[Jewelry making - Article 00184] - [Orchid] Purchasing Loose Emeralds

[Robert P. Lowe Jr.]

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>        most Gemstone Dealers are coming off one of the worst years on
>     record. ..Jewelry Store Owners have effectively eliminated the
>     Gemstone Dealer .The wholesale to retail relationship between
>     Jewelry Store Owners >and Gemstone Dealers is just about
>     destroyed. 

    I sincerely hope that Gerry is exaggerating here, to make a point,
    but fear that he may be hitting near the mark. This year's Tucson
    Shows may be a determining factor for many dealers to define how
    (and if) they will be dealing with the Colored Stone business in the
    future. 

    There definitely should be many "buys" to be had at the February
    Tucson Shows in Loose Colored Stones and especially in the 'Loose
    Emerald' area - as Emerald Sales have been way down for several
    years after several USA television shows reported the "scandal" of
    almost all Emeralds being treated (oiled). A fact that had been
    widely known in the Jewelry Industry for hundreds of years and
    probably was not being adequately disclosed to the end buyers by the
    retail jewelers. 

>        I have read that it is considered to be acceptable practice to
>     treat emeralds with clear cedar (wood) oil before sale to hide the
>     inherent flaws. 

    You should probably consider that by "definition" all emeralds are
    'oiled' with some product. The product used will depend upon the
    origin of the stones. Some 'oilings' are 'permanent' and some need
    to be renewed periodically. All 'oilings' should be disclosed at the
    time of purchase of the stone. You should, by "definition," never
    use flame, ultrasonic, or chemicals on Emeralds. Your customers
    should remove Emerald jewelry before washing their hands or washing
    dishes etc. 

>      I have seen emeralds so far advertised for thousands of dollars
>     for under 3 carats that have been treated as such... 

    Price points on Emeralds, like many other stones, vary according to
    quality and also according to size. Under 1 carat is a price point. 1
    to 2 carats is another. 2 to 3 carats is another. A 2 to 3 carat not
    so nice looking Emerald may be more expensive than a pretty nice one
    under 1 carat - due to the relative rarity of getting Emerald rough
    to produce the larger stones. 

>      Are there any stones that look good without treatment and are
>     they anywhere close to being affordable? 

    There are Emeralds which don't have surface breaking flaws or
    fissures and which will not accept treatment. If they happen to be
    clean internally and have a nice color, they will be much more
    costly than one which has been treated. 

    Last year, at our booth at the Tucson Show, we had several hundreds
    of carats on Emeralds up to 3 carats and only three were in the
    untreated category - and all three were under 1 carat each, and were
    much more pricey than the others. 

    Why not look at Tourmalines. You can get them totally clean. They
    are a lovely green (there are many tonalities available), and much
    more inexpensive than Emeralds and probably much more wearable, as
    they are much less internally stressed - thus much less prone to
    fracturing if struck inadvertently. 

    Best regards Robert Lowe, Lowe Associates - Brasil, - Gemstones,
    Rough, Specimens Tucson - February 7 - 12, 2002 - GJX # 205 e-mail
    <robertplowejr AT mogi.com.br>  

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