This content was first published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review no. 21 in 2025. The information provided here is therefore current as of the original publication date.
Vincent Pardieu’s first editorial endeavor arrives in the form of an elegant coffee table book: “Rubies from Greenland”. More precisely, it’s the work of a field gemologist — a term that refers to someone who researches gemstones directly at their source, travelling to the locations where they’re mined. It’s worth highlighting, as Vincent himself coined the term and claims both the concept and the credit for it. Just don’t call him “Indiana Jones” (he doesn’t like it — I know, I tried). You’ll find out why in the book’s preface.
The book consists of 270 pages, weighs about two kilograms, and can be purchased from the Thai AIGS website. Don’t expect the typical gemological monograph that simply lists the technical and aesthetic properties of the featured gem or its commercial uses. This book is much more than that. The reader is completely immersed in the world of the Greenland ruby, from its discovery all the way to its arrival on the market. It’s a brilliant concept, telling the story behind what Greenland Ruby claims to be the only fully traceable coloured gemstone in the world, with a true mine-to-market approach. In addition to the mining and trade of rubies, Greenland Ruby also launched initiatives aimed at making their products genuinely transparent and traceable. These included the “RubyCloud” platform and a foundation focused on protecting the areas where mining took place — and Greenland more broadly — the “PinkPolarBear Foundation”.
The book is divided into four parts, each broken into several chapters. The first introduces the world of the Greenland ruby and recounts its history, from the first corundum samples found in Greenland’s icy wilderness in 1965 to the development of the first ruby mine at Aappaluttoq. Particularly noteworthy is the contribution from Peter Madsen, the man behind the mine’s opening.
The second part is dedicated to what the author is best known for: gemological expeditions. Eleven expeditions are recounted here through a skilful mix of photographs and narrative that transport the reader across the varied landscapes of these wild regions. The travelogue format — a kind of personal field diary — gives the text a much more intimate tone than a standard technical report. The images leave a lasting impression: the reader finds themselves immersed in the winter ice, witnessing the northern lights with the author, or cautiously making their way through the marshes formed during the summer season, which make the terrain even more treacherous. Vincent’s writing is spare but never dry, evoking the spirit of old travel literature — of explorers, base camps, the unknown, and the sense of wonder sparked by gazing across an endless landscape or spotting a flash of red in the grey, ice-encrusted metamorphic rock.
The third part is focused on the technical analysis of the Greenland ruby. It starts by outlining the geological history behind the formation of these stones, then presents representative samples and a few curiosities for true mineral enthusiasts. Significant space is given to treatments, and here the reader has the rare chance to find out exactly which labs carried them out and by whom — something quite unusual in gemological reporting. The final chapter in this section explores the physical properties of the ruby and features a broad, well-documented gallery of inclusions in both treated and untreated stones.
The fourth and final part focuses on the market — but it’s not a collection of corporate reports or sales figures. Here, Vincent steps aside and gives the floor to two key figures in this story: Hayley Henning, COO of Greenland Ruby, and Ulrik Hartmann, jeweller and board member of the PinkPolarBear Foundation.
A detailed bibliography rounds out the volume, and throughout the book several QR codes link to further content — coordinates from the field, written accounts, or video materials.
This book is undoubtedly essential reading for anyone interested in Greenland rubies, their history, and their unique features. But it’s also an invitation to travel. You often see a quote online that goes something like, «We were born too late to explore the Earth and too early to explore space». Well, books like this show how untrue that is. The world is still out there to be explored. Familiar places can change, new things are emerging, and they remain — quite literally — undiscovered. Vincent Pardieu shows us that the drive to understand, to trace something back to its source (in his case, gemstones — but it applies more broadly), is always the starting point of any journey of discovery, even in places already “discovered” in the literal sense.
As a gemologist, though, this book also leaves me with a reflection: the Greenland Ruby mining area is now closed. Operations ended in 2022 because the high cost of extraction wasn’t matched by the quality of the stones — many were considered too heavily included for today’s market, and their color not in line with current preferences. So I ask myself: in a world where traceability, ethical sourcing, and sustainability have become industry mantras, what is the market truly willing to sacrifice?
“Rubies from Greenland – A Field Gemology travelogue by Vincent Pardieu”
Vincent Pardieu
Published in Thailand by AIGS – Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences Co., Ltd. in 2025.
276 pages, illustrated, hard cover, format 25 x 26 cm
ISBN: 978-616-91399-3-5
Available in English language on www.aigsthailand.com/AIGS-Store-Detail-EN/27
at the price of 130 US$ (about 110 €) + shipping.
Italian readers interested in purchasing this book can contact the Italian Gemological Review (IGR) to reserve their copy and arrange shipping from Europe.
Article by Nicola Precisvalle, published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review #21 – Autumn 2025.
