Articles

(also see Localities)

• The Colorado Dragon – Profile of an historic gold specimen from Gilpin County.
• Do bi-coloured, green and blue beryls exist, which are composed of emerald and aquamarine zones? – An elaboration of a poster session presented by the late George Bosshart to the 32nd International Gemmological Conference, July 14, 2011, in Interlaken, Switzerland.
• Hard Table: Louvre Seeks Zellenmosaic Masterpiece – A look at Johann Christian Neuber's "cells-mosaic" made from various hardstones from Saxony.
• The Internal World of Gemstones – A pictorial guide to a microscopic world that lets us further appreciate gemstones’ external beauty.
• On Kunz and Kunzite – An excellent historical look at the discovery and naming of kunzite. By Lawrence Conklin.
• On Tourmalines – A brief description by Joseph Leidy (1823–1891) of his personal collection.
• Painite Comes to Pala – Pala International President Bill Larson recounts a thirty-year quest for a mysterious stone, finally concluding, “no painite, no gainite.”
• Passion Fruit: A Lover’s Guide to Sapphire – Pala’s resident ruby and sapphire expert discusses sapphire connoisseurship. By Richard W. Hughes.
• Sapphire, The Royal Gem – Reprint of a 1924 pamphlet issued by The New Mine Sapphire Syndicate of London.
• Seeing Red: A Guide to Ruby – Palagems.com’s ex-webmaster Richard Hughes examines the elements of quality in ruby. Fully illustrated.

(including Trade Shows)

• Cafesjian Carvings and More – Gorgeous images of specimens from this collection, which was sold in September 2014.
• Chowing Down in Changsha – A report on the 2013 Mineral and Gem Show by Will Larson.
• Collecting… It's not just a hobby – An introduction to the subject by Pala International's Gabrièl Mattice, in English and Chinese.
• Gemology Bears Triumphant Tidings – Elise Skalwold reports on the Historic 125th Anniversary Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America.
• Munich Mineral Show 2011 – The Munich Mineral Show is Europe's finest. See also the reports from 2009, 2007, and 2001. From Pala International’s Bill Larson and Will Larson.
• Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines 2015 – See also the reports from 2014, 2010 (Pala International) and 2010 (Mineralogical Record reprint), 2009, 2008, 2007, and 2006. From Pala International's Bill Larson and Will Larson.
• Spanns in the Spotlight – A look at the relatively brief, but nonetheless illustrious (and award-winning) collecting career of Gail Copus Spann and Jim Spann.
• A Trip to Japan – Pala International at the 2005 Tokyo Mineral Show. By Will H. Larson.

(also see Gemstones and Minerals)

• Alexandrite from Russia – By Peter Bancroft. Description of the Russian alexandrite mines.
• Bill Larson in Burma and Vietnam, 2005 – A pictorial. 
• Burma, The Mineral Utopia – A three-part series an account of Burma and its gem mines by Martin L. Ehrmann, one of America’s leading gem authorities, internationally known for his work in the coloring of diamonds by cyclotronic bombardment.
  • Part 1 – Overview of Burma's mines.
  • Part 2 – The author's extensive gem buying trip in Burma.
  • Part 3 – Amber mines and gem trading.
• Burmese Jade: The Inscrutable Gem
  A groundbreaking article on the second-most valuable gem in the world – Burmese jade. By Richard Hughes, Olivier Galibert, George Bosshart, Fred Ward, Thet Oo, Mark Smith, Tay Thye Sun and George Harlow. Fully illustrated.
  • Part 1 – Burma's jade mines.
  • Part 2 – The cutting, grading, trading and faking of Burmese jadeite is detailed. Fully illustrated.
• California Gem Mining: Chronicle of a comeback – One of the finest articles ever written about gem mining in San Diego County, California. Fully illustrated. By David Federman.
• Ceylon’s Gem Mines – Ceylon’s storied gem mines are detailed in this segment from Dr. Peter Bancroft’s Gem & Crystal Treasures.
• Collector to Crystallographer – A letter from Edwin Over to Charles Palache regarding the prospects of mining in San Diego County's Mesa Grande district.
• Color-Change Garnet from Kenya – A new discovery (early 2009) from the Taita-Taveta are, best known for tsavorite production.
• Corundum from Prilep Dolomitic Marble (Macedonia) – An article originally published in SCOPOLIA, Journal of the Slovenian Museum of Natural History, Ljubljana. By Miha Jeršek and Breda Mirtič.
• The Emerald Deposits of Muzo, Colombia – Scholarly examination of these famous emerald mines. By Joseph E. Pogue. Illustrated. Reprinted from Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, 1917. 
• Fire-hearted Pebbles from Burma – A wonderful look at mining rubies in Mogok, ca. 1930, by C.M. Enriquez. Complete with period photos. 
• From Russia with Jade – Pala’s ex-webmaster, Richard Hughes, together with Nickolai Kuznetsov, make an epic journey to Russia’s jadeite mines in the Polar Urals and Khakassia. Fully illustrated.
• Gem- and Lithium-Bearing Pegmatites of the Pala District – A study conducted in the late 1940s by Richard Jahns and Lauren Wright; Part 1 (Physical Features, Historical Sketch, Geology), Part 2 (Pegmatites), Part 3 (Economic Features of the Pegmatite Minerals; Mining), Part 4 (Descriptions of Selected Mines).
• Gemstone and Mineral Mining in Pakistan’s Mountains – An article by Jim Clanin reprinted from InColor. 
• Gemstones and Mining in Southern California – Five articles on the subject from 1903 to 1911.
• Gemstones in Vietnam – Pala International is pleased to reprint this substantial article from The Australian Gemmologist. Written by Vietnamese and French researchers, the article covers corundum as well as aquamarine, tourmaline, peridot, and pearl. 
• Giant Calcite in Portugal – Author and dealer Alain Martaud recalls his visits over the years to a remarkable mineral locality.
• "Gold-Smitten Mojave": George Holmes and the Strike of '33 – The story behind the "discovery rock" of the Silver Queen Mine.
• The Igneous Rocks of the Mogok Stone Tract: Their Distributions, Petrography, Petrochemistry, Sequence, Geochronology and Economic Geology – A Ph.D. Dissertation by Kyaw Thu.
• Imperial Topaz from Brazil – Brazilian topaz mines are covered in this segment from Dr. Peter Bancroft’s Gem & Crystal Treasures. 
• Kashmir Sapphires – The first eyewitness account of the fabled Kashmir sapphire mines in northern India, 1889, by T.D. LaTouche. Complete with period and modern photos.
• Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan – These storied mines are detailed in this segment from Dr. Peter Bancroft’s Gem & Crystal Treasures. 
• Larsons in China – Pala’s Bill Larson and son Will Larson made presentations on tourmaline and collecting at a first-ever China mineral and gem crystal conference in Beijing. 
• Letter from Pakistan – True adventure from Pala International’s daring suppliers. 
• Lloviznando Opal: A Look Above the Surface – An extended look at this rare material from Mexico. 
• Longido Ruby – We are proud to present this article courtesy of Edward Swoboda, on the ruby mines of Longido, Tanzania. On Palagems.com.
• Natural Productions of Burmah: Mineralogy – Reprint of an 1850 chapter from the book by Rev. Francis Mason.
• Notes on the Lithium Pegmatites of Pala, California – Reprint of a 1936 study by Maurice Donnelly, in The Pacific Mineralogist.
• Pakistan’s Gemstones: An Overview – The past, present, and future of the challenges that face Pakistan in its development of a gemstone industry. 
• Pala District Pegmatite Opens Wide – New discoveries at the 49er pocket; also see Part 2.
• Pegmatites of Laghman, Nuristan, Afghanistan – By Pierre Bariand and J.F. Poullen.
• The Pegmatyte Veins of Pala, San Diego County – Reprint of a 1905 article by G. A. Waring.
• A Prospectus for Investment in the Yogo Sapphire Mines, 1959 – Reprint of a brochure for Montana residents only.
• The Queen Reigns Again – A great description of mining the Tourmaline Queen mine near Pala, California.
• Red Sea Peridot – Zabargad’s peridot mines are detailed in this segment from Dr. Peter Bancroft’s Gem & Crystal Treasures. 
• Reds Turn to Green: Russia’s Stunning Demantoid Discovery – Russia’s new demantoid strike is detailed in this segment from Pala’s President, Bill Larson. 
• The Ruby & Sapphire Deposits of Moung Klung, Siam – 1894 account of mining ruby and sapphire in Thailand. By Henry Louis. 
• The Sickler Family: Historic San Diego County Gemstone Miners – By Peter Bancroft, reprinted from The Wrangler, quarterly published by the San Diego Corral of The Westerners, 1995.
• Tanzanite from Tanzania – Tanzania’s tanzanite mines are detailed in this segment from Dr. Peter Bancroft’s Gem & Crystal Treasures. 
• Tourmaline in California – Four articles on the subject from 1902 to 1910.
• Tsavorite from Kenya – Kenya’s tsavorite garnet mines are detailed in this segment from Dr. Peter Bancroft’s Gem & Crystal Treasures. 

• Appraising Harvard Redux – An account by Pala International's Bill Larson of his appraisal of the mineral collection of the Mineralogical and Geological Museum at Harvard University.
• The Collection of Minerals – A 1926 overview of the holdings of The American Museum of Natural History by Herbert P. Whitlock, Curator and Chairman of the museum's Department of Mineralogy.
• Denver Museum Debuts New Hall, Collection Housing – The Denver Museum of Nature and Science opened its Anschutz Gallery in February 2014.
• Flashes of Colour: Legendary Wines and Gemstones – In late June 2007, Pala International supplied over $1 million worth of gemstones and mineral specimens to a remarkable exhibition of fine wines and gemstones in Dijon, France.
• The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals – A look at this hidden gem west of Portland, Oregon.
• Worth the Wait: Trésors de la Terre – Reopening of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris, Nov. 2014.

• Palaminerals Blog – A weblog dealing with our current mining ventures.
• Pala’s Featured Mineral Specimens – Featured in our bi-monthly Pala Mineralis e-bulletin.
  • 2006–2011
  • 2012–2015
• Meet the Larsons – Pala’s globe-trotting collectors. 
• Mining at Pala – A history of Pala International’s various gem mining projects around the world.
• Pala International Celebrates Forty Years – Some of the highlights.
• What Was In the Punch? Stewart Mine Bash of 1970 – A reminiscence of Pala's early days.

In addition to these articles, don’t forget to take a look at our newsletters.

• Pala Mineralis, our bimonthly mineral e-newsletter.
• Palagems Reflective Index from Pala International, our current monthly gemstone e-newsletter.
• The Gem Spectrum, Pala’s newsletter (1995–2003), which contains articles on all aspects of precious stones.

• Terry Lee Ledford (1956–2014) – Discoverer of what would be the largest cut emerald in North America.
• Remembering John Sinkankas – Memorial for noted author/gemologist, John Sinkankas. On Palagems.com.
• John S. White: Reminiscences of a very old Former Curator – The former Smithsonian curator presents an engaging visual memoir.

In the occasional series FotogFocus, we focus on the artists behind the camera:

Issue #1
French photographer Bruno Cupillard

Issue #2
American photographer Jeffrey Scovil

Issue #3
Thai photographer Wimon Manorotkul

Issue #4
Dutch photographer Fred Kruijen

Issue #5
American photographer Sarah Oros