Over the last decade, the production methods used to create synthetic diamond melee have improved substantially, along with the quality of the specimens themselves.

Crassostrea virginica, the so-called Eastern or American oyster, is a commercial seafood widely distributed along the east coast of the United States to the Gulf of Mexico.

Irradiated CVD-grown diamonds are examined in the Carlsbad lab.

For the first time, wurtzite is found as an inclusion in gem material.

Projects developed by the GemHub to benefit miners, cutters, and others involved in the gem and jewelry industry.

Gold: Vortex, Virtues, and Values was hosted by Initiatives in Art and Culture (IAC) at Bohemian National Hall in New York City, April 12–13. Now in its eighth year, the conference has become an annual industry gathering for those looking to evaluate the market, discover exceptional work, and discuss key gold-related issues.

The DiamondView instrument is able to identify glass as the filler in a pair of heart-shaped rubies.

An unusual assembled stone is examined at GIA’s New York lab.

Aesthetically pleasing inclusions are found in topaz from Pakistan’s Shigar Valley.

Lotus Gemology receives submissions of star stones on a regular basis, so when we first saw the specimen shown here, it appeared to be one among many of our usual stones to test.

A black star sapphire produced from eastern Thailand, showing both golden and silver rays, is studied at GIA’s Bangkok lab.

Rare pearls, along with their shell, are studied in the Hong Kong lab.

A look at the color zoning exhibited by the largest HPHT-treated blue diamond graded by GIA.