This content was first published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review no. 20 in 2025. The information provided here is therefore current as of the original publication date.
With gemstones, one suddenly finds oneself in open terrain, far from eyepieces, trace elements, graphs, and spectral peaks. And it is precisely at that moment that gemologists begin to wonder — have they perhaps ventured too far? From the jungle to the marketplace, what are the true boundaries of gemology? Should we turn back?
No — one must push forward and embrace the challenge. In this issue, IGR has unleashed the sharp tongue of its Bad-Mouthed Jiminy Cricket to tackle a case that transcends the conventional boundaries of gemology. The caustic invectives of our polemicist from the Counter-gemology column take aim at nothing less than the ethical principles of journalism itself.
We are referring to a fabricated and unfounded scoop published by National Geographic. Demonizing the gemstone industry to glorify a selective, marketable brand of environmentalism — one that is easy to sell and quick to applaud — is a strategy that pays off. Never mind that the Madagascan sapphire rush, as later scientifically demonstrated by Vincent Pardieu, never drove lemurs to extinction nor set forests ablaze. Scandal sells. And so, in the eyes of mainstream media, a Malagasy artisanal miner becomes, unfairly, the face of an industry deliberately portrayed as greedy and irresponsible.
A gemological journal has the duty to tell the truth. Because discussing gemstones sometimes means exposing the sensationalist manipulation of information. So, what should we do? Stay within the safe confines of spectra, or examine the entire journey that transforms minerals into coveted objects?
Other boundaries are being crossed. One, more poetic in nature, emerges when art and nature intertwine. The hidden world of gemstones, captured through microphotography, engages in dialogue with the marks of abstract painting. Billie and Richard Hughes, along with the author of this editorial, explored this connection in a recent exhibition on rubies, presented by L’École, School of Jewelry Arts by Van Cleef & Arpels. As the introductory booklet states: «The fluids trapped within crystals millions of years ago prototype the same energetic color textures created Jackson Pollock; the iso-oriented and complanar geometry of tubular inclusions evokes Piet Mondrian». Seeing is believing. And IGR will soon return to this theme.
Rejecting the complacency of mainstream narratives and venturing beyond the Pillars of Hercules of mere quantitative measurement, gemology now pushes into new and uncharted territories: media dynamics, abstract art, symbolism, ethnology, geographical branding, blockchain, raw material geopolitics, regional conflicts, field interviews, environmental sustainability, ethical marketing, and responsible practices.
All these topics find space in this issue of IGR, as they have in past and will in future editions, following a dual trajectory. On one side, the analysis of gemstones plunges into the very aspects of the turbulent, chaotic fabric of contemporary society. On the other, it guides us back — beyond the often-neurotic constraints of the modern world — toward the primal and poetic beauty of gems.
Editorial by Paolo Minieri, published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review #20 – Winter 2024/25.
