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Fossils are amazing to me, and I find so many great fossils here that I thought I'd share them and start a thread where everyone can post their favorite fossils. This area, though mountainous today, was at one time at the bottom of an inland sea, and these are some of what I call my fabulous fossils...

8) love the multi-colored alexandrite, it's a knock-out!! wow! thanks for posting the article and the photos. pretty neat to see where alexandrite is mined in brazil! brazil has some of the most beautiful gems. alex is so beautiful and it is a true beauty of nature not to mention its rarity, i espe...

That's the colour change I love in Alex. Wait til you see these Alexandrites. The multi-color one is fabulous. Posted in full here, with permission from Omi Gems Blog. Thank you!! Alexandrite - The Magic of Change Posted on December 12, 2011 by omi gems Alexandrite is one of the most amazing and ra...

Russian Alexandrite by Peter Bancroft Tokovaya Mines, Ekaterinburg, Russia Editor’s Note: We are pleased to reprint this selection from Peter Bancroft’s classic book, Gem and Crystal Treasures (1984) Western Enterprises/Mineralogical Record, Fallbrook, CA, 488 pp. "One of the best gem mines on...

GIA Identifies a Surge in Large HPHT-Treated Diamonds By JCK Staff / Posted on December 21, 2010 "The Gemological Institute of America Laboratory reported that a significant number of large high-pressure/high-temperature-treated color diamonds were recently submitted for grading. Ranging from ...

Distinguishing Heated Spinels from Unheated Natural Spinels and from Synthetic Spinels A short review of on‐going research Sudarat Saeseaw, Wuyi Wang and Kenneth Scarratt GIA Laboratories, Bangkok and New York John L. Emmett and Troy R. Douthit Crystal Chemistry, Brush Prairie, Washington Updated M...

Enhancements or "Treatments" "As in other gemstones, 99% of all emeralds are enhanced with a liquid or resin after cutting. Similar practices are carried out on diamonds (ie. laser drilling, etc.), sapphires (ie. glass filling) and most other gemstones. All post-cutting processes are...

A Review of Current Challenges for the Identification of Gemstones by James Shigley A review of current challenges for the identification of gemstones "A variety of treated and synthetic gem materials are encountered today in the jewelry marketplace in increasing quantities. Although normally ...

This article by John Koivula, recently released by GIA Research, has some fascinating shots of what to look for: "A Question Concerning Heat-Treated Blue Sapphires" John I. Koivula and Alethea Inns; GIA Laboratory, Carlsbad "Over the past several years, we have noted a curious pattern...