books

  • Book | Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature | 2024

    Book | Broken Bangle | The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature | 2024

    Broken Bangle  •  The Blunder-Besmirched History of Jade Nomenclature

    Liu Shang-i, Richard W. Hughes, Zhou Zhengyu and Kaylan Khourie  |  2024

    In recent years, jade nomenclature has been upended by the discovery by gemologists that the gem being sold as "jadeiite" is actually a rock composed of three different pyroxene minerals. But the problems of jade nomenclature run much deeper, literally to the application of the words nephrite and jadeite to jade in the mid-19th century. Already by the 1930s, mineralogists realized that one should not apply the name of a mineral species to a rock, but this knowledge sadly never made its way into the gemological lexicon. Broken Bangle tackles jade nomenclature from the earliest times to the present day, advocating that the mineral species names jadeite, omphacite and kosmochlor not be used because their application to rocks does not follow standard mineralogical/geological practices. In addition, breaking down rocks into their mineral components is not done anywhere else in gemology. Instead, the authors suggest that the traditional Chinese term fei cui be used for the pyroxene jade gems.

    Broken Bangle •  Order Page 

  • Book | Corundum | 1990

    Corundum cover, by Richard W. Hughes of Lotus Gemology

    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

  • Book | Inside Out | GEM•ology Through Lotus-Colored Glasses | 2020

    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 

  • Book | Jade | A Gemologist's Guide | 2022

    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.

    Jade • A Gemologist's Guide Order Page 

  • Book | Ruby & Sapphire | 1997

    Ruby & Sapphire

    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

  • Book | Ruby & Sapphire | A Collector's Guide | 2014

    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.

    Ruby & Sapphire • A Collector's Guide order page

  • Book | Ruby & Sapphire | A Gemologist's Guide | 2017

    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.

    Ruby & Sapphire •  A Gemologist's Guide Order Page 

  • Book | Ruby & Sapphire Colors | From Peacock to Pigeon's Blood | 2017

    From Peacock to Pigeon's Blood

    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.

    From Peacock to Pigeon's Blood Order Page 

  • Book | Terra Spinel — Terra Firma | 2010

    Terra Spinel  |  Terra Firma (2010)

    Terra Spinel • Terra Firma (2010) • Lotus Gemology

    Terra Spinel  |  Terra Firma

    Vladyslav Y. Yavorskyy & Richard W. Hughes  |  2010

    Terra Spinel takes readers into the world of spinel through the lens and collection of renowned spinel dealer, Vladyslav Yavorskyy. Some of the world's finest spinels are featured in this book's pages as Yavorskyy travels to the most important locations. The traditional sources Burma (Myanmar), Tajikistan, and Sri Lanka are covered in detail, along with newer finds in Vietnam, Tanzania and Madagascar. This is not a gemology book in the traditional scientific sense. Instead, what it represents is a celebration of a rare gem and the places from which it comes. Stunningly illustrated, it is a must-have for any gem lover.

    Out-of-print

  • Ruby & Sapphire Books | Collecting the Literature of Corundum | Hidden Treasure

    Ruby & Sapphire Books • Collecting the Literature of Ruby & Sapphire (Corundum) • Hidden Treasure

    A discussion of the literature of ruby and sapphire (corundum), with particular emphasis on the most collectible books covering ruby and sapphire around the world.