corundum
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A Sapphire's Secret | Synthetic Yellow Sapphire
At the Lotus Gemology laboratory in Bangkok, we often get parcels of relatively uniform stones. But sometimes it is in this routine testing that we uncover surprises.
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Beryllium Diffusion in Orange Sapphire | The Skin Game
The early history of beryllium diffusion in sapphire, starting with the 2001 appearance of large numbers of padparadscha sapphires in the Thai gem market.
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Black Prince's Ruby | Blood-Red Souvenir of Conquest | Spinel
The history of the Black Prince's Ruby, one of the world's most famous precious stones.
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Book | Corundum | 1990
Corundum
Richard W. Hughes | 1990
Rubies and sapphires are widely considered to be among the most sought after and precious of gems. Together they account for over fifty percent of the world trade in colored gemstones. This book is the first from Richard Hughes on the subject, and the first major work to be devoted entirely to the corundum family of gemstones. It covers all aspects of rubies and sapphires, beginning with their history, chemical and physical properties. Other chapters look at treatments, synthetic corundums, methods of fashioning, famous rubies and sapphires, formation of corundum deposits and world sources, providing a valuable reference source for jewelers, gemologists, students, and the general reader.
Out-of-print. Click here to search for a copy
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Book | Inside Out | GEM•ology Through Lotus-Colored Glasses | 2020
Inside Out • GEM•ology Through Lotus-Colored Glasses
E. Billie Hughes, Richard W. Hughes, Wimon Manorotkul | 2020
From the dawn of time, precious stones have both attracted and fascinated humans in ways that few other items could. For while objects of desire are found throughout the natural world, physical beauty is too often ephemeral. From the allure of a man, woman, flower or butterfly, through the fleeting moments of a sunset, there is little that lasts and practically nothing that can be passed down to our descendants. The exception is precious stones. Not only are they the most durable creations of Mother Nature, but their visual splendor is truly eternal.
This book presents a completely fresh approach to the subject. Dubbing it humanistic gemology, the authors take readers around the world, showing the places they have explored in their search for gems, along with the people and cultures encountered along the way. Within this volume, remarkable photographs of the human world are interwoven with images of the microscopic realm of the gems themselves. In a lifetime beset by time control, where living is broken into ever smaller bits, as you browse through these pages suddenly you plunge into a domain of frozen time, one that affords vistas of millions or even billions of years. For jewels offer not just superficial beauty, but a window on the primordial forces that birthed both our planet and universe.
Inside Out – Gemology Through Lotus-Colored Glasses represents a fascinating new direction for gemology, linking the external and internal worlds of precious stones for the first time.
Inside Out | GEM•ology Through Lotus-Colored Glasses Order Page
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Book | Inside Out | Gemology Through Lotus-Colored Glasses | Order Page
Introducing…
Inside Out: GEM•ology Through Lotus-Colored Glasses
by
E. Billie Hughes | Richard W. Hughes | Wimon Manorotkul
with a foreword by Paolo Minieri
Chinese translation by Jason C.H. Kao (高嘉兴), with Jinding Yu (俞瑾玎) and Bonnie Chao (晁艳)
From the dawn of time, precious stones have both attracted and fascinated humans in ways that few other items could. For while objects of desire are found throughout the natural world, physical beauty is too often ephemeral. From the allure of a man, woman, flower or butterfly, through the fleeting moments of a sunset, there is little that lasts and practically nothing that can be passed down to our descendants. The exception is precious stones. Not only are they the most durable creations of Mother Nature, but their visual splendor is truly eternal.
This book presents a completely fresh approach to the subject. Dubbing it humanistic gemology, the authors take readers around the world, showing the places they have explored in their search for gems, along with the people and cultures encountered along the way.
Within this volume, remarkable photographs of the human world are interwoven with images of the microscopic realm of the gems themselves. In a lifetime beset by time control, where living is broken into ever smaller bits, as you browse through these pages suddenly you plunge into a domain of frozen time, one that affords vistas of millions or even billions of years. For jewels offer not just superficial beauty, but a window on the primordial forces that birthed both our planet and universe.
Inside Out – Gemology Through Lotus-Colored Glasses represents a fascinating new direction for gemology, linking the external and internal worlds of precious stones for the first time.
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Published 2020; Now shipping
Standard Edition – Hardcover
Price: Thai Baht 3000 + Shipping & Handling•
International Shipping & Handling from Thailand
Ships via International Parcel Air (2–3 weeks)Hardcover with Dust Jacket
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Title Page
Introduction
Sample Interior Spreads
A few comments from reviewers…
I am doubtless readers both inside and outside of the gem trade will enthusiastically welcome Inside Out. Buy it, read it, give it away. I am fully confident you will be satisfied, ingratiated and inspired.
Jeffery Bergman – InColor MagazineThis book fills a gap in the literature on gems by pictorially exploring the relationship between humans and gems on an artistic and emotional level. It is a work of art that lives from the quality of the photographs and gets by with minimal textual commentary on the images.
Michael Hügi – Journal of GemmologyInside Out is a truly stunning work reflecting the combnied personalities, skills, knowledge and philosophy of the authors, who have created something exceptional and innovative for the world of gemmology.
Terry Coldham – Australian Gemmologist -
Book | Jade | A Gemologist's Guide | 2022
Jade • A Gemologist's Guide
Richard W. Hughes, editor | 2022
The study of jade is unlike any other gem, trespassing across all conventional boundaries, particularly those of the gemological and mineralogical realm. Despite the march of mineralogical orthodoxy and conformity, the word “jade” is a fist in the air of protest, crying out not for reduction and definition, but an expansion of the mineralogical lexicon to include the cultural aspects of human civilization and life. The word “jade” is the anti-mineral. Because jade is so much more than a simple census of atoms, their valence states, and their places of residence.
An understanding of jade is not limited to the technical or exacting; it also incorporates a feeling for the cultural, textural, and ephemeral qualities that make the study of this gem unlike any other in the world of gemstones. It is our heartfelt hope that this volume will not just fill the “traditional gemological” gap, but will open readers’ eyes to a world beyond. Because jade is so much more.
While the literature on jade is vast, perhaps greater than any other gem, there is a distinct lack of a volume that treats jade as a gemological material. This book is designed to fill that gap, with extensive information on the history, sources, appraisal and identification of both treated and the various forms of imitation jade. All of this is together in a single volume for the first time, making this a must-have for all collectors, dealers, gemologists, appraisers, curators and anyone else with an interest in this fascinating gem.
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Book | Ruby & Sapphire | 1997
Ruby & Sapphire
Richard W. Hughes | 1997
Ruby & Sapphire is widely acknowledged as one of the finest gemology books ever published. Not just an update of his previous volumes on ruby and sapphire, it represents something rarely seen in a technical book, a fusion of accurate science and spirited, accessible prose. Within its pages, one finds information on prices, quality analysis, sources, history, treatments and identification. Featuring over 300 color photos and 2500 references, this now out-of-print volume is today highly sought after by collectors and gemologists, who pay as much as $1000 or more for the privilege of owning a copy.
Out-of-print. Click here to search for a copy
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Book | Ruby & Sapphire | A Collector's Guide | 2014
Ruby & Sapphire • A Collector's Guide
Richard W. Hughes | 2014
Few gems capture the imagination like ruby and sapphire. This book removes the cloak of an otherwise secret world . Drawing on a lifetime’s experience, the author ventures around the globe for the finest specimens, in the process allowing readers to discover the people and places where these rare gems are found, along with the story of the stones themselves. Throughout the text, Hughes guides readers with the steady connoisseur's eye, explaining what collectors should look for. For many pieces, actual auction prices are given, aiding collectors in their buying decisions. Illustrated with more than 300 color photographs, this is a visual and intellectual feast of the most delicious order.
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Book | Ruby & Sapphire | A Collector's Guide | 2014 | Order Page
Introducing…
Ruby & Sapphire: A Collector’s Guide
by Richard W. Hughes
with photographs by Wimon Manorotkul and E. Billie HughesThis impressive coffee-table style volume takes readers into the secret world of ruby and sapphire, through the pen and lens of international expert, Richard Hughes. The author guides readers with the steady eye of a connoisseur, explaining what collectors should look for in ruby and sapphire. Many pictured pieces feature actual auction prices, aiding collectors in their buying decisions. Illustrated with more than 400 magnificent color photographs, for anyone with an interest in precious stones, this is a visual and intellectual feast of the most delicious order.
Published 2014; Sold Out
Hardcover with Dust Jacket
384 pages; 240 x 280 mm (9.45 x 11 inches); 2.4 kg shipping weight
Full Color Throughout
Content
1. Résumé
History
2. Source
Geology
Valley of Serpents
Afghanistan
Australia
India
Kenya
Laos
Madagascar
Malawi
Mozambique
Myanmar
Nepal
Pakistan
Rwanda
Sri Lanka
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand & Cambodia
Thailand & Cambodia
USA–Montana
Vietnam
3. Connoisseur
Cutting
From Pigeon's Blood to Peacock's Neck
Ruby & Sapphire Prices
Does Size Matter?
The Tao of Jewelry
4. Forensic
Inner Space
Enhancements
Connoisseurship of Crystals
5. Heart
Gem Cutting in Thailand
The Thai Jeweler's Art
6. Library
Library
Library
7. Portfolio
Portfolio
Index
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Book | Ruby & Sapphire | A Gemologist's Guide | 2017
Ruby & Sapphire • A Gemologist's Guide
Richard W. Hughes, with Wimon Manorotkul & E. Billie Hughes | 2017
Designed as a companion to Ruby & Sapphire: A Collector's Guide, this massive volume is aimed specifically at working gemologists, appraisers and students. Based on Richard W. Hughes' 1997 classic, Ruby & Sapphire, this edition is fully updated. The product of nearly 40 years of firsthand experience and research, it covers every aspect of the subject from A–Z. History, sources, prices, quality analysis, synthetics and treatments, everything is here. With over 1000 photos, maps and illustrations and 3500 references, Ruby & Sapphire—A Gemologist’s Guide represents the most comprehensive book ever written on a single precious stone.
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Book | Ruby & Sapphire | A Gemologist's Guide | Order Page
Introducing…
Ruby & Sapphire: A Gemologist's Guide
by Richard W. Hughes
with Wimon Manorotkul and E. Billie HughesThis massive volume is the most comprehensive book ever written on a single precious stone. Designed as a companion volume to Ruby & Sapphire: A Collector's Guide, it is aimed specifically at working gemologists, appraisers and students. Based on Richard W. Hughes' 1997 classic, Ruby & Sapphire, this edition is fully updated. The product of nearly 40 years of firsthand experience and research, it covers every aspect of the subject from A–Z. History, sources, prices, quality analysis, synthetics and treatments, everything is here. Ruby & Sapphire—A Gemologist’s Guide represents the definitive reference on the subject. With over 1000 photos, maps and illustrations and 3500 references, it is nothing less than a tour-de-force of gemological scholarship.
Published 2017; Sold Out
•International Shipping & Handling from Thailand
Ships via International Parcel Air (2-3 weeks)Hardcover with Dust Jacket
816 pages; 240 x 280 mm (9.45 x 11 inches); 4.6 kg shipping weight
Full Color Throughout
Gallery
Title Page
Contents
Contents
Introduction
1. History
2. Chemistry & Crystallography
3. Properties & Phenomena
4. Color & Luminescence
5. Inclusions
6. Treatments
7. Synthetic Corundum
8. Assembled Stones
9. Methods of Fashioning
10. Judging Quality
11. Geology
12. World Sources
Afghanistan
Australia
China
Colombia
France & Greenland
India
Kenya
Laos
Madagascar
Malawi
Mozambique
Myanmar
Nepal & Nigeria
Pakistan
Rwanda
Sri Lanka
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand/Cambodia
USA
Vietnam
Appendix A: Tagore's Mani-Mala
Appendix B: Prices & ID Flow Charts
Index
Click on the icon to download a corrected Table of Contents and Errata sheet for the current volume (PDF).
Comments from reviewers…
Voilà un livre de poids, 735 pages et plus de 4 kg qui enrichira vos connaissances historiques comme scientifiques et gemmologiques. L' auteur, bien connu des gemmologues, nous offre un nouveau voyage dans l' univers des corindons. C' est un livre à regarder, approcher, toucher, feuilleter, découvrir enen l' ouvrant avec à la fois impatience et retenue, pour finalement s' y abandonner. C' est une leçon de vie, un livre-compagnon à déguster sans modération.
—Association Française de Gemmologie
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Book | Ruby & Sapphire Colors | From Peacock to Pigeon's Blood | 2017
From Peacock to Pigeon's Blood • An Introduction to Ruby & Sapphire Colors
Lotus Gemology | 2017
An introduction to the ruby & sapphire color types used at Lotus Gemology.
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Burmese Sapphire Giants
A brief history of Burmese (Myanmar) sapphires, along with details of some of the major pieces of yore.
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Buying at the Source | Dick's Law and Other Sundry Maxims of the East
An essay on buying gems at the source in Asia, with a discussion of how con men play on the greed of those who believe gems will be cheaper at the mines.
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Cobalt-Doped Glass-Filled Sapphires | An Update
The history of glass-infilling in blue sapphire, along with a description of the latest treatment generation developed in Chanthaburi, Thailand.
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Colored Stone Grading | A Heretic's Guide
Developing a comprehensive colored stone grading system has been the dream of gemologists since the late 1970's, but despite a number of valient attempts, we are no closer to the goal today than we were four decades ago. This article examines the various problems of colored stone grading, explaining why the challenges are at least an order of magnitude greater than the grading of diamonds.
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Curved Banding in Flame-Fusion Synthetic Sapphires
Short-wave fluorescent illumination provides a useful tool to spot curved banding in flame-fusion synthetic sapphire.
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Detecting Corundum Fillers with the Long-Wave UV Torch
There are many benefits to using a long-wave UV torch when testing ruby and sapphire. Here are a few examples.
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Discover the Gemstones: Ruby & Sapphire Exhibition | Hong Kong
Experience the hidden world of ruby & sapphire in this exhibition with Lotus Gemology and Van Cleef & Arpels' L'École School of Jewelry Arts