This collection features inclusions such as foreign minerals, trapped fluids, and distinctive internal structures. Notable examples are tourmaline in muscovite mica and fluorescent petroleum in quartz.
GIA analytical microscopist and gemstone inclusion expert John Koivula curated the collection over 60 years. He joined the institute in 1976 and pioneered photomicrography techniques, including fibre-optic illumination – a widely adopted gemmological laboratory method. Terri Ottaway, curator of the GIA Museum in California, said that the collection’s quality is difficult to replicate.
“This one-of-a-kind assemblage could not be reproduced today, not only because many of the pieces are unique, but also because specimens of comparable quality are unlikely ever to be found again,” Ottaway said.
“John possesses an extraordinary eye for rarity, often examining hundreds of specimens before selecting a single piece.”
The collection has been catalogued in a custom database to support GIA’s education programs, gemmological research, and gemstone identification services. It will also strengthen the institute’s reference resources for training future gemologists.
Additionally, GIA is preparing a large-format book featuring photomicrographs of selected specimens. The organisations will exhibit pieces from the collection at the AGTA Tucson GemFair and the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show in February 2027.
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