase
Gem-A is proud to own a fantastic collection of gemmological specimens that have been gathered, gifted and bequeathed throughout our history. Now, we are opening the vault doors to reveal some of the most unusual, colourful and unique items in the Gem-A Gemstone & Mineral Collection, starting with this dioptase. Assistant gemmology tutor, Dr Juliette […]
Understanding the Value of Sapphires
What makes Kashmir sapphires so special? What about the padparadscha? What role do treatments play in value? Here, Gem-A tutor, Beth West FGA DGA EG offers a beginner’s guide to sapphire value. Sapphire is a variety of the mineral corundum – a fairly abundant material composed of aluminium oxide. Corundum is hard, tough and stable. […]
Field Trip: Gold and Gemstones on the Greek Island of Naxos
Gems&Jewellery contributor and avid gemstone explorer, Helen Serras-Herman FGA, takes us on a tour of the beautiful Greek island of Naxos and shares insights into the marble, emery, flint and gold that shapes its history. The Greek island of Naxos is part of the Cyclades, an island group in the Aegean Sea, located southeast of […]
Birthstone Guide: Tanzanite for Those Born in December
Are you looking for the perfect festive gift for a December baby? Gem-A tutor Lily Faber FGA DGA EG considers tanzanite – one of three birthstones for December – and shares how this relatively new gemstone compares to its purple and blue-hued rivals. In the grand scheme of gemstones, tanzanite – a variety of zoisite […]
Field Trip: A Visit to Gem-A ATC Institut de Gemmologie de Madagascar
Gem-A tutor Barbara Kolator B.Sc. M.Sc. FGA DGA EG shares some highlights from her recent trip to the Institut de Gemmologie de Madagascar in Antananarivo, which is a proud Gem-A Accredited Teaching Centre (ATC). Last month I visited Madagascar and was fortunate enough to be invited to visit the IGM (Institut de Gemmologie de Madagascar) […]
Journal Digest: Bumble Bee Stone from Indonesia
Getting to grips with The Journal of Gemmology Volume 36, No.3, Guy Lalous ACAM EG offers us an edited breakdown of a feature on Bumble Bee Stone from West Java, Indonesia. Bumble Bee Stone (BBS) is an attractive bright yellow-to-orange and black patterned gem from West Java, Indonesia. Production has been ongoing since 2003, yielding […]
Retail Focus: Exploring the Emeralds of Colombia
From the Summer 2018 issue of Gems&Jewellery, Gem-A gemmology tutor Beth West FGA DGA EG explores the Musica people and the emeralds of Colombia. There is a brooch displayed at the heart of the Geology, Gems and Minerals Gallery in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, USA. It is centred on a large luminous green emerald surrounded […]
Interview: Steve Moriarty of Moriarty’s Gem Arts on a Lifetime in Gemstones
From the Summer 2018 issue of Gems&Jewellery, Gem-A Associate Member and co-owner of Moriarty’s Gem Arts, Steve Moriarty, shares his fascinating career in gemmology. Although a gem specialist’s career can often start confined to a classroom or a lab, pouring over stone samples and peering through a microscope, our industry also offers wonderful opportunities to travel […]
