Gem Graders

08/02/2023

07/06/2023

Ever seen a drop of dew catching the morning sun? Imagine that brilliance crafted into a diamond! Meet the briolette cut, a symmetrical drop-shaped marvel. This exquisite 50.05 carat diamond, graded D-Flawless by GIA, showcases the briolette cut. This gem was also classified as type IIa, the most chemically pure type of diamond.

Courtesy: Diacore. Photo: Robert Weldon/ GIA

04/11/2023

The Greater Cleveland AGS Guild in partnership with the Cleveland GIA Alumni Collective present:

Click here to see a...

03/29/2023

Sphene is a gem that is typically yellow, green, orange or brown in color. Its most notable feature is its incredible fire, which results from its high dispersion.

A drawback to sphene is its hardness (5 to 5.5 on the Mohs scale). It is softer than many gems, which means it should be set in a protective setting and treated with care, especially when worn in a ring.

Seen here is a 16.90 carat oval green sphene.

Courtesy: Kat Florence Atelier

01/26/2023

01/06/2023

No two gems are exactly alike. Each gem has a unique set of inclusions and crystal deformations that serve as its "fingerprint." Sometimes, these inclusions literally look like fingerprints!

This purple sapphire from Sri Lanka has what's known by gemologists as a "fingerprint" inclusion. These inclusions consist of arrays of tiny fluid or multiphase inclusions that result from the thermal healing of cracks in the growth environment. Inclusions can be used to help determine if a sapphire is natural and whether it has been heat treated. The intact appearance of this inclusion indicates this sapphire is unheated. Field of view 3.74 mm.

Photo: Nathan Renfro/ GIA.

01/04/2023

12/19/2022

Seen here is a gold and silver Torah crown set with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, amethysts and turquoises. Torah crowns are created to cover, protect and adorn the Torah scroll, a parchment handwritten with the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. These stunning, cylindrical Torah crowns were made in many countries, but this particular one was likely created in Vienna, Austria, circa 1825.

Photo: VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images