yellow sapphire - did I get taken for a ride?

[blingymo]

I'm pretty new here, and have asked about a few stones when I was thinking of getting a spessartite. I changed my mind and decided to go for a yellow sapphire, and today I bought one at the gem show. I am kind of freaking out now, thinking I may have made a mistake. I specifically asked if it was heat treated and they said no, and that if I got it appraised and there was a problem, they would let me return it. I didn't know that there were other treatments to worry about until I got home and looked at the receipt more carefully. I didn't know what L/W meant. Then I say that it means lasering and waxing/oiling. When I looked this up online, it said waxing/oiling is semi-permanent, and over time it would go back to "its original dull appearance." The seller never said anything about these other treatments. Should I be worried?? Should I be trying to take it back tomorrow?

 

[minousbijoux]

How exactly is it written on the receipt? I ask because L/W is often shorthand for length and width, so perhaps refers to that instead of treatment?

 

[chrono]

My guess that it is referring to the length and width measurement in millimeters. Does it have numbers following the L/W?

 

[blingymo]

No, it actually does not give dimensions, just carat weight. It says 10.27 yellow sapphire L/W, unheated, 14K gold ring 7.02gm, .96cts diamond. I specifically had him write unheated (per advice of another dealer). But he never brought the L/W to my attention, just wrote it on the receipt. There is a list of codes at the bottom of the receipt, but I didn't look close enough before I left.

 

[chrono]

Are you able to contact the vendor using the phone number on the receipt? Waxing and oiling is not often done on sapphires.

 

[minousbijoux]

And maybe its semantics, but if a laser was used on it to ablate some flaws (again I wonder about this as I didn't know they laser treat corundum), wouldn't that be considered heating the sapphire, at least in those locations?

Once again I agree with Chrono and think you should email/call them and see if you can get to the bottom of this.

 

[blingymo]

The phone # is a NY # - the show is all weekend, but it is about an hour away.

 

[blingymo]

I emailed them - I'm not sure if I will get a reply since they are in Baltimore, but I can try to call tomorrow. Maybe it is a cell phone or someone is in their office. It sounds like the lasering is to make any inclusions "go away." That is permanent, right? But what about the waxing/oiling. That is semi-permanent? Is it something that will come off with cleaning or wear off over time? If I don't get a response, should I be going back to the show with this?

 

[blingymo]

This is what I have found about about oiling on this site http://jcrs.com/JCRS_for_consumers/jewelry_information/colored_gems/sapphire.htm :

Oiling An increasing number of sapphires treated with oil are appearing in the marketplace. Oiling the stone is a way to fill surface fractures. This treatment enables gem dealers to sell a larger stone (at a higher price) because fractures that might otherwise have to be cut away are filled with oil. Oil fillers are not stable and will evaporate over time, leaving a less attractive stone with readily apparent fractures.
Ask whether the stone has been oiled. This treatment is coming into use and is often not disclosed by the gem supplier. Unless the jewelry retailer is a trained gemologist who has inspected the stone in a gem lab, he may not be aware that it has been oil treated.

I wish I had been knowledgeable enough about this treatment. The receipt says no returns, and since he wrote L/W on the receipt, do I have a leg to stand on if I return? He did not TELL me, even when I asked about heating. I sort of get the feeling he wasn't totally on the up and up. He is from S & S Gems in NY. Anyone know anything about them?

 

[chrono]

Oiling is rarely disclosed. In fact, most labs do not even make a note of it but I know AGL does. Oiling will need to be redone every 5 years or so, otherwise it will dry up and the stone will look less attractive. You only asked about heating. Oiling is a different type of treatment. To be safe, the question posed should be whether the stone has been treated. This will cover everything from irradiation down to whatever it might be. It wouldn't hurt to try the number - it could be a cell phone or it might give you a way to reach them when out of the main office.

 

[Arkteia]

I saw a photograph of a blue sapphire before and after oiling. The effect was exactly the same as with emeralds. I was told that oiling could be detected by examining the stone with a loupe because one could see a "blue flash" but I am not trained enough to detect the "blue flash" so I started asking about oiling. If you get an appraisal stating that a sapphire has been unheated, do not automatically assume that it has not been oiled. At this very moment I do not have access to certain links, so consider this my personal opinion, at least for the time being, but I am also going to ask about coating and not assume that one can check it by merely scratching with a nail. A gembrief stating "unheated" is not enough if you are planning to buy a beautiful expensive sapphire or a ruby.

(Off-topic but may be interesting). There is a difference between "treated" and "ehnanced", and these words have been used interchangeably. Here is the definition of "ehnancement". "Any treatment process other than cutting and polishing that improves the appearance (color/clarity/phenomena), durability, or availability of a gemstone." So per definition, if a gem has been treated but its overall appearance, durability or availability has not been improved, it is not enhanced. I can not give you specific examples where it could matter, (perhaps ongoing discussions about demantoids?), but theoretically the definition may create a certain loophole. In other words, a stone may be "treated" but not "enhanced". Now when purchasing a stone, I am asking if the stone has been treated even if I see "not enhanced". Just wanted to point out that these two words are different.

 

[LD]

I'm not sure that the sapphire would have been lasered. I've not heard of sapphires being lasered - has anybody else heard of this? Diamonds, yes!