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Best of…

 A selection of the best of eclectic articles at Ruby-Sapphire.com.

Articles

Complete listing of articles in all subjects at Ruby-Sapphire.com.

Ruby & Sapphire

Explore various topics relating to ruby and sapphire (corundum), from sources to treatments to identification.

Jade

Known as the "stone of heaven," jade is little known outside of China. Richard Hughes draws back the curtain on this beguiling gem.  

Sources

From Myanmar to Madagascar, Thailand to Tajikistan,  travel with Richard Hughes to the ends of the earth in search of precious stones.  

Gemology

Ruby-Sapphire.com features dozens of articles on all aspects of gemology, from the laboratory to the field.  

Digital Devil

Archive of Richard Hughes' notorious Digital Devil column.  

Instruments

Tutorials on the use of gemological instruments.  

Politics

From the gem trade to the world outside, Richard Hughes pokes his pointed pen into politically impolite places.  

History

Articles on the history of precious stones.  

Gem Books

A curated list of the most important books on gems, gemology, jewelry, mineralogy and allied fields.  

Image Galleries

Image galleries from around the world.  

Get the books


Inside Out • Gemology Through Lotus-Colored Glasses

INSIDE OUT • GEM•ology Through Lotus-Colored Glasses
(Now Shipping)

"It can be so easy to look at a gem or piece of jewelry and forget how many people were involved in bringing it to market. Now, one Bangkok lab is releasing a book to remind the world of the human aspect behind colored gemstones.."

Brecken Branstrator, National Jeweler

Ruby & Sapphire: A Gemologist's Guide

RUBY & SAPPHIRE • A Gemologist's Guide
(2017)

"The attention to detail is such as to make it the holy book of corundum. It simply has no comparable."

Stuart Robertson, The GemGuide

Ruby & Sapphire  •  A Collector's Guide (2014)

RUBY & SAPPHIRE • A Collector's Guide 
(2014)

"…Probably the most significant book to have emerged recently from the gemology world, but more importantly it transcends that genre to delight a far wider audience."

Elise Skalwold, Rocks & Minerals Magazine


hw cover

THE BOOK OF RUBY & SAPPHIRE
from an unpublished 1934 manuscript by J.F. Halford-Watkins
(2012)