The Inclusion Journal
The Gem Monarchy strives to be an industry leader and educator on the world of gemstones.
As a business we primarily deal with gemstones which are eye clean, near loupe clean or completely loupe clean. But in the world of gemstones, there’s a whole universe that more than meets the eye! In fact in some gemstones, inclusions are very characteristic or even diagnostic to the origin and location of the gemstone. Trichites in tourmalines, to Horsetail Inclusions in Demantoid Garnets, inclusions are a a part of a stone’s character and personality. We, at The Gem Monarchy recognises this and strive to add education about the world of gemstones into our boutique approach. Therefore, with the aid of our in-house gemmology laboratory we’d love to invite you to enter into the world of gemstone microscopy and the wonderful inclusions which mother nature presents.
The Gem Monarchy Team
I0007: “Snowflake” Inclusion in Aquamarine
This week’s inclusion was rooted in natural curiosity in being a gemstone merchant and a gemmologist. As The Gem Monarchy team had to sieve through the stock in preparation for the Jewellery Industry Fair. Anything with even the smallest speck of dust or incorrectly cut didn’t make an appearance. Therefore, a handful of stones which…
I0004: Rutile Needles in Sapphire
Inclusions are one of the main ways in which gemmologists differentiate between a natural versus a synthetic gemstone. Especially when the stakes are high, in diamonds and sapphires, identifying the correct inclusion is vital. This task is much harder in loupe clean and eye clean stones, like a majority of the gemstones in our collection(which…
I0001: Fluid Inclusion in Tourmaline
The Gem Monarchy’s collection spans decades worth of gemstones in both faceted and rough material. And within this collection are countless gemstones which we have reaped the rewards of investment, especially in regards to jewellery quality/eye clean near loupe clean quality. However, there are other gemstones which in the eyes of the 4C’s are not…
I0006: Lilypads in Peridot
Peridot is the birthstone of August. It’s also in the olivine isomorphic gemstone family. What do I mean by this? Well… its chemical composition is (Mg,Fe)2SiO4. The ratio of Magnesium to Iron changes the stone’s name from a Peridot to a Forsterite. Leaving behind the nuances of peridot, it is essentially a gemstone in abundance….
I0003: Colour Zoning in Sapphire
In the world of coloured gemstones, sapphires are at the helm. They govern the kingdom of gemstones with an aluminium oxide fist. It is the second hardest in the Mohs’ scale of hardness, just under diamonds. But sapphire colour isn’t always mixed within the stone itself, in fact it is due to impurities. We describe…
I0005: Inclusions in Tsavorite Garnet
Sometimes the world of inclusions can be a little bit overwhelming. So it is useful to mentally dissect portions of the gemstone into different parts and sections. It is much easier on the brain, and also much easier for the soul! (Allegedly…) This week we observe a tsavorite garnet, which characteristically comes with a relatively…
I0002: Subhedral Crystal Inclusion in Garnet
Garnets, other than quartz, are considered one of the most abundant gemstones on the planet. Different types of garnets have certain inclusions which are characteristic of them. And then there are inclusions which are available commonly in gemstones. In gemmology, we find that garnets exhibit inclusions a lot more just because of the abundance of…