Martin P. Steinbach has become the face of gems with stars. His over 40-year career dealing with and studying gemstones, especially those exhibiting the optical phenomenon of asterism, makes him a de facto authority for these rarities. Martin P. Steinbach is a tall, imposing German; his English is perfect with a German accent, and his warm manner makes an instant friend out of you.
Martin P. Steinbach will be set up at the Galleria of the Tucson Convention Center during the AGTA GemFair™. Photo © Helen Serras-Herman
Some friendships are built upon years of interaction and relations, while others form by an instant connection. Such was my bond with Martin P. Steinbach. We met briefly in 2021, but last year during the AGTA GemFair™ show in Tucson, we got talking and talking, and then talked some more the following week during the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show® sponsored by the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. I was intrigued by how and why Martin got involved with these rare gemstones. My late husband, Andrew Herman, also loved gems with optical phenomena and that was the title of one of his lectures when we first met in the early 1990s.
I promised Martin to write an article about him and his lifelong passion with star gems, so recently I sent him some questions to dive deeper into his life and love for gemstones exhibiting the rare optical phenomenon of asterism.
The Early Years
Martin P. Steinbach was born on the December 2, 1957 in “Heidi Klum City” — the moniker for Bensberg — near the city of Cologne in Germany. He says he is a typical Sagittarius, loving honesty and freedom. Although his parents were not involved in the gem business or the geosciences they supported their only son (or couldn´t stop him) to travel as a young man to foreign countries. These travels will prove quintessential for Martin’s future gem business. At 16-years old he visited Venice in Italy by himself and a year later the whole of Scandinavia.
Martin started his gem business at 13-years old trading opal triplets. He had an uncle, who was cutting diamonds at home and gave him a citrine —his first cut stone — and started visiting mines in his hometown area.
Travels and Gemology Studies
After serving four years in the army, instead of following his original plan to study at the university, he traveled overseas to Egypt, Israel, Thailand, and the Philippines in 1982-83. In Thailand, amongst temples, beaches, culture, food, music, and the jungle, the gem fever got him quickly, as he jokingly phrased it.
This suite of star spinels was created in memory of English singer “The Starman” David Bowie. Photo © MPS, Idar-Oberstein
Martin graduated from his gemology studies in 1983 from the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences (AIGS) in Bangkok, Thailand. Then he received his diploma as a diamond expert and graduate gemologist at the Gemological Association of West Germany in Idar-Oberstein. Martin opened his own company Steinbach – Gems with A Star trading gems in 1984, which continues to be a global promoter and educator of star gems. He amassed his gem collection and enormous knowledge during many buying trips at mines and gem markets in Myanmar (Burma), India, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Thailand, Brazil, and the USA.
Inspiration, Influences and Gem Shows
The humanitarian and art philosophy message of German fine art artist and intellectual Prof. Joseph Beuys resonated with Martin during his travels. Over the years, he visited around 50 countries, Thailand in particular forty times, becoming inspired by what connects us all humans – social interaction and the desire for freedom. Beauty, nature, art, and love, which he calls a “revolutionary power”, are also major sources of his inspiration.
Meeting a number of gemology giants, including Prof. Gübelin, Richard T. Liddicoat, Prof. Bank, Dr. Schmetzer, Henry Ho, and Richard W. Hughes, and more recently while assembling his book Dr. Lore Kiefert, they all had a tremendous influence on his way of utilizing gemology.
Author Martin P. Steinbach with the biggest star diopside, 739 carats. Photo © MPS, Idar-Oberstein
Today, Martin lives in Idar Oberstein, the German center of gem cutting, with his beloved Thai wife Thapanitta and his son Julian. Over the past 40 years, Martin has participated in many national and international gem and mineral shows selling his gems, minerals, jadeites, and his books. Among his favorite shows are the St. Marie-Aux-Mines in France, the Hong Kong show, and Tucson. He has visited Tucson at least 15 times since the early 1990s, “trading his star rubies for arrowheads, driving red convertible Mustang cars in the desert, and meeting a gila monster for the first time.”
Star Gems
Martin admits that “the emperor of all asteriated gems is the star sapphire"; this perfect Thai sapphire is 14.0 carats. Photo © MPS, Idar-Oberstein
For Martin, “the emperor of all asteriated gems is the star sapphire. You can get it in all colors (when it is red it’s a star ruby), in all sizes from 0.50 carat to 6000 carats, in all cuts and shapes, in all transparencies, with stars of 6, 8, 12 rays, double/twin stars, in bicolor and tricolor, from about 26 different countries with several mining areas, including commercial sources in five countries”. But he revealed that his secret favorite star gem is the star spinel. “Always beautiful, with a clean surface, with even color distribution, nearly always sharp stars, star spinels are commercially much underrated.”
Martin shared that, “Star gems, like other phenomenal gems, are appreciated by connoisseurs and dealers, but it is sort of a niche product, not the normal mainstream gems, therefore not so easy to sell. You also always need a spotlight, a penlight or the sun, otherwise no star.” I totally understand the concept of niche market where carved gems also belong, and the difficulties of getting proper appreciation for these unique gems.
He has delivered educational talks at the 2018 Symposium of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), at the Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand (GIT), at the Gemological Institute of Great Britain (Gem-A) and several other conferences around the world.
Photographing Star Gems
In Idar-Oberstein, Martin has an office, a gallery and a lab. He doesn’t do any lapidary work himself. The lab is equipped as a classic gemological laboratory, along with a huge library for his books’ research, and a very good photo lab, where they create a lot of pictures of asteriated gems.
Photographing star gems is probably the most difficult of all gem photography Martin shared, as with this amazing star rose quartz in transmitted light. Photo © MPS, Idar-Oberstein
“Photographing gemstones with stars is probably the most difficult of all mineral and gem photography” Martin shared. “Technically, photographing in reflected light, you have to get the star focused and sharp with an additional light source or the sun, and also get a good depth of field. You have to watch the exact color, which can change with the stone under different light conditions.” Martin and his team are extremely proud of their starry pictures, especially those with star rose quartzes photographed with red, green and blue lasers in transmitted light.
The Star Books
Martin P. Steinbach’s first book, Asterism – Gems with a Star, is a comprehensive 900-page tome with 1,000 dazzling photos, published in 2017, featuring every possible gemstone with asterism. It is definitely a monumental, mind-blowing work – a labor of love – reflecting his passion for these niche gems.
Martin P. Steinbach’s new book Star Gems – A fascinating World will be available in Tucson. Photo © MPS, Idar-Oberstein
His new book Star Gems – A Fascinating World is a smaller and lighter version, with over 700 photos, graphs and drawings, describing over 60 different gems with a star. The upcoming book features chapters on History, Scientific Approaches, Synthetics, Imitations, Treatments, and a chapter about Famous Star Rubies and Sapphires. “The Corazon (the heart) of the book”, Martin continues, “are the stars themselves, the chapter of Common Stars, Rare Stars, and Very Rare Stars, as well as a superb chapter of Stars in Exceptional Jewelry.”
Advice for young lapidaries and gemstone collectors
I asked Martin what advice he would give young lapidaries and collectors. “It can emotionally be very satisfying to work with these substances. You are trading and dealing and working with relatively precious materials. From our earth. From the one and only existing earth. Hopefully, they will follow some ecological and environmental standards. Collectors, in general, have the cash to trade beautiful mineral and gems against the ugly bank notes. Collectors are on the bright side of life and can relative easily afford to buy.”
A breathtaking star rhodochrosite sphere, 15.51 carats from the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado. Photo © MPS, Idar-Oberstein
You can meet Martin P. Steinbach in person at the Tucson gem shows. He usually sets up at the Galleria of the Tucson Convention Center during the AGTA GemFair™ show in January-February. Remember that the Galleria, where gemological institutes, magazines, labs, and authors set up, is open to everyone, no wholesale license required. You can look at and possible purchase one of his books, or at the very least ask him to sign a copy of your Tucson EZ-Guide. Following the AGTA show, Martin also normally sets up at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show® as well.
You can also visit Martin P. Steinbach’s website at www.star-sapphires.com.
Two proud authors – Helen & Martin – at the TGMS 2023 show. Martin is holding his first book Asterism – Gems with a Star. Photo courtesy Helen Serras-Herman
Helen Serras-Herman, a 2003 National Lapidary Hall of Fame inductee, is an acclaimed gem sculptor and FGA graduate gemologist with over 40 years of experience in unique gem sculpture and jewelry art. See her work at www.gemartcenter.com and her business Facebook page at Gem Art Center/Helen Serras-Herman