Amethyst and the Four Peaks Mine
While this is an article about a recent visit to the Four Peaks amethyst mine in Arizona, it is also about amethyst in general. The February birthstone is one of few purple gems that consumers…
Featured ArticlesEleventh Annual Sinkankas Symposium Ruby
Dr. George Harlow, curator of minerals and gems at the American Museum of Natural History, New York explained the mineralogy and the geochemistry of the Mogok metamorphic belt. Mogok has been the source of fine…
Featured ArticlesThe Black Gem Challenge
Black stones have been in vogue for some time even sold as loose stones on the TV or Internet. See figure 1. While originally these may have been black diamonds set in expensive jewelry, we…
Featured ArticlesBlack Opal from Lightning Ridge, Australia
The best known localities for precious opal have long been Australia, although, among others, Mexico, several states in the west of the USA and Slovakia have yielded precious opal over the years. Only recently a…
Featured ArticlesIn The Land of Zultanite
The Milenyum Diaspore mine is the world’s only known deposit of gem quality Diaspore. The mineral diaspore is mined in many locations around the world, but no other are currently known that produce this beautiful…
Featured ArticlesGIT 3rd International Gem and Jewelry Conference
Thailand has been known as the center of colored stone trading for decades. Gem trading not only has a prominent role in Thailand’s economy but also influences the world gem and jewelry market. The Gem and…
Featured ArticlesPost-Conference Excursion to Ruby Mines in Thailand and Cambodia
Following the GIT Conference in Bangkok, a three day excursion visited legendary ruby mines in Chantaburi, Thailand and Pailin, Cambodia. This truly unforgettable experience of covering two countries within three days was a rare opportunity not…
Featured ArticlesThe Colors of Corundum
Transparent colored gemstones are loved for their beautiful colors. How they absorb the visible light that passes through them determines their color (Figure 1). The study of light absorption by materials is called spectroscopy. Because…
Featured ArticlesGem-A Conference 2012
London played host to a number of impressive events this year and the Gem-A 2012 conference with record attendance and delegates from over 20 countries, was no exception. Held in conjunction with the annual graduation…
Featured ArticlesWorld of Gems Conference III
2012 was a great year for conferences. Gemworld was pleased to contribute to that with our third conference. Following a tradition that we started in 2008, every two years we are host to our own…
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