Episode 111: The Science of Gemstones

There’s a lot more to gems than just sparkly rocks. While we can’t promise they’ll cleanse bad vibes, we can dive into the incredible science behind them. In this episode, Andrew and Taylor chat with Mubashir Mansoor, a gemologist and PhD candidate in Materials Science at Istanbul Technical University, to uncover the rich past of gemstones and how they are shaping the future. From restoring a man’s sight to a possible future in quantum computing, these crystals hold more secrets than you’d think. We trace the evolution of gem technology, from bamboo rods and coal to high-tech scanners that can spot microscopic flaws and reveal exactly where a gem was mined. Most importantly we discuss how gemologists are looking for help from materials scientists and engineers to help crack the secrets of these sparkly rocks. Diamonds are Forever: The Evolution of the Bionic Eye [ LINK ] This episode is sponsored by the American Ceramics Society Learning Center. Visit ceramics.org/materialism to learn more or use code MATERIALISM to get $100 off your next On-Demand course registration. This Materialism Podcast is sponsored by Materials Today , an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars, and more. Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show! If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at materialism.podcast@gmail.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram , Twitter . Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks, Andrew Falkowski, & Jared Duffy.

You can listen to Episode 111: The Science of Gemstones online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Episode 111: The Science of Gemstones is an episode from Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast by Taylor Sparks and Andrew Falkowski.

This episode is 00:52:08 long.

This episode was published on Oct 9, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.