Clarity enhancement in emerald question...

[Autumn in New England]

Hello all,

I recently purchased a 2.5ct. emerald from a reputable seller. It is Muzo origin and nearly eye clean. The hue, tone, and saturation are the very epitome of Colombian material. It is also exceedingly well-cut (which is important to me). I was so pleased with this stone! However, my keeping it was predicated on the gem coming back from the GIA with an F1 clarity enhancement grade. I was emailed the report from the lab today, and it came back as F2. I am thoroughly crestfallen. I do not collect treated stones, but an obvious exception is made for emerald. I just could not find a "no oil" stone with everything I wanted (within my budget). So I thought I was settling for one with minor clarity enhancement. I was so surprised to see it come back as having moderate oil, because the stone really doesn't have much in the way of surface-reaching fissures under a 20x loupe. In any event... I don't know what to do, and I need your opinions. What is the general consensus here about F2 emeralds? I'm afraid if I return the stone, it may be a long road to finding the perfect color again. But if I keep it, I am concerned the appearance of the stone will change dramatically in the future. I'm stuck. And I only have a few more days to decide.

TIA,
Autumn

 

[demantoidz]

Sorry you are going through this. Correct me if I'm wrong, but F2 could mean resin, not just oil. Did GIA specify? On the plus side, resin can be stable and not change appearance of the emerald over time.

My first thought would be to inform the vendor and see their response and the options based on their policy. For example, maybe it would be acceptable to you if you got a partial refund? At the very least they could increase the time left for you to decide.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Hi @demantoidz... thanks so much for commenting. The report only states F2, and I believe they make special mention if resin is used as the filler. The seller was also very confident that cedar oil was used. He has already increased the return window, because the GIA in NYC is short-staffed and behind schedule (they are taking over a month, FYI). I should have just sent it to Carlsbad. I have about a week left to decide. There are so many more important things going on in the world right now, that it seems trivial to quibble about F1 and F2 emerald clarity enhancement. But, as you can tell, I'm still bummed.

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

I agree with @demantoidz. If you love how it looks, can you still appreciate it at the right price? Or is it a mind clean issue that will always bother you?

 

[T L]

It depends on the price. Some resins are stable, but some fillers dry up or discolor over time. A no oil Columbian emerald of fine color can be tens of thousands of dollars.

 

[Autumn in New England]

@Diamond Girl 21 Thanks for your comment... so it's more a matter of not liking that the appearance may change in the future. I don't think I'd be open to a partial refund. It may make more sense for me to return it and put the refund into the pot for a more valuable stone in the future. I just love the color SO much!

 

[Autumn in New England]

It depends on the price. Some resins are stable, but some fillers dry up or discolor over time. A no oil Columbian emerald of fine color can be tens of thousands of dollars.

A no oil stone would be great, but I was prepared to accept minor oil. I just don't think I can tolerate one with moderate enhancement. I believe GIA specifically states if resin is used. They did not make mention of that on my report. The seller was also certain cedar oil was used. I'm trying to decide if I can live with a moderately oiled emerald. If not, I won't want it at any price, unfortunately.

 

[T L]

A no oil stone would be great, but I was prepared to accept minor oil. I just don't think I can tolerate one with moderate enhancement. I believe GIA specifically states if resin is used. They did not make mention of that on my report. The seller was also certain cedar oil was used. I'm trying to decide if I can live with a moderately oiled emerald. If not, I won't want it at any price, unfortunately.

Some resin is unstable. Opticon is an example of a stable resin. However purists only will tolerate cedar wood oil.

I believe AGL can determine the type of resin but I’m not sure.

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

@Diamond Girl 21 Thanks for your comment... so it's more a matter of not liking that the appearance may change in the future. I don't think I'd be open to a partial refund. It may make more sense for me to return it and put the refund into the pot for a more valuable stone in the future. I just love the color SO much!

That makes total sense to me. I think you made your decision, and it's a wise one. Your perfect emerald is out there.❤

 

[demantoidz]

@Diamond Girl 21 Thanks for your comment... so it's more a matter of not liking that the appearance may change in the future. I don't think I'd be open to a partial refund. It may make more sense for me to return it and put the refund into the pot for a more valuable stone in the future. I just love the color SO much!

I would probably return since even if you learn to love it in the next few days, there might be a lingering concern that won't go away (not 'mind clean'). However, I also enjoy the chase, so for me continuing the search wouldn't be too significant of a downside (other than the $ used on shipping etc)

 

[Autumn in New England]

That makes total sense to me. I think you made your decision, and it's a wise one. Your perfect emerald is out there.❤

You're so sweet to say that... thank you!

 

[Autumn in New England]

Some resin is unstable. Opticon is an example of a stable resin. However purists only will tolerate cedar wood oil.

I believe AGL can determine the type of resin but I’m not sure.

Thank you for the info. I'm pretty confident it is cedar oil. Now the only thing I need to decide is whether I can be content knowing the appearance may change as the oil dissipates.

 

[Autumn in New England]

I would probably return since even if you learn to love it in the next few days, there might be a lingering concern that won't go away (not 'mind clean'). However, I also enjoy the chase, so for me continuing the search wouldn't be too significant of a downside (other than the $ used on shipping etc)

I agree, thank you! With these crazy emerald prices, I just consider the lost shipping costs to be the price we pay for finding a true treasure.

 

[T L]

Thank you for the info. I'm pretty confident it is cedar oil. Now the only thing I need to decide is whether I can be content knowing the appearance may change as the oil dissipates.

Well this chart might give you an idea.

 

[demantoidz]

Heres a SSEF moderate cedarwood-oil-only emerald, cleaned and re-oiled. Figure 2 from:

Emeralds and the Saga of Cleaning and Filling Fissures - SSEF

There is a long established tradition in the trade to fill open fissures in emeralds with colourless fillers, such as oil, wax and (artificial) resins, to reduce their visibility. Disclosure of such treatments is mandatory (CIBJO), including a quantification of the filler substance, as this may...

www.ssef.ch

"Colombian emerald which has been thoroughly cleaned (on the left) and which thus shows prominent fissures. After refilling these fissures with cedarwood oil, the apparent clarity of the same emerald (on the right) has distinctly improved. Both situations were analysed by SSEF and each time a report was issued, documenting the situation (first none, then moderate oil) at the time of each testing. "

 

[Autumn in New England]

This is immensely helpful, @demantoidz, and exactly the info I was after. That's a tremendous difference!

 

[demantoidz]

@thirdrock posted an excellent GIA article on emerald durability in the thread about adding an emerald surprise stone.

https://www.gia.edu/doc/Durability-Testing-of-Filled-Emeralds.pdf

I looked over it, here are the parts that are most relevant to you. There is some more relevant info (they also tested if emeralds 'dry out' in storage environments) and there and a lot of before-after photos of the different treatment types after they undergo a test. They also define what they mean by slight/very slight as used in the text. I don't want to post screenshots of the whole paper
Worth a read, its not a difficult paper.


The length of the study:

Time test:


Result of exposure to time:

 

[Autumn in New England]

@thirdrock posted an excellent GIA article on emerald durability in the thread about adding an emerald surprise stone.

https://www.gia.edu/doc/Durability-Testing-of-Filled-Emeralds.pdf

I looked over it, here are the parts that are most relevant to you. There is some more relevant info (they also tested if emeralds 'dry out' in storage environments) and there and a lot of before-after photos of the different treatment types after they undergo a test. They also define what they mean by slight/very slight as used in the text. I don't want to post screenshots of the whole paper
Worth a read, its not a difficult paper.


The length of the study:

Time test:


Result of exposure to time:

I love how the testing method was simply... time. It makes the most sense to me. Thanks for sharing!

 

[prs]

I think moderate oil is the tradeoff you have to make for great color if you want to stay within budget. Minor oil and great color always cost an arm and a leg. It's like buying an unheated ruby or sapphire.

 

[Neptune]

I believe AGL can determine the type of resin but I’m not sure

Yes + stability index.

 

[LilAlex]

I forget what the recommended oil-change interval is for emerald; you can check the manual.

I'm with you -- F2 would bum me out and be a deal-breaker. I am not 100% sure why. It's closer to a man-made thing of beauty than a natural thing of beauty, imo.

That's also why my potato that looks like Bill Clinton is so much more precious than my one that's carved to look like him.

 

[T L]

I have an emerald that’s borderline minor to moderate oil. When I first got the stone, it looked very clean, but yeah, as it dried up, it got more included. It’s been two decades since I bought it, and it’s still beautiful, even with the dried up oil, so I wouldn’t compare it to a glass filled ruby or anything like that, it’s still 99.9% emerald despite the filler, but it’s a bummer that there are more visible inclusions. The color is not something that is enhanced, although some fillers are colored. I guess since it’s an emerald (expected inclusions) and I didn’t pay $$$$$, gives me solace.