Richard W. Hughes

Richard Hughes
Hughes in 2011
Years active	1980–present
Known for	Gemology

Richard W. Hughes is an American gemologist and author who specializes in corundum, particularly rubies, and sapphires. Richard Hughes is the co-founder of Lotus Gemology, a gem testing laboratory in Bangkok, Thailand. ^[1]

Education

• Graduated from the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences (AIGS) in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1980
• Became a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (F.G.A.) in 1982

Career

In 1980, Richard W. Hughes graduated from the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences (AIGS) in Bangkok, Thailand. He then became a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (F.G.A.) in 1982. Hughes was the director of AIGS in the 1980s. In 1997, he authored Ruby & Sapphire. ^[2] From 2005 to 2008, he served at the American Gem Trade Association’s gemological laboratories in California and New York.

Hughes has authored and co-authored several books on gems and published articles on gemology. ^[3] He received the American Gem Society's Richard T. Liddicoat Journalism Award in both 2004 and 2005. ^{[4] [5]} In 2010, Hughes received the Antonio Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology from the Accredited Gemologists Association. ^[6]

In 2017, Lotus Gemology published Hughes' book, Ruby & Sapphire: A Gemologist's Guide, ^[7] covering the corundum gem species in depth, or simply covering corundum gemstones. ^{[8] [9]} In 2019, Tongji University created an exhibit centering on Lotus Gemology's photography. ^[10] Van Cleef & Arpels' L’École, School of Jewelry Arts ran an exhibit in Hong Kong featuring photomicrographs from Lotus Gemology in 2020. ^[11]

Books

• Terra Spinel: Terra Firma, Yavorskyy, V. and Hughes, R.W. (2010). Yavorskyy Co., 202 pp., ISBN   978-0-615-40901-6
• Ruby & Sapphire, Hughes, R.W. (1997) Boulder, CO, RWH Publishing, 512pp. ISBN   978-0-9645097-6-4
• Corundum, Hughes, R.W. (1990). Butterworth’s Gem Books, Northants, UK, Butterworth-Heinemann, 314 pp., ISBN   978-0-7506-1007-0
• The Book of Ruby & Sapphire, Halford-Watkins, J.F. & Hughes, R.W. (2012). RWH Publishing, 434 pp., ISBN   978-0-9645097-0-2

See also

• Gemology

References

1. "Lotus Gemology Staff Bios & Accomplishments". Lotus Gemology. Archived from the original on 9 August 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
2. Australian Jeweller, May 1998, p. 10
3. Richard W. Hughes bibliography
4. "Richard Hughes Receives Journalism Awards" . Retrieved 24 September 2014.
5. "Liddicoat Awards Announced". JCK Magazine. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
6. Accredited Gemologists Association
7. Hughes, Richard; Manorotkul, Wimon; Hughes, E. Billie (2017). Ruby & Sapphire: A Gemologist's Guide. Bangkok: RWH Publiishing/Lotus Publishing. p. 816. ISBN   978-0-9645097-1-9 . Retrieved 9 November 2019.
8. Minieri, Paolo (26 October 2017). "Driving gemstone lovers to corundums. A twenty years tireless work for the most accurate survey on rubies and sapphires". rivistaitalianadigemmologia.com. Italian Gemological Review. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
9. Skalwold, Elise (Winter 2016–17). "Book Review • Ruby & Sapphire: A Gemologist's Guide" (PDF). InColor: 68–73. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
10. Lawson, Lynda. "Lotus Gemology's Gem Exhibit "Inside Out"". sustainablegemstones.org. Gemstones and Sustainable Development Knowledge Hub, University of Delaware. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
11. Knott, Kylie (10 July 2020). "Precious gems go under the microscope in Hong Kong exhibition". scmp.com. South China Morning Post. Retrieved 25 November 2020.

External links

• HW Diamonds
• Web Site of R.W. Hughes