Cart 0

A gem dealer's journal — A gem dealer's journal

The delicate journey of a gem or how a gemstone becomes a piece of jewelry.

A gem dealer's journal ArjunaIrsuttiPhotography Asia Lounges Billie Hughes blog gem Gemstone jewelry lotus gemology Mozambique Photography rough ruby Simon Dussart the making of a gem

The delicate journey of a gem or how a gemstone becomes a piece of jewelry.

Hi Loungers,  With "Journey through the Rough: The Making of a Gem" we discovered the very first step of the jewelry making process. Today, we'll see what happens when you contact the Creation Lounge in order to turn your dream piece of jewelry into a reality. To this end we will follow Lotus Gemology's Billie Hughes' journey with our team. Traditionally, there are two ways to start a jewelry project (either designing the piece of jewelry around a gem or, finding the gem that goes with a specific design). This time around, Billie asked us to come up with a design that would highlight her gemstones in...

Read more →


Journey through the rough: The making of a gem!

A Gem dealers journal cut preform rough Simon Dussart the making of a gem tourmaline

Journey through the rough: The making of a gem!

Dear Loungers,  Today's post is one I have been wanting to go through for some time: The making of a Gem. How do Mother Earth's finest treasures turn into lovely gems? While not being a cutter myself, I have recently indulged in purchasing rough and proceeded to have it faceted into the gems that make our heart sing! While I wish I could be exploring with you the cutting process of every single gems we are purchasing at Asia Lounges, I decided to guide you through one of them: this lovely Green Tea Tourmaline!  First came the Rough and with...

Read more →


An Eye inside the labs with Lotus' Billie Hughes Part 2 - Dialogue with a multiple photomicrography award winner

A gem dealer's journal Asia Lounges Billie Hughes gemstome interview lotus gemology Photography photomicrography

An Eye inside the labs with Lotus' Billie Hughes Part 2 - Dialogue with a multiple photomicrography award winner

Loungers, We are pleased to re- introduce you to our favorite gemologist, E. Billie Hughes but this time, we invite her not as the lab gemologist but as the multiple photography award winner. Today, days after being awarded the title of best photomicrographer of 2016 by the Gemological Association of Great Britain (Aka Gem-A), Billie is back with us for an interview on her favorite topic: Photomicrography!    Excuse me while I pierce the sky -By E. Billie Hughes (Award Winning shot of the 2016 Gem-A photomicrography contest)   AsiaLounges: Hi Billie. I'd like to extend our congratulations to you for...

Read more →


An Eye inside the labs with Lotus' Billie Hughes Part 1 - The Lab

A gem dealer's journal Asia Lounges Billie Hughes blog color type gem gemological laboratory gemstome interview lotus gemology Photography photomicrography treatment

An Eye inside the labs with Lotus' Billie Hughes Part 1 - The Lab

In today's interview we will explore the complex and critical role gemological laboratory hold in our trade. We are honored to have as our guide for this tour, one of the legendary trio, E. Billie Hughes from Lotus Gemology! Buckle up and enjoy the ride Loungers!   AsiaLounges: Hi Billie, thank you for being with us today! We appreciate you taking time off of your schedule to explain us a bit who you are and what you do. Tell us about yourself, Lotus Gemology, and the team behind it. E.Billie Hughes: Lotus Gemology is a Bangkok-based gem testing lab that...

Read more →


How to buy a colored gem?

a gem dealer's journal Asia Lounges blog color color type gem Gem Cutting gemstome lotus gemology origin treatment

How to buy a colored gem?

In today's world, where information is everywhere and in any form, finding the right type of knowledge is key to succeed. When it comes to purchasing colored gemstones, knowing how to buy and what to look for can make a big difference. Today, I will explain you how to make a smart purchase. Very much like with diamonds, you judge a gemstone according to these four criterion: Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat weight. Then come an extra two: treatment and origin. First came the cut: Cutting is what gives the stone its shape, therefore, it has a very high incidence...

Read more →