Spring 2009

Editorial: The Dr. Edward J. Gübelin Most Valuable Article Award

As we celebrate Gems & Gemology’s 75th anniversary in 2009, we’re pleased another year by announcing the winners of the annual Dr. Edward J. Gübelin Most Valuable Article Award. By recognizing excellence in feature articles, these awards carry on the journal’s mission, as set forth in the January 1934 premier issue: “to give our readers accurate and up-to-date information concerning gemstones.”

This year marks the first time we opened the competition to online voting, and we received almost 250 ballots from subscribers around the world. We extend our sincerest thanks to everyone who participated.

The first-place article was “Copper-Bearing (Paraíba-type) Tourmaline from Mozambique” (Spring 2008), which described the geology, mining, and properties of this sought-after gem. Placing second was “Color Grading ‘D-To-Z’ Diamonds at the GIA Laboratory” (Winter 2008), which examined the background and methodology of GIA’s system for color grading colorless to light yellow polished diamonds. Third place went to “A History of Diamond Treatments” (Spring 2008), a review of the history, development, and identification of diamond color and clarity enhancement techniques.

FIRST PLACE
Copper-Bearing (Paraíba-type) Tourmaline from Mozambique
Brendan M. Laurs, J. C. (Hanco) Zwaan, Christopher M. Breeding, William B. “Skip” Simmons, Donna Beaton, Kenneth F. Rijsdijk Riccardo Befi, and Alexander U. Falster
Brendan M. Laurs is editor of Gems & Gemology and its Gem News International section. A widely published author, he has explored numerous gem localities in Africa, Pakistan, and Brazil. Mr. Laurs holds a master’s degree in geology from Oregon State University. J. C. “Hanco” Zwaan is curator at the National Museum of Natural History (Naturalis) and director of the Netherlands Gemmological Laboratory in Leiden. Dr. Zwaan has a PhD in geology from the Free University in Amsterdam. Christopher M. Breeding is a research scientist for the GIA Laboratory in Carlsbad, where he investigates origin of color in diamond and other gems. Dr. Breeding holds a PhD in geology from Yale University. William B. “Skip” Simmons is director of the Mineralogy, Petrology, and Pegmatology (MP2) Research Group in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of New Orleans, and an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan. Dr. Simmons received his PhD from the University of Michigan and has over three decades of research experience in mineralogy and petrology. Donna Beaton is manager of colored stone services at the GIA Laboratory in New York. She has a master’s from Columbia University. Her background includes jewelry retail, auction, and appraisal work. Kenneth F. Rijsdijk is a geoscientist at the National Museum of Natural History (Naturalis) and coordinator of its Dodo Research Programme. Dr. Rijsdijk has a PhD in physical geography from the University of Wales, Swansea. Riccardo Befi is a staff gemologist at the GIA Laboratory in New York. A graduate of the University of Siena, Italy, Mr. Befi has more than 20 years of experience in diamond grading and gem identification. Alexander U. Falster is a scientific research technologist in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of New Orleans. He is part of the MP2 Research Group and specializes in pegmatites and their minerals.

SECOND PLACE
Color Grading “D-To-Z” Diamonds at the GIA Laboratory
John M. King, Ron H. Geurts, Al M. Gilbertson, and James E. Shigley
John M. King is chief quality officer at the GIA Laboratory in New York and the editor of Gems & Gemology in Review: Colored Diamonds. Mr. King, who is also a noted artist, received his Master of Fine Arts degree from Hunter College, City University of New York. Ron H. Geurts is research and development manager at GIA Belgium in Antwerp. Formerly with the HRD Laboratory in Antwerp, Mr. Geurts has implemented new technology in GIA’s diamond grading process for the last decade and contributed to the development of the Institute’s cut grading system. Al M. Gilbertson is a research associate at the GIA Laboratory in Carlsbad. A former cutter and appraiser, he has spent years studying the influence of proportions on the appearance of round-brilliant and fancy-shaped diamonds. Mr. Gilbertson is the author of American Cut: The First 100 Years (2007). James E. Shigley is distinguished research fellow at the GIA Laboratory in Carlsbad. The editor of the Gems & Gemology in Review series and contributing editor to the journal, he received his doctorate in geology from Stanford University.

THIRD PLACE
A History of Diamond Treatments
Thomas W. Overton and James E. Shigley
Thomas W. Overton is managing editor of Gems & Gemology. An attorney and former nuclear engineer in the U.S. Navy, he currently serves as president of the Association of Earth Science Editors. Mr. Overton holds a B.A. in English from the University of Southern California and a law degree from UCLA. James E. Shigley was profiled in the second-place entry.

Congratulations to Rui Galopim de Carvalho of Sintra, Portugal, whose ballot was drawn from the many entries to win a three-year subscription to Gems & Gemology, along with all three Gems & Gemology in Review volumes: Treated Diamonds, Colored Diamonds, and Synthetic Diamonds.