Palagems.com is filled with information and stories about gemology, gems, and mineral specimens. Browse the links below for a few prime examples.
Newest Additions:
Archives:
Book Reviews
Collecting
- Collecting and Investing in World Class Colored Gemstones – Pala’s Jason Stephenson provides a primer on this subject for people who are considering taking the plunge.
- Private Eyes – Gabrièl Mattice celebrates her 20th year with Pala International by allowing us to peek behind the scenes of world-class gemstone and mineral specimen acquisition.
Cutting
- Gem Cutter Romances the Stone – A 1992 profile of master carver Meg Berry.
- The Jardin of Subterranean Delights: Atocha Emerald – Meg Berry demonstrates the faceting process on a rare emerald.
Gemstones (see also Localities)
- Demantoid Disclosure – The ins and outs of laboratory reporting of treatment and locality.
- The Internal World of Gemstones – A pictorial guide to a microscopic world that lets us further appreciate gemstones’ external beauty.
- On Kunz and Kunzite – An excellent historical look at the discovery and naming of kunzite. By Lawrence Conklin.
- Painite Comes to Pala – Pala International President Bill Larson recounts a thirty-year quest for a mysterious stone, finally concluding, “no painite, no gainite.”
- Paraiba at Pala – Pala brings you up to date regarding the “name game” for copper-bearing tourmaline. Fully illustrated.
- Passion Fruit: A Lover’s Guide to Sapphire – Pala’s resident ruby and sapphire expert discusses sapphire connoisseurship. By Richard W. Hughes.
- Seeing Red: A Guide to Ruby – Palagems.com’s ex-webmaster Richard Hughes examines the elements of quality in ruby. Fully illustrated.
- Spinel: A Description of Two Large Spinel Rubies… – Discussion of engraved spinels. By Valentine Ball. Also includes a Buyer’s Guide to Spinel by Richard W. Hughes.
- Walking the Line in Ruby & Sapphire – A connoisseur’s search for meaning with padparadscha and pink sapphire. By Richard Hughes. Fully illustrated. This article includes a Buyer’s Guide to Padparadscha by Richard Hughes.
- World’s Foremost Buys the World’s Finest: GIA Acquires Gübelin Collection – Bill Larson recalls his own work with this important collection, recently acquired by the Gemological Institute of America. Fully illustrated.
Industry and Trade Articles (including Trade Shows)
- American Travels of a Gem Collector – Part 1 of the reminiscences of George F. Kunz of Tiffany’s. This is one of the best introductions to gem collecting that we know of. Incredible stories from an incredible man. Complete with period photos.
- Part 2 – Kunz travels through Mexico and also discusses jade. Complete with period photos.
- Buying and Selling Gems: What Light is Best? – Part 1 of an excellent analysis of how lighting affects the color and appearance of gems. By William Sersen and Corrine Hopkins. Fully illustrated.
- Part 2 – Artificial light options are discussed. By William Sersen. Fully illustrated.
- Flashes of Colour: Legendary Wines and Gemstones – In late June 2007, Pala International supplied over $1 million worth of gemstones and mineral specimens to a remarkable exhibition of fine wines and gemstones in Dijon, France.
- A Historical Study of Precious Stone Valuations & Prices – Scholarly analysis of gem prices is as rare as a fine gem itself. Here we present probably the best ever written. By Sydney H. Ball. Illustrated. Reprinted from Economic Geology, 1935.
- Is Your Jewelry At Risk? A Guide to Choosing a Professional Jewelry Appraiser – By Charles Ellias.
- Judging Quality: The Four C’s – Determining the quality of a gemstone, involving color, clarity, cut, and carat weight. By Richard W. Hughes.
- Munich Mineral Show 2001 – The Munich Mineral Show is Europe’s finest. For an insider taste of just what it’s all about, one of the world’s great mineral collectors, Bill Larson, has written up a report of the 2001 show.
- Tailgating French Style: Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines 2008 – A report from Pala International Bill Larson on one of his favorite mineral shows. Fully illustrated. See also the report from 2007 and 2006.
Localities (see also Gemstones)
- Alexandrite from Russia – By Peter Bancroft. Description of the Russian alexandrite mines. Also includes a Buyer’s Guide to Alexandrite – By Richard W. Hughes.
- Bill Larson in Burma and Vietnam, 2005 – A pictorial.
- Burma Gem Sales and Statistics – A Gem News item that collects the most recent stats and links in one place.
- Burmese Jade: The Inscrutable Gem – Part 1: Burma’s Jade Mines
A groundbreaking article on the second-most valuable gem in the world – Burmese jade. By Richard Hughes, Olivier Galibert, George Bosshart, Fred Ward, Thet Oo, Mark Smith, Tay Thye Sun and George Harlow. Fully illustrated.
- Part 2 – The cutting, grading, trading and faking of Burmese jadeite is detailed. Fully illustrated.
- California Gem Mining: Chronicle of a comeback – One of the finest articles ever written about gem mining in San Diego County, California. Fully illustrated. By David Federman.
- Ceylon’s Gem Mines – Ceylon’s storied gem mines are detailed in this segment from Dr. Peter Bancroft’s Gem & Crystal Treasures.
- Color-Change Garnet from Kenya – A new discovery (early 2009) from the Taita-Taveta are, best known for tsavorite production.
- The Emerald Deposits of Muzo, Colombia – Scholarly examination of these famous emerald mines. By Joseph E. Pogue. Illustrated. Reprinted from Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, 1917.
- Fire-hearted Pebbles from Burma – A wonderful look at mining rubies in Mogok, ca. 1930, by C.M. Enriquez. Complete with period photos.
- From Russia with Jade – Pala’s ex-webmaster, Richard Hughes, together with Nickolai Kuznetsov, make an epic journey to Russia’s jadeite mines in the Polar Urals and Khakassia. Fully illustrated.
- Gemstone and Mineral Mining in Pakistan’s Mountains – An article by Jim Clanin reprinted from InColor.
- Gemstones in Vietnam – Pala International is pleased to reprint this substantial article from The Australian Gemmologist. Written by Vietnamese and French researchers, the article covers corundum as well as aquamarine, tourmaline, peridot, and pearl.
- Imperial Topaz from Brazil – Brazilian topaz mines are covered in this segment from Dr. Peter Bancroft’s Gem & Crystal Treasures. Also includes a Buyer’s Guide to Topaz by Richard W. Hughes.
- Kashmir Sapphires – The first eyewitness account of the fabled Kashmir sapphire mines in northern India, 1889, by T.D. LaTouche. Complete with period and modern photos.
- Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan – These storied mines are detailed in this segment from Dr. Peter Bancroft’s Gem & Crystal Treasures. Also includes a Buyer’s Guide to Lapis Lazuli by Richard W. Hughes.
- Larsons in China – Pala’s Bill Larson and son Will Larson made presentations on tourmaline and collecting at a first-ever China mineral and gem crystal conference in Beijing.
- Letter from Pakistan – True adventure from Pala International’s daring suppliers.
- Lloviznando Opal: A Look Above the Surface – An extended look at this rare material from Mexico.
- Longido Ruby – We are proud to present this article courtesy of Edward Swoboda, on the ruby mines of Longido, Tanzania.
- Melo Pearls from Myanmar – Poster session delivered at the 2006 GIA Symposium. Co-authored by Pala International President Bill Larson, Han Htun (Yangon), and Jo Ellen Cole (Carlsbad, CA). Fully illustrated.
- Melo Pearls from South Vietnam – Photographs from Pala’s supplier.
- Pakistan: A Year in Review – A look at select developments in 2006: A follow-up on the 2005 earthquake, progress on a new initiative for gems and jewelry, a gemology school partnership, and a visit to the mines.
- Pakistan’s Gemstones: An Overview – The past, present, and future of the challenges that face Pakistan in its development of a gemstone industry.
- Pala District Pegmatite Opens Wide – New discoveries at the 49er pocket; also see Part 2.
- The Path to Paraiba Winds Through Mozambique – Pala’s Jason Stephenson recounts the history of gems in southern Africa and traces the steps of Moussa Konate, who discovered paraiba-type tourmaline in Mozambique.
- Pegmatites of Laghman, Nuristan, Afghanistan – By Pierre Bariand and J.F. Poullen.
- The Queen Reigns Again – A great description of mining the Tourmaline Queen mine near Pala, California.
- Red Sea Peridot – Zabargad’s peridot mines are detailed in this segment from Dr. Peter Bancroft’s Gem & Crystal Treasures. Also includes a Buyer’s Guide to Peridot by Richard W. Hughes.
- Reds Turn to Green: Russia’s Stunning Demantoid Discovery – Russia’s new demantoid strike is detailed in this segment from Pala’s President, Bill Larson. Also includes a Buyer’s Guide to Demantoid by Richard W. Hughes.
- The Ruby & Sapphire Deposits of Moung Klung, Siam – 1894 account of mining ruby and sapphire in Thailand. By Henry Louis.
- Tanzanite from Tanzania – Tanzania’s tanzanite mines are detailed in this segment from Dr. Peter Bancroft’s Gem & Crystal Treasures. Also includes a Buyer’s Guide to Tanzanite by Richard W. Hughes.
- Treasures from the Palace Museum – Photos taken in 2006 by Bill and Will Larson, from the Forbidden City’s famous museum.
- Tsavorite from Kenya – Kenya’s tsavorite garnet mines are detailed in this segment from Dr. Peter Bancroft’s Gem & Crystal Treasures. Also includes a Buyer’s Guide to Tsavorite by Richard W. Hughes.
Museums & Exhibitions
- American Girls in Paris – A visit to the French National Museum of Natural History.
- Flashes of Colour: Legendary Wines and Gemstones – In late June 2007, Pala International supplied over $1 million worth of gemstones and mineral specimens to a remarkable exhibition of fine wines and gemstones in Dijon, France.
- Pala’s Gabrièl Mattice Consults for Houston Museum Gem Vault
- A Trip to Japan – Pala International at the 2005 Tokyo Mineral Show.
By Will H. Larson.
Pala International
- Pala’s Featured Gemstones – Gemstones featured in our monthly Gem News e-bulletin.
- Pala’s Featured Mineral Specimens – Featured in our bi-monthly Mineral News e-bulletin.
- Gem Cutter Romances the Stone – The fascinating story of Pala’s award-winning gem cutter, Meg Berry.
- Meet the Larsons – Pala’s globe-trotting collectors.
- Mining at Pala – A history of Pala International’s various gem mining projects around the world.
- Pala International Celebrates Forty Years – Some of the highlights.
Personalities
- Remembering John Sinkankas – Memorial for noted author/gemologist, John Sinkankas.
Photographers
- FotogFocus – An occasional series featuring gemstone and mineral photographers.
Treatments and Testing
- Fluxed Up: The fracture healing of ruby – Pala’s ex-webmaster, Richard Hughes, takes a look at a little-known, but common treatment. Illustrated, with an Appendix by John Emmett.
- Gods, Graves & Sapphires – Pala’s President, William Larson, waxes philosophic on the impact of treatments on the ruby and sapphire market. Illustrated.
- LIBS: A New Beryllium Testing Method – The SSEF adds a powerful new weapon to the gemological arsenal. Illustrated.
- Questions About Treated Sapphires from Thailand – Answers to questions regarding the outside-in diffusion of coloring agents used in these treatments.
- Red Hot and Blue: Irradiated Topaz – Blue topaz is achieved by a combination of irradiation and (often) heat treatment. But what happens when “hot” material isn’t allowed to cool?
- The Skin Game– Richard Hughes, covers all the latest developments on the new treated orange sapphires in a comprehensive article. Fully illustrated.
- Suspect Blues: Coming in from the Cold? – In 2003, certain blue sapphires in Sri Lanka were the cause of great debate. Read about them here.
- Understanding the New Treated Pink-Orange Sapphires – Experiments reproduced the Thai gem treatment. By John Emmett and Troy Douthit.
In addition to these articles, don’t forget to take a look at
- Gem News from Pala International, our current monthly e-newsletter.
- Mineral News from Pala International, our current bimonthly e-newsletter.
- The Gem Spectrum, Pala’s newsletter (1995–2003), which contains articles on all aspects of precious stones.
Fallbrook, CA 92028 USA
