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In Memoriam: Ellie Thompson — Chicago Jewelry Designer and Gemologist / October 18, 1966...
Chicago jewelry designer and gemologist Ellie Thompson passed away on July 30, 2026. She was 59 years old.
Ellie was born in Rochester, New York in 1966, and spent her...
A Remembrance: Ellie Thompson
Ellie ThompsonChicago Jewelry Designer and GemologistOctober 18, 1966 – July 30, 2026
I first met Ellie Thompson in Santa Monica, California, just after she had graduated from the Gemological Institute...
Steinbach in France: The 61st Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines Mineral and Gem Show 2026
There Are Gem Shows — and there is Sainte-Marie
Martin Steinbach reports for The Roskin Gem News Report from the 61st Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines Mineral & Gem Show
Martin P. Steinbach, Idar-Oberstein, Germany
Introduction
“Edition...
GIA and Gübelin Gem Lab: Ethiopia Confirmed as a New Source of Paraiba Tourmaline
It's official!
Ethiopia is a new source for paraiba tourmaline.
GIA and the Gübelin Gem Lab have now independently confirmed that Ethiopia is the world's fourth geographic source of paraiba tourmaline....
Ethiopia’s Paraiba Rush: Haimanot Sisay’s First-Hand Field Report in IGR
We've looked at the laboratory reports. Now, here's a look at what's actually happening at the mine.
Ethiopian gemologist Haimanot Sisay traveled to the new tourmaline mining area near Abuloo...
REMINDER! Coming Up: NAJA’s 66th ACE©it Mid-Year Virtual Education Conference — This Weekend!
◈ Still time to register and attend(and/or view the recordings later - Conference Program will be recordedand available until midnight on Sunday, September 20, 2026)
THE PROGRAM
Garnet history, art jewelry,...
AGTA Updates Its Gemstone Information Manual and Code of Ethics – It’s More Than...
New enhancement symbols, updated treatment and care guidance— and a change in terminology for synthetic gemstones
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There's more to the American Gem Trade Association's newly released 17th edition of its...
The 74th Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair: Events and Activities
The 74th Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair: Events and Activities
Color stability, Turkish diaspore, jade origin, pearl testing,diamond fluorescence, emerald color mapping — and lab and field notes from Billie...
The Brazilian Challenge: Bringing Artisanal Miners Into the System — and Building Communities that...
by Emily “D.D.” Frontiere - Contributing Editor - for the Roskin Gem News Report -
-- Brazil is one of the most important colored gemstone locales in the world,...
GIA and Gübelin Gem Lab: Ethiopia Confirmed as a New Source of Paraiba Tourmaline
It's official!
Ethiopia is a new source for paraiba tourmaline.
GIA and the Gübelin Gem Lab have now independently confirmed that Ethiopia is the world's fourth geographic source of paraiba tourmaline....
Ethiopia’s Paraiba Rush: Haimanot Sisay’s First-Hand Field Report in IGR
We've looked at the laboratory reports. Now, here's a look at what's actually happening at the mine.
Ethiopian gemologist Haimanot Sisay traveled to the new tourmaline mining area near Abuloo...
AGTA Updates Its Gemstone Information Manual and Code of Ethics – It’s More Than...
New enhancement symbols, updated treatment and care guidance— and a change in terminology for synthetic gemstones
◈
There's more to the American Gem Trade Association's newly released 17th edition of its...
Stone-Faced Watches: Time Is Set in Stone
On the face of it, there's nothing terribly unusual about a watch dial.
But face the facts. Watchmakers have been getting a little stone-faced lately.
Aventurine, lapis lazuli, malachite, opal, pietersite...
Gems on Mars? Rubies, Opals and the Hottest New Gem from Jezero Crater
Martian Rocks: Corundum. Chromium. Opal. Chalcedony. Quartz. And now natural glass formed by meteorite impacts.
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'Very Unexpected'NASA Rover Zapped a Rock on Mars And Found a Gemstone Surprise
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NASA's Mars rovers...
DIAMOND NEWS
Canada Falls, Synthetics Rise, and the Diamond Market Splits in Two: Jon Phillips and...
"It’s been a tough few years in the natural diamond market," notes Jon Phillips, "seriously challenged by synthetics, lower demand and shrinking supply."
"How will natural diamonds do when assailed...
OBJECTIVE DIAMOND CLARITY GRADING: We Think We’re Being Subjective, but Our Brain is Doing...
Diamond clarity grading has always been considered subjective. An experienced grader looks at a diamond and says, “That looks like a solid SI₁ to me.” But why? What is...
De Beers: How Did We Go From $39 Billion to $1 Billion? The Answer...
For the past two+ years, the headlines have come quickly.
A $39 billion takeover bid for Anglo American by BHP. Anglo American puts De Beers up for sale.Diamond production cuts....
Van Cleef & Arpels Revisits Egyptian Revival at Vienna’s MAK Museum (and in its...
This summer, Van Cleef & Arpels reminds us how "ordinary" gem materials can be transformed into extraordinary jewels. Lapis lazuli. Turquoise. Coral. Black onyx. Malachite. Chrysoprase. Sometimes the magic...
GemGuide Updates Old European Diamond Prices
GemGuide has updated its Old European-cut diamond prices, decreasing them across all sizes. The revised prices are available now in the GemGuide Pricing App and will also appear in...
Diamonds, Gold, and Platinum: South Africa Is Still a Mining Giant—But the Rankings Have...
Mention South African mining and most of us immediately think of diamonds and gold. The country that gave us the Kimberley Mine, the Cullinan diamond and the Witwatersrand goldfields...
ANTIQUE & ESTATE GEM NEWS
Paying Attention to the Details: A.R. Wild, a 1922 Tourmaline — and the Art...
A.R. WILD 22 ... It is a small signature on a rather large tourmaline. The 38 × 24 mm green tourmaline we are referring to is the centerpiece of...
Heritage Auctions’ Upcoming Fine Jewelry Sale: What Caught Our Eye This Time
You will often see auction previews here in the Roskin Gem News Report. We love to highlight the High Jewelry, Magnificent Jewels and Royal Jewels auctions, simply because they...
United States Patent Office: Process for the Manufacture of Artificial Pearls
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We continue with our ongoing series of gem-related patents dating back more than a century,uncovered and shared by William “Bill” D. Hoefer Jr., GG (GIA), FGA — educator, expert...
Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim Presents “Silver Lining” – Diamonds, Gemstones and the Changing Role of Silver
Three exhibitions are now on view at the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim in Pforzheim, Germany. They remind us of what silver has done for jewelry — and what it is doing...
Royal Treasures Take Center Stage in Lisbon
Crowns, tiaras, historic gemstones and royal jewels come together at Lisbon's Royal Treasure Museum forTREASURES 2026, November 13–14.
The Royal Treasure Museum in Lisbon, Portugal, will bring together museum curators,...
Louvre Heist Update: The Thieves Are Talking, but the Crown Jewels Are Still Missing
Nine months after one of the most brazen museum jewelry thefts in modern history, two of the men accused of carrying out the October 2025 robbery at the Louvre...
CELEBRITY GEM NEWS
Rolex Creates Four One-of-a-Kind Daytonas: A Time for All Seasons
Four One-of-a-Kind Daytonas Head to Auction — Dials and Subdials Made of Chrysoprase, Lepidolite, Turquoise, Ruby, Mookaite, Opal and Lapis,with Bezels and Hour Markers Set with Sapphires, Diamonds and...
Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Necklace Stolen: 41 Hammer Blows to the Glass —...
Queen Nazli of Egypt's historic Van Cleef & Arpels diamond necklacehas been stolen from the MAK in Vienna— just weeks before the museum's “Glanzstücke” exhibition was scheduled to close.
Forty-one...
Accredited Gemologists Association: 2026 Celebrity Gemologist Interview featuring Christopher Smith of American Gemological Laboratories
2026 Celebrity Gemologist Interview featuring Christopher Smith of American Gemological LaboratoriesTuesday, August 18, 2026, 10am PDT
NEW DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED
Christopher P. Smith, President and Chief Gemologist of American Gemological...
The Bride of Frankenstein Necklace: A Masterclass in Jewelry Provenance
A chance discovery in a Berkeley antique shop became an eight-decade provenance investigation—showing how research can become the most valuable part of a piece of jewelry.
What would you do...
Tiaras Fit for a Queen… Created for an Exhibition
When Her Majesty Queen Mary recently visited Gavnø Castle in Denmark, she wasn't there to admire the Danish Crown Jewels.
Instead, she came to explore an exhibition of contemporary headpieces...
A Different Kind of Brilliance: Argyle Names 2026 “Rare Gem”
Argyle Pink Diamonds™ and West Australian Ballet are delighted to announceIsabella Triscari as their Rare Gem for 2026.The second year of a unique program, the Rare Gems partnership supportsthe talented dancers from the...
