Tairus
Encyclopedia
Tairus is a synthetic gemstone
manufacturer. The company is a joint venture
between the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
located in Akademgorodok
and Tairus Co., Ltd. of Bangkok, Thailand. It was formed in 1989 as part of Mikhail Gorbachev
's perestroika
initiative to establish business entities to represent the research and development
undertaken by the Soviet academic community. Today Tairus is a major supplier of hydrothermally grown gemstones to the jewellery
industry.
In the beginning, the team was led by the scientist and developer of the hydrothermal process, the late Alexander Lebedev, whose name was kept secret by the Soviet regime for many years. Their objective was to grow and to supply emerald
s, rubies, sapphire
s, alexandrite and other gems to the jewelry industry. The driving force was Academician Nikolai Dobretsov, former President of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
(now retired). Joint Venture Tairus has been formed with Tairus (Thailand) Company Ltd., of Bangkok, to manufacture and distribute the gems. Tairus has achieved many scientific breakthroughs. For example, the development of the hydrothermally grown corundum
, aquamarine and the development of a revolutionary process of horizontal crystallization for growing Corundum (Ruby), Chrysoberyl and Alexandrite by a team led by Vladimir Gurov
.
After many years of development, scientists at Tairus had succeeded to commercially grow emeralds in a laboratory environment that resemble in color and have gemological properties that “overlap natural emeralds from various localities, especially those of low alkali-bearing stones from Colombia” as referenced in “A new type of Tairus hydrothermally-grown synthetic emerald, colored by vanadium and copper,” Journal of Gemmology of Gemmological Association of Great Britain
, September, 2006, by Dr. Karl Schmetzer (1), Dr. Dietmar Schwartz (2), Dr. Heinz-Jurgen Bernhardt (3) and Dr. Tobias Hager (4).
(1) Taubenweg 16, D-85238 Petershausen, Germany
(2) Gübelin Gem Lab, Maihofstr. 102, CH-6006 Lucerne, Switzerland
(3) Central Microprobe Facility, Ruhr-University, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
(4) Institute of Gemstone Research, University of Mainz, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
Chairman of the board: Walter Barshai
.
Gemstone
A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
manufacturer. The company is a joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
between the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
located in Akademgorodok
Akademgorodok
Akademgorodok , is a part of the Russian city Novosibirsk, located 20 km south of the city center. It is the educational and scientific centre of Siberia...
and Tairus Co., Ltd. of Bangkok, Thailand. It was formed in 1989 as part of Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
's perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
initiative to establish business entities to represent the research and development
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
undertaken by the Soviet academic community. Today Tairus is a major supplier of hydrothermally grown gemstones to the jewellery
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
industry.
In the beginning, the team was led by the scientist and developer of the hydrothermal process, the late Alexander Lebedev, whose name was kept secret by the Soviet regime for many years. Their objective was to grow and to supply emerald
Emerald
Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the 10 point Mohs scale of mineral hardness...
s, rubies, sapphire
Sapphire
Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
s, alexandrite and other gems to the jewelry industry. The driving force was Academician Nikolai Dobretsov, former President of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
(now retired). Joint Venture Tairus has been formed with Tairus (Thailand) Company Ltd., of Bangkok, to manufacture and distribute the gems. Tairus has achieved many scientific breakthroughs. For example, the development of the hydrothermally grown corundum
Corundum
Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide with traces of iron, titanium and chromium. It is a rock-forming mineral. It is one of the naturally clear transparent materials, but can have different colors when impurities are present. Transparent specimens are used as gems, called ruby if red...
, aquamarine and the development of a revolutionary process of horizontal crystallization for growing Corundum (Ruby), Chrysoberyl and Alexandrite by a team led by Vladimir Gurov
Vladimir Gurov
Vladimir Gurov is a Russian scientist who developed a floating zone/horizontal crystallization process for industrial production of alexandrite, ruby and chrysoberyl and head of above department at Tairus. Born in Stanislav, Ukrainian SSR to ethnic Russian parents, on April 22, 1952. Graduated with...
.
After many years of development, scientists at Tairus had succeeded to commercially grow emeralds in a laboratory environment that resemble in color and have gemological properties that “overlap natural emeralds from various localities, especially those of low alkali-bearing stones from Colombia” as referenced in “A new type of Tairus hydrothermally-grown synthetic emerald, colored by vanadium and copper,” Journal of Gemmology of Gemmological Association of Great Britain
Gemmological Association of Great Britain
The Gemmological Association of Great Britain, also known as Gem-A, is an international gemmology education and qualifications body based in the UK.-History:...
, September, 2006, by Dr. Karl Schmetzer (1), Dr. Dietmar Schwartz (2), Dr. Heinz-Jurgen Bernhardt (3) and Dr. Tobias Hager (4).
(1) Taubenweg 16, D-85238 Petershausen, Germany
(2) Gübelin Gem Lab, Maihofstr. 102, CH-6006 Lucerne, Switzerland
(3) Central Microprobe Facility, Ruhr-University, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
(4) Institute of Gemstone Research, University of Mainz, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
Chairman of the board: Walter Barshai
Walter Barshai
Walter Barshai is a Russian author, scientist and humanitarian, and the founder of the Tairus Research and Production facility within the Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk, Russia....
.
Products
The following are synthetic gemstones that were developed by Tairus scientists; they are alternately referred to as Tairus stones (e.g. "Tairus Ruby").- Floating Zone RubyRubyA ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum . The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires...
, synthesized in 1991 by Vladimir Gurov. - Hydrothermal Ruby, synthesized in 1992 by Alexander Dokukin.
- Hydrothermal Aquamarine, synthesized in 1993 by Victor Thomas and Sergei Demin.
- Hydrothermal SapphireSapphireSapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
s, in pink, green, orange, and blue. Developed by Vadim Maltsev and Victor Thomas. - Colombian Color EmeraldEmeraldEmerald is a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the 10 point Mohs scale of mineral hardness...
, developed by Dimitri Fursenko in 2004. - Laboratory-grown Diamonds