Raman spectroscopy confirmed the identity of the material as pezzottaite by an intense peak at ~1100 cm –1, which is not present in beryl. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy showed features ...

CARLSBAD, Calif. – June 2, 2025 – Beginning later this year, GIA (the Gemological Institute of America) will start using descriptive terms to characterize the quality of laboratory-grown diamonds and ...

Figure 1. Sapphires from Madagascar: a beautiful 3.29 ct untreated faceted stone and an assortment of rough in the background. Madagascar has produced many high-quality stones in the last few years ...

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

This chart focuses primarily on the types of natural inclusions found in tourmaline, as well as the minerals in which tourmaline can be found as an inclusion. Treatments such as enhancement of ...

In November 2023, GIA researchers had the chance to study a parcel of emeralds reportedly from Chitral in Pakistan. All of the stones matched previously documented characteristics of emeralds from ...

Earth’s surface is divided into tectonic plates, and the ones that make up the ocean floor are destined to sink. Sheets of oceanic crust typically bend and sink down into Earth’s interior at so-called ...

“Rabbit hair” quartz is a commercial variety of quartz with special inclusions. These inclusions resemble rabbit fur and are shorter and thinner than the typical rutile, tourmaline, or other acicular ...

Carved single-crystal diamond rings are rare, with few examples to reference (see Spring 2020 Lab Notes, pp. 132–133). But with advancing technology in the laboratory-grown diamond industry, the ...

Figure 1. This necklace of freshwater bead-cultured pearls from China displays strong pinkish purple hues with orient. Photo by Sood Oil (Judy) Chia. Freshwater cultured pearls are known for their ...

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth technology has advanced significantly over the last two decades. In this study, we report on the largest CVD gem diamond GIA has encountered, recently tested in ...

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