Digital Devil #12. The subject of "blood diamonds" (conflict diamonds) quickly became a major story in 2000. Here, Richard Hughes casts a jaundiced eye at the subject.
In July 2008, US President George W. Bush signed a law that modified existing sanctions against Burma (Myanmar). Hidden in the fine text of that bill was an exemption for the US oil giant, Chevron.
In 2003, the US government signed into law a ban on the importation of any article that was produced, mined, manufactured, grown or assembled in Burma (Myanmar), creating a defacto ban on the importation of Burmese gems. This article examines both the pros and cons of that ban.
Digital Devil #13. A tale of Burmese rubies, Burmese heat, a Shan princess and a Burmese general.
The Opticon treatment of fissure-filling treatment emeralds with Opticon became an issue of huge controversy in the late 1990's. This article takes a close look at it and asks if Opticon is actually that different from fillers like cedarwood oil.
A discussion of the flux-healing treatment of rubies. This article was awarded the Richard T. Liddicoat Journalism Award by the American Gem Society in 2005.
Digital Devil #1: The fights between gem dealers and gemologists are legendary, with each side looking down upon the other. It's truly dog against dog.
The issue of gemological nomenclature is one that has been hotly debated for decades, because an attractive name is a crucial part of marketing and selling gemstones. In this article from 1994, Richard Hughes takes a stab at the subject.
A discussion of the ethics of gem treatment disclosure, a comparison of gem treatments, and the crisis these could bring to the industry if mishandled.
The following interview with Richard W. Hughes appeared in Australian Jeweller, May 1998, p. 10.
A look at the nexus between gem smuggling and drug smuggling out of Burma (Myanmar), along with the two-faced policies of certain Western governments.
In the year 2002, the world diamond trade put into place a protocol known as the Kimberley Process Scheme, designed to address the so-called “blood” or “conflict” diamond issue. The following article looks at the potential impact of, and the lack of political consistency in, the Kimberley Process.
When Max Green set about looting trust fund accounts in Australia, he had no idea it would lead to a sapphire mine in Laos… and a dead body in Cambodia.
Mark Twain's "The War Prayer" (1905) is one of the most eloquent exposés ever penned on the folly of those who argue for going to war.
A 1992 visit to Vietnam's Quy Chau ruby mines, the first by a foreign gemologist, along with commentary on US-Vietnam politics.