Dr. Eduard J. Gubelin was born into a watchmaking family on 16 March 1913, the first son of Eduard Gubelin Sr. and Maria, née Schriber. Eduard Gubelin studied Earth Sciences at the Universities of Zurich and Vienna, earning a PhD in mineralogy in 1938. It was during the 1936-37 winter term in Vienna, while studying under Professor Hermann Michel, that he first learned to discern inclusions in gems and appreciate their significance in the identification of gemstones. After obtaining his Doctorate, Dr. Gubelin earned a Certified Gemmologist diploma in 1939 at the GIA in Los Angeles – only the second European to do so. Following his studies, he returned to his father’s business in Lucerne. In the years to come, he and his brother Walter would lead the Gubelin firm with outstanding distinction, continuing the standards of excellence set by their father.
The outbreak of the World War Two and service in the Swiss Army failed to hinder his scientific activities as he concentrated increasingly on the field of inclusions in gemstones. In fact this research field turned into his speciality within his gemmological science work. Dr. Gubelin combined his knowledge of mineralogy and the jewellery business with his passion and admiration for gemstones to become one of the pioneers of modern gemmology and a pioneer of origin determination – the expertise for which the Gubelin Gem Lab today is most renowned. He helped advance the science of gemmology countless times with his investigation and classification of a wide spectrum of gem materials, trips to mining locations and his world-renowned, innovative work on the fascinating topic of gemstone inclusions.
Dr. Gubelin also regarded the invention and development of gemmological instruments as a part of his research activities, and he made several important contributions to the practical development of gemstone investigation and examination. In 1945 he designed a simple, mobile light source to examine gemstones. The first desktop gemmological spectroscope followed in 1952. Further useful instruments developed by Dr. Gubelin were to follow over the years, such as the coloriscope, the gemmolux, the fluoroscope and the magnoscope, to name but a few.
In 1946 Eduard Gubelin was appointed a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) and in 1948 was honoured with the title First Research Member GIA by the Gemmological Institute of America. In 1952 he became a member of the German Gemmological Association and in the same year was appointed an Expert of the German Institute of Gemmological Research. Also in 1952 he was one of the founders of the International Gemmological Conference (IGC). Then in 1956, in honour of his publication A Contribution to the Genealogy of Inclusions, the Gem-A presented Dr. Gubelin with its Research Diploma – an honorific award. In 1942, Eduard Gubelin became a founding member of the Swiss Gemmological Association, with the function of Scientific Advisor.
In appreciation of his research work and the publication of his great store of knowledge, Dr. Gubelin has been appointed an honorary member of gemmological societies in Australia, Germany, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland. He was also awarded the title of Honorary Professor of the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa and in 1988 was conferred with a Doctorate honoris causa by the International Foundation of Universities.
His stream of prolific publications reflecting a lifelong vocation resulted in a vast number of articles in gemmological and science journals, trade publications and newspapers, as well as a number of books devoted to all aspects of gemmology. Over the decades, Dr. Gubelin’s contribution to the world of gemmology as author and film-maker has given rise to a remarkable list of works, including the 1963 film Mogok, the Valley of Rubies and the books Internal World of Gemstones published in 1974, The Color Treasury of Gemstones issued one year later, and, famously, the Photoatlas of Inclusions of Gemstones, also published in 1975 and on which he collaborated with John Koivula. His World Map of Gem Deposits (1988) also gained worldwide recognition. More recently, he collaborated in 2000 with Franz-Xaver Erni on the comprehensive, beautifully illustrated Gemstones: Symbols of Beauty and Power. Dr. Gubelin’s last publication – an important work on inclusions in gemstones (again co-authored by John Koivula) – appeared in 2006.
His films and books paint a wonderful picture of his travels and the world of stones and precious stones, and also of the trials and tribulations involved in their search. In 2003, to ensure the continuation of his lifelong endeavours to understand gemstones, Dr. Eduard Gubelin co-founded the Association for the Research and Identification of Precious Stones, an independent not-for-profit organisation, the principle aim of which is to initiate, promote and support research projects in the realm of gemmology. Dr. Gubelin served on the Association’s board.
Until his death in March 2005 Dr. Gubelin remained an active figure in the gemmological community. He was a regular presenter at meetings of the Swiss Gemmological Society, disclosing gems from his incomparable collection and documentations of his latest inclusion discoveries. Although he scaled down his prolific travelling in later years, he continued to appear at symposia and conferences the world over to share his immense knowledge. Fluent in five languages, he maintained an active correspondence with colleagues around the world from his home in Lucerne.
While known first and foremost as a gemmologist, his life was so much more. Dr. Gubelin was a gentleman of the old school, an author, artist, film-maker, traveller and poet. He was an outstanding and gifted writer, an admirer of arts and culture whose love for life and nature featured greatly in his writings.
Dr. Gubelin left five daughters and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Dr. Eduard Gubelin passed away in March 2005 in Lucerne, Switzerland, just one day short of his 92nd birthday. He had devoted his life and career to unveiling the mysteries of gemstones. A leading gemmologist, he was recognised the world over as the authority on inclusions in gemstones. His great knowledge of mineralogy and the jewellery business combined with his passion and admiration for gemstones made him one of the founders of modern gemmology and a pioneer of origin determination.
“To anyone who loves gemstones and rejoices in their radiant, coloured and dazzling exterior beauty, comes involuntarily the desire to be able to peep into their interior. (…) Only the message from their interior – their inclusions, the documents of their evolution in the womb of the earth – renders them vital, natural and precious. The existence of these inclusions is a part of the value and the charm with which gemstones are favoured. (…) These have, moreover, the inestimable advantage that they can ‘speak’ to anyone who will hear and understand the language of the gemstone’s interior decor. They tell place and time of the stone’s origin, they grant glimpses into the distant past and creative forces of our planet. (…) They are, beyond that, a prosaically valuable tool for jewellers and gemmologists who, with their help, can detect frauds and determine the provenance from a certain country and sometimes even from a certain gem mine. (…) The inclusions – the inner life – of gemstones are their speech: it is lyrical, dramatic, rational or aesthetic according to whether one understands how to listen to it and what one wishes to hear.”
