[Jewelry making - Article 00062] - [Orchid] Re: [orchid] Gemstone Treatments

[KashmirBlue]

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    I enjoy gemstone conversations and frequent retail outlets at all
    opportunities.  Today I visited Bailey Banks & Biddle of the Zales
    Corporation and began to ask the usual specific questions about
    gemstones and treatments.  After being told, "our gems are all
    natural and never treated" I turned to the fine print of their own
    catalog and read the following statement:  "The gemstones may have
    been treated by heating (generally), .diffusion (sapphires),
    irradiation."  What does this mean? Not a single employee, to include
    the jewelers & managers, had any idea what diffusion was or that it
    is artificially coloring the gemstones.  (eg. The Wall Street Journal
    Thailand Treatments article several months ago) 

    Anyhow, the Kashmir sapphire rough is covered in a white clay like
    matrix. This seperates Kashmir from all other rough sapphire in the
    world and is the key identifier in determining if the rough has been
    heated.  The clay begins to melt under extremely low temperatures and
    no longer looks powdery soft but instead like plaster.
    (http://www.kashmirblue.com/Research/research.html) -to see
    photographs. 

    Again, some treatments are more controversial than others and may
    affect the prices dramatically.  I believe all people, at all levels,
    in the jewelry trade should do their best to educate themselves and
    the public so a few bad apples won't spoil the bunch. 

Enjoy the holiday,
Ed Cleveland
KashmirBlue



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