The Hidden Gem Podcast – Episode #4 with Hussain Alfardan: On a lifetime with natural pearls
Hussain Alfardan, one of the world's most influential collectors of natural pearls, joins Michael Krzemnicki and Laurent Cartier at GemGenève to share a lifetime spent with pearls.
The Hidden Gem Podcast – Episode #3 with Joanna Hardy: On gems and being custodians of what the earth provides
Jewellery historian and Antiques Roadshow specialist Joanna Hardy joins Laurent Cartier at Goldsmiths’ Hall in London to talk about a career built on curiosity — from a childhood spent surrounded by her godmother’s mineral cabinets, to sorting rough diamonds at De Beers in the 1980s, to writing definitive
The Hidden Gem Podcast – Episode #2 with Enzo Liverino: On precious coral, craftsmanship, and the heritage we pass on
Fourth-generation coral specialist Enzo Liverino joins Laurent Cartier to talk about precious coral — a material humans have prized for thousands of years, from Mediterranean fishermen to Tibet and the kings of Benin.
The Hidden Gem Podcast – Episode #1 with Helen Molesworth: On why gems and jewels touch every level of humanity
Jewellery historian and gemmologist Helen Molesworth joins Laurent Cartier at the V&A in London to explore why gems have captivated humanity for thousands of years.
Winza ruby with hollow tube as a helix
In late 2007, a new deposit of rubies was discovered near the village of Winza in central Tanzania, creating quite a stir in the trade due to the quality and vivid colour of these rubies.
Eclogitic orange-yellow diamonds coloured by the 480 nm band
We recently acquired three orange-yellow diamonds for the SSEF collection research. These diamonds immediately retained our attention when we did the UV-vis-NIR spectra to identify the defect at the origin of their colour.
Old cultured pearl necklaces
Recently, the SSEF received three pearl necklaces for testing. Each necklace had a clasp containing diamonds and what appeared to be a sapphire. The pearls were graduated in size, with a small knot separating each one.
Fissure filling in spinel
The practice of filling fissures with a colourless substance, such as oil, wax or artificial resin, has been common in the gemstone trade for many decades, if not centuries.
Bachelor thesis on heated blue zircon from different origins
Zircon (ZrSiO4) is a common accessory mineral found in rocks, as well as an inclusion in gemstones, primarily corundum. Zircon is also known as a gemstone in its own right, either colourless or in many attractive colours, the most popular of which is blue.
Spectrofluorometer: New instrument at SSEF
We have acquired a new instrument at SSEF: a JASCO FP-8550 spectrofluorometer. A spectrofluorometer is a device that can measure fluorescence excitation and emission spectra.