Research and Education Collection of the late Dr. Eduard Gubelin donated to Gubelin Lab:

In 2005 the Gubelin Gem Lab was privileged to receive an important part of the personal working collection of the late Dr. Eduard Gubelin, founder of the Gubelin Gem Lab. The heirs of Dr. Gubelin have decided to donate a further important part of his personal stone collection to the Gubelin Lab. The research and education collection consists of more than a thousand samples of both natural and synthetic stones, and was used by Dr. Gubelin for scientific research, lecturing and teaching. The Gubelin Lab gratefully acknowledges the generous donation, made by the daughters of Dr. Gubelin. The Gubelin Gem Lab considers itself the curator of this collection and, in the spirit and tradition of Dr. Gubelin’s work, will provide access to interested gemmologists, for the purpose of research.

Field trip to new ruby mines in Tanzania:

In November 2007, rubies of high quality and pure red to pinkish-red colour were found near the village of Winza, (Mpwapwa district), in the Dodoma region of Tanzania, and quickly attracted attention outside Tanzania - most recently at the BaselWorld show. The superior quality of these rubies and sapphires is characterised by outstanding transparency. Two weeks ago, the Gubelin Gem Lab carried out a field trip in the Winza area, and collected reference samples (rubies and sapphires) first-hand, directly from the mines. Insights into the mining activities were also achieved. Gemmological assessment of these reference stones is in progress.

Laser-Ablation ICP-MS analysis conducted on client stones:

As reported in previous Gubelin Newsletters, the Laser-Ablation ICP-MS technique is a ‘quasi non-destructive’ analytical tool which is considered by most experts to be essential in allowing gemmological laboratories to meet the challenges that face them. The Gubelin Lab acquired its own Laser-Ablation ICP-MS system in 2006, and has - until recently - applied the technique exclusively to research stones. Now we have started to use this technology, selectively, on client stones in order to improve the detection of  enhancements and refine the origin determination of coloured gemstones. Further information on this sophisticated technology is available in the ‘Important Client Information’ section of our website.