This 146.10-carat peridot is in the collection of the Natural History Museum in London Peridot has always been associated with light. In fact, the Egyptians called it the “gem of the sun.” Some ...

Laser sawing of diamonds is beginning to revolutionize the diamond-cutting industry. Not only does the laser saw offer savings in time and money, but it also enables the cutting of material virtually ...

Two major issues related to emerald are origin determination and the presence and quantity of fillers. An emerald’s value depends in part on the quality of the stone and treatments applied, so ...

CARLSBAD, California – December 11, 2024 – Recognizing the industry’s interest in more information about the nature of fillers in emeralds, GIA will offer filler identification with its emerald ...

Cultured pearls come in different sizes, shapes, and colors. Perhaps the best-loved gems of all time, pearls—both natural and modern cultured pearls—occur in a wide variety of colors. The most ...

Diamonds have a long history as beautiful objects of desire. In the first century AD, the Roman naturalist Pliny stated: “Diamond is the most valuable, not only of precious stones, but of all things ...

Emeralds set in jewelry have lasted for centuries. With the proper care, the emeralds in today’s jewelry will do the same. Courtesy Color Masters. Hardness and toughness Gem and mineral hardness is ...

If you were born in the month of June, you are lucky enough to have three birthstones to call your own. June is one of only three months (the others are August and December) that has three birthstones ...

This sapphire from Kashmir has an intense velvety blue color. – Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA. Sapphire is one of the Big three of jewelry colored gemstones—the other two are ruby and emerald. A durable ...

Opal can range from 5 to 6.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. Hardness and toughness Gem and mineral hardness is measured on the Mohs scale. The numbers are based on the relative ease or difficulty with ...

Heating is an accepted treatment for sapphire. But for fine-quality sapphire, confirmation from an independent laboratory like GIA that there is no evidence of heat adds to a sapphire’s rarity and ...

As a consumer, you will regularly encounter in the marketplace gems that have been treated to change their appearance. A topic that often comes up is whether a particular gemstone is or isn’t treated.