Volume 24 No. 7. july 199g The Journal of Gemmology The Gemmological Association and Gem Testing Laboratory of Great Britain President E.M. Bruton Vice-Presidents A.E. Farn, D.G. Kent, RK. Mitchell Honorary Fellows R.T. Liddicoat Jn1'., E. Miles, K. Nassau, E.!\. Thomson Honorary Life Members D.J. Callaghan, E.A. Jobbins Council of Management CR Cavey, T.J. Davidson, N.W. Decks, E.C Emrns, RR Harding, 1. Thomson, V.I'. Watson Members' Council A.J. Allnutt, P.J.E. Daly, P. Dwyer-Hickey, R Fuller, B. Jackson, J. Kessler, C. Monnickendam, L. Music, J.B. Nelson, K. Penton, P.G. Read, 1. Roberts, R Shepherd, R Velden, CH. Winter Branch Chairmen Midlands: J.W. Porter North West: 1. Knight Examiners A.J. Allnutt, MSc., Ph.D., rCA L. Bartlett, BSc., M.Phil., FCA, DCA E.M. Bruton, FCA, DCA CR Cavey, FCA S. Coelho, BSc., rCA, DCA AT Collins, BSc., Ph.D. B. Jackson, FCA, E.A. [obbins, BSc., CEng., fIMM, FCA C.B. Jones, BSc., Ph.D., FCA D.C. Kent, FCA R.D. Ross, BSc., FCA P. Sadler, SSc., PGS, PCA, DCA E. Stern, rCA, DCA Prof. 1. Sunagawa, DSc. M. Tilley, GC, FCA C Woodward. BSc., FCA, DCA The Gemmological Association and Gem Testing Laboratory of Great Britain 27 Greville Street, London ECIN 8SU Telephone: 071-404 3334 Fax: 071-404 8843 The Journal of Gemmology VOLUME 24 NUMBER 7 JULY 1995 Editor Dr R.R. Harding Production Editor ] M.A. Burland Assistant Editors M.J. O'Donoghue P.G. Read Associate Editors j S.M. Anderson London DrCEü.Arps Leiden ] G. Bosshart Lucerne Dr A.T. Collins London Dr J.W. Harris Glasgow Prof, R.A. Howie Derbyshuœ DrJ.M. Ogden Cambridge DrJ.E. Shigley Santa Monica Prof. D.C Smith Paris E. Stern London Prof. I. Sunagawa Tokyo Dr M. Superchi Milan CM. Woodward London Any opinions expressed in The Journal cf Gemmology are understood to be the views of the j I contributors and not necessarily of the publishers, j Cover Picture Interference colours from cleavage in gem sphalerite. Photograph by Wilma van Opstal, FGA (see Photographic Competition, p.523) ISSN: 1355-4565 466 J. Gemm., 1995, 24, 7 In this issue... The GAGTL Photographic Competition in the gem world and it formed the subject this year again drew from members some of Professor Sunagawa's keynote lecture at beautiful images. The competition theme the last GAGTL Annual Conference. The was "The spectrum of gemstones' and this distinctive features of natural and synthetic allowed a wide choice of interpretation of diamond are described and related to their the spectra displayed by gems, of interfer­ origins and to how they may be recog­ ence phenomena, of multi-coloured nized. jewellery or of the colour range shown by a Treated jadeite is another important gem particular gem species. It also allowed the material which can stretch the capabilities demonstration of some newer techniques of those with only basic gem testing equip­ which enable initially more obscure fea­ ment. However methods are now tures of a gem to be seen in greater detail, available in laboratory and university and one submission involving phase con­ which enable the economic testing of trast photography gained second prize. important pieces, and the paper by Dr Tan In a wide range of entries, many high­ and his colleagues outlines one which can lighted interference phenomena and one of yield quite definitive information on these, reproduced on the front cover, won surface treatments. The location of the first prize. Another/depicting paua shell, equipment used to provide this informa­ won third prize and the three prizewinners tion may seem at first to be foreign to the together with a selection of other entries habits of traditional professionals in the will appear in the 1996 calendar. trade but with the rapid expansion of The papers in this issue cover ruby and materials science - especially in such disci­ sapphire deposits in China, composition plines as semi-conductors and polymers - and treatment of jadeite, the features of more and more universities throughout the Russian synthetic emerald and a major world are installing the relevant equipment contribution to the methods for distin­ and we should be ready and able to make guishing natural from synthetic diamond. use of it on an economic basis. This latter topic is of growing importance R.R.H. J. Gemm., 1995,24, 7 467 Chinese ruby and sapphire - a brief history Olivier Galibert, FGA, AG* and Richard W. Hughes** *GPO Box 11626, Hong Kong **4894 Briar Ridge Court, Boulder, Co 80301-3980, USA journey, which occurred during AD 399-414, Abstract he did mention the occurrence of many China is one of the largest countries precious stones in Ceylon (Legge, 1965). in the world, with a rich cultural and One Chinese author, Thao Tsung-I, wrote a scientific tradition. Yet for non-Chinese, brief treatise on the precious stones known until recently little was known of her about AD1366. A short section of this was mineral resources. A brief survey of translated by Bretschneider (1887). In this, China's ruby and sapphire deposits is la (balas ruby, or spinel) is described, as given and an eyewitness account of one well as yakut (yaqut), which is Persian for of the most important of China's sapphire corundum.1 Thus it is apparent that some deposits - Penglai, Hainan Island, in China were aware of the corundum - is described. gems from abroad, but domestic occur­ rences were not reported until the late-1970s, when economic and political Keywords: China, ruby, sapphire, corundum, reforms made it possible to openly discuss gems, Penglai, Hainan Island 'bourgeois' subjects, such as gems. TuWan's Stone Catalogue of Cloudy Forest History of Chinese corundum dates from about AD1126 (Schafer, 1961). Like Vietnam, China has never been con­ This book contains descriptions of various sidered a historical source of ruby or stones known to the Chinese in the twelfth sapphire. Vague mentions of corundum in century, but apart from the banded Tibet exist (Gregor, 1803), but none have blue-green 'Stone of the Office of the been confirmed. The authors have been White Horse' (Ho-nan-fu), none accurately unable to find any evidence of historic describe corundum. deposits of gem corundum in China According to Liu Guobin (1981), the proper, but there are reports that impure finest historical work on precious stones in corundum was used as a grinding material China is the Lapidariutn Sinicum of H-C due to its hardness (Needham, 1959). Chang (1921). The authors have not seen Still, the Chinese were aware of ruby and this book. In the 1990s, gemmological peri­ sapphire from outside the country. While odicals have appeared in China but, as the the Chinese have never been noted as great authors cannot read Chinese, the following travellers, historically they have ventured is drawn from sources using the Roman outside their borders on military or diplo­ alphabet. matic missions, or for religious pilgrimage (Bretschneider, 1887). Fa Hien (Fa Hsien) was selected by the Chinese emperor to 1. According to Bretschneider (1887), the Chinese word for travel to India to obtain accurate informa­ ruby is hung pao shi (red precious stone), while that for blue tion on Buddhism. In the account of his sapphire is Ian pao shi (blue precious stone). © 1995 R.W. Hughes and O. Galibert ISSN: 1355-4565 468 J. Gemm., 1995,24,7 Lak. RUSSIA ~jBaikal KAZA KHSTAN Heilongjiang e Haila r 4 sapphire • Karamay MONGOLIA • Kulja Ne/M ongol ..... .Urumql . KYRGVZSTAN Uaon ing .to.Kalpin(rubyj Hebe l NORTli • Kashga , KOREA Hohhot . Beijing 0 y""",,- SOllTH PAl<. f?KOREA Ningxia .. Shanx i Chang~ Golmud • Xining • (sapphire) ShandOn'] Yellow Jiangsu sea _Shlqunhe Sha anxi ... sapphire Nanjing • • Shanghai Anhui Sichuan Huboi Chengdu • uese • ~ing Zhej iang Easl China Changsha • sea Jiangxi Fujian Hunan Guizhou INDIA Guiyang. .. / I r-S '1---J ~~ ) Guangdong TAIWAN China Guangxi G""'l9""'" ... Corundum Oeposit MYANMAR VIETNAM o NotionalCapita l - - COy LAOS ... 'Peoglai (sapphire) InternationalBou ndary & yol Hainan ProvlncIaIBoundary SoulhChlna H.IIM ProvlnceName sea Disputed Boundary - 50ll km THAILA ND PHILIPPINES SOOMiles CAMBODtA Fig. 1. Corundum localities of China. Gem deposits are found in Fujian, Hainan, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Qinghai, Shandong, Sichuan, Xinjiang and Yunnan Provinces. Note that the position of some localities is approxi­ mate only. Corundum in China Of these, the most important are the sap­ Information on Chinese localities is diffi­ phire occurrences of Shandong, Fujian and cult to come by, as access often involves Hainan in eastern China. In each of these obtaining permission from the Chinese places, sapphires occur in alkali basalts as military, which controls most mines. A dark, inky-blue material similar to that second factor is location; many mines are mined in Australia. in remote areas where travel is difficult. The following information is as accurate as Penglai (Hainan Island) present circumstances will allow. Ruby and sapphire have been reported Gettingthere from a number of different areas in China. Hainan Island is located in the South J. Gemm., 1995, 24, 7 469 China Sea, due east of Vietnam. Reached cies of local officials, who hesitate to decide by air from Guangzhou (Canton) and by just who will be blessed with the appropri­ air or (irregular) boat from Hong Kong, ate permission. This is common among Haikou, the island's provincial capital, is mining projects in some nations, where the jumping off point for trips to Penglai. local officials do everything possible to Access from the provincial capital of both retain authority and sell it to the Haikou is typical for third-world back­ highest bidder.2 At the time of Galibert's waters; several hours on a livestock- last visit in 1991, most production was infested bus along what the charitable term being sold to Thai and Hong Kong dealers; 'roads'.