London: The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) has released the latest issue of its academic publication, The Journal of Gemmology, in collaboration with the Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF and with the support of the American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) and the Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand (GIT). The current issue (Vol. 34, No. 4, 2015), released on 21 January 2015, is packed with a wide array of new content, covering the latest news and research from the international gemmological community.
The issue features the articles: ‘The Rhodesian Star: An Exceptional Asteriated Diamond’ (by Dr Thomas Hainschwang, Franck Notari and Erik Vadaszi), ‘Objective Diamond Clarity Grading’ (by Michael D. Cowing), ‘A Comparison of R-line Photoluminescence of Emeralds from Different Origins’ (by Dr D. Brian Thompson, Joshua D. Kidd, Mikko Åström, Alberto Scarani and Christopher P. Smith) and ‘Green and Pink Tourmaline from Rwanda’ (by Dr Ulrich Henn and Fabian Schmitz).
In addition to this collection of outstanding articles, The Journal also delves into ‘What’s New’ in the industry by highlighting the GemmoFtir, Gemmological Society of Japan abstracts, historical facet designs, newsletters from the International Consortium of Gem-Testing Laboratories and pearl expert Elisabeth Strack (Margaritologia), proceedings from the Santa Fe Symposium on jewellery manufacturing technology and more. Furthermore, the issue features detailed listings of upcoming conferences, exhibits and other educational events to further the professional development of its readers.
Other sections that are sure to interest practicing gemmologists include ‘Practical Gemmology’ which documents visual optics and the birefringence/dispersion ratio of gemstones, and ‘Gem Notes’ which describes a variety of new and interesting materials, including almandine from Massachusetts, USA, colourless to near-colourless diopside from Canada and Kenya, amethyst from São Paulo State, Brazil, hessonite from Somalia and much more. The ‘Conferences’ section takes armchair travellers to visit the recent Gem-A Conference, GSSA Kimberley Diamond Symposium, NAJA’s Mid-year Conference and the World of Gems Conference. ‘New Media’ reviews several new books and lists the titles of many more, and ‘Literature of Interest’ points the reader toward recently published gemmological articles, some of which are downloadable for free.
Discussing the latest issue of The Journal of Gemmology, editor-in-chief Brendan Laurs stated: “With this issue of Volume 34, we complete the first year of the redesigned Journal of Gemmology. I believe The Journal has taken some very important steps over the last 12 months with returning to a quarterly publication schedule and the introduction of several useful sections for our readers. These changes have been very well received and have helped grow the circulation of The Journal during the past year. I look forward working on the continued growth of The Journal in both online and print formats, whilst maintaining The Journal’s position as a leading academic publication for gemmologists worldwide.”
All Gem-A members receive hardcopies and online access to quarterly editions The Journal of Gemmology and Gem-A’s other publication Gems&Jewellery (published nine times a year), along with a whole host of other features and benefits, for just £125 a year. In addition, The Journal is available by direct subscription to institutions and members of AGA, NAJA and AIJV. For more information on how to sign-up and get your copy, visit the Publications section of Gem-A’s website, where you can also sign-up for the Journal’s mailing list.
