Eduard J. Gubelin
Dr. Dr. h.c, CG, FGA
Dr. Eduard J. Gubelin was born into a watch making family on 16
March 1913, as the first son of Eduard Gubelin Sr. and Maria
née Schriber. Eduard Gubelin studied earth sciences at the
universities of Zurich and Vienna, earning a Ph.D. in mineralogy in
1938. It was during the 1936-37 winter term in Vienna, while studying
under Prof. Hermann Michel, that he first learned to distinguish
inclusions in gems and appreciate their significance to the
identification of gemstones. After obtaining his doctorate, Dr. Gubelin
earned, as the only second European, a Certified
Gemmologist diploma in 1939 at the GIA in Los Angeles. After his
studies, he returned
to his father’s business in Lucerne. In the years to come, together
with his brother Walter, they led the Gubelin firm with
outstanding distinction, continuing the standards of excellence which
had been set by their father.
Even the outbreak of
the Second World War and his service in the Swiss army could not hinder
his scientific activities concentrating more and more on the field of
inclusions in gemstones. Quite the opposite, the research which then
began became his actual playing field within his gemmological science
work. Dr. Gubelin combined his knowledge of mineralogy and the
jewellery business with his passion and admiration for gemstones to
become one of the pioneers of modern gemmology and father of origin
determination – the analysis for which the Gubelin Gem Lab today
is most renown.He
helped to advance the
science of gemmology countless times, with his investigation and
classification of a wide spectrum of gem materials, excursions to
mining locations and his world-renown, innovative work on the
fascinating realm of gemstone inclusions.
Dr. Eduard J. Gubelin also regarded
the invention and development of
gemmological instruments as a part of his research activities and made
several important contributions for the practical development of stone
investigation and examination. In 1945 he designed a simple, mobile
light source to examine gemstones. The first desk-model gemmological
spectroscope followed in 1952. Further valuable instruments developed
by Eduard Gubelin were
to follow over
the years, such as the coloriscope, the gemmolux, the fluoroscope and
the magnoscope, to mention only a few.
In the year 1946 Eduard Gubelin was appointed F.G.A. of the
Gemmological Association of
Great Britain and in 1948 was honoured the title First Research Member
GIA by the Gemmological Institute of America. In 1952 he became member
of the German “Gemmologischen Gesellschaft” and in the same year was
appointed an expert for the German Institute of Gemmological Research.
Also in 1952 he was one of the founders of the International
Gemmological Conference (I.G.C.). Then in 1956, in honour of his
publication “A Contribution to the Genealogy of Inclusions” the
Gemmological Association of Great Britain presented him the Research
Diploma – an honourable award. In 1942, Eduard Gubelin became a
founding member of the Swiss Gemmological Association, with the
function of a scientific advisor.
In
appreciation of his research work and the publishing of his great
knowledge Dr. Gubelin was appointed honorary member of
gemmological societies of Australia, Germany, Japan, Sweden and
Switzerland. He was also awarded the title of Honorary Professor of the
University of Stellenbosh (South Africa) and in 1988 received his
Doctor honoris causa from the International Foundation of Universities.
His
continued prolific
publications of a lifelong vocation resulted in a vast number of
articles in gemmological and science journals, trade publications,
newspaper articles, as well as a number of books devoted to all the
various aspects of gemmology. Over the decades, as a result of Dr.
Gubelin’s contribution to the world of gemmology in means of an
author and film-maker a remarkable list of publications has arisen,
such as the film “Mogok, the Valley of Rubies” in 1963, the book
“Internal World of Gemstones” published in 1974, or “The Color Treasury
of Gemstones” issued one year later, and, among his most famous books,
“Photoatlas of Inclusions of Gemstones, also published in 1975, in
collaboration with John Koivula. The “World Map of Gem Deposits” from
1988 also gained worldwide recognition. More recently, in 2000,
together with Franz-Xaver Erni, he released the comprehensive,
beautifully illustrated “Gemstones: Symbols of Beauty and Power”, and
in the year 2006, his last publication was completed, an important book
on inclusions in gemstones, together with John Koivula.
His
films and books paint a
wonderful picture of his travels and the world of stones and precious
stones, and also of the trials and tribulations involved in their
search. To ensure the continuation of his lifelong endeavour to
understand gemstones, in 2003 Dr. Eduard Gubelin co-founded the
“Association for Research and Identification of Precious Stones”, an
independent non-profit organisation, with the principle purpose to
initiate, promote and support research projects in the area of
gemmology. Dr. Gubelin served as a board member in the Association.
Until
his passing in March 2005
Dr. Gubelin remained an active figure in the gemmological
community. He was a regular presenter at meetings of the Swiss
Gemmological Society, sharing gems from his incomparable collection and
documentations of his latest inclusion discoveries. Although over his
last years he scaled down his many travels, he still appeared at
symposiums and conferences all over the world to share his immense
knowledge. Fluent in five languages he maintained an active
correspondence with colleagues around the world from his home in
Lucerne.
While
he was known first and
foremost as a gemmologist, his life was so much more. Dr. Gubelin
was an old-school gentleman, an author, artist, film-maker, traveler
and poet. He was an outstanding and gifted writer and an admirer of
arts and culture who portrayed his love for life and nature in his
writings.
Dr. Eduard Gubelin passed away in March
2005 in Lucerne, Switzerland, only
one day short of his 92nd birthday. Dr. Gubelin devoted his life
and career to unveiling the mystique of gemstones. He was one of the
leading gemmologists, recognized the world over as the authority on
inclusions in gemstones. His great knowledge of mineralogy and the
jewellery business combined with his passion and admiration for
gemstones made him become one of the founders of modern gemmology and
the very father of origin determination.
“To anyone
who loves gemstones and rejoices in their radiant,
coloured and dazzling exterior beauty, comes involuntarily the desire
to be able to peep into their interior. (…) Only the message from their
interior – their inclusions, the documents of their evolution in the
womb of the earth – renders them vital, natural and precious. The
existence of these inclusions is a part of the value and the charm with
which gemstones are favoured. (…) These have, moreover, the inestimable
advantage that they can ‘speak’ to anyone who will hear and understand
the language of the gemstone’s interior décor. They tell place
and time
of the stone’s origin, they grant glimpses into the distant past and
creative forces of our planet. (…) They are, beyond that, a prosaicly
valuable tool for jewelers and gemmologists who with their help can
detect frauds and determine the provenance from a certain country and
sometimes even from a certain gem mine. (…) The inclusions – the inner
life – of gemstones are their speech: it is lyrical, dramatic, rational
or aesthetic according to whether one understands how to listen to it
and what one wishes to hear.”
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