Pink diamonds dazzle in winter

The Winter 2018 edition of Gems & Gemology (G&G), GIA’s (Gemological Institute of America) quarterly professional journal, brings together the beauty and science of gemstones to unveil new discoveries in colored diamonds, a Russian cultural landmark, corundum, pearls and laboratory-grown diamonds. G&G’s Winter 2018 issue is available in print by subscription and in the GIA Store, and digitally – at no cost – on GIA.edu.

Discover the current science of natural-color diamonds in the lead article, “Natural-Color Pink, Purple, Red and Brown Diamonds: Band of Many Colors.” GIA researchers Sally Eaton-Magaña, Troy Ardon, Karen Smit, Christopher Breeding and James Shigley provide unprecedented gemological and spectroscopic characterizations drawn from more than 90,000 pink to red diamonds analyzed by GIA.

Russell Shor, GIA senior industry analyst, chronicles a Russian landmark in the article “The History and Reconstruction of the Amber Room.” Read firsthand accounts of what it was like to reconstruct this eighteenth-century cultural treasure.

The next article investigates “The Color Origin of Gem Diaspore: Correlation to Corundum” using trace-element chemistry. In the fourth paper, “Corundum with Spinel Corona from the Tan Huong-Truc Lau Area in Northern Vietnam,” the authors explain the genesis of the spinel rim.

GIA’s Nanthaporn Nilpetploy, Kwanreun Lawanwong and Promlikit Kessrapong follow with “The Gemological Characteristics of Pipi Pearls Reportedly from Pinctada maculata.” The study details the internal structures and identifies ways of separating these goods from pearls of related mollusk species.

G&G’s final article provides a brief summary and foldout wall chart of diamond inclusions by GIA’s Nathan Renfro, John Koivula, Jonathan Muyal, Shane McClure, Kevin Schumacher and James Shigley. The inclusion chart provides a visual guide to the internal features of natural, laboratory-grown and treated diamonds.

The issue closes with regularly occurring sections. Lab Notes offers analysis of three freshwater blister pearls attached to their host shells, De Beers’ Lightbox laboratory-grown diamonds and an exceptionally rare Montana ruby.G&G’s new Diamonds from the Deep section provides an examination of how diamonds form in the deep earth. Micro-World serves up an array of internal features observed in gem materials, while Gem News International reports on sapphire treated with high pressure and high temperature, coated rough and faceted synthetic moissanite and gemological conferences around the world.

 Winter 2018 Gems & Gemology cover photo features the 18.96 ct Winston Pink Legacy, a Fancy Vivid pink emerald-cut diamond that recently sold at auction for more than $50 million. Winston Pink Legacy courtesy of Harry Winston.