GIA Questions

[minousbijoux]

For those of you who have used GIA for colored stone identification, I have two questions about their grading. Typically, I go to AGL, but I had a GIA credit, so thought I would use it up by getting some stones assessed. A GIA staff person incorrectly quoted me a price requiring a supplemental payment in addition to the credit I had, so ironically, after all that, I still have a credit with them! Its not a biggie, but I just thought it was funny and wanted to share another example of GIA being less than clear on their services...

Anyway, on to the questions:

1) What is TE3? I tried looking it up online, but the info they have online only pertains to diamonds, and does not include a breakdown of their codes. The reason I ask is silly. This morning, I was watching gsn and they were touting this great deal - a ruby and diamond bracelet - with BURMESE RUBIES. [editorial note: I always feel like they're yelling at me]. They went on to say that they had bought that bracelet as if it was just regular rubies, but when it came back from GIA, they were thrilled to find out it was Burmese, "AND CAN PASS THE SAVINGS ON TO YOU!" Anyway, to prove their point, they showed the GIA cert with Burma as the origin, and then the host got a little ahead of himself and showed the treatment section because he thought it was NTE. Instead, it read TE3, and he pulled it off the screen in such a hurry...I would assume TE3 probably means thermal enhancement with elements or fillers or such but I can't actually remember their codes as its been so long. I thought someone here might have used them more recently and could tell me what TE3 is.

The other question I have pertains to one of the stones I had assessed. I have a 2+ carat cushion cut Burmese red spinel that I sent to them. No surprises, it came back as expected, but while the color description states it as red - not brownish red, or some such, just red, the photo they include makes one side of the stone look dark, a mix of brick red and black areas. Perhaps it was the lighting, but its not a flattering photo and I for one would not buy the stone if I saw that photo. Has anyone else had experience with crappy photos from GIA?

TIA

 

[VapidLapid]

http://www.professionaljeweler.com/archives/articles/2000/dec00/1200gg.html

 

[minousbijoux]

Thanks VL, that really helps. I also pulled out one of my GIA certs and it has the scale at the bottom. TE3 means Moderate Residue in Fissures. I can only imagine what that means to a ruby glass filled I'm sure.

 

[LD]

Thanks VL, that really helps. I also pulled out one of my GIA certs and it has the scale at the bottom. TE3 means Moderate Residue in Fissures. I can only imagine what that means to a ruby glass filled I'm sure.

Or lead or dye or a number of other things I think! I find the classification a little too vague also as I'd rather know what nasties were lurking and I wonder why they don't state that.

 

[whatmeworry]

Thanks VL, that really helps. I also pulled out one of my GIA certs and it has the scale at the bottom. TE3 means Moderate Residue in Fissures. I can only imagine what that means to a ruby glass filled I'm sure.

I think the labs use a different nomeclature for lead glass filling, F1, F2, F3. They came up with the TE1, TE2, etc. to handle Mong Hsu rubies. If you google "Mong Hsu, flux", you will find some good articles on the subject.

 

[minousbijoux]

Thanks. This is why I'd rather work with AGL - it seems to be clearer or at the very least, their communication is better.

 

[VapidLapid]

GIA gets a little more specific in this pdf

www.gia.edu/.../news-from-research/Flux_heated_and_glass_filled_rubies_from_Mozambique_edu.pdf - 2012-03-11

which can be found here:

http://search.gia.edu/search?entqr=0&output=xml_no_dtd&sort=date%3AD%3AL%3Ad1&client=new_frontend&ud=1&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&proxystylesheet=new_frontend&site=default_collection&q=te3&x=0&y=0

 

[minousbijoux]

VL Thank you. I'm not sure I understood it all (after a while, got tired of the acronyms), but that was great for understanding the treatment and the fillers. It sounds like I am to conclude that the TE scale goes through all fillers (flux, lead) except for glass? At the very end, they more or less say this, but they don't say what the code would be if it was glass filled - does that mean they would just specify GF or some such?

It sounds like TE3 is still pretty invasive, so to be selling them as Burma Rubies without mentioning that they have been treated and filled is a little deceitful, especially for GSN whom I thought disclosed all treatments - or didn't sell highly treated stones. But what do I know?

 

[rrsis]

it seems to be clearer or at the very least, their communication is better.