Some time during the later half of our working trip in Switzerland this 2024, we had the privilege of learning with pioneering gemologists from one of the most advanced international laboratories in Europe. Visiting the Swiss Gemological Institute or Schweizerisches Gemmologisches Institut (SSEF) in Basel, we took part in their intensive Scientific Gemology course program to further develop our in-house knowledge on the different types of laboratory spectrometers used in gemology. This undertaking was suggested to us by colleagues and friends ...

While many of you are familiar with the way most diamonds are graded for color, not a lot of people know much about how precious gemstone varieties like ruby, sapphire and emerald are graded for their most important attribute. The visual aspect of color has governed the values of most gemstones throughout history, even during a time period when the big three colored gems were valued much more highly that colorless diamond. Entire societies would covet the rare, vermillion greens of scarce Colombian emeralds, as well as the infamous 'pigeon blo...

Today, we'll just lightly discuss four common misconceptions believed about diamonds in the jewelry industry. We'll briefly offer counterpoints to these statements in order to provide helpful information from our own experiences and point-of-view. 1.) Some say that diamonds are nearly indestructible? Diamonds are not indestructible. Even if they are the hardest naturally occurring mineral on the planet, hardness is understood by definition as 'resistant to scratches or abrasion' rather than being impervious to breakage or splitting. Di...

It's common knowledge that a diamond can be faceted in a number of different ways. We see a lot of proprietary or 'branded' cuts today, with each manufacturer marketing the unique brilliance or fire their own patented cut provides. Despite the overwhelming array of choices made available to jewelry collectors today, the most popular diamond cut of all has been the same one for a very long time now.  The standard or 'modern' round brilliant cut hosts 57 or 58 facets, depending on whether or not the stone is fashioned with a culet. ...

Diamond and gemstone traders will have to wait a little longer this year for the world’s largest jewelry fair to take place. The Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem & Pearl Show, supposedly scheduled for March 2 to 6, has now been moved to May 18 to 21 by the event’s organisers due to the recent events related to the corona virus.  The traditional-tandem fair; the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show, which was supposed to be held on March 4 to 8 at the Wan Chai Convention center has been postponed and relocated this year as we...