Interesting article on testing stones

[pregcurious]

I started testing my stones this year, and will be continuing to do so. Articles like this give me reason:

http://online.barrons.com/article/SB50001424052970203511504576329081143859922.html?mod=BOL_article_full_more#printMode

 

[LD]

Preg I could have written that lady's story! About 10 years ago (maybe more) I bought an Alex from a seller/lapidarist who told me that he cut all of his stones from rough. Anyway, I hadn't bought from him before but he answered all my questions and I didn't really have much cause for concern.

When the Alex arrived it didn't "feel" right to me. It looked too clean and the colour change was very very very strong. All of the tests I did came back as Alex. I took it to my cousin who is a gemmologist and she ran the same tests as me and she came to the conclusion that it was real. I still had my doubts and the stone bugged me. I couldn't put my finger on it but it just wasn't "right".

Anyway, I decided to send it to a lab and lo and behold it was a synthetic. Interestingly, the lab I sent it to sent it to their sister lab because they needed to run some tests that they didn't have access to at theirs. It was a really really really good synthetic though. If I hadn't seen so much real Alex I would have been well and truly fooled. If it had been another stone (other than an Alex) I probably might not have had the gut feeling either.

Anyway, long and the short of it is sometimes lab tests are a must and home tests don't always work but they're fun to do and in some cases really can eliminate some concerns (if not all).

 

[pregcurious]

Thanks for the interesting story LD.

 

[chrono]

I remember this story when it first came out. The same happened when AGL found a ruby to be oiled whereas GIA made no mention of it, determining it to be untreated. I'm not trying to diss GIA because I do think it is a good lab. The point I'm trying to make is that most of us don't have the equipment nor the skill set to know for sure. Which lab used also matters, hence why I always prefer AGL over AIGS. For stones that are often untreated, it may not matter as much (although some garnets are now oiled to improve clarity). Stones that are of very high value should ideally have 2 reputable lab reports.

 

[JewelFreak]

That's an interesting point, Chrono. I notice in the major jewelry auctions that for very high-value stones, even if it comes with a lab report, the auction house (I presume) sends it for another. Usually, of course, the early one is several years to a couple decades old, so they want to be sure the stone hasn't been substituted, but maybe for confirmation of findings from a different lab also.

Unfortunately I doubt I'll ever be in need of 2 reports.

--- Laurie

 

[T L]

I remember that whole debacle with the fake alexandrite, where AGL determined it to be synthetic.

If it's the type of stone that is often not treated, nor heavily synthesized, then I have no problem with any of the reputable gem labs. It's only when you get into high value, highly marketed stones, that are often heavily treated and/or synthesized, where you really need a second opinion.

I will say that I think GIA does suffice for colored diamonds, and they are one of the only labs in the world with the equipment to test for synthetic diamonds.

Thanks for the article!

 

[T L]

That's an interesting point, Chrono. I notice in the major jewelry auctions that for very high-value stones, even if it comes with a lab report, the auction house (I presume) sends it for another. Usually, of course, the early one is several years to a couple decades old, so they want to be sure the stone hasn't been substituted, but maybe for confirmation of findings from a different lab also.

Unfortunately I doubt I'll ever be in need of 2 reports.

--- Laurie

I have two sapphires, and I sent both of them to AIGS that determined they were heated, no further information on the lab report though, so I was suspect because heating does not rule out diffusion. I didn't realize that, at the time I purchased them, that AIGS did not have the proper equipment to test for diffusion, so I also sent both gems to AGL and had them properly tested for diffusion. One was able to be analytically tested for diffusion, but the other had to go under the LA-ICP-MS machine in order to be tested for diffusion because the stone just didn't have the tell tale gemological inclusions that show diffusion, or the lack of it. Both of the AGL reports definitively state that there is no other treatment other than heating, which AIGS did not state.

It's unfortunate that, at the time, AIGS could not give me a definitive answer as to whether they could properly test for diffusion, as I had extensive email correspondence with them, and they kept tip-toeing around the subject. I don't know if this has changed, as that was at least two years ago.

In any case, I can say I have two reports for two of my gems.

 

[corundum_conundrum]

I think AIGS did recently add a technology to screen for Beryllium, which is why many of their brief reports on sapphire say "LIBS tested" on the bottom (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy).

http://www.aigsthailand.com/Gemlab-Equipment.aspx

 

[T L]

I think AIGS did recently add a technology to screen for Beryllium, which is why many of their brief reports on sapphire say "LIBS tested" on the bottom (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy).

http://www.aigsthailand.com/Gemlab-Equipment.aspx

Thanks, that's good to know. LIBS is not as definitive as LA-ICP-MS, but it's better than not being able to test for it at all.

 

[corundum_conundrum]

I was in a very large department store a few weeks ago, and I glanced at their blue sapphire collection, and I noticed some very bright saturated medium blue sapphires. They had curiously nice color for a department store collection. I inquired about them, and was informed that the stones were treated with Be.

I suppose with demand for sapphires going way up, the supply of Be and otherwise treated stones should follow.

 

[T L]

I was in a very large department store a few weeks ago, and I glanced at their blue sapphire collection, and I noticed some very bright saturated medium blue sapphires. They had curiously nice color for a department store collection. I inquired about them, and was informed that the stones were treated with Be.

I suppose with demand for sapphires going way up, the supply of Be and otherwise treated stones should follow.

They've always been very plentiful in department stores and mall stores. At least they knew the treatment on them, which many retail jewelers are unfamiliar with, and will give you a blank stare if you ask. I have no problem with be-treated stones, as long as you know what you're getting. They can be an attractive and affordable alternative to an unheated or simply heated gem.

 

[corundum_conundrum]

I hadn't seen Be blue sapphires in a department store previously, but maybe I just normally don't inquire enough about them, or the salespeople didn't know the level of treatment as you said.

I agree: Be treated stones can be quite handsome and can be a nice choice for those okay with getting a little Beryllium mixed in with their Corundum. Yellow sapphires in particular really benefit from the Be to my eye.

I'm pretty nutty for treatment free gems personally, though.

I do wonder if Be will become a more accepted treatment if the demand for sapphires keeps up.

 

[chrono]

CC,
That is a very good point and I agree that there is a stronger chance that diffusion may become more acceptable in the future when intense coloured sapphire pricing becomes too rich for the masses. My only concern is the disclosure and full understanding of what diffusion entails. It is encouraging that the department store saleperson you talked to is well versed in the product she/he is selling since this is rather uncommon.

Does anyone know the fee structure for AIGS' beryllium diffusion testing? My guess is that they will not test for diffusion unless specifically requested and that there will be an added fee for this service.

 

[iLander]

Just the other day DH and I were having this discussion, and he wanted to know if anyone could tell if a stone had BE. I said, no not without major lab equipment. He asked if the stones looked good, I said they look great. I also pointed out that they could be sold as "natural sapphires" and they were, in fact, sapphires. And you can get a stunning BE stone for a few dollars. He pondered for a minute, and said "Well, then you really have to get a lab report, to protect your investment. There's really no choice." I agreed.

Then he pointed out that us CSers were funny, insisting on these untreated stones and why did we bother? And I said I really can't put my finger on it, but we like stones that came from God and nature exactly as they are. We're purists, who apparently want to work as hard as possible just to buy a piece of jewelry. We spend months, possibly years, on the stone and the setting and other buyers just go to a jewelry store and point at something.

So, yes, we're an odd, hard-working little group. And I love it.

Just rambling, pregcurious . . .

 

[LD]

Be treated stones have been plentiful for years in the UK and actually represent the majority. Over here unfortunately we don't have any legislation on disclosure.

I maintain that Be can actually make a stone look beautiful. I've seen some wonderful rubies that have benefitted from the treatment also and, as you've all said above, some stunning blue and yellow sapphires. I think for non-collectors and those who just want a pretty looking stone, they're ideal. It's a way of owning a pretty stone without the hefty price tag.

Personally, they're not for me unless they're in costume jewellery but that's an informed choice. I still will tell people to buy what they can afford and believe in that absolutely.

 

[minousbijoux]

I love this thread - Preg, thanks for starting it. I agree that we are an odd bunch of devotees and agree that disclosure is essential. I'm not sure that I would feel that I was getting a "real" sapphire if I got a beryllium treated stone, but the color on some of them is unrivaled. With proper disclosure, as others have said, it becomes a nice option to have. CC: I too have seen them for a while in department stores but agree that the disclosure part - and the education of the employees to know that - is the new part of the equation.