Emerald Re-oiling Advice Please

[prs]

Last week, in a consignment store, we found an emerald in a beautiful diamond setting. Apparently the piece was originally designed to hang from a diamond necklace, but could be detached and worn as a broach. My wife intends to add a bale and wear it as a pendant.



The diamonds and platinum setting are high quality but the emerald seems to be more of a commercial quality. It is quite dark with plenty of inclusions, but there are hints of vivid green if the light is right. We couldn't quite understand why someone would pay for such an extravagant setting to go with a lower quality emerald. It may be wishful thinking but it occurred to me that maybe the original oiling has dried out and discolored. So maybe there's a nice emerald hiding in there, to be revealed with an appropriate cleaning and re-oiling.

I would very much appreciate any advice you can give on vendors who might be able to remove the old residue from the emerald and then re-oil. I know cedar oil is the oil used traditionally but it must be reapplied every five years or so. I understand there are more permanent treatments available, and I wonder if any of them can be recommended?

Please forgive the awful fingers in the photos, I was fixing a sprinkler line this morning and had to scrub off a lot of glue!!!

 

[Bron357]

I just wanted to say WOW WOW and WOW.
I know that emeralds can be re-oiled but sorry, don’t know who can do it for you but can’t wait to see it restored to it’s full magnificent glory.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

Beautiful piece. I think you can shoot an email to Dana (Mastercut gems) or Jerry Newman and ask them if they know anyone who would be able to re-oil the emerald for you and what that entails. Both gentlemen are very knowledgeable and friendly so I think they would set you in the right direction.

 

[prs]

I just wanted to say WOW WOW and WOW.
I know that emeralds can be re-oiled but sorry, don’t know who can do it for you but can’t wait to see it restored to it’s full magnificent glory.

Thanks Bron, there are no markings on the piece, do you have any thoughts as to how old it might be?

 

[Bron357]

I would guess 1960/ 1970 given the ballerina style and marquise diamonds.. It’s unlikely to be older but could be more recent.
In terms of oiling, natural cedar oiling (which is done under pressure so you can’t do it at home) is an acceptable treatment, other fillings including opticon are less “accepted” but do provide a permanent enhancement. If you were ever to be considering reselling, I wouldn’t do opicon.
What I’m guessing has happened is it been cleaned either in an ultrasonic or with a chemical cleaner (ie those ones you can buy at jewellers). Possibly a jeweller has “pickled it” but most jewellers would know to avoid this part of the process (pickling is for removing residue and tarnish after soldering has been done on gold or platinum). Most treatments are perfectly fine for most gems but some are bad for opals, pearls and emeralds. In emeralds, because natural fissures are surface reaching, it dissolves the oil.
It’s a very fine piece of jewellery, I would consider a “clip bale” (does it already have one?) as that will provide more flexibility and still able to go on an ordinary type gold or Platinium chain. You will need a substantial width chain (rope style would be lovely) as the weight and size of the pendant will drag on a fine chain.
A clip bale open up at the back so you can add it onto/over a diamond necklace (ultimate grand) or onto a strand of pearls or other gemstone beads, even a black silk cord necklace.
I imagine that with a very nice black cocktail dress. Stunning.
Give you much more versatility - enjoy.

 

[PrecisionGem]

You could contact http://clarityenhancementlab.com/contact.htm

 

[prs]

Gene, thanks for the link. The Excel process uses a permanent polymer and I understand that's still looked at unfavorably by the trade. I may go this route if the emerald turns out to be low quality, but until then I think I prefer a more traditional oil.

 

[prs]

It’s a very fine piece of jewellery, I would consider a “clip bale” (does it already have one?) as that will provide more flexibility and still able to go on an ordinary type gold or Platinium chain. You will need a substantial width chain (rope style would be lovely) as the weight and size of the pendant will drag on a fine chain.
A clip bale open up at the back so you can add it onto/over a diamond necklace (ultimate grand) or onto a strand of pearls or other gemstone beads, even a black silk cord necklace.
I imagine that with a very nice black cocktail dress. Stunning.
Give you much more versatility - enjoy.

Bron, you are a genius! After reading your post I examined the piece more carefully, indeed it does already have a clip bale. I missed it because it's at the wrong end, and I didn't recognize it for what it is. The piece was originally designed to be worn as a flower not a tear drop!!!

The clip bale is on a slide that can be unlocked, removed, and replaced with a broach pin. There is a small locking ring attached to the back of one of the marquise diamonds that receives and holds the sharp end of the pin. We will likely add a similar removable bale to the other end so it could be worn either way.

The engineer in me wanted to straighten up the asymmetrical marquise but my wife said emphatically no! She believes the "leaves" add to the charm of the piece just as they are. She's right of course, as always.

With regard to the chain, do you think 2 mm might be enough?

 

[prs]

Beautiful piece. I think you can shoot an email to Dana (Mastercut gems) or Jerry Newman and ask them if they know anyone who would be able to re-oil the emerald for you and what that entails. Both gentlemen are very knowledgeable and friendly so I think they would set you in the right direction.

@LisaRN thanks for the suggestions. I'm hoping the emerald experts here might chime in with some direct experience, but if not I may have to contact some of the emerald wholesalers and beg for help.

Given the lack of response here, and the paucity off Google hits, I suspect most owners don't re-oil their emeralds.

 

[2Neesers]

Bron, you are a genius! After reading your post I examined the piece more carefully, indeed it does already have a clip bale. I missed it because it's at the wrong end, and I didn't recognize it for what it is. The piece was originally designed to be worn as a flower not a tear drop!!!

The clip bale is on a slide that can be unlocked, removed, and replaced with a broach pin. There is a small locking ring attached to the back of one of the marquise diamonds that receives and holds the sharp end of the pin. We will likely add a similar removable bale to the other end so it could be worn either way.

The engineer in me wanted to straighten up the asymmetrical marquise but my wife said emphatically no! She believes the "leaves" add to the charm of the piece just as they are. She's right of course, as always.

With regard to the chain, do you think 2 mm might be enough?

Wow! What a great find and a beautiful piece . It was lovely as a teardrop, but as a flower, it’s gorgeous!

 

[Miki Moto]

Hi! I am not an emerald expert, only a lover of emeralds and I have seen many, of all qualities.

I have a dark emerald (dark in a bad way) that I purchased years ago, similar in color to yours and I showed it to an emerald dealer who basically told me the emerald color is nice (not great) but the inclusions and quality is inferior. Looking at your emerald, it is similar to mine, so I am not sure what oiling will do to change that. My emerald is Colombian but it is dark and looks flat, no glow. I am not saying that is what yours is as it is hard to judge emeralds in photos.

May I suggest you send it to AGL and have a report done? They can analyze a mounted stone. Ask for the Prestige Origin report which will tell you both the country of origin and any treatment. They will also indicate if the treatment is minimal or moderate. Then I would take that report and have your piece appraised for estimated value. The appraiser can also assess the diamonds.

Looking at the photo of the stone against your palm, it looks like 25mm in length and maybe 10mm in width? Not sure, but regardless, that is a substantial emerald and for me, I would want to know facts about it before I do anything with it. Are you also sure it is platinum which would be good. A platinum mounting would imply value given the cost of platinum compared to white gold. Emeralds of your size can be worth quite a bit especially with an AGL report.

Good luck!

 

[PrecisionGem]

Gene, thanks for the link. The Excel process uses a permanent polymer and I understand that's still looked at unfavorably by the trade. I may go this route if the emerald turns out to be low quality, but until then I think I prefer a more traditional oil.

I don't think that is true. Often people have a preference of one treatment over another, but in the main stream, there is no price difference for stones treated with one material over another. There is a price difference for the level of treatment.
It's hard to tell from your photos since they are not really in focus, but I'm not sure any treatment will have much effect on your stone.

 

[ChanterelleJ]

Your emerald is really huge, so I think it's only natural that it's (probably) not the finest quality. If it were, the value would be in the six figures. So if you didn't pay that much I suggest to appreciate the pendant as it is. It's really beautiful

But if you have the opportunity, show it to someone who knows colored stones and their treatments.

 

[prs]

I don't think that is true. Often people have a preference of one treatment over another, but in the main stream, there is no price difference for stones treated with one material over another. There is a price difference for the level of treatment.

Gene, I think you might be right. I was able to chat with a very helpful gentleman at ABC gems, a large emerald importer and wholesaler based in LA. He said they were a big proponent of ExCel for their emeralds except those of "auction quality" The advantages of this process being that it is permanent and stable, and their customers never have to worry about re-oiling.

 

[prs]

Looking at the photo of the stone against your palm, it looks like 25mm in length and maybe 10mm in width? Not sure, but regardless, that is a substantial emerald and for me, I would want to know facts about it before I do anything with it. Are you also sure it is platinum which would be good. A platinum mounting would imply value given the cost of platinum compared to white gold. Emeralds of your size can be worth quite a bit especially with an AGL report.

Good luck!

Hi Miki, we visited with David Klass today and had the emerald removed from the setting. It is 9.26 ct and measures 19.70x13.04x7.21. The setting is platinum and I estimate the diamonds at about 4.70 tcw. The general opinion right now is the stone is of low to medium quality but definitely needs cleaning and re-oiling. One emerald expert thought it was Columbian but another thought Zambia.

Amy introduced us to Land Gems on the 6th floor of their building. He provides a traditional emerald cleaning and re-oiling service using cedar oil. We decided to go the traditional route because the stone will be done by Monday and we'll get to see what it really looks like then. The Excel route would have involved shipping to New York. FYI if you ever go gem hunting in LA; Land Gems would be well worth a visit.

After that Amy will send it to AGL for certification. In the meantime she is going to figure out how to put a bale at the teardrop end of the setting, possibly in conjunction with another couple of marquise diamond "leaves" to fill in the gap. What do y'all think of that idea?

 

[ShinyPink]

What do y'all think of that idea?

I think you are one heck of an awesome husband!

 

[prs]

Your emerald is really huge, so I think it's only natural that it's (probably) not the finest quality. If it were, the value would be in the six figures. So if you didn't pay that much I suggest to appreciate the pendant as it is. It's really beautiful

Absolutely!!! The main thing that attracted my wife to this piece was she thought it was beautiful, but also something she could wear every day. If the emerald cleans up too well, I suspect she'll think it only appropriate for really dressy occasions, and I'll only get to see it once every blue moon!

 

[prs]

I think you are one heck of an awesome husband!

I have 37 years of excellent training, I'm just the facilitator.

 

[Miki Moto]

Hi! I think your steps are great except I would not stop there. Getting an AGL report is needed, but that will only tell you origin and treatment. It will not tell you value which to me, for a stone that size is critical. I

I would suggest the following:
After you get your stone back from AGL, do not re-mount it yet. Take it to an appraiser and ask him to appraise the stone loose (give him the AGL report to use). Then after you get an appraisal for the loose stone only, you can mount it back and get it appraised as a piece of jewelry.

To me, the critical part is knowing the value of your loose emerald. For that size emerald, if the emerald can get cleaned up, it could be worth a lot. I am a bit skeptical that only oil can brighten up that emerald though as it is quite dark and included. But if it does, I will definitely reach out to your contact as I want to try the same with my darker Colombian emerald. If it not worth much, then one option is you can find another stone and use a new stone.

I would then want to know the value of the total piece given it is platinum and had diamonds which would be the second appraisal. So you would have two appraisals. I hope that makes sense.

Please keep in mind an appraisal is for replacement value. That is, if you went to a retail store to buy the piece or had it made. It is not resell value which will most likely be less than half of the appraised value unless the piece is branded or has a strong provenance.

Good luck to you. I hope you found a winner!

 

[chrono]

I am very much pro-resin filling as long as it is stable, permanent, non coloured, and only lightly treated. Level of treatment is the key.

I also agree with Gene that oiling may not improve the appearance much. Enjoy it as a beautiful piece!

 

[prs]

Thanks @chrono I suppose the level of treatment is dependent on the stone itself, and the number and volume of surface reaching fractures that have to be filled by the treating fluid?

One of the factors in our decision to go with cedar oil was that we didn't want to do anything permanent until we knew what we had. Presumably the AGL report will tell us the level of treatment our stone required?

 

[prs]

To me, the critical part is knowing the value of your loose emerald. For that size emerald, if the emerald can get cleaned up, it could be worth a lot. I am a bit skeptical that only oil can brighten up that emerald though as it is quite dark and included. But if it does, I will definitely reach out to your contact as I want to try the same with my darker Colombian emerald. If it not worth much, then one option is you can find another stone and use a new stone.

Hi Miki, one of the emerald experts who saw the stone thought the original oil might have contained a dye, and the residue of that dye might be causing some darkness. If this is the case the cleaning process should be able to remove it.

We didn't pay very much for the piece and any improvement in the emerald will just be a bonus. For sure this was our only opportunity ever to own a 9 ct emerald !!! This stone isn't going anywhere except back into it's setting, and then around my wife's beautiful neck.

 

[Miki Moto]

Hi! Okay... now that I know your thinking, I have a new view and recommendation.
Since you say you did not pay much for this piece and will keep it regardless, I would not recommend sending it to AGL. First, to get an AGL report for a 9ct stone will cost around $425.00 including shipping. I just did that for my 5.5ct Colombian emerald which is why I know the pricing.

Here are my thoughts...
All AGL will tell you is country of origin and any treatment. Well, you already know it has been oiled and dyed. You don't need to AGL to tell you that. And if you are keeping it, so what if it's Colombian vs. Zambian? Do you really care if you love it? And I will be frank, the fact the stone was originally dyed implies it would not be of high quality.

I have two Colombian emeralds. One is 2ct and the other is 5.5ct. I did not send the 2ct to AGL. I also have a 6ct Ceylon sapphire that I did not send to AGL as I trust the vendor. Plus, I'm not selling these stones. I am wearing them to enjoy.

However, I did send the 5.5ct emerald to AGL. Why? The dealer alreadyt told me it was Colombian (from Muzo) and with only minor treatment. The main reason is I wanted papers to verify what the dealer told me as I plan to purchase more of his emeralds to make a parure. My AGL report came back verifying what the dealer told me so that was worth it to me as I will purchase more from him. But, for any future purchases from him, I will not get AGL reports for those emeralds. If you say you did not pay much (I don't know what is considered "much" to you) and will keep the emerald regardless, I would not send it to AGL. It will not move the needle for you having this report.

What I would do then is get it appraised at your local jewelry store to get an estimate of the value. That would be a curious thing I would want to know. Maybe you do not even need to know (again, this is based on how much you paid for it). An appraisal is cheap, around $50 or so, much less than the $425.00 for an AGL report. I think you wil get a nice ballpark estimate without having an AGL report. A good appraiser can tell you if there has been treatment. All they cannot tell you is origin (they can only guess).

I say for me... if after oiling the emerald comes back relatively the same (which I do think it will), and you did not pay much for it and will keep it regardless, just get a simple appraisal, call it a day and enjoy your fabulous piece of jewelry! I am guilty of sometimes overthinking gemstones and jewelry and my husband puts a check of me and says "you love it, you are keeping it, just enjoy it!"

Post photos! What a great find!

 

[chrono]

Considering the size of the stone and info you will want (level of treatment), it will be very expensive and possibly cost more that what you paid for the piece. In addition, based on the opaqueness of the stone, I don’t think any sort of treatment will lighten the colour. If the dye dried up, it will not be evenly distributed throughout the emerald. Instead, you will see dark green streaks along the fractures.

 

[prs]

@chrono the AGL "Prestige Origin Report" costs $370 for a stone under 10.0 ct. It provides identification, enhancement detail, and country of origin. Unfortunately this is definitely not more than the price of the piece.

 

[prs]

We picked up our cleaned and re-oiled emerald from Land Gems, and are very pleased with the result. The stone is significantly lighter and much more uniform in color. There was a large, almost black area on one side of the stone that appeared white when viewed thru the keel. This area just about disappeared and is now the same color as the rest of the stone.

Land Gems, who did a terrific job, conduct the re-oiling process under a vacuum system that removes air from the stone, and helps the cedar oil penetrate more completely into the fractures. The stone weighed exactly the same 9.26 ct before and after treatment so obviously a little oil goes a long way! It will be interesting to see how AGL classify this level of treatment.

I now understand why the miners routinely oil their emeralds, it does greatly improve their appearance! My guess is that surface reaching fractures that have lost their oil absorb the light and cause areas of extinction. Gene and Chrono are correct in that this process doesn't work miracles, our emerald is still far from the ideal color, and its "jardin" might be better described as a jungle. However it is now a whole lot better than before treatment, and will make a much prettier centre stone for our pendant.

 

[chrono]

I’m incredibly happy that you’re pleased with the end result and hope you’ll enjoy the pendant for many more years to come!

 

[PrecisionGem]

The oil can only penetrate those inclusions that reach the surface, or have a path through another inclusion to the surface. So with larger stones, the oiling or filler at times will not have as good an effect as with smaller stones where the oil can penetrate better.

 

[Miki Moto]

Hi! Your emerald turned out great. I wonder now if my dark emerald would lighten up. I bought a new lighter emerald which I love but I don’t think my darker emerald will lighten up that much.

Congrats on your emerald!

 

[prs]

I’m incredibly happy that you’re pleased with the end result and hope you’ll enjoy the pendant for many more years to come!

Chrono, thank you so much for the kind words!