A gemstone is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks and occasionally organic materials that are not minerals are also used for jewelry and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well. Most gemstones are hard, but some soft minerals are used in jewelry because of their luster or other physical properties that have aesthetic value. Rarity and notoriety are other characteristics that lend value to gemstones.
Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide (α-Al2O3) with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived from the Latin "saphirus" and the Greek "sapheiros", both of which mean blue. It is typically blue, but natural "fancy" sapphires also occur in yellow, purple, orange, and green colors; "parti sapphires" show two or more colors. Red corundum stones also occur, but are called rubies not sapphires. Pink-colored corundum may be classified either as ruby or sapphire depending on locale. Commonly, natural sapphires are cut and polished into gemstones and worn in jewelry. They also may be created synthetically in laboratories for industrial or decorative purposes in large crystal boules. Because of the remarkable hardness of sapphires – 9 on the Mohs scale (the third hardest mineral, after diamond at 10 and moissanite at 9.5) – sapphires are also used in some non-ornamental applications, such as infrared optical components, high-durability windows, wristwatch crystals and movement bearings, and very thin electronic wafers, which are used as the insulating substrates of special-purpose solid-state electronics such as integrated circuits and GaN-based blue LEDs. Sapphire is the birthstone for September and the gem of the 45th anniversary. A sapphire jubilee occurs after 65 years.
A ruby is a pink-ish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum. Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires. Ruby is one of the traditional cardinal gems, alongside amethyst, sapphire, emerald, and diamond. The word ruby comes from ruber, Latin for red. The color of a ruby is due to the element chromium.
Gemology or gemmology is the science dealing with natural and artificial gemstone materials. It is a geoscience and a branch of mineralogy. Some jewelers are academically trained gemologists and are qualified to identify and evaluate gems.
A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations.
A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th anniversaries, although the human lifespan makes this usage more common for institutions.
The Golden Jubilee Diamond, a 545.67 carat brown diamond, is the largest cut and faceted diamond in the world. It outweighs the Cullinan I by 15.37 carats. The Golden Jubilee Diamond was discovered in 1985 at the Premier Mine, which is also the origin of the Cullinan diamond (1905) and other notables such as the Taylor–Burton (1966) and the Centenary (1986). Cullinan I, also known as the Great Star of Africa, had held the title of the largest cut and faceted diamond since 1908.
Sirikit (Thai: สิริกิติ์; Thai pronunciation: [sì.rì.kìt]; listen ; born Mom RajawongseSirikit Kitiyakara is the Queen mother of Thailand. She was the queen consort and is the Queen dowager of King Bhumibol Adulyadej as well as the mother of the current King Vajiralongkorn. She met Bhumibol in Paris, where her father was Thai ambassador. They married in 1950, shortly before Bhumibol's coronation. Sirikit was appointed queen regent in 1956, when the king entered the Buddhist monkhood for a period of time. Sirikit has one son and three daughters with the king. Consort of the monarch who was the world's longest-reigning head of state, she was also the world's longest-serving queen consort. Sirikit suffered a stroke on 21 July 2012 and has since refrained from public appearances.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is a nonprofit institute dedicated to research and education in the field of gemology and the jewelry arts and based in Carlsbad, California. Founded in 1931, GIA's mission is to protect buyers and sellers of gemstones by setting and maintaining the standards used to evaluate gemstone quality. The institute does so through research, gem identification and diamond grading services and a variety of educational programs. Through its library and subject experts, GIA acts as a resource of gem and jewelry information for the trade, the public and media outlets.
The Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences (AIGS) is a private gemological school and gemological laboratory based in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Jewelry Trade Center is a 59-story mixed-use skyscraper located in the Silom Road gemstone district of Bangkok, Thailand. Designed by Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum, the building was completed in 1996. At 220.7 metres (724 ft) it is currently the eighth-tallest building in Thailand. It was the tallest building in Thailand when it was completed.
Gabriel S. "Gabi" Tolkowsky known for cutting the famous Centenary Diamond, is one of the world's most renowned diamond cutters. Known as the father of the modern round brilliant diamond cut. and the great nephew of Marcel Tolkowsky, he is the sixth generation in his family to become well known in the diamond cutting trade.
Wat Chetawan is a Thai temple in Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia. The temple is situated at Jalan Pantai, off Jalan Gasing in Petaling Jaya. It was built in 1957 and officiated by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand at the time. The temple is also the only Malaysian Siamese temple which has been chosen as the custodian of the Buddha sacred relics for all Malaysian Buddhists that are parts of the ancient relics discovered in Piprahwa, a village in Uttar Pradesh near the border of the Kingdom of Nepal in 1898 which were presented to King Chulalongkorn of Siam by the then British Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon.
State decorations awarded by Thailand take the form of orders and medals. This page lists them by order of precedence.
Richard W. Hughes is an American gemologist and author, known as an authority on corundum, rubies and sapphires.
Mouawad is a privately held Swiss and Emirati company that makes and sells jewelry, objects of art, and luxury watches. The firm has headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, with a Middle East headquarters at Jumeirah Lakes Towers in Dubai, as well as locations in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United States. Founded in 1891 in Beirut, Lebanon by David Mouawad, the firm is now led by 4th generation co-guardians Fred Mouawad, Alain Mouawad and Pascal Mouawad.
The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage was established in 1904 with a mission to promote knowledge of the culture, history, arts, and natural sciences of Thailand as well as those of neighbouring countries. The premises of the Society in Bangkok, Thailand on Asok Montri Road include a library with many rare books and the Kamthieng House Museum in a historic teak house. The Society has a regular programme of lectures, study trips, cultural events, and music performances. The Society publishes two scholarly journals, the Journal of the Siam Society and the Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society, and several books. The Society is involved in preservation of heritage through the Siamese Heritage Trust. The membership includes people of around 60 nationalities.
Lotus Gemology is a gemology laboratory located in Bangkok, Thailand. It was founded in 2014 by Richard W. Hughes & Wimon Manorotkul and their daughter, E. Billie Hughes. Their idea was that, while precious stones were articles of great beauty, the lab reports issued by gem labs better resembled blood tests from a doctor than a celebration of that beauty. Thus they set about creating lab reports that were both scientifically accurate and aesthetically beautiful. Lotus Gemology's lab report covers are color coded. Gold reports are reserved for gems that are completely untreated, while silver reports are for gems that have been subjected to industry-standard treatments. Black reports are reserved for heavily treated and man-made gems. This consumer-friendly approach is unique in the industry.
The Buddha Mountain or Khao Chi Chan is a limestone hill in Na Chom Thian that has become a Pattaya landmark due to its large 109 m (358 ft) by 70 m (230 ft) golden Buddha laser engraving. It was created in 1996 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the coronation of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and for Thai people and Buddhists for spiritual practice. The Khao Chi Chan Buddha image is the largest carved Buddha image in the world.
