Three New Gems, pics.

[chrono]

AJ,
Electron bombarded? That sounds like it has been nuked because that’s what irradiation means to me.
http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/4749869/description.html

Topazes come in many different shades from light to dark blue with varying intensity of blueness. I think it’s a decent aquamarine and yes, many tend to have large tilt windows due to the low RI. I’m not sure how much it can be improved in a setting because that’s just the way aquamarines are. Barry has already maximized its potential with the supernova cut.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 9/21/2009 12:17:25 PM
Author: Chrono
AJ,

Electron bombarded? That sounds like it has been nuked because that’s what irradiation means to me.

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/4749869/description.html

Topazes come in many different shades from light to dark blue with varying intensity of blueness. I think it’s a decent aquamarine and yes, many tend to have large tilt windows due to the low RI. I’m not sure how much it can be improved in a setting because that’s just the way aquamarines are. Barry has already maximized its potential with the supernova cut.

Hey C,
Hrmm..odd..yeah I have no idea what the difference is - I'm just quoting what I was told "This topaz is not irradiated, but it is electron bombarded"

Can anyone clarify, is there a difference here or is the cutter mistaken?
I don't really mind either way, just for education's sake.

Thanks for your opinion on the aqua - I'll have a bit more of a think before I send it back.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 9/21/2009 7:28:27 AM
Author: bling addict
Hi AJ

The topaz will look good in a JKT setting I think --- I''m sure you could pull of the 10mm stone it just looks big next to the other stones - but by itself in a nice JKT silver setting it will just look

good i think

Ahh I love the look of the barry stones -- but I hear you about wanting something bigger, I have a few stones in a box that I haven''t set because they''re not that big and I think these days I want better finger coverage from my stones...


Well I look forward to seeing what you end up doing -- you have great taste in jewellery

Hi again BA,
you should see the topaz on my hand! I''ll try and get a shot soon - but I''m game to put it in a simple bezel. Finger coverage, here I come, lol!

Ya, if I were a collector I''d just keep them all - but I''m really after something larger in blue, for a special project I have in mind

Ah, thanks hon - you know I admire your tastes too.

 

[arjunajane]

Hey Dandi,
thankyou lovey, that's very kind of you to say.

Thankyou oddoneout.

Agreed MTG, the barry stones are great (as always!). The cutting on Lisa's stone is also perfect, I can highly recommend her for service too - it's my first step cut, and even though I know it's not a valued material I really like the gem as a package

Hi cellentani, what a nice comment cheers! I agree about the blue-green, I just wish it were a lil bigger..Although, I do have an idea kicking around of getting three or four tourms, all smaller sizes, and making some kind of gypsy set band - does that make sense? I should try and find a pic somewhere..

Thankyou princessplease !

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 9/21/2009 10:28:11 AM
Author: LaurenThePartier
AJ, you take the most gorgeous pics! You would never know that it was stormy/not sunny out with the amazing colour and brightness of those stones!


I LOVE the blue green and your GIANT square baguette!

Hi Lauren,
aw shucks, cheers! These pics are certainly not my proudest moment, but I appreciate the compliment none the less

I guess we should really attribute that to the quality of the gems though

Ha ha, somehow I knew you''d appreciate the square emerald

It is fun to have a giant stone, and it''s been good for me to learn that ~8mm is really my threshold for a ring.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 9/21/2009 3:22:42 AM
Author: arjunajane
And lastly, just came today - blue topaz, 10mm square emerald cut, ~6cts, cut by Lisa Elser:

Well they are all lovely AJ, but I have to admit, the sqaure emerald just knocks my socks off!

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 9/21/2009 10:29:34 AM
Author: ma re
Well, nowdays many aquas are rather pale when compared to blue topaz, but it''s also true that not all topaz is the same shade. For instance, those lightest of them all (sky blue topaz) are not an unusual shade for aquas, but swiss or london blue, that''s another story. So I''d say you have a pretty good aqua at hand, not quite as deep as they get or of an incredible size, but certainly worth keeping (if you like it and would like to set it).

Hi ma re, all good points, as usual.
I will take your advice into thought when deciding on the fate of the aqua - though I''m sure Barry won''t have a hard time finding it a new home, of course.

 

[arjunajane]

Thanks CCN, I''m glad you think so. Do you think just a plain bezel? Maybe something interesting going on in the gallery, seeing as I have the depth to play with..
It may not be for a while, but I will def. share once I have Julia do some cool sketches.

Hi Stone Hunter, my pleasure on the pics. Barry''s ovals always look great, pretty much any way you look at or photo them. Thanks!

Hello Linda, thanks!

Cheers D&T - yeah, for some reason I dig green stones in RG.

Hello and thankyou Monkeypie!

 

[chrono]

AJ,

In reading about topaz treatment, it seems that neutron bombardment creates the darker blue while electron bombardment creates the lighter aquamarine like blue. See the first paragraph:
http://www.bwsmigel.info/GEOL.115.ESSAYS/Gemology.BlueTopaz.html
From my research, linear acceleration is listed under radiation. See the link below under radiation.
http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive/200104/msg00027.htm

 

[PaulaW]

lovely stones! I can''t wait to see what you do with them!
ps. JKT and I have been chatting about your 3 stone ring she made you. I love it and may do something similar with a spinel I have.

 

[Novel]

Beautiful! I think that supernova cut is fantastic!

 

[Fly Girl]

Very nice stones. I agree that if the aqua looks like the blue topaz, it is probably a very fine aqua indeed. I always take a look at the aquas at my local jewelers, and whenever I spot a lovely aqua, it always turns out to be topaz instead.

 

[lelser]

I only carry lighter blue topaz, because it does not have residual radioactivity after the treatment. I also like the fact that it''s closer to a good quality natural blue topaz, but mostly since I have a kilo or so at a time and am working the stones creating swarf, it''s nice not to worry about how long the rough was held before I bought it.

True - it''s treated in an electron accelerator. I''m not whipping electrons at it in my home workshop

 

[T L]

The colors of topaz that are generated via neutron bombardment require regulation through the nuclear regulatory commission to be deemed safe for sale in the United States. Neutrons are stripped from the nucleus of an atom which causes a release of some residual radioactivity, while electrons are not stripped from the atomic nucleus, hence not much radioactivity with electron bombardment. Regardless, any time you introduce subatomic particles into the nano structure of an object, it is still an invasive treatment and not something I would not compare to gentle heating. Hope that helps.

ETA: Nice stones!!

 

[stepcutnut]

I love all 3 stones-great cuts and lovely colors

 

[packrat]

All 3 are beautiful AJ! And wow that topaz is huge!

 

[Stone Hunter]

Date: 9/21/2009 4:41:45 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
The colors of topaz that are generated via neutron bombardment require regulation through the nuclear regulatory commission to be deemed safe for sale in the United States. Neutrons are stripped from the nucleus of an atom which causes a release of some residual radioactivity, while electrons are not stripped from the atomic nucleus, hence not much radioactivity with electron bombardment. Regardless, any time you introduce subatomic particles into the nano structure of an object, it is still an invasive treatment and not something I would not compare to gentle heating. Hope that helps.

ETA: Nice stones!!

Are you saying that the topaz is radioactive?? Or am I just not following this thread well?

 

[jstarfireb]

I love these stones! The combination of the blue-green tourmaline and rose gold is really beautiful. The tourmaline is definitely my favorite - love the color!

 

[lelser]

Neutron bombardment, which creates the medium and darker blues, leaves trace radioactivity. The material must be held for a period of time, and the process is subject to regulation by the NRC in the US.

Electron bombardment creates the lighter blue, and it does not leave the material radioactive and so does not require a holding period.

Honestly, the levels even with neutron bombardment are insanely low and by the time it reaches your finger are nothing to worry about.

 

[beaujolais]

I love how the blue/green looks with the yellow gold setting.

 

[Gailey]

Lisa, more square emerald cuts please, just love em!

AJ and Lisa, what is the depth of that topaz. I have a feeling it''s going to sit pretty high in a ring.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Those are all very pretty, the treatment of topaz education is interesting too.

Honestly, I like the aqua the best. But as I said before, I am obsessed with the color blue, and I love the oval shape. I wouldn''t worry about the tilt window so much, my aqua has true window, and I would love one with even color throughout.

Your tourmaline is beautiful, it seems more green, but that is probably because I have been staring at mine for the last two weeks and my perception is off. I honestly think that setting makes it look more of a darker green than a blue-green, but that could be a combo of my monitor and lack of mother nature cooperating for your pics.

You made some very good purchases overall!

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 9/21/2009 1:06:14 PM
Author: Gailey

Date: 9/21/2009 3:22:42 AM

Author: arjunajane

And lastly, just came today - blue topaz, 10mm square emerald cut, ~6cts, cut by Lisa Elser:

Well they are all lovely AJ, but I have to admit, the sqaure emerald just knocks my socks off!

Thanks Gailey! Lisa has an exact matching one if you like it that much..

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 9/21/2009 1:24:44 PM
Author: Chrono
AJ,


In reading about topaz treatment, it seems that neutron bombardment creates the darker blue while electron bombardment creates the lighter aquamarine like blue. See the first paragraph:

http://www.bwsmigel.info/GEOL.115.ESSAYS/Gemology.BlueTopaz.html

From my research, linear acceleration is listed under radiation. See the link below under radiation.

http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive/200104/msg00027.htm

Thanks C for elaborating - I''m just at work atm, but I will read those links once I get home.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 9/21/2009 1:27:39 PM
Author: PaulaW
lovely stones! I can''t wait to see what you do with them!

ps. JKT and I have been chatting about your 3 stone ring she made you. I love it and may do something similar with a spinel I have.

Thankyou Paula!
Oh cool, that''s great news about your potential 3 stone - I look forward to seeing what colours you choose

 

[arjunajane]

Cheers Novel - agreed about the supernova.

Thankyou Flygirl for your input on the aqua - interesting what you said about
the stores.
Argh, you guys are such enablers - I was set to return the aqua, now I am second guessing

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 9/21/2009 7:27:09 PM
Author: lelser
Neutron bombardment, which creates the medium and darker blues, leaves trace radioactivity. The material must be held for a period of time, and the process is subject to regulation by the NRC in the US.


Electron bombardment creates the lighter blue, and it does not leave the material radioactive and so does not require a holding period.


Honestly, the levels even with neutron bombardment are insanely low and by the time it reaches your finger are nothing to worry about.

Hi Lisa,
Thankyou for dropping by and helping explain this - I think a few of us learnt something in this thread.
Also Lol at your comment about your home workshop

 

[Gailey]

Date: 9/21/2009 11:39:43 PM
Author: arjunajane

Date: 9/21/2009 1:06:14 PM
Author: Gailey

Date: 9/21/2009 3:22:42 AM

Author: arjunajane

And lastly, just came today - blue topaz, 10mm square emerald cut, ~6cts, cut by Lisa Elser:

Well they are all lovely AJ, but I have to admit, the sqaure emerald just knocks my socks off!

Thanks Gailey! Lisa has an exact matching one if you like it that much..

ah but so do I! Mine's a tad smaller at 9.13mm²

 

[T L]

Date: 9/21/2009 5:18:28 PM
Author: Stone Hunter

Date: 9/21/2009 4:41:45 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
The colors of topaz that are generated via neutron bombardment require regulation through the nuclear regulatory commission to be deemed safe for sale in the United States. Neutrons are stripped from the nucleus of an atom which causes a release of some residual radioactivity, while electrons are not stripped from the atomic nucleus, hence not much radioactivity with electron bombardment. Regardless, any time you introduce subatomic particles into the nano structure of an object, it is still an invasive treatment and not something I would not compare to gentle heating. Hope that helps.

ETA: Nice stones!!

Are you saying that the topaz is radioactive?? Or am I just not following this thread well?

This particular topaz is not radioactive because it is bombarded with electrons. However, in the past, some blue topaz was showing some level of radioactivity, thus neutron bombarded blue topaz is tightly regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission if it is to be sold in the United States. Most is safe, but the older stuff and some material sold elsewhere was not as safe. As a result, many retailers just stopped carrying blue topaz as a result of the fact that they did not want to incur any legal issues. I personally would not buy a London blue. Not to scare anyone, and the levels of radioactivity are low, but it's just something to be aware of.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 9/21/2009 4:41:45 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
The colors of topaz that are generated via neutron bombardment require regulation through the nuclear regulatory commission to be deemed safe for sale in the United States. Neutrons are stripped from the nucleus of an atom which causes a release of some residual radioactivity, while electrons are not stripped from the atomic nucleus, hence not much radioactivity with electron bombardment. Regardless, any time you introduce subatomic particles into the nano structure of an object, it is still an invasive treatment and not something I would not compare to gentle heating. Hope that helps.


ETA: Nice stones!!

Thanks TL for the info - Interesting stuff!
Just with what you said about the London blues, I''m assuming this is just a personal preference, seeing as Lisa and yourself said the levels of radioactivity are safe?
Just curious