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Gem Analysis

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Gems and Gemmology

Part of the book series: Short Introductions to Cultural Heritage Science ((SICHS))

  • The original version of this chapter was revised: New figures are updated with new captions and few figures are updated without changing their captions. The correction to this chapter is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35449-7_6

Abstract

The main scope of gem analysis is the identification of a gem, finding out the material of which it is made, whether it is natural or synthetic and if it has been treated/enhanced. The identification depends to some extent on whether the gems are in the rough state, polished, cut, and even on the way in which they are mounted. Sometimes gems mounted in jewellery limit the potential use of analysis and the conclusions are drawn using only limited methods. The geographic origin of gems is also an important part of gem analysis, as some stones are more in demand if they are from a more reputable or popular deposit are of higher value than sapphires from another mining area. In parallel geographic origin determination can also give valuable clues regarding ethical concerns as well as archaeological questions (e.g., help to trace ancient trade routes via geographic origin determination of gems found in jewellery of archaeological interest). Gem analysis should be non-destructive or rarely minimally (i.e., at micron level) destructive. Instrumentation used for gem analysis could be divided in two major groups: tools for practical gemmology and advanced laboratory instruments. Practical gemmology requires basic tools which are fast, easy to transport and non-destructive; most of them are available in gemmological laboratories, sometimes also in jewellery shops. They are also used by buyers in gem markets. Laboratory instruments are more complex, requiring scientific background and specialized training. Some instruments appear in a portable and/or mobile version. These versions are useful to study unmovable precious gems and jewels present in collections and museums or to characterize gems directly in the field, in their deposits or outcrops. In some cases, large facilities for research scopes are also used.

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Change history

  • 08 December 2021

    The original version of the book was revised to replace a number of figures as follows.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Français de Gemmologie (LFG), Paris, France

    Stefanos Karampelas

  2. Gubelin Gem Lab, Lucerne, Switzerland

    Lore Kiefert

  3. Department of Mathematical, Physical and Computer Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Italy

    Danilo Bersani

  4. Department of Archaeology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Peter Vandenabeele

Authors
  1. Stefanos Karampelas
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  2. Lore Kiefert
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  3. Danilo Bersani
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  4. Peter Vandenabeele
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Karampelas, S., Kiefert, L., Bersani, D., Vandenabeele, P. (2020). Gem Analysis. In: Gems and Gemmology. Short Introductions to Cultural Heritage Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35449-7_3

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