Gemmologist Billie Hughes shows us the incredible world hidden within precious gemstones

Having gemmologists for parents means Hughes grew up immersed in this world since the age of two. Her father, one of the world’s foremost experts on rubies and sapphires, would take her to the mines and gem markets where she learned about the trade. In 2014, the trio founded Lotus Gemology, celebrating the beauty of each stone and providing detailed gemmological reports to their clients on their findings. When asked why they are based in Bangkok instead of the US or Europe, Hughes replies, “Bangkok is the centre of the world’s coloured gemstone trade, particularly for ruby and sapphire, which is our speciality. Many of the world’s most important gemstones go through Bangkok at some point in their journey to the end collector, so this makes it a perfect place for our laboratory.”

Tatler talks to Hughes, who’s also a sought-after lecturer and has done multiple speaking engagements with Van Cleef & Arpels’ L’Ecole, School of Jewelry Arts, about her work, gemstone inclusions and what buyers should look out for when purchasing gemstones.

What services does your lab offer that sets it apart, and who are your typical clients?

Our lab focuses on the identification, treatment and origin determination of coloured gemstones. For example, if a red stone is submitted for analysis, first we identify the material. Is it garnet, ruby, or a piece of glass? Is it natural or synthetic (man-made)? Let’s say we determine that we’re testing a natural ruby. We would then check if it had been treated, for example heated or oiled. We would also issue an origin determination, identifying whether that ruby came from Burma or Mozambique, for example. Accurate, clear disclosure is an important responsibility of ours.

Our typical clients are members of the gem trade, usually wholesalers. They come to us when a stone is about to be bought or sold. Their customers may be other dealers, jewellers, auction houses, or private individuals looking to purchase gems or jewellery.

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What’s a typical day like for you? Does your research take you out into the field, visiting mines and collecting specimens?

One of the things I love about gemmology is the variety of experiences and opportunities it brings. Most of my days are spent in the lab, testing gemstones for clients who submit them for reports. We also conduct research in the lab, such as heat treatment experiments and writing papers about our findings. When I have the chance, I like to take inclusion photos, which are photos taken through the microscope of what we see inside the gems.

However, I also get to see other fascinating aspects of the trade outside of our office. This encompasses travel to the mines and markets around the world to collect specimens for our sample collection and to stay updated on the trade. We’ve had the opportunity to visit rough auctions where some of the world’s most important rubies have been sold, as well as seeing million-dollar pieces of rough being cut and polished into gems. Aside from travelling for research, we also travel to give lectures and attend conferences.

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Can you share any fascinating stories from your experiences at the mines or on the field?

I have had the opportunity to visit mines in many areas, from nearby Burma and Vietnam to places further afield like Madagascar and Tanzania. What may be surprising is how few exciting moments there are where someone might find a big, valuable stone. The work is tiring and tedious, and most miners have little to show for their efforts. Often, by the end of the day, most miners will have only found a few tiny pebbles, most not big enough to yield even a one-carat stone. Travel to the field has taught me how rare and difficult it is to find coloured gemstones. Despite these tough conditions, many of the miners I’ve met have been cheerful, hoping that the next big find is just a few shovelfuls of dirt away.

I remember one afternoon in particular when we visited an area where sapphires had been found by a river in southern Madagascar. After a quiet hour-long drive into the desert, we came up on a ridge overlooking the river bank. Once we walked over to the river, all of a sudden we saw a couple hundred people panning for sapphire, their colourful clothes standing out against the brown desert. Along the banks, some of them had set up picnic blankets and brought barbecues. Children were having fun jumping into the river and playing soccer, while a few guys had even brought speakers in their pickup trucks to blast music. The atmosphere resembled an American football tailgate party, except the main event here was sapphire mining. That experience remains one of my most memorable mining trips.

Many of us have seen images of industrial diamond mining with big pits and heavy equipment. Coloured stone mining is quite different, as it is typically done on a much smaller scale with traditional artisanal equipment. A lot of the gem trade is still fairly traditional. Because of the high value of the goods, trust is paramount and much of the gem trade is still run by small, family-owned businesses.

While many view gemstone inclusions as defects, your perspective seems to differ. Can you share your distinctive viewpoint on this matter?

An inclusion is an irregularity present in the gem. While some may see this as a flaw, we gemmologists think differently. Firstly, clarity issues in a stone are a matter of distraction. It may not be attractive to have a big black dot in the middle of your sapphire. On the other hand, having clouds of fine, microscopic particles of rutile “silk” can diffuse light within the stone, giving it a velvety “glow” that makes it more attractive.

Aside from how inclusions affect the appearance of a gem, they help gemmologists identify stones, determine whether they have been treated, and provide clues as to its origin. These factors may actually increase the value of a gem.

From a personal perspective, sometimes inclusions just look cool. When I look at a gem in the microscope, I feel like an explorer travelling through space, discovering a new world. Some inclusion scenes look like something from the deep sea or the night sky. It’s also incredible just to realise that in each natural gem there is a microcosm that contains millions of years of Earth’s geological history. To me, this connection with nature is part of the attraction of gems and is the reason why many people favour natural gemstones over factory-grown synthetics.

How are inclusions actually formed? And how do these formations contribute to enhancing the beauty of a gemstone?

Some inclusions are formed before a gemstone. In these cases, a gem may encapsulate another existing crystal while it is growing. Other times, inclusions grow with their host. For example, the mineral rutile often grows at the same time as a sapphire crystal, forming delicate iridescent needles we call “silk”. This mineral can even bcome oriented in a hexagonal pattern because sapphire crystals grow in a hexagonal shape. In some cases, this silk will form a six-rayed star, an effect we call “asterism”. These special phenomenal gems are sought out by collectors.

What’s wonderful about inclusions is that they can also act as a unique identifying feature for a gem. Like snowflakes, no two gems are exactly the same. Some of our clients request we add an inclusion photo of their gem to their reports, which will allow them to always identify their stone, similar to a fingerprint. Some inclusions have even become sought-after by collectors. For instance, the market will often pay a premium for a demantoid garnet that contains a fibrous “horsetail” inclusion compared to one without.

In your opinion, what gemstones were previously underrated but now have high potential to become trendy and increase in value?

Spinel would be at the top of my list for this. A few decades ago, spinel was a little-known stone often confused for ruby. In fact, probably the best-known spinel in the world is erroneously named the Black Prince’s Ruby, and sits in Britain’s Imperial State Crown. In the last 10-15 years, spinel has seen a dramatic increase in price and is now highly sought-after by connoisseurs, particularly for stones in the neon pink, red and blue colour ranges.

What questions should buyers pose when purchasing gemstones such as rubies or sapphires? And what should they look out for?

I’m glad you brought this up; it’s such an important question. First, buyers should ask whether the rubies or sapphires are natural or synthetic. They should also ask whether the stones have been treated. Common treatments for ruby and sapphire include heating, oiling, and glass filling. These treatments can affect both the price and, in some cases, the durability of the stone, so it’s important that this information is disclosed. Many buyers also like to know the origin of their gems and should feel free to ask if this is important to them. Additionally, it’s advisable to request a report from a trusted independent laboratory. The more valuable the stone, the more crucial it is to obtain a report. If a stone doesn’t already have a report, most reputable dealers will be happy to send it to the lab for you.

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