Travel with GIA’s field gemology team to northern Vietnam as they explore local mining and trading communities, revealing the connection between gemstones and their origins.

Join GIA expert Dr. Aaron Palke as we unveil groundbreaking research confirming Ethiopia as a significant new source of copper-bearing paraíba tourmaline. Learn how these findings impact origin determination, identification methods, and the broader colored gemstone market as this new production enters the market.

An overview of the Summer 2026 Gems & Gemology content.

Characterizes silicon-aluminum-magnesium-zinc glass-ceramics and proposes identification criteria to distinguish these imitations from natural and laboratory-grown gemstones.

A bluish green translucent mineral is identified as aquamarine in a large pegmatite plate from Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Gemologists test a group of freshwater cultured pearls with rare colors ranging from deep purple to orange-red.

Needle-like hematite and rutile inclusions are identified in two six-rayed star quartz specimens.

A unique specimen of turquoise with yellow raindrop-like patterns is examined.

The gemological community mourns the loss of gem photography pioneer Harold Van Pelt.

Examines the gemological properties of red and orange spinel from Mogok, Myanmar, and Lang Chap and An Phu in Vietnam, using trace element chemistry to evaluate geographic origin.

Atypical absorption spectral features are observed in a natural pear brilliant diamond previously submitted as rough to GIA.

The Mumbai laboratory reports on a unique carved natural diamond set with two Zambian emeralds.

Examination of an extraordinarily large bead cultured pearl reveals an unusual internal structure characterized by widely spaced concentric nacre layers separated by translucent organic material.

The Bangkok laboratory documents the first reported discovery of microscopic marine organisms observed in South Sea cultured pearls at GIA.

A heat-treated Sri Lankan sapphire exhibits a rare reversible color change from very light blue to light yellow after short-wave UV exposure.

A purplish red oval mixed cut submitted as a ruby was recently identified as heat-treated spinel at the Hong Kong laboratory.

Vivid red to orange-red realgar inclusions are observed in a contact-twinned calcite host.

A mabe pearl exhibits an unusual pattern of intersecting subsurface channels, likely formed by shell-boring parasites.

Microscopic examination of a non-nacreous natural pearl reveals a distinctive pattern resembling leaves with intricate vein structures.

Several natural pearls in a multistrand necklace display an unusual reticulated surface texture with deep indentations and prominent ridges.