The following article is reproduced without alteration from the lab notes of Gems and Gemology, the quarterly scholarly journal of GIA, as excerpted from GIA Insider. Volume 9, Issue 21.
Phenakite as a Rough Diamond Imitation
The GIA Laboratory regularly receives near-colorless transparent crystals, pieces of rough or fragments for identification, often because they were sold as [...]
Archive for the ‘research’ Category
Current News at the GIA Lab: Rough Identification.
Posted in News, gemology, research on October 30, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
US Demand For Diamonds Slow This Fall: An Analysis of How Everything Is Going Wrong.
Posted in News, business, gemology, personal, research on September 21, 2007 | 1 Comment »
Oh boy… Where to begin… The recent GIA newsletter was not encouraging. Perhaps we should start by taking a look at how overzealous De Beers DTC sightholders tried to impress daddy earlier this year by buying up rough at insane prices to make themselves look better. Or perhaps we should look at how [...]
Crisis in Thailand: Unstable Treated Topaz Sales Continue
Posted in News, business, gemology, personal, research, science on September 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Before I go into a long tirade about this, let’s first examine the last major Thailand scam…
The last time the gem world was rocked by dishonest Thai dealers using atrocious practices targeted corundum, specifically sapphires which were subjected to beryllium diffusion. Beryllium diffused sapphires were released like the Great Flood upon the market into [...]
Ethics and the Appraisal…. Part II
Posted in business, gemology, research on April 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Last week on Palmetto Gemology, I began to establish a working foundation from which to further build this series. I hope that I have made it easier to understand how appraisals can vary so much due to the room for human error or differences of opinions.
This week I would like to focus on explaining [...]
Ethics and the Appraisal…. Part I
Posted in business, gemology, research on April 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Wow, what a touchy subject… the valuation process of what a gem is actually worth right? Think again… The term appraisal means different things to different people, depending on their perspective to a particular matter at hand. There are three contestants in the game of appraising gemstones: the appraiser, the owner of [...]
HPHT Natural Diamonds… Where’s the Controversy?
Posted in gemology, research, science on April 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
From my personal perspective HPHT is a four letter word. The acronym HPHT stands for High Pressure – High Temperature, and refers to an artificial process that some diamonds are subjected to in order to “reinstate their natural beauty”. Certain companies such as General Electric, have found an efficient process of turning natural [...]
GIA Begins Certification of Emerald Origins
Posted in News, business, gemology, research on April 4, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
In the 76 year history of the Gemological Institute of America, it has never before certified the origin of any gemstone. The folks at GIA now offer origin reports on emeralds submitted to the process. The primary focus of the process, is to make the distinction in the market between emeralds originating from [...]
Wired Magazine on Lab Created Diamonds
Posted in News, business, gemology, research, science on April 1, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
In September of 2003, around the timeframe of the ratification of the Kimberly Process by the United Nations, Wired Magazine (article is found here) decided to properly cover a blossoming area of the gemological field: lab created diamonds. They are not similar to diamonds… they are diamonds, both chemically and physically. Historically, Russian [...]
Bixbite vs. Pezzottaite: The Madagascar Connection?
Posted in gemology, research on March 24, 2007 | 1 Comment »
One of my friends asked me back in December what I knew about a recently discovered red beryl (bixbite) deposit found in 2003 in Madagascar. He showed me a pinkish-purplish oval faceted stone that he claimed was the new bixbite material. Stop…right now… sorry for those who hate spoilers early on, but there [...]
A work in progress…
Posted in business, gemology, research, science on March 10, 2007 | Comments Off
It will take me some time to gather my thoughts on how best to assemble this site to the benefit of all its intended viewers. Whether you are a broker or collector, the goal of this site is to focus on our commonality, and in turn further advance our knowledge and appreciation for our [...]
