This Week

in the Roskin Gem News Report

On June 19, the special exhibition To the Ball at the Castle opened at Gavnø Castle, a magnificent 1402 historic estate on the small Danish island of Gavnø, just south of Næstved.

Within the castle's grand halls, visitors can experience 33 headpieces and hair ornaments, most created especially for the exhibition by some of Denmark's finest goldsmiths and jewelry designers, alongside internationally recognized jewelry artists.

◈ Note: We often think of tiaras as royal heirlooms locked away in palace vaults. This exhibition turns that idea on its head. Here, contemporary jewelry artists were invited to re-imagine what a tiara—or any head ornament—might look like today.

The exhibition was conceived and curated by jewelry writer Nina Hald, with exhibition design by goldsmith Bodil Binner. It draws on today's fascination with balls and diadems, from the runaway success of Netflix's Bridgerton to the graceful ballerinas who waltz through Schönbrunn Palace during Vienna's traditional New Year's Concert.

◈ Note: While popular culture may have renewed interest in tiaras, the jewelry on display here is anything but traditional—less about royalty and more about creativity. These are one-of-a-kind works of contemporary jewelry art.



The designs of the headpieces—including tiaras, diadems, hair clips, pins, and combs—are remarkably diverse. In both a literal and symbolic sense, they represent the crowning achievement reserved for life's most special occasions.

No other piece of jewelry represents power, rank, and wealth to such a degree, and we naturally associate the tiara with royalty and tradition. But what does a modern headpiece look like?

This wonderful tiara exhibition at Gavnø Castle offers its own spectacular answer. The exhibition explores how this centuries-old form is interpreted today while showcasing exceptional craftsmanship.

◈ Note: The answers are wonderfully varied. Inspiration comes from Scottish legends, ballet, butterflies, cherry blossoms, architecture, family history, gemstones, the devastating fire at Copenhagen's historic Stock Exchange—and even onions. Some pieces could easily be imagined at a royal gala, while others blur the line between jewelry and sculpture.

To the Ball at the Castle is curator Nina Hald's fifteenth jewelry exhibition. It opened on June 19 and continues through November 15. A catalogue has been published in conjunction with the exhibition.

A cultural program consisting of artist talks with the exhibition's participants and guided tours by the curator and Gavnø's guides will be published on the castle's website: www.gavnoe.dk

Tap here to see many of the remarkable creations
on display at Gavnø Castle!

Caption: Her Majesty Queen Mary tours "To the Ball at the Castle" with exhibition curator Nina Hald (right) at Gavnø Castle.
 - Photographer Kasper Søgaard Alstrup, Ritzau. 

The mid-June New York Fine Watches auction at Sotheby's featured several gem-set timepieces that caught our attention, from a demantoid-encrusted brooch watch, an ultra-thin sapphire-and-diamond pendant watch, to a diamond-set skeleton watch.

In this quick peek, we have for you the following gem-set watches:

Cartier

Libre Froissée | An 18 karat white gold and diamond-set asymmetric wristwatch, Circa 2009, seen here.

Patek Philippe

Retailed by Tiffany & Co., a 1902 demantoid- and diamond-set yellow gold brooch watch, that really embraces the period (seen here). Dozens of demantoids, too many to count!

Piaget

A white gold, diamond, and sapphire-set open-faced keyless pendant watch, Circa 1980. We believe you will be impressed by how thin this watch is. It is such a simple and elegant design.

Piaget

An 18 karat white gold and diamond-set bracelet watch with opal dial, Circa 1980. The opal may be crazed, but it is still beautiful. The 44 marquise surround is worth checking out.

Chopard

An 18 karat white gold bracelet watch with mother-of-pearl and diamond dial, Circa 1995. An interesting concept dial, with a definite appeal.

Gérald Genta

An 18 karat white gold and diamond-set skeletonized wristwatch, Circa 1990. It's a wonderful look to see the diamonds in the dial appearing to be floating in air.

Tap here to see the gem-set watches in this
auction catalogue worthy of your time.

The international gemological community has lost one of its great teachers.

Professor Mimi Ou Yang Chiu Mei, founder of the Hong Kong Gems Laboratory and the Hong Kong Institute of Gemmology, has passed away at the age of 92.

Who was Professor Mimi?

If you have ever heard the term "Type A jade," then you have already encountered Professor Mimi Ou Yang's work.

Known around the world as "The Jade Lady," Professor Mimi devoted her life to the study, teaching, and promotion of Fei Cui jade.

Her research helped transform the scientific understanding of jade, while her work in gemological education influenced generations of students throughout Hong Kong, mainland China, and beyond.

◈

As Cath Hill, Chief Executive Officer of Gem-A, wrote:

"She was a passionate proponent of gemmological education and champion of Gem-A for many years."

◈

During the 1980s, as treated jade began appearing in the marketplace, Professor Mimi developed the treatment classifications that would become the international language of jade treatment disclosure: Type A, Type B, Type C, and Type B+C jade. Today, those terms are used by laboratories, dealers, auction houses, and consumers around the world.

Just as Richard T. Liddicoat's diamond grading terminology became the internationally accepted language of diamond quality, Professor Mimi's jade treatment classifications became the language of modern jade disclosure.

But her contributions extended far beyond jade treatment disclosure. She helped bring Gem-A education to Chinese-speaking students and spent more than six decades teaching geology, gemology, and Fei Cui studies.

She once said:

"I am a scholar. I must tell the truth to the world."

Tap here to read our remembrance of Professor Mimi Ou Yang's life, research, and contributions to gemology.

Two hundred tonnes of rock and sediment. Five rough diamonds. Just 1.22 carats.

5 but really only 2

This was the result of recent bulk-sample testing at the Baloda-Belmundi Diamond Block in India's Chhattisgarh state, where exploration geologists unearthed five diamond crystals—only two of them classified as gem-quality. The remaining three were classified as industrial or near-gem material.

While the discovery confirms diamond mineralization in this area, officials caution that much more exploration will be needed before the deposit's commercial potential can be determined.

Surat diamond cutters are impatiently waiting.

Still Rare

The find also serves as a reminder of just how rare gem-quality diamonds really are. After processing nearly 200 tonnes of mineral-bearing material, explorers recovered just two gem-quality crystals. 

How Far from Golconda?

The new exploration area is located roughly 850 kilometers (about a 16-hour drive) from India's historic Golconda diamond mining region, traditionally associated with many of history's most celebrated diamonds, including the Koh-i-Noor and the Tavernier Blue—the remarkable blue crystal fashioned into the French Blue for King Louis XIV, stolen during the French Revolution, later recut to disguise its identity, and today celebrated as the Hope Diamond.

Even in one of history's great diamond-producing countries, the numbers offer a simple reminder: gem-quality diamonds remain among nature's rarest treasures.

◈

Philipp Munsteiner - Unheated Tanzanite - Munsteiner Cut

This magnificent gem weighs 122.50 carats.

The original weight of the rough was 75 grams (375 carats).

Philipp spent several weeks creating this masterpiece.

Tap here to see more Munsteiner designs

Caption: "Black and Gold." A pyrite crystal in natural rock crystal quartz.

The latest image from Billie Hughes, a beautiful, perfectly formed, golden color pyrite crystal in natural rock crystal quartz. It looks like the crystal, just coming out of the freezer, has been dropped into a glass of carbonated liquid quartz, where the pyrite is just starting to cause tiny bubbles of effervescence.

What do you see?

◈

Enhancements: None Detected (None)

Lighting Conditions: Dark Field + Diffuse Fiber Optic



Photo: E. Billie Hughes/Lotus Gemology

◈

E. Billie Hughes, FGA, is a co-founder of Bangkok-based Lotus Gemology, a respected gemological laboratory and educational resource.

Tap Here see more about this
 and other inclusion images at LotusGemology.com!


… and Tap Here for more of Billie Hughes’ images right here!

The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) has launched the latest issue of its flagship scientific publication, The Journal of Gemmology.

The latest issue of The Journal features new research on sapphire heat-treatment detection, jadeite and omphacite from Kazakhstan, gem-quality hurlbutite from Myanmar, and historic emerald-set rings whose emeralds appear to have originated from Pakistan.

One of the issue's featured studies examines blue sapphires from Sri Lanka and Madagascar that are naturally enriched in high-field-strength elements (HFSE), a chemistry that can complicate efforts to determine whether the stones have been heat treated.

Also included are reports on iridescent andradite from Niger (seen here on the cover), near-colorless grossular from Tanzania, tanzanite from Kenya, an unusual Type IIa diamond showing atypical phosphorescence, and synthetic sapphires produced to resemble Paraíba-type tourmaline.

Editor-in-Chief Brendan Laurs said the issue reflects the diversity of current gemmological research, a theme that will continue at Gem-A's Conference in London this November.

Published quarterly by Gem-A in collaboration with SSEF, The Journal of Gemmology is available to Gem-A members, while older issues and a cumulative index dating back to 1947 are freely accessible through the Journal's online archive.

Tap here to go directly to the Gem-A Website to log in or sign up.

Here is your official invitation, "to enter one of the most prestigious jewelry design competitions in the world."

The AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards have opened entries for the 2026 competition.

These awards recognize the designers and lapidary artists "who push the boundaries of what's possible with color."

Winners earn worldwide press coverage, set the trends the industry follows, and recognition that stays with your career forever.

This year brings two new recognitions: the Innovative Design Award, and the inaugural Stuller Color of the Year Award.

Entries are open now, with an Early Bird deadline of September 25, 2026 and a final deadline of October 9, 2026. 

Tap here for all the details and entry form.

What gems would you choose to represent red, white, and blue?

Ruby, diamond, and sapphire might be the obvious answer.

But to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, GIA looked beyond the familiar and assembled a pictorial collection of gems that explores America's colors in some more gemologically interesting ways.

Among the selections are a colorless zircon, a dumortierite included within quartz (seen here), and perhaps the most unexpected piece in the collection, a carved ruby bust of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.

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According to GIA, the collection demonstrates that red, white, and blue are not single colors in gemology. Trace elements, crystal structure, and the interaction of light within a gemstone all influence how those colors appear.

The red category ranges from ruby and spinel to rhodochrosite and one of America's rarest gemstones, red beryl.

For white, GIA chose colorless zircon, beryllonite, apophyllite, and pearl, showing that "white" (mainly colorless) gemstones can display brilliance, fire, transparency, and luster in very different ways.

And finally, blue extends far beyond sapphire, with blue spinel, euclase, and benitoite, California's state gemstone, illustrating the remarkable variety found within a single color.

Tap here to explore GIA's red, white, and blue gems!

AUGUST

The 23rd annual Australian Opal Exhibition

Trade Only

Southport, Queensland, Australia

– August 5-6, 2025

66th NAJA ACE©it

Mid Year Virtual Education Conference

August 8 – 9, 2026

Time & Shine Jewellery Trade Show

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

– August 16-17, 2026

The International Jewellery & Watch Fairs

Sydney, Australia

– August 22-24, 2026

Japan Jewellery Fair – Informa Markets

Tokyo, Japan

– August 26-28, 2026

SEPTEMBER

The Jewellery Show

Olympia, London, UK

– September 2-3, 2026

VicenzaOro

Vicenza, Italy

– September 4-8, 2026



Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair

Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand

74th Edition – Bangkok, Thailand

– September 8-12, 2026

HardRock Summit

Westminster, Colorado, USA

– September 10-13, 2026 (inside)

– September 10-18, 2026 (outside)

Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong – Informa Markets

Hong Kong, China

NEW DATES

– September 14-18, 2026 AWE

– September 16-20, 2026 HKCEC

AGS Conclave

September 14-17, 2026

Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate

Orlando, Florida, USA

Madridjoya

Madrid, Spain

– September 24-27, 2026

InStore – Chicago

Chicago (Rosemont), Illinois, USA

– September 27-28, 2026

Tap here for the full year global trade show calendar

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Gary Roskin

Roskin Gem News Report

#1.) When Price Becomes Secondary to Availability

Why GemGuide Changed the Way it Prices Burmese Ruby

Gary Roskin

Roskin Gem News Report

Prior to the release of the July/August 2026 issue, GemGuide has updated ruby prices... and you may be in for a little sticker shock.

To start, rubies from Mozambique have increased in price.

Additionally, there have been changes to the Burmese ruby pricing charts.

What has happened?

Scarcity of material in the unenhanced Burma ruby category has created the situation where price is secondary to availability.

Sourcing fine material is now very difficult.

And due to the lack of availability, offering pricing across GemGuide’s traditional 1-to-10 quality range is no longer practical.

So starting with the July/August 2026 issue, the Corundum-Ruby ("Attributed to Burma, Unenhanced") chart will provide pricing for only four grades.

They are:

▻ 3 (Middle Commercial)

▻ 5 (Lower Good)

▻ 8 (Upper Fine)

and

▻ 10 (Upper Extra Fine)

Need to price other grades? To price other grades, GemGuide users should interpolate from the listed categories.

Tap here to find out what happens when Burmese ruby becomes so scarce that even the researchers can't find enough material to confidently price it.

#2.) Does the Emerald Still Match the Report?

SSEF Issues Trade Alert After Identifying Re-Filled Emeralds Accompanied by Earlier "No or Minor Enhancement" Reports

Gary Roskin

Roskin Gem News Report

Okay, picture this:

Before an emerald is offered for sale, it is cleaned (meaning, the oils or resins are removed from any fissures).

A laboratory then examines the stone and reports that there is little or no clarity enhancement.

Later, the emerald's fissures are re-filled with oils or resins.

And here is where it gets troublesome - the stone is not resubmitted to the laboratory for an enhancement disclosure update.

Instead, the now-filled emerald is being offered with the original report stating there is little or no clarity enhancement.

Trouble with a Capital T

And this is where SSEF says the problem begins.

To be clear, the concern is not the filling itself. Filling fissures has long been an accepted practice when properly disclosed.

The concern here is when a gemstone's enhancement status changes after laboratory testing, but the original report continues to accompany the stone.

Why does this matter?

Because the degree of clarity enhancement can affect value. An emerald reported as having little or no enhancement may be worth more than a similar stone showing moderate or significant enhancement.

In other words, buyers may be relying on a report that no longer accurately reflects the stone being offered for sale.

According to a new trade alert from SSEF, the Swiss Gemmological Institute, that sequence of events is occurring often enough in today's emerald market that the laboratory felt compelled to issue a warning to the trade.

SSEF says it encounters such cases several times each year.

Tap here to understand the concerns,

and to get SSEF's recommendations

Two weeks in a row ...

#3.) Beyond the Blue

Sotheby's Geneva High Jewelry Sale
Delivers Plenty of Surprises

Gary Roskin

Roskin Gem News Report

Yes, the Fancy Vivid Blue diamond didn't sell.

We know. That's the headline everybody saw.

But if you stopped there, you missed some of the most interesting jewels in Sotheby's Geneva High Jewelry auction.



A pair of perfectly matched De Beers diamonds—one perfect, one nearly perfect.

A 102.40-carat unheated sapphire known as The Peacock of Ceylon.

Nearly 359 carats of Colombian emeralds gathered into a single spectacular necklace.

A rare Art Deco cravate necklace by Lacloche Frères that more than doubled its high estimate—and converts into a pair of bracelets.

A pair of unheated Ceylon sapphire earrings featuring sapphires weighing more than 30 carats each.

And then there was the Burmese ruby.

Not because of its price.

Not because of its size.

Because of something unusual in the laboratory report that made us do a double take.

The blue diamond may have generated the headlines, but it was far from the only story in Geneva.

Tap here to see what else was happening in Sotheby's High Jewelry sale while everyone was talking about the blue diamond.