A gem dealer's journal — aigs

Hey Loungers, By now we have all heard of the legendary Lotus Gemology team. We all know via papers and interviews, the ruby & sapphire colossus, Richard W. Hughes, and his equally talented daughter, E. Billie Hughes. Yet little is known about the missing link in that trinity. Wimon Manorotkul is not only a talented gemmologist in her own right, and a skilled photographer to boot, But she is arguably the person that brought the other two members of her family to the world of gems. You read that right, she is the one who enrolled Richard for his first...

Hey Loungers,

Today we receive Vincent Pardieu, one of the most famous, if not the most famous field gemologist in activity. Vince has been working for AIGS, then Gübelin and rose to fame through his tenure at GIA as he started the Field Gemology department for the Bangkok chapter of the famous organisation.

Today, while providing independent services at “VP Consulting SPC”, he is affiliated to DANAT, the Bahrain based lab where he is building a reference collection. This endeavour allows him and his teams of cameramen and photographers to travel the world and go from mine to mine and further gemological knowledge worldwide.

Today, we’ll pick his brain about field gemology obviously, but also about his thoughts about the trade, the tendencies and of course about his favourite gems.

Without any further delays, we give you Vincent Pardieu!

Hey Loungers,  Today we will be taking a sweet trip down memory lane as we interview our pal, Spanish born and living in Japan: Jaume Labro, who will be telling us more about his art. The Lost Art of Mokumegane.  While many claim to being able to have perfected the technique, few have mastered that art at his level. He is one of the last person that the Japanese masters of old recognise as a Mokumegane master in his own right today. So, if like us, you want to learn more about this peculiar and highly interesting topic, read on!...

Hey Loungers,  While some of you may have already read our 2016 article on the topic, we figured that a little refresher probably couldn't hurt.  It is undeniable that nowadays the attraction for colour gem is on the rise yet, very few actually know what they are buying and this could lead to a somewhat rude awakening.  In this article we intend on discussing some of the main points that one needs to know when purchasing a gem such as: treatment, cut, clarity, carat weight, origin and of course the importance of a serious gemological report backing your purchase as well...

Hey Loungers,  As some of you may have seen from our Facebook page we have organised a pol asking whether you'd have us improve the website or make a series of ready made jewellery.  You have voted and 55% of you have decided for the ready made jewellery!   And so we are currently in the process of making said set of nice and cute, open colour, Tourmaline rings!  We are planning on unveiling the finished products by the second week of September as we'll visit the Cannes Yachting Festival with our buddies over at Margoulette! We were thinking of basing our new collection...