Johnkoivulaite, a mineral that changes from deep violet to near colorless when viewed with polarized light, is the newest member of the beryl family, which includes emerald, aquamarine and morganite. The mineral is named after gemologist and author John Koivula, who is best known for his contributions to inclusion research and photomicrography. The 1.16-carat crystal, […]
Johnkoivulaite, a mineral that changes from deep violet to near colorless when viewed with polarized light, is the newest member of the beryl family, which includes emerald, aquamarine and morganite. The mineral is named after gemologist and author John Koivula, who is best known for his contributions to inclusion research and photomicrography. The 1.16-carat crystal, […]
Tourmaline comes in a wide variety of fiery, vibrant hues, such as red, green, yellow, orange, brown, pink and purple. October's birthstone is even available in bi-color and tri-color versions. But, the most coveted tourmaline of all is the neon blue variety that was originally unearthed in Paraiba, Brazil, in 1987. Gemologists learned that Paraiba […]
Tourmaline comes in a wide variety of fiery, vibrant hues, such as red, green, yellow, orange, brown, pink and purple. October's birthstone is even available in bi-color and tri-color versions. But, the most coveted tourmaline of all is the neon blue variety that was originally unearthed in Paraiba, Brazil, in 1987. Gemologists learned that Paraiba […]
Princess Beatrice, the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, is rocking a new 3.5-carat diamond engagement ring from Italian real estate tycoon Edoardo Mapellu Mozzi. The ring, which reflects "Victorian and Art Deco fusion," features a round center stone flanked by smaller diamond baguettes in a platinum setting. Unlike her sister, Eugenie, who got engaged nearly […]
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, lead singer Rachael Price of Lake Street Dive delivers some sassy, unambiguous straight talk to aggressive males in the group's 2014 ditty, "Wedding Band." When introducing the song during live performances, Price jokes […]
When Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry collection hit Christie’s auction block late in 2011, one of the 24 lots selling for more than $1 million was a rare 19th century sapphire-and-diamond brooch — a surprise gift from actor Richard Burton during their marriage. The piece, which features a cushion-cut 37.29-carat sapphire framed with old-mine and […]
Inspired by the story of a Canadian woman whose lost engagement ring turned up in a vegetable patch 13 years later — cinched tightly around a carrot — fellow Canadian John Neville looked to replicate the phenomenon to surprise his bride-to-be, Danielle (Deejay) Squires. Neville recounted to The Washington Post how he had purchased the […]
PhD student Nicole Meyer of University of Alberta's Diamond Exploration Research and Training School discovered a never-before-seen mineral trapped within the inclusion of a diamond. She named the material "goldschmidtite" to honor Victor Moritz Goldschmidt, the founder of modern geochemistry. Back in March 2018, scientists at the same university identified a new deep-Earth mineral — […]
Imagine finding treasure in your trash. That's what happened when Lucara Diamond Corp. salvaged a 375-carat gem-quality diamond from a pile of old tailings at its prolific Karowe mine in Botswana. Tailings are the residue of the diamond-bearing ore that was processed during an original mining operation. The company revisited the tailings because they were […]