In a bid to educate the trade and the public about the beauty of coloured gemstones, London-based Gemfields has commissioned celebrated jewellery and gemstone specialist Joanna Hardy for a new book titled Ruby. The author was also invited to give a masterclass on ‘the king of gems’ in September, Hong Kong.
Published by Thames & Hudson in association with Violette Publications, Ruby takes readers on a journey from the ancient mines of Burma (now Myanmar) to the most exciting recent ruby deposit discovered in Mozambique. “Joanna examines the extraordinary, ancient cutting and polishing techniques, before leading readers to historical courts and palaces where rubies have been sourced and bought from intrepid gem stone dealers by royalty, dignitaries and the social elite throughout history,” said Gemfields.
After the London debut, Ruby was officially launched in Asia for the first time in Hong Kong on 21 September. It generously discloses a total of 60 pieces of ruby jewellery designs, many of which are previously unseen from royal and private collections. Alongside the historical designs are modern creations from major jewellery houses including Boucheron, Cartier, Chaumet, Graff, Van Cleef & Arpels, etc.
Ruby will be available from 12 October 2017 at £75 retail.
Gemfields Masterclass, Ruby Edition was held on 18 September 2017 in Hong Kong. Joanna Hardy went through the formation, history, properties, classifications and appreciation of ruby with around 15 gemstone connoisseurs and collectors. Attendees were delighted to receive a complimentary copy of Ruby with the author’s autograph.
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