Color types such as "pigeon's blood," "cobalt blue" and "Santa Maria" are wildly popular, but also wildly inconsistent. Richard Hughes takes a deep dive into the problems of describing color.

Describing Color in Gems | A Fool's Guide

by Lotus Gemology's Richard Hughes

Color types such as “pigeon’s blood,” “Paraíba,” “Santa Maria” and “cobalt blue” have become wildly popular in the gem trade. But there is a vast difference between coining such terms and applying them in a way that is both consistent and logical. In this lecture Richard Hughes will give a short tutorial on the fundamentals of color science and then cast a critical eye on the use of color types for faceted colored gems, demonstrating why they cannot be applied with any sort of consistency and also discussing the abuse of such terms by labs and dealers alike.

When
Tuesday, 9 September 2025, 10:15–11:15

Where
GIT 2025 Conference
Queen Sirikit Convention Center
Bangkok
Thailand