Event

Richard W. Hughes

Richard W. Hughes is one of the worlds foremost experts on precious stones. The author of several books and over 160 articles on gems and gemology, his writings and photographs have appeared in a diverse range of publications. In a lengthy career, Richard has received numerous industry awards. Co-winner of the 2004 Edward J. Gübelin Most Valuable Article Award from Gems & Gemology magazine, the following year he was awarded a Richard T. Liddicoat Journalism Award from the American Gem Society. In 2010, he received the 2010 Antonio C. Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology from the Accredited Gemologists Association. The Association Française de Gemmologie (AFG) in 2013 named Richard as one of the fifty most important figures that have shaped the history of gems since antiquity, and in 2016 he was awarded a visiting professorship at Shanghais Tongji University. His latest book, Ruby & Sapphire: A Gemologists Guide (2017), is arguably the most comprehensive volume ever devoted to a single gem species. Richard resides in Bangkok, Thailand, where he operates Lotus Gemology, with his wife, Wimon, and daughter, Billie.