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The Atlas Quarterly
The Atlas Quarterly field reports.
Dispatches from the desk. Field reports, edits, essays on stones we've worked since 1995.
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Dispatch · 001
Building a starter gemstone collection
Six stones to start with, what to look for in each, and a 12-month plan to build understanding alongside the collection.
The Stone Atlas · May 21, 2026
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Dispatch · 002
What "AAA" or "premium" actually means in gemstone grading
Trade grading vocabulary is inconsistent and informal. Here's how to translate what sellers say.
The Stone Atlas · May 19, 2026
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Dispatch · 003
Identifying common stone imitations
Glass for opal, dyed quartz for jade, plastic for amber — common imitations and how to spot them.
The Stone Atlas · May 17, 2026
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Dispatch · 004
The carat / gram distinction: when each is used
Why faceted stones are weighed in carats and specimens in grams — and how to convert between them.
The Stone Atlas · Apr 1, 2026
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Dispatch · 005
Inclusions are not flaws: what they tell you
The bubbles, needles, and clouds inside a stone are its fingerprint. Here's how to read them.
The Stone Atlas · Mar 30, 2026
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Dispatch · 006
Why "fancy" colored stones are priced differently
Why a Paraíba tourmaline is $5,000/ct and a Brazilian indicolite is $200/ct — and what "fancy" actually means in the trade.
The Stone Atlas · Mar 28, 2026
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Dispatch · 007
Specific gravity and refractive index, for non-gemologists
Two numbers that gemologists use to identify stones. You don't need the equipment, but knowing what they mean changes how you read product specs.
The Stone Atlas · Mar 26, 2026
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Dispatch · 008
Understanding stone treatments: heat, irradiation, oiling
A deeper dive into the four major treatment types, what each does, and how to recognize stones that have been through each.
The Stone Atlas · Mar 24, 2026
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Dispatch · 009
Reading a stone's certificate: GIA, GIT, GRS
The three lab certificates you'll see in commerce, what they actually tell you, and which ones to trust.
The Stone Atlas · Mar 22, 2026
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Dispatch · 010
How gemstones are formed: a primer
Igneous, metamorphic, hydrothermal — why some stones come from volcanoes, some from mountain-building, and some from hot water in cracks.
The Stone Atlas · Mar 20, 2026
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Dispatch · 011
Untreated vs treated stones: what disclosure means
Heat, irradiation, oiling, fracture-filling, dye — what each does, when it's standard practice, and why we disclose all of it.
The Stone Atlas · Mar 18, 2026
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Dispatch · 012
Mohs hardness scale, explained for buyers
The 10-point scale that tells you which stones can take a daily ring, and which need to be displayed under glass.
The Stone Atlas · Mar 16, 2026