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, with the support of the American Gemological Laboratories (AGL). The current issue (Vol. 34, No. 8), released on 15 January 2016, 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: ‘From Exsolution to ‘Gold Sheen’: A New Variety of Corundum’ (by Thanh Nhan Bui, Katerina Deliousi, Tanzim Khan Malik and Katrien De Corte), ‘Age Determination of Zircon Inclusions in Faceted Sapphires’ (by Klemens Link) and ‘Identification of a CVD Synthetic Diamond with a ‘Tree Ring’ Growth Pattern’ (by Yan Lan, Rong Liang, Taijin Lu, Yong Zhu, Tianyang Zhang, Xuan Wang, Jian Zhang, Hong Ma and Zhonghua Song).
In addition to this collection of ground-breaking new articles, The Journal also delves into ‘What’s New’ in the industry by highlighting new technologies such as the M-Screen melee screening device, the Presidium Synthetic Diamond Screener and the Spekwin32 software, as well as new publications such as the CIBJO coral book, Bain’s annual report on the global diamond industry 2015, the ICGL Newsletter, and much more. Furthermore, the issue features a listing 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 the Kerez effect in green tourmaline, as well as ‘Gem Notes’, which describes a variety of new and interesting materials from East Africa, Myanmar and elsewhere. The ‘Conferences’ section features reviews of recent events such as the Canadian Gemmological Association’s conference, the First World Emerald Symposium and the Gem-A Conference and 18th FEEG Symposium. ‘New Media’ reviews two 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. The issue concludes with an index to Volume 34 (Nos. 1–8, 2014–2015).
Discussing the latest issue of The Journal of Gemmology, editor-in-chief Brendan Laurs stated: “Packed with information, this final issue of Volume 34 covers a variety of coloured stone and diamond topics, while keeping the reader informed about timely and newsworthy gemmological developments, technology and research results.”
