Bangkok-based lab Lotus Gemology has debuted a new photography-driven book that juxtaposes the human side of the global gemology trade with under-the-microscope images of actual gems.
Inside Out: Gemology Through Lotus-Colored Glasses takes readers around the world through close-up portraits of gems, miners, and people living in mining communities.
The 152-page book, coauthored by Richard W. Hughes, Wimon Manorotkul, and E. Billie Hughes, features beautiful, full-page color photos paired with ultra-abbreviated captions (“Bokeh in bronze—pyrite in quartz” is the description for two entire pages).
But these photos tell rich stories on their own—tales of earth’s dazzling by-products, the ways in which the gem trade shapes communities, the backbreaking work humans do to procure treasures, and our collective enthrallment with the infinite sparkle, color, and luminescence of gems.
“This book is not just about gemology, but also about painting—painting with light…. Is it gemology? Not if we imprison the field in a cage of austere quantitative assessments,” wrote Paolo Minieri in his foreword for the book. “But…if we give importance to our emotions that react to both optical phenomena and to the stories of the hard-working people prospecting for, digging and cutting gems—this is gemology in its purest sense.”
E. Billie Hughes added, “Our exploration for gems has taken us around the world, where we have encountered landscapes and people as stunningly beautiful as the stones unearthed. Rather than the misery that fills our newspapers, we meet people who, despite their sometimes meager wealth, never fail to offer us graciousness and hospitality. As you look at the faces in this book, we hope you will sense not just the human struggle, but also optimism. Beneath the outside, there is an inside core of hope.”
Lotus Gemology was founded in 2014 and specializes in the identification and characterization of colored gemstones. The Lotus team has authored or coauthored more than 200 papers and 10 books on various aspects of gemology.
Inside Out: Gemology Through Lotus-Colored Glasses is $100 and ships to shoppers in October. You can preorder a copy here.
(All book images courtesy of Lotus Gemology)
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