Power of Gemmology By Prachur Singhal

Introduction Large flawless diamonds from the Golconda region. Rich green emeralds from Colombia. Blood-red rubies from Burma. Only the most visually striking would do, set in the purest gold. For more than 5,000 years, jewelry has played an integral role in the history of India. Wars were fought and empires won and lost in pursuit of these riches. Yet, because of cultural practices, relatively little of the historic jewelry exists, the gems and precious metals repurposed by succeeding generations. The jewels in “Centuries of Opulance: Jewels of India,” which will be on display in Carlsbad until March 2018, are on loan from a private collection and showcase more than 300 years of adornment in India from the 17th to the 20th century, including several from the magnificent Mughal Era (1526–1857).   JOURNEY OF THE GEM Some of our most celebrated diamonds—including the infamous Hope and Koh-i-Noor—originated from India’s famed Golconda mining area. The Indian ari...

Gold is the only metal that is yellow or "golden". Other metals may develop a yellowish color, but only after they have oxidized or reacted with other chemicals. Nearly all of the gold on Earth came from meteorites that bombarded the planet over 200 million years after it formed. The element symbol for gold is Au. The symbol comes from the old Latin name for gold,  aurum , which means "shining dawn" or "glow of sunrise". The word "gold" comes from the Germanic languages, originating from the Proto-Germanic  gulþ  and Proto-Indo-European  ghel , meaning "yellow/green". The pure element has been known since ancient times. Gold is extremely ductile. A single ounce of gold (about 28 grams) can be stretched into a gold thread 5 miles (8 kilometers) long. Gold threads can even be used as embroidery thread. Malleability is a measure of how easily a material can be hammered into thin sheets. Gold is the most malleable element. A single o...

In the spring of 2017, the Gübelin Gem Lab received a yellow pearl necklace for testing. The size and color of the specimens implied that they were South Sea cultured pearls. The high insurance value appeared to confirm this; however, there were some suspicious color patches that suggested the material had been dyed. Only a few months earlier, author LK visited the Hong Kong office of Grace Pearls, a large producer with a pearl farm and factory in China, to see their latest batch of freshwater cultured pearls. Grace Pearls developed a proprietary method to grow large freshwater pearls with bead, marketed as “Edison” pearls. These occur in all the known colors of traditional freshwater pearls, typically white, orange, pink, and purple. To  complement their color range, they also offer yellow and black treated pearls ranging from approximately 12 to 18 mm. The goods we saw at Grace Pearls had a wide range of qualities and prices. The lowest price for a strand of Edison pe...

What are Gemstones? Gemstones are basically rocks or minerals that are cut and polished to enhance their natural beauty. They are of various colors and shapes. Human kind has always been fascinated by gemstones and their beauty. Today, gemstones are used for astronomical as well as ornamental purposes. The beautiful cut, shine, and shapes attract a lot of people from all over the world. Why should you wear gemstones? There are many reasons why you should wear gemstones. Traditionally, they are believed to remove all the negative energies attached to any zodiac sign. There are different gemstones for all zodiac signs, so you can benefit a lot by wearing a gemstone of your zodiac sign. Opal, yellow sapphire, emerald,  ruby , red coral etc are the names of a few gemstones which are said to possess great powers. It is said that they transfer energies to people by body contact and cures many diseases. It is also said that they are bring good luck with them. So if you are havi...

HPHT Synthetic Diamond Melee Without Si or Ni Defects Figure 1. These four near-colorless round brilliant melee were identified as HPHT synthetic diamonds lacking the typical Si- and Ni-related defects.  Near-colorless synthetic diamond melee grown using the high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) method have created significant concern in the industry, and various screening methods have been developed to take into account their most reliable distinguishing features. In general, the specimens described in previous Lab Notes (e.g. Summer 2015, pp. 183–184) were very small round faceted goods ranging between 0.005 and 0.01 ct. Recently GIA’s Bangkok laboratory received four loose near-colorless round brilliants for quality assurance service (figure 1). They weighed between 0.07 and 0.09 ct, slightly more than previously submitted melee. All were identified as type IIb HPHT-grown material using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Their most interesting featur...

The treatment of gemstones is a complex science which has evolved over hundreds of years. The discovery of gems dates back to pre historic period and there are references in Indian Puranas and mythology about various precious Gems those were being amassed and formed part of the treasury of the Emperors. The award for any exemplary achievement either in warfare or in fine arts were rewarded by gifts of precious stones Gems have become affordable and formed the property of common man later, and Gem studded Jewellery is now part of the wardrobe of any modern woman. From time immemorial besides the use of gems for the ornamental purpose its hidden qualities to substitute vital elements of Human body was known. Though believed as the   Magical   properties of these stones they were being used for various ends from reaping riches to remedying the maladies. However it was not until the development of the modern science and chemistry the chemical properties of these natural st...

Treatment WHAT does TREATMENT IN GEMSTONES mean? Treatment on gemstones refers to any human process (other than cutting and polishing) which improves the appearance (colour and clarity) or durability of a gem. Gems are treated in different ways like heating, surface diffusion, glass filling, beryllium diffusion, irradiation, fracture filling etc to alter their appearance. According to a survey done by GIA in 2005 95% ruby and sapphires (blue and yellow) available in the market were treated by heat. In our experience more than 99% rubies and sapphires (blue and yellow) available today are treated in some way or the other. Untreated gemstones are rarest of the rare gemstones as every piece is a unique creation of mother earth formed in thousands of year. Each gem is distinctive and irreplaceable. In fact it is a matter of fortune to find an untreated gemstone of your choice when you want to own one . Identifying whether a gemstone is treated or not needs good gemmological k...

Q.1     What is the difference between Heated/unheated stones? Ans.      During Heating stones are put in furnaces in very high temperature and this alters the internal characteristics of a stone. Natural unheated stones internal characteristics are completely intact as made in earth’s crust for million of years & its colour and luster is completely natural whereas heated stones get their luster and colour artificially through furnaces. Q.2      For astrology purpose why should I wear an unheated, untreated gemstones? Ans.      When astrology evolved there were no treatments of precious stones known to mankind, the stones used were in there most natural form. Q.3      As a layman, how can I be sure that any given stone is natural or heated one? Ans.      It is practically not possible to judge a gemstone through naked eyes. So one should opt for certi...

" Earlier , the depth with which customers thought about their jewelry wasn't much. Now, their wants are very definite. Customization is about high end design, not high price, Customization has percolated down to smaller and lower priced pieces  " There are still people in today's world who want some unusual stuff people who visualize their own designs, aiming to reflect and enhance their own individual style and identity. That's a very niche segment that is where customization really happens  On contradicting the above statement (para) it is really not necessary since in today's era the gold and diamond prices are high there are also people who want a budgeted jewellery ranging between 25,000 to 1.25,000 so that jewellery can also be customized as per the needs of customer. Every one wants to fulfill their desires as everyone to create their own personality in social. we are seeing these days that design is the first impotence...

Moissanite was discovered over 120 years ago by Nobel Prize-winning French chemist, Dr. Henri Moissan. He was looking for crystalline chemical compositions ideal for efficient electrical conductivity. During the search, Dr. Moissan discovered silicon carbide—a remarkable and extremely rare mineral— in a meteorite crater in Arizona. It was then named "moissanite" in his honor. Dr. Moissan spent the remainder of his life trying to recreate his extraordinary finding but never succeeded. In the late 1990s, researchers from the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina developed and patented a process for creating pure silicon carbide (SiC). This was used in the development of diverse products that included semiconductors, LED lighting and extremely hard drilling tools and abrasives. It was then that the vision and innovation of Charles & Colvard—the original creator of moissanite—came to fruition. The process of producing moissanite is lengthy, taking two to three mont...

The word ruby comes from the Latin  rubens   which means red. Rubies are found in shades of red, from rich darkish red to pigeon blood red and pinkish red. The red hue comes from traces of the mineral chromium. Ruby is the birthstone for July. It is also a traditional gift for those celebrating 15th or 40th anniversaries. Rubies are extremely strong, registering 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness. They are as resilient as sapphires and only slightly softer than diamonds. Rubies have been found all over the world, including in Myanmar (formerly Burma), Africa, Australia and the USA. The majority of rubies for sale at Israel-Diamonds originate in Myanmar, Thailand and other locations in Asia. The most precious rubies are those with a full, rich red color with just a hint of blue tones. Originally, the finest rubies were mined in Myanmar and it is from there that the term   Burmese ruby   began to describe the finest rubies. Almost all rubies have flaws. Rubies without im...

WHERE DOES THE WORD EMERALD COME FROM: When I did some research, most sources said it came from the ancient Greek word for green: smaragdus. But some speak about the origins in the Semitic languages (origins in Afro-asiatic language family, today the biggest Semitic languages are Arabic, Amharic, Tigrinya, Hebrew and Maltese) Faberge and Gemfields, created this fairtrade necklace called  ....the Romanov collier LET’S START FIRST WITH SOME FACTS BEFORE GOING TO MYTHS AND STORIES! Emerald is found and mined in many places around the globe. Most famous, perhaps, are the mines in Colombia. Other countries are f.e. Zambia, Afghanistan and Brazil. Emerald is always green. The deeper the color, the more valuable the stone. Piaget Emerald and diamond ring, Moksh Zambian emerald and diamond earrings, stunning necklace by  Narayan Jewellers Emerald has always some inclusions. If it’s without any inclusion, it’s more likely to be a synthetic version. Emerald is tre...

The Chinese retail market has been cooling off, but  jade  mining in the Kachin province of Myanmar has been on the increase, causing a massive inventory buildup, according to a report by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation of Harvard University. The report is based on information from government sources and traders in Hpakant, Kachin province, the 30-square-mile source for nearly all jadeite. The authors noted that production began to expand in 2015 and jade dealers in Hong Kong corroborated the report’s observation of large and growing stockpiles of the gem in warehouses near the Myanmar border and dealers’ safes. It does not estimate the size of jade stocks, but interviews with others involved in or monitoring the jade trade agree it is extremely large. “If China wanted to whittle down their stockpiles, they probably could do without (newly produced) jade for five to 10 years,” said one Myanmar-based official with close connections to dealers and the go...