Introduction of modern technologies and methods and quality analysis for the gemstone industry are the main strategic initiatives of the Small and Medium Development Authority (SMEDA) of Pakistan. In this regard, four natural gemstones Quartz, Pyrope-Almandine Garnet, Black tourmaline, and Amethyst brought from Hunza valley Pakistan were analyzed by state-of-the-art spectroscopic techniques including EDX, UV-VIS, and FTIR spectroscopy. EDX revealed the traces of Fe, Mg, and Ca in Pyrope-Almandine garnet, Mg and Fe in Black tourmaline, Au and Ca in Amethyst. UV-VIS data revealed the values of Urbach energies 520, 210, 460, and 430 meV, and the values of direct bandgap energies 5.14, 6.12, 5.54, 5.74 eV, respectively. The higher structural disorder due to the presence of Fe and other impurities in stones except Quartz was attributed to the higher values of Urbach energies and decrease in band gaps: FTIR data Fe-O and Si-O stretching vibration in Pyrope-Almandine garnet, Si-O bending vibrations and O-H stretching vibration in Quartz, Si-O-Si bending and stretching vibrations and C=O stretching vibrations in Black tourmaline, Ca-O stretching vibrations and Si-OH weak-vibrations in Amethyst. Photoluminescence results also showed useful information in investigating the properties of gemstones.

Oxidative degradation of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) limits the life of implants. This degradation can be monitored to estimate the service life of UHMWPE following the standard protocols as defined by American Standards for Testing Materials (ASTM). In this work, a comparative study has been carried on two commercially available UHMWPE grades i.e. GUR 1020 and GUR 1050 and one laboratory grade UHMWPE which was purchased from Sigma Aldrich. These powder samples were pressed while using hot press with controlled heating and cooling setup in open air under 200 bar of external pressure. These sheets were then subjected to accelerated aging in an oven at 80 °C for three weeks. The degradation of the UHMWPE was monitored by ATR-FTIR techniquefor three weeks. The oxidation index (OI) measurement showed that the commercial grade UHMWPE i.e. GUR-1020 and GUR-1050 degrade more as compared to laboratory grade UHMWPE. The values of OI after three weeks of accelerating aging were found 0.18, 0.14, and 0.09 for GUR-1020, GUR-1050, and Sigma Aldrich, respectively. In addition to this, it was found that commercial grades of UHMWPE suffer more structural alterations as compared to laboratory grade one. We hope that these results will be of particular and fundamental importance for the researchers and orthopaedic industry.