Lotus Gemology

Lotus Gemology is a gemology laboratory located in Bangkok, Thailand. It was founded in 2014 by Richard W. Hughes & Wimon Manorotkul and their daughter, E. Billie Hughes. Their idea was that, while precious stones were articles of great beauty, the lab reports issued by gem labs better resembled blood tests from a doctor than a celebration of that beauty. Thus they set about creating lab reports that were both scientifically accurate and aesthetically beautiful. Lotus Gemology's lab report covers are color coded. Gold reports are reserved for gems that are completely untreated, while silver reports are for gems that have been subjected to industry-standard treatments. Black reports are reserved for heavily treated and man-made gems. This consumer-friendly approach is unique in the industry.
When Lotus Gemology first opened, they specialized in testing only ruby, sapphire and spinel. Due to customer demand, they began testing other colored gemstones in 2018.
Richard Hughes and Wimon Manorotkul began their gemological careers in Bangkok in 1979. Since then, this family team has over 200 publications to their name. This includes eleven gemology books that they have either authored, co-authored, or edited. In 2017, Lotus Gemology published "Ruby & Sapphire: A Gemologist's Guide", arguably the most complete book ever to appear on a single gem species (corundum).
Lotus Gemology gemologists are in high demand as speakers and have delivered over a hundred lectures and classes around the world on various gemological topics. In 2019, Shanghai's Tongji University created a special exhibit dedicated to Lotus Gemology's photography. 2020 saw Van Cleef & Arpels' L’École, School of Jewellery Arts run an exhibit in Hong Kong featuring photomicrographs from Lotus Gemology's E. Billie Hughes. 
Laboratory Services.
Lotus Gemology issues reports on all types of gemstones with the exception of diamonds and pearls. For certain types of gemstones (mostly ruby, sapphire and spinel), opinions on geographical origin may be given. All gems are tested for treatments of any kind and Lotus gemologists have been at the forefront of treatment identification for decades, with many papers having been published on this subject.
Laboratory Equipment.
Lotus Gemology is equipped with a full suite of modern gemological instruments such as both gemological and research microscopes, photomicrography stations for both normal and ultraviolet photography, micro Raman spectroscopy and standard Raman analysis, UV-Vis-NIR and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (ED-XRF) and Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for chemical analysis. A full set of standard gemological instruments is also employed.
Education.
A big part of what Lotus Gemology does is in the realm of education. For example, their Hyperion Inclusion Database is the first of its kind, a public, fully curated keyword-searchable database of inclusions in gemstones to help gemologists better understand and identify the gems they work with.
Lotus Gemology also has created a free reference search engine for gems and gemology. Dubbed the "Four Treasures" after the Chinese phrase for writing implements, this database contains over 6000 references on gemological topics. This allows anyone to research various subjects. The majority of references relate to ruby, sapphire, spinel and jade.
In addition to Hyperion and the Four Treasures databases, LotusGemology.com contains dozens of open-access articles on all aspects of gemology. This includes regularly updated articles that track the prices of ruby, sapphire, spinel and jade at auction.
Memberships.
The laboratory and/or its staff are members of several gem trade organizations, including the Accredited Gemologists Association (AGA), the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A), the invitation-only Gemstone Industry & Laboratory Conference (GILC), the International Colored Stone Association (ICA) and the Thai Gem and Jewelry Traders Association.
Founders.
The following founders information is based in part on that at LotusGemology.com:
Richard W. Hughes.
Richard W. Hughes is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on ruby and sapphire. Involved in gemology since 1979, he has authored or co-authored nearly 200 papers and many books on various aspects of gemology. Richard has received numerous industry awards for both his writings and research work. These include:
Wimon Manorotkul.
Wimon Manorotkul has been involved in gemology since 1979, as a teacher, lab gemologist and photographer. She qualified as a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain with Distinction in 1985 and her gem and field photography has graced many publications, including "Ruby & Sapphire: A Collector's Guide", "Ruby & Sapphire: A Gemologist's Guide" and "Inside Out: GEM•ology Through Lotus-Colored Glasses".
E. Billie Hughes.
Billie Hughes qualified as a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain in 2013. She has travelled to scores of gem-producing localities, including Thailand, China, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and East Africa, and has lectured on gemology in Thailand, France, the UK, and USA. A noted photomicrographer, she created Lotus Gemology's Hyperion database, the world's first fully searchable inclusion database that now contains over a thousand images. Her photomicrographs are regularly featured in Gems & Gemology's "G&G Microworld" column. Some of Billie's awards include: