When did Emerald Prices get so High?

[pregcurious]

DiaGem, thanks for your comments. I can't imagine considering you a novice

 

[chrono]

Hello Yoram and welcome to CS. I've enjoyed your posts in RT even though some are too technical for me to comprehend. Given that you have a personal collection (aka not for resale, therefore not breaking any PS rules), I hope you will post some of your collection on CS when you have the time. We enjoy viewing all types of gems, large and small.

 

[diagem]

Hello Yoram and welcome to CS. I've enjoyed your posts in RT even though some are too technical for me to comprehend. Given that you have a personal collection (aka not for resale, therefore not breaking any PS rules), I hope you will post some of your collection on CS when you have the time. We enjoy viewing all types of gems, large and small.

Here is a try..., a small lot of Rubies...

 

[diagem]

Some Sapphires (smalls

 

[diagem]

And last but not least..., Colombian Emeralds (smalls).
what do you all think?
Please remember, these are Gems which barely saw daylight in at-least 4-6 decades...

Any opinions are welcomed.

 

[chrono]

Wow, what a huge parcel! Any idea of the total ct weight and approximate ctw of each stone just to get an idea of quantity and size.

 

[diagem]

Hello Yoram and welcome to CS. I've enjoyed your posts in RT even though some are too technical for me to comprehend. Given that you have a personal collection (aka not for resale, therefore not breaking any PS rules), I hope you will post some of your collection on CS when you have the time. We enjoy viewing all types of gems, large and small.

Here is a try..., a small lot of Rubies... 26 stones 16.51cts tw

 

[diagem]

Some Sapphires (smalls 47.72ct tw (no stn number

 

[diagem]

And last but not least..., Colombian Emeralds (smalls). 18.81cts tw (no stn no)
what do you all think?
Please remember, these are Gems which barely saw daylight in at-least 4-6 decades...

Any opinions are welcomed.

 

[chrono]

The rubies worked out to an average of 0.6 ct each, which is a decent size. They appear quite clean and most seem cut shallowly. Treatment and colour are best assessed in person.

That's a LOT of blue sapphires. Are they smaller than the rubies? Difficult to tell anything about the colour here.

I can't tell much about the emeralds but I do like the colour. I spot the often seen dark and surface reaching inclusions. Given that these are very old, they might be oiled only. Again, how is the size relative to the rubies?

 

[diagem]

The rubies worked out to an average of 0.6 ct each, which is a decent size. They appear quite clean and most seem cut shallowly. Treatment and colour are best assessed in person.

A question I have on treatments..., what are the chances those are treated if they were locked up for at least 50 yrs?

That's a LOT of blue sapphires. Are they smaller than the rubies? Difficult to tell anything about the colour here.

yep, those are much smaller (e.g. 3-5mm i believe.

I can't tell much about the emeralds but I do like the colour. I spot the often seen dark and surface reaching inclusions. Given that these are very old, they might be oiled only. Again, how is the size relative to the rubies?

I know for a fact, the Emeralds in my collection were "only" oiled back then, they are probably dry by now.

 

[diagem]

I am creating a ring for this Sapphire, think i need to get it graded? Perhaps before?

 

[chrono]

I know that rubies have been heated back as far as to the Roman times. The problem is that cookers often treat stones in a new way long before the labs discovers the new treatment. Below are approximate years gleaned from Richard Hughes' various articles and his Sapphire and Ruby book.

Heated w/extra elements
Hydrogen diffusion discovered by the labs in the 1960s
Surface diffusion discovered by the labs in the 1970s to 1980s
Bulk lattice diffusion discovered by the labs in the 2000s

Clarity enhancement
Papers were published on gem healing (filled with fluid or liquid) in the 1960s
Glass filling of surface pits discovered by the labs in the early 1980s
Flux fracture (lead glass) filling discovered by the labs in the 1990s

 

[chrono]

Yoram,
Does treatment matter to you for that sapphire? If it does, then yes, have it verified by a reputable lab. If not (purely sentimental value regardless of treatment), there is no reason to since it has been in your ownership for upteen years.

 

[minousbijoux]

Just a thought, Yoram: while they look fine, please do be careful about keeping emeralds in a safe and/or locked away for long periods of time especially if they have been oiled or otherwise treated in any way. It would be sad to inadvertently damage them.

 

[diagem]

Yoram,
Does treatment matter to you for that sapphire? If it does, then yes, have it verified by a reputable lab. If not (purely sentimental value regardless of treatment), there is no reason to since it has been in your ownership for upteen years.

Thanx a lot Chrono for this info. That's where I am lacking lots of.
I am confident most of the collection is free from enhancements although I am realistic and understand some of the Rubies-Sapphires "might" have been heated with techniques used pre-1970.
Which brings me back to what do you test today? I do understand there is strong demand for natural untreated colored gems in most colors and qualities. But testing (by submitting to AGL-Gubelin-GIA) is a heavy economical burden on the less valuable material

Regarding the large Sapphire, I believe a report is a must if I choose to sell the finished piece? Even though the real value of this Gem is unknown at the moment.

 

[diagem]

Just a thought, Yoram: while they look fine, please do be careful about keeping emeralds in a safe and/or locked away for long periods of time especially if they have been oiled or otherwise treated in any way. It would be sad to inadvertently damage them.

The Emeralds I know were not treated in any way but simple oil (most of the time oiled primitively as in letting oil soak slowly).
I can't see how they can be damaged by sitting in a safe, you have any idea how many safes are full of treasures which didn't see daylight for long periods of time? Or you have other information showing otherwise?

 

[chrono]

For me, corundum testing / verification is a must. Emerald is also a must to know the filler and how much was used. For both gem types, I would not send a small / lower value item as it is not cost effective. I find that it isn't necessary for other gemtypes such as spinel, garnet and tourmaline as they are not as commonly treated.

As for your large sapphire, if you plan to sell the finished piece, I would definitely have it evaluated before setting it. There is an added cost for evaluating stones that are already set.

I think most gems do reasonably well in safes / vaults. Opals and pearls do not fare so well unless the room has humidity control.

 

[LD]

The Rubies are lovely Yoram and if they are natural and untreated then will be worth considerably more than otherwise (as I'm sure you know). They look very clean as well but perhaps suffer a little from the cutting? Depending on what you want to do with these I was definitely get them off to AGL (the preferred lab for coloured gemstones - coloured diamonds to GIA).

The Emeralds look very small and so would probably be used as accent stones? If so, I wouldn't send them to a lab as it may be cost prohibitive. If you are going to use them for a customer and he/she wants the reassurance then that's a different thing. If they've purely just been soaked in oil then unless they look dry now (because I'm pretty sure the oil would have dried out), there's no need to re-oil. Looking at them, they look to be in good condition but of course that's a judgement based purely on a photo.

The Sapphires also look small and so I would suggest the same route as with the Emeralds (apart from the oiling bit ).

The only thing I would add is that I wouldn't be quite so definite about lack of treatment because of the time you've had them. Although Chrono has said above that BE was discovered by the labs in the early 2000s I recall having conversations in the 1990s about this - so I'm pretty sure it's been around for longer (and nearly all the other treatments will have too).

You have a lovely collection though and it's so nice to see them like this and I'll be very interested to see what you find out and what you do with them.

 

[diagem]

The Rubies are lovely Yoram and if they are natural and untreated then will be worth considerably more than otherwise (as I'm sure you know). They look very clean as well but perhaps suffer a little from the cutting? Depending on what you want to do with these I was definitely get them off to AGL (the preferred lab for coloured gemstones - coloured diamonds to GIA).

The Emeralds look very small and so would probably be used as accent stones? If so, I wouldn't send them to a lab as it may be cost prohibitive. If you are going to use them for a customer and he/she wants the reassurance then that's a different thing. If they've purely just been soaked in oil then unless they look dry now (because I'm pretty sure the oil would have dried out), there's no need to re-oil. Looking at them, they look to be in good condition but of course that's a judgement based purely on a photo.

The Sapphires also look small and so I would suggest the same route as with the Emeralds (apart from the oiling bit ).

The only thing I would add is that I wouldn't be quite so definite about lack of treatment because of the time you've had them. Although Chrono has said above that BE was discovered by the labs in the early 2000s I recall having conversations in the 1990s about this - so I'm pretty sure it's been around for longer (and nearly all the other treatments will have too).

You have a lovely collection though and it's so nice to see them like this and I'll be very interested to see what you find out and what you do with them.

Thank you LD,

Yes, I agree this is the major question, the treatment status on such old gems.
These four pictures are just a sample of the collection so serious testing will be limited at first and will force me to flow as I move forward with this collection.

Some of the high quality Emeralds in the collection were already once graded by AGL (during Cap Beasley's time).
They were submitted by Christies about 15 yrs ago as I was contemplating auctioning some of the "old mine" Colombian Gems. A plan that never became a reality (today I am thankful )