Discovering Agates on the Shores of Cornwall, England

Cally Oldershaw FGA DGA describes the thrill of finding agate on the shores of Cornwall and reveals how these subtly-toned gemstones are shaping her jewellery collections in collaboration with geologist and lapidarist, Ben Church. With many more people choosing to stay in the UK for their ‘staycations’ rather than going abroad for the holidays, the […]

The Source of Garnets Found at The Arikamedu Archaeological Site in South India

Guy Lalous ends the year with his final Journal Digest of 2017 by exploring the chemical and mineralogical characterization of garnets found at the Arikamedu archaeological site in South India and their linkage to the rough material sourced from the Garibpet Deposit, roughly located 640 km away in Telangana State, east of the city of […]

Gold Fever in Arizona: Searching for Gold in the United States

With its legends of gold seekers and treasure hunters, Arizona is still drawing the gaze of gemmologists and history enthusiasts to this day. Gem sculptor Helen Serras-Herman FGA takes us on a journey to this ‘gold fever’ state. Living in a state where gold in abundance had been discovered in the nineteenth and early twentieth […]

Greenland Ruby: The Mighty Aappaluttoq Arises

With an opulent supply of rubies and pink sapphires, mining company Greenland Ruby is set to become an influential supplier of coloured gemstones. Here, International Women in Mining board member, Deborah Craig FGA DGA, shares her experiences in Greenland. Greenlanders call the buried treasure of blood red rubies and vivid pink sapphires Aappaluttoq or “Big […]

Birthstone Guide: Turquoise For Those Born In December

Beautiful blue turquoise is one of three birthstones for the month of December (in addition to zircon and tanzanite). It is enriched with real cultural significance that can be traced back thousands of years. Here, we explore the blue shades of turquoise and explain what makes this gemstone so special Read more: Zircon from Vietnam […]

Birthstone Guide: Topaz for Those Born in November

Gem-A gemmology tutor Lily Faber FGA DGA EG takes a closer look at topaz, the birthstone of November, and explains why this gem should be high up on your Christmas wish list. For those born in the cold month of November, topaz is a well-known and hopefully well-loved gemstone. For those born during the rest […]

Inclusions Acting as Geological Fingerprints in Yellow Danburite from Vietnam

Guy Lalous ACAM EG summarises an article on inclusions in yellow danburite from Luc Yen, Vietnam, by Le Thi-Thu Huong, Kurt Krenn and Christoph Hauzenberger, originally published in Gem-A’s The Journal of Gemmology. His report also examines optical characterisation of danburite and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Danburite is a calcium borosilicate, CaB2Si2O8, belonging to the orthorhombic crystal system. It is genetically […]

The Role of Fingerprinting Technology in the Fight Against the Ivory Trade

At New Scientist Live, Barbara Kolator B.Sc. M.Sc. FGA DGA EG met with Dr. Leon Barron, senior lecturer in Forensic Science at Kings’ College London about some innovative fingerprinting technology with implications for gemmologists, antique dealers, collectors and wildlife conservationists worldwide. As you may have recently seen in the news, the UK Government intends to ban […]

Graff Diamonds buys 1,109ct Lesedi La Rona Diamond for $53m

The second largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered has been sold privately to Graff Diamonds for a staggering $53 million.  First unearthed by the Lucara Diamond Corporation in the Karowe mine in Botswana, the Type IIa Lesedi La Rona diamond weighs in at 1,109 carats. It was initially put up for auction in June 2016, but […]

Ancient Sapphires and Adventures in Ceylon

Helen Molesworth FGA, managing director of the Gübelin Academy and a professor of the history of jewellery, takes the reader back in time to Seilam, now Sri Lanka. ‘From here…we reach the island of Seilam, which is, for its size, one of the finest islands in the world…This island produces many precious gems, amongst which […]