The People's Republic of China has recently placed a high priority on identifying and developing its gemstone resources. Initial exploration by teams of geologists throughout China has identified many ...

The September birthstone is sapphire – a gem that’s been cherished for thousands of years. Although the term sapphire usually refers to the blue variety of corundum (ruby is the red variety), this ...

Surface-treated topaz has become a viable alternative to topaz colored by irradiation. Unlike irradiation, which modifies the entire gemstone, coloration by chemical modification is limited to the ...

Synthetic diamond growth was first documented in 1952 by William Eversole of the Union Carbide Corporation, but it took another two decades before GIA issued the first grading report for a ...

The Chinese have labored to perfect the art of gemstone carving for several thousand years. Beginning with primitive tools and limited materials, they eventually developed the iron-tipped spindles and ...

Demantoid, green andradite garnet, was discovered in the Central Ural Mountains of Russia in the mid-19th century. A favorite of the Czar's court, demantoid was another victim of the 1917 Bolshevik ...

CARLSBAD, Calif. – November 4, 2024 – The GIA laboratory in Ramat Gan, Israel, will end operations by the end of 2024 due to changes in the global diamond industry that resulted in significant ...

Large quantities of rubies—both rough and faceted—from a commercially important new source in Myanmar (Burma) have been available on the Bangkok market since 1992. The ruby crystals from the Mong Hsu ...

Copper-bearing tourmaline from Mozambique was first recovered in 2001, but its Cu content was not recognized until 2003, and it was not widely sold with its Mozambique origin disclosed until 2005. It ...

Akoya pearls are the small white pearls that most people picture when they think of pearls. They are saltwater pearls, and are usually round and white or cream, with a pink overtone and high luster.

Since late 2007, rubies and sapphires have been mined by hand methods from both eluvial and primary deposits at Winza in central Tanzania. The gem corundum is related to “dikes” of amphibolitic rocks ...

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