Recently the author examined a 0.95 ct diamond with a special note. It only took one and a half beats to discover a dark crystal with a straight stress cleavage crack shaped like a dotted quarter note ...

Figure 1. This gold ring with a phoenix motif features a Neyshabur turquoise (13 × 17 mm), with a 0.02 ct ruby on each side and diamond accents. Courtesy of Taktala Jewelry, Tehran. Turquoise is an ...

In November 2022, a parcel of 24 approximately 0.5–1.2 ct spinel crystals, described as cobalt-diffused, were obtained directly from a treater by the research team at GIA in Bangkok. Of these, seven ...

Figure 1. Corundum is an example of a negative uniaxial mineral. This ruby crystal in matrix from Mogok, Myanmar, is approximately 6.15 cm in length. The cut gem is a 3.22 ct unheated ruby, also from ...

Carbon is one of the most important elements on our planet, which led the Geological Society of London to name 2019 the Year of Carbon. Diamonds are a main host for carbon in the deep earth and also ...

Descending into Peshawar for the first time, a foreign tourist might be surprised to learn that amid the clutter of buildings in this historical city lies an important gem trading center. This market ...

Diamonds are the most amazing of gems. Just as amazing, however, is how natural diamonds reach Earth’s surface. Diamonds are formed 150 to 700 km deep in Earth, and are then carried upward in a rare ...

Diamonds have a long history as a premier gemstone—a natural consequence of their beauty, rarity, and superlative physical properties such as extreme hardness. Diamonds that are mined for use as ...

Two specimens of faceted crystalized carbon - both are crystal clear and give off a kaleidoscope of spectral colors in direct light. They appear to be identical. One, however, is a billion or more ...

Figure 1. Five loose “Edison” Chinese freshwater cultured pearls (11–14 mm) surrounded by a 17-inch necklace featuring variously colored round Edison pearls (10.5–13.5 mm). Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA, ...

Gem inclusions are mineral crystals or cavities filled with fluid and/or gas that occur in a host gemstone. Many gems contain microscopic inclusions (ranging in size from >1 mm down to submicroscopic ...

The mantle below the oldest crustal rocks of Earth’s continents has been attached to the crust since the time the crust formed. This fact is known from isotopic age dating, and it generally means that ...