Bangles submitted for identification are found to be not jadeite jade, but hydrogrossular garnet, an unusual choice for this form.

Advancing CVD growth technologies yield intensely colored, high-quality synthetic diamonds, such as the two green-blue synthetic materials seen in the New York lab.

An assembled mabe pearl contains a fluted object, the function of which is unknown.

A lighting method modified for gemological microscopy provides false-color contrast to enhance inclusion scenes.

An emerald reportedly from Madagascar is cut to show asterism, a rare phenomenon in this material.

Two quartz specimens showing asterism and cross-shaped inclusions are analyzed.

A Very Light pink diamond showing a uniform plane of color intersecting with a cone of strain that fit perfectly into a colorless hole is studied at the Carlsbad lab.

Blue octahedral crystal inclusions within heliodor cabochons are found to be gahnite, a zinc-rich end member of the spinel group.

Natural turquoise has been subjected to dyeing and three types of impregnation.

Abalone pearls submitted to the New York lab provide insight into the range of colors and shapes this type of mollusk can produce.

A rare mineral acquired along the Thai-Myanmar border exhibits the distinctive six-spoke pattern associated with trapiche.

A colorless diamond crystal fragment shows an eye-visible bluish green internal induced radiation stain that developed in a near-surface environment.

A Fancy Intense purplish pink diamond with a network of planar cracks and strain-induced bodycolor reveals an aesthetic geometric pattern.

The properties of petrified woods originating from various localities in Thailand and Myanmar are examined.

A green cabochon from China resembling jadeite is found to be antigorite, a member of the serpentine group.

An unusual host-inclusion association is revealed when a cluster of crystals in a colorless topaz is discovered to be molybdenite.

Explores the history, geology, and current production of this unique source of large diamonds.

A technique for origin identification based on statistical analysis and LA-ICP-MS spectrometry.

Proposes a model for trapiche emerald formation based on petrographic, spectroscopic, and chemical examination.

Examines a new source of colorless and near-colorless gem-quality HPHT synthetic diamonds using spectroscopic and gemological analysis.