Detecting Treatments

[PinkDiamond]

Excellent articles and pics by John Koivula:

The Role of Secondary Fluid Inclusions in Detecting Heat Treatment
John I. Koivula
GIA Laboratory, Carlsbad, California (April 30, 2009)

http://www.gia.edu/research-resources/n ... lusion.pdf


Micro-Magma Chambers in Natural Rubies and Sapphires:
The Behavior of Some Mineral Inclusions in Corundum At High Temperatures
John I. Koivula
GIA Laboratory, Carlsbad
jkoivula@gia.edu

http://www.gia.edu/research-resources/n ... rundum.pdf

[PinkDiamond]

Great article from one of my favorite authors:

Vampire Blues: Lattice Diffused Blue Sapphires
by Richard W Hughes

http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/vampire_blues.htm

[Gemjunkie]

Thanks for the great links!

[PinkDiamond]

Another wonderful article by Richard Hughes that reveals how flux is used to 'heal' rubies by treaters, and Mother Nature as well. Enjoy!

Fluxed Up
The Fracture Healing of Ruby
By R.W. Hughes

Flux healing of Mong Hsu ruby from Burma

"Just what treatment could possibly be so nefarious that it could not even be discussed in the polite pages of an industry publication? I speak of the use of fluxes to “heal” open fractures in ruby."

"Based on the inclusions, it was clear they originated from the Mogok mines. But unlike the classic Mogok stones, these rubies showed numerous thick wispy fingerprints. There was also evidence of high-temperature heat treatment.

Someone had apparently been cooking Mogok ruby. It was equally clear that the heat-treatment process was healing fractures, either pre-existing, or those produced by the stresses of the heat treatment itself...."

..."This situation left dealers scratching their heads. Stones with “accidental” glass fillings of no consequence were being lumped together with other stones featuring surface cavities deliberately filled with glass to add weight or hide naturals."

Read the whole article here:
http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/flux_heali ... u_ruby.htm

[Gemjunkie]

A wonderfully clear explanation, thanks. It's a shame so many dealers fail to disclose these treatments, even when the low price means something must be going on.

[PinkDiamond]

I'm so glad you let us know you found it interesting and informative, Gemjunkie. Thanks!

Non-disclosure is a major problem in the industry and must be rectified if we want to instill consumer confidence in the industry at large. And there are laws on the books that require full and proper disclosure, so those who fail to disclose treatments also run afoul of the law, and there are lawsuits working their way though the system right now against TV gem sellers for selling stones as natural and untreated that were actually so heavily treated they no longer bore any resemblance to their original counterparts.

I just landed on one of those programs while flipping through channels, and they're hawking fissure filled ruby as something to be desired, and saying it's natural ruby out of the ground, which is basically true, but they're also saying it's not from a lab because it's not synthetic, when actually it DID just come from the lab (or wherever it was treated), and the $64,000 question is; just how much of that stone is actually ruby now, and how much of it is glass??!

They're deliberately manipulating consumers minds to believe it's still a 'natural' ruby simply because it originally came out of the ground by calling their 'improvements' a benefit to what nature created (which it is for inferior material), that makes the stones comparable to fine rubies that sell for much higher prices than they're selling them for. The only positive thing about it is the rubies are being sold for what they're worth, but they're really comparing a jalopy to a luxury car, and shaping consumers minds to believe the improvement has turned them into something they're not.

But these treatments really are quite a boon for the industry because they can take an otherwise unusable stone that more resembles a sow's ear than a silk purse, and turn it into a thing of beauty that there's a market for that otherwise couldn't afford to own a ruby, as long as the treatment is disclosed to the buyer, and it's not sold under false pretenses at an inflated price worthy of a natural stone of much better quality. And since these stones sell for lower prices, it really makes you wonder why so many sellers would risk deceptive trade practice and fraud charges that would not only set them back financially, but also ruin their reputation and livelihood, all for a short term profit. Makes me just want to shake them and ask, 'what the heck are you thinking??'!

[PinkDiamond]

This article by John Koivula, recently released by GIA Research, has some fascinating shots of what to look for:

"A Question Concerning Heat-Treated Blue Sapphires"
John I. Koivula and Alethea Inns; GIA Laboratory, Carlsbad

"Over the past several years, we have noted a curious pattern of gemological
characteristics related to certain heat-treated blue sapphires. While this pattern
seems consistent, we do not know why it occurs. We present it here in the hope
that the ideas of others and additional forms of analysis beyond microobservation,
UV luminescence, and FTIR spectrometry might shed light on why
this happens and if this pattern of characteristics is, in fact, verifiable and
consistent...."

http://www.gia.edu/research-resources/n ... phires.pdf

And this article is John Emmett's comments on Koivula's observations:

Comments on: “A Question Concerning Heat–Treated Blue Sapphires,”
by John I. Kovula and Alethea Inns

John L. Emmett
Crystal Chemistry
Brush Prairie, WA

The patterns noted by Koivula and Inns are indeed interesting observations.
Offered here is a partial elucidation of these observations, and suggestions for
additional data collection that should allow a more complete understanding.
Their major observations can be summarized as follows:

http://www.gia.edu/research-resources/n ... Emmett.pdf

[PinkDiamond]

A Review of Current Challenges for the Identification of Gemstones
by James Shigley

A review of current challenges for the identification of gemstones

"A variety of treated and synthetic gem materials are encountered today in the jewelry marketplace in increasing quantities. Although normally entering into the market with correct information, in some cases these materials are sold with incorrect or inaccurate information on their identity. In some cases, they exhibit appearances that correspond closely to those of valuable untreated, natural gemstones.

Although they can display certain distinctive gemological characteristics, some treated and synthetic gem materials can be difficult for jewelers to recognize, especially when these individuals lack gemological training and access to standard gem-testing methods and equipment. In such instances, testing by a professional gemological laboratory may be required. Accurate gem identification and complete information disclosure are essential in the jewelry trade to maintain both the commercial value of natural gemstones and the confidence among consumers who are considering gemstone purchases. The goal of most current gemological research is to provide practical means of gem identification for jewelers and gemologists to help insure integrity in the international gemstone trade. To support this goal, research on gem materials increasingly relies upon characterization with modern analytical tools such as chemical analysis, various spectroscopy methods, and other scientific techniques..."

http://versita.metapress.com/content/m6 ... lltext.pdf

[PinkDiamond]

Enhancements or "Treatments"

"As in other gemstones, 99% of all emeralds are enhanced with a liquid or resin after cutting. Similar practices are carried out on diamonds (ie. laser drilling, etc.), sapphires (ie. glass filling) and most other gemstones. All post-cutting processes are normally done to help the stone show the full beauty of the crystal. There has been much controversy over enhancements or treatments, as of late in the jewellery industry. What is ethical and what is not is really up to the individual to decide. We feel that any process which goes beyond simple "enhancement" of the refractive index of the stone is something that only an end user should decide with their retailer. By this we are generally referring to anything that increases the value of a gemstone with artificial colour-quality treatments. (Even colour treatment, however, is usually negligible due to thin fissures.) We maintain that FULL disclosure of any treatment all the way from mine to end user is the most important factor. The following is a brief summary of the most prevalent emerald Enhancements or Treatments in use today. They are followed by their Enhancement Codes..."

http://www.emeraldstone.com/treatments.html

[PinkDiamond]

Distinguishing Heated Spinels from Unheated Natural Spinels and from Synthetic Spinels
A short review of on‐going research
Sudarat Saeseaw, Wuyi Wang and Kenneth Scarratt
GIA Laboratories, Bangkok and New York
John L. Emmett and Troy R. Douthit
Crystal Chemistry, Brush Prairie, Washington
Updated May 25, 2009

"Natural spinels are found in colors equal to those of fine rubies or sapphires, and since top quality spinels are one of the few ‘better known’ gems to have so far escaped the attention of large scale treatment processes; they are gaining a greater commercial importance. However, it would appear that at least some heat treated natural spinels are on the market and therefore it is important that criteria be established for the separation of the treated from the natural material. This paper reviews, confirms, and extends the original identification criteria developed during experiments carried out in 2005 on pink to red spinel from Tanzania and applies these criteria to a wide variety of spinels from a variety of sources..."

http://www.giathai.net/pdf/Heated_spine ... 5_2009.pdf