[Jewelry making - Article 00964] - Re: [Orchid] Synthetic quartz gems

[Steve Green]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========


>      The real issue with amethyst, citrine, and ametrine is the amount
>     of synthetic on the world market.

    Since we are having so much fun, I thought I'd keep playing.  I
    agree with you on the above. 

    I am always amazed at how many jewelers just don't want to know they
    are selling synthetic amethyst. I guess what you don't know won't
    hurt you? Or ignorance is bliss? Or something like that because it
    is everywhere. Especially in fine grape juice color, "unzoned"
    amethyst. I have always thought it would be a great lesson to buy
    some amethyst that I knew was synthetic and then have it verified by
    a lab and sue the store for fraud. Not really my style though, but
    man do stores leave themselves vulnerable to this one. 

    I have always felt that in stones larger than 1 carat the synthetic
    is not hard to identify. What is necessary is a knowledge of natural
    amethyst zoning, which is nearly always present in the cut natural
    stones even when very light color. Once you can recognize this
    natural zoning you can learn to recognize the lack of it in the
    synthetic material. All the natural amethyst, citrine, and ametrine
    I have seen has zoning which occurs in numerous parallel straight
    and V patterns. (The V patterns sometimes resemble Christmas trees.
    Think 3-D because they are actually 3 lines equally separated,
    angled and coming together in a point down the c-axis of the
    crystal.) The word numerous is important because even the synthetic
    will have some color zoning, but never have I seen numerous parallel
    color zones in the synthetic material. Most likely due to it's
    rapid, uniform, laboratory growth. The natural material most likely
    grows over longer time in a fluctuating natural environment. (I feel
    this may be responsible for  the numerous color zones... just my
    guess.) 

    This zoning is sometimes tricky to see in some materials and may
    require revolving the amethyst gem above a white background or even
    immersion in water & magnification, but it is always there in the
    natural material. 

    The problem is smaller stones under 1 carat may not irrefutably show
    the natural zoning due to their small size in relation to the size
    of the color zoning. In very small stones say, 0.10 carats it is
    nearly impossible to see this color zoning and besides the cost of
    the stone is so low that it normally does not warrant the effort. 

    Generally in natural amethyst the better the color the more
    pronounced the color zoning. Thus it is easier to see this zoning in
    the better color material . Unfortunately there is a tendency in the
    market to downgrade stones with visible color zoning. This creates
    an even higher demand for stones that are most likely synthetic, and
    a reluctance on the part of the seller to seek the truth.  Natural
    stones of fine color often show some of their zoning. This is often
    deemed "detrimental" by many jewelers. Too bad this is the case
    because I see it as proof of their origin and should be worn like a
    badge of honor. 

    Steve Green - Rough and Ready Gems   see: www.briolettes.com   for
    our briolette product line 


____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________