It seemed a little crazy that there was nothing in gemmological literature characterizing faceted phenakite from the region formerly known as Volodarsk-Volynski (‘Khoroshiv’ since 2015). This was a little ironic since the region is the type-locality for phenakite. At the behest of the Journal of Gemmology’s editor, Brendan Laurs, I set about rectifying this.
Continue reading “Characterizing Faceted Phenakite, a Gemstone from Ukraine”
During my career, I have spent a lot of my time on education that is focused on an audience either already within the gem and jewellery industry, or those that are making an effort to become a part of it. It is very easy to get pigeon-holed here, however, it is important that every one of us in the industry remember that it took something to capture our own initial interest. That one thing could just be a YouTube video.
Continue reading “Videos Are Introducing More People to the Fascinating World of Gemology”
The Federation of European Educators in Gemmology (FEEG) was founded in the early nineties by a few of Europe’s prominent gemmology schools seeking a way to broaden the opportunities for gemmology students in Europe. Many of the national associations are staffed by very dedicated volunteers and excellent gemmologists and the programmes they run produce outstanding graduates, but due to the small organizations and cohorts, their students are not afforded the international recognition they deserve. FEEG is an educational body that runs exams twice a year across much of Europe and in the language of all the participating nations.
Continue reading “The Importance and Value of Being a European Gemmologist (EG)”
