A brief history of Burmese (Myanmar) sapphires, along with details of some of the major pieces of yore.

A brief history of the heat treatment of ruby & sapphire, from ancient times to the modern era.

This article discussed the ruby and spinel mines of Afghanistan/Tajikistan, in an attempt to shed light on one of the great gemological enigmas.

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 1992 visit to Vietnam's Quy Chau ruby mines, the first by a foreign gemologist, along with commentary on US-Vietnam politics.

In 1991, titanium-diffused blue sapphires reappeared in the Bangkok market after an absence of many years. Touted as "deep diffusion," the stones proved to have no greater color penetration than the original Union Carbide product.

This is what happens when someone who knows little about jewelry is asked to write something about jewelry. Richard Hughes tosses off a cheeky description of Thailand's jewelry manufacturing, circa 1990.