REPORT FROM TUCSON 1999

DIAMONDS 

• Fashioned diamonds from the Ekati mine, Northwest Territories, Canada.
• Synthetic diamonds widely available.

  COLORED STONES AND ORGANIC MATERIALS 

• Cat's-eye andradite from San Benito County, California.
• An 'enhydro' emerald from Colombia.
• Abundant eudialyte.
• New cuts for Oregon sunstone.
• Near-colorless forsterite.
• 'Watermelon Garnet.'
• New deposits in India and Nepal.
• Iolite and other gems from Canada.
• Jasper 'planets.'
• Opal in matrix from Brazil.
• White and pastel Chinese freshwater cultured pearls.
• Drusy quartz 'leaves.'
• Twelve-rayed star quartz from Sri Lanka.
• New finds of spessartine in Brazil.

• 'Blatant' dyed pearls.

• Fused silica glass, sold as 'cultured snow quartz.'
• Blue slag glass from Sweden, resembling opal.
• Imitation 'Chinese freshwater' cultured pearls.
• Synthetic zincite possibly represented as sphalerite.

• Drill holes as design elements: Michael M. Dyber and 'Luminaires.'
• Using mineralogical techniques to solve gemological problems, part 1: Internal 'Becke lines' in spinel.
• Using mineralogical techniques to solve gemological problems, part 2: 'Plato lines' and growth structures in synthetic corundum.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Nature of Diamonds at the San Diego Natural History Museum.
• New exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum.
• International Gemological Symposium.
• Gemstones in upcoming scientific meetings.

Editors:
Mary L. Johnson and John I. Koivula
 
Contributing Editors:
Dino DeGhionno - GIA GTL, Carlsbad, California
Shane F. McClure - GIA GTL, Carlsbad, California
Emmanuel Fritsch, IMN, University of Nantes, France
Henry A. Hänni, SSEF, Basel, Switzerland
Karl Schmetzer, Peterhausen, Germany

Appears on pages 47-60