[Jewelry making - Article 00889] - [Orchid] Gemstone, Enhancment and Lab-grown Gems

[Stones]

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    Knowing I am probably going to draw some flack over this, I still am
    going to ask the question (actually two questions). 

    I spend quite a bit of time surfing the web and perusing the gem
    sites - I am fascinated with gems and gemstones. I recently spend a
    couple of hours on the American Gem Trade Association web site and
    was somewhat confused by what I read there. Their site states that
    they are "dedicated to promoting the natural colored gemstone trade"
    yet I get an entirely different message from reading other
    information on the site.

    I have always thought that "natural" meant as nature created it, yet
    they address "enhancements" of natural stones "to improve upon the
    natural properties of gemstones and pearls" Some of these
    "enhancements" are more then mere cleaning up the appearance of the
    material. 

    My first question is where does "natural" end and "unnatural" begin?

    Among the "enhancements" commonly used aRe:

    -- Heat - This changes the color in many stones and/or hides
        inclusions. 
    -- Bleaching - improves color (usually pearls). 
    -- Dying - changes the color to more desirable hues. 
    -- Irradiation - changes the color. 
    -- Permeated with wax - Red Coral. 
    -- Stabilized with plastic - Orange Coral. 
    -- Laser - vaporize imperfections in diamonds. The the holes created
        are filled with resin or other hard substances. 
    -- HPHT - improves the color of diamonds. 
    -- Beryllium diffusion - improves the color od Rubies and Sapphires. 
    -- Waxing or oiling - fills fissures in Emeralds. 

    The treatments for Opal boggle my mind. Thinks like immerse In a
    sugar solution then in sulfuric acid to "leave microscopic carbon
    specks that blacken the body color, making its flashes of color more
    visible". Or permeating with colorless oil, wax, resin, plastic, and
    hardeners to improve their appearance and durability. 

    How about Tanzanite, which is naturally orange-brown, being heated
    to produce the blue for which it is known.

    Topaz is another that has a number of different "enhancements".

    The second question kind of plays off of the first question. If the
    treatments above do not change the material from "natural" to
    "unnatural" then why is a man made gemstone "unnatural" and why is
    it considered to be inferior?

    Some will say "The natural is dug from the ground; the man made is
    not." Yet the raw materials are the same in both processes. I have a
    hard time understanding why heating, drilling, filling, waxing,
    oiling etc. of "natural" stones to create something rarely (if ever)
    found in nature is acceptable while creating the same thing from
    basic raw materials is not.

    What I really find hard to understand is why a lab-grown gemstone
    cannot be called "real" since the stone is actually identical to the
    "natural" stone. If I combine hydrogen and oxygen and produce water,
    is it not "real" water? I have no problem with the requirement to
    refer to a created stone as created or synthetic - but when, after I
    state that a stone is Lab-Created, someone asks "but is it real" and
    I have to say "No", that is galling (and in many cases kills a sale
    because if it is not real then it is a fake).

    The last point on created vs. natural is that the created stones do
    not create the hostile environment that natural stones do. The
    murders and oppression of people does not occur like it does in the
    mining process (especially in areas like Burma etc.).

    Do I like "natural" gems - sure I do, can I afford them - depends.
    Do I like created stones - absolutely - how else could I afford an
    18+ carat ruby that is flawless (according to two local jewelers). I
    have finally managed to take some decent picture and will provide a
    link to them if anyone is interested.

Glenn Vaughn
Stones AT dawiz.net

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