The De Beers Cullinan Blue was the early buzz of the spring 2022 auction season, with the 15.10 ct Fancy Vivid blue step-cut diamond far surpassing Sotheby’s presale estimate of $48 million. Bringing ...

Figure 1. The GIA 7 Pearl Value Factors system classifies pearls according to size, shape, color, luster, surface, nacre, and matching. Composite photo by GIA staff. Prized by many cultures throughout ...

Figure 1. This demantoid was faceted to better reveal the “horsetail” inclusions. The sample is 8 mm in diameter. Photo by U. Hennebois. The exact origin and composition of the “horsetail” inclusions ...

Diamonds are the most amazing of gems. Just as amazing, however, is how natural diamonds reach Earth’s surface. Diamonds are formed 150 to 700 km deep in Earth, and are then carried upward in a rare ...

Contact-twinned crystals of natural diamond rough, known as “macle,” typically exhibit a flattened triangular shape, which has been attributed to preferential growth at re-entrant corners where two ...

CARLSBAD, Calif. – August 26, 2025 – GIA, the Gemological Institute of America, will launch revised evaluation services for D-to-Z laboratory-grown diamonds on October 1. Current GIA laboratory ...

Diamond fluorescence can occur in a wide range of patterns and colors, helping to tell the story of a diamond’s unique growth history. These HPHT laboratory-grown diamonds exhibit strong ...

The Karowe Diamond Mine in Botswana, owned and operated by Lucara Diamond Corp., has gained international recognition for producing large, high-quality type IaB or coexistence of IaB with IIa diamonds ...

Raman spectroscopy confirmed the identity of the material as pezzottaite by an intense peak at ~1100 cm –1, which is not present in beryl. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy showed features ...

Sapphire, rough and faceted, from the Rock Creek deposit in Montana has become one of the pillar gems of American origin in the global colored gemstone market. Over the past 10 years, Potentate Mining ...

Metrology, the science of measurement and its application, plays a critical role in the accuracy of GIA’s research and laboratory services. The metrology team closely monitors the performance of ...

Figure 1. Sapphires from Madagascar: a beautiful 3.29 ct untreated faceted stone and an assortment of rough in the background. Madagascar has produced many high-quality stones in the last few years ...