ALERT: Synthetic Flux Spinels accompanied my "Natural, Heated" Certificates

[Dr_Diesel]

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https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.36437.74723

 

[Dr_Diesel]

Steer clear of "heated" spinel and you should be safe.

 

[Autumn in New England]

And this why, although some vendors here on PS will argue otherwise, I cannot put my faith in these provincial labs. Do the major labs make mistakes sometimes? Certainly. Do these local labs get it right sometimes? Of course. But aside from lacking more advanced testing equipment, I fear they're too susceptible to vendor influence. Thank you for the heads up!

 

[VividRed]

And this why, although some vendors here on PS will argue otherwise, I cannot put my faith in these provincial labs. Do the major labs make mistakes sometimes? Certainly. Do these local labs get it right sometimes? Of course. But aside from lacking more advanced testing equipment, I fear they're too susceptible to vendor influence. Thank you for the heads up!

That’s it. It’s a business and the bulk of the turnover is coming from the dealers, not end-buyers. I don’t think there is necessarily a significant gap in skill between gemologist at large vs small regional labs, but the balance of power and conflicts of interest are just different.

 

[Mreader]

Steer clear of "heated" spinel and you should be safe.

I thought it was uncommon to heat spinel bc it doesn't improve color. Is that no longer the case?

 

[Dr_Diesel]

And this why, although some vendors here on PS will argue otherwise, I cannot put my faith in these provincial labs. Do the major labs make mistakes sometimes? Certainly. Do these local labs get it right sometimes? Of course. But aside from lacking more advanced testing equipment, I fear they're too susceptible to vendor influence. Thank you for the heads up!

I wish they could mention which lab made the errors. I don't think they were specific, were they?

 

[Dr_Diesel]

I thought it was uncommon to heat spinel bc it doesn't improve color. Is that no longer the case?

Seems weird to me as well. I would feel funny about buying a heated spinel.

 

[Autumn in New England]

I thought it was uncommon to heat spinel bc it doesn't improve color. Is that no longer the case?

Precisely! It seems they use the term "heated" here as a half-truth. Flux material is melted in the "growth" process. How cheeky of them...

 

[Autumn in New England]

I wish they could mention which lab made the errors. I don't think they were specific, were they?

They were not, purposely I'm sure. I think they just said "numerous labs in Bangkok." The article mentioned that while we all know traditional synthetic spinel is easily distinguishable from its natural counterpart, flux material is another story. It has the same RI and SG, along with other optical similarities. It also lacks the typical features of synthetic material (such as particle residues and inclusions). It was a chemical analysis and strange absorption band that gave it away. So the local labs either lack the appropriate equipment and/or expertise, or aren't staying current with the advancement of synthetics. As I mentioned previously, it's all a little too incestual for me anyway. Local vendors and labs rely on each other for survival. I'm not sure how much we end-consumers figure into it. So while they're fine for preliminary results, I would never rely on them solely. Kudos to Bellerophon for its commitment to integrity in the gem trade!