In the course of my 40+ year career in gemology, many gemstones have crossed my desk but rarely are they so special that they take your breath away. In the last year, this happened twice. The first time was with a 24 ct unheated padparadscha sapphire in a private collection.
Gem NotesSapphirine is a mineral species, magnesium aluminum silicate. Sapphirine. Gemworld's Gem Note
Gem NotesWhat’s in a name? There are many instances in our industry where multiple names for the same gem exist either through trade names or color descriptions to make things “simple.” A few examples are tsavorite…
Gem NotesINTRODUCTION Diaspore is a mineral species with the formula, AlO(OH). It was first discovered in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia (the type locality) in 1801. Since the initial discovery, diaspore has been found in numerous localities around the…
Featured Articles“Peach” is among the most desirable colors for gemstones. Whether it is sapphire, morganite or garnet…peach is hot! The Pantone Color of the Year for 2019 is “Living Coral” so the color peach is even…
Gem NotesINTRODUCTION Johachidolite is a very rare mineral of a borate group. Thismineral was first discovered by Japanese scientists E. Iwase and N. Saito in 1942 in the territory of occupiedKorea, in a place that in the…
Gem NotesZircon is a well-known gemstone that is available in a variety of colors from many worldwide locations. Not very well-known is the variety known as tenebrescent zircon. Tenebrescence, also known as reversible photochromism, is defined as…
Gem NotesMaxixe (pronounced mah-she-she) beryl is not frequently seen in the market but when it does occasionally surface, it can cause a bit of confusion. It is a distinct variety of beryl that is commonly mistaken…
Gem Notes