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Thoughts on heating this aquamarine...

Jereni

Jereni

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 12, 2012
Messages
780
So yes, I feel guilty for even asking this, but I'm learning and I really felt like I should ask the question.

A few months ago, I was hunting for a non-heated aqua in a decently vivid blue-green color. Original thread here:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/looking-for-a-good-aquamarine.181062/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/looking-for-a-good-aquamarine.181062/[/URL]

It was suggested that I reach out to cutters and ask, so I got in touch with Peter T, and he happened to have rough he was willing to cut on commission for me. Yay! Also, he is fantastic and a joy to work with. Looking forward to working with him again.

He cut me a wonderfully sized, 8.5mm cushion aqua, non-heated. Pics below.

Fluorescent
aqua_fluor.jpg

Incandescent
aqua_incand.jpg


So the thing is....I'm trying to love the color but I just don't. I LOVE everything ELSE about the stone though. The cut is beyond superb, the shape is so adorable, the size is exactly what I wanted. And it's not that it's a bad blue - it's icy and very clean...just not very vivid.

I am wondering on people's thoughts on heating the aqua to make the color a bit more vivid. From what I understand, most aquas are heated anyway. I'm not a purist on heat treatment, most of the time I try to go for non-heated, non-treated stones, but in this case I could live with heat if it improved the color.

I appreciate any and all feedback. I trust your guys opinions!
 
I should add that I'm not expecting to get 'blue-green' color after heating. Just wondering if some heat would take the existing color and make it a little more vivid.
 
Heating burns out the green component, making a blue/green stone more blue. It won't increase the tone of the stone, only the hue. I don't see a lot of green in the picture, so it may do almost nothing. There is a risk involved of the stone cracking from the heat too.
 
Thanks very much for the feedback Gene. You are right, there is no green in this stone, at least none that I can see. I don't mind that and I'm not expecting any out of this stone. But improving the hue might be nice. I think I'd be willing to take the risk of the stone cracking, at least this one time... I don't intend to make this a habit at all.

Do you have any recommendations how/where I might go to get the heating done, if I decide to try it? I rather imagine, from some of the other recent threads, that this is not something the uninitiated should try at home.
 
Here's the thing, Jereni. I just don't think "vivid" and acquamarine go together. Perhaps I'm having a senile moment, but I can't remember ever seeing a vivid acqua, so I think you run the risk of damage for a not great chance of satisfaction in the color change. :(sad
 
I think you misunderstood me. The tone won't get any deeper. All heating will due is change the hue from blue-green to blue. If there is no green in the hue, then nothing will change. If you don't see any green in the stone now, then heating will do nothing.

You won't be able to do this at home, unless you have an oven that gets up over 700 degrees F.
 
Fair enough, I will leave it as it is :-) This is the solution that makes me feel less guilty so its just as well!

I will keep sitting on it and see if I can come to appreciate it as it is.

Thanks both of you for your thoughts!
 
Heating of aquamarine removes any green, leaving it blue. It does not make it darker (increase tone) nor make if more vivid (increase saturation). In addition, heating increases the risk of any inclusions it might have expanding, making it more included or cracking.

If it doesn't make your heart sing, you might as well sell it instead of forcing yourself to like it. Aquas just don't come in vivid blue. It is one of those strange ones where beauty is judged by tone. The darker the blue, the rarer and more expensive it is.
 
I think it's beautiful, Jereni. It also looks like a very nice blue for an untreated aquamarine. I agree with minousbijoux that I don't think of "vivid" in the same sentence with "aquamarine"! To me, part of aquamarine's beauty is its silvery, molten metal, blue-green color -- like waves on the water. If you haven't already, you might want to take that stone with you to a few local jewelers who deal in colored gems -- most aquamarines are so pale and washed-out looking, that, in comparison, you may develop an appreciation for your aquamarine's natural color.
 
Thanks Chrono and Lula. I do think it's very pretty, I just didn't love it right off the bat. Maybe you're right and I should compare it to some others as I think about it. I'm not going to force myself to like it, but I'll give it some more consideration and yes, eventually sell it if I just don't end up setting it.
 
I understand exactly what you're saying because I don't love the pale icy look that most Aquas have. Unfortunately there are more of those in the market than the gorgeous deep blue ones. Setting it in w/gold will make it look colder as well (as I found to my cost).

If you won't set it as it is (and in agreement with all the posts above, the "blueness" of the stone won't intensify with heating) then ask yourself whether you might be better selling it and using the money to fund another project?
 
I think the cut looks exquisite but the color... :|

This true blue Mozambique aquamarine from a PSer (I can't seem to find the thread) might be a good inspiration too

moz_aqua.jpg
 
That aqua is fantastic, blithesome!! damn :$$):
 
blithesome71|1357440251|3348524 said:
I think the cut looks exquisite but the color... :|

This true blue Mozambique aquamarine from a PSer (I can't seem to find the thread) might be a good inspiration too
Click to expand...

Oh WOW. Yeah that has to be one of the prettiest aquas I've ever seen.
 
That colouration is pretty rare though and the only colour that would make me buy and keep for an aquamarine.
 
Question, if I may...

LD, or anyone else that knows....what did LD mean when she said that setting her Aqua in gold made it look "colder"?

As far as what I understood, warmer colors are the reds/oranges/yellows and colder colors are the blues/greens. Im not sure where Purple goes although maybe that would depend on if its a redder purple or a bluer-purple.

But what does that mean in this context? Wouldn't you want the blue stone to look bluer (So that would mean colder)? I dont think I understand this correctly, or at all, and I'd like to.
 
A white metal like white gold, platinum, palladium and silver will accentuate grayness (coldness or steeliness) in a cold coloured gemstone (any gem where the primary colour is blue or green) that doesn't have strong saturation. In general, yellow gold is a softer colour that gives less contrast and can be a kinder metal colour to stones that are less saturated. Sometimes, yellow gold can make a blue stone look bluer. Rose gold is also very forgiving to certain hues, particularly minty greens and blues, amping up the perceived saturation.
 
Hello Jereni,

I am aware that you aren't sure how this stone sits with you just yet...but know that if you ever decided to sell...I would definitely be interested. :wink2:
 
Thanks for the heads up Gemmy! If I decide to sell, I will let you know first :) I'll probably be deciding in the next few weeks.
 
blithesome71|1357440251|3348524 said:
I think the cut looks exquisite but the color... :|

This true blue Mozambique aquamarine from a PSer (I can't seem to find the thread) might be a good inspiration too
Click to expand...

This was my ring (sigh) but it now has a new home. I LOVED looking at this ring, but it was just too big of a stone for me to wear comfortably so it just lanquished in my jewelry box. I do miss it, but I'm glad that it has a new home. If I could find a stone in the exact color and cut (but much smaller) I would be tempted to buy it, but I know I may never find another one in my budget. I also had an unset aquamarine the same color (over 12ct baguette) from the same lot, that I had planned to put in a pendant, but I decided to sell it also (because I was selling the ring). :(sad
 
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