Synthetic moissanite is much closer to diamond in overall appearance and heft than any previous diamond imitation; this article reports on how to identify and characterize it.

The history of Baja California has been closely tied to the exploitation of pearls since the 16th century.

Eight decades after the Cullinan diamond was mined, a team of gemologists examined the two famous gems that were created from it to become part of the Crown Jewels of England.

The island of Borneo is one of the oldest known —and least reported on—sources of diamonds. Although diamond mining historically was concentrated in the western area of what is now Kalimantan, recent ...

The distinction of natural from cultured pearls traditionally has been based on X-radiography. X-ray computed microtomography (μ-CT) has recently been applied to gain more insight into pearl ...

Field Report Gems & Gemology, Fall 2016, Vol. 52, No. 3 Bead-Cultured and Non-Bead-Cultured Pearls from Lombok, Indonesia Nicholas Sturman, Jeffery Bergman, Julie Poli, Artitaya Homkrajae, Areeya ...

With the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, villagers in the Panjshir Valley are turning their attention to the emerald riches of the nearby Hindu Kush Mountains.

This article presents information about the CVD process, the history of its development, and properties that differentiate the resulting synthetic crystals from natural diamond.

With the increasing use of radiation to color enhance gemstones, the issue of radioactivity has become a source of concern for gemologists worldwide.

Political upheavals and technological advances, as well as changes in social and governmental attitudes and initiatives, have produced major and ongoing changes in the diamond industry.

This study investigated the effectiveness of a handheld magnet in detecting synthetic diamonds. A total of 104 synthetic diamonds from nine different manufacturing sources were tested. Of the ...

A chemical and spectroscopic comparison of two purple gem spinel samples, one of them the first reported example of a spinel with a saturated purple color caused predominantly by chromium and cobalt.