Grant Pearson

I met Grant a few years back at Nunawading Gem show in Melbourne. Now I met him again at Frankston Gem show 28 Aug 04 with the same smiling face I saw the last time. Polite and helpful. Customers feel safe buying stuff from different traders at gem shows because they know that a Professional Gemologist (and a very good one) is also there to help them for free.

Being a gemologist Grant usually is interested in rare specimen and included gems. He bought an included ruby from me which was heavily included. Below this column are some pictures which grant took through his microscope of the inclusions of that ruby.

Grant has graciously given me interesting micro-photographs of fossilized insects in baltic amber (see the photos at bottom of this page).

I bought a deep green emerald from a gem dealer in Lahore, Pakistan. I was told it was Brazilian emerald. I was not very sure if it was a real emerald or an artificial. Grant checked it and took some photos which can be seen below. Well it was real but enhanced with oil.

Grant's thesis for the Research Diploma in Gemology is a compilation of the UV-Vis absorption spectra of about 600 different varieties of gem minerals and related substances for their authentication. It is only the third one ever awarded by the Australian Gemological Association (last year in 2003) and was only the first one awarded within the past twenty three years.

Grant gave me a CD titled GemSpectra. The GemSpectra CD was intended to be (the first) in-depth compilation of such experimentally derived spectra of real stones ever assembled that could be then directly compared with the images viewable in the hand-spectroscope.

Grant also makes and sells Refractive index oils for the Spectroscope. GAA is one of his customers.

Meeting Grant has definitely increased my interest in the study of gemology. I have been thinking of doing the diploma of gemology but keep on postponing every year to next year because of my personal problems. Again I am hoping I enroll in year 2005.

Below is an email from Grant which explains the micro-photographs of different gemstones given at the end of this web page.

----- Original Message -----

From: Grant Pearson To: Tafazal Chaudhry

Sent: Monday, August 30, 2004 4:44 PM

Subject: Re: Photos Of Baltic Amber Insects

Afternoon Tafazal,

thought that you might like to have the (down-sampled, slightly-sharpened & otherwise somewhat-tidied-up) photos of the inclusions in the ruby I purchased from you this past weekend, as well as a couple of the internal texture of the Swat Valley emerald crystal also obtained from you. The ruby has abundant inclusions of rutile, both as primary transparent & etched to somewhat resorbed or spheroidised rutile crystals, some (sparse) rutile "silk" and various other as-yet unidentified microcrystallite inclusions. It's a great photographic subject! For comparison, am also attaching a couple of photos of the spheroidised cavitites comprising a "fingerprint" or veil in a synthetic flux-growth ruby, probably of Ramaura origin, but uncertain.

Just for your interest, am also including a couple of photomicros of partially-rehealed veils in a Brazilian 'imperial' colour (orange-pink) natural topaz crystal-cleavage portion obtained from Des Liston & photographed also at the Show on the weekend, & also some photomicros of the characteristic 2-phase tapering cavities called "spicules" & of filiform gold particles (arising from dissolution & reprecipitation from the internal lining of the autoclaves used in the Biron process) in a hydrothermal synthetic emerald grown by the unfortunately now-defunct WA firm of "Biron".

I'm also interested to know how you managed with the two CDs I brought in for you. Hope to hear from you in due course, especially about any new imports of interesting materials you may happen across.....

Grant Pearson The Free Gemologist!

Grant Pearson is the person I heard would identify/verify gemstones for me at gem shows in Melbourne FOR FREE: WOW


05-Jun-2005