InColor

Spring/Summer
2020 Issue 46

All About Colored Gemstones

Evolution of the
Colored Gems
& Jewelry
Industry
Updates and
Challenges

A Publication of the International Colored Gemstone Association 1

2 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org
 InColor

Introducing Notable Gems™

This curated collection features gems cut for maximum
beauty and color impact. The selection includes excellent
cuts and makes, unusual shapes, large sizes, and unique,
breathtaking stones such as our new multicolor Tourmalines.
Notable Gems includes a number of our Earth to Market™
gemstones with known origins to give you and your
customers peace of mind.

To learn more visit

Stuller.com/NotableGems and
Stuller.com/EarthtoMarket.

Stuller.com
800 877 7777

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 3

 Contents
8

In Side 54

Editor’s Note
5 Evolving into a New World –
The COVID-19 Effect Accelerator

ICA Report
6 Activities of ICA and Its Members
106
Industry News
8 A Look At What’s Making News in the
Colored Gemstone and Jewelry Industry

"Ice Angel," a co-creation of designer Paula
Feature Stories – Evolving Industry Crevoshay and Glenn Lehrer, features a 194.19-ct
14 Evolution of the Study of Gem Deposit Geology natural aquamarine, faceted with Glenn Lehrer’s
20 The Colored Gemstone Mining Industry in Africa – “Waffle Cut” and “TorusRing™Gemcut,” adorned
with 36 diamonds, 0.79 ctw; 0.41-ct natural
25 Years of Evolution sapphire; 61 zircons, 4.94 ctw.; one 2.50-ct
29 Mine to Market – Evolution of the Rough Trade pear-shape aquamarine; one 6.05-ct fan-shape
92 36 Field Gemology – The Evolution of Data Collection checkerboard-cut moonstone; in a gold
setting. (Photo: Orasa Weldon)
44 The Evolution of Pricing & Value of Gems and Jewelry
54 The Evolution of the Lapidary Tradition
58 The Lapidary Revolution InColor
62 The Journey of Ethics ‒ A Review of Responsible Sourcing InColor is the official publication
14
of the International Colored
Developments in the Gem Sector Gemstone Association, ICA.
70 Marketing Gems & Jewelry – From Past to Present and Beyond InColor Editorial Committee
76 Education in Gemology – A Historical Review Chairman: Clement Sabbagh
82 Pearls – Evolution in the Sector, Production and Technology Members
Ioannis Alexandris
Saurabh Bansal
Jewelry Design Damien Cody
86 The Growing Attraction of Things Old Rui Galopim de Carvalho
Jean Claude Michelou
92 Jewelry As Art – The MAD Galerie Des Bijoux Gary Roskin
96 Fine Jewelry Continues to Evolve Chen Shen
Editor-in-Chief
Trade Shows Jean Claude Michelou
106 Treasures in Tucson Managing Editor/Art Director
Cynthia Unninayar
To Advertise in InColor
The Penultimate Page Cecilia Echeverri, Manager,
86 Communications & Marketing
111 Showcasing Colored Gems [email protected]
in Jewelry T: 1.212.620.0900
96 F: 1.212.352.9054
Disclaimer/Copyright
58 Contents of InColor are subject to copy-
right. No part of this publication may
be reproduced in any manner with-
out prior permission of the publisher.
InColor makes every effort to ensure the
accuracy of the information it publishes.
Opinions expressed in the magazine are
the sole responsibility of the authors.
29
4 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org
Editor’s Note InColor

Evolving into a New World:

The COVID-19 Effect Accelerator
While rebounding from the 2008 world financial crisis, the
past decade showed constant recovery and strong growth.
Nevertheless, the shock wave of that sudden recession accel-
erated changes in the population mindset. New consumers and
President potential gem and jewelry buyers from the Millennial genera-
Clement Sabbagh, Brazil tion have grown into a very important segment of the economy,
Vice Presidents bringing new behavior patterns and increased consciousness
Henry Ho, Thailand related to their purchases.
Warren Boyd, Canada The market share of jewelry retail stores has been decreasing
over the past couple of years. Traffic and sales have increasing-
Treasurer
ly come from independent designers and vertically integrated gems and jewelry businesses.
Duncan Mclauchlan, UK
New operators with digital marketing skills are now occupying more and more space in the
Secretary colored gems and jewelry sphere. They design and manufacture either in-house or with man-
Altaf Iqbal, Sri Lanka ufacturing facilities near or far. There is visibility in the whole process—they tell consumers
Board of Directors who they are and how they work. They brand themselves, gaining access to their targeted
Ioannis Alexandris, Germany audience through social media and online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn,
Gabriel Angarita, Colombia Pinterest, etc.
Peeyush Bader, India With digital marketing and online sales on the rise, consumer confidence has become
Saurabh Bansal, Germany more crucial than ever. One of the major elements is educating new operators and con-
Daniel Bronfen, Brazil sumers alike. Development of short-course online education on nearly every level—from
Evan Caplan, USA basic gemology to more practical education, including identification of rough, gem trading,
Rocco Gay, Italy management, and lapidary—are popping up worldwide from new and established initiatives.
Sushil Goyal, USA In parallel with the novel coronavirus lockdown, digital business driven by online retail plat-
Shahina Hatta, Hong Kong forms has increased dramatically. Digital networking and distance conferencing have also
Dwarka D.P. Khandelwal, India exploded through myriad online events, sometimes with irregular results and performance.
Phuket Khunaprapakorn, Thailand Webinars have created new branding opportunities for industry associations as well as for
Masaru Mizumura, Japan individuals. In China, for example, there has been an aggressive campaign for consumer
Alice Muthama, Kenya education and awareness of supply chains, including gem origin, mining, manufacturing,
Pearl Ng, Hong Kong and the creation of a sense of value for gems and jewelry products, with the goal of growing
Kobi Sevdermish, Israel the colored gems and jewelry consumer base. Raising consumer confidence also means
Captain Ramji Sharma, Japan increasing the number and quality of gem lab reports and the perception of ethical practices
Chen Shen, China through recognized certification schemes.
Mark Tremonti, Australia Over the last few years, there has been a decline in trade show traffic along with too many
venues around the globe in a calendar year. Adjusting to these trends, luxury and other
Advisors brands have successfully developed private closed-door events in their best wealthy markets
Damien Cody, Australia such as Beijing, Dubai, Houston, Tokyo, and others. Finally, The coronavirus pandemic has
Marcelo Ribeiro, Brazil forced the cancellation of all major events, with no clear vision for their future.
Santpal Sinchawla, Thailand In addition to a product’s intrinsic value, increasing numbers of consumers around the
Immediate Past President world consider responsible sourcing and ethical behavior, including certification, as a large
Benjamin Hackman, USA part of the value-add in gems and jewelry. Luxury jewelry brands provide all of these value
components—design, quality of stones and ethical guarantees.
Chief Executive Officer The COVID-19 pandemic has created financial turmoil and likely recessions in many econ-
Gary Roskin omies around the globe. In these troubled times, we often see that the wealthy will look to
ICA General Manager diversify out of some of their stocks and cash into exceptional gems and fine jewelry items.
Claudiu Margarit As a consequence, the already fast-growing segments of antique and vintage jewelry, excep-
tional gems, and signed/branded high jewelry are attracting the astute buyer looking to avoid
ICA New York Office the volatility of the stock and cash markets.
31 W. 47th Street, Suite 1103 Successful examples of virtual auctions are adding of the new race that has started be-
New York, NY 10036 USA tween well-to-do private collectors and luxury houses that are buying back their own vintage
[email protected] high jewelry pieces to build up their heritage collections.
T: 1.212.620.0900 As the retail jewelry sector unlocks its doors, we will see a new world. The world is chang-
F: 1.212.352.9054 ing, and we must adapt to the new normal as the gems and jewelry sector evolves in unprec-
ICA Hong Kong Office edented ways. Forced by the pandemic, the most serious adjustments are yet to come, but
Unit 1778, 17/F they will undoubtedly also open new opportunities. With new times will come new ways of
Silvercord Tower 2 thinking and doing business. One thing that won’t change, however, is that color will always
30 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui be in life and life will always be in color.
Hong Kong, China
T: 852.5520.6609 Jean Claude Michelou
Editor-in-Chief
International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 5
ICA Report

THE ICA REPORT

Activities of ICA Members Around the World

ICA Members at Inhorgenta Munich ICA Hosts GILC in Tucson

The Inhorgenta Munich show, this past February, The GILC (Gemstone Industry & Laboratory Conference) is
was reported to have been a busy event according to the organized by the ICA and offers the opportunity for industry
ICA Ambassador to Germany, Claudia Hamann. Despite the peers to discuss worldwide gemstone issues such as ethical
early fears of the coronavirus, she stated that the fair was practices, nomenclature, consumer confidence, terminology
well attended and that customers seemed to be in the mood and accurate use of laboratories for certification and grading
to buy stones, especially those in this year's fashion colors. purposes.
Numerous customers, especially those from Switzerland, The 2020 edition, held during the February Tucson gem
Austria, Italy, Belgium and Holland, visited the show, as well shows, featured a selective range of speakers, including
as buyers from other European countries. Guillermo Galvis, President of ACODES (Bogota, Colom-
The ICA reception, held Saturday evening at the Kaefer bia), who gave an Update on Emerald Harmonization; Shane
Tagesbar, provided an opportunity to gather together a net-
McClure, GIA Global Director of Gem Identification Ser-
work of gemstone companies and ICA members, who were
vices (Carlsbad, California), who discussed Color Stability
able to enjoy delicious snacks and drinks.
Issues for Padparadscha, Yellow Sapphires, and Other
Stefanie Maendlein, Inhorgenta's managing director,
Gems; Chris Smith, AGL President and Chief Gemologist
opened the reception's activities with her impressions of the
ICA Congress in Bangkok. This was followed by Saurabh (New York, New York), who offered a detailed Introduction to
Bansal, ICA director from Germany, who provided a short the Color Codex System, a non-commercial nomenclature to
explanation of ICA's new Accredited Ethical Member (AEM) describe a gem’s color; and Dr. Michael Krzemnicki, Director
procedure. Hamann also presented a video to introduce of SSEF, Basel, Switzerland, whose topic was on the Har-
Gems Keep Giving, the ICA's charitable fund for colored monization of Color Varieties in Gems, as well as a number
gemstone artisanal miners, with the goal of driving change of other gem experts who gave their views on a variety of
and opportunities through sustainable projects. topics.
The evening continued with lively discussions, from gem- All the presentations were well-received by the attendees
ological terminology to the current business situation. ■ and a very spirited discussion ensued. The structure and for-
mat of the GILC allows for everyone in the room to express
their opinions in hopes of finding solutions to their concerns.
Conversations with the leading professional gem laboratory
gemologists always makes for an informative and lively dis-
cussion, and the 2020 edition of the GILC was no different. ■

Left to right: Stefanie Maendlein, Inhorgenta's managing

director, Saurabh Bansal, ICA Director from Germany, and
Claudia Hamann, ICA Ambassador to Germany at the ICA Attendees listen with great interest to the speakers at
Reception at Inhorgenta. (Photo: ICA) GILC in Tucson, February 2020. (Photo: ICA)

6 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

ICA February Tucson Reception Hosted

by 2021 Shenzhen Congress
The ICA Tucson Reception was the scene of an enter- "Shenzhen offers not only a fabulous venue for the 2021
taining evening where about 400 members, family and friends ICA Congress, but it also places all of us in the most repre-
got together to learn about the 2021 ICA Congress to be held in sentative city in the world's most important jewelry industry!
Shenzhen China. Highlights of the reception included spectac- The Greater Bay Area with Shenzhen at its heart, represents
ular Chinese lion and dragon dances, performed by profession- a premier city of culture and innovation," adds a Congress
al dance instructors from the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center. spokesperson. "ICA brings the world's colored gemstone
The Theme for the 2021 ICA Congress Shenzhen China is members together to convey the enthusiasm of the world,
World’s Colors Glitter in China, which aptly represents not only
the vitality and synergy of industry, city and market, and de-
the colored gemstones of various countries in the world, but
fine the essence of Glitter in China."
also speaks to the culture of treasures around the globe.
More information about the 2021 ICA Congress Shenzhen
China has a population of 1.4 billion, but only 100 million jew-
elry buying consumers. Penetrating the huge market in China
China can be found at: ICACongress2020.com. ■
reflects the industry’s prospect of a jewelry world, a Chinese
dream, according to the organizers.

To celebrate the 2021 ICA Congress Shenzhen, the

ICA reception in Tucson, February 2020, featured
Chinese lion and dragon dances, performed by
dancers from the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center.
(Photos: ICA)

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 7

In The News

IN THE NEWS
A look at what’s making news in the
colored gemstone and jewelry industry.

Dutrowite ‒ The Newest Species of Tourmaline

Dutrowite, a newly discovered mineral species of the
tourmaline group, is the namesake of GIA (Gemological
Institute of America) Governor Barbara L. Dutrow, Ph.D.
Discovered in the Apuan Alps of Tuscany, Italy, this unique
mineral, now recognized by the International Mineralogical
Association, formed from the compression and heating of a
volcanic rock called rhyolite.
The researchers from Austria, Italy and Sweden, who dis-
covered dutrowite named the mineral after Dutrow in rec-
ognition of her many contributions to mineral sciences and
crystal chemistry, and particularly for her well-known and
comprehensive research into tourmaline and its embed-
ded geologic information. Of the 34 tourmaline species of
gems, dutrowite is the first species named after a woman.
“Gems, and especially minerals, have been my life’s pas-
sion. It is tremendously gratifying to receive this honor,”
said Dutrow. “Discoveries such as this show us that there
is still much to learn about our Earth and its many minerals The new species of tourmaline is named "Dutrowite"
and the geologic information they contain.” in honor of Barbara Dutrow. (Photo: GIA)
Dutrow is the Gerald Cire and Lena Grand Williams
Alumni Professor in the Department of Geology and Geo-
physics at Louisiana State University (LSU). Her teaching
and research have focused on mineralogy, petrology, geo-
chemistry, and computational modeling and visualization
for more than 25 years.
She has authored and co-authored many publications,
including her textbook Manual of Mineral Science, a world-
wide standard and reference for the study of minerals,
which is now in its 23rd edition. Dutrow earned her master’s
degree and Ph.D. in geological sciences from Southern
Methodist University in Texas. She joined the GIA Board of
Governors in November 2016.
“On behalf of the Institute, we congratulate Barbara on
this exceptional honor and recognition of her many contri-
butions and achievements,” said Susan Jacques, GIA pres-
ident and CEO. “Barbara is a significant contributor to our
Board given her research and scientific expertise, as well
as her focus on the student experience from her higher ed-
ucation background.” ■
Professor and researcher
Barbara Dutrow. (Photo: GIA)

8 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

Mercury-Free Mining Challenge

Announces Positive Field Results for
Gold-Separation Tests
Mercury-Free Mining, a nonprofit dedicated to elimi-
nating the use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold
mining, announced that field tests of Goldrop, a mercu-
ry-free gold separation process, proved positive enough to
merit further testing and refinement. The testing took place
among small-scale miners in Ghana, West Africa.
The Goldrop process offers hope for a safe alternative to
toxic mercury, used by 15 million artisanal and small-scale
gold miners around the world to separate gold particles
from their surrounding mineral ore. Most of these miners,
located in developing countries, depend on gold mining to
survive. They rely on mercury as their access to a mar-
ginally efficient and affordable means to improve their gold
separation effectiveness.
Mercury is a potent, permanent toxin that can irreparably
poison the human body, causing neurological disorders,
birth defects, and a multitude of other illnesses. Along with Experts from the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale
Miners (GNASSM) demonstrate and explain to gold
harm to miners and their communities, mercury enters into miners at the Tarkwa hard rock mine in Ghana about the
the atmosphere and moves downstream from mining areas GOLDROP machine and process, during an
through rivers, into the ocean, and into marine life. As an on-site test of the method in January 2020.
environmental contaminant, mercury is also exceedingly (Photo: Mercury-Free Mining)
difficult to remove.
The Ghanaian Goldrop field test project participants in- The Goldrop method had previously been tested by North
cluded: Mercury Free Mining; the Ghana National Associ- American gold mining prospectors, who said the proces-
ation of Small-Scale Miners (GNASSM); and Sluice Goose sor is significantly more efficient than traditional gold pan-
Industries, Inc., the creator of the Goldrop gold separating ning, which often uses mercury to separate gold from other
processor. heavy minerals, according to John Richmond, the inventor
With the first tests producing positive results, Ghanaian of the process.
technical experts now propose a visit to the Goldrop factory Goldrop uses elutriation technology instead of mercury,
in Oregon to refine its effectiveness on various hard-rock which is a process for separating particles based on their
and alluvial-ore matrix concentrates commonly seen at the size, shape, and density. It flows gas or liquid in a direction
country’s small mining sites. “We will further test and help opposite to the direction of sedimentation to achieve gold
refine [Goldrop’s] effectiveness on these concentrates, separation.
which we will provide,” says GNASSM Technical Director “Mercury Free Mining’s mission helps to protect the integ-
Festus Adomako Kusi, who is a mineral engineer. rity of the gold supply chain, which is vital to ensuring the
The proposed team members to visit are: Kusi; Ismel public’s trust in our precious products,” says Bill Boyajian,
Quaicoe, a lecturer at the University of Mines and Tech- chairman of the nonprofit’s board. “But more than anything
nology, Tarkwa, Ghana; and Peter Osei, a geologist and else, we must eradicate the use of mercury from polluting
member of the GNASSM technical team. our waters and the very air we breathe in order to protect all
“The Mercury Free Mining board of directors and I are life on our planet. Please join us in this critical effort.”
enthusiastic about GNASSM’s endorsement of the Goldrop Founded in 2017, Mercury Free Mining is a 501(c)(3)
processor. We’re also encouraged by GNASSM’s commit- tax-exempt non-profit whose purpose is to eradicate the
ment to help refine the process,” says Executive Director use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining
Toby Pomeroy, who traveled to Ghana in West Africa in (ASGM) and to ensure the public trust in the jewelry indus-
January at the invitation of GNASSM, to observe the test- try gold supply chain.
ing of the Goldrop method on-site at four small-scale gold To learn more or make a donation to this industry-wide
mining operations. initiative, visit https://www.mercuryfreemining.org/. ■

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 9

In The News

IN THE NEWS
A look at what’s making news in the
colored gemstone and jewelry industry.

From Mars, the Moon, and Beyond to Maine

The Maine Mineral & Gem Museum opened

recently in the small town of Bethel, in the heart of
Maine's tourmaline mining area. Years in the making,
the 15,000-square-foot world-class museum has been
designed for the 21st century to bring geology to life with
state-of-the-art interactive technology and thousands of
gemstones and minerals.
It also houses one of the world’s foremost collections of ex-
traterrestrial rocks—meteorites from Mars, the Moon and the
Asteroid Belt, as well as some 400 mining artifacts, 250 fossils
and several pieces of jewelry. One of the remarkable displays
is the famous Perham Collection, an extensive mineral collec-
tion, which has been viewed by generations in a local mineral
store that operated for 90 years. It celebrates the life of Frank
Perham, one of the most experienced and respected peg-
matite miners working in western Maine.
Among other highlights is the Arthur M. Hussey Memo-
rial Rock Garden that introduces Maine’s geology with 22
amazing geological specimens hand-selected from around
the state. Each specimen has an interesting story to tell and Photos clockwise from top:
access to this exhibit is available 24/7. Front view of the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum. (Photo: MMGM)
The museum was founded by Larry Stifler and Mary Mc- Beryl (aquamarine). 13.5 cm tall. William Willes #1 Quarry, Top-
Fadden, a Massachusetts couple who were enamored with sham, Sagadahoc County, Maine. (Photo: Mark Mauthner)
the area’s rich mineral mining history and began collecting all Rose of Maine beryl (morganite). 157.85 cts. Bennett Quarry, Oxford
manner of rocks, from precious gems to meteorites. Some of County, Maine. Cut by Sean P. Sweeney. (Photo: Mark Mauthner)
the remarkable gem and mineral specimens are featured on Elbaite. Left: 2.9 cm tall; right: 3.2 cm across. Mount Rubellite Quar-
this page. (mainemineralmuseum.org) ■ ries, Hebron, Oxford County, Maine. (Photo: Mark Mauthner)
10 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org
 InColor

The Association
In Memoriam Française de Gemmologie
Didier Giard Elects New President and
(1951-2020) Board of Directors
The Association Française de Gemmologie
(AFG, the French Association of Gemmology) elected its new
president and board of directors on June 24, 2020.
Olivier Segura was tapped for the presidency, while Dr.
Emmanuel Fritsch was elected vice president. Prominent
new board members include: Dr. Eloise Gaillou, curator of the
Paris Museum of Mineralogy and former associate curator of
the Mineral Sciences department at the Los Angeles Natural
History Museum; Dr. Laurent Massi, co-founder and direc-
tor of the French Swiss Gem Academy and the AGAT gem-
ological school in Nice, France; Aurelien Delaunay, director
of LFG Master Planetary Geoscience, University of Nantes,
DUG University of Nantes (University Diploma of Gemology).
Segura holds an M.Sc. in biology and a Master's Degree in
Marketing and Communications as well as a GG from GIA.
He was director of the LFG French gemological laboratory
from 2015 - 2018 and is currently scientific director of the Van
Cleef & Arpels-supported School of Jewelry Arts (l'ECOLE).
"I am delighted to take the position of president of the
French Gemological Association (AFG)," says Segura. "This
is a natural prolongation of my commitment to the world of
gemology, gems, and jewelry as well as my ongoing mis-
Didier Giard, president of the Association Française de sions at L'ECOLE, School of Jewelry Arts supported by Van
Gemmologie, AFG (French Association of Gemmology), Cleef & Arpels. I am convinced that, thanks to the synergies
passed away on May 3. 2020. He went into the hospital for of all members and thanks to the commitment of the board
what was thought to be a minor operation, but his condition of directors, we will make it possible to continue the actions
deteriorated and he died three-days later. of the late Didier Giard to develop the knowledge of gems,
Didier had a long and illustrious career in many facets of gemology, and jewelry arts, to contribute to gem research, to
the jewelry and gem industry. After studies in business and help teaching programs, and to develop information on gem-
jewelry, he took over the family business, which was started stones. I am convinced that knowledge must be shared by
in 1887 by his great grandfather, Emile Giard. During this the greatest number of people and that the strength of our
time, Didier developed a taste for gemology and began sell- association will be to address the public by bringing together
ing fine gemstones and pearls. the actors in the sector, from scientist to student, from jewelry
In 1997, he became president of the French Association shop to international brand, from neophyte to expert." ■
of Gemmology and brought visibility to the history of gem-
stones and the concept of ethics in mining and manufacture.
He also organized trips to the mines and markets in gem-
producing areas around the world, and traveled personally
to more than 80 countries. Olivier Segura takes on
Among a number of other industry roles, Didier was a
the role of president of
the French Association of
vice president of the French Union of Jewelry, Silverware, Gemmology.
Stones & Pearls, and chairman of the Manufacturers Jew-
elers Group.
In addition to his roles in the gem and jewelry world,
he was a specialist in geopolitics and international trade.
He was a foreign trade adviser, lecturer, publisher of field
reports, and avid traveler.
We extend our condolences to his wife, Isabelle, and his
family. Au revoir, Didier. ■

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 11

InThe News

IN THE NEWS
A look at what’s making news in the
colored gemstone and jewelry industry.

COVID-19 Color Therapy in Vibrant

Gemstone-Themed Masks
Tashka by Beatrice, an online jewelry and accessories By Cynthia Unninayar
brand, is selling out of gemstone-themed masks as quickly
as the company can make them.
“We are now experiencing uncertain and dark moments
in our lives,” says Beatrice Matiash, founder and designer
of U.S.-based Tashka by Beatrice. “No one can deny that
COVID-19 is having a negative impact on the gem and jew-
elry. Certainly, no masks can hide that fact.”
As the coronavirus pandemic progressed around the
world and the need to wear face coverings became increas-
ingly apparent, Beatrice decided to create a line of masks
representing gemstones, in homage to her profession. They
were so popular that in the first few weeks, she completely
sold out. “They fly off the shelves as soon as we introduce
them on social media,” she says. The designs range from
bright colorful rainbows, soft pastels and neutral diamonds,
to stylized gem-printed lips and hearts. “Masks are the new
must-have accessory and will continue to be for some time.”
The rainbow hues are her favorite themes. “These seven A model wears one of the colorful rainbow-inspired face
colors represent the visual calm after the storm, the pot of
masks, one of bestsellers by Tashka by Beatrice.
positivity that we all need today. Color in general makes peo-
ple feel good; it can lift their spirits. Since it is recommended The masks come in a dozen or more styles and in three
and, in some places, required to wear masks, why not make different sizes, two for children and one for adults. The outer
them colorful, happy and fun during these difficult times?” portion is made of breathable soft polyester since that mate-
Her customers clearly agree since more than 60% of mask rial can better reproduce the vibrant and bold gemstone de-
sales (as well as of jewelry and apparel lines) are in bright signs that make the masks so distinctive. On the inside, next
colors. to the face, is a soft cotton layer. Beatrice also sells a PM2.5
filter that can be inserted between the two layers to increase
effectiveness, helping protect the mouth and face from virus-
es, dust, haze, bacteria, pollen and more. “The masks are
The uni-sex masks washable and very comfortable,” she says, quickly pointing
come in a variety out that “they are for regular use. They are not medical grade
of gems, including for staff in hospitals or for individuals with compromised im-
this example of
vibrant emeralds. mune systems.” Yet, to add a bit of color and whimsy to their
otherwise hectic and often trying schedules, medical staff
are among her clients, who wear these fashion masks on
top of their N95s.
While no masks can hide the current crisis, they can put
a smile, literally, on the faces of those who love gemstones.
(www.tashkabybeatrice.com) ■

12 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

PAUL WILD
E XC E L L E N C E I N
G E M S T O N E I N N O VAT I O N

SPINEL
Found in the most famous crown jewels of the world, the treasured spinel
rivals ruby’s vibrant colour, is singly refractive and highly transparent.

M I N I N G • C U T T I N G • C R E AT I O N

PA U L W I L D O H G • A U F D E R L AY 2 • 5 5 74 3 K I R S C H W E I L E R • G E R M A N Y
T: + 4 9. ( 0 ) 67 8 1 .93 4 3 - 0 • F : + 4 9. ( 0 ) 67 8 1 .93 4 3 - 4 3 • E - M A I L : I N F O @ PA U L-W I L D. D E • W W W. PA U L-W I L D. D E

International Colored Gemstone Association F O L LOW U S O N Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 13

W W W. I N S TAG R A M .C O M / PA U LW I L D G E M S
Gem Deposit Geology

Evolution of the Study of

Gem Deposit Geology
By Aaron C. Palke and Wim Vertriest, Gemological Institute of America

Introduction
The young man entered the jewelry shop. He had been
saving his wages for months and he proudly walked out of
the store that day with an engagement ring made of 18K
gold, set with a brilliant, 1.25-carat stone representing an
accumulation of viscous mud and sap, congealed by the
cold and formed in an igneous exhalation…wait, no, that’s
not right.
Or maybe it depends on whom you ask. Throughout
recorded history, when humans weren’t fighting over pre-
cious stones, they were trying to understand the proper
place of these gems in the cosmos. In the Aristotlean school
of thought, while gemstones were understood to be of a
similar composition as the rocks and earth constituting the
firmament of our world, the ancients also understood these
stones were something different, something rarer and more
unique.
The primitive atomistic theory devised by the Greeks laid
the groundwork for Aristotle to hypothesize that precious Figure 1: Large 135.5-ct polished amber with two scorpion
gemstones were of a special composition in which the wa- inclusions from the Dr. Edward J. Gübelin Collection.
ter element predominates over Earth, which formed initially (Photo: Orasa Weldon)
as a viscous mud. With the addition of stony fragments and
(Haüy 1801). The story goes that Haüy’s eureka moment
lapidific sap, these stones formed through the process of
came about when he dropped a fine calcite specimen that
igneous exhalation.
shattered along the rhombohedral cleavage planes. Imme-
Whatever lapidific sap is… diately, Haüy saw the parallels with the ancient Greek atom-
istic theories when he realized that any calcite crystal could
While this theoretical framework may seem primitive to the
be composed of some incomprehensibly small rhombohe-
modern gemologist, to his credit, Aristotle was far ahead
dral building block that could be infinitely repeated in three
of his contemporaries. One could fill volumes with ancient
dimensions to create a macroscopic crystal, such as the one
mythological origins of precious stones such as the creation
he had been holding.
story of amber as the fallen tears of the grieving god Apollo.
While the science of mineralogy was advancing, this still
Not too much later in the first century AD, the Roman
didn’t get at the fundamental question of the geological con-
scholar Pliny the Elder took on the great challenge of turning
ditions required to form precious gemstones within the Earth.
the study of minerals and gems into a scientific discipline
Those details wouldn’t come until centuries later, and geolo-
with his 37th volume of Natural History (Ball and Pliny the
gists would get there in a roundabout sort of way.
Elder, 1950).
Although Pliny was able to accurately determine the origin Gemstone Geological Studies and Exploration
of amber as fossilized tree sap (Figure 1), he was apparently Few people realize the significance of mining to daily life. It
smart enough to not make guesses about things he did not is responsible for much more than just our gems and jewelry.
understand and so he never advanced many hypotheses Everything we use in our life is either grown or mined at one
about the geological origins of gemstones. point. Since metals like gold, iron, tin and copper are critical,
More than a millennium and a half later, gemstones were the amount of research being done on them is immense.
again swept up in the whirlwind of scientific advancement The hunt for resources has driven documentation and
with the studies of René Just Haüy and his contemporar- research on the formation of metal ores. In fact, the drive to
ies, which established the modern mineralogical sciences better understand ore deposits and to predict where to find

14 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

new deposits has greatly enhanced our understanding of the deposits are often described as alluvial when the remaining
Earth and propelled geology into the modern era. gems have been moved by water, most commonly rivers.
This search for metals is what drove systematic evalua- Even when hard-rock gem deposits are included, most
tion of resource potential in the early and mid-1900s when studies do not provide insights about formation processes
trained geologists were sent around the world to document or of the associated rock types. These early surveys treated
the geology of important mineral deposits. gem deposits as mineral resources and their work largely
These surveys were aimed at identifying geological struc- focused on determining the extent of the deposits and how
tures and the associated presence of ore minerals that could they could be mined most economically.
be extracted economically. In many cases, geologists paid Understanding how gem deposits form is essential be-
little attention to colored gemstones, although a few early cause it enables us to effectively explore for gemstones in
reports do mention them. new regions. Simply stated: we need a better understand-
One of the most famous of these publications was done ing of what indicators to look for to search for new deposits.
in the early 1950s when Iyer documented the geology of the The situation is different for mineral deposits that are much
gem deposits of the Mogok stone tract on behalf of the Geo- better understood. For instance, diamond explorers do not
logical Survey of India (Iyer, 1953). In a similar fashion, gem look only for diamonds, they look for indicator minerals that
deposits in Madagascar (Lacroix, 1922, 1923), Montana suggest the presence of a deposit that may host diamonds.
(Clabaugh, 1952), Queensland (Dunstan, 1902), Cambodia Most of the mining industry is dominated by large-scale op-
(Berrangé & Jobbins, 1976), Kashmir (La Touche, 1890), Sri erations, with huge capital investments and long-term plan-
Lanka (Vredenburg, 1904) and many more, were the focus ning. This includes careful characterization of the ore-body,
of some of these early geological surveys (Figure 2). understanding how it formed, and identifying similar sys-
These early studies are limited in their analysis of gem tems in other areas.
deposits. They often focus on secondary deposits where All of this is based on a thorough understanding of the
the original host rock has been entirely eroded away. These geological processes at work, but the underlying research

Figure 2: Illustrations from Dunstan’s geological survey of the Anakie gem fields in Australia (Dunstan 1902).

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 15

Gem Deposit Geology

is very costly and can only be done with investment from the emerald deposits of Colombia and Brazil. Specifically,
large-scale operators. In this regard, the diamond mining the 1980s and 1990s saw some pioneering work in this re-
industry shares more similarities with metal mining than gard. Of particular note is the work of Giuliani et al. (1990),
other gemstones. Ottaway et al. (1994), Branquet et al. (1999) and Banks et al.
Colored stone mining is dominated by small-scale opera- (2000) which vastly improved our understanding of emerald
tions. These operations often use the simplest of techniques, geology. One goal of this work was to understand these de-
not relying on advanced technology. Small-scale operations posits better as an economic resource; however, an added
rarely employ scientists, but instead base their work on benefit was a greatly improved fundamental understanding
experience and “gut feeling.” of the geological conditions of formation of not only emeralds
Because there are so few standard prospecting techniques but of colored gemstones in general (Figure 3).
for colored stones, exploration is limited. Most gem deposits The other major advancement of studies from this time
are found accidentally when local people stumble upon nice was the incorporation of advanced analytical instrumenta-
clean gemstones. This is often by people who travel long dis- tion to further shed light on the origin of these gemstones.
tances and work in remote areas. Masai nomads found sap- The study of the geology of gemstones has rapidly moved
phires in Northern Kenya; Ethiopian emeralds were found by into the laboratory to examine the textural and mineralogical
shepherds; and Mozambican rubies were discovered by a composition of inclusions using Scanning Electron Micros-
lumberjack, etc… copy, to accurately measure a gem’s chemical composition
Secondary deposits are easily discovered in this way with an Electron Microprobe of LA-ICP-MS, or to make pre-
because they provide a concentration of high-value gems. cise measurements of a stone’s isotopic composition using
In these deposits, gems have survived being eroded out a Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer.
of their host rock, washed down into streams where water
movement has concentrated them in loose sediments. From
an exploration and mining perspective, this has advantages:
♦ The gems are found in loose sediments, making it eas-
ier to extract them. No explosives, drilling, or tunneling are
required. In many cases, simple tools like shovels and picks
are enough to get to the gravels.
♦ Natural processes have already concentrated the gems.
Most gem minerals have relatively high density (e.g., corun-
dum, spinel, topaz, diamond, etc.) and will be preferentially
deposited where the energy of the water flow becomes
lower, for example on the inside bend of a river or down-
stream of rapids. In this situation, the water can still carry
away the lighter minerals (mica, quartz, feldspar, carbon-
ates), but cannot move the heavier gem minerals.
♦ Transport by water is not a gentle process and stones
are constantly hitting each other in streams. This significant-
ly lowers the survival chance of lower quality stones. Crys-
tals with extensive fractures typically do not survive river
transport, often leaving only the cleanest material.
♦ Alluvial deposits are often close to water, making it con-
venient to wash the sediments and pick out the gems.
Primary deposits often have extremely low concentrations
of gems and preserve low- and high-quality gemstones.
Since not all minerals have the hardness/toughness to sur-
vive in secondary deposits, there are entire parts of the gem
mining industry that rely on primary deposit mining. Many
beryl varieties are not tough enough to survive extensive
tumbling, especially emeralds.
Other gems that are usually mined from primary de-
posits include tanzanite, grossular garnet, and quartz.
Much of our current understanding of the geological for- Figure 3: Emerald crystals in calcite matrix and faceted
mation of gemstone deposits has come from modern geo- emeralds from La Pita mine, Colombia. Gems courtesy of
logical surveys of primary, hard-rock gem deposits such as Ron Ringsrud. (Photo: Robert Weldon)

16 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

Figure 4: Photomicrograph of the Yogo

lamprophyre showing carbonatite melts
that coexisted with the Yogo sapphires using
plane polarized (right) and cross polarized
light (below). Field of view 2.88 mm.
(Photomicrograph: Aaron Palke)

Petrology and Gemological Petrology Figure 5: It is rare to find gems in their original host rock,
An important field of geological study is called petrology. such as this lamprophyre from Yogo Gulch, Montana host-
ing a 4 mm wide sapphire. Specimen courtesy of Katie
It’s the study of rocks and encompasses observations of McPherson, Montana Yogo and Agate.
mineral assemblages in rocks, the textural relationships be- (Photo: Robison McMurtry)
tween minerals, and chemical and isotopic compositions of
the minerals. Often, a rock is cut into a 30-µm transparent Petrological studies with gemstones are problematic as it
thin section for microscopic observations. is exceedingly difficult to obtain rock samples that contain
As an example, Figure 4 shows photomicrographs of the gem-quality gem minerals. And, in the case of alluvial gems,
host rock for the Yogo sapphires, a rock called a lampro- no host rock even exists.
phyre, which is a (sub)volcanic rock from which the famed To compensate, studies have begun taking a more inward
Yogo sapphires are mined (Figure 5). The feature shown look by seeing if geologic processes of formation can be
is called a leucocratic ocelli, which essentially means a determined through analysis of a gem’s inclusions. The field
light-colored blob. of gemological petrology attempts to treat the gemstones
These light-colored blobs found in the Yogo lamprophyre and their inclusions as rocks. In a way, this field is probably
are composed of analcime (NaAlSi2O6H2O) and calcite not entirely new. As mentioned earlier, even Pliny the Elder
(CaCO3) and represent a carbonatite magma (a magma fairly accurately understood the origin of amber as fossilized
dominantly made up of molten carbonate minerals) that tree sap and it is likely that his observations of insect inclu-
existed alongside the Yogo sapphires. sions helped lead him to that conclusion.

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 17

Gem Deposit Geology

Figure 6: Photomicrograph of a carbonatite melt

inclusion in a Yogo sapphire. Field of view 1.28 mm.
(Photomicrograph: Nathan Renfro)

and the role of brine mixing. Mineralium Deposita, 35,

699-713.
Berrangé, J. P., & Jobbins, E. A. (1976). The geology,
gemmology, mining methods and economic potential of the
For a modern example, Figure 6 shows an inclusion in Pailin ruby and sapphire gem-field, Khymer Republic: Insti-
a Yogo sapphire. Its shape indicates it is a fluid or melt in- tute of Geological Sciences, Overseas Division.
clusion as its form is constrained by the crystal form of its Branquet, Y., Cheilletz, A., Giuliani, G., Laumonier, B., &
corundum host. Raman spectroscopic analysis identifies Blanco, O. (1999). Fluidized hydrothermal breccia in dilatant
these inclusions as being composed of analcime and calcite, faults during thrusting: the Colombian emerald deposits. Geo-
allowing these carbonatitic melt inclusions to be linked to the logical Society, London, Special Publications, 155, 183-195.
carbonatite melts seen in the Yogo lamprophyre. Further Clabaugh, S. E. (1952). Corundum deposits of Montana.
chemical analysis of silicate melt inclusions in the Yogo sap- U.S. Geological Survey - Bulletin, 983, 1-100.
phires suggested their formation through partial melting of Coenraads, R. R., Sutherland, F. L., & Kinny, P. D. (1990).
anorthosites (rocks dominantly made up of plagioclase feld- The origin of sapphires: U–Pb dating of zircon inclusions
spar) as the Yogo lamprophyre passed through the Earth’s sheds new light. Mineralogical Magazine, 54, 113-122.
lower crust (Palke et al. 2016). Dunstan, B. (1902). The sapphire fields of Anakie. Geolog-
Some additional applications of gemological petrology in- ical Survey of Queensland - Publications, 1–26.
clude analysis of sulfide inclusions in Burmese and Mozam- Giuliani, G., Silva, L. J. H. D., & Couto, P. (1990). Origin of
bique rubies (Vertriest 2019), age-dating of zircon inclusions emerald deposits of Brazil. Mineralium Deposita, 25, 57-64.
in sapphires from basaltic-terranes (Coenraads et al. 1990), Guo, J., O’Reilly, S. Y., & Griffin, W. L. (1996). Corundum
and cataloging the chemical composition of the inclusions in from basaltic terrains: a mineral inclusion approach to the
basalt-related sapphires (Guo et al. 1996). enigma. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 122,
While it may seem like this field of work is still in its infancy, 368-386.
a different perspective is obtained when viewed through the Haüy, R. J. (1801). Traité de minéralogie. Chez Louis.
lens of history. Ever since humans started adorning them- Iyer, L. A. N. (1953). The geology and gem-stones of the
selves with precious stones from the Earth, man has been Mogok stone tract, Burma. Geological Survey of India -
trying to understand the conditions of gemstone formation. Memoirs, 82, 8-100.
While we now have extremely sophisticated tools at hand to La Touche, T. D. (1890). The sapphire mines of Kashmir.
attempt to answer the question of gem formation, in many Geological Survey of India - Records, 23(2), 59–69.
ways, the mystery remains and our desire to better under- Lacroix, A. (1922, 1923). Minéralogie de Madagascar.
stand these precious stones drives our science onward. Paris: Société D’Editions Géographiques, Maritimes et
Coloniales.
Acknowledgments Ottaway, T. L., Wicks, F. J., Bryndzia, L. T., Kyser, T. K., &
The authors are indebted to Robert Weldon, Terri Ottaway, Spooner, E. T. C. (1994). Formation of the Muzo hydrother-
Mike Breeding, Karen Smit, and Evan Smith for help in mal emerald deposit in Colombia. Nature, 369, 552-554.
editing this paper and for providing helpful commentary and Palke, A. C., Renfro, N. D., & Berg, R. B. (2016). Origin of
discussion. sapphires from a lamprophyre dike at Yogo Gulch, Montana,
USA: Clues from their melt inclusions. Lithos, 260, 339-344.
References Vertriest, W. (2019) Opaque Inclusions in Rubies. Myan-
Ball, S. H., & Pliny (the Elder.). (1950). A Roman book on mar Applied Earth Science Association 2019 Conference,
precious stones. Gemological Institute of America. Yangon, Myanmar, 29 Nov - 1 Dec, 2019.
Banks, D. A., Giuliani, G., Yardley, B. W., & Cheilletz, A. Vredenburg, E. (1904). Gem sands from Ceylon. Geologi-
(2000). Emerald mineralisation in Colombia: fluid chemistry cal Survey of India - Records, 31(1), 44–45. ■

18 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

The ICA's Charitable Fund

Providing a lending hand to
artisanal gem mining and
cutting communities

The Gems Keep Giving Fund is

Changing lives and developing
committed to supporting and a sustainable future
implementing the following UN
Sustainable Development Goals. Gems Keep Giving is a charitable fund set up by the International
Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) to support artisanal
gemstone mining and cutting communities around the globe. By
giving we are not only changing lives for the better, but we are
also helping to make our industry more sustainable.

DONATIONS ARE
Welcome!
+1 212-620-0900
[email protected] www.gemskeepgiving.org
International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 19
Mining

The Colored Gemstone Mining Industry in Africa

25 Years of Evolution
By Dr. Cédric Simonet, Akili Minerals Services Ltd, Nairobi, Kenya

When I visited the John Saul Mine for the first time
as an intern in 1995, the Kimbo pit was still hardly more than
10 m deep, exposing only a short segment of the ruby-bear-
ing plumasite vein. Over the years, this vein became the main
production zone of the mine over a strike length of almost 100
m and as deep as 40 m below the surface (both in an open
pit and underground).
Back in the day, phone communications with the mine
would be through a microwave connection to the gate of
the Tsavo West National Park, and from there through a low
hanging two-wire telephone line to the mine—low enough to
be regularly cut by passing giraffes. There is now decent cell
phone and internet connectivity on-site.
As a young geologist fresh from the university, I had to
learn topographic surveying and geological mapping the
classic way: using a measuring tape and a hand compass,
with all the resulting inaccuracies and inconsistencies when
one draws the map, and how to address them. A few years
later, the first handheld GPS I got to use was a bulky Garmin
GPS 5 with an antenna the size of a satellite phone. The rev-
olution was instant with the possibility of mapping accurately
every gemstone occurrence visited (Figures 1 and 2), and to
understand (as well as predict) mineralized trends.
But in the day, in the absence of Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) software, I would have to draw maps either on
tracing paper or on vector drawing software, setting the page
and pixel size to a scale compatible with the UTM coordi-
nates of the mapped area. Today, standard GIS tools support
the collection and interpretation of all types of exploration or
mining data, including from a wide array of satellite imagery.
The last topographic survey at the John Saul Mine was
done using a modern RTK (differential GPS) system with a
few millimeters accuracy (Figure 3), allowing to generate 3D
topographic and geological models using Micromine soft- Figure 1. An early map of the SE Kenya Gemstone Belt,
ware, a mining industry software. made at the time on Corel Draw.

Since 1995, A Lot Has Changed; A Lot Has Not Stream Sediment Sampling is a standard in the large-scale
Numerous discoveries have occurred throughout Africa, mineral exploration industry. It entails collecting and analyz-
firmly establishing the continent as a major source of colored ing river sediments, choosing carefully specific sites along
gemstones. These include the Ilakaka sapphire field as well rivers (such as confluences) in order to assess a particular
as many other ruby and sapphire deposits in Madagascar, area’s mineralization (Figure 4).
Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Tanzania, the Montepuez ruby deposit I use this term deliberately because, although the sample
in Mozambique, the Mahenge spinel deposit in Tanzania, and processing methods of the artisans are cruder, the sampling
Paraiba tourmaline deposits in Nigeria and Mozambique, to strategy and the choice of the sampling sites are identical
name just a few. to that which would be produced by professional exploration
Throughout Africa, most colored gemstone mines are still geologists.
discovered in two ways: I am always amazed when I walk in the field in Northern
► either by luck, because of a landslide, forest clearing Mozambique and encounter everywhere evidences of this
exercises, or long-drop toilet construction; invisible (no press releases), but very efficient activity. And
► or by artisan prospectors doing systematic prospecting, contrary to exploration companies’ crews, there are hundreds
including Stream Sediment Sampling. of artisans doing this at the same time. Even though most of

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 InColor

Figure 3. Setting up the base station for a differential GPS survey

at the John Saul Mine, Kenya.

Figure 2. The availability of handheld GPS in existing mine. These include a wide range of geochemical,
the late 1990s allowed the accurate mapping drilling, and data processing methods, which are mostly de-
of every gemstone occurrence visited, such as veloped and tested internally by gemstone mining companies
this amethyst deposit in Rwanda. (Figure 5). Geophysical instruments that can directly detect
gems have yet to be invented, but powerful new toys are
these prospectors are after gold, gems often get discovered available to exploration geologists.
only as a secondary consequence of gold prospecting. I recently had the opportunity to adapt pXRF geochemical
In Northern Tanzania and southeastern Kenya, a dry part of surveying to gemstone exploration for Paraiba tourmaline in
Africa underlain by lateritic soils, with no permanent streams, Mozambique (Figure 6) and emerald in Zambia (Figure 7).
local prospectors still have to use the original method of Modern exploration methods have proven to be effective for
walking around trying to spot gemstone chips at the surface, gemstone deposits. There is still, however, no handbook of
in particular on termite mounds. Termite mounds contain gemstone exploration.
gemstone and indicator minerals from the sub-surface and
are commonly sampled by large-scale diamond exploration Changes in the Working Environment
companies. But without using advanced sample processing The regulatory environment of most African countries has
and analyses methods, this technique does not allow the de- deeply (and sometimes repeatedly) changed over the past
tection of deposits buried under more than a few meters of 20 years. This was often due to the obsolescence of colo-
overburden, which is often the case. Initial development of nial-era legislation with respect to current mining industry
discovered occurrences is still done using picks and shovels practice and country policies, but is also largely driven by a
in the overburden, and thereafter hammer and chisel when justified desire of mineral-rich countries to see a higher share
the hard-rock deposit is encountered. of their mineral wealth contributing to local development.
Very few discoveries turn out to be of economic interest, Unfortunately, in some cases, legislation amendments,
even for artisanal miners. This situation sometimes changes such as Zambia’s 2019 export tax on minerals, were also
over time, though, as the demand for and value of a gem- clearly misguided. The local regulatory framework, as well
stone evolves. For example, the past years have seen a tre- as its adequation to realities on the ground (especially with
mendous increase in the demand for magnesian tourmalines artisanal mining), has a tremendous impact on gemstone
(yellow or green), which caused Kenyan artisanal miners deposits development options, and on the possibility to put
to refocus activity on this gemstone, including on deposits in place certification and traceability systems. In many juris-
which had been long abandoned. dictions such as Mozambique, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia, and
Modern prospecting methods for colored gemstones have Nigeria, legislation provides a framework which theoretically
been developed, too, but these are mostly used on a pros- accommodates all players. The Artisanal, Small-Scale, and
pect scale, once an occurrence has already been discovered Large-Scale categories are usually precisely defined, based
or to assess the presence of additional resources near an on volumes of run-of-mine ore excavated on an annual

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 21

 Mining

Figure 4. Advanced stream sediment sam-

pling for gemstones, as in this example in
Northern Mozambique, involves sampling of
different sediment size fractions, and analysis
for heavy minerals to identify gems and their
indicator minerals, as well as for chemical
composition to track potential gem-bearing
rock formations.

Figure 6. In the mining industry, portable

XRF devices are preferred tool for first-pass
soil geochemistry.The method can often
be used for gemstone exploration, provided
orientation surveys are first carried out, as
in this example on a tourmaline prospect in
Mozambique.

basis, as well as on technology employed. Different types of

exploration, mining and trading licenses are provided for each
category. Small-scale mining licenses are usually issued to
entities having local ownership between 50% and 100% with
a shorter duration (5 to 10 years) than large-scale licenses.
Large-scale licenses have a longer duration (15 or 20 years
renewable) and allow more foreign participation, but at the
same time have more stringent local content requirements in
terms of government ownership, local stock exchange listing,
recruitment, procurement, and in some cases value addition.
Usually, the law includes a process to convert small-scale
licenses into large-scale licenses when the size of the deposit
or the investment justifies it.
Some countries, like Tanzania and Ethiopia, have policies
placing gemstone mining and trading firmly in the hands of
indigenous operators, with limited opportunities for foreign
Figure 5. Magnetometer surveying was one of the exploration
methods used at this prospect on the border between Kenya and investment, while others like Kenya and Mozambique have
Tanzania in 2008. In a place where the soil cover was thick, it a framework that makes foreign investment in gemstone
helped confirming the trends of underlying rock formations. mining easier.

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 InColor

Figure 7. Geological logging of exploration

holes at emerald prospects allows the iden-
tification of geological units having potential
for emerald (TMSs), but pXRF geochemical
logging of their Cr content accurately shows
zones with higher potential, and is rapid and
inexpensive (as in this photo, in Zambia).

Figure 8. One of the many mining camps

flattened by elephants in Kuranze, SE Kenya.
Evolutions in the regulatory framework have not just had
positive consequences. For example, in Kenya, where most
small-scale miners held mining titles known as Mining Loca-
tions, and were therefore operating legally, changes in the
legislation have had mixed consequences.
On one hand, the regulatory framework for small-scale
mining was confirmed and improved (e.g. longer license
durations), but on the other hand, the law handed over more
of the decision-making powers of the Ministry of Mining over
to private landowners, creating fresh avenues of conflicts
between miners and landowners.
In many parts of Africa, demographic pressure exacer-
bates conflicts between local communities and miners, with
increased pressure on the redistribution of idle or large min-
ing titles. Poverty and unemployment push more and more
people towards artisanal mining, but resources and space
are limited. At the same time, communication technology
advances are making information about gemstone mining
much more easily available, both locally and downstream at
the consumer level.
The same population increase also worsens human- the Sandawana underground emerald mine in Zimbabwe,
wildlife conflict situations. Many gemstone deposits are found which is certainly the most developed underground colored
in or near conservation areas, which are thus free of miner- gemstone deposit in Africa and the Kagem open-pit emerald
landowner conflicts. As the man-eating lions of Tsavo devel- mine in Zambia. Much less known, the mining architecture of
oped, over a hundred years ago, a taste for human flesh (or the Longido ruby mine struck me—when I visited it for the first
so says the legend), the elephants in southeastern Kenya time—as a state-of-the-art in-reef inclined shaft, with a sim-
have now developed a taste for maize flour, and many a min- ple, but effective hoisting system, a well separated walkway
ing camp was destroyed by elephants trying to access the and haulage way, and horizontal drives on either side of the
miners’ supplies (Figure 8). inclined shaft.
Over the past 25 years, the gemstone mining industry has The John Saul Mine's Dense Media Separation plant back
seen a marked increase in professionalism in various ways in the 1980s (Figure 9), which was fully manual with a simple
that are described below. Let’s not forget that the colored rotating drum and a capacity of a few tons per hour, is a long
stone mining industry has always been—and still is—very way from Gemfield’s Dense Media Separation plant in Mon-
heterogeneous in terms of development and maturity. While tepuez (Figure 10), which uses cyclones and is fully automat-
I describe recent advances in some parts in Africa, one must ed with an installed capacity of 200 tons per hour.
remember that cutting-edge colored gemstone mines have For small-scale miners, progress often translates into
been exploited in Africa for many years. This is the case with machinery, such as earth-moving equipment, as well as

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 23

Mining

Figure 9. The John Saul Mine's Dense

Media Separation plant in the 1980s.

Figure 10. Gemfield’s Dense Media

Separation plant, installed in 2016.
ore-processing equipment for secondary deposits.
Jig plants with standard and well proven designs
are today easily available.
There is, however, often a lack of understanding
on how to use them and how to plan extraction to
supply enough ore to the plant. A 50-ton-per-hour
jig or centrifugal pan plant (Figure 11) is a beast that
requires constant feeding to operate profitably. An
often-seen tendency is that of procuring equipment
before the users ascertained the size and grade of
the resource. Consequently, I have seen, in Mo-
zambique and Nigeria, many large plants operating
well below capacity, or not at all (Figure 12).
Technology advances are also tangible in Tan-
zanian and Kenyan small-scale primary deposits.
Hoisting systems, which were rare 20 years ago,
are now common in the form of mono-rope winches
(Figure 13). This technology is cumbersome to use,
but it is the only option for underground workings
with an irregular geometry. Ventilation systems are slowly must be used for estimating resources (the quantity of ore
making their way into the mines. in the ground) and reserves (the quantity of ore that can be
Small-scale mines are increasingly employing locally- economically mined). They require high levels of geological
trained mining engineers, though unfortunately, their train- data integrity.
ing still lacks the critical and specific skills most commonly Typically, a resource statement includes a quantity of ore
needed in small-scale underground gemstone mines. More (expressed in tons or in cubic meters) and a grade, expressed
coordination between the mining industry and higher learning in a unit suitable for the relevant commodity. For example, a
institutions is needed to ensure that such skills become avail- gold deposit could have a resource of one million tons with
able (Figures 14 and 15). a grade of 3 g/t, which would correspond to 3 tons (about
A few small-scale mines, such as Mwarimba’s Classic 3 96,000 ounces) of gold contained in the ground. From this, it
tsavorite mine in Kenya, are increasingly using modern mine is easy to calculate the possible value of the gold contained
planning and mining methods, with underground surveying, using the current gold price and future projections.
and learning from recent academic research on tsavorite Applying international resource reporting standards to
genesis. Ore body modeling and mine planning is done in 3D colored gemstone deposits is something relatively new and
using modern mining software (Figure 16). came with a lot of challenges. International standard reports
In any mining venture, the prerequisite to any feasibility is (known as a Competent Person Report or Technical Report)
the existence of a sufficiently large and good quality ore body for gemstone mining projects, including resource and reserve
to be mined. In the mining industry, internationally recognized statements and (for advanced projects) complete feasibility
reporting standards such as JORC, SAMREC, and NI43-101 studies, started to appear very recently.

24 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

Figure 11. An excavator on an ore stockpile

loads a Paraiba tourmaline plant’s hopper in
Mozambique. Ensuring that an ore supply
close to the capacity of the plant is avail-
able is key to a mining operation’s viability.

Figure 12. Somewhere in Africa, a complete state-of-the-art jig

plant was installed, and never used, for lack of ore to feed in.

Figure 13. (Center) In Merelani, sacks of waste rock and ore

used to be passed along human chains up to the surface.
(Left) They are now carried by mechanized mono-rope systems.

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 25

 Mining

Figure 14. A blaster uses quartz pebbles to draw the blasting pattern
he will use at a tsavorite mine in Southern Kenya. Blasting techniques
used by small-scale gemstone miners are often inefficient and some-
times dangerous, but locally trained mining engineers can train miners
on the use of modern and safe methods.

Figure 15. This mining shaft on a Cretaceous paleo-alluvial

deposit is located in a hill near Sakahara in Madagascar.
This mining technique is suitable for deposits located in
valleys, but in this case horizontal drives from the hillside
would be a lot more efficient.

Figure 16. A 3D wire-frame model of the topographic surface and quality distribution. This involves bulk sampling as a part of
underground workings at the Classic 3 tsavorite mine in Kenya. the data collection process and is a major difference between
estimations of gemstone resources and other commodities
The first ever JORC-compliant resource statement for a resources.
colored gem deposit was published by Tanzanite One in 2011 Another challenge to the production of a resource state-
for a tsavorite deposit in Tanzania. But established standards ment for a colored gemstone deposit is the extreme geolog-
in the scientific process to address the complexity of gem- ical complexity of such deposits. This complexity is signifi-
stone deposits do not exist yet. cantly higher than that of deposits of other minerals such as
Every ounce of pure gold in the world has the same val- gold or iron. Gem deposits are typically very heterogeneous
ue. But the price of one carat of rough gemstone varies ac- (occurrence in pockets) and low grade, thus requiring the col-
cording to color, transparency, size, presence of inclusions, lection of large ore samples to obtain reliable data.
necessity of enhancement, origin, and other criteria. Every In a situation where more and more large-scale (often list-
carat of gemstone from a given deposit has a different value ed) companies are attempting to develop colored gemstone
because the deposit contains a mix of many different quali- deposits, there is often a huge gap between the quantity
ties in varying proportions. and the quality of data necessary to produce a Competent
Assessing the average grade of the deposit in terms of total Person Report, and that available from a small-scale mining
carats per ton is not enough to determine the potential reve- site targeted for large-scale development. Many small-scale
nue per ton of ore. A detailed study of a representative parcel miners are looking for investors to develop their mines. The
of gemstones from the deposit must be obtained to assess its existence of basic, but reliable, mine survey and production

26 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

Figure 17. Genson Micheni (left) and Gaston Giuliani

at Genson’s tsavorite mine in Kenya, in 2012.

data would considerably lower the project risk for the inves-
tor. Such data are, unfortunately, still rarely available. The in-
creased employment of well-trained local mining engineers
and geologists will hopefully go a long way towards improv-
ing this situation.
Going back to 1995 and my first contacts with African gem-
stone deposits, a major challenge I encountered at the time
was the lack of reliable scientific information on the geology Figure 18. As shallow colluvial deposits got exhausted, artisanal
and genesis of colored gemstone deposits. Gemological de- miners at the Chila sapphire fields (Ethiopia) turned towards
scriptions of some deposits existed, but very few papers on deeper alluvial deposits.While petrol-powered pumps are used
the geology were available. Few deposits had been studied to de-water the pits, washing and sorting of the gravel on the
using modern investigation methods, though these were in- ground use no equipment at all.
creasingly available.
Fortunately, since then, a lot of scientific research has tak-
en place and there is now a wealth of geological information A significant part of Africa’s gemstone production is still dis-
on all types of colored gemstone deposits from everywhere covered and produced by artisanal miners and will continue
in the world, thanks to the work of many researchers such as to be for many years to come. In some parts of Africa, artis-
Gaston Giuliani and Lee Groat (Figure 17). anal prospecting methods have reached their limits, but large
As an exploration and mining geologist, I am always very tracts of the continent are still unexplored. Modern mining
excited when a new scientific paper is published. But these techniques, technology, and practices are making their way
papers do not easily reveal their secrets. The academic study into the gemstone mining industry, at all levels.
of a deposit must always be translated into economic geolo- Necessary technology transfer and creation of local pools
gy language. Information that can be used to support target of competence are in line with new government mining pol-
generation, field exploration, and commercial exploitation icy realities (Figure 18). Opportunities for progress and new
of gemstone deposits must be carefully extracted, tested, discoveries abound and I am looking forward to the next 25
and put to use in real life. Nevertheless, the knowledge of years of gemstone mining in Africa.
how a gemstone deposit forms has often shed a totally new
light on the way it should be mined. Connecting petrology to Acknowledgements
economic geology, and even more importantly understand- Thanks to Mark Saul, John Saul, Fredrik Swensson, and
ing and predicting the genesis of not just mineral species, Ian Harebottle for their input while cross-checking some of
but of high-quality gemstones, will be a major challenge and the information in this article.
research avenue for the years to come. Images are courtesy of the author. ■

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 27

The Rough Trade

Ev

ol
ket

u ti
on
to Mar

of the Rough
M in e

Tr a d

e
28 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 By Sir-Faraz "Farooq"
InColorMagazine.com; Hashmi
Gemstone.org
 InColor

Rough is the lifeblood of the gem and jewelry industry. nature, and sometimes country or mine specific, with
It is so indispensable that everything eventually stops the demarcation between the two not always black
without it. Working knowledge of the journey rough and white.
takes from mine to market, its evolution, and its outlook Economic feasibility is responsible for the infor-
help plan for a successful future in our industry. mal ASM nature of most gem mining. “An estimated
It is essential to understand that much of the rough 40.5 million people were directly engaged in ASM
trade exists in the shadows. The nature of deal- in 2017, up from 30 million in 2014, 13 million
ings, and even mining itself, are highly secre- in 1999 and 6 million in 1993. That com-
tive with many detours and pathways that pares with only 7 million people working
can never be illuminated. Understanding and in industrial mining in 2013,” (Fritz et al.).
building precise knowledge of the trade is not These global mining statistics are inclusive
something that can be gained from a single of non-gem mining, which are primarily
publication. It is something built up over time LSM in nature. When looking specifically
with considerable research, and from exten- at gem mining, the numbers point to even
sive practical experience working with net- greater ASM hegemony. African Mining
works of key individuals that are the back- Vision, working under the UN Economic
bone of the industry. The contacts that make Commission for Africa, found “…almost
up these networks usually lie along the path all of…Africa’s gemstones, except dia-
the rough is bought, sold, and passed along monds, are produced by ASM...” (African
on its journey to the markets. As markets are Union). That finding was from 2009, and
created or cease to exist, that path to the LSM has made more significant inroads
end consumer is always changing. into gem mining since, however, it is still
The journey of rough begins at the mines. overwhelmingly ASM in much of the world.
Even though mines are located throughout the A great deal of investment in time and re-
world, most are left unworked. To make mining sources is needed before realizing any profit
possible, the right set of variables has to come together in LSM. This is in contrast to ASM, which allows for great
with the perfect balance. The key revolves around economic flexibility without much investment or planning. This has his-
feasibility. Once mining is deemed economically feasible, it torically allowed ASM to flourish where local artisanal miners
leads down the path of either Artisanal and Small-Scale Min- do not have to undergo the scrutiny and regulatory oversight
ing (ASM) or Large-Scale Mining (LSM). of more formal LSM. Artisanal miners can, at times, mine out
ASM refers to mining activities carried out by independent small gem deposits informally within the time it would take
subsistence miners or small-scale miners who are mainly for larger competitors to acquire licensing and begin mining.
local with short term outlooks. Most of these miners work
informally, outside of a legal framework, in remote areas, Top: Mahenge garnet mines in Ipanko, Mahenge, Morogoro
and depend on manual labor with basic tools for their mining Region,Tanzania.
activities. LSM refers to more formal mining, within a legal Center: "King of Hearts" pendant featuring a 15-ct Mahenge
framework, that has greater transparency on a larger indus- garnet with pink spinels and diamonds by Jarex Schmidt and
trial scale. This often involves heavy equipment, large cap- Hayden Mayer of Jx Co.
ital expenditures, and usually a foreign component running Opposite page: Rough sapphires from the Umba Valley, Tanga
or managing the enterprise. These definitions are general in Region of Tanzania.

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 29

The Rough Trade

To be lucrative for LSM, a deposit must possess significant

long-term gem reserves. Many, if not most gem deposits,
lack the scale of reserves needed. The size of some gem re-
serves with economic feasibility has helped large investment
groups like Fura Gems Inc. and Gemfields Ltd. to enter the
gem mining and marketing sector. These companies pos-
sess large financial resources from public listings on major
international stock exchanges. They have developed busi-
ness models offering their rough production at auction di-
rectly to select “sightholders,” emulating the De Beers Group
strategy with diamonds.
It is interesting to note that what works in some countries
or circumstances may not work in others. For example, infor-
mal ASM flourishes in remote areas in many countries main-
ly due to limited enforcement resources, which would be dif-
ferent close to major cities or towns in the same countries. Left: Mahenge garnet mining pit in Ipanko, Mahenge,
In many underdeveloped countries, artisanal miners thrive Morogoro Region,Tanzania.
because of lax laws, limited resources for enforcement, and
Above: Rough Mahenge garnet from Ipanko, Mahenge,
corruption. Artisanal mining has a much more difficult time in Morogoro Region,Tanzania.
developed countries with stricter laws or regulations, greater
enforcement, and limited corruption, which favor LSM. This Below: Local artisanal miners searching for Mahenge
is particularly true of many Western countries such as those garnet in Ipanko, Mahenge, Morogoro Region,Tanzania.
in Europe or the U.S.
Another significant force in favor of ASM in gem deposits or beneficial. Grading with gems is far more costly and labo-
is the difficulty in developing grading standards that are eco- rious a process, as one goes from stone to stone manually
nomical and universally accepted. This is very different from in a far less objective manner than most industrial minerals.
mining for industrial minerals with internationally established Diamond is the only gemstone that has really managed to
standards based on purity and raw weight. If there are purity come close to a universally accepted standard. This partially
concerns, they are alleviated in purification processes that accounts for why only about 20% of diamond production is
allow for their separation. This is impossible with gems where attributed to ASM, in contrast to 80% of sapphire production,
impurities are intrinsic and inseparable, be they detrimental which is much more subjectively graded (Fritz et al.).

30 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor
Rough purple garnet from Chimoio, Mozambique.

takes and the speed of its journey vary depending on many

factors. This article cannot account for every scenario but
conveys generalizations of what was learned over decades
from direct experiences in many African, South Asian, and
Southeast Asian gem mines. The momentum of gem rough
always flows towards the end market after extraction; how-
ever, there is no uniformity in the paths even though they
may occasionally overlap.
African ASM production is generally sold immediately or
shortly after extraction. This is primarily due to miner inde-
pendence. It is not always the case and is dependent on
agreements or even cultural norms around a locality. South
and Southeast Asian miners do not work as independently in
comparison; however, gem mining in Asia is still almost ex-
clusively ASM. Most ASM in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Viet-
nam, for example, are composed of small groups, working
Marketing, rising values, and gem deposits with large as a cooperative, usually funded by an outside investor that
reserves have helped the development of international has some kind of claim over any production. The investor
standardization over the last few decades. LSM company usually commands the loyalty of the cooperative members
Gemfields has incorporated state-of-the-art technology to based on tribal or familial ties. Once the miners extract mate-
develop such standards in mining projects. It recently in- rial, it is usually held in trust with the first buying rights given
vested US$15 million setting up an industrial-scale sorting to any investor. These deals can take place in the mining ar-
facility at the Montepuez Ruby Mine (MRM) in Mozambique. eas, intermediate markets in neighboring towns, or regional
Gemfields incorporated diamond industry technology to markets in larger cities along the path the rough travels to its
extract, grade and sort rubies to enhance consistency and final destination.
insure regular supply to powerful sightholders. Such accom- Some African mines function this way as well, but it is far
plishments and efforts have increased the appeal of LSM in less common. The familial and tribal allegiances in Asian
the eyes of many governments. The transition is not easy gem mines are much stronger and local culture prevents co-
as grading gems is almost an art that can defy logic, where operative members from disloyalty to an investor. This has
rough prices may occasionally outpace what their finished ensured higher prices and greater stability for their goods,
products are commanding in end markets. contrasting sharply with many African gem mines where
Many governments have traditionally favored LSM activ- miners work more independently or lack the same degree
ities over ASM because of more substantial capital invest- of group ethic.
ment, greater oversight, limited environmental impact, and When comparing ASM paths in Africa with Asia, there are
better tax collection. These LSM activities usually
have a significant foreign component with much
larger financial backing then local equivalents.
LSM enterprises with foreign parent companies
are, in many ways, much easier for governments
to manage, and they have taken note. This has
led to a resurgence in attempts at greater gov-
ernment control over gem mining and exports.
Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania, for ex-
ample, have all moved towards establishing gov-
ernment-based values of gemstones to stop ex-
ports at deflated values and help generate more
tax revenue. These efforts are not always perfect,
and some are better implemented than others;
however, there is a concerted effort driving such
change. It has improved tax revenues, but it has
also led to increased smuggling and mine clo-
sures. The right amount of government involve-
ment is always a balancing act with an elusive
goal of perfection.
Regardless of the scale of mining, gem rough
begins its journey toward the end markets al- Farooq Hashmi (third from left) and local dealers reviewing tourmaline
most immediately after extraction. The path it production from DRC in the local trading market of Gisenyi, Rwanda.

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 31

The Rough Trade

a few differences that stand out. Asian production tends to

move greater distances along the path to the end market be-
tween trades. This is particularly true of Afghanistan and Pa-
kistan, where gem deposits are almost exclusively primary.
When a pocket is unearthed in these respective countries, it
generally always finds its way to the initial investor’s hands.
These investors and the primary nature of the deposits help
ensure that gem pockets are kept intact along the journey
most of the time.
The larger production helps to cut out smaller middlemen
with limited financial means who are much more common
in Africa. These pockets of production tend to move more
rapidly to the markets where the investors are usually based
and seldom change hands before. This compares more with
LSM then ASM in Africa and is primarily due to culture, famil-
ial loyalty, and the primary nature of their deposits.
The nature of primary deposits necessitates a cooperative
work ethic. It is highly unlikely one would witness a primary
deposit run independently by a single individual, whereas
this can be very common in alluvial mining. The lack of allu-
vial deposits in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been a signif-
icant factor in the creation of a group ethic. Primary depos-
its in Africa have helped nurture the same. Similarities with
secondary deposits may be drawn when comparing Asian
alluvial mining to those in Africa.
Production from primary deposits tends to be in pockets
with relatively uniform color and quality. Alluvial deposits, by
contrast, produce stone by stone or in smaller quantities with
considerable variation in color and quality. Increased effort
and time are required in collecting and sorting these stones.
This creates greater competition along the path to regional
markets as smaller dealers with limited financial resources
compete in acquiring single stones or smaller parcels of allu-
vial findings. It is very common in Tanzania, where networks
of intermediaries and miners are established, creating a
path to collect production into larger parcels as they change Above: Miner searching tailings for tanzanite in
Mirelani,Tanzania.
Center: Sample of natural rough tanzanite.
Left: Tanzanite pendant by Ser of SER Jewelry.

hands repeatedly, moving along supply chains to regional

markets.
Most rough supply paths begin merging in regional mar-
kets. Master dealers in African regional markets facilitate the
collection of rough from a network of miners and intermedi-
ary sources. These dealers form the heads of regional sup-
ply networks, specializing in a single gemstone or a variety
of gemstones. Technology and the ease of modern travel
have helped transform many of these once stationary pillars
of regional markets into versatile players that can function as
local or international finished gemstone suppliers, rough sell-
ers, mining investors, and transporters. Depending on the
depth of their pockets, they may even be able to merge pro-
duction from ASM and LSM. Asia has master dealer coun-
terparts with similar roles in their regional markets. If rough
survives the regional markets without finding its way to the

32 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

local cutting wheels, it is sold as rough locally until find Afghanis and Pakistanis controlling a rapidly
it finds a buyer or transporter to export it to ma- growing international market share of the gem-
jor international markets on other continents. stone industry with offices and storefronts
The markets in China, Germany, Thailand, set up in China, Hong Kong, and Thai-
and the USA are where the material will ul- land. This rapid growth has pushed some
timately be processed. Afghanis and Pakistanis to travel into parts
Globalization, technological evolution, and of Africa to continue to feed their markets with
ease of travel have not only helped master deal- rough for processing.
ers and other network members in adopting versatile These travels are not for the faint of heart; howev-
roles, they have opened up the exclusive fields to great- er, regional markets in major cities of Africa generally
er competition from mine to market. The effects of these allow for trading with a high degree of security. There are
changes are not universally felt the same way and can be elevated risks associated with the cash and secretive na-
mine or country specific. ture of the industry. Cash tends to bring out the predators,
In Mozambique and Nigeria, West Africans from Guinea, and foreign currency limitations can severely compound the
Mali, and Senegal helped find and develop rough supply problem. Transactions done outside of regional markets are
networks over decades by immigrating and assimilating with almost exclusively in local currency. Depending on the lo-
locals. They have managed to harness the power of global- cation and exchange rates, this may mean carrying highly
ization and ease of travel to extend their networks deep into visible, bulky local currency instead of US dollars. Proper
China, Hong Kong, and Thailand by assimilation, intermar- networking and planning should be done before departing
riage, and language acquisition. Their vast networks can ex- outside of regional markets with local guides, who have
tend from the mine to the international markets. been thoroughly vetted.
As West Africans moved outward and embedded in rough Many buyers have sought to trace their way back to mines
supply chains around the world, foreigners moved in, taking in search of the legendary deals associated with buying at
up various roles in the local and regional supply networks of the source. The reality is quite different. If traveling buyers
Africa. It is common to now see Sri Lankans and Thais em- are not disciplined, well informed, and networked, they can
bedded in sapphire and ruby supply chains all the way to the find their safety compromised and quite often incur heavy
mines in Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Tanzania. losses. Most miners and traders along the rough supply
Indians have taken similar roles with different gemstones in chain are well versed in current market prices. New finds
Tanzania, and foreigners from around the world have regu- with rapidly developing rushes are the exception, when a
larly begun to visit different stops along rough supply chains, buyer can encounter phenomenal deals. This occurs when
with some choosing to migrate and assimilate completely. a discovery or production of rough is freshly extracted, and
Afghanistan and Pakistan, by contrast, have been plagued there is limited gemstone knowledge, or a lack of liquidity,
with civil strife and insecurity post-9/11. This, along with cul- in the local market. These occurrences are rare and gen-
tural and familial norms, has functioned to prevent the same erally require rapid travel to remote areas before regional
supply chain integration seen in much of Africa, ensuring it
stayed firmly in the hands of locals. The limited integration
and insecurity have helped to push regional master dealers Above left: Rough 6-plus grams tsavorite from Voi, Kenya.
into more versatile roles similar to parts of Africa. It is now Above right: Rough tsavorite from Abdulahi Mine, Mirelani,
common to see Afghanis and Pakistanis integrated along Tanzania.
supply paths to international markets. Increased demand Center: Fantasy-cut 6.34-ct mint beryl from Songea,Tanzania,
from East Asia has accelerated this integration, and we now cut by Ryan Smartt, Intimate Gems collection.

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 33

The Rough Trade

Rough bluish-green tourmaline rough from Rubaya, DRC.

Rough tourmaline from Kantiwow, Nooristan,

Afghanistan.

Right top: Ring featuring 6-ct bi-color

tourmaline from the Himalaya Mine,
California, yellow diamonds, tsavorites,
and pink tourmalines by Derek
Katzenbach of Katzenbach Designs.

A 21-ct Nigerian tourmaline fantasy cut in collaboration

with Nolan Sponsler of NS Design Enterprises and Ryan Rough bi-colored tourmaline from Laghman, Afghanistan.
Joseph Anderson of Ryan Joseph Gems.

and international market exposure allows prices to stabilize.

It is usually a very short-lived phenomenon that cannot be
planned for.
For buyers to take advantage of opportunities that inter-
national gem trading provides, traders must have extensive
knowledge of their ultimate markets. In the world of gems,
“you make your money when you buy, not when you sell.”
China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Thailand, and the USA
are generally understood to be the primary processing cen-
ters that feed global demand. These are the main markets
where rough traders bring their acquisitions for resale. Cul-
ture, local trends, market demand, and structural realities set
them apart. The rest of this article focuses on the American
market and its evolution.
The global integration and evolution of the gem industry
have altered the landscape and inverted the established par-
adigms. There has been a shift in the buying pattern and Mineral jig set-up in Tunduru area of Southern Tanzania.
mindset of consumers. Their desire for greater accountability
and authenticity has fostered a more intimate relationship thereby increase awareness and demand for their services.
with their designers and tradesmen along the way. These The marketing of these desires is a legacy adopted from
desires have echoed up the supply chains reaching even the diamond trade. The benefit of these practices has been
the source. Designers and their related associations market instrumental in the successful promotion of jewelry design-
these desires that call for greater accountability, fair trade, ers, lapidary artists, and even powerful mining companies
sustainability, and transparency to educate a growing client accounting for a larger percentage of production, such as
base of their practices supporting such endeavors. They Gemfields. The success of these efforts to accommodate cli-

34 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

Arial view of the rough sorting house at MRM

Gemfields ruby mine, Montepuez, Cabo Delgado,
Mozambique. (Photo: Gemfields)

tal technologies and platforms such as Facebook,

Instagram, WhatsApp, and smartphones. Design-
er efforts to provide the ultimate client experience
have facilitated the creation of vertical alliances
with lapidary artists for complete in-house service.
The drive has pushed some designers to master
the skills necessary in all phases of jewelry design,
from drafting to cutting or carving any gemstone
to fabrication. Consumers are willing to pay higher
prices to support American manufacturing by jew-
elry designers and lapidary artists moving away
from mass production overseas and local corporate
dominance. The growing market has increased do-
mestic demand for larger quality rough gems, which
are more economical to process. The increased
demand has resulted in higher prices and greater
international competition to select rough.
Rough traders accustomed to production sales
have altered their buying and selling practices to
account for these developments and have modified
their supply networks accordingly. They are sell-
ing smaller parcels and select stones aided by the
emergence of digital technologies and platforms.
Greater competition and higher margins have moti-
vated miners and regional master dealers, who tra-
ditionally neglected selective buyers, to accommo-
date these changes. Miners and rough gemstone
traders in source countries traditionally preferred to
sell production primarily to commercial Asian cutting
houses. These developments have allowed con-
sumers, designers, and lapidary artists increased
access to rough without the need to travel. The
sense of accountability, with greater transparency
of the supply chain has provided a more intimate
Gemfields’ UV optical sorter with concentrate split between relationship with rough suppliers to develop. Gem
coarse and medium sections. (Photo: Gemfields) trade shows, office visits, and social gatherings complement
the relationships built on digital platforms with a personal
ent desires for greater transparency has led to calls for incor- touch when desired.
porating blockchain technology into the supply chains and
even the advent of the Emerald Paternity Test, which allows References
invisible tagging of emeralds at the source with nanoparticles African Union (2009) Transparent, Equitable and Optimal
for future origin identification. There are several companies Exploitation of Mineral Resources to Underpin Broad-based
undertaking such efforts; however, their success remains to Sustainable Growth and Socio-economic Development, Afri-
be seen in an industry governed by considerable secrecy. ca Mining Vision, http://www.africaminingvision.org/amv_re-
Jewelry designers adopting and promoting these desires sources/AMV/Africa_Mining_Vision_English.pdf.
have helped facilitate the growth of independent American Fritz, Morgane et al. (2017) “Global Trends in Artisanal and
lapidary artists. Greater awareness and demand for their Small-Scale Mining (ASM): A Review of Key Numbers and
services aided by cultural changes have reversed their de- Issues.” International Institute for Sustainable Development,
creasing numbers over the last few decades. Many of these Development, http://www.iisd.org/sites/default/files/publica-
artists have developed massive followings of direct support tions/igf-asm-global-trends.pdf.
for their domestic cutting thanks to the emergence of digi- Images are courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted.■

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 35

 Field
Gemology
The Evolution of
Data Collection

By Vincent Pardieu
36 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org
 InColor

Introduction
If the concept of Field Gemology and building reference
collections is popular now, it is actually not something new.
Since the Age of Exploration (early 15th to early 17th century),
naturalists were regularly invited to join explorative expedi-
tions, returning with samples and observations that would
expand human knowledge.
At the end of the 18th century, early mineralogists such as
Greville, Klaproth, De Bournon, Haüy, and Rome de l’Isle
reviewed most of the known knowledge about gemstones
and came up with a new approach. Instead of studying and
discussing the texts of the ancients, they based their work
on the observation of Nature. They introduced the scientific
method to what would become gemology.
To get material, they often contacted travelers, who brought
back samples from around the world. The writing by Charles
Greville, On the Corundum Stone from Asia (Greville, 1798),
is interesting because it explains not only where the name
corundum comes from, but also provides information about
how samples were collected.
In the early 20th century, the gem trade faced a great chal-
The author presenting a reference sample from the
lenge with the arrival of cultured pearls and synthetic rubies. GIA reference collection he built from 2008 to 2017.
Gemological laboratories were created to provide indepen- During that period, he led 84 field expeditions to col-
dent third-party identification reports and restore confidence ored stone deposits in 15 different countries in Asia,
in the trade. The main instrument used was the microscope, Africa, and Australia to collect reference samples.
since labs could distinguish the two gems from the internal (Photo: Jonathan Muyal, ©GIA)
features in natural and synthetic rubies.
After World War II, a few passionate gemologists, such Lab. In the same manner, Henry Hänni from SSEF, another
as Dr. Eduard Gübelin, traveled to gem-producing areas early advocate for reference collections (Hänni, 1994;
around the world. They returned with gemstones that be- Krzemnicki et al. 2006), built his own collection (Hänni,
came the basis of their reference collections. 2008, pers. comm.). When he retired in 2010, SSEF bought
his collection, making it the lab’s foundational database for
The Era of Passionate Gemologists research and testing.
Dr. Gübelin's studies on inclusions enabled him to find A common opinion among gem labs was that it was not
differences between gems from different localities. He intro- necessary to go to the field to build a reference collection.
duced geographic origin in his lab reports and advocated for Obtaining samples from at least three trustworthy indepen-
laboratories to build reference collections to study and then dent sources was considered to be a more advantageous
compare with gems submitted for laboratory testing services solution (C. Dunaigre, 2007, pers. comm.).
(GIA, 2012). Indeed, if the samples provided by these independent
These reference collections were commonly the sole prop- sources were similar and, at the same time, different than
erty of the gemologists working in the labs. Until the begin- gems from other sources, the samples could be seen as
ning of this century, most research in labs was done by gem- correct. This method would eliminate the problem of any
ologists on their own time. Gemology had not yet become one person trying to mislead the lab. One could advocate,
a 9-to-5 job. Every credible gemologist needed his own though, that the technique could be improved if one of these
reference collection. independent sources was a lab gemologist going to the field
Dr. Gübelin’s remarkable collection was mainly composed (as most geologists do).
of faceted gems organized by variety, color, and/or geo- Gem labs traditionally prefer, however, to keep their highly
graphic origin. His objective was to collect different types qualified gemologists in the lab, working on customer stones
of gems from the areas he visited. After his death in 2005, rather than in the field where they may take unnecessary
it was split between the GIA (2012) and the Gübelin Gem risks. Allowing junior people to go to the field was also seen
as risky since their enthusiasm upon returning with unusual
Opposite page: The concept of Field Gemology is simple. It is samples could affect the attitude of other staff gemologists.
about collecting samples on-site at the mine and documenting
the entire process. Shown here is an emerald from the Kamar Thus, lab gemologists willing to go to the field were often dis-
Safeed emerald mines near Khenj in the Panjsher Vallery of couraged; rather they were encouraged instead to get their
Afghanistan. (Photo: Vincent Pardieu, ©DANAT) samples from trade shows, the Internet, and collectors.

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 37

Field Gemology

Eduard Gübelin working on his reference collection near his microscope. It was composed mainly of faceted gems arranged by
variety, color, and/or geographic origin. The focus was to collect all the different types of gems from the areas he visited. Many
gems were quite beautiful, so it is visually very appealing. The collection is truly remarkable. (Photos: Gübelin Gem Lab)

These private collections present a few major issues. What as this technique has been performed for centuries in Sri
happens when gemologists resign or retire? Labs then face Lanka (Hughes, 1997). Indeed, for centuries, heat treatment
the loss of highly qualified staff members and the private ref- was considered an acceptable trade practice and heated
erence collections. Even if the lab buys them, the collections sapphires were traded without disclosure—there was no dif-
are not always fully documented and, without the presence ference in value between them. That would change with the
of the gemologists, information may be lost. geuda heat treatment for blue sapphires in the 1970s.
In discussing the importance of well-documented refer- When people began paying higher prices for unheated
ence collections, Sir David Attenborough (2017), stated, stones, labs were asked to separate them. It was not be-
“Unless you know where it [an object] came from  exactly, fore the 1990s that disclosing treatments became the norm
and when it came exactly, you are missing a lot of very, for laboratories. It is very possible, then, that sapphires from
very  important information. And that can come, of course, any collection bought in gem markets before the 1980s could
not from the object itself, but from the circumstances, the have been heated. Without any guarantee, these gems are
documentation, that should accompany every scientifically not suitable as reference samples for research projects
collected specimen.” requiring unheated reference samples.
Documentation is very important for reference collec-
tions. But in most cases in old collections, there will just be Challenges in the 21th Century
a label indicating a country, possibly a name, and if we are The challenges presented by the identification of new
very lucky a date. For example, a label such as Sapphire, treatments, the multiplication of new gem deposits for labs
Sri Lanka, Dr. Gübelin, 1965 is already valuable (if the label providing origin reports, and the fact that a complete genera-
is correct and no stones were switched) since we can rea- tion of highly qualified and passionate gemologists is retiring
sonably expect that the stone didn’t originate from a deposit started to worry many laboratories. Some labs therefore are
discovered after 1965 or wasn’t treated with any treatment now starting to build strong databases and investing in field
developed after that date. gemology programs.
Nevertheless, in the absence of any specific and trust- By the end of the Cold War, globalization, cheaper air travel,
worthy information from the gemologist, it is not possible to mobile phones, and the Internet connected more people,
exclude that this sapphire was not heated with the blow pipe, making it easier to mine and trade gemstones. Recently,

38 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

Gem paper or plastic cases? Both have their advantages.

Left: Stones from the Gübelin reference collection in their orig-
inal gem papers, which is a convenient way to write important
information associated with each sample.
Right: Reference samples from the GIA reference collection in
plastic cases, which allow the stone to be seen without opening The collection of reliable samples in the field may be sim-
the paper and also to store the reference samples with the ple, but it is not without its own challenges. Many mines are
sample holder used to collect spectroscopic data. (Photos: difficult to access and security issues are also important, as
Gübelin Gem Lab and GIA)
explained in Basic Rules of Field Gemology (Pardieu, 2020).
Legal problems are also a consideration, e.g. in August
there has been a tremendous increase in the number of gem 2016, GIA field gemologists faced a major issue—under
deposits worldwide. This will become a major challenge for U.S. anti-money-laundering laws, any product produced
labs involved in origin determination. (Gübelin Gem Lab, outside a legal framework is labeled as a criminal property
2006; McClure et al., 2019). and money laundering is the act of buying such property.
The origin issue is particularly true for labs in Thailand, GIA’s legal department therefore asked field gemologists to
which emerged as the global hub for most rubies and sap- acquire only samples from legal mining operations.
phires from new deposits (Pardieu, 2018). Labs close to the In the colored gemstone sector, many miners are either
mine or treatment centers are more likely to receive gems unlicensed or illegal. So, without a solution, such legal is-
from new deposits. In consuming countries, gemstones from sues will limit GIA in keeping its reference collection up to
new exotic deposits are less a concern as they join the many date. Other labs might continue research in a more prag-
second-hand stones already available. matic way, i.e. not insisting on formal legality, but following a
Let’s remember that a gemstone is, by definition, beau- more informal ethical guideline as long as they feel comfort-
tiful, rare, and durable. Durable means that fine gem- able in terms of social, environmental, and ethical sustain-
stones accumulate in consuming markets and pass ability with the gems they buy in the field.
from one hand to the next, according to what is some-
times called the “4 Ds of auction houses: Death, Debt, “There is only one thing worse than no
Divorce and Disaster,” (Joanna Hardy, 2016, pers. comm.). data and that is bad data, because if bad
In 2005 and 2006, the AIGS lab in Bangkok and the
Gübelin Lab in Switzerland initiated a field gemology project.
data is published, people will use it.”
Then Director of the AIGS lab, the author spent six months There are also technical issues. In some mines, samples
in the field to collect samples to build a reference collection can be collected conveniently from hard rock, but most pro-
that would enable the lab to provide origin determination duction of gems such as sapphires comes from secondary
services. At Gübelin, it was an opportunity to get addition- deposits where gems are found in gravels. Sight identifica-
al reference samples from a reliable source. Daniel Nyfeler, tion under field conditions of weathered rough, even for an
Director of the Gübelin Lab, also had the vision to work on experienced buyer, are never 100% perfect. Furthermore,
an ambitious database system, a holistic method to help its lab gemologists used to working with faceted gems or geol-
gemologists provide origin determinations, not only based ogists working on matrix samples are usually far from being
on the opinion of a few experienced gemologists, but also by rough experts.
comparing a customer’s stone with data from actual refer- A field gemologist should never forget what Richard W.
ence stones (Gübelin, 2006). Hughes called Dick’s Law, i.e. “The closer you get to the
One of the reasons behind that effort was the departure of mines, the more synthetics you find,” (Hughes, 1997,
one of its a very qualified gemologists, Georges Bosshart. Hughes, 2010). Of course, this law must be extended to in-
Nyfeler wanted to make the lab results less dependent on clude stones from other deposits (nearby or in other coun-
individual gemologists (Nyfeler, pers. comm). tries) and heated stones, as well as imitations.
International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 39
 While identification of heat treatment is often a challenge
for a lab, it is often impossible under field conditions. The dif-
ficulty faced by field gemologists can be summarized as fol-
lowing: “Miners are afraid to speak, merchants tell stories,”
(Dr. Saw Naung Oo, Mogok, 2002, pers. comm.). It is then
critical for field gemologists to assess the potential reliability
of any given sample collected, which must be validated in
the laboratory.

Creation of GIA's Field Gemology Department

AIGS and Gübelin were not the only labs to face challeng-
es. Ken Scarratt, then Director of the GIA Lab in Bangkok
and Global Director for Colored Stones at GIA, had mixed
feelings after looking at the data produced from the stud-
ies of the Gübelin Reference collection partially acquired by
GIA. In 2008, he concluded that GIA needed a Field Gem-
ology department to provide reliable untreated samples of
known origin. His reason was simple: He believed that going
to the field and building a reliable reference collection includ-
ing stones from different sources would allow GIA to learn a
lot about natural corundum and thus be in a better position to
detect likely future new treatments as well as reliable origin
determinations.
What also convinced Scarratt and Tom Moses at GIA of
the importance of having a reference collection was the ap-
pearance of beryllium treatment in 2001. Gem labs realized
that they knew very little about corundum, possibly even
less than some burners. Scarratt began collaborating with
Dr. John Emmett, a retired scientist who was previously As-
sociate Director at the Laurence Livermore National Labo-
ratory where he led research on lasers. Emmett’s support
was critical in understanding beryllium treatment (Emmett,
et al., 2003). When Scarratt joined GIA, Emmett became a
scientific advisor for the organization.
Around this time, Richard W. Hughes (who was then at the
AGTA Lab) was studying blue sapphires, which were found
at GIA to contain a natural amount of beryllium. These sam-
ples were trustworthy as they were collected at the mines
in Madagascar by Hughes and the author in 2005 (Pardieu,
2013). Until then, most gemologists thought that beryllium
was not found naturally in sapphires.
Scarratt and Emmett realized that this was because very
few in-depth scientific studies had been done on natural co-
rundum (instruments like LA-ICP-MS were just starting to be
used in gemology). The very first publication about beryllium
in natural corundum was published in 2005 on basalt-related
sapphires from Tasmania, using LA-ICP-MS (McGee, 2005).

Top: The author (upper left) collecting ruby reference

samples near Andilamena in Madagascar. Collecting
samples as close as possible to the source, witnessing,
and properly documenting the mining is the best way to
provide researchers with reliable reference samples
to work on.
Right: The documentation sheet used by the author
to document each sample collected in the field.
(Photos:Vincent Pardieu)
40 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org
 InColor

The GIA Field Gemology department was created in De-

cember 2008 with the hiring of the author. Scarratt’s vision
was to build the best and most reliable reference collection.
Within the first two months, a chapter on collecting reference
samples in the field was added to GIA's corundum protocol.
That protocol was summarized in the annex of an expedition
report (Pardieu, 2009). Anyone wanting to build a solid ref-
erence collection should consider the Five Key Principles for
Reference Sample Collection listed below.
♦ Three independent and reliable sources. The principle
used by the Gübelin Gem Lab, that field gemologists have
to collect samples from multiple independent sources (e.g.
from a large mining company and small-scale miners work-
ing nearby) to minimize the risks of being cheated.
♦ The closer the samples are collected to the source, the Supharart Sangsawong, Ph.D. collecting data on a reference sample
better. It is important to send honest field gemologists with using LA-ICP-MS (Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Mass Spec-
enough practical experience about rough, gemology, and
troscopy). Enabling qualitative and quantitative analysis of trace
elements at the parts per million level, this instrument was mainly
geology in order to minimize the issues associated with the used to detect beryllium treatment, but was later found useful for
common presence of synthetics, imitations, heated stones origin determination. (Photo: Vincent Pardieu, ©GIA)
or stones from other places in mining areas.
♦ Traceability and the 4 W’s of field gemology. Every
reference stone must be correctly identified, individually
documented and associated with a complete field report en-
abling future researchers to access the 4 W’s of Field Gem-
ology: i.e. Where, When, hoW or from Whom each sample
was collected. We don’t know what the focus of gemological
research will be in 50 years, but by providing the information
associated with the way the samples were collected, future
researchers will be able to figure out which samples are suit-
able. Written reports are good, but video expedition reports
are better, as they provide more data that can be useful for
either research, education, and marketing.
♦ Cataloging system. Field gemologists have to assess
the reliability of each sample collected. The system devel-
oped after the expeditions in 2005 and 2006 with AIGS and
Gübelin was improved and adopted by GIA in 2009.
● A Type Stones: Mined by a field gemologist.
● B Type Stones: Collected from the miner at the mines
and witnessed by a field gemologist.
● C Type Stones: Collected from the miner at the mine, After data collection, the information is placed in a database to
but the field gemologist did not witness the mining. compare data from a given customer stone with the data collected
● D Type Stones: Collected from the miner, but not on reliable reference samples. (Photo: Vincent Pardieu, ©GIA)
at the mine.
● E Type Stones: Collected near the mine, but not Conclusion: New times, New People, New
from the miner. Challenges
● F Type Stones: Collected on the international Over the last 20 years, a whole generation of gemologists
market from trustworthy merchants. who built modern gemology are retiring. Will their replace-
● Z Type Stones: Information was lost or was ments have a similar spirit and qualifications? In many labs,
proven wrong. the question of succession is a real challenge since there are
♦ Verification Committee. A verification committee, com- very few qualified people with more than 20 years of experi-
posed of experienced gemologists, should be formed to val- ence. As this era ends, some chaotic times may come.
idate the reference stones (and the written reports) as sight To answer the challenges of this new century, some labs
identification in field conditions is never 100% accurate. In have invested more in data than in creating what some
practice, it is often the responsibility of the research gemologist call gem gurus (Nyfeler, 2020). This meant collecting solid
to check that everything stated about the sample is correct. reference collections, therefore opening the door to Field

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 41

 Field Gemology

O., Kane, R.E, (2003) Beryllium diffusion of Ruby

and Sapphire. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 39, No 2,
Summer, pp. 84–135.
GIA (2012) About the GIA Gem Project and the
Dr. Eduard J. Gübelin Gem Collection. (https://www.
gia.edu/about-gia-gem-project-gubelin-collection),
04/05/2020.
Greville, C., (1798) On the corundum stone from
Asia. Available on Google Books.
Gübelin Gem Lab (2006) The limit of Origin De-
termination.Jewelry News Asia, August, pp. 52–62
https://www.gubelingemlab.com/tl_files/content/
03%20Gemmology/Gem%20Lab/Documents/Ori-
gin_Article_Aug2006.pdf.
The author and Henry Ho, of AIGS (right), visiting with Eduard Gübelin Gem Lab (2006) A Holistic method to de-
Gübelin (left) in 2002 to discover and understand his Reference termining gem origin. Jewelry News Asia, September,
Collection. (Photo: Vincent Pardieu) pp. 118–126, https://www.gubelingemlab.com/tl_files/content/
03%20Gemmology/Gem%20Lab/Documents/Origin_Article_
Sep2006.pdf.
Gemology, first at AIGS, Gübelin, and AGTA labs from 2005
Gübelin Gem Lab, More than 27,500 stones, https://
to 2008 (Brunot, 2012, Pardieu, 2020), and then more sys- www.gubelingemlab.com/en/gemlab/reference-collection,
tematically at GIA after 2008 (Vertriest, 2019). At the same 04/05/2020.
time, labs have been upgrading their instrumentation to Hänni, H.A. (1994) Origin determination for gemstones: pos-
collect reliable data from their reference stones and use sibilities, restrictions and reliability. Journal of Gemmology, Vol.
multi-variable data analysis tools (AI) to help gemologists’ 24, No. 3, pp. 139–148.
decision-making. If the idea to compare the data collected Hughes, R.W., (1997) Ruby & Sapphire. RHW Publishing,
from a customer’s stone with the data collected from a reli- Boulder, Colorado.
able reference collection seems simple, the actual practice Hughes, R.W., (2010) Buying at the source – Dick’s Law and
is extremely complicated. Other Sundry Maxims of the East. https://www.lotusgemology.
It is a long chain starting with building a reliable reference com/index.php/library/articles/163-buying-at-the-source-being-
collection to proper cataloging, data collection, and final- an-essay-on-the-virtues-of-dick-s-law-and-other-sundry-max-
ly creating a user-friendly way for that data to be shared. ims-of-the-east, 04/05/2020.
Like any chain, it is only as strong as its weakest link, which Krzemnicki, M.S., Hänni, H.A., Chalain, J.P., Lefevre, P.,
directly impacts the quality of the data produced. As John (2006) Origin Determination of Gemstones: Challenges and
Emmett once told the author, “There is only one thing worse Perspectives, 1st GIT International Gem & Jewelry Conference.
than no data and that is bad data, because if bad data is https://www.ssef.ch/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2006_ab-
stract_Origin_GIT.pdf.
published, people will use it,” (Emmett, 2012, Pers. Comm.).
McClure, S.F., Moses, T., Shigley, J.E., (2019) The geograph-
Machines and samples are useful, but in the end, without
ic origin dilemma. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 55, No. 4, Winter,
honest, hardworking, qualified, and experienced gemolo-
pp. 457–462.
gists to study, question, validate, and wisely use the data McGee, B.M., (2005) Characteristics and Origin of the Weld-
produced, the whole process is not a guarantee of success. borough sapphires. NE Tasmania. http://www.mrt.tas.gov.au/
mrtdoc/tasxplor/download/06_5272/OriginAndCharacteristics_
Acknowledgments WeldboroughSapphi.pdf
Many thanks to the people who offered useful advice Pardieu, V., (2009) Concise Field Report Volume 1: Pailin,
and support in the field for the past 20 years. A very spe- Cambodia (Dec 2008 – Feb 2009). https://www.gia.edu/doc/
cial thanks to Jean-Claude Michelou, Richard W. Hughes, Field-Report_Pailin.pdf, 04/05/2020.
Daniel Nyfeler, and Ken Scarratt for their critical reviews of Pardieu, V., (2013) Blue Sapphires and Beryllium, an Unfin-
this article. ished World Quest. InColor, Summer, pp. 36–43.
Pardieu, V., (2019) Thailand: The undisputed ruby trading
References kingdom: A brief history. InColor, Vol. 42, Spring, pp. 14–22.
Pardieu, V., (2020) Webinar about Field Gemology. https://
Attenborough, D., (2017) Sir David Attenborough on Muse- youtu.be/a6eUv0n6p-A , 04/05/2020.
um Collection-360, American Museum of Natural History, Doc- Pardieu, V., (2020) Webinar “The Basic Rules of Field Gem-
umentary, https://www.amnh.org/explore/videos/at-the-muse- ology”: A discussion between Vincent Pardieu & Justin Prim.
um/sir-david-attenborough-on-museum-collections-360. https://youtu.be/VNfT9pXarAo, 04/05/2020.
Brunot, P., (2012) Follow the Zebra. Documentary, https:// Vertriest, W., Palke, A., Renfro, N.D., (2019) Field Gemology:
youtu.be/5oPAbytZZTI. Building a Research Collection and Understanding the Devel-
Emmett, J.L., Scarratt, K., McClure, S.F., Moses, T., Douthit, opment of Gem Deposits. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 55, No. 4,
T.R., Hughes, R.W., Novak, S., Shigley, J.E., Wang, W., Bordelon, Winter, pp. 490–511. ■
42 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org
The ICA Accredited
Ethical Program:
Lift awareness and advance the practices in
responsible, ethical and sustainable gem trading.
Increse the duty of care within the gem and jewelry
supply chains.
Increase consumer confidence and
enhance industry good-will.

ICA’s Accredited Ethical

Members undertake a practical
self-audit and make a voluntary
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They also commit to a program of
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Upon completion, Accredited Ethical Members

receive holographic seals to acknowledge their
new designation as an ICA AEM, Accredited
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Incorporating the CIBJO

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* The ICA does not verify the practices of any individual or company. For companies
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looking to haveColored Gemstonevalidated,
their practices AssociationICA would recommend this process is Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 43
conducted by independent third-party audits.
Pricing Trends

The Evolution of Pricing & Value

of Gems and Jewelry
By Helen Molesworth, FGA, FSA

A complex subject in the best of times, the attempt at

an analysis of price evolution in the present circumstances
is ironically timely. In recent years, we have experienced a
boom in colored gemstone popularity and prices as never
before, yet now we find ourselves preparing for a global
recession at the hands of a completely unprecedented and
unexpected worldwide pandemic.
We are at a unique point in the progression of our indus-
try, indeed of human history, with few able to foretell what
lies ahead. For many of us, it is a time to take stock, both
literally and metaphorically, and to be reminded that, as we
move forward, we can learn from the past.
What follows will contain no conjecture of future prices,
but an analysis and context of what has gone before: a
framework, or collective vision, to better understand where princes and priests, and which traded during the Renais-
we have been and where we are now. sance for half the price of sapphire. This was not to last, how-
The functions behind gems and jewels have evolved since ever, once Brazilian material flooded the market in the early
their earliest appreciation—beginning as purely decorative, 19th century. This leads us immediately to a primary point of
adapting to promote power and then riches, becoming a form price evolution: the causes.
of currency in their own right, and finally coming full circle to
be viewed as the height of social distinction combined with Supply and Demand
investment value. And so, with their purpose, their prices The historic factors of gem value were based very much
evolved. From antiquity onwards, it was their rarity that gave on the earliest concepts of rarity, together with beauty and
them value, but which also resulted in a lack of comparisons durability. These three factors are still taught to novice gem-
in terms of both quality and prices; their uniqueness created ologists as the basics of gem value, but today we find our-
value, but a value which was effectively incomparable. selves in a far more intricate and evolved environment. How
The earliest ancient records of gem prices tend to be qual- to analyze and track the enormous breadth of gemstone val-
itative rather than quantitative. An emerald might be as “rare ue factors and market shifts?
as wise words” (ancient Egyptian) or “a ruby not quite the In the 11th century at the height of the Islamic Golden Age,
price of wisdom” (Old Testament). They had comparative Al Biruni, one of the greatest medieval scholars and indeed
moral qualities, rather than prices per carat. We can, how- gem writers, stated, “the prices of jewels are not stable…
ever, infer historic variations in relative values between the there is no law governing their prices, and there is no reason
most-mentioned gemstones, namely diamond, pearl, emer- why these prices should not fluctuate with time and place.”
ald, ruby, and sapphire. Apparently, the evolution of gem prices was random, yet he
In the 1st century AD, the Roman nat- continued, “at one time, nobles begin to
ural historian Pliny placed the diamond Rarity: a delicate balance sell them off and at others, to stock them.
first; in the 13th century the Middle Eastern between too much Stones are plentiful at some times and
lapidary Al Tifashi listed emerald above of a good thing, scarce at others.” For a thousand years,
diamond, followed by ruby and then sap- and too little, losing it seems, we have had the answer to un-
phire; in the 16th century, renowned Italian derstanding of the evolution of pricing:
market momentum.
goldsmith Cellini ranked ruby at the top, supply and demand.
with sapphire second, and diamond only The balance between supply and de-
third. Cellini was, however, a notable narcissist, reminding us mand is basic to the evolution of gem pricing, and changes
to take any of these ancient opinions with a pinch of salt. in either will automatically create price shifts. But the balance
Perhaps the earliest reliable reference to price evolution is between the two also contains a number of complex factors,
found in Pliny, who wrote of agate, “it was once held in high and many individual market drivers, all of which are capable
esteem, but not any more… it has since been discovered in of creating both upwards and downwards movements. Sup-
many countries.” This is possibly the first example of mass ply is controlled by the sources—the actual gem deposits as
devaluation of a gem due to over-supply. Quartzes suffered a well as their accessibility—and also by industrial and intellec-
similar fate, no longer rated by the Middle Ages. The excep- tual developments, such as our understanding of mining and
tion was amethyst, whose color remained precious to both production, and basic mineralogy of species and varieties.

44 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

determination, the development of treatments and synthetics,

and finally to today’s ultimate issue of transparency.
On a global scale, the recent rise in colored gemstone de-
mand is certainly a result of improved consumer exposure
and understanding. The bias for certain origins harks back
decades, since the issuing of the first origin determination re-
ports by gem labs as early as the 1940s.
Now, for some twenty years, certain labs and auction
houses have pushed the case for promoting origin, as well as
color determination calls—Pigeon Blood, Royal Blue, Muzo
The complex causes of value creation and value shift—all a Green, etc., whatever these may be—as if selling a historical
part of supply and demand. (Image: Helen Molesworth) provenance pitch. Directly linking to supply, the earliest ap-
preciation of origin and provenance holds value both in the
The effective use of supply control by De Beers at the start rarity and consistent quality associated with certain deposits
of the 20th century was key to price stability and an increase in more than others, yet the labs and auctions have taken this
the diamond market with a commodity not quite as unique or link from the sublime to the ridiculous, and prices with them.
rare as previously believed. It was Ernest Oppenheimer who In the case of sapphire, the unrivalled appearance of Kash-
stated in 1910 that “common sense tells us that the only way mirs, combined with mining inaccessibility and then mining
to increase the value of diamonds is to make them scarce, extinction, has forever kept them and their unique appearance
that is, to reduce production.” at the top of sapphire prices, reaching a
A century later, Gemfields mimicked Demand is affected by high of up to US$250,000 per carat at
the De Beers model with Mozambican fashion and trends, auction in 2015, and more than tripling
rubies and Zambian emeralds, combin- since the mid-1990s. Today, however,
which are influenced by
ing modern corporate mining methods
in Africa with strict site sales and ag-
marketing, market makers, we have Madagascan gems that are
considered all but indistinguishable from
gressive marketing. This, too, has en- and demand drivers. their magical Kashmir counterparts, yet
sured relatively stable and consistent their cost is fractional. Although their
price growth in the sector. The link to supply and price evolu- prices have healthily climbed in recent years, they remain far
tion is even more stark in the case of Burmese rubies, whose from the heights of their Kashmiri cousins for one overriding
price rises have been ensured by a natural lack of mining reason: the massive demand driver of certain origin brands.
supply, and a perceived superior origin association compared Just as certain origins have developed a brand of their own,
to other countries. Conversely, overproduction in the 1980s in so too have untreated gems gained greater kudos and more
East Africa left tanzanite prices on the floor. exponential price increases over the years. Should, however,
Demand is a more complex concept, affected by fashion the disclosure of those treatments not have been well man-
and trends, which in turn are influenced by marketing, market aged by the industry, the risk of a market collapse because of
makers and demand drivers. Marketing may have extreme failing consumer confidence is high. Although oiling had been
gemological spin-offs in such areas as provenance and origin practiced for centuries, the public caught on to newer emerald

International Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 45

GVA graphColored Gemstone
showing Association
the overall pricing trend for gemstones and gold over the last 15 years. (©GemVal, www.GemVal.com)
Pricing Trends

no great surprise at the downturn in 2008/09 fol-

lowing the collapse of the U.S. housing market.
Conversely, a shift in financial markets can also
result in investment diversification, such as into
high-end stones. The economic effects of global-
ization have been enormous, arguably affecting
the gemstone industry more than any other. As
travel—what we once called trade routes—has
improved, so our industry has blossomed. More
deposits have been discovered; mining and ac-
cessibility have improved; gems can easily reach
consumers (and vice versa) and so can informa-
tion. Buying practices have fine-tuned with more
choice and knowledge, countering the reduced
rarity created by ease of availability.
With increased access to product and infor-
The 2015 and 2019 price-per-carat records for emerald, ruby and mation, buying patterns and price evolution have
sapphire at auction. (Photos: Christie’s and Sotheby’s; also effectively been fast-tracked. The speed at
Chart: Helen Molesworth) which Paraiba prices took off in the 1990s would have been
impossible in the 1890s.
treatments in the 1980s, causing a massive devaluation, which With all these benefits come downsides. Today, we are ex-
some say took—and is taking—decades to rebuild. In contrast, periencing a new effect of globalization—a global pandemic.
reactions against more modern developments of beryllium Never before has an illness of this extent been seen; its full
diffusion in sapphires and glass filling in rubies have not had effect on economy and industry is yet to be understood. Our
such a negative price impact in their respective fields, in part closest precursor, the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, is a dif-
thanks to better management of information and supply—i.e. ficult comparable, falling at the end of the World War I, itself a
disclosure—within the industry. huge economic shift factor. Surprisingly, the stock market did
A more modern demand factor—consumer desire for mor- not collapse until just over ten years later; similarly the main
al and socially responsible satisfaction in gem purchasing— event for the colored stone market was yet to come with the
has added value to more transparent and ethical sourcing 1929 financial crash.
and mining. Burmese embargoes in the 2000s stunted not
only ruby supply, but also ruby sales, and today more and East vs West
more Gen X and Gen Z buyers are prepared to invest in eth- As part of the globalization picture, one huge influence on
ical over cheap jewelry. In the case of diamonds, the con- today’s diamond colored stone market has been Asia. From
sumer demand for ethically sourced (man-made) diamonds Antiquity onwards, there has been a symbiotic relationship
has driven lab-grown sales far beyond that experienced by between East and West. Traditionally, the East supplied, and
man-created colored gems, dangerously rivaling and chal- the West demanded. Trade along the silk route had already
lenging the pricing structures of their begun in the 3rd century BC; during the
natural counterparts. There has been a symbiotic Roman empire, gems were reachingth
And finally, much bigger picture con- relationship between Rome from Sri Lanka; and in the 17
siderations, which affect both supply and century men such as Jean-Baptiste
East and West.
demand, include massive international Tavernier were the royal adventurers,
factors: politics, economics and global-
The West demanded; returning from the Orient with great rich-
ization. In the more unstable gem-pro- the East supplied. es for their kings.
ducing countries, a change in politics will This reliance on the East for lux-
invariably affect the market, as much of East Africa will attest. ury supply meant an automatic high price for such rar-
The closure, nationalization, and sometimes even redistribu- ities: few and far between, difficult to
tion of mines and mining rights can send production haywire, acquire, and expensive to transport.
while changes in export laws affect the supply chain. At the East to West was seen as the stan-
extreme, wars and political uprisings will derail the industry— dard. By the 17th century, such re-
consider Hong Kong in 2019/2020. One result of political in- liance had even pushed up prices
stability has been the increased consumer demand for ethi- to the extent that, as reported by
cally sourced gemstones and their value-add in pricing shifts. Tavernier in 1676, the prices of all
Perhaps the single largest influence on gem prices, how- gems (except diamond) were now
ever, is economics: financial crashes, market growth, and de-
crease/increase of affluence. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 The 59.60-ct vivid pink "Chow Tai
had a massive effect on the gem markets, and there was Fook Pink Star," sold for US$71.2
million. (Photo: Sotheby’s)
46 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org
 InColor

cheaper in Europe than Asia, and they should be traded in The 12.03-ct vivid blue
the opposite direction. "Blue Moon of Josephine"
But in the last century, and most notably, the last few diamond, sold to Chinese
billionaire Joseph Lau
decades, we have experienced an enormous shift: Chi- for $US48.5 million.
na driving the market and Africa supplying. Almost mirror- (Photo: Sotheby’s)
ing the progress of commercialized African colored gem-
stone supply, Chinese consumers entered the gem market
en masse in the 1990s, and within a decade proved their ting a record not only for a pink, or for a diamond, but for any
powerful purchasing power. As China’s buying patterns gem at auction.
rapidly progressed though the stages of educated and Since this mid-2010s heyday, world records at auction
informed buying, so the market shifted. Initially, it was all have been noticeably absent. As noted by Elke Berr, of Berr
about traditional gold; next, the easy go-to of diamonds; then & Partners SA, [see her article in InColor Spring 2017], the
colored gems and colored diamonds; and finally even vin- markets have experienced a slowing of activity due to a
tage. This was an evolution of experience at super-speed. number of factors: “a softening of the Chinese economy, de-
According to Sotheby’s Head of Jewellery in Asia at the creased spending by Russian consumers because of inter-
time, Chin Yeow Quek, quoted in the Julius Baer Luxury Re- national sanctions against their country, and the instability of
port of 2018: “A lot of our clients today look at jewelry as part economic growth in Europe (such as Brexit, negative interest
of their wealth portfolio, which is very different from 10, 15 rates, etc).”
years ago when the market was not as sophisticated.” Their The influence of China and the early signs of a global re-
colored stone selections, however, at the higher end of the cession have without doubt been key factors. China’s growth
market, did not follow those of the West, already experienced rate slowed to only 6%; governmental anti-corruption drives
in assessing gems from a hierarchical valuation perspective didn't affect luxury spending as far as expected but some; and
of tiers, based on quality, treatment, origin, etc. Hong Kong protests and political instability further dampened
Instead it was a binary choice: the best or nothing at all. In spending. Finally, the tragedy of the spread of COVID-19 in
the case of diamonds, this meant D IF or 2020, affecting China first and now fore-
vivid; for colored stones, only completely most the U.S., has begun a true global
untreated gems from recognizable key
The appreciation of origin recession from which not only colored
origins such as Colombia, Kashmir, and holds value in the rarity stone prices, but the world will need time
Burma, with the lab-tags of Pigeon Blood and quality associated with to recover.
and Royal Blue. By the mid-2010s, for certain deposits, yet the labs In considering a price evolution of
many Chinese buyers, a ruby was not and auctions have taken the colored stone markets, an in-depth
genuine without a Pigeon-Blood report, this link from the sublime analysis of some of the key players in
effectively devaluing the remainder of to the ridiculous— prerequisite. Those key players are, un-
the ruby field. The knock-on price shift and prices with them. surprisingly, the gems that have been
from 2010 onwards, not only assisted around the longest and still considered
by new Chinese buyers, but also buoyed by recovery from the most valuable. It is no coincidence that the gems which
the 2008/09 economic crash, was inevitable; untreated, top have consistently and continually retained and indeed appre-
origin gems climbed in price relative to the rest of the market ciated in value over time should be those that have stood the
creating an even greater split between what was considered test of it. In addition, the power of trust and historical value
the top and the rest. cannot be underestimated. It is human nature to feel most
Proof of the influence of the East is seen through auction comfortable with, and indeed value most highly, something
records, most notably between 2015 and 2017. Hong Kong that has been around the longest. Of all our colored gems,
salerooms took over world records results; Chinese and emerald, sapphire, and ruby have done just that.
Hong Kong privates openly entered into bidding; and major
Chinese retailers featured in sales results for the first time. Emerald
In 2015, world record prices were dominated by either Perhaps the earliest written record of any gem, nearly
Asian buyers or Asian sales. Both current ruby and sapphire 5,000 years ago, was an ancient Egyptian reference to emer-
world-record price-per-carat prices for the Crimson Flame alds, and one also to their value. They were apparently only
and the Jewel of Kashmir were set in Hong Kong. The same second in value to wise words, thus, by default, making them
year, Chinese billionaire Joseph Lau dropped a combined the most valuable gem at the time. Emerald is also one of the
US$77 million on the vivid pink Sweet Josephine and the viv- earliest gem price points, with a 4th-century story noting that
id Blue Moon of Josephine diamonds. an engraved emerald was purchased for 4 gold staters: the
In May 2016, Chow Tai Fook, the behemoth Chinese jewel- equivalent to four months of a soldier’s wage at the time.
er, openly purchased the record-breaking 5.03-carat vivid Au- As one of the most ancient gems, emerald has had a long
rora Green diamond for US$16.8 million, followed one year history of value. Its rarity was maintained for millennia. By
later by the 59.60-carat Chow Tai Fook Pink Star, previously chance, when the impressive Colombian deposits were re-
the burnt Steinmetz Pink, for a record US$71.2 million, set- vealed to the West in the 16th century, instead of emerald

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 47

 Pricing Trends

The 18.04-ct "Rockefeller

Emerald," sold to Harry
Winston in 2017
for US$5.5 million.
(Photo: Christie’s)

Kashmir sapphire
(27.68 cts) and
diamond ring, sold for
the record auction
price of US$6.7
million in 2015.
(Photo: Sotheby’s)
Average prices for various grades of emerald from 2004-2019.
(Graph: Gemworld International)

value decreasing, it initially only increased, thanks to the un- stones ruled the markets, then came Burma, and around 1880
rivaled quality and sizes made available to the world. In the Kashmir appeared, changing everything. According to Edwin
18th century, however, the balance was upended. According Streeter, the British gem merchant, in 1884, some 2-3-carat
to Sydney Ball, writing in 1935, “more than 200 years after sapphires were as valuable as diamonds of the same weight:
the conquest of Peru, an over-abundant supply ruined the no doubt Himalayan treasures. Around 1900, prices dropped
emerald market.” due to over-supply following the discovery and production of
With a reduced supply, popularity returned (particularly un- sapphires in Queensland, Kashmir, Cambodia, and Montana
der Napoleon III), and by the late 19th century, the inverse all at the end of the 19th century.
happened. “The supply of good emeralds was so inadequate The introduction of synthetics did not hit sapphire as hard
that jewel shops frequently displayed few or none, and people as ruby, probably because its prices were simply lower. “The
turned to other stones more familiar to them.” This proved a price of sapphire is much below that of the diamond,” and
crucial point to the value-and-supply chain: the importance of “fine large sapphires are by no means as rare as fine large
maintaining a delicate balance between too much of a good rubies or emeralds,” wrote Ball again in 1935. At some point
thing and too little, thus losing market momentum.
In 1935, emerald returned to being regarded as “the
most precious of all gems,” and saw steady increases
in the following decades. Two major moments in the SAPPHIRE
20th-century price evolution were the commercializa-
tion of Zambian deposits in the 1970s, an origin whose
value would increase best in the 21st century, and the
clarity enhancement disclosure issues of the 1980s,
which created a massive consumer confidence desta-
bilization and ensuing price drop.
As emerald prices picked up again in an attempt to
regain its place, we have seen prices rise at auction
from US$100,000 per carat in 2011 to US$200,000 in
2015 and finally to US$300,000 in 2017, proving an
exceptional evolution in the last decade.

Sapphire
Another ancient gem, but almost impossible to price
early on is sapphire. Historically, it was never placed
at the top of the price chain like emerald or ruby, and Price trends, 1970-2019 for 10-ct sapphires: no-heat Burmese;
earliest references were indiscriminate to blue stones. no-heat Ceylon; and heated sapphires in general.
From the Roman and Middle Ages onwards, Sri Lankan (Graph: Antoinette Starkey, in Gold'Or)
48 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org
 InColor

in the 20th century, sapphire overtook emerald, but

never caught up with ruby.
Highlights that included the discovery of Mada-
gascar deposits in the 1990s and the re-gifting of
Charles and Diana’s engagement ring by William
to Kate in 2010 certainly supported price increases,
not least of all in Asia, where sapphire saw its great-
est evolution since Kashmir days.

Ruby
The King of Gems and the Leader of Stones has
always led colored gemstone prices, almost without
fail, and with a relatively stable price evolution. In
the 16th century, Cellini named it the most valuable
Average prices for various grades of sapphire from 2004-2019.
of all. In the 17th, Tavernier said that for a fine gem— (Graph: Gemworld International)
whatever was asked was paid for it. In the 19th cen-
tury, Streeter wrote that a ruby of 5 or 6 carats was
worth ten times a diamond of the same size. Over a
century later, we can still say the same. Ruby ‒ One Carat, Un-Enhanced
Quite simply, ruby prices have remained consis-
tently high throughout history, excepting the obvious
financial market and synthetic setbacks in the early
20th century. Mozambique discoveries helped fulfill
what might have become failing supply due to the
reduction of Burmese production that pushed prices
at the higher end to incomparable heights.
The 8.62-carat Graff Ruby was a great example
of just this. Originally sold at auction in 2006 for a
world record US$3.6 million to Laurence Graff, who
sold it to a private collector, it reappeared at auction
again in 2014, and this time realized another world
record breaking US$8.6 million, sold to… Laurence
Graff. This is a superb example of price evolution,
as well as also the definition of an individual market Average prices for various grades of 1-carat un-enhanced ruby, 1982-2019.
maker. (Graph: Gemworld International)

Market Perspective
Price Per Carat in US$ The price-per-carat (PPC)
evolution of world record
rubies at auction and fine
one-carat rubies from
1988-2019.
Note the comparable
progressions at one
hundredth of the PPC
difference. No new
records have been set
since 2015, seemingly a
"decline" in world record
prices, while one-carat
rubies continue to rise.
(One-carat prices courtesy
of GemGuide, Gemworld
International; Graph:
Helen Molesworth)

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 49

Pricing Trends

Spinel – Long Underrated

Inseparable from ruby for centuries, spinel has been tied to
ruby throughout its long history. Found in the same Burmese
deposits and remarkably visually similar, it was only in 1783
that the two gems were gemologically and finally financially
separated. Such advancement in the knowledge of mineralo-
gy would become a price shift factor. In this instance, it made
ruby rarer—theoretically—and more highly prized, while cre-
ating a new unknown in the case of spinel.
Until only fairly recently, spinel was a clearly underval-
ued gem, sitting in ruby’s shadow. Succinctly put by Rich-
ard Drucker, pricing expert of the GemGuide, “For decades,
spinel never got the respect it deserved.” With the advent of
synthetics in the early 20th century and the ubiquity of spinel
as a corundum imitation, the word spinel became almost syn-
onymous with synthetics, preventing it from gaining in popu-
larity and price.
Even in the mid-2000s, a fine red spinel might only sell for
half the price of a treated ruby. Finally, however, at around the
same time as the steep rise in Burma ruby prices, and in part The price evolution of 3-ct red spinel from 2000-2020.
(Graph: Gemworld International)
thanks due to the same origin association, spinel started to
come into its own as a gem.
Strong marketing from certain spinel-friendly brands, which the finest Brazilian gems. In ten years, a one-carat extra-fine
have, in the last decade, promoted a better appreciation of Paraiba tripled in value, from $7,000 to $16,000 per carat to
the gem’s qualities and color range—together with the re- a current range of $20,000 to $30,000 per carat wholesale;
cently surfacing gemological curiosities of Mahenge pink special, larger gems have appreciated even more. [Prices
spinel and cobalt blue spinel—have certainly powered an are courtesy of the GemGuide, Gemworld International.]
improvement in spinel public relations. Equally, the high Bur- The most saturated electric blue Brazilian Paraibas (over
mese ruby price hikes, linked to production decline and rarity those from Mozambique and Nigeria) have experienced the
appreciation, left a nice gap for both Mozambique ruby and highest price trajectory, buoyed by the timely trend for colored
Burmese spinel to fill, thus explaining their twin price trajec- stones, together with the marketing buzz surrounding a new
tory over the last decade. “In the past decade, the price of a historic name and neon color.
3-carat red spinel in extra fine quality, intense red color, has
gone from a range of $2,000 to $4,000 per carat wholesale New Kids on the Block: Tanzanite and Tsavorite
to a current range of $4,000 to $6,000 per carat. One decade Contrasting Case Studies in Price Progression
earlier, prices for this size would have topped out at about Tanzanite is almost a textbook gem when it comes to un-
$1,000 per carat,” notes Drucker. derstanding the driving forces of price and market variation.
At the upper end of the spectrum, it was only in 2015 that In less than 50 years, the super-fluctuating prices of tanzanite
spinel first made price-per-carat auction headlines for the have been impacted by almost every market force imagin-
50-carat purplish Hope Spinel, selling for GBP £960,000 able, from source supply and access, economic and politi-
(US$1.5 million or $30,000 per carat), and doubling the previ- cal factors, marketing influence through branding and origin
ous auction record set in 2013 of $16,000 per carat. Although association, and technological and intellectual developments
the Henry Hope provenance undoubted- of species identification and treatment.
ly helped, the Hope Spinel itself is an in- When first discovered in 1967, tanzanite
teresting lesson in price evolution. When Increasing numbers of
was, of course, a new zoisite species, and
first purchased in 1917, it sold for only Gen X and Gen Z buyers are initially had to be acquired at sapphire
£1,060, the equivalent of approximately now prepared to invest in prices before its identity was fully under-
$120,000 in 2015 dollars. ethical vs cheap jewelry. stood. This new gem was a dream come
true for Tiffany & Co., which unveiled a
Paraiba – The Neon Newbie catchy name and a killer marketing campaign: Tanzanite can
Like spinel, there was no major market for tourmaline only now be found in significant quantities in only two places in the
a few decades ago. Paraiba—today one of the most valuable world: In Tanzania. And in Tiffany’s.
gem varieties available in the market—hadn’t even been dis- By the early 1970s, tanzanite prices had climbed to $2,000
covered. When it first appeared in the trade in the late 1980s, to 3,000 per carat, sometimes even higher, according to Bruce
prices were only a few hundred dollars per carat, yet it was Bridges, of Bridges Tsavorite, whose father, Campbell, had
still considered expensive. Within a few years, prices had introduced tanzanite to Tiffany’s. The dream, however, was
risen into the thousands, then high thousands per carat for not to last: the Tanzanian government nationalized the mines
50 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org
 InColor

in 1971; mining became more and more haphazard; and positive and negative marketing. While the name launched
Tiffany’s was no longer able to export. A new generation of the gem, aggressive television sales at the lower end of the
artisanal miners and dealers entered the game, and by the market, combined with lack of expectation management and
end of the 1980s, 30,000 individual miners were working the disclosure regarding treatment and durability, have also im-
region. The market was flooded with what had previously pacted public opinion of tanzanite. Along with its political and
been a controlled commodity, and prices went into freefall, production problems, tanzanite is in the unique but unenvi-
reaching as low as $100-150 per carat. able position of experiencing the full gamut of
Then, in the 1990s, commercialized min-
In terms of price up-and-down price drivers.
ing was reintroduced; supply was better evolution, the question Tsavorite, on the other hand, discovered the
controlled; and prices not only stabilized, for tsavorite arises: same year and in the same region as tanzanite,
but rose healthily. By the early 2000s, tan- why is the gem still has taken an entirely different growth trajecto-
zanite prices had increased from the low worth so much less ry. Tsavorite was initially discovered by Camp-
hundreds of dollars per carat up to $800— than emerald? bell Bridges in Tanzania in 1967, but when
a sapphire-price imposed cut-off at the the mines were nationalized, he hopped over
time. The result of steady supply and market control was that the border to re-find the gem in Kenya, where it would later
tanzanite prices quadrupled within a ten-year period. be adopted as the national gemstone. “Tsavorite prices are
Then suddenly in 2001, after 9/11, the most extraordinary much more straightforward, almost opposite to the tanzanite
price-shift factor occurred—tanzanite was reportedly linked yoyo stone,” says Bruce Bridges. “Although it has taken lon-
to Al-Qaeda. Tiffany’s and QVC both suspended sales, send- ger to gain recognition in the name—for several years, it was
ing prices plummeting by 70%. Fortunately, the industry referred to as green grossular garnet—prices have historical-
was cleared of any untoward associations within a matter of ly only ever gone up.”
months and over the next five years, prices once again tripled Again working with Campbell Bridges, Tiffany’s took six
from the low hundreds back to near-previous levels. years to start marketing the name, only advertising the newly
But again, not for long. With the recession of 2008/09, pric- named tsavorite to the world in 1974, largely due to the rarity
es tumbled once more, only to pick up thereafter. Since then, of material. When Tiffany’s Chairman and CEO, Henry Platt,
prices have continued to waiver, and tanzanite seems to asked Bridges how many important stones he could supply
have suffered as much as it benefitted from the effects of both Tiffany’s in a month, Bridges’ replied, “it’s not a matter of how

The overall upward pricing trend for gemstones compared to the Dow Jones Industrial Average
over the last 15 years. (Graph: ©GemVal, www.GemVal.com)
800'000 International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 51
Pricing Trends

many I can provide you per month, but rather how many can Diamonds – An Anomaly in the Industry
I provide you per year.” For smaller sizes, prices started Unquestionably the best example of supply chain control
around $150 per carat and climbed steadily. By the 1980s, and price evolution in our business is the diamond industry.
the equivalent gems were realizing between $550-$650 per To most consumers, diamonds come first and foremost in the
carat; during the 1990s, they rose still; and by the 2000s, such world of gems and jewelry. At the head and heart of the gem-
stones were commanding more than $750 per carat. stone market, diamonds are, though, a bit of a rogue player.
Then the unthinkable happened: the man behind bringing They are by no means the standard against which we can set
tsavorite to the world was assassinated in a targeted attack in the rest of the market, least of all in regard to price evolution.
2009 fueled by local jealousies over the mines. Overnight, the Their rise to fame and fortune in the public eye has been un-
bizarre happened—through Campbell conventional to say the least, while their
Bridges’ death, tsavorite became world ubiquity is only a relatively recent develop-
Consumer demand for ment, creating a market evolution unique
famous and, after the original shock of
the news-breaking story, consumers
man-made diamonds has in the industry.
wanted in on tsavorite as never before. driven lab-grown sales far Since antiquity and for millennia to fol-
Before 2009, larger gems were selling beyond those experienced low, diamonds fitted the pattern of normal
for $3,000 to $3,500 per carat; after 2009, by lab-grown colored gems, gems, beautiful, durable and rare, priced
prices multiplied ten-fold, reaching up to dangerously rivaling and individually and leading the value stakes.
$35,000 per carat for large, top quality challenging the pricing In the 1 st
century AD, Pliny recorded, “of
gems. It was likened to the Van Gogh structures of their natural all things—not only among gemstones—
effect… the fruits of one man’s life’s work counterparts. diamonds are the most valuable. For a
finally experienced recognition. long time, diamonds were only known to
In the context of price evolution, the final, obvious question kings, and then only to a few.” Their rarity, desirability, and
for tsavorite arises: why is it still worth so much less than prices remained consistently high (excepting an interruption
emerald? With tanzanite, we can argue a price limitation due in the 18th century with the discovery of the Brazilian diamond
to the expectation of treatment and a lower durability, but fields) until the second half of the 19th century with the discov-
with tsavorite—an untreated material with greater durability ery of diamonds in South Africa.
and arguably better clarity and brilliance than its older coun-
terpart, as well as limited to one region of production—what Enter De Beers
is holding back an even greater price rise? Once again, we In 1888, De Beers Consolidated Mines was formed, creat-
come back to supply and demand, and marketing. Emerald ing a production and distribution monopoly; in 1889 the Lon-
has been known and loved for millennia, while tsavorite hasn’t don Diamond Syndicate agreed to purchase a fixed quantity
yet been around long enough to create a century’s worth of of diamonds at an agreed amount, thereby regulating out-
consumer confidence. put and prices. A small trade slump followed, but now supply

Long-term rough diamond

price versus inflation from
1982-2020.
(Image: Paul Zimnisky,
www.paulzimnisky.com)

52 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

The overall upward pricing trend for gemstones compared to diamonds over the last 15 years. (Graph: ©GemVal, www.GemVal.com)

control was possible to hold prices. By the time of Rhodes’

death in 1902, De Beers controlled 90% of all diamond pro-
duction. All that was needed was guaranteed demand. Enter
the revolutionary 1947 marketing campaign convincing ev-
ery young woman she needed a diamond engagement ring. The 16.08 carat vivid pink
Evoking A Diamond Is Forever, the stage was set. "Sweet Josephine" diamond,
With massive supplies (of a material no longer rare but his- sold in 2015 for $28.5 million.
torically valuable) in a standardized supply chain (with both (Photo: Christie’s)
production and distribution control), diamonds became the
first gem commodity. Although the De Beers monopoly would
disintegrate in 2000, diamonds had been proven to be re-
placeable, fungible, and controllable, and as such, would be Conclusion
forever tied to the financial markets. Today more than ever before, it will be interesting to see
Because of supply control, steady price growth and inflation what will happen: how prices will shift once more and how
were inevitable, until times of global economic downturns. the market will inevitably have to reshape itself in these more
The 1930s stock market crash hit gems and commodities challenging times than ever experienced in living memory. It
alike indiscriminately. According to Bain’s Global Diamond is our nature to approach challenges as opportunities and the
Industry Report of 2019, the diamond market took four more chance to move the industry in the direction we now choose.
major downturns, twice relating to global recessions (at the There will always be a desire for beautiful gems.
end of the 1970s and in 2008/09), and twice due to ineffi- Markets become more selective in challenging times, more
ciencies in the pipeline (1985 and 2015). We are obviously than ever focused on quality, transparency, and added value
entering the fifth downturn as I write this article. created by the supply chain. And as ever, the better we un-
Bain also identified four trends that are currently shaping derstand the past, the better we can prepare for the future.
the diamond industry: the rapid growth of e-commerce and its
effect on the diamond pipeline; increasingly advanced mar- About the Author
keting; the focus on sustainability and social responsibility; Helen Molesworth is a Fellow of the Gemmological Asso-
and the growth of the lab-grown diamond (LGD) market (up ciations (FGA) of Great Britain and Hong Kong, a Fellow of
another 15-20% in 2019). The latter will undoubtedly forge the Society of Antiquaries (FSA) in London, and has a degree
its own path, quite differently to the historical comparisons of in Classics from Oxford University. She worked at Sotheby’s
lab-grown colored gems. Depending on marketing and the and Christies as a jewellery specialist for ten years; and is the
consumer, LGDs have the potential to separate from or un- creator and author of all Gübelin Academy's Colored Gem-
dermine the natural diamond market further. stones Classes. ■

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 53

 Lapidary Arts

The Evolution of the

Humans have been adorning themselves for as long as
Lapidary
Tradition
Tradition
they have existed. From the historical record, it seems that
as soon as we developed the skills to cut and carve stones,
we also developed an aesthetic taste for using precious ma-
terials as jewelry.
To understand the beginnings of mankind’s relationship
with gemstones and jewelry, we need to go back all the way
to the Stone Age. Humans were already shaping primitive By Justin K Prim
hand tools (Figure 1a) out of stone 2.6 million years ago.
Some of the oldest jewelry that is currently in existence is
over 100,000 years old and is directly connected to this pre-
historic tradition of stone tool use.
Some of the oldest decorative jewelry objects have been
found in caves in Israel and Algeria. The ancient jewelry con-
sists of shells of the Nassarius snail (Figure 1b), which have
been perforated as beads. The holes were made with hand
tools, perhaps from flint, and then the beads could be strung
and hung around the neck (Science, 2006). It seems that
even our paleolithic ancestors had an eye for adornment, Figure 2: An ornately carved and beaded jet necklace, circa
something that has continued throughout the human experi- 2050 BC - 1800 BC. (Photo: ©National Museums Scotland)
ence, up to the modern day.
More recent beads have been found in Kenya that are
made of drilled ostrich eggshells and tied on a string, form-
ing a necklace. These are thought to be 40,000 years old
(Ambrose, 1998). We can find ancient evidence of early
shaping of precious materials like this all over the world. For
Figure 1a: A trihedral stone tool; example, in Britain ornaments made out of jet have been
3 million ‒ 300,000 years old.
(Photo: ©Wikimedia) found dating back to the Bronze age. These include beads,
buttons, armlets, and rings (The Gemmologist, 1952).
One such piece, a jet necklace (Figure 2), now resides in
the Museum of Scotland and is approximately 4,000 years
old. The necklace contains six engraved plates of jet along
Figure 1b: Shell bead necklace with 110 beads that have been carved with impressive regu-
about 30,000 years old. larity. It’s not known exactly what method was used to create
(Photo: ©Smithsonian Institution) such a piece, but likely similar to the methods that Victorian
jet cutters used: against a hard, abrasive stone for shaping
and then against whale leather until it became glossy.
Cabochons were another of the cutting styles that early
lapidaries quickly mastered. The process of abrading a soft-
er stone against a harder stone in order to shape it into a
smooth dome was likely in use well into prehistory.
We see early examples of cabochons in Egyptian jewelry
dating back to 1800 BC (Figure 3). Despite being the sim-
plest of all types of gem cutting, cabochons have never gone
out of fashion. You might say that it’s mankind’s longest run-
ning trend. Until the emergence of the faceted stone at the
end of the 14th century, the cabochon is what we find almost
all colored stones cut as. Sometimes the cabochon style is
also combined with carving or engraving to make something
innovative and eye catching.
Aside from shaping rough gemstones to make a pleasing
shape, there is a long tradition of engraving with symbols

54 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

and images. We can safely assume that engraving tech-

niques have been developing since the most
ancient beads were first drilled. Engraved
stones were long used as seals in many of the
ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece, and
China, but the style of intaglios and cameos in jewel-
ry stones reached their pinnacle of popularity during
the Roman Empire. If we look to Pliny the Elder, writ-
ing his Natural History book on stones in 77‒79 AD,
he mentions that Alexander the Great forbid his portrait
to be cut on a stone unless it was done by the engraver
Pyrogoteles (Bostock, 1855, pg 389), letting us know that
engraving was already a common practice in the 4th cen-
tury BC. From there, it only became more popular, and to-
day we have the remains of hundreds of stones from the
Roman empire that are engraved with spiritual, religious, Figure 3: An Egyptian-made scarab pendant
and magical symbols, meant to imbue the wearer with cer- with cornelian, lapis lazuli and green feldspar
cabochons, circa 1897 BC ‒ 1878 BC.
tain qualities or protections. (Photo: ©The Trustees of the British Museum)
It’s likely that these early carvings for seals were done with
flint, obsidian, or emery (Boardman, pg. 379), which again polished cabochons. The exact techniques used to produce
connects back to the ancient practice of making flint tools. these garnets are unknown, but we can assume they were
This technique would have worked well for softer stones made in a similar fashion to other early Medieval gemstones
such as serpentine, which was often used for engraved by rubbing them-by-hand against a rough millstone, and
seals. then polishing them against a smooth piece of copper cov-
Once lapidaries set their sights on harder stones such as ered with an abrasive powder (Bol, 2019, pg. 226). 
quartz and its cryptocrystalline cousins such as jasper, chal- It has also been speculated that the bow-driven lapidary
cedony, and carnelian, new techniques would have been wheel was used in this period, being one of the earliest me-
needed, as flint is too soft to carve these harder stones. chanical tools for shaping stones. These devices are un-
There is little documentary evidence for what the early hard- doubtedly Indian in origin and can still be seen in use by
stone engravers used, but it’s assumed that this later tech- lapidaries in India and Sri Lanka today, although these types
nique is similar to those later used in Renaissance Italy—a of machines are also thought to have also been used in
spinning engraving bit set into a table that’s powered by a Medieval Europe (Figure 4b) as well.
foot pedal (Boardman, pg 380).
After Rome relinquished its hold over Europe, fashion
trends changed and Medieval jewelers started to use flat
wafer-like slices of garnet set into gold cloisonné jewelry. The
Staffordshire Hoard (6th to 7th century) contains hundreds of Figure 4b: A Medieval
these gold-set slices of garnet (Figure 4a) as well as cut and English lapidary using
a bow-driven polishing
wheel. (Photo: ©Museum
of Whitby Jet)

Figure 4a: A hilt fitting from the Staffordshire Hoard

featuring garnet wafers. (Photo: ©Wikimedia)

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 55

Lapidary Arts

Since the 1400s, faceted gemstones have captivated

the human imagination and become the dominant and
most desired cutting style for high quality transparent
gemstones. If we want to understand the earliest or-
igins of the faceted gem, we must go East. Though
the first faceting machines appeared in Europe in the
late 1300s and early 1400s, we can find much earlier
evidence for the techniques of faceting in the Middle
East.
In Figure 5, we can clearly see a stone that has
been faceted with a table and four angled sides that
predates European faceting by 400 years. Dozens
of stones like this have been documented and dated
thanks to their calligraphic style which can be used to
determine the period that the stones were carved in
(Content, 2016, pg. 103‒109).
The Silk Road was in full effect during this time and
vast amounts of cultural influences were moving along with
Figure 5: An unmounted sapphire with a table and faceted
sides and a three-line Kufic Arabic inscription, circa 10th - 11th
the goods that the Silk Road merchants were trading. As century. (Photo: ©️Derek J Content Collection, 2020)
gemstones made their way from Asia and the Middle East
into Europe, the concept of flat faceting could have moved
into the European cultural consciousness. gemstone production, as well as continued creativity in the
way that stones are cut.
The first brilliant-style cuts emerged in the 1750s and by
the middle of the 19th century, jamb-peg technology had
been developed in France (Figure 6) and spread around
Europe and eventually the world.
By the time electricity makes its way around the world, we
see French-style jamb-peg machines being used in gem cut-
ting cultural hubs such as Thailand and Colombia.
Later, they would also permeate Israel and India, becom-
ing the most widely used type of gem cutting machine in the
world. Even to this day, most of the world’s gemstones are
cut on jamb-peg machines that owe their parentage to 19th
century Paris.
A final wave of gem cutting evolution happened in the
Figure 6: A 19th century jamb-peg table, first developed wake of World War II when the American amateur lapidary
in France and later used throughout the world. community built itself up from a small handful of inventive
pioneers in the 1930s and 1940s to hundreds of thousands
It’s evident from surviving pieces of cut stone that the abili- of amateur lapidaries in the 1970s and 1980s. This isolated
ty to create flat facets on hard stones existed in Europe for at group of lapidaries didn’t descend from the European tradi-
least 100 years before faceted stones started being regularly tion of lapidary apprenticeships, so they had to invent their
used in European jewelry. own techniques and technology.
Starting in the mid-15th century, we see slow growth for The inventive moment in faceting history brought about
the demand and use of faceted gemstones. We can identify the emergence of mast-style machines (Figure 7), which
this trend through the surviving pieces of early Renaissance have become popular around the world and especially in
jewelry as well as through portrait paintings of the time. competition cutting countries such as Australia, Canada, the
Once we get to the mid-16th century, faceted stones are a UK, and Russia.
regular item in the jeweler’s toolbox and by the 17th century, Today, we can see two sides to the lapidary community. On
the style of the jewelry metalwork completely changes, mak- one hand, we have professionally trained gem cutters who
ing gemstones the focal point of jewelry for the first time in generally employ mass production techniques using jamb-
modern history. peg or hand-piece-based machines in order to cut stones
From the 17th century until now, the technology and tech- quickly and efficiently to supply the demand of the gem and
niques used by gem cutters continues to evolve. Each time jewelry industry.
there is a new innovation in gem-cutting technology, we see On the other hand, we have hobbyist cutters who have
a corresponding improvement in the quality and speed of learned through the community-based lapidary club system

56 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

Figure 7: An early American

mast machine, circa 1947.
(Photo: © Graves Company).

Figure 8: Fantasy-cut tourmaline

by Nolan Sponsler and Ryan
Anderson. (Photo: Nolan Sponsler
and Ryan Anderson)

and who favor perfection over speed and weight retention.

Cutting techniques continue to evolve and in the last few
years, we’ve seen a revitalized interest in that old Roman
obsession of engraving shapes into gem material. The 21st
century’s answer to intaglios is the fantasy cut.
As the 21st century continues, the line between the profes-
sionally-trained and hobbyist communities blurs as amateur
cutters transcend their hobbyist background and carve out
new niches in the jewelry trade for precision and fantasy-cut References
gemstones. Ambrose, Stanley H. 1998. Chronology of the Later Stone
As the older generation of cutters in gem cutting hubs such Age and Food Production in East Africa. Journal of Archaeo-
as Bangkok and Jaipur retire without a new generation of logical Science 25(4):377-392.
interested cutters training as apprentices, it will be interest- Boardman, John, 1970. Greek Gems and Finger Rings.
ing to see how the next 20 years play out. Are we currently Thames and Hudson Ltd, London.
witnessing the death of the old-school lapidary industry or Bol, Marjolijn, 2019. Polito et Claro: The Art and Knowl-
will the professional cutting industry adapt to the stylistic de- edge of Polishing, 1100–1500, Gems in the Early Modern
mands of a market that is constantly getting younger and World, Europe’s Asian Centuries, Coventry.
constantly demanding new novelties? Only time will tell. Bostock, John, 1855, The Natural History of Pliny. Bohn,
London.
About the Author Content, Derek J. 2016. Ruby Sapphire & Spinel: An
Justin K Prim is an American lapidary and gemologist Archaeological, Textual and Cultural Study Part II. Brepols,
living and working in Bangkok, Thailand. He has studied Belgium.
gem cutting traditions all over the world as well as attend- Editor, The Gemmologist, Vol XXI, 1952, pg 146.
ing gemology programs at GIA and AIGS. Justin works as a Gosline, Anna, 2006. Middle Paleolithic Shell Beads in Is-
Lapidary Instructor for the Institute of Gem Trading as well rael and Algeria. Science, 23 Jun 2006: Vol. 312, Issue 5781,
as writing articles, producing videos, historical literature, and pp. 1785-1788. https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9392-
giving talks about gem cutting history. ancient-beads-imply-culture-older-than-we-thought/ ■

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 57

58
 InColor

The Lapidary Revolution

Seventy Years of Radical Change in the Colored Gemstone Industry
and Its Coming of Age at the Dawn of the 21st Century

“You can never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build
a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” ̶ Buckminster Fuller

“We tend to think of gemstones as innate objects of beauty, but in fact they are the very
archetype of the universe that conveys and communicates the deeper realities of our
universe.” ̶ Glenn Lehrer, from his book In Quest of the Indescribable.

By Glenn Wm. Lehrer, G.G.

With the explosion of new cutting styles in the gem-

stone industry worldwide, along with a growing movement
for ethically sourced and produced gems, the colored stone
industry is racially changing. With its roots going back to
the 1950s, this quiet revolution is distinctive and innovative,
unlike anything the industry has seen before.
There are several factors that have been building and ma-
turing for the last seven decades that are synergistically cre-
ating a whole new level in the way the industry produces cut
stones and how it conducts business from mine to market.
In the 1980s, an eruption of new cutting styles dramat-
ically changed the way gems were cut from the previous
500 years. A few key factors have contributed to this notable
change:
♦ The establishment of groups of individual pioneering
lapidary artists both in Germany and America;
♦ Radical new machines, concepts and techniques in the
science of optics for cutting transparent gem material;
♦ Access to rough via social media versus traveling to
producer countries;
♦ An explosion of new cutting styles and methods;
♦ Ever-growing customer demand for socially responsible
and ethically sourced and manufactured goods, trans-
forming how gems go from mine to market;
Jewelry historians may very well look back upon this time,
marking this historical period as a renaissance within the
gemstone industry. A genius moment occurred in the 1980s
when lapidarists went beyond just flat faceting and started
carving reflective negative cuts into transparent gem materi-
al. This gave birth to a whole new way of seeing how reflect-
ed light dances in a gemstone—to the Fantasy Cut.
Bernd Munsteiner from Idar-Oberstein, Germany is cred- Green Tourmaline by Bernd Munsteiner.
ited for having started this new cutting style of combining (Photo: Robert Weldon)
flat faceting and carved negative cutting processes during
the 1970s and 1980s. His trailblazing path has inspired
countless future aspiring lapidarists. His brilliant combina- Opposite page: "Jingu in Regalia," featuring carved agate by
tion of strategically placed reflective flat facets and surgically Glenn Leher set with yellow and white diamonds, in gold by
designer Paula Crevoshay. (Photo: Crevoshay Studio)
carved negative grooves was truly revolutionary.

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 59

Lapidary Revolution
Purple Chalcedony and Amethyst
QuasarCut. (Photo: Glenn Lehrer)

Looking Back
The lapidary movement can be traced back to the 1950s
and 1960s in the United States, where no real lapidary tradi-
tion or Guild system existed like there was in Idar-Oberstein,
with its 500-year heritage and master and apprenticeship
programs. In San Francisco, California, lapidarist Francis J.
Sperisen was the first professional pioneer in creative gem
art. He was the go-to gem cutter, carver and inventor for
many beat-generation jewelers.
His book The Art of the Lapidary published in 1950 and
1961 was one of the most influential books in gem cutting for
future American gem artists. Written originally for the grow-
ing American amateur lapidarist in association with gem and
mineral societies, clubs, and faceter guilds throughout the
country, Sperisen’s book became an inspirational light for fu-
ture American professional lapidarists like myself.
On the heels of Francis Sperisen was Henry Hunt, who
acknowledged Sperisen for inspiring his own creative and
unorthodox gem carving. Hunt’s work enlightened and in-
spired many future professionals and hobbyists in Ameri-
ca. In the 1970s, he created a completely novel and unique
form of gemstone carving. His self-published book, Lapidary
Carving for Creative Jewelry (1980) describes techniques
in carving transparent colored stones. Many young lapidary
artists in the United States give Hunt credit for spreading
knowledge about his many techniques and tooling.
My own career began in 1976 when I began teaching my-
self various techniques in the art of carving. Not long after, I
met Henry Hunt in a San Francisco jewelry store where we
both sold our work. Both of us were pleasantly surprised that
there was another individual doing non-transitional lapidary
designs in transparent gem material.
By the late 1970s and 1980s, a small and committed core
of gem artists was active in the USA. Yet, they were geo-
graphically isolated, each developing his or her own inno-
vative style of cutting and carving. This small handful of en-
thusiasts explored new approaches to cutting and carving,
without any formal training or access to resources or infor-
mation. Most of us from this First Wave were unaware of one Top: Carved 36.74-ct topaz by Richard Homer. (Photo: Robert Weldon)
another and were self-taught. We learned the craft by shear
gumption and inventiveness. Center: 119.65-ct aquamarine by Mark Gronlund. (Photo
Orasa Weldon)
Ten years into my carving and cutting career, with a
Graduate Gemology degree under my belt, I ventured to Below: Suite of concave faceted and faceted natural
colored stones by Richard Homer. (Photo: Robert Weldon)
Idar-Oberstein (circa 1986). I was lucky enough to gain

60 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

Mixed suite of carved gems

by Larry Woods.
(Photo: Robert Weldon)

Carved rubellite by Sherris Cottier

Carved iris agate "Feather" by Glenn Lehrer. Shank. (Photo: Robert Weldon)
(Photo: Robert Weldon)
access and training with some of the masters in the valley,
learning age-old techniques while demonstrating my own
innovative approaches to cutting and polishing gems. This
wonderful cross-fertilization of ideas between American and
German gem artists continues to this day.
The small cadre of First Wave American carvers—although
largely self-taught innovative cuts and techniques—produced
some amazing results. During this period, among the most
well-known lapidarists were the late Arthur Anderson, Sherris
Cottier-Shank, Bart Curren, Michael Dyber, Mark Gronlund,
Richard Homer, Thomas McPhee, Lew Wackler, Steve Wal-
ters, Larry Winn, Larry Wood, and myself.
We created and sold work to modern jewelry and goldsmith
designers in the USA and Europe. We each had our own style
and techniques and eventually laid the foundation for future
generations of gem carvers in the United States and around
the world.
After the First Wave came the Second Wave, starting in
the 1990s with a new generation of cutters drawn into the
exciting and emerging profession of Lapidary Art. Many have
reached worldwide acclaim, such as Dalan Hargrave, John
Dyer, and Daryl Alexander to name just a few. In the Third
Wave, happening now, individuals and companies worldwide
are engaged in fantasy gem cutting, taking these styles to
remarkable new levels.

Tools and Techniques

In the 1930s, the fixed-mast faceting machine was invent-
ed, leading amateur gem cutters and mineral societies to
make this form of faceting popular in the United States. These
machines have a fixed mast and quill versus the gem-peg
style machine. It helped raise the bar in faceting by allowing
the creation of complex and brilliant facet patterns. Since the
users were not professionals, they openly shared their facet
patterns and techniques. Over the years, a series of books
were published on gem cutting. Among them were Faceting
for Amateurs by Glenn and Martha Vargas (circa 1977) and
the Long and Steele binder series of meet-point faceting.

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 61

Lapidary Revolution

Above: Carved 21.05-ct aquamarine by Michael Dyber.

(Photo: Orasa Weldon)
Top right: Carved 18.46-ct sunstone by Bart Curren.
(Photo: Robert Weldon)
Center right: Carved tourmaline by Arthur Anderson.
(Photo: Robert Weldon)
Bottom right: Carved tourmaline by Sherris Cottier Shank.
(Photo: Robert Weldon)

In Idar-Oberstein, however, the refinement and advance-

ment of the gem-peg faceting machine (used for accuracy
and speed) was exported worldwide and is the standard for
larger production factories doing calibrated cutting.
Along the innovative path in lapidary, there have been tech-
nological leaps forward in the types of tools and machines
used to create this art form. With the evolution of ideas and
styles, the tools and equipment have also undergone a tech-
nical shift. One such machine is the OEM concave faceting
machine, pioneered by Richard Homer.
It is a clear example of a new invention and influencer in
the trade. This machine uses various size cutting and pol-
ishing cylinders to create concave curved facets versus the
traditional flat facet. The concave facet style is now well in-
tegrated as a distinctive style throughout the gem industry.
Milling style machines that engrave complex patterns in
gemstones are also being used. Developments in automat-
ed faceting and CNC machines allow the cutting and carving
of gems at production levels. Today, the major factories in
India and China (and elsewhere) that produce quantity cal-
ibrated goods use this type of equipment. While 30 years
ago, one-off original cuts by a gem artist received recogni-
tion for their individuality, today, these same styles can be
manufactured in quantity by factories around the world.
In 1998, a United States Utility Patent was awarded to me
for inventing a unique and novel gemstone branded cut that
we called the TorusRing™ Cut (U.S. Patent #5,722,261).
I intended for this cut to be calibrated.
In 2008, I took my TorusRing™ Cut and other fancy brand-
ed styles to a factory in Jaipur, where I trained cutters to take
my one-of-a-kind cuts and reverse engineer them to produce

62 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

large calibrated quantities for wholesale jewelry manufactur- culet, these complex patterns and higher crowns are grow-
ers, trade catalog sales, and finished jewelry products for ing in popularity with many fine jewelry designers around the
television volume sales. globe.
It is no longer just about weight retention, but about light
Taking Credit/Branding performance. Windowed gemstones with greater weights
For the first time in gemstone history, lapidary artists are have given way to finer more intricately faceted, fully bril-
signing their work. This is a radical shift from centuries of tra- liant gemstones. Buyers are willing to pay more for a lower
dition. Dating back to Roman times, lapidarists were never carat weight if the stone is fully brilliant. We’ve reached a
given direct credit nor allowed to sign their pieces unlike art- pinnacle where absolute reflection of light from culet to girdle
ists in other media, who were commissioned by the church has become the standard. Some of the most valuable gem-
or royal court houses in Europe and Asia. In the 1970s, stones—such as ruby, sapphire and emerald—are now cut
renowned master cameo carver Erwin Pauly started the to this standard. Beauty is what sells, and a really well-cut
practice of signing his work. He stated that, in those days, stone is what the industry is demanding.
he was criticized in the Idar valley for being bold enough to In 2020, it is clear that faceting, carving, and concave-cut-
sign and brand his style of cameo carving. Pauly also broke ting of colored stones have reached a significant milestone
the mold of cameo carving by branching out from carving around the world. Gemstones are not just desired for their
the classics of Roman, Greek, and Christian iconology; he intrinsic value, but for their original cutting and branding that
created Art Deco motifs and modern cityscapes in layered have become the new industry standard.
agate cameos, which opened up new avenues in this art.
Munsteiner branded all of his work by adding his signa- Ethics and More
ture. Today, it is accepted and often requested by the con- A significant current change in the gem industry is the
sumer that the gem artist sign his emerging global awareness of ethics and socially respon-
or her pieces. sibility in the supply chain. Consumers are demanding that
In the 1980-90s, brand- gemstones be ethically mined and handled in a socially
ed cuts were also cre- acceptable manner. Important issues are human dignity and
ated by American rights, no child labor, gems that are free from corruption and
master professional links to terrorism, verifiable blockchain paths from mine to
faceters such as market, and environmental protection. These concerns are
Philip Youngman taken seriously today by increasing numbers of industry
and Steve Avery. trade associations, catalog companies, and design houses,
Completely bril- both large and small.
liant from girdle to In many emerging economies where colored stones are
found, such as in areas of Africa and Asia, gemstone mining

Round 38.28-ct ametrine

TorusRing™cut, by Glenn Lehrer.
(Photo: Glenn Lehrer)

Oval ametrine TorusRing™cut

by Glenn Lehrer.
(Photo: Robert Weldon)

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 63

Lapidary Revolution

Carved citrine and aquamarine by Larry Winn.

Carved 47.0-ct green beryl by Dalan (Photo: Robert Weldon)
Hargrave. (Photo: Robert Weldon)
Multiple colored Oregon sunstone feldspar by
Darryl Alexander. (Photo: Robert Weldon)

Below: Carved 153-ct multi-colored tourmaline

by Meg Berry. (Photo: Orasa Weldon)
Carved tourmaline combination by Stephen Avery.
(Photo: Robert Weldon)

64 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

is the easiest and quickest way to start a supply chain that

results in a revenue stream for even the remotest of villages.
Most colored gemstones are mined in a small-scale, individ-
ual, or artisanal manner. People in developing countries are
aware that gemstones offer a path to economic development.
Many of us in the colored stone industry are acutely aware
of the changes happening in remote areas of the world and
have taken on the responsibility of finding ethical sourcing
and production of gems.
One of the pioneers in this effort is Eric Braunwart from
Columbia Gem House. For the past 20 years, he has been
a leader and outspoken proponent for ethically sourced and
cut gemstones. Today, it is clear that the industry is con-
cerned about the many steps that a gemstone travels on its
journey from the Earth and wants to ensure that it comes to
market in a socially responsible manner.
In conclusion, the industry has changed forever. It has
made significant innovations in the quality of cutting, design
style, brilliance, branding, mining, manufacturing, and social
responsibility. This lapidary revolution has brought beauty, Above: Art Nouveau agate cameo carving by Erwin Pauly.
color, and light to humanity.
Below: New York skyline agate carving by Erwin Pauly.
(Photos: Robert Weldon)

"Lavender Express," brooch by Crevoshay, with agate carved by Glenn

Lehrer, moonstone, diamond, sapphire. (Photo: Crevoshay Studio)

About the Author

Glenn W. Lehrer, G.G., is an awarding winning GemArtist, References
who has created innovative colored gemstone art for some Hunt, Henry (1980) Lapidary Carving for Creative Jewelry.
44 years, with his pieces featured on the cover of nearly 20 The Desert Press.
magazines. He has been globally recognized for his original Lehrer, Glenn W. (2016) In Quest of the Indescribable, The
styles and cuts. Among Glenn’s many inventions is the pat- Artistry and Life of a Gem Carver. Gemporia Ltd.
ented TorusRing™ Cut. He is also co-artist on the Bahia, a Sperisen, Francis J. (1950, 1961) The Art of Lapidary. The
425-pound rutile quartz sculpture suspended in the lobby of Bruce Publishing Company.
GIA’s campus in Carlsbad, California. His work is sold on TV Vargas, Glenn and Martha (1977, 1978, 1980, 1983)
shopping networks, trade catalogs, and on social media. To- Faceting for Amateurs, Published by authors at Desert Print-
day, he continues to create one-of-a-kind gem carvings and ing Co., Indio California. There is also follow-ups series Vol-
custom cutting for jewelry designers. Recently, Glenn has ume 1, II and III published with a large list of diagramed facet
been working with owners of gem mines around the world, patterns.
helping the artisanal community to bring gemstones to mar- Wise, Richard W. (2003) Secrets of the Gem Trade, The
ket using documented blockchain technology, thus helping Connoisseur’s Guide to Precious Gemstones. Brunswick
ensure the stones are socially responsible. House Press. ■

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 65

Ethics

The Journey of Ethics ‒ A Review of Responsible

Sourcing Developments in the Gem Sector
By Dr. Laurent E. Cartier
Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF ([email protected])

Introduction
The gem trade is one of the oldest forms of international
trade in the world, as humans have been attracted to gems
for emotional and material reasons over millennia. The rarity,
durability and ease of transporting them (very compact and
high potential value) has made them ideal objects of con-
sumption, collection, and trade.
Lapis-lazuli from the Sar-E-Sang mines in Afghanistan has
been traded and used for at least 4000 years (Wyart et al.,
1981). This continues to be the best source of lapis-lazuli
worldwide at present. The appearance of lapis-lazuli and
other gems—e.g. Bactrian emeralds, Mediterranean corals,
Sri Lankan gems, Egyptian peridot, Indian diamonds etc.—
in Europe and beyond is a testament to the globalized trad-
ing networks that existed, much before that of other material
goods. The notion that “ethics” is something new to the gem
industry is nonsensical. Gems have been fraudulently imitat-
ed or treated (without disclosure) for centuries and millennia,
so ethics have long played a role (Karampelas et al., 2020).
This article explores and reviews ethical and responsi-
ble sourcing developments in the gem sector over the past
few decades, provides a short overview of terms used, and
A ruby imitation offered to the author in South Kalimantan,
Indonesia.What ethical and sustainability implications does
shares an outlook on where the ethical journey may take us. incomplete disclosure have on the industry?
(Photo: Laurent E. Cartier)
From Exploitative Gold Mines to Conflict
Diamonds and Genocide Gems ‒ Story, been calls for the KPCS to be expanded to cover human
Truth, and Reputation rights abuses and other issues.
In 1986, the Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado Gems from Burma (Myanmar) have been subject to multi-
visited the infamous Serra Pelada gold mines in the Am- ple government and company boycotts over the past decade
azon and took extraordinary black and white photos that and have been labeled blood rubies (2008) and genocide
took the world by surprise (Salgado, 2019). These open-pit gems (2018), among other terms. Is a boycott of question-
gold mines had 50,000 miners united in a brutal quest to able sources the answer? It is important to note that The
find precious gold used also in jewelry. The No Dirty Gold Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
campaign in 2004 initiated by Earthworks, a non-profit NGO (OECD) recommends engagement rather than boycott as a
(earthworks.org) further highlighted the challenges of the means of strengthening responsible supply chains (OECD,
sector, and how to deal with artisanal mining (ASM) and 2016). One of the reasons for the big push for ethics in the
widespread unsafe mercury use. gem and jewelry industry is to address these issues and
At the beginning of the 21st century, the diamond industry change the narrative on the origins and impacts of gems. The
and sovereign governments formed the Kimberley Process industry must not wait for the threat of a consumer boycott;
Certification Scheme (KPCS) in response to great pressure it must seek a proactive rather than a reactive approach. As
from NGOs, consumers, governments, and others to stop the actor Will Rogers once famously said “It takes a lifetime
“conflict diamonds” from entering the diamond supply chain. to build a good reputation, but you can lose it in a minute.”
Such diamonds were extracted and sold by illicit forces, and
the funds from their sales contributed to conflicts in countries The Gem Industry Today
such as Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, The colored gemstone industry has undergone great
and Sierra Leone at the time. transformations in the last few decades. Although it has
The KPCS sought to stop the inflow of these diamonds always been a global trade, it has now become a globalized
into the legitimate diamond supply chain by putting in place a and highly interconnected industry (Michelou, 2010; Cartier,
country of export certification program, although there have 2019). This growth has also become associated with con-

66 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

Proud artisanal diamond divers

on the shores of the Sewa river in
central Sierra Leone in 2007.
How have “ethical” considerations
in the gem and jewelry (including
KPCS) industry contributed to
sustainable development in Sierra
Leone? (Photo: Laurent E. Cartier)

siderable sustainability challenges and, therefore, the sector As barriers of communication are further broken down
needs to examine the social and environmental responsibili- by technology, it is clear that the demands of these differ-
ties that come with the production, trade and consumption of ent stakeholders on the industry will not go away. Numer-
colored gemstones (Archuleta, 2016). ous studies of consumers show that they increasingly want
The jewelry sector has been relatively late (compared to access to accountable supply-chain information (Pinkashov
other sectors such as finance or forestry) in realizing both & Nair, 2014) and that governments and banks will require
the inherent obligation for, and the opportunities that lie in, businesses to increasingly demonstrate compliance to stan-
pursuing and promoting sustainable development. For the dards (OECD, 2016).
industry to continue the status quo with respect to unsus-
tainable social, economic and environmental activities, this The Challenge of Talking About “Ethics”
is not an alternative. It would put its own sustainability as an Without Defining Terms
industry at risk. The term ethics is a broad, personal, values-based, and
At present, a number of factors are shaping the develop- subjective concept, which is hard to define. Phillip Lewis had
ment of responsible practices and the move for increased a revealing title—describing the process of defining ethics as
traceability and transparency in the gem and jewelry industry, jello-like—for his 1985 academic article: Defining 'business
and more specifically for diamonds and colored gemstones: ethics': Like nailing jello to a wall (Lewis, 1985).
► Consumers are increasingly interested in knowing The plethora of terms that have appeared in recent years
where and how the gemstones and jewelry they pur- to describe claims of good business conduct in production
chase are mined and manufactured. and sourcing of gems further highlight this challenge of com-
► Media and NGOs are placing the gem and jewelry munication and definition: sustainable, responsible, conflict-
industry under increased scrutiny regarding the origin free, transparent, fair trade, development, ethical, conscious,
and sustainability footprint of various gemstones and traceable, clean, green, and ecological.
human rights issues in the artisanal mining sector. What do these terms and claims mean if they are not
► Some companies want to be proactive so as to miti- defined (with or without agreement on a definition) by the
gate risks and better understand their own supply chains person and/or company making the claim so that the trade
and contribute to positive outcomes. and consumers can understand (and potentially verify) the
► Governments want to improve the management and claims that are being made?
revenue collected from gem resources. The absence of money laundering or child labor may be
► Global governing bodies (e.g. OECD) have highlighted considered and promoted by some as a sign of ethical or
issues, such as smuggling and money laundering. responsible conduct, whereas others might argue that it’s
► Some governments (e.g. USA, EU) have instituted the strict minimum as these are actions that simply comply
conflict-mineral legislation, requiring publicly traded com- with common international laws. It may feel like opening up
panies to know and trace their supply chains and comply a Pandora’s box to have to grapple with these terms, but it is
with their laws. necessary. Organizations such as OECD, RJC, CIBJO, ICA,

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 67

Ethics

AGTA, FairLux, Jewelry Industry Summit, Jewelry Glossary of gemstones within a few decades. This, too, is a form of
Project, and others have initiated the process. sustainability. Colombia has similarly catalyzed know-how
What about the often-used terms of sustainability and sus- and become a major hub for emerald value-adding activi-
tainable development? Sustainable development “integrates ties. These are just a few of the many positive examples at a
economic, environmental and social considerations in order country-level in the gemstone industry.
to improve the lives of the current generation and ensure The leading authority on responsible sourcing of minerals
that future generations will have adequate resources and are the OECD Guidelines. The Organisation for Economic
opportunities” (Hendrix, 2006). Cooperation and Development (OECD) developed guide-
It is an unfortunate reality that gemstones are a finite lines that are followed by companies seeking to respect
(though recyclable due to their durability and value) re- human rights and avoid contributing to conflict through their
source. Can, in this case, mineral resource extraction be mineral-sourcing decisions and practices. These guidelines
equated to a sustainable activity at all or ever? It is evident now apply to all minerals, including colored gemstones
that the concept of sustainability for a finite resource must be (OECD, 2016).
adapted, as it is not the same as for a renewable resource. Many of the jewelry and gem industry standards for
The fundamental question regarding the sustainability im- responsibility are aligned with the overarching OECD Guide-
plications of gemstone extraction is: Has the extraction led lines (available online), and interested readers are invited to
to a viable natural and social environment, which can sup- study them for further information. It is important to note that
port livelihoods in the long-term, following the cessation of due diligence is nothing new for the gem sector; companies
mining? have for decades been carrying out due diligence (without
Mining can become a catalyst sector that plays a vital role perhaps using that term) when trying to source goods that
in subsequently sustaining livelihoods and national econo- are correctly disclosed (for example, regarding treatments,
mies following the cessation of mining (Ali, 2009). Thailand synthetics, and origins).
was formerly a gemstone-mining nation (producing ruby, The table below is a brief list of guiding definitions (by no
sapphire etc.) and has succeeded in transforming its indus- means definitive) of terms used in the context of ethics and
trial sector to becoming one of the major international hubs responsibility that may be useful for readers (see also Cartier
for the refinement (treatment, cutting, polishing) and trading et al., 2018 and references therein for further information).

Chain of Custody The document trail recording the sequence of companies and individu-
als that have custody of minerals as they move through a supply chain.
Corporate Social Responsibility A management concept whereby companies integrate social and
(CSR) environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions
with their stakeholders. (What is CSR?, 2018. United Nations Industrial
Development Organization, Vienna, Austria, www.unido.org/our-fo-
cus/advancing-economic-competitiveness/competitive-trade-capaci-
ties-and-corporate-responsibility/corporate-social-responsibility-mar-
ket-integration/what-csr.)
Due Diligence The act of proactively ensuring that the products sourced and traded by
companies within a supply chain conform to national and international
regulations (see OECD Guidelines).
Disclosure The release of information by companies required by regulators or
requested by business partners in the supply chain.
Provenance A (documented) claim made on the origin (e.g. country or mine), source
(e.g. recycled, mined, artisanally mined, natural, synthetic), previous
ownership (e.g. a historic gemstone or a piece of jewelry formerly in a
royal collection) or extraction and processing practices (e.g. conflict-
free, untreated, responsibly sourced).
Sustainable Development Defined in 1987 by the Brundtland Commission report (United Nations)
as “development that meets the needs of the present without com-
promising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”
(Brundtland, 1987, p. 15). This integrates economic, environmental and
social pillars.
This table gives a brief list of guiding definitions of terms used in the context of ethics and responsibility.

68 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

Exploring ways for gems to further contribute to

education in gem mining regions could be worthwhile.
(Photo: Laurent E. Cartier)

The problem is not artisanal mining in and of itself, for it

has great potential for local income generation, employing
far more local people (that often require no training) than any
large mining company could. The problem lies in formalizing
the inherent complexities of this form of mining and harness-
ing its dynamic nature.
The two NGOs, Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM)
and RESOLVE, have developed an open-source market en-
try standard, the Code of Risk Mitigation for artisanal and
small-scale miners engaging in Formal Trade (CRAFT). This
standard could be useful to support greater formalization of
artisanal miners in the colored gem industry.
Concepts such as Conservation Gemstones could further-
more provide unique solutions adapted to the gem industry
(Pardieu, 2010; Cartier and Pardieu, 2012).
What Is Traceability and Why Is It Useful?
Traceability and transparency are not the same thing, What’s Next? Measuring Impact and
although they are often used interchangeably. Whereas Exploring Shared Value
traceability can be considered the know, transparency goes The colored gemstone industry is beginning to address
further and could be considered the show. sustainability questions in more concerted forms and this
Traceability information may not necessarily be shared has given rise to a number of initiatives, including those of
with consumers or other supply-chain actors; it may be used CIBJO, RJC, ICA, and AGTA. The industry must not wait for
for internal purposes. Traceability is defined by ISO as “The the threat of a consumer boycott; it must adopt a proactive
ability to identify and trace the history, distribution, location, rather than a reactive approach, and has sought to do this by
and application of products, parts, and materials.” engaging in some of the above-mentioned efforts.
Traceability commonly includes tracing (from market to Ultimately, both traceability and standards seeking to pro-
mine) and tracking (from mine to market) processes. Espe- mote responsibility and ethics seek to improve the sector’s
cially in respect to the gem trade, traceability can be use-
ful in two ways: 1) increased storytelling as more is known
about the source and journey of the gem; 2) make informa-
tion available to respond to due diligence and compliance
requirements of banks and governments.
Traceability has been a hot topic in recent years in the
industry (blockchain, tagging, laser technology), but it is im-
portant to note that there is not one single solution for the
sector. Furthermore, even though traceability technology
can be disruptive, it has to be combined with chain-of-custo-
dy and auditable practices in order to be impactful in terms
of furthering more sustainable outcomes.

Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM)

as a Reality
Although mechanized large-scale mining is becoming in-
creasingly important, artisanal and small scale mining (ASM)
is still the dominating source of colored gemstones world-
wide. This means that, at a production level, many of the
efforts of the industry should be focused in this direction and
on engaging with ASM communities and producers.
A large share of artisanal miners is engaged in this activity
not because it is their vocation of choice, but because of a The Colombian gem sector has successfully added value
lack of alternative employment that permits them to sustain and jobs by supporting downstream activities such as
family livelihoods. gem cutting in Bogotà. (Photo: Laurent E. Cartier)

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 69

Ethics

sustainability footprint. In order to be able to understand the

impacts and improvements (as there is a common assump-
tion that responsible sourcing and ethics do good), it can
and needs to be measured using widely developed and test-
ed sustainability indicators (Belle & Morse, 2012). This will
reduce the risk of major negative backlash if investigative
media or consumers find out that ethical claims made by the
industry are not backed by verifiable reality.
Better understanding of the sector through research, ed-
ucation, and outreach (e.g. the Gemstones & Sustainable
Development Knowledge Hub that is based at the University
of Delaware, see sustainablegemstones.org) is also vital.
Although the gem sector may not ever be as heavily reg-
ulated or scrutinized as the financial sector, it is neverthe-
less valuable to look at developments in finance and how it
relates to sustainability claims.
For those who think it is but a trend, it’s worth pointing out
that global sustainable investments rose by 34% over the
past two years to reach US$30.7 trillion in 2019 (Chasan,
2019). A recent Bloomberg article (Marsh, 2020) outlines A sapphire from the Mogok Stone Tract in Myanmar
that in a COVID-19 context, investors are increasingly wary (Burma). Every stone has its own story.
(Photo: Laurent E. Cartier)
of social washing, when “the impact of an investment on
labor rights or human rights are falsely overstated.”
This follows other trends such as bluewashing (using a Conclusions
United Nations affiliation to confer under-deserved sustain- It is the industry’s motivation and responsibility to inform
ability credentials), pinkwashing (for false LGBTQ claims) consumers about possible treatments. It attempts to enforce
and rainbow washing (to reflect inappropriate use of the correct disclosure of traded gemstones and has overcome
UN’s sustainable development goals logo) (Marsh, 2020). this with considerable success. It would be illusionary to sug-
As customers and investors increasingly engage with the gest that industry bodies regulate conditions in mining areas
gem sector on claims of responsibility and ethics, they will worldwide, but they could assume a certain responsibility in
demand transparency and proof of claims and measurable reviewing and improving them.
impact (Bates, 2020). The complex and varied nature of supply chains of the
gem trade—with its large share of family-owned small and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) involved—are an integral
part of its rich heritage. There are economical, geographical
and historical reasons for the complexity and opacity of the
supply chain and the difficulty (compared to other sectors) to
come to terms with due diligence and responsible-sourcing
guidelines such as those outlined by OECD.
There are countless examples of gem businesses sup-
porting and investing in their communities and regions, and
these positive success stories are complimentary to other
efforts in the industry. The only way to continue to move for-
ward is by collaborating in a transparent manner.
If consumers are informed about initiatives that seek to
measurably improve the livelihoods of producers and other
stakeholders, reducing environmental degradation (Cartier,
2010) and upholding human rights, it is the industry’s own
success that is improved.

A ruby is not always a ruby. Not all mined minerals are

valuable gems, such as in this example with an artisanal
mine production of low-grade corundum from Madagascar.
(Photo: Laurent E. Cartier)

70 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

Environmental reclamation of old

mining pits is key if the industry
is to improve the environmental
footprint of gem mining.
(Photo: Laurent E. Cartier)

Ethics is not about promoting some technocratic West- ary 12, 2012. https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2012/01/12/
ern ideal; it’s about ensuring that the full potential of gems conservation-gemstones-beyond-fair-trade/
to achieve more sustainable outcomes is achieved and Cartier, L.E., Ali, S.H., Krzemnicki, M.S., 2018. Blockchain,
strengthening the beautiful story that gems represent. chain of custody and trace-elements: an overview of tracking
Origin and provenance can be important factors in deter- and traceability opportunities in the gem industry. Journal of
mining the price of a gemstone. Ultimately, promoting both Gemmology, 36 (3), 212–227.
Cartier L.E., 2019. Gemstones and sustainable develop-
the natural beauty and the positive contribution that the
ment: Perspectives and trends in mining, processing and
extraction and trade of a rough precious gemstone has to a
trade of precious stones. The Extractive Industries and
local community or region could endow a gem with addition- Society, Volume 6, Issue 4, 1013-1016.
al value. Chasan E., 2019. Global Sustainable Investments Rise 34
Percent to $30.7 Trillion. Bloomberg News, accessed 12 April
Acknowledgments 2020 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-01/
Thank you to a wide range of people from all parts of global-sustainable-investments-rise-34-percent-to-30-7-trillion.
the gem industry that have kindly shared their insights and Hendrix, J. L., 2006. Sustainable mining: trends and oppor-
experiences. Special thanks to Prof. Saleem Ali, Ryan tunities. Digital Commons paper, University of Nebraska, 10pp.
Taylor, Pat Syvrud, Kyle Roderick, Dr. Michael Krzemnicki, Karampelas S., Kiefert L., Bersani D., Vandenabeele P.
Vincent Pardieu, and many others whom I’ve exchanged (2020). Gem Treatments, Synthetics and Imitations in Gems
and Gemmology. Springer Cham, pp. 67-90.
with over recent months and years on the subject. Amidst
Marsh A., 2020. “Social Washing” Is Becoming a Growing
all the technical discussions on terms and ethics, let us not
Headache for ESG Investors. Bloomberg News, accessed 12
forget the beauty of gemstones, where they come from, and April 2020, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-
the tremendous people and heritage that contribute to bring- 09/-social-washing-is-becoming-growing-headache-for-esg-in-
ing them to market. vestors.
Michelou, J-C., 2010. Colored Gemstones. From mine to
References market—Ethical trade and mining. Certification Challenges.
Ali, S.H., 2009. Treasures of the Earth: Need, Greed, and a Presentation at the Rapaport Fair Trade Jewelery Conference,
Sustainable Future. Yale University Press, New Haven, Con- 18.03.2010, Basel, Switzerland.
necticut, USA, 304 pp. OECD, 2016. OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsi-
Archuleta J.-L., 2016. The color of responsibility: Ethical is- ble Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-
sues and solutions in colored gemstones. Gems & Gemology, Risk Areas, Third Edition. OECD Publishing, Organisation for
52(2), 144–160. Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris, France, 120
Bates R., 2020. The Next Step for Responsibly Sourced pp., https://doi.org/ 10.1787/9789264252479-en.
Jewelry: Prove It. https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/re- Pardieu, V., 2010. Gems from East Africa—Can they help
sponsibly-sourced-jewelry/. protect nature? InColor, Summer 2010, 26-29.
Bell, S., Morse, S., 2012. Sustainability indicators: measuring Pinkashov M., Nair R., 2014. Real luxury: How luxury brands
the immeasurable? Routledge, London, 228pp. can create value for the long term. Palgrave Macmillan UK, 228pp.
Cartier L.E. 2010; Environmental Stewardship in Gemstone Salgado S., 2019. Gold. Taschen, 208pp.
Mining: Quo Vadis? InColor, Fall/Winter 2010, 2-9. Wyart J., Bariand P., Filippi J., 1981, Lapis-lazuli from Sar-e-
Cartier L.E. and Pardieu V., 2012. Conservation Gemstones: Sang, Badakhshan, Afghanistan. Gems and Gemology, 17, 4,
Beyond Fair Trade? National Geographic Society Blog, Janu- 184–190. ■

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 71

Marketing

Marketing Gems & Jewelry

From Past to Present and Beyond
By Richa Goyal Sikri
You have to tell a story before you can sell a story.
– Beth Comstock 

The evolution of marketing in the field of gems and jew-

elry is as vast as the ocean. The narrative is further compli-
cated with varying stages of economic development across
geographies. Additionally, cultural differences, history, and
anthropology makes the subject seem almost impossible to
cover in one article. 
Undertaking the impossible, however, is what triggers
intellectual stimulation, fuels growth, innovation, and ensures
survival during tough times. Marketing and PR concepts such
as customer segmentation, product placements, activations,
brand associations, and celebrity endorsements may seem
like recent terms, but they are as old as time.

Lessons from History

Pick up any book related to gems and jewelry and chances
are it will touch upon the immense wealth of the royal fam-
ilies and the nobility from Russia to India and beyond. In
the absence of modern media, the visual iconography of a
king or queen publicly resplendent in precious jewelry and
gems conveyed financial stability and established the brand
of a kingdom. Interestingly, this tradition of public display of
wealth continues in the contemporary wedding lifestyle, fuel-
ing consumption of high-fashion, jewelry, and related luxury
products and services. 
One may even argue that jewelry from the late 16th cen-
tury during the Gloriana period (paying homage to Queen
Elizabeth I) was a classic example of our celebrity culture
influencing jewelry purchases today. If we go further back
in time, ancient Indian scriptures (written 3,000+ years ago) While the period between the two World Wars saw an
segment society into four groups based on their socio- explosion of creativity and innovation in jewelry design and
economic position, advocating different grades of precious artisanship, increased competition among jewelers such as
gems for each one. Archaic perceptions of precious and Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron, and Tiffany & Co.
semi-precious gems laid the foundation for the modern meth- intensified PR and marketing activity. 
odology of customer segmentation and gemstone grades.  A view of this period from The Cartiers, the book by
The sub-culture of elitism, supported by sumptuary laws Francesca Cartier demonstrates how the famous jewelers
seeking to employ jewelry for social stratification, led to the who were initially opposed to the idea of mainstream adver-
festering of desire for precious objects of personal adorn- tising in the late 19th century, had switched gears by 1922.
ment. The advent of the machine age in the late 19th century The driving force behind this shift was Edward Bernays
and the emergence of capitalism in the U.S. was probably (nephew of Siegmund Freud), who many consider the father
the first wave in the West, which democratized the acquisition of public relations.
of gems and jewelry. Until then, the marketing tools of the The Cartier-Bernays partnership ushered in an era of
industry were basically word-of-mouth endorsements, royal intelligent marketing campaigns, leveraging the tools of mass
patronage, strategic store locations, visibility at prestigious communication while maintaining the aura of a luxury brand.
exhibitions, and good old-fashioned networking. Historian Olivier Bachet who co-authored Cartiers: Excep-
Top: Vintage Cartier ad in Vogue. (Photo: Olivier tional Objects, further explains, “The amount of Cartier ad-
Bachet, Palais Royale, Hong Kong) vertising in magazines multiplied so much in the early 20th
century that many newspapers reproduced Cartier’s jewelry
Center: "Tutti Frutti" bracelet by Cartier, which sold recently in black and white. To me, the black and white visuals are
at Sotheby's for US$1.34 million, the highest price ever
for jewelry in an online auction. (Photo: Sotheby's) the height of irony for jewelry set with multi-colored precious

72 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

Vintage Gübelin advertisement from1951. In this historic poster, Gübelin jewelry

is juxtaposed against a painting depicting 1851 Lucerne. (Photo: Gübelin)

Vintage Gübelin advertisement

from 1939. (Photo: Gübelin)

aspects of a king’s education. The purchase

of jewelry was and, to a certain extent, contin-
ues to be a private affair. In the early 20th cen-
tury (before India’s independence), a jeweler/
goldsmith would visit their client’s home car-
rying a small collection of jewels and designs
for orders. The ladies of the household would
make their selections and the men would hap-
pily pay. Since access to banks was limited
to the educated elite, for the vast majority,
gold was considered the safest reservoir of a
family’s wealth. Even after India’s indepen-
dence in 1947, there was no mainstream
stones. From the 1930s, Cartier New York devoted a large advertising done by jewelry firms until the 1980s. Personal
budget to advertising. In Paris, this was done rather through introductions were the primary source of business, which
sports trophies. For example, the fashion magazine Fémina, meant that a good reputation in society was paramount.
organizer of golf and ski competitions, offered the winners Mandira Khanna from Kanjimull Jewellers explains, “Person-
Cartier objects or jewelry. After the Second World War, ad- al letters of endorsement from visiting dignitaries like Jackie
vertising had become indispensable; the three branches of Kennedy, and other important members of Indian and Euro-
Cartier, in Paris, London and New York will generalize its use. pean royal families were an important asset for our business.
It will become ubiquitous to present the brand’s novelties.” Framed copies of these letters were the first thing our cus-
The second wave of democratization occurred after World tomers would see as they entered our salon. Even when we
War II when many countries attained freedom from colo- were invited to create a pop-up store inside an international
nial rule and Frances Gerety, from the NW Ayer ad agency, embassy for a visiting delegation, my father would carry and
coined the slogan, “A diamond is forever.” (In 1999, her words display these letters.” 
were named Slogan of the Century by Advertising Age). This strong emphasis on history carried on in India even
It is said that if your marketing is good, your sales will be after mainstream advertisements started in the 1980s. Even
automatic. The duo of Gerety and Dorothy Dignam employed today, statements like trusted for generations are common-
market research, advertising, and product placement to place in contemporary marketing material.  
re-wire generations into believing, not only that diamonds The abolishment of the Gold Control Act in 1990 opened
were rare, but that they were essential. the floodgates of jewelry consumption in India. Up to then,
As outlined beautifully in the book Stoned by Aja Raden, the industry was heavily regulated. Rajiv Arora, co-founder
Gerety churned out slogans such as What’s two month’s of Amrapali Jewels, reminisces about the 1980s, “I didn’t
salary for something that will last forever?—making dia- come from a jewelry family and, without any business con-
monds the one material thing that reflected a man’s success nections, it was challenging to raise capital for expansion.
in life. Dignam would lend movie stars diamond jewelry, then My friend, Rajesh and I started with iconic silver jewelry.
pay media channels to cover the bejeweled celebrities. She Inspired by tribal and village cultures; our pieces were dis-
further pursued an aggressive strategy of encouraging movie tinctive, larger than life, and unlike anything in the market at
studios to use the word diamond in the title and shoot scenes that time. Due to the arresting nature of our designs, they
with gemstones.   would photograph well and soon movie stars like Rekha
and Shabana Azmi were buying and wearing our jewelry.
From East to West Simultaneously, we had tourists coming to India, falling in
Nowhere is the culture of personal adornment through love with our style and carrying stock back to their countries
jewelry as deep-rooted as in India. The country was the only to sell through trunk shows.”
source for the best diamonds from the Golconda mines for With over 32 locations, including London and New York
over 2,000 years. and a robust online business, the success of Amrapali can
The science of gemology was also well developed and doc- be attributed to their clear focus on leveraging authentic
umented in ancient texts such as the Ratna-Pariksha, going endorsements and converting their customers into brand
back 3,000+ years. A knowledge of gems was one of the vital ambassadors. Like Dorothy Dignam in the 1950s, Amrapali

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 73

Marketing

used high-visibility mediums such as the Miss India Beauty "Socialites operating under the
Pageant and Bollywood. They created a bespoke jewelry
experience in-store for their customers irrespective of the
obscure title of curators were going
amount being spent. to trade shows, where they purchased
Aware of the unconventional nature of their boho-chic ready-made jewelry, brought it back,
style, they picked non-traditional neighborhoods for their and called themselves designers."
boutiques. Interestingly, none of their jewelry salons look the
same, providing a different experience to the same customer. create desirability through visual iconography. Fine Jewelry
Their rapid expansion contributed to the democratization of Launch and Growth Expert, Elle Hill reflects on the move-
the jewelry sector in India. Unlike other jewelers, at Amrapali, ment from offline to online, “One of the first ways that brands
no personal introductions were required to access good qual- started reaching customers was through email marketing.
ity fine gold jewelry with colored gemstones. Jewelry was primarily sold offline or in the ‘real world.’ Now
75% to 80% are discovering what they will purchase next
“Advertising Is Legalized Lying” – HG Wells online. The significant change in the last 15-20 years is the
While India was transforming, there was a new jewelry seg- digital lever everyone has to pull.” 
ment emerging in the West. According to industry sources, by Hill adds, “While the percentage of purchases online will
the mid-1990s, American department stores desired a piece continue to increase, along with price points, sensitivity
of the jewelry pie. Brands such as Cartier, David Webb, and to the fact that this is a high-sensory perception product
Bvlgari were not attracted to department stores because they will never change, so brands must be flexible with their
feared an erosion of exclusivity around their products. return policies. The role social media should play is enor-
Not having the legitimacy to sell fine jewelry, department mous, but most in our industry have no idea how to play
stores created a new category called designer jewelry and the game. With social media, people want to see what
got manufacturers to provide pieces, which were neither cos- is happening behind the scenes: what the brand stands
tume nor fine. for and are the company’s morals aligned with the buy-
The mid-1990s saw an emergence of brands that existed ers Consumers vote more with their wallet than they do
only because of their placement in department stores such politically, so they need to understand the impact of their
as Neiman’s, Saks, Bergdorf and Barney’s. For $2,000, you purchase.”
could buy a necklace with a few quartz stones because, if it One of the negatives of social media for any artist, how-
was at Neiman’s or if it was in the catalog of Saks or if it was ever, is the copycat. Shanghai-based artist jeweler Chaoqiu,
on the cover of a fashion magazine, then it was jewelry. of Qiu Fine Jewelry, shares her view, “For me, Instagram
It became a significant business for department stores. brings attention, but not necessarily sales. Personal engage-
They were selling jewelry up to $10,000, $20,000, and even ment, exclusive events are still paramount, especially in the
$40,000 without having to explain or provide customers high-jewelry segment. While it is irritating when my designs
authenticity papers or gemstone guarantees. But this was are copied, it doesn’t bother me too much because clients to-
not about the stone, the material, the provenance, or the day are smart and consume considerable content. If you are
artisanship. Rather it was all about the style or the design copying another designer’s work, a client will realize it. The
being in fashion. customer who is happy buying a copy will never appreciate
Socialites operating under the obscure title of curators my authentic design aesthetic, which means they are not my
were going to India or trade shows in Hong Kong, where they customers, anyway.”
purchased ready-made jewelry, brought it back, and called Portugal-based jewelry designer Luisa Rosas shares her
themselves designers. They overpopulated the industry, con- experience with social media marketing: “To test the effec-
fused the market, and used familial connections to get their tiveness of social media platforms, in November/December
collections placed in department stores.  2019, we decided to launch our new LUZ Jewelry Collection
exclusively on social media. The result was amazing. We
The Only Thing Permanent Is Change were able to credit 30% of the sales for this new line to Ins-
The advent of the internet in the early 1990s, along with tagram. Women would walk into the store and ask for certain
jewelry television companies such as JTV, Gemporia, and designs they could have only found on our social media. The
QVC brought jewelry into homes across the world. A very cost of the campaign was only 2% of our sales.” 
comprehensive report by Cynthia Unninayar in the Fall 2016
issue of InColor outlines in detail the role played by television "In our opinion, part of the reason why
in furthering large-scale gem and jewelry consumption.  colored gems are not more popular is
While social media platforms such as Facebook (2004)
brought friends and communities closer, Instagram (2010)
because of supply. If jewelers aren’t
brought high jewelry and artist studios into people’s bed- able to easily source beautiful colored
rooms. Insta provided auction houses, jewelers, and gem stones, they don’t educate their
dealers the platform to reach a global consumer base and customers about them."

74 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

Besides greater visibility, digital marketing has trans- Left and center: Gold filigree earrings and pendant in the LUZ
collection of Portuguese designer Luisa Rosas. LUZ was launched
formed the nature of jewelry transactions. Sameer Lilani, exclusively via the brand's social media channels in Nov/Dec 2019.
director, Amrapali EMEA, says, “In 2005, the Richemont group
categorically said, ‘We will never sell hard luxury online.’ Ten Right: Actress Julia Roberts wearing a bracelet by Luisa Rosas.The
bracelet was a "no strings attached" gift, which Roberts wore for a
years later, they became one of the most prominent inves- photo shoot.The celebrity endorsement generated significant positive
tors in online retailer Net-à-Porter. In the current lockdown press and sales for the brand. (Photos: Luisa Rosas)
environment, online businesses are still able to reach their
customers. We really need to harness this desire for instant
gratification. The market is also moving now from these big The silver lining, if there is one, during these problematic
influencers hitting a few hundred thousand followers to micro- months due to Covid-19 has been the online jewelry auction
influencers, whose lifestyle mirrors that of our customers. results of Christie’s and Sotheby’s. According to media re-
They may only have a few thousand followers, but it’s about ports, “The sales attracted participants from more than 30
the quality of their audience, content and relatability.”  countries around the world, with 20% of the bidders com-
Speaking about prioritizing marketing spend post-COVID, pletely new to Sotheby’s.” Sales staff have switched from
Marco Hadjibay, Creative Director at Bayco Jewels, shares personal meetings to Zoom and video calls with their cli-
his views on vital, essential, and desirable spending, “I think ents. One of the most significant achievements at the recent
for businesses that are trying to sell globally, Instagram has Sotheby’s sale was the sale of a 1930s-era Tutti Frutti brace-
become vital. It’s the easiest and most cost-efficient way to let by Cartier in an online auction for US$1.34 million—the
get content in front of people’s eyes. Essential would be our highest price ever achieved for jewelry via an online auction
private events and exhibitions that we do globally. At our level, by any auction house.
we must get the jewels in front of people so they can see and Sharing his views on the varying roles played by a com-
understand the level of quality of our craftsmanship. Desirable pany’s online versus offline presence, Raphael Gübelin,
would be everything else.” Delving deeper into the subject of President of the House of Gübelin, explains, “Before the
influencer marketing Hadjibay further elucidates, “I remember internet and social media, customers visited our boutique to
that 7-8 years ago, a few people were blogging mainly learn everything about the product. Now they visit the jew-
because it was their passion. Some had interesting insights elry salon after consuming a significant amount of informa-
and it was pretty effective. Today, the ones who have grown tion not only on the product and the brand, but also possible
and are left have become less effective for two reasons. First, alternatives. In this new reality, the in-store experience is
they are trying to monetize their platforms, which makes them vital as it cannot be repetitive and must work harder towards
more advertorial; and the consumer realizes this. Second, enchanting a consumer. One of the recent initiatives (2013)
they try to cover too much, which dilutes the message. has been a new boutique concept in Hong Kong where we
I understand that it’s a business for them and they need to have a private salon for our clients. Not just a jewelry salon,
make money, but many have stopped being selective and will it also features a beautiful dining space, serving many pur-
cover any content for a fee. Thus, their message is lost. In my poses. It is a more relaxed format allowing a deeper level of
opinion, sponsored content works better for products that are engagement with our clients and a more enriching jewelry
affordable for the masses.” experience.” 

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 75

Marketing

"The market is now moving away

from big influencers with a few
hundred thousand followers to
micro-influencers, whose lifestyle
mirrors that of our customers."

A 2001 advertisement by Faraone

Mennella.The aim of the ad's style was
to highlight the Italian roots of the brand.
A 2015 Faraone Mennella ad in the
Bergdorf Catalog, where the product is
now center stage.
(Both photos: Faraone Mennella, AMEDO
co-founder)

"The role social media

should play is enormous, but
most in our industry have no
idea how to play the game."

Changing Venues/Changing Strategies tions Director, Gemfields. “Sponsored content is less relevant
Another area of transformation is the trade/consumer show to our jewelry brand Fabergé, as there isn’t a need to convey
sector. According to Sameer Lilani, from the early 2000s, complex or detailed information. Advertising in this instance
there was a culture to have large-scale events, to make a big is product-driven and therefore visual, so digital advertising is
splash. This trend continued and events became ridiculously far more effective.” Gemfields’ current advertising campaign
large productions. That view may be rapidly changing now is an evolution from the ambassador approach of the past.
with a push to have more elegant, understated gatherings. Recognizing consumers’ desire today for greater transpar-
Jewelry business consultant, Donnatella Zappieri agrees, ency regarding a gem’s origin, the extraction processes and
explaining how the relationship between consumers, buyers, share of positive impact, the values of the company take cen-
dealers, and designers needs a more intimate atmosphere. ter stage across all mediums. 
She feels that this is perhaps the reason why many brands Reflecting on the changing nature of marketing and sales
were already leaving big shows, focusing on private events channels, Amedeo Scognamiglio co-founder of the Italian
with customized services for their VIPs. jewelry brand Faraone Mennella shares their recent experi-
In Luisa Rosas’s opinion, to benefit from a consumer or ence with print advertising, “In our view, sponsored content,
trade show, consistency is critical, “Buyers need to see you especially print advertising, is no longer effective in generat-
regularly to feel comfortable. I would not participate unless I ing jewelry sales. We recently took a three-page advertise-
had the means to be present at a minimum of four shows in a ment in the top publication in the UK known for the best luxu-
row.” Further, the look and feel of the booth has to be an ex- ry lifestyle content. I was shocked to see that the impact was
tension of the in-store experience and honestly communicate zero—not one email, not even friends, commenting that they
the essence of the brand.  saw our ad. It was a wake-up call for us.”
Does this mean traditional marketing tools are losing their So, what does the future hold for the gem and jewelry sec-
effectiveness? Donatella Zappieri explains, “Ten years ago, tor? While it may seem like our world is going through a dra-
traditional advertisement tools such as magazine and tele- matic change, in reality, these shifts have been underway for
vision ads, fairs, and in-store events supported marketing some time. The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the pace of
strategies. Nowadays, digital and social media communica- transformation. Businesses that were thinking about e-com-
tion represents 33% of the total marketing investments and merce are now digitizing overnight. Others, who were at the
has strongly replaced traditional paper ads. Storytelling has testing stage, are now bringing forward the launch dates of
become a huge element when selling products.” Her views their websites. Gem manufacturer Mikola Kukharuk from
are echoed by Emily Dungey, Marketing and Communica- Nomads notes, “Our original goal in building a wholesale web-

76 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

Note: All indices are re-based

to 1.00 at May 2008.The
GemVal Aggregate Index
(GVA) is calculated as a
total value of 26 standard
specimens of gemstones and
is intended to represent the
overall pricing trend in the
jewelry market.
(Image: GemVal.com)

Figure 1.The Gemval Aggregate Index (GVA), a trusted benchmark for jewelry industry pricing, show-
ing how gemstones have significantly outperformed the United Kingdom’s FTSE 100 index since
May 2008.The recent stock market declines triggered by COVID-19 can also clearly be seen, and
the months ahead are anticipated to demonstrate the relative resilience of the GVA gemstone index
against the FTSE 100, S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average.

"It is said that if your

marketing is good, your
sales will be automatic."

site was to provide a useful tool to our customers. Many local

jewelers are only able to visit a trade show once a year or
once every other year. The website brings the show to them,
at their convenience and without the added expense of travel.
By having more accessible options, they can make better/
quicker decisions for their clients. In our opinion, part of the
reason why colored gems are not more popular is because
of supply. If jewelers aren’t able to easily source beautiful col-
ored stones, they don’t educate their customers about them.
By providing jewelers with easy access to a large, reliable
inventory of stones, it’s no longer a risk for them to educate
a customer. They know they’ll be able to provide a beautiful
stone when the customer is ready.” 
Switching back to the brutal realities of our world today,
one can’t help but think about who will be able to weather
the storm and who won’t. According to Amedeo, people who
have entered the industry without displaying any authentic
talent or education or a genuine passion will be the first to dis-
The "Three Colours of Love" campaign by Gemfields featuring
rings by Fabergé with rubies, emeralds and sapphires to promote
appear. “Deep down we always knew what wasn’t working, colored gemstones. (Photo: Gemfields)
but simple herd mentality drove us to keep supporting chan-
nels that should have been abandoned years ago—thinking
we should hire these impossibly unqualified influencers be- Covid-19 crisis will recalibrate the carefully crafted concept
cause maybe we need that exposure. Let’s be real, we know of value. Maybe the degree of recalibration will be marginal.
our clients around the world; we meet them; we talk to them. Well-bought gemstones and jewels have for centuries been
We know the consumer’s behavior; why are we being side- a store of value and a guard against periods of economic
tracked by what we see other people doing when we know and political uncertainty. This was evidenced during the 2008
deep down it doesn’t work; it doesn’t bring anything; it’s just financial crisis when gem prices proved resilient in the face of
white noise. This is the moment when we can press the reset significant falls in key equity indices (see Figure 1).
button and go back to the real integrity and authenticity of the How the market performs in light of the Covid-19 crisis re-
original jewelry industry.” mains to be seen. One way to try and understand what may
Sometimes, it takes an unprecedented event to make one work going forward is to learn from the past, and to attentively
reflect on past actions and decisions. No one knows how the observe and react to the rapidly changing present. ■

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 77

Education

Education in Gemology
A Historical Review
The need for gemological knowledge has been By Rui Galopim de Carvalho
recognized since the dawn of our industry. As is the case
today, old-time dealers required technical information in
order to make informed business decisions when purchasing
goods. Understanding imitations was the main concern and,
over time, the concerns evolved to more sophisticated mat-
ters such as synthetics and then treatment disclosure, origin,
and traceability. Gemological knowledge is now more com-
plex and scientific, although classic gemology still remains
accessible for the non-scientist.
The communication of all that knowledge evolved with the
digital age, whether through written content in online books,
articles, blog posts, videos, and social media, or in educa-
tion, both in-class and at a distance through e-learning plat-
forms and other digital tools. A true digital transformation had
already begun in gem education, but now, with Covid-19, it
became even more evident.
Apart from the master-to-apprentice dynamics, the pass-
ing of knowledge in Antiquity was only in reach of the literate
upper classes. Old written accounts on gems are scarce and
names such as Teophrastus, Pliny the Elder, Abu Rayhan al-
Biruni, and Ahmad al-Tifashi are well-known examples. They
add to ancient Sanskrit manuscripts, such as the Garuda
Purana and a number of medieval European authors, among Flyer advertising a six-part gemology course in 1893.
them Marbode of Rennes. These enlightened souls all docu-
mented the characteristics of gem materials, their nomencla- ical events in the 1890s, when British mineralogists conduct-
ture, and occurrences. ed workshops in Gemology, or the Science of Gems. Despite
Old accounts and methods on how to change the color the experimental projects with synthetic emeralds and rubies
and/or transparency of gems were known, as in the Treatises in the 1800s, it was only in 1902 that gem-quality flame-
on Goldsmithing and Sculpture by Benvenuto Cellini (1500- fusion synthetic rubies became commercially available due to
1571), with a clear mention of gem treatments. Written docu- August Verneuil in France. Although most production would
ments were, and still are, the basic learning resources. be used in the watch industry, the man-made stones eventu-
For many centuries, known gem varieties and their sources ally reached jewelry when unethical dealers misrepresented
were limited when compared to the present. The main con- the cut stones as natural rubies. For the first time and on a
cerns of our ancestors were separating gemstones from their global scale, consumer confidence was at stake.
imitations or lookalikes. In most cases, jewelers and gem To face these new challenges in the trade, the Nation-
dealers had enough tools to not only classify the materials by al Association of Goldsmiths (NAG) in the United Kingdom
their own old trade names, but also to resolve rather simple established an Education Committee and developed the first
identification challenges. The secrecy of that knowledge was gemology education courses in 1908. This decision triggered
invariably only passed on from master to apprentice—even this 112-year gem education journey. Traders and scientists
sometimes within the same family. Other than the empirical attended the courses, with a special interest in dealing with
hands-on experience of the masters, books were the reposi- the increasing number of flame-fusion synthetics, notably
tories for knowledge for those who could read. ruby, sapphire, and later spinel.
This all changed in the 19th century with the emergence of In the mid-1910s, Akoya cultured pearls were introduced
a middle class of consumers and the early days of massive by Mikimoto. They had a greater impact in the 1920s, both in
production. The new social and marketing paradigms would pearl-producing areas, such as Bahrain, and in trading hubs
progressively impact the jewelry industry towards the begin- such as Paris, Bombay, and London. The need to properly
ning of the 20th century. During that period, scientists experi- identify cultured pearls was behind the creation of the first
mented in producing artificial crystals, as reported in the mid- gem laboratories in Europe, namely in London (1925) and
1800s, and mineralogical sciences were booming with new Paris (1929). With consumer confidence at stake, the trade's
methods developed to systematically classify minerals and to response had to go beyond information offered by labs; edu-
document their properties. This resulted in the first gemolog- cation was now a priority.

78 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

These concerns prompted the establishment of a depart-

ment within NAG in 1931, which was called the Gemmolog-
ical Association of Great Britain. Now known as Gem-A, it
became an independent organization in 1937. Many trade
associations saw the Fellow of the Gemmological Associ-
ation (FGA) qualification as highly relevant for the industry,
and the next few decades saw an expansion of gemological
education throughout the world, either preparing students for
the FGA examination or for future independent gemological
qualifications. Gem-A’s FGA qualification is currently taught
in seven different languages in more than 40 locations in 26
countries around the world.
Robert M. Shipley (1887-1978), founder of the Gemologi-
cal Institute of America (GIA), was one of the early students
who completed the NAG gemology correspondence course
in the late-1920s. Two years after touring the U.S., teaching
gemology to trade professionals, he founded GIA in 1931,
offering home-study education in the U.S. Recognizing that
knowledge was power, Shipley established the American
Gem Society (AGS) in 1934 for knowledgeable jewelers and
started GIA’s Gems & Gemology magazine, the first period-
ical known for cutting-edge gem knowledge and education.
By 1947, GIA issued its first Graduate Gemologist (GG)
qualifications and was joined by De Beers in promoting di-
amond knowledge across America., teaching the “four rules
of diamond classification” that evolved into the International
Diamond Grading System introduced by Richard T. Liddicoat
in 1953. Diamond grading courses started soon after. Established in 1934, the contents page from the first issue
of Gems & Gemology. (Photo: GIA)
The GG qualification is taught today in GIA campuses in
five countries and reaches distance education students all
over the world. In the following decades, gem education
evolved considerably, not only in the U.S. and Europe (partic-
ularly in the UK and France), but also in Asia where the Asian
Institute of Gemological Sciences (AIGS)—the first major
international school in Southeast Asia—was founded in 1978
in Bangkok, Thailand.
Aside from Gem-A with 35 international partners (allied
tutorial centers) and the GIA with seven campuses—of-
fering their FGA and GG qualifications, respectively—
many educational organizations are now teaching formal
gemology across the globe. A few have transformed into
supra-national organizations such as the FEEG, the Feder-
ation for European Education in Gemmology, which has pro- Graduation ceremony for Gem-A graduates. (Photo: Gem-A)
moted the European Gemmologist (EG) qualification since
1995 at 12 teaching centers in eight European countries. gemological education has always been offered, first as cor-
University level qualifications in gemology also exist in respondence courses, such as the one Robert Shipley took
some countries. Among them is the Birmingham City Univer- in London, and today mostly through digital channels. The
sity, which recently launched an undergraduate three-year challenging part was, and still is, how the sessions can pre-
gemology program BSc (Hons) in its School of Jewellery. In pare students for practical exams. In-class lab sessions are
the U.S., both the University of Arizona and Arizona State recommended to make sure students not only get more pro-
University have announced gemology programs. The Univer- ficient in the use of gem testing equipment and are trained in
sity of Barcelona has offered gemology programs for years. observation protocols, but also have access to a relevant and
It is interesting to note that jewelry-related schools of- extensive collection of reference samples selected specifical-
fer gemological training associated with their regular crafts ly for the purpose of teaching. The more stones a student can
education, e.g. L’École, School of Jewellery Arts, supported observe, the better.
by Van Cleef & Arpels, in various parts of the world, and the Online education has been delivered in many formats
Laboratoire Français de Gemmologie (LFG), in cooperation through various platforms, from simple text and photos (and/
with the known Haute École de Joaillerie in Paris. Distance or video) to more complex interactive e-learning tools includ-

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 79

Education

ing presentations with voiceover, audio podcasts, videos or Library (in Carlsbad, California) have thousands of books and
interactive systems, as non-synchronic sessions. Synchronic periodicals that are accessible locally and online. In Europe,
classes seem to be gaining popularity, partially due to the the library of L’École, the School of Jewellery Arts by Van
habits created during the Covid-19 lockdown. In spite of the Cleef & Arpels in Paris and the vast Sir James Walton library
convenience of the e-learning solutions available, having ac- at Gem-A in London are two important repositories.
cess to adequate study samples and a tutor to guide students Many titles have become available as e-books or pdf files
through the protocols and observations are critical for a gem- and an increasing number of out-of-print gem-related publi-
ologist’s training. Although some organizations provide study cations are available for free online.
samples to distance-learning students, their number may not From a periodical perspective, the first major gemology
be comparable to those available in a lab class. trade magazine was GIA’S Gems & Gemology in 1934, which
evolved into a peer-reviewed journal. Current and past issues
Advanced Gemology Training are now freely distributed online. The Journal of Gemmolo-
The complexity of today’s gemology has placed it much gy, published by Gem-A since 1947, is the scientific voice of
closer to science than ever before. Aside from gem identi- the association and also recently became a peer-reviewed
fication, labs now include detection of treatments, identifica- journal. Interestingly, these two gemological journals are pub-
tion of modern synthetics, accurate chemical fingerprinting, lished by gemological education organizations, demonstrat-
determination of major to trace elements (including isotopes), ing that science and cutting-edge education go hand-in-hand.
support for origin determination opinions. The collection and Other magazines are also valuable resources, among
interpretation of such data calls for an advanced knowledge them is InColor magazine under the editorial guidance of
base, namely a Ph.D. in material sciences, solid-state phys- Jean-Claude Michelou. It covers topics from mining and
ics and/or chemistry. To provide scientific knowledge to gem- geology, to gemology, design, and retail. A few other titles in-
ologists, the University of Nantes began offering the DUG clude The Australian Gemmologist (since 1958), Revue de
(Diplôme d’Université de Gemmologie) in 1983, under the Gemmologie (since 1965), Journal of the HK Gemmological
supervision of Professor Emmanuel Fritsch. The program Association, and the historic Lapidary Journal (since 1947).
focuses on advanced analytical and spectroscopic methods More recently, other titles are SSEF’s Facette, ICA GemLab’s
for laboratory gemologists. With a much shorter duration, the Gamma, and Revista Italiana di Gemmologia. Gemology re-
Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF) offers advanced and quires continuous education; Reading periodicals and books
scientific gemology courses to complement the classical is definitely a must.
gemology education offered in most schools.
Symposia
Read, Read, Read Educational opportunities are also offered through global
Before the Internet, information was accessible in books, symposia and congresses with expert presentations, poster
trade magazines, and in peer-reviewed scientific journals. sessions, published proceedings, recorded sessions avail-
Books written by pioneers such as Robert Webster (Gems), able online, and networking. Among these events are:
Richard T. Liddicoat (Handbook of Gem Identification), Basil GIA’s Symposia, since 1982; Gem-A’s annual conference;
Anderson (Gem Testing), Peter Read (Beginner’s Guide to the Scottish Gemmological Conference, the Rendezvous
Gemmology), Antoinette Matlins (Gem Identification Made Gemmologiques in Paris; Gem Talks organized by the
Easy), and Edward Gübelin and John Koivula (Photoatlas of Istituto Gemologico Italiano at VicenzaOro; GIT’s Inter-
Inclusions in Gemstones) are a few iconic titles that continue national Gem and Jewelry Conferences in Bangkok, the
to serve gemological education. Mediterranean Gemmological and Jewellery Conference;
Libraries such as GIA’s Richard T. Liddicoat Gemological the Sinkankas Symposium; FEEG’s annual Symposium,
AGTA’s gem show conference
program, ICA’s biennial con-
gresses; and a variety of na-
tional and regional gemological
associations and alumni events
that take place across the globe.

Field Trips
Gemologist-guided travel to re-
mote mining areas was on the rise
before the Covid-19 lockdown.
Mine visits were typically orga-
nized as pre or post-symposia ac-
tivities, but were also organized by
gem schools, such the traditional
Gem-A trip to Idar-Oberstein, the

80 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 The vastInColorMagazine.com;

Sir James Walton Library
Gemstone.org
at Gem-A. (Photo: Gem-A)
 InColor

AIGS trips to Mogok and others by the Association Française

de Gemmologie. Gem tourism was also a reality in Minas
Gerais, Brazil, organized by Brazil Gem Safari, or in Portu-
gal with guided tours to jewelry museums. The popularity of
field gemology encouraged by Vincent Pardieu has created a
wider demand for small organized group visits to mining and
manufacturing areas.

Social Media
The Internet revolution made information easily accessible.
Terabytes of material in archived books, journals, research
papers, videos, podcasts, and websites are now available
to students and researchers. But, even more terabytes of
low-quality, erroneous, and non-verified information is also
found online. The social media and blog worlds enable An AIGS-organized educational trip to Mogok, Myanmar.
high-quality information, produced by knowledgeable peers, (Photo: AIGS)
and low-quality information, produced with no accurate
sources, to be shared in the same virtual space.
The key to properly using social media and the Internet to
collect and use relevant information as an educational re-
source is to understand how to validate the sources for their
intellectual and scientific qualities. Once that is filtered, a Three examples of
whole world of excellent LinkedIn profiles, Instagram feeds, online educational
Facebook pages, YouTube channels, gemological blogs, and webinars in the
Twitter accounts are available for self-education. era of Covid-19.

The Novel Coronavirus Effect

The Covid-19 pandemic shut down many colleagues and
students in the gem and jewelry industry. While the lock-
down caused distress across the supply chain, it triggered
the creation of a gem and jewelry online entertainment ini-
tiative, which is also educational. Beginning in mid-March,
the author began hosting the Home Gemmology Webinar
Program, which then got the support of CIBJO after its 6th
session. Other webinars include Gem-A’s gemology series,
AIGS’ Thailand Gem Trips program, GIA’s Knowledge Ses-
sions, Justin Prim’s Institute of Gem Training, AGAT Live with
Laurent Massi, and the extensive Gemflix webinar program.
The lockdown has made distance education a widely
accepted solution. The collaborative e-learning platforms,
already being used by the major educational organizations,
have been expanded to reach out to students and trainees. ■

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 81

Pearl Evolution

Pearls
Evolution in the Sector, Production and Technology
There was a time when all pearls were natural or simply imitation.
By Kenneth Scarratt (ICA Lab, Bangkok, Thailand; [email protected]) and
Stefanos Karampelas (DANAT, Kingdom of Bahrain; [email protected])

Pearl Testing and the Historic Use of X-Rays

The title of an article published in a UK newspaper in No-
vember 1921 might seem shocking today: Defied by Cul-
tured Gems – Only clue to origin to cut them open. The article
states that the conclusions reached by British and Japanese
scientific experts at the laboratories of X-rays Limited were
“That it is impossible to detect the difference between Jap-
anese cultured pearls and Japanese natural pearls and that
the values of all pearls must be revised as a result of these
tests.”
If anything, this article and others of a similar nature drove
the industry to the realization that traders needed to bring sci-
ence into their world to find methods to make the distinction
between natural and human-induced products. While, in this
particular report, they were attempting the use of UV radia-
tion, what is also clear in hindsight is that the techniques in
use in 1921 and the kind of X-ray films available—in addition
to inexperience in interpreting the X-ray microradiographs,
inevitably even the use of X-ray—would have produced dis-
appointing results. Later attempts with x-rays apparently did
not clearly define those bead cultured pearls with thick na-
cre coatings and in addition did not reveal some of the finer
growth structures of natural pearls (Webster, 1966).
The unnerving of what was, at the time, the most valuable
portion of the jewelry industry resulted in the formation of two
major pearl-testing establishments. The first, in 1925, was
the Laboratory of the Diamond, Pearl and Precious Stone
Trade Section of the London Chamber of Commerce (later
to become the Gem Testing Laboratory of GAGTL, but is no
longer in existence). Then, a short while later (1929) was
the creation of the Service Public du Contrôle des Diamants,
Perles Fines et Pierres Précieuses de la Chambre de Com-
merce et d’Industrie de Paris (now the Laboratoire Français
de Gemmologie, LFG).
B.W. Anderson, who Directed the London Laboratory from
1925 until 1970, presented a paper in 1931 that was pub-
lished in the British Journal of Radiology in January 1932
(Anderson, 1932). In presenting this paper, Anderson began
by saying, “We find in no less an authority than the four-
teenth (1929) edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica the
statement: The only method of ascertaining which variety (of
pearls) is ‘cultured’ and which is ‘natural’ is to cut the pearl Figure 1: Top, acquiring Laue patterns (by using X-ray diffrac-
and examine the cross section.” He went on to state, “We tion) on pearls at the Service Public du Contrôle des Diamants,
hope to show that this statement is entirely untrue.” Similarly, Perles Fines et Pierres Précieuses de la Chambre de Commerce
et d'Industrie de Paris (ca.1930).
it is hoped that the reader will come to appreciate the signif- Bottom, report from the same laboratory with the natural
icant role that x-rays have played in the study of pearls from pearl necklace sealed, from the 1937 Archive photos provided
before Anderson’s statement until the present day. by Jean-Jacques Richard (https://www.richardjeanjacques.com).

82 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

Figure 2: The men on deck of this lugger,

at anchor in Darwin harbor in 1897, give
scale to the small size of the vessel, which
had cramped quarters for a six-man crew
at sea for weeks at a time. (Photo: Paspaley
Pearling Co.)

In 1924, Dauvillier discovered that if a narrow X-ray linked with natural pearl fishing. The depletion of “pearl-
beam passed normal to or through the layers of nacre, an oyster" beds in Central America and the demise of the pear-
hexagonal or six-spot pattern would result on a suitable x-ray ling stations in Australia (Figure 2) impacted the pearl indus-
film, while if the beam passed in a direction that ran along try. Noteworthy, in order to protect the natural pearl indus-
the layers, a rectangular or four spot pattern would result try, the Bahraini government issued a public notice in 1930
(Dauvillier, 1924). When this discovery was translated to (still active today as a strict law) prohibiting the trade (import
round bead cultured pearls and round natural pearls, a and sale) of cultured pearls in Bahrain. During these years,
definitive test to separate one from the other became clear. the need to separate the cultured from the natural pearl
Dauvillier published another paper (Dauvillier, 1926) and his remained as important as ever.
work was verified, explained and placed on sound scien- Fast forward to the 1950s when non-bead cultured pearls
tific footing by Shaxby (Shaxby, 1924) and Galibourg and from Japan’s Lake Biwa began to make an appearance on the
Ryzinger (Galibourg and Ryzinger, 1927). Laue patterns, market and to the 1970s when similar freshwater non-bead
which these were now known as, were first detected by Max cultured pearls from China made now their first small steps
von Laue in 1914 and are invaluable for crystal analysis. towards the dominant position that they hold on the market.
The London and Paris laboratories modified Dauvallier’s These advances in production began to rule out the use of
initial design to produce two instruments that were very sim- Laue diffraction and the endoscope as standard test meth-
ilar in their operation and Laue diffraction (Figure 1) rather ods and heavy reliance was then placed on X-ray micro-
than X-ray microradiography, which became standard radiography and luminescence reaction under X-rays, a
practice in pearl testing along with other optical tests, includ- technique that had previously been employed to detect the
ing the endoscope (an illuminated optical device designed freshwater beads used in the culturing process of saltwater
for the visual inspection of a pearl’s drill hole and the possible pearls and would now be used to separate freshwater cul-
presence of a bead). Thus, the first steps in the never-ending tured pearls from saltwater pearls. Natural freshwater pearls
challenges of pearl identification were made, successfully were not very common (and they are still less than natural
steadying the trade. As the century progressed and fine saltwater pearls), but a small share was and remains avail-
grained film became available, X-ray microradiography also able today (Sweaney and Latendresse, 1984).
began to play an important role (Alexander, 1941). The early development of cultured pearls in the South
Seas is dominated by the pioneering work and success-
Cultured Pearls and Other Factors Influenced es of William Saville Kent (1845-1908) who, in his seminal
the Natural Pearl Trade and New Methods of work The Great Barrier Reef of Australia—originally pub-
Identifications lished in 1893 (Saville Kent, 1900)—illustrates on Plate
The two World Wars and the 1930s great depression that XXXVII a series of natural Queensland pearls and, on Plate
took hold of Europe and the USA, along with the influx of XXXVIII, an artificially produced pearl (cultured blister) in
cultured pearls, severely impacted the natural pearl trade its shell (George, 1967, 1970, 1971). Following the decima-
globally. In parallel, the oil discovery in the Arabian Gulf, one tion of the natural pearl market and the invention of plastic
of the main sources of natural pearls at the end of the 19th buttons (P. maxima shell had provided the raw material for
and start of the 20th century, decreased the human resources buttons previously), the 1950s saw the Australian industry

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 83

 Pearl Evolution

addition to the natural pearl market (Fritsch & Misiorowski,

1987; Scarratt et al., 1999). Noteworthy, these pearls were
also recorded beforehand (Kunz and Stevenson, 1908).
While in Europe there was no question of their status as
natural pearls, it was debated in the USA whether these
non-nacreous (porcelaneous) pearls should be called pearls
or calcareous concretions. Fortunately, their status as natu-
ral pearls is now accepted globally.

The Last Twenty Years

In 1999-2000, it was estimated that 600 to 1,000 metric
tons of freshwater cultured pearls were produced annually
in China. This period also saw the emergence of the larger
(>10mm) product that was also round or near round in shape
(Akamatsu et al., 2001; Scarratt et al., 2000) that were being
produced in a variety of natural colors. This represented, by
Figure 3: Five loose natural pearls and one set in a brooch
from Melo sp. gastropod (known as Melo pearls) collected in weight, around 95% of all cultured pearls in the market.
waters off Phuket (Thailand) and Malaysia; a.k.a., Melo pearls. By the mid-2000s, the production of beaded (coin-shaped
The biggest sample is about 30 cm (about 196 cts) in and round) freshwater cultured pearls had made a significant
diameter. (Photo: Kenneth Scarratt) presence on the market. These were either coin-shaped,
fireball-like round or near round (Fiske and Shepherd, 2007).
change dramatically towards the production of what is today While an additional Chinese product type was now widely
some of the most valuable cultured pearls on the market. available, the X-ray microradiography and X-ray fluores-
During the same period, cultured pearl farms were also in- cence techniques were also available in most gemological
stigated in Burma making use of the gold-lipped P. maxima laboratories.
producing white and yellow cultured pearls. The first decade of the century also saw important devel-
A pearl farm in Bora Bora in French Polynesia was estab- opments in terms of saltwater pearl cultivation (Southgate
lished early in the early 1960s, where a number of the local and Lucas, 2008). The collection of donors and acceptors
black-lip shells were operated on, eventually resulting in the for the cultivation process became to be much less from wild
harvesting of spherical pearls and the birth of Tahitian Black adult mollusks; more spat was collected (Figure 4) as well as
Cultured Pearls. hatchery grown mollusks. The use of hatchery grown mol-
During 1964-65, following the expansion of Japanese lusks, it is said, improved saltwater cultured pearls quality
pearl interests in the South Seas, pearl farms were also and decreased mortality rate. In parallel in the last twenty
established in Fiji and at Port Moresby (George, 1967, 1970, years, non-nacreous pearls became more popular (Bari and
1971). Cultured pearl production in the Philippines began in Lam, 2009). Natural pearls found in mollusks different from
the late 1970s making use of the gold-lipped P. maxima and
today is famous for its golden colored cultured pearls.
The popularity of the black and golden colored cul-
tured pearls entering the markets added to the identifica-
tion problems where dying, or eventually irradiation, were
concerned. At the time, and while the dying of natural
pearls had always been a testing factor (Alexander, 1960;
Crowningshield, 1961, 1963), black or golden cultured pearls
now had to be scrutinized for indication of dyes (Webster,
1962; Crowningshield, 1963).
Such test procedures at the time were limited to micro-
scopic or hand-spectroscope observations (Crowningshield,
1961) or, in the case of silver-nitrate-treated examples, X-ray
microradiography provided definitive evidence via what has
been termed the reversal effect (Farn, 1986).
All of the above-described natural pearls were nacre-
ous, but, in the 1970s, porcelaneous (a.k.a. non-nacreous)
natural pearls from the Queen conch (Lobatus gigas)—pre-
viously known as Strombus gigas) and at the time as Pink
Pearls—and in the 1990s from the Melo volutes, known Figure 4: P. maxima spat collected (sized < 1 cm) to
as Melo pearls (Figure 3), became a popular and valuable be used in pearl cultivation. (Photo: Kenneth Scarratt)

84 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

the saltwater bivalves belonging to Pinctada species were re- structures and for the most part alleviate the problems sur-
searched, such as in various gastropods (Lobatus gigas, Melo rounding this issue.
sp., Triplofusus gigas—horse conch—Cassis sp., Tridacni- Due to the highly specialized nature of pearl identification,
dae—clam—etc.) and in bivalves less known in the pearl in- most gemologists and dealers do not readily recognize the
dustry (some known as edible though) such as from Scallop ongoing challenges in areas such as detecting certain natu-
(bivalve from Pectinidae), Quahog (bivalve from Veneridae) ral and cultured varieties, treatments, and mollusk species.
and Pens (bivalve from Pinnidae). The current battery of testing methods includes everything
Gemological labs testing pearls became relatively quickly from macro and microscopic observations to spectroscopy,
used to distinguishing nacreous and non-nacreous pearls, chemical analysis, fluorescence and various forms of X-ray
principally with visual observation, checking their surface imaging, principally used for pearl identification.
for working, and also trying to determine their host mollusk Other methods are now under development with potential
(Scarratt, 2011). uses in pearl testing such as trace elements, bio-geo-chem-
The last two decades saw the general public becoming istry using LA-ICP-MS, oxygen isotopes, carbon dating and
more concerned about eco-friendly concepts as well as fair- DNA analysis to list a few. In parallel, gem labs are start-
trade products. Thus, environment, ecology and respect ing to collect reference samples with high accuracy. Thus,
for the local communities started to be very important as- it is clear that labs need to make important investments in
pects for pearl cultivation and natural pearl fishing. In some instrumentation, specialized human resources and training,
places, natural pearl fishing and wild bivalve collection are which is usually not cost effective. This will be more pro-
heavily regulated (e.g., P. maxima from Australia). In other
areas, they are forbidden (e.g., P. mazatlanica from Mexico)
while in some, natural pearl fishing is offered as a tourist at-
traction (e.g., Kingdom of Bahrain; pearldiving.bh).
Some rare pearl-producing mollusks are also protected by
international laws (e.g., CITES) and their trade is regulated
(Karampelas and Kiefert, 2010). An increasing number of
pearl farmers are very careful with environmental aspects
and have started to support local communities.
The turn of the century saw film-based X-ray microradio-
graphy replaced with real-time X-ray microradiography (RTX)
in the medical sector and slightly later in most pearl testing
gem laboratories (Karampelas et al., 2017). With the X-ray
detector’s technology constantly improving, gem labs are
updating their systems in order to improve the quality of their
results (Figure 5).
Moving on to 2010 and with the now increasing values of
natural pearls, some producers—mainly in Indonesia—have
experimented and produced bead cultured pearls using poor
quality natural pearls as the bead (Scarratt et al., 2017). This
is specifically to gain reports from laboratories (for there
could be no other reason) to describe their cultured products
as natural.
The use of atypical beads, from an ethical perspective, in
the culturing process was not new. Galatea had used a vari-
ety of beads including various gem materials for some time,
but with the goal of producing an artistic interpretation of the
cultured product (Figure 6). The firm Matsumoto has been
successfully producing a cultured pearl with a coral bead
(Saruwatari, 2017) for some time.
The deceptive use of natural pearls as beads set new chal-
lenges for the labs, that required ever more scrutiny. Fortu-
nately, X-ray computed microtomography (μ-CT) (Karampe-
las et al., 2010; Krzemnicki et al., 2010) with sophisticated
3-D software capabilities became available to pearl testing Figure 5: X-ray microradiographs of a natural saltwater pearl
laboratories. Moreover, most pearl testing labs are starting from P. radiata using two different instruments.The top image is
to acquire three X-ray microradiographs in three different sharper with more information revealed compared to the below
positions on loose pearls to better monitor their internal image. (Image reproduced from Karampelas et al., 2017)

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 85

Pearl Evolution

Fritsch, E., and Misiorowski E.B., 1987, The histrory and gemol-
ogy of queen conch “pearls,” Gems and Gemology, v. 23, no. 4, p.
208-221.
Galibourg, J., Ryzinger, F., 1927, Les méthodes d’examen et
d’étude des perles fines et des perles de culture, Revue d’Optique
Théorique et Instrumentale, v. 6, p. 30-31.
George, C. D., 1967, The cultured pearl - Its history and develop-
ment to the present day, Lapidary Journal, v. 21, no. 4,5,6, p. 510-
517, 642-647, 786-791.
George, C. D., 1970, Pearl cultivation in the South Seas, Lapidary
Journal, v. 24, no. 5,6, p. 660-674, 810-821.
George, C. D., 1971, The black pearls history and development,
Lapidary Journal, v. 25, no. 1, p. 136-147.
Karampelas, S., Michel, J., Zheng-Cui, M. L., Schwarz, J. O.,
Enzmann, F., Fritsch, E., Leu, L., and Krzemnicki, M., 2010, X-ray
computed microtomography applied to pearls: Methodology, advan-
tages and limitations, Gems and Gemology, v. 46, no. 2, p. 122-127.
Figure 6: An example of a Galatea artistic impression of
a cultured pearl of around 9 mm in diameter from Karampelas, S. and Kiefert, L., 2010, Organic gems protected by
P. margaritifera with natural turquoise used as bead, set CITES, InColor, Fall/Winter, v. 15, p. 20-23.
in a ring. (Photo: Chi Huynh, Galatea Jewellery.) Karampelas S., Lombard A., 2013 Saltwater cultured pearls culti-
vated after xenotransplantation, Gems and Gemology, v. 49, no. 1,
p. 36-40.
nounced in the future, with fewer gem labs expected to offer Karampelas S., Al-Alawi A.T., Al-Attawi A., 2017 Real-time mi-
pearl identification services. croradiography of pearls: A comparison between detectors, Gems
Developments in pearl farming are also around the corner, and Gemology, v. 53, no. 4, p. 452-456.
with higher-quality and larger-sized cultured pearls and cul- Krzemnicki, M., Friess, S. D., Chalus, P., Hänni, H. A., and Karam-
tured pearls after xenotransplantation (i.e., donor and accep- pelas, S., 2010, X-ray computed microtomography: Distinguishing
tor mollusk belonging to different species; see Karampelas natural pearls from beaded and non-beaded cultured pearls, Gems
and Lombard, 2013), as well as cultivation of new species and Gemology, v. 46, no. 2, p. 128-134.
(e.g., non-nacreous pearls) at commercial levels. In parallel, Kunz, G.F., and Stevenson, C.H., 1908 The Book of the Pearl.
natural pearl fishing is expected to become more organized The Century Co., New York, pp. 485–513.
Saruwatari, K., 2017, “Sango pearl” from Japan, Gems & Gemol-
using ecological-friendly means, while the use of underwater
ogy, v. 53, no. 2, p. 251-254.
robotics is expected to play an important role in natural pearl Saville Kent, W., 1900, The Great Barrier Reef of Australia: its
fishing as well as in cultured pearl farm operations. Products and Potentialities, London, W. H. Allen.
Scarratt, K., Bosshart, G., DelRe, N., Fritsch, E., Jobbins, A., King,
References J. and Zucker, B., 1999, Orange pearls from the Melo volutes (Ma-
Akamatsu, S., Li, T. Z., Moses, T. E., and Scarratt, K., 2001, The rine Gastropods). A gemological study of a unique collection with
current status of Chinese freshwater cultured pearls, Gems and data from other examinations. In book: The pearl and the Dragon,
Gemology, v. 37, no. 2, p. 96-113. a study of Vietnamese Pearls and the History of the Oriental Pearl
Alexander, A. E., 1941, Natural and cultured pearl differentiation Trade, Houlton, Maine, USA, p. 79-108.
(Part 1 and 2), Gems and Gemology, v. 3, no. 11/12, p. 169-172 and Scarratt, K., Moses, T. M., and Akamatsu, S., 2000, Characteris-
184-188. tics of nuclei in Chinese freshwater cultured pearls, Gems and Gem-
Alexander, A. E., 1960, Dyed pearls, Gemmologist, v. 29, no. 343, ology, v. 36, no. 2, p. 98-109.
p. 28-29. Scarratt, K., 2011, Pearl identification-A practitioner’s perspective,
Anderson, B. W., 1932, The use of X-rays in the study of pearls, Gems and Gemology, v. 47, no. 2, p. 117-119.
British Journal of Radiology, v. 5, p. 57-64. Scarratt, K., Sturman, N., Tawfeeq, A., Bracher, P., Bracher, M.,
Bari, H., Lam, D., 2009, Pearls, Skira, Milan, 336 pp. Homkrajar, A., Manustrong, A., Somsaard, N., Zhou, C., 2017, Ex-
Crowningshield, G. R., 1961, The spectroscopic recognition of periments in using atypical ‘beads’ and mantle interference in the
natural black pearls, Gems and Gemology, v. 10, no. 8, p. 252-255. production of cultured pearls with Australian Pinctada maxima.
Crowningshield, G. R., 1963, Bleached and dyed cultured pearls, Shaxby, J. H., 1924, Une nouvelle méthode de différenciation des
Gems and Gemology, v. 11, no. 4, p. 99-100. perles fines et cultivées: Comp. Rend. Ac. Sci, Paris, no. 179.
Dauvillier, A., 1924, Sur un procédé de différenciation des perles Southgate, P., and Lucas, J., 2008. The pearl oyster. Amsterdam,
fines et de culture: Comptes Rendus Hebdomadardies des Seanc- The Netherlands, Elsevier Science, 544 pp.
es de l’Academie des Sciences, v. 179, p. 818. Sweaney J.L., and Latendresse J.R., 1984, Freshwater pearls of
Dauvillier., A., 1926, La différenciation des perles naturelles et cul- North America, Gems and Gemology, v. 20, no. 3, p. 125-140.
tivées, Revue Scientifique, v. 64, p. 37-45. Ward, F., 2000, China’s amazing new pearls, Lapidary Journal, v.
Farn, A. E., 1986, Pearls Natural, Cultured and Imitation, London, 54, no. 1, p. 26-32.
Butterworths, Butterworths gem books. Webster, R., 1962, Gems: Their Sources, Descriptions and Iden-
Fiske, D., and Shepherd, J., 2007, Continuity and change in the tification, Washington, Butterworths, 792 pp.
Chinese freshwater pearl culture, Gems and Gemology, v. 43, no. Webster, R., 1966, X-rays in the Testing of Gems, X-Ray Focus,
2, p. 138-145. v. 7, no. 1, p. 2-5. ■

86 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 87

Antique Jewels

The Growing
Things Old
Attraction of
By Ioannis Alexandris

Over the past decade, we have seen

increasing interest for buying and collecting
antique and vintage jewelry, not only by
collectors and those involved in the trade, but
also by younger generations of consumers.
How important is this “trend?”
When someone buys a piece of antique or
vintage jewelry, they are acquiring a piece of
history—a work of art. This is indeed the case
since most of these jewels are unique and are
often wonderful works of art mirroring the style
of the era during which they were created.
In general, antique jewelry is handmade and
handset with high-quality natural gemstones,
depending on when they were created. On the
other hand, the quality of the diamonds was not
always in keeping with what is considered today
the 4Cs standard. In those days, diamonds were
hand cut and polished, with selections based on
other criteria, such as make, for mounting in a particular
piece of jewelry.
It is important to understand that not all antique jewelry is
valuable or of superior quality when compared to modern-
day pieces. Nor is all antique jewelry a good investment.
As equally important as the quality of the gems and the
manufacturing process is the provenance of the piece,
its history and the jeweler involved in its creation. A small
Fabergé piece is extremely rare, with a much higher value
than a similar jewel with larger and more expensive gems
that was created during the same period.
Collectors of antique jewels and gems have been around
for hundreds of years. When it comes to antique and vintage
jewelry, the rarity and value is not subject to boundaries or
specific tastes. Jean-Baptiste Tavernier lived in the 17th
century and was one of history’s most important gem and
diamond dealers. One of his clients was King Louis XIV of
France, a great collector of fabulous gems and jewelry, who
became his patron. Among the precious gems Tavernier
purchased, perhaps the most famous is the blue diamond
known as the Hope Diamond, now in the Smithsonian
Top: "Feuilles de Groseilles" diamond brooch, early 19th
Museum in Washington DC in the United States. century, French Crown Jewels. (Photo: Christie's)
Almost all royal families, kings, emperors, maharajas and
other wealthy people adorned themselves with gem-studded Center: Ruby and diamond ring that belonged to Queen
Mary-Jose, late 19th century. (Photo: Sotheby's)
jewelry. The desire of a ruler to own a particular diamond or
an important gem from another ruler was so intense that, Below: The 45.52-ct blue "Hope Diamond" in the Smithsonian
as legend has it, wars were often the result of unfulfilled Museum, USA. (Photo: Smithsonian)
dreams to possess such gems.

88 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

In the 18th century, after the Italian campaign of 1796,

original antique cameos and intaglios were brought back
to France from Italy and were used in jewelry. Fascinated
by their beauty, Napoleon not only had jewelry made for
himself, but he also founded a school of gem engraving.
Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III, who favored 18th century
fashion, engaged the jeweler Babst to remount some of
the Crown Jewels in the style of Louis XVI and Marie
Antoinette.
In the same manner, at the beginning of the 20th
century, maharajas brought amazing gems and
jewelry to Europe to be reworked in the Art Deco
style. Luckily, some of these original Indian jewelry
pieces were sold to collectors who appreciated their
beauty and historical importance.
Over the years, unrest and political uncertainties in
many countries forced some royals and wealthy individuals
to flee their homeland, leaving their privileged lives behind.
Jewelry was the easiest way to carry large amounts of wealth
during their flight. In many cases, they later sold the jewels for
survival.
Buying and selling vintage and antique jewelry was not only
in the hands of jewelers, merchants and royalty; auction houses
played—and still play—an important role.
Established already in the mid-18th century, auction houses
offered the opportunity for a wider range of jewelry lovers to
acquire a beautiful piece of jewelry formerly belonging to a
prominent individual. Important auctions of antique, vintage and
pre-owned jewelry, were held often and nearly everywhere.
Among them, we cite two: the auction of the French Crown
Jewels during May 12 to 23, 1887; and the 1911 sale of jewels
belonging to Sultan Abdul Hamid II. Representatives of nearly
all of the era’s royal families, famous jewelers and private

Top: The famous pearl and diamond tiara that belonged

to Empress Eugénie, and is now in the Louvre Museum.
(Photo: Sotheby's)
Center: Painting of Empress Eugénie wearing the tiara.
Left: Description of gems on a page from "Les Six Voyages
de Jean-Baptiste Tavernier," 1678.

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 89

Antique Jewels

individuals—wealthy or not—wanted to buy

one or more of these jewels. The antique
pieces sold at these two auctions
were truly amazing pieces in terms
of provenance, historical value and
magnificent quality.
Up to the 1980s, the description of
lots in the auction catalogs was rather
short and basic; often the names of the
designer and/or manufacturer were not
even mentioned. Today, these omissions
would be unthinkable.
For historical pieces, professionals
carefully research each gem and jewel in
order to accurately trace and report on their
journey through history.
Media and publicity play an important role on the
subject of antique jewelry. In the 21st century, valuable
information from responsible experts can benefit anyone
wanting to purchase an antique jewel.
In general, anyone who can afford to buy a piece of
modern jewelry is a potential client for antique and vintage
jewelry. For them, education is key in choosing the right
piece, which they will cherish as something unique.
Over the years, the markets for antique and vintage pieces
have strengthened, especially in the USA and Europe, while
the last decade has seen rising demand globally. In the last
five years alone, China has become one of the world's most
promising markets. This growing attraction is mostly coming
from Millennials and Generation Z, who are becoming an
increasingly powerful force in the consumer sector and are
displaying a developing awareness of antique jewels.

Photos, clockwise from top:

Diamond brooch with various types of diamond cuts, circa
1960s. (Photo: Gemolithos)
Belle Epoque green plique-à-jour enamel and rose-cut diamond
dose, by Fabergé, circa 1900s. (Photo: Gemolithos)
Art Nouveau natural pearl and plique-à-jour enamel pendant,
circa 1900. (Photo: Gemolithos)
Victorian sapphire and diamond brooch, circa 1890s. (Photo:
Gemolithos)
A gold coffee cup holder set with rubies and diamonds (Zarf),
formerly in the collection of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
(Photo: Bonhams)

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 InColor

What matters most to these young consumers In terms of styles, the last decade has seen a
is creativity, uniqueness, branding, traceability, remarkable comeback of the brooch and the tiara.
sustainability, originality, climate and ethical awareness Brooches can be worn not only on clothing, but also
of the materials used. They want to show that they are as hair ornaments and pendants. Today, they have even
responsible when it comes on choosing a valuable become a favorite accessory for men.
piece of jewelry. As a result of this growing demand, a Tiaras were usually worn in the past to commemorate
rise in prices was inevitable, especially for pieces of a very significant or special occasion. While they
higher quality and design, as well as signed items. continue to be collected for their past importance,
High-quality antique jewelry means that the tiaras today are also appreciated as a casual and
craftsmanship is superb and that the gems multi-functional accessory, especially those that
are not only natural, but of top quality. If such can be transformed into necklaces or pendants.
a piece is created by a well-known jeweler Vintage jewelry from the 1960s and 1980s are
and is also signed by the jeweler and/or by also experiencing a strong revival, especially
the master maker, this makes the piece pieces that are easy to wear for every occasion.
extremely rare. Seldom are antique jewels Appreciated continuously over the decades,
signed, and those that bear a signature are antique or vintage jewelry is sometimes passed
usually dated after the middle of the 19th century. down generations. It is also sometimes given as
Apart from the high prices paid at auctions for a gift or it may join other pieces in a private or public
singularly magnificent antique pieces, the trade also collection.
offers more affordable jewelry, which is attracting increasing Wherever and however antique and vintage jewels
interest and appreciation by consumers. change hands, they will always remain a unique part of
history, with a steady and growing attraction and a value that
will never tarnish.

About the Author

Ioannis Alexandris is the founder of Gemolithos, a Munich-
based Group that includes the design brand, Fine Gems
& Jewels. An expert in gemstones as well as antique and
vintage jewelry, Alexandris is also an author and a designer
of modern jewelry. (gemolithos.com) ■

Top: Victorian diamond tiara-necklace combination, circa 1890s.

(Photo: Gemolithos)
Center: Belle Epoque diamond and sapphire pendant-watch, circa 1900s.
(Photo: Gemolithos)
Left: Early Victorian pearl, diamond and enamel hair comb, first half of 19th
century. (Photo: Gemolithos)
Right: Art Deco "Palm Leaf" diamond brooch by Cartier, circa 1938‒1940s.
(Photo: Gemolithos)

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Jewelry As Art
The MAD Galerie Des Bijoux
The Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Museum of Decorative Arts, MAD) owns the
most outstanding collection of jewels preserved in the French museums. The
entire collection is around 7000 pieces from Antiquity to the Present—including
photographic archives and drawings—although only 1200 pieces are exhibited.
By Marie-Laure Cassius-Duranton

Origins of the MAD Jewelry Collection

Formerly called UCAD (Central Union of Decorative Arts),
the MAD was established in Paris in the wake of the Univer-
sal Exhibitions during the second half of the 19th century. Its
creation came from the will of collectors, industrialists, art-
ists, and craftsmen, who deeply believed in the necessity
of beauty in everyday life and in the intrinsic bond between
art and function. In 1893, a section in the Louvre—the most
iconic museum in France—was dedicated to the MAD
collections. It was a bold decision for the time.
Since the 19th century, it has been a long fight for the rec-
ognition of jewelry as fine art, particularly in France. Many
people of passion played an important role in gathering the
collection, selling, and donating pieces to the Museum. The
collection’s beginning was in 1878 following the Universal
Exhibition, with a gift by the jeweler Emile-Désiré Philippe
(1834-1880) of his Egyptian suite that had been showcased
at the Exhibition. Egyptian art was very fashionable during
the 19th and 20th centuries from the Campaign of Napoleon
to the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in the 1920s. It was
an important source of inspiration for artists and jewelers. In
the Philippe suite, the combination of motifs and hieroglyphs
is anything but archaeological—it was all about design.
It is necessary to highlight the crucial importance of the
Photos this page: Egyptian-style suite in gilded silver,
donors, patrons, and sponsors in the history of the collection. enamel and gemstones by Emile-Désiré Philippe, 1878.
According to Evelyne Possémé, curator-in-chief of the Gal-
erie des Bijoux, the most important was Henri Vever.
fight attracted not only artists, but also collectors, politicians,
Tribute to Henri Vever (1854-1942) curators, critics, and art historians. Gradually, their side won.
Since 1890, Henri Vever was one of the main leaders of Art In 1891, Applied Arts were admitted to the Salon of the
Nouveau, an international artistic movement of which Paris Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and, in 1895, to the
was of great importance. At that time, the ideological fight Salon of the Société des Artistes Français. At the state polit-
between Fine Arts and Decorative Arts reached its climax. ical level, thanks to Léonce Bénédite and Emile Molinier, an
The Academy of Fine Arts traditionally considered painting, independent Decorative Arts Department was created at the
sculpture and architecture as the Major Arts. Decorative Arts Louvre Museum in 1893.
were considered Minor Arts because of their association Henri Vever belonged to a family of jewelers of German
with industry and their practical and useful dimension. Thus, origin, who settled in France in 1871. With his brother Paul,
they were relegated to the bottom of the art hierarchy. Vever
fought against these “ridiculous classifications of Art hierar- Opposite page: "Sylvia" pendant in gold, plique-à-jour enamel,
chy” and for the rightful recognition of the “Industrial Art.” This agate, ruby and diamond by Maison Vever, 1900.

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 93

MAD Jewels

he opened a jewelry store on the Rue de La Paix

in 1881. He was mainly a jeweler and a collector,
with many artistic passions, especially Japanese
and Persian art. He was also an art critic and historian. Be-
tween 1906 and 1908, Henri wrote French Jewelry of the
Nineteenth Century. This book remains one of the most
indispensable references of French jewelry history. Briar Roses bodice
Henri was also invested in education and in the activi- ornament, silver and gold
by Maison Vever, 1889.
ties of the Chambre Syndicale de la Bijouterie, Joaillerie et
Orfèvrerie (the jewelers syndicate founded in 1864, which is
still located at 58 Rue du Louvre in Paris) and of the UCAD.
In 1924, Henri offered his entire collection of 19th century The Galerie des Bijoux was finally inaugurated in 2004
French jewelry to the Museum. More than 350 pieces from thanks to the support of Rolex. The dramatic display was
the First Empire to the Art Nouveau period—of which 60 were designed by the architect Roberto Ostinelli with the collab-
made in Vever’s atelier—included the crème de la crème oration of Evelyne Possémé and was inspired by the cav-
of great jewelers such as Morel, Falize, Froment-Meurice, ern of Ali Baba. “We chose to focus on emotion,” recalls the
Fontenay, Boucheron, Beaugrand, Wiese, and Lalique. His curator-in-chief. The windows were made to specific dimen-
collection is highly representative of the excellence of the sions for the jewelry exhibition—narrow to allow the viewer
French jewelry of his time and is the most important part of to be very close to the pieces. And the windows are located
the gallery’s collection. His large Briar Roses bodice orna- so as to not disturb the contemplation of the viewer.
ment (28 cm x 16 cm) was initially set with diamonds and Some 15 years later, this setting still works well. Last Jan-
exhibited at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1889. uary, the lighting renovation—thanks to L’Ecole the School of
For these prestigious events, the master jewelers dis- Jewelry Arts with the support of Van Cleef & Arpels, the main
played outstanding pieces and, if a jewel was not sold, the sponsor of the Galerie des Bijoux since 2015, along with the
gemstones were dismantled and set on another piece. This participation of iGuzzini)—was inaugurated.
is typical of the naturalistic jewelry of the end of the 19th cen-
tury. Beginning with the 18th century, colorless diamonds General Overview
were traditionally set in silver. As the silver oxidized, it was In the first room, mainly French pieces are showcased in
plated with gold on the reverse side of the mount. In this chronological order, from Antiquity to late Art Deco, although
example, the openwork is amazingly beautiful in itself and Indian, Chinese, and Japanese precious objects and jewels
emphasizes the work of the jeweler. that were major sources of inspiration for 19th and 20th cen-
The Sylvia pendant, a spectacular piece measuring 12 tury Western jewelry are also displayed. The Wall of Tech-
cm high, is one of Maison Vever’s most famous pieces that niques and Materials is more focused on jewelry savoir faire,
was showcased at the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris, and displays various techniques, materials, and gemstones.
winning a Grand Prix. The arabesques and hybridization The second room is dedicated to the jewelry of the second
between the insect and the female figure are typical of the half of the 20th and early 21st centuries, mixing fine jewelry,
Art Nouveau aesthetic. costume jewelry, artists, and contemporary jewels. There
are many ways to discover the collection. One way is to be-
The Creation of the Galerie des Bijoux gin with the 19th and 20th century pieces, of which many were
When Evelyne Possémé arrived at the MAD in 1976, the offered by Henri Vever.
jewelry collection was not on display—it was all kept in a The focus is placed on major artists, specific techniques,
reserved section. She fought step-by-step for two decades functional aspects, inspiration sources, styles, and significa-
to finally open a special place for the display of the collection tions. This choice follows a chronological order, but is entire-
in the Museum. ly subjective.

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 InColor

General view of the collection,

at the MAD Galerie des Bijoux.

19th Century Jewelry

Froment-Meurice: The Michelangelo of Jewelry
Among the very interesting pieces of the 19th century is an
extraordinary 1841 bracelet by the famous sculptor James
Pradier, along with the renowned jewelers, François-Désiré
Froment-Meurice and Jules Wièse. This masterpiece rep-
resents two female figures cast in silver lying on a carved
gilded-silver lion skin on either side of an enameled vinai-
grette surmounted by a pearl. The vinaigrette was a wide-
spread element in the 19th century. Containing a perfumed
sponge, it was held to the nose to keep the unpleasant odors
of the street at bay. It was also useful to reanimate a lady in
case she should faint, which happened quite often because
of the fashionable use of tight corsets. Bracelet featuring silver figures on a gilded silver lion skin on
In 1841, it was rather unusual to wear a piece that fea- both sides of an enameled vinaigrette surmounted by a pearl by
tured nude female bodies. Even if it could be a reference to François-Désiré Froment-Meurice, James Pradier and Jules Wièse,
Renaissance jewelry, it was quite provocative. The fact that
Paris 1841.
this bracelet was signed by three artists is also exceptional
since engraving a signature on a piece of jewelry was not jewelry, considering the value of a piece as embodied in its
systematic at that time. Also to be noted is that the three design and manufacture, and not merely in the gemstones.
names have the same importance. The sculptor does not Jules Wièse (1818-1890) is also regarded as one of the
steal the limelight from the two jewelers, reminding us that a most important jewelers of the 19th century. Of German
piece of jewelry involves teamwork. origin, he moved to Paris to work with Froment-Meurice. He
François-Désiré Froment-Meurice (1802-1855) worked was particularly inspired by Antiquity, Gothic and Renais-
mostly with silver. His success was international, and among sance art. In 1845, he opened his own workshop.
his great admirers were Balzac and Victor Hugo. In his col-
lection of poems called Contemplations, Hugo wrote an ode Fontenay: First Use of Jadeite in Western Jewelry
to Froment-Meurice comparing the art of the poet to the art of Like Castellani and Melillo in Italy, Eugène Fontenay re-
the chiseler. Hugo believed Froment-Meurice was as much created the classical models readily available in Paris from
a genius as the famous Renaissance artists Michelangelo the famous collection assembled in Rome by the Marchese
and Benvenuto Cellini. Hugo’s praise of Froment-Meurice is di Campana, which was sold to Napoleon III in 1861 and
related to his exceptional skill at representing Nature in his displayed in the Louvre. But Fontenay didn’t merely copy
jewels. Both poet and technician, he mastered the art of the the ancient jewels of Italy. Rather, he mixed elements from
chisel and of enamel to give the illusion of life. In a way, different periods and origins to create his own style, typical
Froment-Meurice and his admirers revolutionized the art of of the Eclecticism of the Second Empire. In a pair of jadeite

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 95

MAD Jewels

earrings, Fontenay combined classical archaeological inspi-

ration—the shape of the amphora decorated with snake pat-
terns and filigree—with jadeite, in reference to China.
The French taste for China was awakened by the creation
of the Empress Eugénie Chinese Museum in the Chateau
of Fontainebleau in 1863. According to Possémé, it is the
first known use of jadeite in Western jewelry since it was
seldom used in European jewelry before the Art Deco era.
The jadeite mines of Burma were discovered in the 18th cen-
tury during the reign of the Chinese Emperor Qianlong and
became the most important gemstone for the Chinese.

Falize and the Taste for Japan

Alexis Falize (1811-1898) and his son Lucien (1839-1897)
were very talented master jewelers. Alexis apprenticed
with Mellerio and opened his own store in 1838. In the
1860s, he and Antoine Tard introduced cloisonné enam-
eling. This technique uses metal wires soldered on a
metal surface that create partitions of a pattern, with the
enamel filling each cell. This technique was widespread
in China and Japan. A highly skilled enameler, Lucien
was very fond of Japanese culture and art. That nation
was a main source of inspiration for the artists of the sec-
ond half of the 19th century.
In the pendant featured here, the Falize duo gave their
own interpretation of a Japanese theme using a Japanese Different views of the open "Crane" pendant, in gold and
technique. Renowned in Japan lore for living nearly a thou- cloisonné enamel by Alexis and Lucien Falize, circa 1869.
sand years, the crane is a symbol of longevity. Of note is
the two-dimensional representation and the narrow framing
borrowed from Japanese paintings. The exquisite simplicity
Art Nouveau
The MAD owns the world’s largest collection of French Art
of this kind of jewelry was absolutely new and revolutionary
Nouveau jewels. The term Art Nouveau stems from Sieg-
under the Second Empire and would later have a great influ-
fried-Samuel Bing, an art dealer of German origin, who trav-
ence on Art Nouveau designs.
eled to China and Japan. In 1895, he opened a gallery in
Paris and called it La Maison de l’Art Nouveau, following the
new taste that mixed Chinese and Japanese works of art
with Western contemporary pieces.
Between 1888 and 1891, Bing published Le Japon Artis-
tique (Art in Japan), a highly important revue that was a main
inspiration for the new art. Although the Art Nouveau period
occupied a very short time in art history, it was very fruitful for
French jewelry and the decorative arts.
The major Art Nouveau jeweler is René Lalique (1860-
1945). He was one of the greatest artists of his time, deep-
ly admired, especially by Henri Vever. The MAD owns the
largest collection of Lalique jewelry pieces after the Calouste
Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon. Some pieces were acquired
by the MAD directly from Lalique, while others were donat-
ed by Vever and other collectors. Lalique also donated his
collection of Japanese art (combs, tsuba, inro). Showcased
beside his jewels, these pieces help to understand their im-
portance for Lalique. He was particularly sensitive to the
way Japanese artists represented Nature and their aesthetic
principles for composition, space, frame, and calligraphy. He
Archaeological style earrings in gold and was also deeply involved in technical aspects, working tire-
jadeite by Eugène Fontenay, 1867.
lessly to create new processes for enamel and glass paste.

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 InColor

At the height of his jewelry career, he The bat is a fascinating ani-

decided to give up jewels to dedi- mal with much significance.
cate himself to glass work. In China, it is a symbol
It is difficult to select a of happiness (it’s the
piece by Lalique in the col- same word), of car-
lection because they are nal love, and longev-
all wonderful. One of ity. In the Western
Possémé’s favorites world, it’s more ambiva-
is the Peacock brooch lent. During the Middle
acquired from the artist Ages, the bat was part of
at the Salon des Artistes the Devil’s iconography. At
Français by the Museum the end of the 19th century—
in 1899. Apart from its undeni- because of Bram Stocker’s suc-
able aesthetic qualities, the cura- cessful novel Dracula (1897)—
tor is particularly fond of it because the bat became the symbol of a
“the artist provided the possibility vampire. Like vampires, the bat
to unscrew the brooch fastening is awake at night, sleeps during
system, allowing the jewel to exist the day, and some species feed on
without the body, to be showcased as blood.
a work of art in itself.” The bat was also the symbol of mel-
Lalique’s jewels are not only admirable be- ancholy. From the Renaissance, melan-
cause of their strong design and technical perfec- choly was an ambivalent emotion. It was a
tion; they are full of symbolism and sometimes even private mental disorder that could lead to depression, but it was
meaning. The bat ring is an interesting example. Donated also the source of creative genius. The greatest artists were
to the MAD in 1966 by Laura Dreyfus-Barney, this ring was melancholic. In 1892, Robert de Montesquiou—the famous
a gift of love from Liane de Pougy to Laura’s sister Natalie. dandy who inspired the character of Baron de Charlus in
A famous dancer and courtesan of the Belle Epoque, Liane Proust’s In Search of Lost Time—published a collection of
de Pougy fell in love with Natalie Clifford-Barney, who was poems called Bats in reference to melancholy and night,
an openly gay American poet. Inside the ring is engraved an an engine of poetic fantasy. Natalie Clifford-Barney was
intimate love message. Clifford-Barney was a great admirer reputed to live at night, and Liane de Pougy nicknamed her
of Sappho’s poetry and wanted to create a female school of Moonbeam. For Robert de Montesquiou, the moon was also
poetry. The bat and the moonstone are particularly relevant related to melancholy. The association of the bat with blue
in relation to the poet's character. enamel (blue is also the color of melancholy) and a heart-
shaped moonstone on the ring makes perfect sense.

Top: Peacock brooch in chiseled and carved gold, enamel

and moonstones by René Lalique, 1899.
Above: Bat ring in silver, gold, enamel, moonstone and
diamond by René Lalique, circa 1899.
Left: Lalique’s showcase, ornamented with bats at the
1900 Universal Exhibition.

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 97

MAD Jewels

In 1900, Lalique imagined a decoration featuring bats

for his showcase at the Universal Exhibition, and he was
admired for his blues. He was not interested in a gemstone’s
value, but used them for their color, translucency, brightness,
texture, and their visual and artistic qualities. He was attract-
ed by the light phenomena in gemstones and was particularly
fond of opal’s play-of-color, star sapphire’s asterism, and Brooch in platinum, enamel and
moonstone’s adularescence, as in in the Facing Roosters old-mine-cut diamonds by Raymond Templier, 1925.
pendant (below) inspired by a Japanese tsuba that also
belonged to Natalie Clifford-Barney.
It was considered one of the most modern pieces of the
event. Of abstract design, it recalls the representation of ve-
locity, a new topic for jewelry and a main source of inspira-
tion for Futurism, the avant-garde Italian artistic movement.

Mechanical and Monumental Beauty

Gérard Sandoz considered a jewel like a sculpture or a
painting, and he was inspired by machinery, abstraction,
Cubism, and Orphism. In his modernist silver ring shown
here, interlocking geometrical shapes suggest the wheels
and cogs of a machine. He used the technique of black and
"Facing Roosters"
pendant in gold, red lacquer (a natural resin applied in successive layers)
enamel, diamonds, imported from China and Japan in the 1920s, mixed with
and star sapphire, eggshell chips or with powdered shell to create a mottled
by René Lalique, effect. This ring was offered to the MAD in 2018 by L’Ecole
1901-1902. the School of Jewelry Arts with the support of Van Cleef &
Arpels.
Jean Fouquet considered a jewel to be like a building; it
must be seen from afar. His gold and citrine bracelet and
ring were ordered by the French State for the Exposition
Internationale des Arts et Techniques Dans la Vie Moderne
in Paris in 1937.

Modernist lacquered
Art Deco silver ring by Gérard
Sandoz, 1928.
The expression Art Deco comes from the Exposition des
Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in 1925, which hon-
ored modern French jewelry. Of the 400 jewelers listed in the
Guild, only 30 were selected to take part in the exhibition.
The most important criterion was modernity.
Among the most modern jewelers of the 1920s and 1930s
were Raymond Templier, Gérard Sandoz, and Jean Fouquet
who were among the founders of the UAM (Union of the
Modern Artists) in 1929. They belonged to some of the pres-
tigious dynasties of master jewelers established in the 19th
century, yet they wanted to get rid of the past and tradition. The 1940s Onward
Like the artists of the Avant-Garde (Futurism, Cubism, Or- From the 1940s to the present, the definition of the jewel
phism, Constructivism, etc.), they drew inspiration from the opened up widely and became more conceptual in its rela-
present time and did not work just with precious materials. tion to fashion and contemporary art. The MAD has jewels
Rather, they mainly used silver or other non-precious metals, by artists such as Alexander Calder; costume jewelry that
wood, opaque gemstones such as onyx, and large transpar- was sometimes created by designers more famous for their
ent gemstones such as citrine and aquamarine, mixed with career in fine jewelry, such as Jean Schlumberger (who
gold, platinum, and diamonds. They introduced lacquer into worked for Tiffany); pieces by contemporary jewelers such
their designs. For them, there was no rule, only the design. as Gilles Jonemann; and fine jewelry represented by the
One of Raymond Templier's brooches exhibited in 1925 most sought after names of the 20th and 21st centuries such
was purchased directly from the Exhibition by the Museum. as Pierre Sterlé and Suzanne Belperron.

98 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

Bracelet in gold and citrines by

Jean Fouquet and Charles Girard, 1937.

Master jewelers established since the late 19th century and

the beginning of the 20th century are also well represented at
the MAD, thanks to donations and temporary loans. Among
them are Cartier, Boucheron, Chaumet, and Van Cleef &
Arpels, which are all important for their longevity and the
popularity of their creations. Newcomers already renowned
for fashion, such as Chanel and Dior, are also on display.
Donated by the artist in 2002, the MAD also has on dis- "Camelia" bracelet in gold, silver, rubies, and enamel
play an outstanding bracelet by JAR. Of American origin, but by JAR, 1995.
established in Paris since the 1970s, Joel Arthur Rosenthal
became known as JAR. Although he does not market him- of Jewelry Arts (with the support of Van Cleef & Arpels).
self, JAR is probably one of the most coveted jewelers of our Marie-Laure also works as an independent consultant for
time. His creations are unique, timeless, and unexpected, auctioneers and luxury brands.
without boundaries in terms of materials and inspiration. His
bold refined pieces have influenced a whole generation of References 
jewelry designers. https://madparis.fr/francais/musees/musee-des-arts-
decoratifs/parcours/galerie-thematique/galerie-des-bijoux/
Perspectives Evelyne Possémé (1990) Vever in Kenneth Snowman (ed-
“The Galerie des Bijoux is a work in progress, and ited by), Master Jewelers, Thames & Hudson.
attracts always more visitors,” says Evelyne Possémé. The Evelyne Possémé and Dominique Forest (2004) La Col-
interest in jewelry as an art is quite new in France, both for lection de Bijoux du MAD Paris, ADAGP.
the general public and for specialists in art history. She is Evelyne Possémé and Laurence Mouillefarine (edited by)
delighted to note that more and more students choose to (2009) Art Deco Jewelry: Masterworks and Their Makers,
specialize in the art history of jewelry for their Master’s or Thames & Hudson.
Ph.D. thesis. Currently, Possémé is advising many students, Evelyne Possémé and Patrick Mauriès (2017) Flora, the Art
helping them in their research work. of Jewelry, published with the support of L’Ecole the School of
In parallel to the Galerie des Bijoux, the MAD organizes Jewelry Arts (Van Cleef & Arpels), Thames & Hudson.
exhibitions related to jewelry. The events Art Deco Jewel- Evelyne Possémé and Patrick Mauriès (2017) Fauna,
ry (2009), Van Cleef & Arpels (2012), Artists Jewels, from the Art of Jewelry, published with the support of L’Ecole
Calder to Koons (2018) were very successful. the School of Jewelry Arts (Van Cleef & Arpels), Thames &
Upcoming jewelry-focused exhibitions will include L’Orient Hudson.
de Cartier” (Cartier and the East) in 2021 and Histoire du Evelyne Possémé & Patrick Mauriès (2018) Figures & Fac-
Bijou et de la Parure (History of Jewelry and Adornment) in es, the Art of Jewelry, published with the support of L’Ecole
2022. They should be of great interest. the School of Jewelry Arts (Van Cleef & Arpels), Thames &
Hudson.
About the Author Willa Z. Silverman (2018) Henri Vever Champion de l’Art
Marie-Laure Cassius-Duranton is a specialist in historic Nouveau, Armand Colin
and vintage jewelry. She is a graduate of GIA, FEEG and Vever, Henri (2005) French Jewelry of the Nineteenth
ING, and holds a Master’s Degree in Art History. She Century, ed. Katherine Purcell, Thames & Hudson.
teaches gemology and the history of jewelry at the LFG
(Laboratoire Français de Gemmologie) and the School All photos are by Jean Tholance, courtesy of the MAD. ■

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 99

 New Name New Look
Same Commitment to the Industry

13 – 17. 9. 2020
AsiaWorld-Expo • Hong Kong

15 – 19. 9. 2020
Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre

The World’s Number One Fine Jewellery Event

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New Name New Look

Same Commitment to the Industry

26 – 29. 11. 2020

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Jewelry Design

r y C o n t i n ues
le t
ew Never

oE
J
before has the inter-
national jewelry industry seen
Fi n e
such a varied offer. In 2019, revenue

volve
was $21 billion, with China largely behind
this financial success with many jewelers ex-
porting their products to this market. Behind these
impressive figures, which support hundreds of thou-
sands of jobs, there is also a less glorious reality—the
overall jewelry industry seems unwilling to take cre-
ative risks. Today, its goal seems to focus on the pro-
duction of easily salable pieces that correspond
to customers’ state of mind when these jewels
come to market through luxurious events.
But change is in the air.

By Marie Chabrol

During the unprecedented health crisis shaking our world,

brands must reinvent themselves. In light of the current offer
of jewelry on the market, are customers beginning to look
elsewhere for different types of jewels that are more in line
with their own values? The answer seems to be yes. The key
to success apparently is the ability to be ingenious, creative
and different. The industry can make less but better.

Far from Big Boring Diamonds

For a long time, jewelry was associated largely with dia-
monds along with a few colored gemstones. Many buyers
were guided more by investment than by the simple plea-
sure of having a piece to cherish for what it represented.
While this observation may still be valid—look at auction
results—it is nevertheless important to take a second look at
this assertion.
Today, high-end jewelry no longer necessarily involves
the use of classic materials. It is now possible to make dar- Top: Pearl and gold necklace designed by Melanie
ing and amazing pieces that can be considered fine jewel- Georgacopoulos for Tasaki.
ry such as those created by Mélanie Georgacopoulos. This Above: Mother-of-pearl double tile bracelet in gold with a
Hamburg-based Greek designer uses mother-of-pearl and South Sea pearl by Melanie Georgacopoulos.

102 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

The Trillion brooch in gold

and mother-of-pearl by
pearls in unconventional ways. “Pearls are absolutely Melanie Georgacopoulos.
mesmerizing. Needing no sanding, polishing, facet-
ing, they are ready to use in jewelry, as soon as they
come out of the oyster, unlike gemstones. Also, it
helps that they come in so many colors, varieties
and sizes which makes them extremely versa-
tile to work with,” she says. The desiger also
highlights mother-of-pearl in complex inlays,
thus paying a colorful tribute to gemstones.
Rings, brooches and bracelets speak to
our imagination and make us reflect on
the very essence of what a jewel can be.
For the high-end Japanese jewelry house
Tasaki, for whom she regularly signs collec-
tions, Georgacopoulos turns the pearl—which
is rooted in Japanese history—into unexpected forms. “My
main direction for the last ten years has been to rethink pearl Almond drop long earrings
jewelry and, most recently, I have been looking at mother-of- with dumortierite and red
jasper by Cora Sheibani.
pearl as a core material around which I build collections. It is
important for me to bring ideas and concepts to the jewelry
table that I haven’t seen before, therefore I wipe the slate Two fine examples are a superb necklace combining mala-
clean for each collection and start over from scratch. I like to chite, nephrite and smoky quartz and a pair of earrings that
think that I am writing a new chapter in a book dedicated to perfectly matches red jasper and dumortierite.
these materials, where each chapter brings a surprise to the Fine jewelry can also be very creative while keeping its
reader,” she says. Daring and surprising and oh so exciting! codes (i.e. complex pieces, lots of stones, rare and sought-
after gems). To create something different, designers can
Unusual Materials and Rare Know-How look to the colors of the metal, while incorporating coatings
Creativity in jewelry also exceeds technical boundaries. that can change colors to blue, green, pink, purple, yellow,
While gold and platinum are traditionally used, several de- etc. They can also integrate new structures, which are often
signers are looking elsewhere. Australia-based Lingjun Sun inspired by the most modern of buildings. “Architecture is a
recently introduced a collection incorporating a combination solid source of my inspiration,” says Hong Kong-based Austi
of Corian and anodized aluminum with surprising results. He Lee. “It also has to do with my product design background,
also uses Australian opals that he has cut himself in Austra- which gives me a unique perspective when designing jew-
lia over a ten year period. elry. I enjoy creating something new and unseen before,
The London-based Swiss designer, Cora Sheibani, is as well as mixing and matching different materials. I like to
inspired by the play of colors and contrasts for gems that apply many different architectural features into my designs.”
she has faceted and assembled by the best cutters. Draw- Many jewelers have integrated this point of view into con-
ing on ancient jewelry and forgotten techniques, her results temporary jewelry, giving the pieces more sparkle. Like it or
are cheerful and colorful, restoring the letters of nobility to not, that is OK. The more character the jewelry has, the more
stones that have been abandoned by the current industry. interesting it is. Today, it's necessary to innovate while un-
derstanding what some customers want.

Emerald,
lapis-lazuli and
pink diamond
bangle by
Austi Lee.

Mixing materials in this Corian, aluminum Haylin earrings in diamonds and

and opal ring by Lingjun Sun. purple rhodium by Neha Dani.

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 103

Jewelry Design

Classic Stones, But…

Who says classic stones should mean standard sizes?
How can Nature produce so many wonderful things, but then
humans need to standardize them all? Fortunately, there are
jewelers who understand that they can have a different look
and a different approach. In Brazil, Gaby Simão uses stones
in their most natural states possible, while sometimes cutting
them to emphasize what makes them intriguing. “Colored
gemstones are my true passion,” says the designer. “I find Ring with 7.56-ctw opal,
beautiful stones and have them cut to show their best reflec- 16.86-ctw emeralds, and
tion.” As one example, Simão placed a rutile-rich kunzite in 1.49-ctw diamonds
the center of a ring that is as magnificent as improbable. by Austi Lee.
For New York-based Alexandra Mor, it is important to use
materials that are classic and sustainable. “We have been
practicing transparency, provenance, the preservation of
Eternity band featuring
15 Muzo emeralds with
craft, and limited production since we launched the brand. diamond accents in
For most high jewelry designers and collectors, the two platinum set on an 18K
terms—sustainability and fine jewelry—have not always yellow gold Alexandra
been accepted together.” While the designer only uses ma- Mor logo gallery by
terials with traceable origins, she also combines stones that
Alexandra Mor.
are not used in classic high-end jewelry, as well as rough
stones, for amazing results. One example is a magnificent

Ebony ring with gold,

tagua seed and 10.55-ct
topaz by Alexandra Mor.

The Abraço ring made with

gold, diamonds and kunzite
by Gaby Simao.

ring associating topaz and tagua seeds, a sort of vegetable

ivory. Another is a gold and diamond ring set with rough em-
eralds from the Muzo mine in Colombia.

Atypical Patterns and Subjects

The goal of Judicael Vales is to explore other territories
and design jewels that break with traditional codes. A pro-
fessional tattoo artist, this California-based French jeweler
decided to move into jewelry in 2007. His Sacred Skulls
are as fascinating as they are astonishing. The elongated
skulls discovered in Egypt and Peru guide his creative and
complex design process. “Skulls shock people by their very
nature, since they represent the vessel of the soul and make
Malachite, nephrite and smoky us question life and death,” he comments. The majority
quartz necklace by Cora Sheibani.
of his pieces are unique, each skull corresponding to an

104 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

exchange with the customer who orders it. Creations require

several days or weeks. “I do a rough sketch, then gather the
appropriate materials, such as exotic woods, precious met- Campbell Soup enamel
als and gemstones. I sit in front of my workbench and let the and diamond earrings in
magic happen.” One of his latest creations is a skull inlaid gold by Suzanne Syz.
with a rare euclase. An unforgettable piece.
And there are the jewels by Harumi Klossowska de Rola,
daughter of the painter Balthus. Her spooky bestiary is as
magical as the unique pieces she offers in her studio. They
incorporate skulls covered with coral or turquoise and sculpt-
ed eagle heads adorned with sparkling diamonds.

Humor Is Key
Because humor is often ideal for dramatizing things, you
would expect more creators to use it. But it is not easy, and
few designers know how to use humor or whimsy well.
Among the exceptions is Cora Sheibani, who is inspired by
her Swiss culture to make rings evoking country-style pas- Copper Mold and pastry
tries that are unobtainable in England. “My Copper Mold rings by Cora Sheibani.
collection—featuring cakes, jellies, pies and other pastries—
was conceived while I was in Switzerland at the workshop
of one of my goldsmiths. While the goldsmith was working,

Lifesaver sapphire
and gold earrings by
Suzanne Syz.

all I could think about was having a coffee break with some
regional Swiss pastries that I could not find in London. So, I
started to draw one of these delicacies,” she smiles. Trans-
formed to jewelry, you will never look at a Linzer Torte the
same way again.
On a different note, another Swiss designer has made
Thotme skull pendant in Bolivian rosewood, gold, diamonds,
enclase and fire agate by Judicael Vales. humor her trademark. Suzanne Syz and her husband collect
contemporary art and she knows perfectly well that this area
is often difficult to master. Her jewels are as beautiful as they
are unlikely. “I could not find any pieces that really spoke
to me,” says Syz. “I’m a joyful person and wanted whimsy
in my jewelry. I initially designed some examples for myself
and then a few friends asked me where I found them. Once
they discovered they were my own designs, orders started to
come and I began a new adventure in my life combining my
passions for jewelry and art.”
Buteo Platypterus gold ring Jewelry is not necessarily the classic discipline that we
in petrified wood, diamonds, imagine. Consumers will discover more discreet talents, far
and aventurine by Harumi from the big names that often make the news. At the heart
Klossowska de Rola. of this large universe are sparks of freshness, creativity and
diversity showing that fine jewelry continues to evolve.
Photos are courtesy of each designer/brand featured. ■

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 105

 6

Treasures
in Tucson
2
5

106 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org

 InColor

8
9

10

11

1. Selection of Montana sapphires by Parlé. (Photo: Parlé)

2. Amazonite and 18K gold earrings by Original Eve.
(Photo: Original Eve)
3. Green beryl (152 cts), matrix cut, 57 mm, by Glenn Lehrer.
(Photo: Glenn Lehrer)
4. Matching Australian sapphire slices (42.47 ctw) cut at 90o
to the C-axis, displaying fluid inclusions in a trapiche
pattern orientated along the A-axis of the original crystal,
33x20mm by Intogems. (Photo: Intogems/La Gem & Co.)
5. Peridot (12.32 cts) and diamond ring in 18K gold by Philip
Zahm Designs. (Photo: Philip Zahm Designs)

6. Amethyst and blue topaz earrings with diamonds by Martha Seely. (Photo: Martha Seely)
7. Earrings featuring green garnet drops (21.5 ctw), emeralds (1.07 ctw) and blue diamonds
0.07 ctw) by K.Mita. (Photo: K.Mita)
8. Platinum pendant accented by black rhodium with a 6.42-ct blue-green tourmaline cushion
accented by 0.70-ctw round alexandrites, 0.50-ctw round rose-cut diamonds and 0.04-ctw
round diamonds by Omi Privé. (Photo: Omi Privé)
9. Spinels were popular at the shows. Shown here: faceted 2.24-ct red Burmese spinel; 1.42-ct
gray-blue Burmese spinel; 1.36-ct Sri Lankan blue spinel by Pala Gems. (Photo: Pala Gems)
10. Sapphire and diamond "inside-out" earrings by Jye International. (Photo: Jye International)
11. Among the popular tourmalines was Paraiba, as in this Paraiba and diamond ring in 18K
International Colored Gemstone Association
white gold by Caroline C. (Photo: Caroline C) Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 107
Tucson Gem Shows

This year, COVID-19 was not yet on everyone's lips when myriad gem
shows opened in Tucson, offering a wonderland of gemstones, fossils,
geodes and other amazing creations in the universe of fabulous
minerals. Despite a dearth of Asian buyers and a few empty booths
at both AGTA and GJX, the ambiance seemed very positive overall.
By Cynthia Unninayar
With serious worries about the coronavirus virus still
to arrive, the dozens of gem shows spread across Tucson
attracted large crowds of enthusiast buyers who came last
February, not only for an incomparable variety of gems and
minerals, but also for jewelry of all types.
For the second year in a row, the American Gemstone
Trade Association (AGTA) had a special section for jewelry
designers, both established and up-and-coming, who came
to promote their products under the warm desert sun. Other
shows in Tucson also featured a wide assortment of jewelry
designers and companies.
This year, sentiment was noticeably upbeat. Most of the
exhibitors I spoke with at the main trade events (AGTA Jewelry designers featuring a vast array of
designs were at the Tucson shows, including this
GemFair™, GJX and JOGS) reported “good” to “excellent” sculptural "Satyr" pendant in hand-carved
shows, with a few stating that this year was one of their best. chrysoprase (165.5 cts) set in 18K gold by
Others described the mood of buyers as “cautious but still Helen Serras-Herman. (Photo: Gem Art Center)
buying.”
AGTA reported buyer attendance of around 8,000, repre-
senting 4,800 companies, who came to purchase the wares
of over 350 vendors. “When you consider we have 350 ven-
dors and nearly 5,000 companies, that makes for a lot of
traffic and a lot of business,” noted Doug Hucker, CEO of
AGTA.

Gray and teal were the trendy colors

at the shows. Shown here is a 4.85-ct 15.32-ct bi-color red and orange
silver spinel and a 5.01-ct teal sapphire Imperial topaz by Constantin Wild.
offered by Philip Zahm Designs. (Photos: (Photo: Constantin Wild)
Philip Zahm Designs)

4-ct Lagoon tourmaline

Black opal (303 ct) from by Nomad's. (Photo: Nomad's)
Lightning Ridge in Australia
offered by Joel Price.

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 InColor
Natural black onyx with with a fine druzy win-
dow and accented by an Ethiopian opal which
dangles from the center, wire-wrapped in silver
by Naomi Hinds. (Photo: Naomi Hinds)
Sapphires were among the
best-sellers at the shows, in
all colors. Shown here is a
multi-color sapphire pendant
by Color Source Gems. (Photo:
Color Source Gems)

Morganite has not lost its

attraction and was seen in
a variety of jewels at the
shows. Shown here is a pen-
dant with a morganite cen-
ter and diamond accents by
Aster Jewels.

Unusual gems and minerals

were highly appreciated at
the shows, such as this Brazilian
tourmaline in quartz offered
by Bill Gangi.

Montana sapphires were among the most demanded

gems, in all colors, at the Tucson shows. Shown here are
hexagonal slices of Montana sapphires by Columbia Gem
House. (Photo: Columbia Gem House)

Monica Kitt stands behind a remarkable

specimen of tourmaline from Brazil's Pederneira
Mine, offered by The Arkenstone, whose booth
featured an amazing array of beautiful and
unusual minerals and gemstones.

International Colored Gemstone Association Issue 46 ‫ ׀‬InColor 109

Tucson Gem Shows
Unique "Frozen" aquamarines
(89 ctw) by
Brazlian Gems.

Selection of Gold
Sheen™ sapphires
showing various inter-
esting inclusions. (Photo:
Genuine Gems &
Jewellery)

Faceted Montana
sapphires from
Carved quartz flower with a Potentate Mining.
Gold Sheen™ sapphire center
in 18K gold, accented with
diamonds by Brenda Smith.

Unlike previous years where something “new” was always

announced in Tucson, we did not hear about any “new find”
this year. Many dealers, however, indicated that Montana
sapphires were the most requested stones at the shows,
primarily in blue but also in other colors, especially teal.
Stones with unusual colors also continued their popular
appeal, notably with younger shoppers, primarily in gray,
teal and purplish tones. The most demanded stones in
these colors were spinel, sapphire and garnet.
While these three seemed to be the flavors of the season,
there was no shortage of buyers for other gems, including
the ever-popular aquamarine, ruby, morganite, peridot and
Paraiba tourmaline, among others.
Although not particularly “new” in Tucson this year, but
appearing more and more in marketing material for jew-
elry designers and gem dealers alike, were the slogans of
“ethical sourcing” and “social responsibility.” Many vendors
stressed the integrityof the supply chain and how important
CSR is to their customers, especially Millennial and Cen-
tennial shoppers who want to know that their purchase is
either helping‒or at least not harming‒gem miners, cutters,
setters and their communities.
One might wonder, though, if the buzz words of "ethical
sourcing" have been somewhat over-used, if sourcing has
really been investigated by designers and dealers, if it is
something that has become more of a marketing ploy than
an effort to improve the quality of the supply chain. Time will
Shelly Sargent, curator of Somewhere in the Rainbow, holds a perhaps clarify this movement.
gemstone mobile that she had made for her granddaughter. The images on these pages offer a look at few of the
On display at AGTA, it features 30 gems carved by 20 gem
cutters.When the cutters declined to invoice Sargent for their beautiful gems and jewels that made up some of the winter
work, she donated the project money to be used for scholar- Treasures in Tucson. Images are courtesy of the author,
ships for lapidary-arts students. unless otherwise indicated. ■

110
The Penultimate Page
To showcase the many ways colored gems are used in fine
jewelry, InColor offers a brief look at designers from around
the world incorporating colorful gems in their creations.

This ring features a 4.35-carat pink sapphire center,

accented by pink sapphires (1.85 total carat weight) and
colorless diamonds in platinum by ICA member
Caroline C.

111
 ©2018 Gemological Institute of America, Inc.

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the Gemological Institute of America has been unearthing
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With unwavering commitment to accurate and unbiased
methodologies, our dedicated research staff advances the
knowledge the industry and consumers need to protect
confidence in gems and jewelry. Our discoveries are one of
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diamonds, colored stones and pearls.
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112 InColor Spring/Summer 2020 InColorMagazine.com; Gemstone.org