[Jewelry making - Article 01304] - Re: [Orchid] Kunzite fade in any light

[Robert P. Lowe Jr]

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>     I have 10,000+ cts of cut kunzite, I had them treated in cobalt
>     60, they all turned green, (very pretty) however they fade in any
>     light. Can I get there pink color back any way? 

    It looks like everyone got sidetracked in Nuclear Engineering theory
    and forgot to answer your question. 

    Colorless Kunzite irradiated with Cobalt 60 Gamma Ray irradiation
    turn avery beautiful Green color. Some even rival Neon Green Pariba
    Tourmaline. Unfortunately the color fades very quickly in sunlight. 

    You can turn them pink again by heating them in a relatively low
    temperature oven. A well controlled kitchen oven or even a toaster
    oven will work. 

    I watched a friend experiment with his green kunzite in his kitchen
    oven. He had a very precisely controlled kitchen oven and he raised
    the temperature in 50 degree Fahrenheit steps. 

    By the time he reached 550 degrees Fahrenheit (288 degrees Celsius)
    all of the Kunzites had turned from Green to Pink. This pink color
    is stableand will remain - as long as the Kunzite are not heated
    further to a higher temperature as with a torch or a steamer or
    exposed for prolonged periods to direct sunlight - like in a jewelry
    store window. 

    You must be extremely careful with heating Kunzite. Another friend
    put his beautifully faceted Pink Kunzites in his Kiln and wanted to
    "tweak" the pink just a little bit. He got a telephone call and
    forgot about the stones in the kiln. When I arrived, he had a large
    parcel of completely colorless kunzite - but very well faceted. 

    The stones eventually got irradiated in a Cobalt 60 Gamma Ray
    irradiation facility in the USA and turned the most incredible neon
    green. Unfortunately the beautiful green color only lasts a very
    short time in sunlight. After they were heated in the above process -
    they turned a very nice Pink again. 

Best regards,
Robert P. Lowe Jr.
Lowe Associates - Brasil
Gemstones, Rough, Specimens
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