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The development of gemological
sciences has taken the process of identifying gemstones to an
impressive degree of precision. In the very early days, gem
color was the only feature that would be observed to identify
a gemstone. This made things simple but rather
innacurate. For example, all red gems were taken to be rubies
and all green gemstones were identified as emeralds. The lack
of equipment and knowledge lead to some real high profile mix
ups. One often quoted example refers to, the priceless
'emerald' collection treasured by Cleopatra. She would have
been truly sad to hear that, some of her favorite 'emerald'
gems and jewels had mistaken peridot for emerald. The British
Royals, proudly display their 'ruby' crowns and other ruby
jewels. It was only a few decades later that, scientific
developments revealed that some of these 'rubies' were in fact
red spinel.
When you send a gemstone to the gem
labs today, the possibility of a wrong identification of
gemstone type, is quite unlikely. The standard equipment used
by gemological laboratories, is sufficient to correctly do a
gem identification report for almost every known gemstone. A
new challenge developed a few decades ago, this related to
gemstone treatments. While most regular gem buyers are aware
that, rubies and sapphires are almost always heated to improve
their color and clarity - the processes to treat these
gemstones did not stop at mere heating. Experimentation by
trial and error, gave rise to additional types of gem
treatments that could be applied to specific gems. Gem experts
had to develop more detailed methods and use more advance
equipment to, identify gems that had been treated in ways that
deviated from the conventional treatments normally used. For
example, emeralds which have normally been treated with
colorless natural oils for centuries, began to be treated with
colored resins. More importantly, some of these gem treatment
procedures do not provide a stable or permanent effect on the
gemstone. Other gem treatments, negatively affected the
physical properties like hardness and overall durability of
the gemstone.
Gem laboratories, need to keep a
constant watch for gemstones that have been treated by
processes that have not been applied before. The application
of certain gemstone treatments might, yield a gemstone that
looks absolutely gorgeous. At the same time it is possible
that a gem treated in a specific way might have a lower value
and price point. If gemstone treatments are not accurately
identified and disclosed to buyers, the buyer might end up
paying a higher price for the gemstone. This is the reason why
the role of gemstone labs, can significantly safegaurd the
interest of the buyer.
The challenge to correctly identify
a gemstone and the way (if any) in which it is treated, takes
care of most buyer requirements. There is however one
important factor that, weighs on the equation for the price of
a gemstone. For example, a ruby is a ruby but, the moment it
is identified as a Burmese ruby, the gemstone commands a
higher price. In the case of emeralds, it is widely known that
Emeralds from Colombia are the top preference of many seasoned
gem buyers. Most of you would be aware that Ceylon blue
sapphires, have always been placed a step above blue sapphire
gems from other locations. The point is that, when the origin
of a gemstone can make it more desirable and therefore more
expensive, the buyer would need to be given reasonable
assurance regarding the specific origin of the gem.
While authentication regarding the
gem type and gem treatment, are today identified with a high
degree of accuracy, the origin of the gem takes a lot of
research to determine. In the case of some high profile gems
like, ruby, blue sapphire and emerald, gem experts can often
identify gems from Burma, Ceylon and Colombia (respectively)
by closely observing the features of the gemstone. However
this identification with reference to origin, needs to be
constantly studied. For example, if a gem lab is aware that
Colombian emeralds have an overall bluish-green color, they
need to keep in mind that a new mining location in Colombia,
could yield emerald gems that have a dark green (no blue hue)
color.
The process adopted by gem
laboratories to identify the origin of a gemstone, would
utilize a range of sophisticated instruments. It is not
uncommon for two different instruments to be used to check a
single parameter. Microscopes and refractometers might still
be utilized but, findings from these instruments would be run
across more advanced equipment to confirm that
observations were accurate and factual. As you might expect, a
gemstone lab report that provided accurate information related
to gemstone origin and other features, would not be cheap.
These advanced test reports are generally requested by buyers
for gems that are expensive. For example, if you wanted to
correctly determine the origin of a piece of white topaz, the
cost of running the tests and getting the lab report would be
many times more expensive than the gem itself.
Identifying the origin of diamonds
takes on a special significance. Ethical diamond traders are
expected to keep away from diamonds that come from certain
regions. These regions are known for rebels, who sell diamonds
to earn money to buy arms that are then used to topple legally
elected governments. Commonly referred to as conflict
diamonds, you might hear the term 'blood diamonds' - these are
the same as conflict diamonds. However the possibility of
separating diamonds by origin is quite difficult. Diamonds are
generally collected at major diamond hubs where they are
sorted by grade, this might be done at the rough diamond stage
and once again at the cut and polished stage. Once this is
complete, identifying each diamond by it's mining origin would
be an expensive, tough and tedious task. And even with the
most advanced instruments and high budgets, the identification
would be a substantial chance of being wrong! Attempts are
therefore made to inspect and catch such diamonds, right at
their origin. It is needless to say that the economic benefits
of circumventing such checks are quite high but, the
monitoring authorities try to do their best.
When talking about gem testing to
determine the origin of a gemstone, there are some rather
interesting cases. A few select gems, are commercially mined
in just one locality or region. These gem would need to be
authenticated with reference to their specific type, one this
is done, the origin can be easily fixed without any further
tests. Moldavite, a greenish tektite is mined only in the
republic of Czech. Similarly, Tanzania is the only known
source for tanzanite gemstones. It is important to understand
that the situation could change in the future, other gem
sources could be discovered for these gems too.
Another interesting category of
gems, show some very specific characteristics which point to
their origin. However, it would take a professional gem expert
to accurately these characteristics. For example, some shades
of Ceylon blue sapphires are so typical that, you will not
find a similar shade in natural blue sapphires from other
regions. Similarly, fine Colombian emeralds can very rarely be
imitated by natural emerald gems from other mining locations.
Working with precious gems like blue sapphires on a regular
basis, we sometimes come across some very interesting cases.
An example is a piece of Thai (Kanchanaburi) blue sapphire
with a Madagascar blue sapphire color. But then, such cases
are very rare and generally, it is quite easy to pick blue
sapphires from Thailand.
For the general gem buyer, we have
some very useful suggestions to make. When you plan to buy a
specific gem, have a budget in mind. Next, take some time to
pick a reputed gem or jewelry provider. Your basic effort
should aim at authenticating the gemstone, for example a
sapphire should be a natural sapphire and not a man made
look-alike. If you plan to spend more than 200 U.S$ for the
gemstone, consider requesting for a gem authentication
certificate from the seller. This is a good idea even if, you
are expected to pay 25 U.S$ to 50 U.S$ for the test. Knowing
the origin of the gemstone adds to your knowledge about the
stone but, think twice if you are paying more just because of
the origin of the stone. We have seen buyers, paying a heavy
premium for a blue Ceylon sapphire when the gem, was quite
ordinary with wide color zoning and very little uniform blue
color in it.
The above report is not meant to
confuse gem buyers, the intent is not to discourage you from
buying a specific gemstone. Our strong belief in the fact
that, a well informed buyer will most likely make the right
buying decision prompts us to share our findings with all gem
lovers. We view a satisfied gem or jewelry buyer as a great
benefit for then entire, gems and jewelry industry. On the
other hand, a buyer who has not been fully informed regarding
a purchase, feels let down and even cheated. This is not the
way that any industry should be treating a customer.
If you have any requirements or
questions related to gems and jewelry, send an email to our
expert team at sales@kaisilver.com We will be
glad to provide you with information and guidance without,
pushing you to make a purchase from us. We are not the only
source for gemstones and jewelry and urge you, to evaluate and
check other options too.
