Gem&JewelryPOCKETGUIDE

Atraveler’sguidetobuyingdiamonds,coloredgems,pearls,goldandplatinumjewelry

RenéeNewmanInternationalJewelryPublications

LosAngeles

Copyright©2015byInternationalJewelryPublicationsFirstpublished2001Revised&reprinted2003Revised&reprinted2005Revised&reprinted2006Revised&reprinted2007Revised2015(Firstdigitaledition)

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybeused,reproduced,ortransmittedinanymannerwhatsoeverwithoutwrittenpermissionfromthepublisherexceptinthecaseofbriefquotationsusedincriticalreviewsandarticles.Thispublicationissoldwiththeunderstandingthatthepublisherandauthorarenotengagedinrenderinglegal,financial,orotherprofessionalservices.Allinquiriesshouldbedirectedto:

InternationalJewelryPublications

P.O.Box13384,LosAngeles,CA90013-0384USA(Includeaself-addressed,stampedenvelopewithinquiry).

TheLibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationDatafortheprintversionisavailablefromtheLibraryofCongressISBN:978-0-929975-30-6(print)ISBN:978-0-929975-49-8(E-book)Coverphoto:JewelryandgemsfromCynthiaRenée,Inc;photo:JohnParrish.Coverbackgroundphoto:DeanLange.Titlepagephoto:Ruby,sapphire,emerald,diamondsandpearls.RingsandphotofromJyeLuxuryCollection.

Contents

Acknowledgments

1/ColoredStonePriceFactorsinaNutshellWhythe4C’sisn’tanAdequatePricingSystemPriceFactorsExplained

2/GemstoneTreatmentsGemTreatmentsWhySomeTreatmentsareMoreAcceptedthanOthersPrecautionstoTakeWhenBuyingExpensiveGems

3/Synthetic&ImitationGemsDeceptivePractices

4/ColoredGemstonesAlexandrite&Cat’s-eye(Chrysoberyl)Amethyst&OtherQuartzGemsAmmoliteChalcedonyEmerald,Aquamarine&OtherBerylsGarnetIoliteJade(Jadeite&Nephrite)Kunzite(Spodumene)LapisLazuliMalachite

Moonstone&SomeOtherFeldsparsOpalPeridotRuby&Sapphire(Corundum)SpinelTanzanite(Zoisite)TopazTourmaline(agroupofmineralspecies)TurquoiseZircon

5/DiamondsDiamondPriceFactorsinaNutshell

6/GemsfromLivingOrganismsPearlPriceFactorsinaNutshellAmberCoralIvory

7/Gold,Platinum,Palladium&SilverOtherJewelryMetalTerms

8/JewelryCraftsmanshipMountingsSettings

9/NotableGemSourcesAfricaAsiaEurope

Near&MiddleEastNorthAmericaSouthAmericaSouthPacific

10/Euphemisms,MarketingTerms&MisnomersTradeEuphemismsTranslatedintoClearEnglishMisnomers

11/HavingJewelryCustomMade

12/ChoosingaJewelerHowtoDetermineifaSellerisKnowledgeableandCandid

13/MakingthePurchaseGeneralGuidelinesCreditCardsVersusDebitCardsWhenProblemsArise

14/ChoosinganAppraiserHowtoFindaQualifiedIndependentAppraiserQualificationstoLookForAppraisalFeesWhatDoestheInsuranceAppraisalInclude?

15/GemLabDocumentsHowLabReportsareSometimesMisusedTipsonUsingLabReports

16/CustomsCommonRegulationsDuty-freeGoodsandExemptions

U.S.DutyRatesonJewelryandGemsTipsonAvoidingHassleswithCustomsWebsitesforCustomsRegulations

Index

OtherBooksbyRenéeNewman

Acknowledgments

I’dliketoexpressmyappreciationtothefollowingpeoplefortheircontributiontotheGem&JewelryPocketGuide:Dean&LoisLange.Theygavemetheideaofwritingapocketguidefortravelers.

ErnieandReginaGoldbergeroftheJosamDiamondTradingCorporation.Thisbook could never have been written without the experience and knowledge Igainedfromworkingwiththem.

EveAlfillé,C.R.Beesley,Michael Fleming, Pete Flusser, JoshHall,RichardHughes,JamesJoliff,DonKay,DougKato,JackLiu,Dean&LoisLange,BerylKirk,JurgenMaerz,JeffMason,DonPalmieri,SindiSchloss,KathrinSchoenke,Robert Shapiro, Nancy Stacy, JohnWhite and CaraWilliams. They’ve madevaluable suggestions, corrections and comments regarding the portions of thebooktheyexamined.

CarrieGFineGems,PeggyCroft,Ernie&ReginaGoldberger,KingPlutarco,Danny&RonnyLevy,OverlandGems,AndrewSarosi,TimelessGemDesigns,VarnaPlatinum.Theirstonesorjewelryhavebeenusedforsomeofthephotos.

AGIL,AGL,A&ZPearls,AIGS,EveAlfillé,RobertBentley,BarbaraBerk,MarthaBorzoni,HassanBounkit,KatyBriscoe,EvanCaplan,LorettaCastoro,Coast-to-Coast Rarestones, Columbia Gem House, Commercial Mineral Co,SaraCommers,PaulaCrevoshay,CynthiaRenée Inc.,ThomasDailing,DesertSunMining,Different Seasons Jewelry,DMSCo.,GaryDulac,RoyRudolphDuran, John Dyer, Earthstone Co., Lisa Elser, Claudia Endler, Finer Jewelry,Fire Agate Art Studio, GGTL, GIA, Dave Gibson, Mark Grunland, Gubelin,

Cary Harris, Alexandra Hart, Vincent Hawley, Barbara Heinrich, LouHernandez, Hubert, Jade by Nikolai, Jye Luxury Collection, Lore Kiefert,King’sRansom,Korite Intl, JoeLandau,LangAntique&EstateJewelry,GailLevine, Jack Liu, Mark Henry Jewelry, Mason-Kay, Mayer & Watt, FredMouawad,PearceJewelers,OmiPrivé,PalaIntl,GuyPushee,Quadamas,LindaQuinn, Todd Reed, Repousse Jewelry, Whitney Robinson, Mark Sadovsky,Mark Schneider, Sherris Cottier-Shank, SSEF, Stone Group Labs, StudioJewelers, SunaBros,ThreeGracesAntique Jewelry,VarnaPlatinum, StephenVincent,TatyanaVyalkin,LeslieWeinberg, JeffWhite,LarryWoods,Zaffiro,andClayZava. Photos or lab reports from themhave been reproduced in thisbook.

LouiseHarrisBerlin,theeditor.Thankstoher,thisbookiseasierforconsumerstoreadandunderstand.

Mysincerethankstoallofthesecontributorsfortheirhelp.

1/ColoredStonePriceFactorsinaNutshell

Thefollowingfactorscanaffectthepricesofcoloredgems:ColorCutquality(proportionsandfinish)StoneshapeandcuttingstyleCaratweightorstonesizeClarity (degree towhichastone is free fromflaws)Transparency (degree towhichastoneisclear,hazy,cloudyoropaque)Treatmentstatus(untreatedortreated?typeandextentofthetreatment)Distinctnessofphenomenaifpresent(e.g., stars, cat’s-eyes, alexandrite’s color change, opal’s play-of-color) Thepricingof coloredgems is alsodeterminedbymarket factors suchasdemand,form of payment, buyer’s credit rating, amount purchased and competitors’prices.Sometimesyoucanfindthesamedealersellingastoneofhigherqualityfor less than one of lower quality. This is because the rough for the higherqualitystonemayhavecost less.Or, therateofcurrencyexchangecouldhavebeenmorefavorableat the time thedealerpurchased it.Therefore,youshouldnotassumethathigherpricenecessarilymeanshigherquality.Conversely,lowerpriceisnotnecessarilyindicativeofadeal.

Whythe4C’sisn’tanAdequatePricingSystem

Youmaybesurprisedthattherearemorethanfourpricefactorsifyou’veheardabout the 4 C’s of color, cut, clarity and carat weight. The 4 C’s system ofvaluinggemsisaclever,convenientwaytoexplaingempricing.Theproblemisthatitcausesconsumerstooverlooktheimportanceofcutquality,transparencyandtreatmentstatus.

Ifyouseeaminigem-labreportstatingthattheshape/cutofagemstoneisroundbrilliant, youmay assume that this tells you everything about the cut of stonewhen in fact it doesn’t.The quality of the cut is important and it’s a separatepricefactorfromshapeandcuttingstyle.

Ifyou’renotinformedaboutgemtreatments,youmayassume,forexample,thattwoequallyattractivejadestonesshouldbepricedalike.However,ifoneisdyedor bleached and the other is of natural color, their prices should be quitedifferent.Chapter2describesthewaysinwhichgemsaretreated.

If you’re comparing a cloudy stone to a transparent one, be aware thattransparencycanhaveasignificantimpactoneachstone’svalue.Transparencyand clarity are often interconnected, but they’re not the same.A stone can betransparentlikecrystalyethavealowclarity.Likewiseastonemaybeflawless,yetbecloudyandmilkyinappearance.

PriceFactorsExplained

COLOR:Itcanbebrokenintothreecomponents:Hue:Basicspectralcolorslikethoseinarainbowsuchasblue,greenandbluishgreen.Brown,black,grayandwhitearen’thuesbecausethey’renotpartofthecolorspectrum.Tone:Amountofcolor,thedegreeoflightnessordarknessSaturation:Amountofgreyorbrownmaskingthehue.Thiscomponentisalsocalled“intensity”and“chroma”dependinguponthecolorsystemyou’reusing.Stoneswithahighcolorsaturationhavehardlyanygreyorbrownmaskingthehue.

Gem dealers often disagree on what is the best hue and tone for a givengemstonesuchassapphireoremerald.Theyagree,however,thatformostgemvarieties,thelessbrownorgraythatispresent,themorevaluablethestone.Forexample, the center ruby in figure 1.1 isworthmuchmore than the brownishrubiesoneachside.

If you’re buying a gemstone for yourself, it doesn’t matter what color youchooseaslongasyoulikeitandthecolorlooksgoodonyou.However,whenbuying gems for resale or as gifts, find outwhat hues and tones gem dealersprefer. Chapter Four describes the preferred colors for various gem varieties.Usually the strongest and richest colors are themost valuable.Very light andverydarkstonestypicallycostless.

Whenjudgingcolor:

•Cleanthegemstonewithasoftclothifit’sdirty.

• Rotate the stone and examine it from various angles, keeping in mind,

however,thatcolorisjudgedintheface-upposition.

•Lookatthestoneunderdifferenttypesoflightsuchasanincandescentlight-bulb,fluorescentlightanddaylight.Topqualitystoneslookgoodunderalltypesoflight.Daylightequivalentlightisthestandardusedforgemgrading.

•Examinethestoneagainstavarietyofbackgrounds—white,blackandagainstyourskin.

•Examine the stone for color zoning—theunevendistributionof color.Whenthecolorisunevenorconcentratedinonespot,thiscansometimesdecreasethestone’svalue.Obviouscolorzoningismostseriouswhenvisibleintheface-upviewofastone.

•Compare the stone sideby sidewithother stonesof the samevariety.Colornuanceswillbemoreapparent.

Fig.1.1Arubywithgoodredcolorflankedbytworubieswhichhaveamuchlessvaluablecolor–brownishred.RubiesfromAndrewSarosi;photo©RenéeNewman.

Fig.1.2Tanzanitewithoutawindow.Fig1.3Tanzanitewithawindow.Photos©RenéeNewman.

CUTQUALITY:Awell-cutgemstonedisplaysbrillianceandcolorthroughoutthestone(figure1.2).Itshouldn’thaveanobviouswindow–apale,washedoutareainthemiddleofthestonethatallowsyoutoseerightthroughit(fig.1.3).Ingeneral,thelargerthewindow,thepoorerthecut.

To look forwindows, hold the stone about an inch or two (2–5 cm) above acontrasting background such as your handor a printed page.Then try to lookstraightthroughthetopofthestonewithouttiltingit.Thestonehasawindowifyoucanseeyourhand,theprintorthebackgroundthroughthecenterofit.

Whenbuyingagemstone,besuretolookatitsprofile.Thesideviewwillshowyouifthestoneistoodeepforthemounting,tooshallowortoobulky.Diagram1.1 shows you the profile of a well-cut colored gemstone and definesterminologyrelatedtogemstonecut.Figure1.4isanotherexample.

Figure 1.5 illustrates a poorly proportioned tanzanite. This stone was cut tomaximizeweightfromtheroughattheexpenseofbeauty.Theshallowpavilion(bottom) reduces brilliance and creates a largewindow.The high crown (top)andthickgirdle(rimaroundstone)addunnecessaryweight,whichincreasesthepriceofthestone.Facetedgemsareusuallypricedbyweight.

Diagram1.1Profileofamixed-cutcoloredgemstone.Copyright1978byAmericanGemologicalLaboratories.

Fig.1.4Profileofawell-cuttanzanite.Fig.1.5Tanzanitewithacrownthatistoohigh,apavilionthatistooshallowandagirdlethat’stoothick.Photos©RenéeNewman.

When judgingcut, consider, too, thequality, complexityandoriginalityof thefaceting(arrangementofsmallpolishedsurfacescalledfacets).Someofthebestfaceting is doneon low-andmedium-pricedgemmaterial such as aquamarine,garnet,quartz, tanzanite, topazand tourmaline.The facetingandproportioningof more expensive gems like emeralds, rubies and alexandrites is often lessprecise because the higher cost of the rough leads many cutters to be moreinterestedinretainingweightthaninmaximizingbeauty.Forafullerdiscussionofcutevaluation,consulttheGemstoneBuyingGuidebyRenéeNewman.

SHAPE&CUTTINGSTYLE:Agem’sshapeisitsface-upoutline.Themostcommon gemstone shapes include the round, oval, square, triangle, pear,marquise,heartandcushion,asquarishorrectangularshapewithcurvedsidesand roundedcorners.Gemscanbeanygeometric shapeor theymay resembleobjectssuchasanimals,bells,stars,themoon,etc.

Gems can also be cut as abstract freeforms. Cutters try to select shapes andcutting styles which allow them to emphasize preferred colors and brilliance,minimize undesirable flaws, and/or get the maximum weight yield from therough. In small calibrated sizes, there is a tendency to cut what jewelrymanufacturers want, even when some shapes cause a greater weight loss.Standardsizesandshapesarerequiredformass-producedjewelry.

Theeffectofshapeonpricevariesdependingontheseller,thegemvariety,thestoneweight, the stone quality and the demand for the shape.A high-quality,one-caratroundruby,forexample,maycost15%to20%morethanonewithacushionshape.Insmallsizesandlowqualities,theshapemayhavenoeffectontheprice.Thesubjectofshapepricingistoocomplicatedforthisbook.Simplyremember to compare gemstones of the same shape and cutting style whenevaluatinggemprices.

Cutting style refers to the way in which a stone is cut or faceted. An oval-shapedstone,forexample,mayjustberoundedasacabochon(unfacetedstonewith a dome-shaped top and either a flat or rounded bottom) or it may havefacets (polished surfaces with varying shapes) that are arranged in different

styles.Therearethreetraditionalfacetingstyles:

Stepcut:Hasrowsoffacetsthatresemblethestepsofastaircase.Thefacetsareusually four-sidedandelongated,andparallel to thegirdle.Step-cutswithcut-offcornerscreatinganoctagonal shapearecalledemeraldcuts sinceemeraldsareoftencutthisway.Brilliantcut:Hasmostly3-sidedfacetswhichradiateoutward.Kite-orlozenge-shapedfacetsmayalsobepresent.

Mixedcut:Hasbothstep-andbrilliant-cutfacets.Thisisapopularfacetingstyleforcoloredstones.

Manynewfacetingstyleshaveappearedonthemarketandgemstonesarealsocarved. Well-proportioned, designer cuts typically cost more than traditionalcuts.Thecabochonisthelowestpricedcuttingstyle.

CARATWEIGHTORSTONESIZE:Acaratisaunitofweightequalingafifthofagram.Inmostcases, thehigherthecaratweightcategory,thegreatertheper-caratprice.However,aone-caratuntreatednaturalruby,forexample,isworthfarmorethanseveralsmallrubiesofsimilarqualitywithatotalweightofonecarat.This isbecause the supplyof large rubies ismore limited.Sowhenyoucomparejewelryprices,besidesnotingthequality,youshouldpayattention

toindividualstoneweightsandnoticethedifferencebetweenthelabels1ctTW(onecarattotalweight)and1ct(theweightofonestone).

Whencomparingthecostoftransparentgems,youshouldalsonotetheper-caratcostinsteadofconcentratingonthetotalcostofthestone.Thismakesiteasiertocomparepricesmoreaccurately,which iswhydealersbuyandsellmostgemsusingper-caratprices.Thefollowingequationswillhelpyoucalculatetheper-caratcostandtotalcostofgemstones.

Per-caratcost=stonecost÷caratweightTotalcostofastone=caratweight×per-caratcost

Many translucent toopaquestonessuchas jade,malachiteandchalcedonyaresoldbythepieceorstonesize,notbyweight.Designercutsmayalsobepricedper piece, and colored stones under about a half carat are often priced bymillimetersize.

CLARITY: Clarity is the degree towhich a stone is free from flaws (clarityfeatures). Flaws inside the stone (e.g., cracks, crystals, fluid-filled spaces) arecalledinclusions.Flawsonastone’ssurface(e.g.,scratches,pits,abrasions)areblemishes.Whengemshavenoeye-visibleflaws,they’resaidtobeeyeclean.

Fig.1.6Ahigh-claritytanzanite.Fig1.7Alow-claritytanzanite.Photos©RenéeNewman.

Fig.1.8Emeraldwithahightransparencyandnoticeableflaws.Fig.1.9Lesstransparentemeraldthantheoneinfigure1.8.Photos©RenéeNewman.

Some gems are more likely to have inclusions than others. Emeralds, forexample,typicallyhavesomeeye-visibleflaws.Aquamarine,ontheotherhand,is normally eye clean. As a result, there is a greater tolerance for noticeableinclusionsinemeraldthaninaquamarine.

Two other gems that usually have eye-visible flaws are ruby and alexandrite.Some stones that often have a high clarity like aquamarine are blue zircon,citrine,greentourmaline,kunzite, topazandtanzanite.Somecoloredgemsthatfall between these high-and low-clarity groups include amethyst, bluetourmaline, garnet, iolite, peridot, sapphire, spinel and zircon that is green,orangeorred.

Sinceclaritycanvary fromonegemvariety toanother,comparestonesof thesame typewhen judging clarity. The higher the clarity, themore valuable thegemstone.Judgeclarityfirstwiththenakedeye.Thenusea10-powermagnifierto help you spot inclusions such as cracks, which create durability problems.Magnificationmayalsohelpyoudetectdyeandothertreatments.

Although clarity grading systems have been developed for colored stones,there’snoonestandardizedsystem.Evenwhenasinglesystemisused,therecanbeawidevariationinhowgradesareassignedbyappraisers.Therefore,it’sbest

foryoutoaskappraisersandjewelerswhattheirclaritygradesmeanwhentheyusegrades.

TRANSPARENCY: Gemstones that look cloudy or translucent have finelydividedparticlesthatinterruptthepassageoflight.Somegemlabsrefertothesefineparticlesastexture.Largeparticlesmayalsocreatetextureanddiminishthetransparency of a gemstone. The presence of a lot of texture also affects thecolor,makingitlookmoregrayishanddull.

Transparencycanhaveamajorimpactonthevalueofagemstone,Forexample,a$10sapphirethat’snearlyopaquecouldpossiblysellforhundredsofdollarsifitweretransparent.(Anopaquematerialdoesnotallowlighttopassthrough.)

Normally thehigher the transparency themorevaluable the stone.Thereareacouple of exceptions. Rubies and sapphires with a slight amount of texture,whichdispersesthecolor,maybevaluedthesameorsometimesabitmorethanstoneswith a diamond-like transparency.Opaque black opals tend to bemorehighlyvaluedthanthosewithahighertransparency.

TREATMENT STATUS: Most colored stones are treated in some way toimprove their color, clarity and/or brilliance. High quality untreated gems areusually themost highly valued.Not all treatments are equal. Some treatmentssuchasdyeingand fracture fillinghaveamorenegative impactonvalue thanothers such as heat treatment. The next chapter discusses the various types ofgemtreatments.

Fig.1.10Distinctstarinasapphire.RingfromLangAntiques&EstateJewelry;photobyColeBybee.Fig.1.11Lowplay-of-colorinanopalwithfractures.Photo©RenéeNewman.

Figs.1.12&1.13LightningRidgeblackopalswithanexcellentplay-of-color.Rings&photoscourtesyCaryHarris.

DISTINCTNESSOFPHENOMENA:Phenomenaareunusualopticaleffects.Forexample,somegemvarietiessuchasruby,sapphire,garnet,spinelandrosequartzmayshowastareffect.Acat’s-eyeeffectmaybeseenonsomequartz,emerald, aquamarine, chrysoberyl and tourmaline. The sharper and moreobviousthestarorcat’s-eye,themorevaluablethestone,allotherfactorsbeingequal.However,don’texpectthephenomenaofnaturalstonestobeasdistinctasthoseonman-madestones.

Gemsdisplayother kinds of phenomena too, but themost familiar type is theplay-of-colorfoundinopal.Seethesectiononopalformoreinformationaboutevaluatingplay-of-color.Ingeneral, themoreprominentthephenomenaleffect

themorevaluablethegem.

2/GemstoneTreatments

If the supply of gems were limited to those specimens that are naturallyattractive, they'd be so expensive that most of us could never own them.Therefore,manygemsaretreated.Atreatmentisanyhuman-controlledprocessotherthancuttingorpolishingthatalterstheoriginalappearanceofagem,e.g.,heating,oiling,irradiation,waxing,dying,etc.

GemTreatments

HEATTREATMENT:Forcenturies,gemshavebeenheatedtoimprovetheircolor.However, in the past 40 years, heat treatment has been conducted on awider scale and at much higher temperatures—1600oC (2900oF) and above.Besideslighteningordarkeningthecolorofastone,heatcanimproveitsclarity.Unless a receipt or lab document states otherwise, assume that the followinggemstoneshaveprobablybeenheat-treated:aquamarine,carnelian,citrine,ruby,sapphire, tanzanite,pink topaz,blueandredzircon,andgreen tourmaline.Thecolorisusuallystable.

Figs.2.1&2.2(Left)typicalcolorofSriLankansapphireroughpriortoheattreatment;(right)resultsofheatingsapphiresinfigure2.1.PhotosbyC.R.Beesley.

Fig.2.3Leadglass-filledrubyviewedunder10-powermagnification.Photo©RenéeNewman.Fig.2.4Whitespider-web-likefracturelinesinleadglass-filledrubyaftercontactwithanacidicsubstance;photobyDr.LoreKiefertoftheGubelinGemLab.

HPHTTREATMENT(Highpressure,hightemperatureheattreatment):Thisisa diamond treatment. It’s used to turn a special class of brown diamondscolorless as well as greenish yellow, blue, pink, red or orange. The color isstable.

FRACTURE& CAVITY FILLING: If surface fractures in gems are filledwith an appropriate substance, the fractures are less noticeable and theoverallcolor and transparency may improve. Oil, wax, glass, resins or epoxy-likesubstancesareusedasfillers.Somefillingscanevaporateovertimeandleaveawhiteorbrownresidue.Mostfillersareaffectedbytheheatofajeweler’storch.Thelessfillingpresent,thebetterthestone.Fracturefillingsaremorestablethancavityfillings

Almost all emeralds are fracture-filled with oil, wax, resins or epoxy likesubstances.Somediamondsarefracture-filledwithaglass-likefilm.Rubiesandsapphires may have oil, epoxy or glass fillings, and the fillings may be infracturesorcavities.

Leadglass-filledrubieswerefirstreportedbytheGemmologicalAssociationofAllJapan(GAAJ)inMarch2004.Largequantitiesofthesestoneshavebecomeavailable worldwide since then. Often very poor quality, heavily fracturedcorundum (the mineral name for ruby and sapphire) is treated with acid toremove impurities and then impregnated with a large amount of colored leadglass.Contactwithajeweler’storchduringrepairmaycauseleadglass-filledstonestocrumble into pieces.Acid substances like lemon juice and household cleanerscancausewhitespider-web-likelinestoformonthestonewherethefillingis.

Some labs call lead glass-filled rubies composite ruby, hybrid ruby, ormanufacturedproductbecausetheycontainsomuchglassanddonothavethedurabilityofnormalgemstones.Atgemshows,leadglass-filledrubiesmaysell

foraslittleas$5-$20/carat.Manysoldiersandconsumershavepaidlargesumsof money for these stones thinking they have bought highly valuable rubieswheninfacttheyhavepurchasedastonecomposedprimarilyofglass.

Most lead glass-filled rubies are relatively easy for gemologists to identifybecausetheyusuallydisplayabluetopurpleflasheffectinfracturesorinternalcavitieswhen examinedwith oblique light undermagnification. Spherical gasbubblesaretypicallypresent.

COLORLESS IMPREGNATION: Some gems are impregnatedwithmeltedwax,resinorplastictofillpores,hidecracksandtomakethesurfacelookshiny.Impregnation can also improve durability and color. Examples of stonesundergoing this treatment are amazonite, coral, jade, lapis, malachite andturquoise.

IMPREGNATION WITH COLORED SUBSTANCES: Lead glass-filledrubies are a good example of this treatment process. In his book Ruby &Sapphire:ACollector’sGuide(p312),RichardHughesidentifiestheleadglassfillingprocessofrubiesas“heat+coloredglassimpregnation,”whichinvolvesremoving impurities from fractures with acid and then impregnating the gemwithacoloredglasstoimproveclarityandcolor.

BLEACHING:Chemicalsmaybeusedtolightenorremovecolor.Pearls,coraland ivory are commonly bleached. Jadeite is often bleached and thenimpregnatedwithasyntheticmaterial.

DYEING:Rubies,emeralds,jadeandotherstonesthatmayhavesmallsurfacefracturesmaybedyedwithcoloredoils,epoxiesordyes,especiallyifthey’reoflowquality.Somegemslikelapislazuli, turquoise,chalcedonyandagatedon'tneedsurfacecrackstoacceptdye.They’renaturallyporousandareoftendyed.Blackonyx is justdyedchalcedony.Pearlsandmatrixopalmayalsobedyed.

Magnification, immersion and fluorescence can reveal color concentrations inthefracturesofdyedstones.

IRRADIATION:Onlycertaingemvarietiescanbeenhancedwith irradiation.Theyinclude:“Black” or dark-color pearls: from off-color bleached pearls; stable, after aslightfadingjustaftertreatment.Blue topaz: from colorless topaz; irradiation turns it brown and then heattreatmentmakesitastablebluecolor.

Diamondsthataregreen,blue,yellow,orbrown:fromlightyelloworbrowndiamond;stable.Smokyquartz:fromcolorlessquartz(rockcrystal);stable.Pink and red tourmaline: from light pink tourmaline; relatively stable, butstrongheatfromlights,forexample,maysometimescauseittofade.Yellowberyl:fromcolorlessberyl;somefadesinlightorheat.Yellow or orange sapphire: from colorless and light yellow sapphire; fadesquickly.Mostyellowsapphireisheattreated.

DIFFUSION OF FOREIGN COLORING ELEMENTS: Initially thistreatmentwas done tomake the surface area of near colorless sapphires lookblueandsometimesred,orangeoryellowortocreateastarformation.Around1988, it was also being used on colored sapphires to improve their color. In1992,reportsofredandpinkdiffusion-treatedcorundumbegantoincrease.Thesurface-diffused sapphires and rubies had been heated in the presence oftitaniumor chromium—coloring elements thatwere too large topenetrate farbelowthesurfaceofthestone.Thecolorispermanent,butremainsonlyonthesurface.Consequently,thecolorcanbepolishedorscrapedoff,leavingthegreyorwhiteinteriorexposed.

Blue-to-greentopazsurface-treatedwithcobalthasbeensoldasanalternativeto

irradiatedbluetopaz.Somefeldsparhasbeenheatedwithcoppertoproduceredorgreenandesine-labradorite.

Fig.2.5&2.6(Left)Songea,Tanzaniasapphiresbeforeberylliumtreatmentusingfluxandchrysobeyrlpowders;(right)samesapphiresafterheattreatmentwithberyllium.PhotosbyVincentPardieu,©AIGSGemstoneLaboratory.

Figs.2.7&2.8Face-upandsideviewofadiamondwithlaserdrillholes.Photos©ReneeNewman.

Possiblystartinginthelate1990s,somesapphireswereheatedwithberyllium,asmallelementwhichallowedthecolorationtopenetratetheentirestone.Namesthathavebeenused for thisdeeper reachingcoloring treatment include latticediffusion,bulk diffusion, andberyllium treatment. Beryllium treatment hasbeenmainlydonetoproducepink-orangeandyellowsapphires,but ithasalsobeendonetomakedarksapphireslighterandrubiesamoreintensered.

Gemologistsdetectdiffusionofheavyelementssuchas titaniumbyexaminingstonesundermagnificationoverdiffused light (coveredwitha frostedglassor

plastic plate) and by immersing them in glycerin or methylene iodide. (Theimmersionmethodisthemostreliabletechnique.)

Stones that have been diffusion-treated with titanium or chromiumwill showsome of the following characteristics: strong concentrations of color alongcracks, facet edges, or the girdle; colorless areas; a blotchy color; and a highrelief(untreatedstonestendtofadeintothebackgroundwhenimmersed).

Beryllium diffusion can be difficult to detect, especially when the color isdiffusedthroughoutthestone.Unlikesurface-diffusedstones,thefacetjunctionsandgirdleofberylliumtreatedstonesshownohighlighting.Immersionisakeymethodof identification.Rimsaroundthestonehaveadifferentcolor thanthecore.Chemicalanalysismayberequiredforpositiveidentification.Corundumsshowing signs of long-term high-temperature heat treatment generally requireadvancedtestingbeforeberylliumdiffusioncanberuledout.

LASERDRILLING: This treatment is done to get rid of dark inclusions indiamonds.Afocusedlaserbeamisusedtodrillanarrowholetothedarkareainthediamond. If the inclusion(which isoftenacrystal) isnotvaporizedby thelaser itself, then it’s dissolved or bleachedwith acid. After the treatment, theholelookslikeawhitedotface-upandlikeathinwhitelinefromthesideview,unlessithasbeenglass-filledtohelpconcealtheline.

WhySomeTreatmentsareMoreAcceptedthanOthers

Not all treatments are regarded as equal. Consider these factors whendeterminingtheacceptabilityofatreatedgemstone:•Isthetreatmentpermanent?•Hastheinternalcharacterofthegemstonebeenchangedbythetreatment?•Doesthetreatmentdecreasedurability?•Hasthetreatmentaddedforeignmaterialtothegemstone?•Doesthetreatedgemcompetewithanaturalgem?•Howavailableareattractiveuntreatedgemsofthesametype?

PERMANENCE:Irradiatedyellowsapphiresmayfadewithinminutesofbeingtreated so they’re not accepted. However, the heat treatment of sapphires isacceptedbecauseastablecolorisusuallyproduced.

Thecolorofirradiatedpearlsisstableanddoesnotruboffonyourskinlikethedyeofsomedyedpearls.Thisisonereasonirradiatedpearlsmaybepreferredtodyedpearls.

Laserdrillingisamoreaccepteddiamondtreatmentthanfracturefillingbecauselaseringproducespermanent results.Fracture filling is subject tochange if thefilleddiamondscomeincontactwithajeweler’storchorifthey’resubjectedtoprolongedormultipleultrasoniccleanings.Somefillingscloudordiscolorwhenexposedtolightforlongperiods.

INTERNALCHANGE: Heat treatment done at 1600oC (2900oF) and abovecanmelt inclusions, create tiny stress cracks, produce a hazy appearance andchangetheoverallinternalcharacterofagemstone.Thisisonereasonwhylow-

temperatureheattreatmentispreferredtohightemperatureheating.

DURABILITY:Treatmentscanhaveanegativeeffectondurability.Dr.KurtNassauwrites inhisbook,GemstoneEnhancement (pg.43),“High temperatureheattreatmentsmaycausesomematerialstobecomemorebrittleandshowmorewear.”

TheGIA Gem Reference Guide notes on page 262 in the section on zircon,“Toughness: heat-treated stones–poor to fair; untreated stones–fair to good.”AccordingtoDr.HorstKrupp,aheattreaterandphysicist,hightemperatureheattreatmentcancauserubiesandsapphirestobecomebrittleandabradeifthey’renotproperlycooledduringtheheattreatmentprocess(personalcommunication).

Burmesejadeissometimessoakedandbleachedinchemicalstoremovebrownoryellowimpurities.Thisweakensthejade.

Leadglass-filledrubies(alsocalledcomposite rubiesormanufactureproducts)mayfallintopiecesiftheycomeintocontactwithatorchduringjewelryrepair.

Occasionally treatments can improve durability. Most natural turquoise cancrack or crumble. When it’s impregnated with a plastic material, it becomesmoredurable.

ADDITION OF FOREIGN MATERIAL: Stones that are heated in thepresenceofchemicalssuchasborax,beryllium,cobalt,copperandtitaniumarelessacceptedthanthosethataresimplyheated.Similarly,stonesthataretreatedwithdyes, leadglass, plastic, and epoxy substances are less valued than thosethatareonlyheatedorlaserdrilled.Theadditionofartificialsubstancesmakesgems lessnatural.One exception is that thewaxingof jade is awell-acceptedtreatment.

COMPETITION: Small Japanese pearls (akoya pearls) that have been

darkened by irradiation and/or dyes are accepted by the trade because thetreatments provide consumers with an option not available from natural-colorakoyapearls.

Artificially colored South Sea pearls are not well accepted. In fact they’rebanned in Tahiti because they compete with Tahiti’s naturally colored blackpearls,andtheyconfusebuyers.

There have been strong objections to HPHT-treated diamonds because theycompete with high-quality untreated diamonds and they complicate buying,sellingandidentification.Nevertheless,HPHTdiamondtreatmentisincreasing.

AVAILABILITY: Oiling emeralds is a well-accepted trade practice becauseemeralds typically have cracks and need to be fracture filled to improve theirclarity. Therefore when buying expensive emeralds, assume they’ve beenfracture-filledwithoilorsomeothersubstance.Yourmainconcernshouldbetowhatextenthasthetreatmentaffectedtheappearance.Thisinformationisnowprovidedonmanyemeraldlabreports.

Unoiled rubies aremore available, so rubyoiling isn’twell accepted althoughit’softendonewhensurfacefracturesarepresent.

PrecautionstoTakeWhenBuyingExpensiveGems

Whenyouspendafewhundreddollarsonagem,thetreatmentstatusisusuallynotamajorissue(oneexceptionisleadglass-filledrubies).Infact,youcanjustassumethattherubies,sapphires,aquamarinesandtanzanitesyouseehavebeenheattreatedandtheemeraldshavebeenfracture-filled,unlessotherwisestated.Enjoywearingthesegemsandappreciatethatfactthattreatmentsallowyoutobuymoreattractivestonesatlowerprices.

However,whenyouspenda few thousanddollarsormoreonagemstone, thetype and extent of the treatment is an important buying factor. Take theseprecautions: • Deal with sellers who can explain treatments in frank simplelanguageratherthanwitheuphemismsandvagueterms.•Dealwithsellerswhowilltellyouboththebadandgoodpointsabouttreatments.•Askifandhowstoneshavebeentreated.Theanswerwillgiveyouinsightintotheseller’sethics.•Havethesalespersonincludetreatmentinformationonthereceipt.Ifthestoneisuntreated,havethiswritten.•Forexpensivegems,getareportfromalabthatautomaticallyincludestreatmentinformationontheirdocuments.

3/Synthetic&ImitationGems

Anaturalgemstonecomesfromthegroundandisaproductofnature,notofman.Thewordsyntheticisusedtodescribeaman-madegemstonethathasthesame basic chemical composition as its natural counterpart. For example,synthetic ruby has the same chemical composition as natural ruby. It also hassimilarchemical,opticalandphysicalproperties.

Imitations,ontheotherhand,donothavethesamechemicalcompositionasthestonestheyresemble,andtheymaybemadebynatureorbyman.Redglass,forexample, can be aman-made imitation of ruby.Garnets used tomimic rubieswouldbenaturalimitations.

Sinceconsumerstendtointerprettheword“synthetic”differentlythanjewelers,peoplewhosellsyntheticstonesusuallyprefertodescribethemwithtermssuchas “created,” “lab-grown” or “man-made.” Gemologists and natural stonedealersusuallyidentifylab-grownstonesassyntheticstones.

Culturedissometimesusedincorrectlyasasynonymfor“lab-grown.”Thetwoterms, however, are not equivalent.Culturing pearls is amore natural processthangrowinggems.

Fig.3.1Syntheticsapphire.RingandphotocourtesyofVarnaPlatinum.Fig.3.2Bottomofaglassimitationemeraldthathaslostmostofitsfoilbacking.Photo©RenéeNewman.

Figs.3.3&3.4(Left)sideviewofacompositestoneimmersedinwater.Notethedarkgreenlinearoundthegirdlewherethetwopartsarejoinedwithgreencement;(right)face-upviewofthesamestone,whichwasmadetolooklikeadeep-greenemerald.Photos©RenéeNewman.

Synthetic gems are not a recent phenomenon. Lab-grown ruby, the firstsynthetic,hasbeensoldcommerciallysincetheearly1900s;ifyourgrandmotherhas some ruby jewelry, the stones could very well have been made in alaboratory. Today, lab-grown stones are even more common, especially inbirthstone jewelry and class rings. Synthetic stones are also found in designerjewelry(fig.3.1),setwithdiamondsingoldorplatinum.Someofthestonesthatare synthetically produced and sold to consumers in jewelry are: syntheticalexandrite, synthetic opal, synthetic amethyst, synthetic ruby, syntheticchrysoberyl, synthetic sapphire, synthetic diamond, synthetic spinel, syntheticemerald,andsyntheticturquoise

Somesellerscall imitationstones“synthetic.”Forexample, imitation tanzanitemay be sold as “synthetic tanzanite” because “synthetic” sounds better than“imitation.”

GreenCZ(cubiczirconia)isoftencalledsyntheticemerald.GreenCZisalab-grown stone, but it’s not synthetic emerald. It’s synthetic CZ,which ismuchcheaperthanlab-grownemerald.

In most countries, it’s against the law to call a synthetic ruby, for example,simplya ruby.Notallcountries,however,have laws like thisandsomestoresdon’t followthe law.Thereforewhenbuyingexpensivegemsabroad,have thestore specify on the receipt if the stone is of natural origin. This is addedprotection for you. Technically, synthetic ruby is ruby. Ethically, though, itshouldbecalledsynthetic,man-made,orlab-grownruby.

DeceptivePracticesListedbelowarepracticesthatarenormallydonewiththeintenttodeceive.Allofthem,however,canbeconsideredlegitimatewhenthey’reproperlydisclosedtobuyers.

SURFACE COATING WITH COLORED SUBSTANCES: Plastic, wax,lacquer,paint,enamel,inkcalciumfluorideanddiamond-likecarbonthinfilmsarematerialsthathavebeenusedtocoatgemstones.Oneofthenewestcoatingprocesses is chemical vapor deposition. Applying colored coatings withoutdisclosureisdeceptiveandthereforenotacceptedbytradeorganizations.

Thecoatingsometimescoverstheentirestone,butoftenit’sappliedonlytothepavilionand/orthegirdleorafacetofthestone.Slightlyyellowishorbrownishdiamonds can be turned into more expensive-looking orange, yellow, blue,green, red, pink, or purple diamonds when the right color substance isstrategicallyapplied.

Translucent opal cabochons may be painted on the bottom to enhance andintensifytheirplayofcolor.Peacockfeathers,multicoloredbutterflywingsandmotherofpearlhaveonoccasionbeenplacedbehindopaltoimprovecolorplay,too.Sometimespurpleinkisappliedonthebackofyellowishdiamondsorundertheprongsofthesettingtomakethediamondsappearalmostcolorlessandmorevaluable.Sincepurpleisthecomplimentarycolorofyellow,ithastheeffectofabsorbingpartof theyellowcolor.Therefore,bewareofclosed-backsettingswithnoholes.

FOILBACKING:Forcenturies,foilbackingshavebeenusedtoaddcolorandbrilliancetogems.Asgem-cuttingtechniquesprogressedandbroughtoutmorebrillianceinstones,thesebackingsbecamelesspopular.Todayfoilbackingsare

occasionallyfoundongenuinestones,butthey’remorelikelytobeseenonglassimitations.Again,beware of closed-back settings. Something such as foil orpaint might be concealed underneath the stones. Foil-backed stones arecommonlyfoundinantiquepieces.Thepriceofthisjewelryshouldbebasedonitsantiquevalue.

QUENCHCRACKLING: Stones that are quench crackled have been heatedandthenplungedintocoldwater.Thisprocedureissometimesdonetoproducecracksinsyntheticstonessothey’lllookmorenatural.Colorlessquartzmaybequenchcrackledso itcanafterwardsbefracture-filledwithcoloredoilordyesandusedtoimitateemeraldorruby.

MAKINGCOMPOSITESTONES(AssembledStones):Stonesformedfromtwo or more parts are called composite or assembled stones. If they’recomposed of two parts, they’re doublets. Those consisting of three parts aretriplets.Assembledopalsareoneofthemosttypicalcompositestones.Opaldoubletsandtripletsarenormallydisclosedandsoldinalegitimatemannersosellingthemisnotconsideredadeceptivepractice.Ruby,sapphire,emeraldandjadeassembledstones,however,aregenerallyusedtotrickbuyers.

Forexample,paleyellowsapphirepiecesmaybecementedwithabluegluetoformabluesapphire.Twopiecesofpaleemeraldmaybejoinedtogetherwithagreengelatinorcementtomakeitappearlikeadeepgreenemerald(figs.3.3&3.4).

Jade is sometimesmade into triplets. They consist of pale jade that has beenhollowedout,filledwithagreengelandsmallercabochonandthencementedtoajadebacktomakeitlooklikeexpensivegreenjade.

The key to identifying a composite stone is to findwhere its parts have beenjoined together. This can often be seen by immersing the stone in water

(immersion tends tomake color differences and the glue layermore obvious).However,don’timmerseassembledopalsinwaterorotherliquids;justlookatthemfromtheside.

Magnification is anotherhelpful identifying technique. It can reveal separationlines,flattenedairbubblesbetweentheparts,orswirlyareaswherethestonehasbeenbrushedwithglue.

The term “composite ruby” can have a double meaning. It can refer to anassembled stone or to very low grade corundum (mineral name for ruby andsapphire)thathasbeencolorenhancedandimpregnatedwithalotofleadglass—inotherwordsacompositeofcorundumandglass.Itisnotnaturalrubyanditrequiresspecialcare.Avoidacidandjeweler’storches.

Bewareofgempricesthatseemtoogoodtobetrue.Thestone(s)couldeitherbefake,assembled,coated,lab-grownorfilledwithglass.

4/ColoredGemstones

Alexandrite&Cat’s-eye(Chrysoberyl)Alexandrite and cat’s-eye look very different, yet they’re the samemineral—chrysoberyl (krisˊso berlˊ). Cat’s-eye is known for the band of reflected lightacross it, whereas alexandrite is characterized by light-induced color changes.Occasionally, however, alexandrite can exhibit the cat’s-eye effect if it hasenoughfiber-likeinclusions.Alessexpensivetypeofchrysoberyl,simplycalledchrysoberyl,istransparent,showsnoopticaleffectsandrangesincolorfromgreen,toyellowtobrown

Fig.4.1Chrysoberyl.Ring&photobyOmiPrivé.Fig.4.2Cat’s-eye.Photo©RenéeNewman.

Fig.4.3Alexandriteviewedindaylightequivalentlight.Fig.4.4Samealexandriteviewedinincandescentlight.RingsandphotoscourtesyMarkHenryJewelry.

Fig.4.5Alexandriteanddiamondmoonpendant.Fig.4.6Alexandriteanddiamondring.JewelryandphotoscourtesyMarkHenryJewelry.

ALEXANDRITE: Natural alexandrite is difficult to find in jewelry storesbecauseitisextremelyrare.It’sdefinedbyitscolorchangewhichrangesfrompurpleredorlavenderinincandescentlight(e.g.,lightbulb,halogenlight,candlelight) to bluish green or greenish blue in daylight or fluorescent light. Don’texpect to see a color change from ruby red to emerald green. The “red” ofalexandrite typically resembles thecolorofamethystand the“green” isnotasgreen and intense as in top-grade emeralds, but more like a tourmaline. Themoreyellowishthegreenandthemorebrownishorgrayishthepurple,thelowertheprice.

Topquality alexandritesweighing less than one-half carat have retailed for asmuchas9000/ct.Insizesabovefivecarats,finealexandriteshavesoldformorethan $30,000/ct. The most expensive ones have a strong color change in alldirections and on all the facets. Alexandrite is a regal gem that fetches regalprices.

CAT’S-EYE: The unmodified term “cat's-eye” means chrysoberyl cat’s-eye.Othermineralssuchasquartz,tourmalineandberylmayalsodisplayacat’s-eye

(bandofreflectedlightacrossacabochon),butchrysoberylcat’s-eyeisthemostprizedandhasthesharpesteye.Othercat’s-eyestonesmustincludethemineralname,asforexample,cat’s-eyequartzorquartzcat’s-eye.

TheGIAColoredStonesCoursedescribesthemostprizedbodycolorforcat’s-eye as a golden yellow, slightly greenish or brownish yellow “honey” color.Keepinmindthatcolorisamatterofpersonalchoiceandthatanycat’s-eyemaybeattractiveifithasadistincteyeandacceptableclarity.Cat’s-eyecanretailformore than $9000/ct. Stones with fuzzy, non-sharp eyes, dull colors and eye-visibleinclusionsmaysellforlessthan$200/ct.

MajorsourcesBrazilandSriLankaaretheprimarysourcesofchrysoberyls.OtherdepositsareinMadagascar,Myanmar,Russia,TanzaniaandZimbabwe.

BewareBecause of alexandrite’s prestige, ordinary chrysoberyl is occasionally sold asalexandrite.Ifachrysoberyldoesn’tchangecolorwhenmovedfromdaylighttoincandescentlight,itisnotanalexandrite.

There’sa lotof imitationandman-made(synthetic)alexandriteon themarket.Man-madealexandrite is themostdifficult toseparatefromnaturalalexandritebecausebothhavebasically the samechemical composition, andmostof theirphysicalandopticalpropertiesarethesame.Akeytestfordeterminingifastoneisnaturalornotishighmagnification.Themostcommonimitationalexandritesare color-change synthetic sapphire (sometimes called alexandrine) andsynthetic spinel.Zandrite is aglass that imitatesalexandrite. It is available intwo colors: pink and purple. Zandrite that is pink in incandescent light turnsgreenunderfluorescentlighting,whereaspurplezandriteturnsblue.Ifacolor-change stone is large and eye-clean, it probably is not natural alexandrite.

Alexandritesabovefivecaratsarerare,andevensmallerstonesoftenhaveeye-visibleinclusions.Likewise,bewareofunusuallylowprices,whichsuggestthatthe stonesmay be imitations. If a seller tells you a stone is natural, have himwrite “natural alexandrite” on the receipt. Deal with reputable jewelers, andwhenbuyingexpensivestones,getareportfromareputablelab.

Lower priced quartz cat’s-eye is often sold as cat’s-eye. Therefore verify thatcat’s-eyesarechrysoberyl,andhavethiswrittenonthereceiptifyourintentionistobuyachrysoberylcat’s-eye.

BasicchrysoberyldataChemicalcomposition:BeAl2O4—BerylliumaluminumoxideRI:1.74–1.76,Hardness8.5,SG:3.64–3.80.AlexandriteisabirthstoneforJune,alongwithpearlandmoonstone.

CaretipsIfchrysoberylstonesarenotfracturedorheavilyflawed,it’ssafetocleanthemin ultrasonics and steamers; otherwise they can be safely cleaned in soap andwater.Chrysoberyl’sMohshardnessof8.5makesitharderthanallothernaturalgemstonesexceptruby,sapphire,anddiamond.Chrysoberylisstabletoheatandlight and it doesn’t react to chemicals.Overall, it’s hard, strong and generallyverydurable.

AdditionalinformationandphotosonchrysoberylareavailableinExoticGems,Volume 2 by Renée Newman. That volume contains three chapters onchrysoberyl, cat’s-eye and alexandrite. Russian Alexandrites by Dr. KarlSchmetzerisanotherhelpfulsource.

Amethyst&OtherQuartzGems

Because of their abundance, quartz gemstones are quite affordable.Amethyst,themostexpensivevariety,mightretailfrom$2–$150/ctdependingonquality,cutandsize.Evenamethystthatsellsfor$15/ctcanbeveryattractive.

AMETHYST(Purpleorvioletquartz):Themostexpensivecolorisanintense,deep, evenly-colored purple with flashes of red under incandescent light. Theleastcostlyispalelavender.MajorsourcesofamethystincludeBrazil,Uruguay,Bolivia, Zambia and the U.S. A lot of synthetic amethyst, citrine and othercolors of synthetic quartz are made in Japan and especially in Russia. Someamethyst is heat-treated to lighten its color and remove brownish hues or totransformitintocitrineandsometimesgreenquartz.Somematerialundergoesacombinationheatandirradiationtreatmenttoimprovecolor.

Fig.4.7ArizonaFourPeaksamethyst(7cts).AmethystfromCommercialMineralCo;photobyMichaelRomanella.Fig.4.8CitrinefashionedbyMarkGronlund.PhotobyRobert&OrasaWeldon.

Fig.4.9Ametrine(21.73cts)cutbyJohnDyer.PhotobyLydiaDyer.Fig.4.10RosequartzringbyZaffiro.PhotobyElizabethGualtieri.

CITRINE (Yellowor orange quartz):Most citrine is heat-treated amethyst orsmokyquartz.Natural-colorcitrineisrareandisusuallypaleyellow.ItsnameisderivedfromtheFrenchwordforlemon—citron.Alotofcitrineissoldastopaz.Itcanretailfrom$2–$100/ct.Greenishyellowcitrineissometimesmarketedas“greengold”or“oroverde”quartz.

AMETRINE(Purpleandyellowquartz,amethyst+citrine).Thispopulargemis mined commercially in Bolivia and has only been available since the late1980’s.Ametrinecanretailforabout$2–100/ct.

GREEN QUARTZ, PRASIOLITE: Most green quartz is either heated andirradiatedcolorlessquartzorheat-treatedamethyst.Naturalcolorgreenamethystis rareand itsgemologicalname is“prasiolite.”Greenquartz isalsomarketedunder the non-gemological names of “greened amethyst” and “lemon quartz”whichalsoreferstocitrine.

QUARTZCAT'S-EYE:Sri-Lanka,IndiaandBrazilaresourcesofquartzcat’s-eye. It may be white, green, yellow or brown. Quartz cat’s-eye ranges fromabout$4–$100percabochon.

ROCK CRYSTAL (Colorless quartz): This is the most widely distributedvarietyofquartz.Besidesbeingcutasbeadsandfacetedstones,rockcrystalis

usedforlensesandallsortsofdecorativeobjects.

ROSEQUARTZ (Pink quartz):This quartz,which is typically translucent, issometimes irradiated to intensify its color. Occasionally it shows a cat’s-eyeeffect.

RUTILATEDQUARTZ:This iscolorless transparentquartz thathasneedle-like inclusions of amineral called rutile.Brazil,Madagascar and theU.S. aremajorsources.Iftheneedleinclusionsconsistoftourmaline,thestoneiscalledTOURMALINATEDQUARTZ.

Fig.4.11Rutilatedandtourmalinatedquartz.NecklaceandphotofromRobertBentleyCompany.

SMOKY QUARTZ (Brown to black quartz): Even though smoky quartz isfoundworldwide, some of it on themarket is irradiated rock crystal and thistendstobeverydark.Thisquartzisoftensoldincorrectlyunderthemisnomer“smoky topaz.”Smokyquartz isveryaffordable; it’softenpricedby thestoneandcanretailforabout$1–$20/ct.

TIGER'S-EYE:This is a translucent toopaquequartzwith a silky luster andbrown and gold stripes. Stones cut en cabochon with a gold band along thecenterresembleacat’s-eye.SouthAfricaisthemostimportantsourceoftiger’s-

eye.A grayish-blue quartzwith a similar cat’s-eye effect is calledHAWK'S-EYE.

BasicQuartzDataChemicalcomposition:SiO2—silica(crystallinequartz)RI:1.544–1.553,Hardness:7,SG:2.64–2.66.AmethystisthebirthstoneforFebruary.

Quartz care tips: Avoid strong heat because it may change the color ofamethyst,citrine,rosequartzandsmokyquartz.Somerosequartzandamethystmayfadein light. Ingeneral,quartz isafairlydurablestoneandcanbesafelycleaned in most ultrasonic cleaners if it’s not fractured. It can also be safelywashed in warm soapy water. Avoid steam cleaning and sudden temperaturechanges because they can cause fracturing or cleaving. Quartz reacts tohydrofluoricacidandalkalies.

AmmoliteAmmoniteisaniridescentgemformedwithinanancientmarinefossilforwhichit was named—ammonite. Originally discovered by the Blackfoot Indians,ammolite is mined only in Southern Alberta, Canada. Most ammolite isassembledintodoubletsortripletstoincreasedurabilitybecausesolidammoliteisusuallythinandfragile,Ifit’suntreatedandsolid,ammoliteisusuallypricedpercaratandshapedasafreeformtomaximizeweight.

Extrafinequalityammolitesdisplaythreeormoresharp,brilliantcolorswithnoobviousdarkareasexceptforfinelineswhichseparatethepatchesofcolor.Thenarrower the lines thebetter.Themostprized stonesare those that exhibit thefull color spectrum including blue and purple,which are the rarest colors, butammolitewithonlytwobrightandbrilliantcolorscanalsobeattractive.Redandbrownarethemostcommoncolors,sostoneswiththosepredominantcolorssellforless.Thickdividinglinesanddull,grayishcolorsalsolowertheprice.

BasicammolitedataChemicalcomposition:(CaCO3)Aformofaragonitefromfossilizedammonite,anextinctshellfish.RI:1.525–1.67,Hardness:3.5–4,S.G.2.75-2.84

AmmolitecaretipsAvoidultrsonics, roughwear,heatandchemicals.Cleanwithdampsoftcloth.Korite International, the largest producer of ammolite, recommends limitingcontact with water while wearing ammolite. Some locates have high mineralcontent in the water and these minerals can deposit on the surface of theammoliteandsetting.

Foramorein-depthdiscussionofammolite,consultExoticGems,Volume1byRenéeNewmanandtheSpring2001&Fall2009editionsofGems&Gemology.

Fig.4.12Ammolite.Gem&photofromKoriteInternational.Fig.4.13AmmoliteandfireopalpendantbyLeslieWeinberg.PhotobyRobert&OrasaWeldon.

Fig.4.14Montanaagate.PendantbyPearceJewelers;photobyCharlieFreiberg.Fig.4.15AgatizeddinosaurbonecarvedbyMarthaBorzoni.PhotobyJessicaDow.

Chalcedony

Chalcedony (kal sedˊnee) is an aggregate composed of tiny sub-microscopicquartzcrystals.It’saffordable,durableandsuitableforfinecarving.Membersofthechalcedonyfamilyinclude:AGATE:Dealerstendtoapplythetermagatetoanypatternedchalcedonythatis translucent to semi-transparent. This material generally has parallel twistedfibersofquartz.Ontheotherhand,jasper,anotherchalcedony,isusuallysemi-opaqueoropaquetothenakedeyeandhasagrainystructure.

In amore strict usage, agate is a chalcedonywith curved or straight or evenangular bands (layers) of color. The bandsmay bemulticolored or similar incolor.CertaintypesofcolorlessorgrayagatesfromBrazilandMadagascarareoftenpermanentlydyedred,black,green,blueoryellowwithstable, inorganicchemicals. The main cutting and processing center for agate traditionally hasbeen Idar-0berstein in Germany, where a lot of agate was oncemined. OthersourcesofagateareUruguay,Mexico,theU.S.,RussiaandIndia.

Somewhite,grayorcolorlesschalcedonywithinclusionsiscalledagate.MOSSAGATE has moss-like green, brown, and/or red inclusions. DENDRITICAGATE (LANDSCAPEAGATE) has dark inclusions that resemble trees orfernsliketheMontanaagateinfigure4.14.

Fig.4.16Carnelian.RingbyClaudiaEndler;photobyBarryBlau.4.17Bluechalcedony.EarringsbyMarkSchneider:photobyDavidCarloPhotography.

Fig4.18Australianchrysoprase.RingandphotobyJessicaDowofDifferentSeasonsJewelry.Fig.4.19FireagatefromSlaughterMountain,AZcutbyRyszardKrukowskiofFireAgateArtStudio.PhotobyRyszardKrukowski.

AGATIZEDDINOSAURBONE:Dinosaurbone thathasbeen replacedwithagate.Itisalsocalled“dinobone”or“gembone.”Othermineralssuchascalcite,ironpyriteandopalmayalsobepresentingembone,butchalcedonyisthemostfrequent mineral, which is why it is called agatized dino bone even when itcontainsotherminerals.Brightcanaryyellowistherarestcolorforgemboneandtherefore sells at a premium. Green, red, orange and blue are also desirablecolors. Gray, brown beige and mustard colors are the lowest priced, but canmakeattractivejewelryforpeoplewholikeearthtones.ExoticGems;Volume2byRenéeNewmanhasachapterand58photosonagatizeddinosaurboneandpoop.

BLOODSTONE:Anopaquedarkgreenchalcedonywithorangeor redspots,whichsomeChristiansthoughtrepresentedthebloodofJesusChrist.Indiaisthemainsourceofbloodstone.

CARNELIANorCORNELIAN(UK):Translucentorangeorredchalcedony.Essentially all material sold as carnelian is heat-treated or stained and heat-treatedchalcedony.

CHALCEDONY:White, gray or bluish gray chalcedony. Some of the maindepositsareinBrazil,Madagascar,IndiaandtheUnitedStates.

BLUECHALCEDONY:Chalcedony that ranges incolor frombluishgray toblue,violet,purpleorlavender.Malawi,Namibia,Turkey,Mexico,andtheU.S.havebeen importantproducersofnatural-colorbluechalcedony.ExoticGems:Volume3byRenéeNewmanhasachapterwith53photosonbluechalcedony.

CHRYSOCOLLACHALCEDONY:Greenishbluechalcedonythatiscoloredby chrysocolla. It’s also called gem silica chrysocolla or simply gem silica.Chrysocolla and blue chalcedony are the most prized chalcedonies, with thepossibleexceptionoffineinclusionspecimens.

CHRYSOPRASE: Translucent light-to medium-green chalcedony, somewhatresembling jade. It used to be the most prized chalcedony variety. The bestquality chrysoprase has come from Queensland andWestern Australia. OthersourcesareBrazil,Poland,MyanmarandtheUS.

FIRE AGATE: This agate contains iridescent thin films of iron hydroxidesbetweenlayersofchalcedonyandtypicallyhasabubblysurface.Fireagatewasfirstdocumentedinthe1940'sinArizonaandCalifornia.ArizonaintheU.S.andthestatesofJaliscoAguascalientes,Chihuahua,andSanLuisPotosiinMexicoare the most important sources of fire agate, but it has also been found inCaliforniaandNewMexico.Foradditionalinformationandphotosonfireagate,

consultExoticGems:Volume3byRenéeNewman.

JASPER: An opaque, fine-grained chalcedony. It’s usually multicolored,spotted or striped but can be uniformly colored.Themost common colors arered, brown, yellow, gray and green. Jasper is found worldwide. Jasper withpatternsreminiscentoflandscapesiscalledpicturejasper.

ONYX: Chalcedony that is composed of relatively straight, parallel layers ofdifferent colors.When thedark layers (bands) arebrownorbrownish red, it’softencalledSARDONYX.

BLACKONYXisnotreallyonyx.It’schalcedonythathasbeendyedblack.

PETRIFIEDWOOD:(FossilizedWood,AgatizedWood):Woodthathasbeenreplacedbychalcedony.

SARD: Brown or brownish-red chalcedony. It’s generally considered to besimilar to carnelian but is darker and brown. There’s no distinct dividing linebetweensardandcarnelian.BrazilandUruguayaresourcesofbothvarieties.

BasicchalcedonydataChemicalcomposition:SiO2—silicondioxide,a.k.a.silica.RI:1.53–1.54,Hardness:6.5–7,SG:2.58–2.8

Fig.4.20Morrisonitejaspernecklace©2011byBarbaraHeinrichStudio.PhotobyHapSakwa.

Fig4.21Clearquartz(rockcrystal)andblackonyx.Ring&photofromHassanBounkit.

ChalcedonycaretipsChalcedony is durable, and it’s usually safe to clean untreated high qualitymaterialinultrasoniccleaners.Treated,unstableorcrackedstones,however,canbenegativelyaffectedbyultrasonics.Soapywaterisalwayssafe.Chalcedonyisaffectedby someacids, andhighheatmaychange thecolor.Avoidprolongedexposure to strong lightunless the seller confirms that the stonewillnot fade.Eventhoughchalcedonyhasgooddurability,avoidhardwearandsharpblowsinordertomaintainthebeautyofyourchalcedonyjewelry.

Emerald,Aquamarine&OtherBerylsInitspureform,beryliscolorless.Butthankstothepresenceofimpurities,thismineral can be blue, green, pink, red, yellow or orange. Of all the beryls,emeraldisthemosthighlyvaluedandhasthelongesthistory.Aquamarineandyellowberylhavealsohadalonghistory,butit’shardtodeterminewhentheywere firstused.Theorange,pinkand redberylshaveonlybeen recognizedasgemssincetheearly1900s.

EMERALD:Bydefinition,emeraldsaregreen. If theyhaveasaturatedgreencolor and are transparent and eye-clean, they can be worth several thousanddollarspercaratwholesale.Ontheotherhand,asemi-opaqueemeraldcansellfor as little as $10 per carat. Clarity and transparency play a major role inemerald pricing. However, it’s normal for an emerald to have inclusions andcracks,especiallyifithasadeepgreencolor.Emeralds are routinely treated with oil, wax or epoxy-like substances to hidefractures and improve transparency. This is considered an acceptable tradepracticeaslongasit’sdisclosed.However,theextentofthetreatmentcanaffectthe price of emeralds because the less filler that is required, the higher thequality. Lab reports quantify the amount of fillerwith terms such as “minor,”“moderate,”or“significant.”Colombiaisthemostimportantsourceoftop-gradeemerald.High-qualityemerald isalso found inZambia,Zimbabwe,Brazil andPakistan,butnotinthesamequantities.

GREEN BERYL: There is no agreed-upon criterion in the trade fordistinguishingbetweengreenberyl andemerald.However, lightgreenberyl iscommonly called green beryl, whereas medium to deep green beryl is calledemerald. Likewise, there’s no clear dividing line between green beryl andaquamarine.

AQUAMARINE:Mostnatural-coloraquamarineislightbluish-green.Priortothe 1900’s, this was the preferred color for the stone. Today aquamarine isroutinely heat-treated to remove the green, thereby producing a permanently-coloredbluestone.Themoreintensethebluecolor,themorevaluablethestone.Aquamarinesusuallyhaveahightransparencyandclarity,andthey’redurable.Brazil is themain producer of aquamarine.Madagascar,Mozambique,Kenya,Nigeria,PakistanandZambiaareothermajorsources.

Fig.4.22Emeralds.Rings&photocourtesyOmiPrivé.

Fig.4.23Aquamarine(17.37cts).RingbyGaryDulac;photobyJohnParrish.Fig.4.24Morganite.RingandphotobyHannaCook-WallaceofStudioJewelers.

Fig.4.25RedberylbraceletfromCynthiaRenéeInc.PhotobyHarold&EricaVanPelt.

HELIODOR (YELLOW BERYL): Found in Madagascar, Brazil, Russia,

NamibiaandtheU.S.,thisberylisnotuncommon.Ithasalsobeencalledgoldenberyl.Almostallheliodorhasbeenirradiatedtoproduceitscolor.Somestonesmayfadewithprolongedexposuretoheatorstronglight.

MORGANITE: Pink, orange, or purple beryl. The first morganite to bedescribedwasapalepinkvarietyfoundinCalifornia.Someofthefinest,mostintensely-coloredmorganiteisfoundinMadagascar.Brazilisanotherimportantsource, but the colors are usually lighter even though the crystals are muchlarger. Morganite is frequently heat-treated and/or irradiated to intensify thecolor.

REDBERYL(BIXBITE):ThisvaluableberylwasdiscoveredinUtahin1906.Redberylissometimeserroneouslycalledredemerald.Oilandresinfillersarefrequentlyusedtoimproveitsclarity.Duetotherarityofredberyl,itremainsacollectorgem.

BewareLab-grownemeraldissometimessoldasnaturalemerald.Lightgreenberylmaybedarkenedbygreenoil, coatedwithgreenplasticor cemented togetherwithgreen glue to look like a deep green emerald. Glass is often used to imitateemerald and aquamarine. Blue topaz is sometimes sold as aquamarine.Whenbuyinganexpensiveemerald,findoutifthefillingenhancementhashadamajorimpactonitsclarity.Youwouldn’twanttopay,say,$6,000foranemeraldthatinitsunenhancedstateisworth$600.

BasicberyldataChemicalcomposition:Be3Al2(SiO3)6—Berylliumaluminumsilicate,RI:1.56–1.60,Hardness:7.5–8,S.G:2.65–2.80Emerald is the birthstone for May and the 20th & 35th anniversary stone.AquamarineisthebirthstoneforMarch.

CaretipsBeryl is a relatively durable mineral and can be cleaned ultrasonically if itdoesn’t contain inclusions and cracks. Emeralds, however, typically havefractures,whichcanbeenlargedwiththevibrationofultrasonicsandwithhardknocks. In addition, ultrasonics can remove emerald fillers,making the stoneslook worse after cleaning. Clean emeralds with a damp cloth or spray withwindow cleaner and wipe dry. Do not soak emeralds in cleaning solutionsbecausetheycandissolvefillers.Avoidhighheat.Itcanmakeliquidinclusionsexpand,causingfracturing;itcandryoutoilinemeralds;anditcanproducefadinginmorganiteandheliodor.

Stones with fractures like those found in emeralds are not a good choice foreveryday rings. Wear emeralds, instead, in necklaces, earrings and brooches,whichwon’tbesubjectedtoknocksandhardwear.

GarnetTraditionally, people have considered garnets to be red, but they can also bevarious shades of green, yellow, orange, brown, pink or purple. Garnet is thebirthstoneforJanuaryand2ndweddinganniversarystone.

The principal species of the garnet group are almandine, pyrope, spessartine,andradite,grossularanduvarovite.Mixedgarnetspeciesincluderhodolite,maligarnet and malaya & color-change garnets. Brief descriptions of these garnetspeciesareprovidedbelow:

ALMANDINE:Alsocalledalmandite, thisgarnetrangesfrompurplishred,toredandorangishredandusuallyhasadarktone.Gem-qualityalmandineisrare.Sources includeSriLanka, India,Brazil,Australia,Tanzania,Madagascar andtheUnitedStates.StaralmandineisfoundinIdaho.

BasicalmandinedataChemicalcomposition:Fe3Al2(SiO4)3—ironaluminumsilicateRI:1.78–1.83,Hardness:7.25–7.5,SG:3.80–4.25

PYROPE (PIE rope): This garnet, whose name is derived from the Greekpyroposmeaningfiery,rangesincolorfrombrownishredtopurplishred.OneofthemostsignificantsourcesofpyropehasbeentheCzechRepublic,formerlyCzechoslovakia. The material from there is often called Bohemian garnet.Pyrope is alsomined in India, China, Australia, SouthAfrica, Brazil, CanadaandseveralstateswithintheUSA.

Arizonaanthillgarnetisavarietyofpyropenotedforitsrubyredcolor,whichistheresultoftracesofchromiuminthemolecularstructureofthecrystals.Redpyropethatiscoloredbychromiumiscalledchromepyrope,oranthillgarnetif

itisfoundinanthills.Itoftenoccursindiamondminesorinsidediamondsasaninclusion.

Pyrope is a very affordable stone with retail prices ranging from about $5 to$150/ct. The redder the stone, the more valuable it is. Eye-clean material isreadilyavailable.

BasicpyropedataChemical composition: Mg3Al2(SiO4)3—magnesium aluminum silicate. RI:1.73–1.75,Hardness:7–7.5,SG:3.7–3.8

SPESSARTINE: Also called spessartite, this garnet is colored bymanganeseandisyellowishorangetoreddishorange.Itusuallyoccursincombinationwithalmandine, whose iron component can give spessartine a reddish color:Spessartineissometimesconfusedwithyellowtopazorhessonitegarnet.

Namibia and Nigeria have been the most important producers of spessartine.Other sources include Sri Lanka, Brazil, Afghanistan,Myanmar,Madagascar,Nigeria, Tanzania, and California. The production of spessartine has beensporadic.Retailpricesoftop-gradematerialcanbeashighas$2000/ct.

BasicspessartinedataChemical composition: Mn3Al2(SiO4)3—manganese aluminum silicate.RI:1.774–1.814,Hardness:7–7.5,SG:3.80–4.25

ANDRADITE: The best-known andradite variety is demantoid, which wasdiscoveredin1868inRussia.Itresemblesanemeraldwithaddedbrillianceandfire.Gooddemantoidisnoteasytofind.Insizesabovetencarats,topqualityRussiandemantoidhaswholesaledformorethan$20,000/ct.Evensmallstonesunderahalfcaratareexpensivewithtopqualitystonesretailingforasmuchas$1200/ct.

Stonesthatapproachanemeraldgreencolorare themosthighlyvalued.Somedemantoidsareheatedtoimprovecolor.InadditiontoRussia,sourcesofdemantoidincludeIran,Madagascar,NamibiaandPakistan.

Fig.4.26Spessartine(6.40cts).RingbyHubert;photobyDiamondGraphics.Fig.4.27RhodolitecutbyJohnDyer.PhotobyDavidDyer.

Fig.4.28RussiandemantoidfromEvanCaplan.PhotobyHarold&EricaVanPelt.

Fig.4.29Tsavorites.RingandphotobyOmiPrivé.

Fig.4.30YellowgrossularcutbyJ.L.WhiteFineGemstones.PhotobyJeffWhite.Fig.4.31Malaiagarnet(20cts).PendantbyCynthiaRenéeInc;photobyRobert&OrasaWeldon.

BasicandraditedataChemicalcomposition:Ca3Fe2(SiO4)3—calciumironsilicateRI:1.87–1.89,Hardness:6.5–7.0,SG:3.8–3.9

GROSSULAR: The most valued grossular variety is tsavorite, a transparentgreen garnet, which owes its color to trace amounts of vanadium and/orchromium.ItwasdiscoveredinTanzaniain1968.Tsavoriteisfoundinalmostall shades of green but tends to be yellowish-green.When its color resemblesthatoffineemerald,itcanretailformorethan$6,000/ctinsizesabove3carats.Pricesofsmallercommercialqualitystonescandropdowntolessthan$1000/ct.Most tsavorite comes from theEastAfricancountriesofTanzania,KenyaandMadagascar.MinoramountsarealsofoundinPakistan.

Hessoniteisamuchlessexpensivevarietyofgrossularthatissometimescalledcinnamonstone.Thecolorsareoftenbrownishandcanbered,orange,yellowor colorless. There are hessonite deposits in Sri Lanka, the U.S., Canada,Madagascar, Siberia and Brazil. Translucent and opaque grossular is used forbeads, cabochons and carvings. The green material is sometimes calledTransvaaljade,afteritsmainsourceinSouthAfrica.IthasalsobeenfoundintheUSSR,HungaryandItaly.

UVAROVITE:Thisgreengarnet,whichowesitscolortochromium,isusuallytoosmalltobecutintogemstones.However,adrusyformcoveredwithminutecrystalshasbeenonthemarketsincethelate1990's.Uvaroviteisusuallypricedby the piece rather than by carat weight. The best quality specimens haveuniformsurfacecoverageofcrystalswithnoexposedmatrix.Besidesbeingsoldas drusy cabochons and freeforms, uvarovite is also sold on its host rock as amineralspecimentocollectors.

RHODOLITE:(Pyrope+almandine)Rhodolite,apurplishredgarnetisminedinAfrica,Brazil,IndiaandSriLanka.Tanzaniaisthemajorcommercialsource.Rhodolitescanrangeinpricefrom$5to$250percaratretail.Top-qualitystonesareclean,verytransparentandsaturatedincolorbutnotdark.

Basicrhodolite(pyrope+almandine)dataRI:1.75–1.78,Hardness:7-7.5,SG:3.70–3.95

MALAIA(MALAYA):Thisdistinctiveorangevarietymaybereddish,pinkishoryellowish.MalaiagarnetwasfoundinEastAfricainthesearchforrhodolite.Pinkishorangeandorangewithovertonesofredarethemostvaluedcolors.

COLOR-CHANGEGARNETisfoundinmanydifferentcolorsanddisplaysavariationofcolorbehavior.Forexample,itmaybeblueorgreenindaylightandredinincandescentlight.

Figs.4.31&4.32Color-changegarnetfromKenya(1.85cts)viewedindaylight(left)andincandescentlight(right).GarnetcutbyLisaElser;photobyC.TomSchlegel.

Fig.4.33Tanzanianiolite(8.34cts)carvedbySherrisCottierShank.PhotobyAmyBalthrop.Fig.4.34Iolite(5.52cts)cutbyJohnDyer.PhotobyDavidDyer.

MALI GARNET or GRANDITE: (Andradite & grossular) Marketed onlysince1995,Mali garnets are found inwesternAfrica in theRepublic ofMali.Theycanbevariousshadesofgreen,yelloworbrown.

Basicgrossular-andraditedataRI: 1.762–1.779, Orange to brown stones generally have higher RIs thanyellowishgreenorgreenstones,Hardness:6.75–7,SG:3.64–3.68

GarnetCaretipsIt’s safe to clean garnets in ultrasonics if they don’t have fractures or liquidinclusions.It’ssafertocleanthemwithwarmsoapywater.Neverboilorsteamclean garnets. Abrupt temperature changes cause fracturing. They are slightlyattacked by hydrofluoric acid, but otherwise they’re resistant to chemicals.Garnetsdonotfade.

Retippingor repairsonstonesettingsshouldbedoneafter thegarnethasbeenremoved.When jewelry is sized, garnets should be placed in a water bath orcovereditwithaheat-shieldingproduct.

For further information about garnet consultGarnet: Great Balls of Fire byLithographicLLCandExoticGems:Volume2 byRenéeNewman,whichhassixchaptersongarnet.

IoliteBefore the 1980s, iolitewasmainly considered a collector’s stone because solittleofitwasbeingsold.Today,it’smoreavailable,andit’ssometimesusedasasapphireortanzanitesubstitutebecauseofitsblue-violetcolorandlowerprice.

Some people have referred to iolite aswater sapphire because it resemblessapphireface-upanditlooksclearorwateryfromtheside.Thiseffectiscausedby theway iolite polarizes light. In one direction the crystal typically appearsdark blue or violet; in another it’s colorless, gray or yellowish; and in a thirddirectionit’slightblueorviolet.

GeographicsourcesMost iolite comes from India, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Brazil. AdditionalsourcesincludeMyanmar,Madagascar,ZimbabweandNamibia.

BasiciolitedataChemical composition: Mg2Al4Si5O18—a complex silicate of magnesium andaluminumRI:1.53–1.58,Hardness:7–7.5,SG:2.56–2.66

CaretipsClean with warm soapy water. Avoid ultrasonics and sudden changes oftemperature.Ioliteisattackedbyacidsandit’ssusceptibletocleaving(cracking)ifit’shitagainstsomething.

Jade(Jadeite&Nephrite)

Jade refers to two different minerals—jadeite and nephrite. Both stones arerocks(aggregates),whicharemassesof tightly interlockingcrystals.However,they have different chemical compositions and properties. Jadeite is a littleharderanddenser,andasaresultcantakeahigherpolishthannephrite.Neitherstone isveryhard (resistant toscratching)compared todiamondand ruby,butbothjadesareunusuallytough—resistanttobreakageandchipping.Ofthetwo,nephriteisslightlystronger.

JADEITE ismore valuable and rare than nephrite. It is found in a variety ofcolors including lavender, white, gray, yellow, orange, brownish-red, black,colorless, and many shades of green. When it’s very translucent and has anintenseevengreencolor,it’softencalledImperialjade.

Today, jadeite isusually the jadechosen for fine jewelry. Its intrinsicvalue isgenerally thebasisfor itsprice.Whileboth jadeiteandnephriteareknownfortheircarvingexcellence,nephriteismainlyvaluedforitsantiquity.

BasicjadeitedataChemicalcomposition:NaAl(Si2O6)—Sodiumaluminumsilicate.RI:1.66–1.68,Hardness6.5–7,SG:3.30-3.36Jadeisthe12thweddinganniversarystone.

Fig.4.35Colorrangeofbetterjadeiteincludingafineicejadestone&finegreeninthecenter.Jade&photo:Mason-Kay.

Fig.4.36Burmesejadeite.BanglesandbraceletfromJadebyNikolai;photobyNikolaiTsang.

Fig.4.37Burmesejadethatissemi-transparent,averydesirablequalityforjade.CarvingfromJadebyNikolai;photobyNikolaiTsang.

Fig.4.38Siberianjadeitewithahighlyvaluedintensegreencolor.Peacockbracelet&photofromJackLiuofLandCCorp.andLamNaikaiofDMSCo.inHongKong.

NEPHRITE isplentifulandmostofitisgrayishgreen—typicallyforestgreenorolivegreen. Itcanalsobewhite,gray,black,brown,yelloworbeige.Mostnephrite isveryaffordable.Forexample,youcaneasily findnephritecostumejewelryrangingfrom$10to$100.Theantiquevalueofoldnephritepiecesoftenoutweighstheirintrinsicworth.

BasicnephritedataChemicalcomposition:Ca2(Mg,Fe)5(Si4O11)2(OH)2—Calciummagnesiumironsilicate.RI:1.60–1.63,Hardness6-6.5,SG:2.90–3.05

EvaluationofJade

TRANSPARENCY: The best jade is either near transparent or highlytranslucent.Asthetransparencyofjadedecreases,sodoesitsvalue,withopaquejadebeingworththeleast.Anothertermfortransparencyis“translucency.”

COLOR: An intense green with a medium to medium-dark tone is the mostvalued. As the color becomes lighter, darker, more grayish or brownish oryellowish,thevaluedecreases.Whenthejadehasgoodtransparencyandcolorsaturation, lavender is the next most valued hue followed by colorless jade,which is called ice jade. Transparency and color saturation are key valuedeterminantsof red,orange,yellowandwhite jade.Prior to the importationofBurmese jadeite into China,white nephritewas themost coveted jade.Greennephrite is typically grayish, blackish or brownish. The more it approaches apuregreen,themorevaluableitis.

COLORUNIFORMITY: In topquality jade, thecolor isuniformthroughoutthe stone. The more uneven or blotchy the color is, the lower the value.However,jadewithmultiplecolorswithinthesamestonecanbeveryexpensiveif the colors are intense anddistinct.Themost desired color combinations aregreenandlavender,orangeandgreen,orwhitewithstronggreen(moss-in-snowjade).

CLARITY (PURITY): Fine jade is free of flaws such as cracks, includedforeignmaterial,andspotswhichreducebeautyordurability.Thenumber,size,color,positionandnatureofflawsdeterminestheclarityofastone.Cracksthatbreakthesurfaceorthatarevisibleinternallyareparticularlydetrimentaltothevalue.

TEXTURE:Sincejadeiscomposedofinterwovencrystals,itcanhaveatexture

thatrangesfromfinetocoarse.Thefinerandmoretightlyinterwoventhecrystalcomponentsare,thebetterthejade.

SHAPE:Thebestjadeiscutintocabochons.Ovalsandroundsnormallysellformore thanrectangular,marquise,andpearshapes.Smoothuncarvedpiecesaremore valuable than carved ones. Carving allows the removal of flaws frominferiormaterial.

CUTQUALITY(CRAFTSMANSHIP):Moderatelycurvedcabochonstendtobe more valued than flat or very high ones. Symmetrical cabochons withbalanced proportions are the most desired. Intricate, high-quality carving isnaturallymorevaluedthanshoddy,quickcarving.

SIZE:Sincelarge,finequalityjadeiteisrare,sizeplaysaroleinincreasingitsvalue.The thicknessofgood jadeite isalso important. Ifa jadeitecabochon isthinner than 2 mm or smaller than 8 x 6 mm, there can be a considerabledeductioninitsprice.

POLISH & FINISH: The more brilliant the polish and the smoother thesurface,themorevaluablethestoneis.

TREATMENTSTATUS:Untreatedjadeisthemostexpensive.Thefollowingtreatmentsareusedtoimprovetheappearanceofjade:

Waxing:Thisiscommonlydoneafterthefinalpolishtoimprovelusterandhidemicroscopicpitsandcracks.Heatandstrongsolventswillundothis treatment.Material with only a superficial waxing is often called A Jade and is wellacceptedbythetrade.

Dyeing:This isdoneusually to addgreenor lavender color towhiteor light-colored jade,butcanbeand isdone toaddanycolor, evencolorsnot seen innaturaljade.Blueandpinkareexamples.Blueberryjuiceisacommondyefor

lavender jade. It looks good at first but it can fade in sunlight. Dyed jade iscalledCJadeandisnotacceptedasfinejade.

Heating:Darkgreennephritemaybetreatedbythismethodtolightenthecolorofdark-greenmaterial.Redjadecanbeheatedtoincreaseredness,buttheusualresultisadullbrown,andtransparencyisreducedintheprocess.

Bleaching and polymer impregnation: This treatment masks fractures andremovesbrownandyellowironstainingfromjade,makingwhitecolorswhiterand green colors brighter. The jade is first soaked and bleached in chemicals.Thenthebleachedjadeisimpregnatedwithawaxorsyntheticresintofillvoidscreatedfromthebleachingprocess.TheresultingmaterialiscalledBJade.

Sometimes dye is used before impregnation and other times it’s added to thefiller.Don’t plan on handing bleached jade down to future generations; it hasdurabilityproblemsandwilldiscolorwith time; ithasdurabilityproblemsandwilldiscolorwithtime.DyedjadeisoftenreferredtoasCJade.AfewChinesesellers incorrectly use the term “D Jade” for imitations such as serpentine,aventurine quartz, dyed chalcedony, grossular garnet or assembled stones likedoubletswithajadetopandplasticbacking.

Insummary,thetreatmentclassificationsforjadeare:AJade:naturaluntreatedjadeiteexceptforpossiblesurfacewaxing.BJade:bleachedjadeiteimpregnatedwithsyntheticresinCJade:bleached,dyedandresinimpregnatedjadeiteDJade:definitionvariesdependingontheseller.Afewsellersincorrectlyusethe term to refer to imitation jade, butD Jademay also refer to jade thatwasdyedwithoutresinimpregnation.

Majorsources:Myanmar(formerlyBurma)hasbeenthemainsourceofjadeitesince the late 18th century. Some jadeite is also mined in Russia (Siberia),

Guatemala, Japan, and California; but Myanmar is credited with having thefinestqualityjade.TheoldestknownsourceofnephriteisXinjiangProvinceinChina. Nephrite is also found in New Zealand, Taiwan, British Columbia,Australia,Poland,Germany,India,Zimbabwe,Mexico,Alaska,California,andWyoming.

Beware:Sellersaresupposedtodisclosetreatmentsbutnotalldo.Thereforeaskfor treatment information, particularly when buying high-priced jadeite. If astoreclaims their jade isonlywaxedandotherwiseuntreated,have themwritethisonthereceipt.Expensivejadeiteshouldhaveareportfromareputablelabthatconfirms infrared (FTIR)spectroscopy testingwasdone. (Seesample jadereportinChapter15).

If you’re buyingquality jade jewelry, check if it has openback settings to letlightthroughthestone.Closedbackswithnoopeningsareoftenasignthatthejademight be of lowvalue or that somethingmay be hidden. For example, itmight be hiding a thin, hollow stone or the back of a jadeite triplet—anassembled stone consisting of a thin hollow cabochon of translucent grayish-white jadeite that’s coated inside with a thin, green jelly-like substance andcemented to apieceof flat oval jade.Whenmounted it looks like an imperialjadeite cabochon.You’remuchmore likely to encounterpolymer impregnatedand/ordyedjadethanjadeitetriplets.

A few jade sellers use the term “Burma jade” to refer to jadeite and theunmodified term “jade” to incorrectly refer to any green stone. Deal withreputablesellers,andifyouwishtobuyjadeiteaskifthematerialisjadeite(feicuiinChinese)andfindoutwhereitwasmined.

JadecaretipsJade can be safely cleaned in soapy water. Never steam jade or place it in

ultrasonicmachinesas thiscandamageorremovethestandardwaxcoating.Itreactsslightlytowarmacids.Sincejadehasalowerhardnessthangemssuchassapphire, emerald and topaz, it can get scratched more easily. Jewelers caneliminatethescratchesandrestorethelusterbypolishingthejade.Naturaljade,however, isverydurable. In fact,noothergem is as resistant tobreakageandchippingasjade.

Kunzite(Spodumene)

Kunziteispinktopurpleincolorandistypicallyeye-cleanandlowpriced.Youcanfindwell-cut, lightpinkstonesofhighclarityfor lessthan$250/ct.Stoneswith amore saturated color are available, but they can be difficult to find inNorthAmerica orEurope.These stones are often reserved for buyers inAsia.Somekunzite is irradiated to intensify its color.Unfortunately, thecolor fadesovertimewhenexposedtostronglightorheat.

MajorkunzitesourcesKunzite and other spodumene varieties are mined in Afghanistan, Pakistan,Brazil,MadagascarandtheU.S.

Basickunzite(spodumene)dataChemical composition: LiAlSi2O6—Lithium and aluminum silicate, RI: 1.66–1.68,Hardness:6.5–7,SG:3.14–3.21

KunzitecaretipsClean with soapy water. Avoid ultrasonics and sudden temperature changes.Kunzitecancrackeasily if it’sknockedagainstasurface. Itmayfade in light,andit’ssensitivetoheatandhydrofluoricacid.

Fig.4.39Kunzite.BraceletbyHubert;photobyDiamondGraphics.

Fig.4.40Lapislazuli.JewelrybyKatyBriscoe;photobyKennonEvett.

LapisLazuli

Lapis lazuli is a rock composed of lazurite and some other minerals such ascalcite, pyrite and sodalite. The most valued lapis has a natural, even, deepviolet-bluecolorthatisfreeofwhitecalciteveining.Italsohasahighpolishandabitofpyrite.

Dyed lapis is the least valuable type.Dye is used to improve the color and tohidewhitecalcite.Often,thedyeisnotverystableandmayruboffonyourskin.Awaxcoatingiscommonlyusedtosealinthedyeandtomakethepolishlookbetter. It's not alwayspossible for salespeople toknow if lapishasbeendyed.However,iftheyclaimthecolorisnaturalandthestoneisuntreated,havethemwrite this on the receipt. Generally, most lapis beads are dyed. Dye canfrequently be detected by rubbing the stone with cotton dipped in fingernailpolishremoveroralcohol.Neverdo this inaconspicuousspotandalwaysgetpermissionfirst.

Majorsources:Formorethan5,000years,lapislazuli(lapis)hasbeenminedinNortheasternAfghanistan.Thisisstilltheworld'smostimportantsourcebothinterms of quality and quantity. The second most important source of lapis isChile. However, Chilean lapis tends to contain a lot of white calcite and thecolorcanberelativelylight.Consequentlyit’softendyed.

BewareGermanandSwisslapisarenotlapislazuli.They'rebluedyedjasper,themostwidelyusedlapis imitation.Glass,plastic,andsodalitearealsousedto imitatelapis.TheGilsoncompanyproducesanotherimitationlapis.

Lapislazulicaretips

LapislazulicaretipsCleanwithwarmsoapywaterbutdon’tsoak.Ultrasonicsandsteamersareriskycleaningmethods.Avoidroughwear,heatandacids.

MalachiteMalachiteisusuallybandedwithdifferingshadesofgreeninagate-likepatterns.It's attractive, yet low-priced. Often,malachite is banded and intermixedwithother copper minerals such as blue azurite. The resulting material is calledazurmalachite. Sometimes, malachite is impregnated with wax or epoxy toimprovethepolishandhidesmallcracks.

MajorSourcesDRCongo is themajor producer of malachite. Other sources include Russia,Zambia,Namibia,Arizona,NewMexicoandAustralia.

BewareSyntheticmalachiteisproducedinRussia.Malachiteissoinexpensivethatit’snotoftenimitated.

MalachitecaretipsMalachite can easily break or scratch. It's also sensitive to heat, acids andammonia.Nevercleanitultrasonically;wipeitwithlukewarm,soapywaterandrinse.

Moonstone&SomeOtherFeldspars

MOONSTONE:Thisgemisnoted fora floating lighteffectandsheencalledadularescence, which has been compared to the light of the moon. Highmoonstonecabochonsmayresemblecat's-eyegemsduetotheconcentrationoflightalongthetopofthestone.Moonstoneistypicallywhite,colorlessorlightgrayishblue,butitmayalsobeyellow,orange,brown,blueorgreen.Itrangesfrom near transparent to almost opaque. Themost valued stones are blue andnear transparent—sometimes up to $250/ct. Translucentwhite stones can costlessthan$25/ct.

LABRADORITE:Thisnamemostoftenreferstoadark,opaquefeldspar,firstfound in Labrador, that displays a flash of color(s) when viewed at certainangles. This optical effect,which is called labradorescence, is typically brightbluetogreen,butitcanalsobeyellow,orangeorrarelypurple.SpectroliteisararecolorfultypeoflabradoritefoundpreviouslyonlyinFinlandbutnowalsoinIndia.

Fig.4.41MalachitefromZairewithbull’s-eyepattern.PendantandphotobyGuyPushee.Fig.4.42Moonstone.Ring&photobyJessicaDowofDifferentSeasonsJewelry.

Fig.4.43Labradorite.PhotobyRenéeNewman.Fig.4.44SpectrolitefromFinland.GemfromDifferentSeasonsJewelry;photobyMarkAnderson.

Fig.4.45Oregonsunstone.Gems&photofromDesertSunMining&Gems.

Fig.4.46Amazonite.Beads&photofromEarthstoneCo.

SUNSTONE: There are twomain types of sunstone. One is opaque and hasglittery redorgolden inclusions.Another is transparent and isorange,yellow,

red, green or colorless. It’s the state gem of Oregon andmay containminutecopperinclusions,whichcangiveitasheen(fig.4.45).

AMAZONITE (AmazonStone):Abluish-greenvarietyofmicroclinefeldsparthatisusuallytranslucenttosemi-opaque.Sometimessoldas“PikesPeakjade”inColorado,itssourcesincludeBrazil,India,Madagascar,RussiaandtheUSA.

MajorfeldsparsourcesMostmoonstone comes from India, Sri Lanka, Brazil,Madagascar,Myanmarand Tanzania. Aventurine feldspar (sunstone) is found in India, Canada,Norway, Siberia and the USA. Transparent sunstone is mined in Oregon.Labradoriteisnamedafteritsmostfamoussource,Labrador,Newfoundland,butitisalsofoundinChina,Finland,IndiaandMadagascar.

BasicfeldspardataFeldspar is agroupof closely relatedmineralswhosechemical composition istoocomplexforthisbook.ExoticGems:VolumeIbyRenéeNewmanhaschartsandtablesthatclarifytherelationshipsamongthevariousfeldsparmembersandthatgivemoreprecisedataandinformationoneachmember.RIrange:1.51–1.58,Hardness:6–6.5,SGrange:2.54–2.77MoonstoneisanalternatebirthstoneforJune.

FeldsparcaretipsCleanwithsoapywaterandasoftcloth.Nevercleanfeldsparwithanultrasoniccleaner, steamer or chemicals.TheGIAGemReferenceGuide rates feldspar’stoughnessaspoor,sodon’twearitineverydayrings.Heatandknockscauseittocrack.Infact,“feldspar”isderivedfrom“field”and“spar,”awordthatreferstoanyshinyrockthatsplitseasily.Sincefeldsparcannotwithstandtheheatfromajeweler’storch,itshouldberemovedduringrepairs.

Opal

Whencomparingopalprices,findoutwhattypeofopalyou’relookingat.Herearethevarioustypes:

COMMON OPAL and POTCH: Opal with no play-of-color (shifting ofspectralcolors)andatranslucenttosemi-opaquetransparency.Theseopalsmayalso be identified by their color and/or source, e.g., pink opal, blue opal,Peruvian opal. Opal with a play-of-color, the most popular type, is calledpreciousopalbymanyopaldealers.

LIGHTOPAL:Opalwithaplay-of-colorandalightbodycolor.Whiteopalisthemostcommontype. It typicallyhasanoff-whitebackgroundcolorandcanbetranslucenttoopaque.Milkywhitestoneswithlittleplay-of-colorareusedinbudget-priced jewelry.White opalswith a brilliant play-of-color can retail forseveralhundreddollarspercarat.Whenanopalhasahightransparency,anearcolorlessbodycolorandadistinctplay-of-color,thenit’scalledacrystalopal.

BLACK (DARK) OPAL: A generic term for any opal with a play-of-coloragainst a dark background. If the stone is transparent to semi-transparent anddarkwith a play-of-color, the stone is ablack crystal opal. Today top-gradeblack opal can sell for as much as $25,000/ct. Most black opal is found inLightningRidge,Australia.

FIREOPAL:A transparent to translucent opalwith a red, orange, yellow orbrownish body color both with or without a play-of-color. Mexico is theprincipal source.Themost valued fire opal is reddishorange, transparent, andhasaplay-of-colorwithinthestone.Forin-depthinformationandphotosonfireopalandcommonopal,consultExoticGems:Volume2byRenéeNewman.

BOULDEROPAL:Opalthatisstillattachedtotherock(usuallyironstone)inwhichitisfound.Boulderopal,whichcanresembleeitherlightordarkopal,istypicallycutinirregularshapes.Gemqualityboulderopalmaysellfor$5,000to$50,000 per piece, but you can purchase attractive stones for a few hundreddollars.BoulderopalisminedinQueensland,Australia.

Fig.4.47Peruvianblueopal.PendantbyZaffiro;photobyElizabethGualtieri.Fig.4.48Lightopalwithplay-of-color.RingcopyrightbyEveAlfillé;photobyMatthewArden.

Fig.4.49LightningRidgeblackopal.Ring&photocourtesyCaryHarris.Fig.4.50Fireopal.GemsandphotofromColumbiaGemHouse.

MATRIX OPAL or OPAL-IN-MATRIX: A stone with veins, grains orpatches of opal randomly distributed throughout its host rock or “matrix” (therockinwhichtheopalisformed).Unlikeboulderopalwhichhasopalontopofa boulder matrix, a matrix opal stone is opal within matrix. Queensland,Australiaisthemostimportantsourceofmatrixopalandmuchofitcomesfrom

theYowahandKoroitareas.Somematrix opal is also found inMexico, Peru,Honduras andEthiopia.Theprice of matrix opal determined by the amount, type, and quality of the opalwithin the matrix. Andamooka, Australia is known for a porous matrix opalwhich is often dyed to simulate black opal. Additional information and 80photosonmatrixopalareavailableinExoticGems:Volume3.

FactorsWhichAffectOpalValueOPALTYPE:Solidblackopal ismoreexpensive thanboulderopal ifsimilarqualitiesandcolorsofeachcategoryarecompared.Matrixopalsandassembledstonesareusually the leastexpensive types.There’sagreatdifference inpricebetweenanaturalandanassembledopalofsimilarappearance,soit’simportanttohavesalespeopleidentifythetypeofopalverballyandonthereceipt.

BODYTONE:(Thedarknessorlightnessofthebackgroundcolor):Blackopalismoreexpensive than lightopalof likequality.Withblackandboulderopal,generally the darker the background the more valuable the stone is. Whendeterminingbodytone,lookatthetopofthestone.

BRILLIANCE:Theoverall brightness and intensity of the play-of-color.Themorebrillianttheflashesofcolor,thebetterthestone.Examinebrilliancebothunder a consistent light source and away from it. Stones that maintain theirbrightnessawayfromlightare themosthighlyvalued.Brilliance isoneof themostimportantvaluefactors.

PLAY-OF-COLOR:Thedominantcolor(s)and thecombinationofcolorsarebothimportant.Intenseredisthemostrareandthereforethemostprizedcolor.In terms of value, it’s followed by orange, green and blue, themost plentifulcolor.Thewayinwhichdifferentcolorcombinationsarepricedcanvaryfromonedealertoanother.Anytypeofplay-of-colorcanbedesirable,aslongasthecolorsareintenseandnotdullwhenviewedfaceup.

COLOR PATTERN: The diffracted colors in opals are displayed in variouspatternssuchaspinfire—smallpin-pointlikecolorspecksandflashfire—largersplashesofcolor,usuallyirregularinshape.Broadpatternsorlargeflashesaregenerallymorevaluedthanpinfireandsmalltypepatterns.

TRANSPARENCY: For light opal and fire opal, the higher the transparency,themorevaluable thestone.Forblackopal, theopaque,blackerstonestendtobemorehighlyvaluedthanthosewithgreatertransparency.

SHAPE:Themostsought-aftertraditionalshapeisawell-formedoval.Ittendsto bring a higher price than other shapes because it’s in greater demand, it’seasier to set, and valuable opal material is sacrificed when stones are cut asovals. Many designers, however, prefer other shapes, especially freeforms.Unusual freeforms may sell for more than ovals, especially after they’remounted.

CUT:Allelsebeingequal,domedcabochonstendtobemorevaluedthanflatones.Excessiveweightonthebottomandathinorunsymmetricalprofilecanallreducethevalueofanopal.

IMPERFECTIONS: Opal value decreases when there are eye-visibleimperfectionsonthetopof thestone.Thelargerandmorenoticeabletheyare,the greater their impact on value.Cracks drastically reduce value.A commonopalflawiscrazing—athin,networkoffracturesthatresemblesaspiderweb.Whendeep,ithasaseriousimpactonprice.

SIZE&CARATWEIGHT:Stonesunderacarataregenerallyworthlesspercaratthanlargerones.Ifastoneisunusuallylarge,itmaybeworthlesspercaratthan stonesmore suitable for general jewelry use. Boulder opals are typicallypricedbysizeratherthancaratweight.Thelargertheopalthehighertheprice.

OpalTreatments,AssembledStones,Etc.

BewareOpalissometimesimpregnatedwithoil,waxorplastictoimprovetheplay-of-colorandtopreventordisguisecrazing.Theplasticisstable,buttheoilandwaxisn’t. There are various techniques for creating the appearance of black opal.These include smoke impregnation, backing with black or colored paint, andtreatmentwithdye,silvernitrateorsugarcarbonizedbyacid.Thesetreatmentsare not well accepted by the trade because they’re usually done to deceivebuyers.Whenbuyingopal,askedifit’sbeentreatedorenhancedinanyway.Ifit’suntreatedopal,askthesellertowritethisonthereceipt.

Occasionallysellerstrytopassoffdoubletsasboulderopal.Anopaldoubletisathinsliceofopalcementedusuallywithblackgluetoanothermaterialsuchaspotchopal, ironstone,chalcedonyorglass. If thisdoubletalsohasaprotectivetop of colorless quartz or glass, it’s called an opal triplet or a triplet opal.Doublets arenormallymore expensive than tripletsbecausemoreopal is usedbutlessexpensivethanboulderopals,whichhaveanaturallyattachedbacking.Oftenyoucandetecttheman-madestonesbylookingatthemfromtheside.Adoublet typically has a straight separation line whereas a boulder opal has acrookedone.

There are also fake opal stones. One is called Slocum Stone and anotherOpalite. Hong Kong is a major producer of imitation opal. Synthetic opal isgrowninJapanandRussia.

MajorsourcesofopalMost of the world’s black and boulder opal comes fromAustralia, especiallyfine quality stones. Ethiopia has become an important producer of light opal

alongwithAustralia.Most fireopalcomesfromMexico.However,significantquantitiesofopalarealsofoundinBrazil,Peru,SouthAfrica,TanzaniaandtheU.S.

BasicopaldataSiO2—Silica+upto10%waterRI:1.40–1.47,Hardness:5.5--6.5,SG:2.00–2.20OpalisanalternatebirthstoneforOctober.

OpalcaretipsSinceopalsarerelativelysoftandfragile,theyrequirespecialcare.Don’tcleantheminultrasonics.Instead,washtheminwaterwithamildsoapandsoftcloth.(Opaldoubletsandtriplets,however,shouldnotbeimmersedinwater.)Avoidheatandsuddenchangesoftemperature.Donotwearthemwhilesunbathingorset them on a sunny window sill or under hot lights. Avoid chemicals andactivitiesthatcouldcauseabrasions,pressureorknocks.Withpropercare,opalcangiveyoualifetimeofenjoyment.

Fig.4.51Boulderopal.Pin/pendantbyPaulaCrevoshay;photobyFineline.Fig.4.52Matrixopal.PendantbyWhitneyRobinson;photobyStudioJewelers.

Fig.4.53Peridot.RingandphotobyMarkSadovsky.Fig.4.54TorusRingperidotcarvedbyGlennLehrer.RingbyPaulaCrevoshay;photobyCrevoshayStudio.

Peridot

Peridotisatransparentyellowishgreengem,whichisthebirthstoneforAugustandthe16thweddinganniversarystone.Thecolorisnaturalandnottheresultofatreatmentprocess.Occasionallyitsclarityisimprovedwithfillersiffracturesare present. Prices of peridot have steadily increased since 2000. Large high-qualitystoneshaveretailedforasmuchas$600/ct.

MajorsourcesTheoldestsourceofperidotisSt.John’sIsland,Egypt,intheRedSea.Arizona,China and Pakistan are the main sources today. Myanmar, Tanzania, SouthAfricaandVietnamarealsosources.

Basic peridot data (Olivine group, forsterite species) Chemical composition:(Mg,Fe)2SiO4—Magnesium iron silicate. RI: 1.64–1.69, Hardness: 6.5–7; SG:3.27–3.45

BewareGlassandsyntheticspinelareoccasionallyusedtoimitateperidot.Occasionallyitisconfusedwithtourmaline.

PeridotcaretipsCleanwith soapywater.Ultrasonics are risky.Sudden temperature changesoruneven heat can cause fracturing. Jewelers’ pickling solutions and some acidswillattackperidot.

Ruby&Sapphire(Corundum)

Ruby and sapphire are the same mineral—corundum, so they have the samephysicalcharacteristics.Coloriswhatdistinguishesrubyfromsapphire.Rubiesareredandsapphiresareeitherblueoranothercolorsuchasgreen,orange,pink,yellow, purple, colorless or black (sapphire colors other than blue are calledfancycolorsandareidentifiedbycolor,e.g.,greensapphire).

RUBY:Generally,thereddertherubyandthestrongertheredfluorescence,thebetter the ruby. Top-grade stones have a minimal amount of black, gray orbrownmasking the red.Mediumtomedium-dark tonesaregenerallypreferredbythetrade.ThehighestpercentageofstonesthathavemetthesecolorcriteriaisfromtheMogokareaofMyanmar(Burma).

But don’t assume that a ruby is good quality if it originates from Mogok.Likewise, don’t assume that rubies from other localities such asMadagascar,Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand and Vietnam must be inferior.High-qualitymaterialhasoriginatedfromallofthesecountries.

Large rubieshave sold formore than$400,000/ct,butgood rubies in theone-carat rangemay retail for about $1000/ct to $25,000/ct depending on quality,sourceandtreatmentstatus.

Ontheotherhand,youcanfindnearlyopaquerubiesforaslowas$10/ct.Semi-transparent to transparent lead glass-filled rubies can also be purchased for aslittleas$10/ct.Thesearealsocalledcompositerubiesormanufacturedproducts.

Thetreatmentstatusofrubyplaysamajorroleinitsprice.Untreatedrubieswithlab documents can command premiums. Oiled, dyed and/or beryllium-treatedrubiesmaybediscountedsignificantly.“Ruby”thatisimpregnatedwithcolored

lead glass to improve color, clarity and transparency is sold for prices below$100/cteveninsizesaslargeastencarats.

SAPPHIRE:Whenusedbyitself,thetermsapphirenormallyreferstothebluevariety.Initshighestqualities,it’smoreexpensivethantheothervarieties.Top-quality Kashmir sapphires, for example, can wholesale for over $30,000/ct(mininginKashmirhasbeenextremelylimitedfordecades).

Opinionsdifferastowhichisthebestsapphirehue.Somesayblue,otherssayvioletish blue. Most dealers agree, however, that greenish blues are lessvaluable. Dealers also have different tone preferences. Some prefer mediumtonesofbluewhileothersprefermedium-dark tones.Pale,blackishorgrayishstones, however, cost the least. Good sapphires in the one-carat range areavailableforabout$1000–$10,000/ctretail.Largersapphirescanbeashighas$25,000/ct.

Fig.4.55Rubywithexcellentcolor.PhotofromAsianInstituteofGemologicalSciences(AIGS).Fig.4.56UnheatedBurmesesapphirewithexcellentcolor.SapphireandphotofromFredMouawad.

Fig.4.57SapphiresuitefromMayer&Watt.PhotobyGeoffreyWatt.

Fig.4.58Pinksapphirebeadbracelet.Jewelry&photobyAlexandraHart.

FANCY SAPPHIRE: Non blue sapphires are called “fancy sapphires” or“fancy-color sapphires.” These sapphiresmay be pink, orange, yellow, green,purpleor colorless. If a sapphirehas anaturalorange-pinkhuewith a light tomedium tone, it’s called a padparadscha. In large sizes, padparadschas canwholesaleformorethan$20,000/ct.Untreatedpinksapphiresarethenextmostexpensivefancysapphire.Fineuntreatedpinksapphiresinthe1-to3-caratrangemay retail for $5000 to $12,000/ct. Some Asian dealers prefer to call pinksapphiresrubies.However,thejewelrytradeinwesterncountriespreferstotreatthepinksapphireasauniquestonewithitsownmerits,ratherthanasalower-priced ruby. Colorless sapphire, which is also called “white sapphire,” isproducedbyheattreatinglight-coloredsapphire.Naturalsapphirenormallyhasa trace of color. In recent years, colorless sapphire has become a populardiamondsubstitute.

Aswithruby,thetreatmentstatus,transparencyandclarityofsapphireshaveamajor impacton theirprice.Even thoughsomesapphiressell for thousandsof

dollars per carat, others sell for as little as $10/ct if they are semi-opaque orheavily impregnated with colored glass. In his book Ruby & Sapphire: ACollector’s Guide (p 312), corundum guru Richard Hughes indicates thatirradiation,dying,oiling,andberylliumtreatment(latticediffusion)haveaverysignificant to huge impact on corundum pricing. As for stones heated andimpregnated with colored glass, he says that “such stones should never evenhavethewords‘ruby’or‘sapphire’attachedtothem.”Hughesfurtherstatesthathigh temperature heat treatment above 1,400 degrees centigrade can have asignificant impact on sapphire pricing. Dealers typically charge premiums foruntreatedsapphiresandrubiesbecauseoftheirrarity.

STARSAPPHIRE& STARRUBY: Star corundumwith a fine blue or redcolor is rare. Gray,maroon and black star stones are easier to find, and theirpricescanbe relatively lowcompared to finestar sapphireorstar ruby,whichcansellforthousandsofdollarspercarat.Blackstarsapphire,ontheotherhand,normallyretailsforabout$15--$150/ct.

GeographicsourcesofsapphireMajorproducersofbluesapphireincludeAustralia,Madagascar,MyanmarandSriLanka. Sapphire is alsomined inChina,Colombia, India,Kenya,Malawi,Montana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Thailand andVietnam. The lowest priced stonesoften are from Australia because they tend to be overly dark and have lowtransparency. The highest priced blue sapphires are generally from Kashmir,MogokinMyanmarandSriLanka.Importantsourcesoffancycolorsapphiresinclude Australia, Madagascar, Malawi, Montana, Myanmar, Sri Lanka,Tanzania,ThailandandVietnam.

Beware:There’salotofsynthetic(man-made)rubyandsapphireonthemarket,whichissometimesidentifiedasnatural.Ifarubyislargeandflawless,assumeit’slab-grown.Normally,largerubiesandmostlargesapphireshaveinclusions.

Lab-grown ruby may also have inclusions. As a result of a Burma ruby banimposed by theUSGovernment and the scarcity of natural ruby,most of therubysoldintheU.S.iseitherman-madeorimpregnatedwithahighquantityofcolored glass. Glass-impregnated sapphire is not as common.However, a fairamountoffancysapphirehasbeenberylliumtreated.

Whenbuyingrubiesandsapphires,alwaysaskifandhowthestoneshavebeentreated.Havethesellerwritethisinformationonthereceipt.Unfortunately,notallsellersdisclosegemtreatments,andsomedonotknowwhattreatmentstheirstoneshaveundergone.Therefore, it’s important todealwithaknowledgeableandethicalseller.Theheattreatmentofrubiesandsapphiresisanacceptedtradepracticeandoftencannotbedetected.However,berylliumtreatment,oilingandcavity filling can be identified by gem labs. Stones impregnatedwith coloredglass are easier for jewelers to detect.When purchasing an expensive ruby orsapphire, get one with a lab report from a respected independent gem lab.ExamplesareprovidedinChapter15.

Basicruby&sapphire(corundum)dataChemicalcomposition:Al2O3—AluminumOxideRI:1.76--1.78,Hardness:9,SG:3.95--4.05.RubyisthebirthstoneforJuly;sapphireisthebirthstoneforSeptember.

Caretipsforrubies&sapphiresRubiesandsapphirescanbesafelycleanedinultrasonicsandsteamersprovidedthey’re not oiled, cavity filled, fractured or impregnated with glass. Oneexceptionisblack-starsapphire,whichtendstobefragile.Heattreatedrubyandsapphireisstabletolight,butsomeirradiatedorangeandyellowsapphiresmayfade. Corundum that is impregnated with glass requires special care becauseacidssuchasvinegarorlemonjuicecancreatewhitelinesthroughoutthestoneswhere fractures are present. Other corundum is usually resistant to most

chemicals except for soldering flux or pickling solutions containing borax,whichcanetch thesurfaceofcorundum.Don'tuse jewelers' torchesnearglassimpregnatedstonesbecausethiscancausethestonetofallintopieceswhentheglassmelts.Ontheotherhand,naturalrubiesandsapphiresarehard,strongandgenerallyverydurable.

Spinel

Custom jewelers and collectors who like unusual gems appreciate spinel. It’savailable in a variety of colors including red, pink, blue, purple, orange andblack.Withtheexceptionofafewintensebluecobalt-coloredspinels,rubyredis the most valued color; top-quality red spinels can retail for more than$10,000/ct. Low-quality brownish stones are available for less than $200/ct.Prices for stones above 10 carats are negotiable. The pink variety is the nextmost expensive spinel variety and can retail for more than $7000/ct in sizesaboutfivecarats.Mostbluespinelstendtobegrayishordark.Inanattempttolightenthecolor,stonesareoftencutshallow.

Thecolorofmostspinelisnatural,butoccasionallyitisheatedtoimprovecolorandclarity.Fourandsix-rayedstarssometimesoccurinspinel.

GeographicsourcesofspinelMyanmar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Vietnam are key sources of transparentspinel. Thailand is a major source of black spinel. Other localities includeAfghanistan,Cambodia,MadagascarandTajikistan.Spinelisoftenaby-productofthesearchforrubyandsapphire.

Fig.4.59NorthVietnameseredspinelconcavefacetedbyRichardHomer.Ringby

ThomasDailing;photobyAzad.Fig.4.60Pinkspinel.Ring&photocourtesySunaBros.Inc.

Fig.4.61&4.62Bluespinel(4.59ct)andNorthVietnamesespinel(3.92ct)concavefacetedbyRichardHomer.RingsbyThomasDailing;photosbyAzad.

BewareSyntheticspinelmaybesoldasnaturalspineland isalsoused to imitateotherstones such as ruby and sapphire. Sometimes natural blue spinel is sold as“cobalt spinel” evenwhen its color is not the result of cobalt in its chemicalstructure.Selectspinelonthebasisofitsappearanceratherthanthenamethatasellerattachestoitsuchas“cobaltspinel.”Intensebluespinelsarerareandaremorevaluedthangrayishorverydarkbluespinels.

BasicspineldataChemicalcomposition:MgAl2O4—Magnesiumaluminumoxide.RI:1.71–1.73,hardness:8,SG:3.57-3.67

SpinelcaretipsSpinelcanbecleanedinultrasonics,steamersandwarmsoapywater.Itscolorisstable to light, but some light-colored stones may fade under intense heat. Itdoesn’t react to chemicals. Overall, spinel is durable, comparatively hard andtypicallyhasabetterclaritythanruby.

Tanzanite(Zoisite)

Tanzanite,abluetopurplevarietyofthemineralzoisite,wasdiscoveredinthe1960’s in the foothills of Africa’s Mt. Kilimanjaro. Later, Henry Platt, vice-presidentanddirectorofTiffany’s,namedthestoneafteritssource,Tanzania.

Fig.4.63Tanzanite.RingbyMarkSchneider,photobyDanielleGinsburg.Fig.4.64Multicoloredtanzanite“BigKiss”ringbyLorettaCastoro;photobyJeffScovil.

Somedealersthinkthatthemostdesirabletanzanitecolorisadeepbluewithafaint purple secondary color. Others prefer an equal mix of blue and purple.Most dealers would agree, however, that blue tanzanites areworthmore thanthosethatarepurple.Lightlavenderstonesarepricedthelowest.Youcanfindtanzanites with excellent color saturation for less than $1500/ct retail. Mosttanzanite is heat-treated to intensify the color and/or eliminate brown, gray orgreen.

Zoisitecomesinavarietyofothercolors:pink,green,yellow,gray,brown,andsome material is multicolored. But since “tanzanite” sounds more exotic andappealing, some dealers tend to use the term for all transparent zoisites.However, as with sapphire, the unmodified “tanzanite” refers to the blue orviolet variety, whereas other colors must be specified, e.g., yellow tanzanite.

This practice allows dealers to distinguish between the transparent and non-transparent varieties. In the marketplace, for example, green tanzanite istransparent green zoisitewhereas green zoisite is typically the non-transparentvariety used for carvings. Museums and most gem labs only use the term“tanzanite”forbluetopurplezoisite.

Beware: There are some good tanzanite imitations, which may be glass,synthetic forsterite,Coranite™(synthetic corundum),orTanavyte™(syntheticgarnet). Sometimes these imitations are sold as synthetic tanzanite. So far, noonehasbeenabletosynthesizetanzaniteinalaboratory.

BasiczoisitedataChemical composition: Ca3Al3(SiO4)3(OH)—Calcium aluminumhydroxysilicate.AbirthstoneforDecember.RI:1.69–1.70,Hardness:6–7,SG:3.20–3.15.

TanzanitecaretipsClean tanzanite in warm, soapy water. Avoid ultrasonics and steamers.Tanzaniteisstabletolightbutreactstohydrochloricandhydrofluoricacid.It’salsoverysusceptibletocrackingwhenbumpedorknocked.Thatcombinedwithitstendencytoabrademakesitinappropriateforwearineverydayrings.It’sanimpressivegem,however,fornecklaces,earringsandpins.

Fig4.65TopazsuitefromPalaInternational.PhotobyMiaDixon.

TopazHistorically, topaz was considered to be a yellow stone, but most topaz iscolorless or light brown. Otherwise, it tends to be pale blue. Consequently,yellow,orange,andpinktopazarehighlyregarded.Topazishardanddense,andcrystalsweighingseveralkilosarecommon.

PINKtoREDTOPAZ:Top-graderedorstrongpinktopazisthemostvaluabletype of topaz and can cost several thousand dollars per carat. The redder andmore saturated the color, the rarer and more costly the stone. Natural-colorstones,whichgenerallycomefromPakistan,cansellformuchmorethanthosewhicharetreated.Mostpinktopazisheatedbrownish-yellowtopazfromBrazil.

GOLDENYELLOW to ORANGETOPAZ:When this variety is intenselycoloredandhas reddishorpinkovertones, it iscalled imperial topaz andcanretail from about $200/ct to more than $3,000/ct. Stones with a low colorsaturationarelessvaluable.

BLUE toBLUE-GREENTOPAZ: Produced by irradiating and then heatingcertaincolorlessmaterial,bluetopazcanlooklikefineaquamarine,butinmostcasesappearsastrongerblueandlookslessnatural.Eversincethemarketwasfloodedwiththistopaz,itspricehasdroppedtolevelsbelow$30/ct.Inadditiontobeingproducedbyirradiation+heat,topazhasbeenheatedincobaltpowdertoturnitblue,aprocesscalledsurfacediffusion.Topazmayalsobecoatedwitha very thin layer of metallic oxide (chemical vapor deposition) to create aniridescent effect. This material has been called “mystic topaz” or “rainbowtopaz.”Inadditiontohavingblue,greenandrainbowcolors,someofitmaybeentirelypink.

Geographicsourcesoftopaz

GeographicsourcesoftopazTheworld’slargestproduceroftopazisthestateofMinasGeraisinBrazil.Foralmost 300 years, its Ouro Preto district has supplied the world with yellow,orangeandpinktopaz.OthersourcesincludeMozambique,Myanmar,Nigeria,Pakistan,Russia,SriLankaandtheU.S.

Beware:Citrinequartzisoftensoldas“quartztopaz”oreven“topaz”tomakeitsoundmoreexpensive.Therefore,whenbuying topaz,ask theseller tospecifyonthereceiptthatitisgenuinetopazandnotquartzoranothergemstone.Afairamount of colorless topaz has been coated with a chemical vapor depositionprocesstocreatevarioustopazcolors.Roughwearandscrapescanremovethecoating.

BasictopazdataChemicalcomposition:Al2(F,OH)2SiO4—aluminumfluoro-hydroxysilicate.RI:1.61–1.64,Hardness:8,SG:3.5–3.6.TopazisthebirthstoneforNovember.

TopazcaretipsClean with warm soapy water. Avoid ultrasonics, steamers, strong heat andsudden changes of temperature. Topaz is relatively hard, but fractures easilywhendroppedorknockedbecauseinonedirection,topazcrystalshaveaweakerbondbetweenatoms.

Tourmaline(agroupofmineralspecies)

No other gemstone offers buyers a wider variety of colors than tourmaline.Besides being found in every color of the rainbow, tourmaline may also bemulticolored in one piece. Some species and varieties of tourmaline are listedbelow:

CUPRIAN TOURMALINE: Tourmalines with traces of copper in theirchemicalstructurearecalledcuprian tourmalines.Theymaybevariousshadesofgreen,blueorpurple,butareespeciallynotedfortheirintensegreenish-bluecolor, due to the presence of copper. Stones that are purplish contain moremanganese.Thefirstrecordedcopper-bearingtourmalinewasinthe1980'sfromParaiba,Brazil.

Most of the gem-grade cuprian tourmaline fromParaibaoccurred in 1990 and1991andbecameknownasPARAIBATOURMALINE.Theintenseturquoisebluecolorofthistourmalinewasunlikeanyothertourmalinethathadeverbeenminedsoitspricesroserapidly.NowParaibatourmalineissorarethattwo-caratstones can fetchwholesalepricesofmore than$25,000/ct.Larger stoneshaveattainedhigherprices.Cupriantourmalineswerealsofoundinthe1990'sintheBrazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte. In 2001, cuprian tourmaline fromNigeria andMozambique also appearedon themarket, and since it resembledmaterial from Paraiba, it was also called paraiba tourmaline. African cupriantourmalineismoreplentifulandtypicallyhasalowercolorintensitythancoppertourmalinefromParaibaofthesamesize,sotheAfricantourmalinesellsforlessthan true Paraiba tourmaline of equal size and similar quality. Cupriantourmalineiscommonlyheatedtoimprovecolor.

Fig.4.66Paraibatourmaline(10.64cts)fromMayer&Watt.PhotobyGeoffreyWatt.Fig.4.67Mozambiquegoldentourmaline(11.19cts).PalaInternational/JasonStephenson.

Fig.4.68AfghantourmalinecutbyClayZava.PhotobyRobert&OrasaWeldon.

BLUE-GREENtoGREEN-BLUETOURMALINE:Some turquoise-coloredtourmaline is colored by iron rather than copper, andmuch of it comes fromAfghanistan.Some sellers call itParaiba tourmaline even though it’snot fromParaibaandit’spricedmuchlowerthanParaibatourmalineandAfricancupriantourmaline.Blue-greentogreen-bluetourmalineisalsocalledminttourmaline.ColumbiaGemHouseidentifiesitasSeafoamtourmalineandtrademarkedthenamein1999.

GREENTOURMALINE:Thisvarietyisplentifulandcomesinawiderangeofshades.Ittendstoappearverydarkandnon-transparentinonedirection.To

lighten and improve the color, green tourmaline is commonly heat-treated.Stones that are blackish and yellowish are the least expensive. Thosewith anintensegreencolorresemblingagoodemeraldcostthemost.Tanzaniaisnotedfor its green chrome tourmaline, which is colored by chromium and/orvanadium. Eye-clean green tourmaline is readily available. Therefore, good-qualitystonesareexpectedtohaveahighclarity.Topqualitychrometourmalinecan retail for asmuch as $2,500/ct. Low quality, very dark green tourmaline,however,mayretailforlessthan$100/ct.

Fig.4.69TourmalineringsbyLindaQuinn.PhotobyChrisRockafellow.Fig.4.70BicolortourmalinecutbyTatyanaVyalkin.Pendant&photobySaraCommers.

PINKorREDTOURMALINE:ThediscoveryofpinktourmalineinsouthernCalifornia in 1898 helped popularize this stone. Red and pink tourmaline arealso mined in Afghanistan, Brazil, Maine, Nigeria, Russia and Madagascar.RUBELLITEisatradenameappliedtoredandhot-pinktourmaline.True-redrubellites often have a low clarity. Pink and red tourmalines are commonlyirradiatedtointensifytheircolor.Thestonesarenotradioactiveandthecolorisrelatively stable. However, strong heat like that from a display window or ajeweler’s torchcancause thecolor to fade.Sometimesrubellite is treatedwithfillerstoimproveitsclarity.Evenwhentreated,youshouldexpectit tohavealowerclaritythanothertransparenttourmalines

BLUE TOURMALINE (INDICOLITE or INDIGOLITE): The term

“indicolite”generallyreferstobluetourmalinecoloredprimarilybyiron;it’snotusedanalternativenameforbluecupriantourmaline.Indicolitecomesinvariousshadesofblue,butfrequently,it’sadarkgreenishorgrayishblue.Thecolorisoften lightened with heat treatment. Brazil is the most famous source ofindicolitebutit’salsobeenfoundinRussia,Madagascar,Mozambique,NigeriaandtheU.S.

YELLOW,ORANGE,BROWNorGOLDENTOURMALINE:Yellowandorange tourmaline occur naturally but are sometimes produced by irradiatinglight yellow or green tourmaline. Heat may cause the resulting color to fade.Orangeandyellow tourmalines arenot easy to find.Mostof themcome fromTanzania,butsomearefromBrazil,Malawi,Nigeria,NepalandPakistan.

BICOLOREDorMULTICOLOREDTOURMALINE: The pink and greenvariety is themost common type,but stonescanalsobepinkandcolorlessorblueandgreen.Somestoneshavemorethantwocolors.Themostvaluedstoneshavedistinctsaturatedcolorswithsharpboundariesandnofractures.Greenandpink slices of crystal tourmaline that have concentric color banding are calledwatermelon tourmaline. Multicolored tourmaline is found in Afghanistan,Brazil,Madagascar,Mozambique,Nigeria,TanzaniaandtheU.S.

CAT'S-EYETOURMALINE:Thisisfoundinavarietyofcolorsbutpinkandgreen are less difficult to find than redor blue colors.Cat’s-eye tourmaline isoccasionally treated with epoxy fillers to improve transparency and seal thetubescausingthecat’s-eye.

BewareGlass and synthetic spinel are sometimes sold as tourmaline by street vendorsand at gem shows. The meaning of “paraiba” varies depending on the user.Many sellers use the term to refer to any blue-green tourmaline regardless of

originorcoppercontent.TrueParaibatourmalineisararecollector’sitemthatisdifficult even for tourmaline dealers to find. Don’t expect to find it on theInternetorinyourlocaljewelrystore.

TourmalinecaretipsClean tourmalinewithwarmsoapywater.Ultrasonics are considered risky forthisstone.Avoidsteamersandstrongheatbecauseitmayalterthecolor;suddentemperature changes may also cause fracturing. Tourmaline does not react tochemicals.It’snormallystabletolight,butsomeirradiatedstonesmayfadewithprolongedexposure.

For additional tourmaline information consult Tourmaline: The GemstoneSpectrumbyExtraLapis,andExoticGems:Volume3,whichhassevenchaptersand221photosontourmaline.

Turquoise

Themosthighlyvaluedturquoiseisuntreatedanddenseandhasaneven,intensesky-bluecolor.UsuallythistypeofmaterialisfromIran.Thevalueisreducedifthe color is greenor pale or if inclusions or lines called “spider-webbing” arepresent.Somepeople,though,prefergreenishcolorsandpatternedturquoise.

Naturalturquoisehasstabilityproblems.Ifit’snotfromIranandit’snottreated,itmay turngreen,white,oroccasionallybrownwithinayearafter it’smined.Porousmaterial can crack or crumble.This iswhymost of the turquoise soldtoday has been treated—usually with a plastic substance designed to preventdiscolorationand increasedurability.Acolorantmaybeadded to improve thecolor. Sometimes turquoise is impregnated with wax to deepen the color anddecrease porosity. However, the wax can pick up dirt and gradually discolor.When buying turquoise, assume it’s treated unless you’re dealing with aknowledgeable, trustworthy sellerwhowrites on the receipt “untreatednaturalturquoise.”

Sometimes powdered turquoise is bonded with polymers and sold as“reconstituted turquoise.”Distinguishing it from heavily polymer impregnatedturquoise is difficult. CaraWilliams of Stone Group Labs states that “In ourexperience, most material that is labeled as reconstituted or reconstructedturquoisecontainsnoturquoiseatall.Thereisaproductthatiscurrentlysoldtojewelry manufacturers as ‘reconstituted turquoise,’ but it’s a polymer-basedimitationanddoesnotcontainactualturquoise.Itisavailablebothwithveiningandwithout.Ahugepercentageofturquoiseinthemarketisactuallymagnesite,especially the so-called ‘turquoise’ beadsoffered for sale at somegem shows.Youcangetanideabasedonheftespeciallywhenitcomestobeads(magnesiteisdenser than turquoisealthoughbotharecommonlydyedandstabilized),but

formountedcabochonsitisvirtuallyimpossibletotellbylooking.”StoneGroupLabsusesRamanandFTIRspectroscopytotestturquoise.Ifit ismagnesite,Ramanwill identify it, but if it is turquoise, then theyalsohave totestfordyesandpolymers.

MajorsourcesThe best turquoise occurs in northeast Iran near Nishapur, where it has beenminedforover3,000years.Thematerialthereistypicallymorestableandbluethanthatofothersources—China,India,Mexico,theSinaiPeninsula,TibetandSouthwesternUSA,whichisthemainproducer.

Beware:Turquoiseisimitatedbyplastic,glass,dyedchalcedony,dyedhowlite,dyed magnesite and a reconstructed turquoise made from turquoise powderbondedwithplastic.There’salsoa lab-grown turquoise,which isproducedbyGilson.Sometimes liquidblackshoepolish isused tocreatematrixpatterns inturquoiseoritsimitations.

Fig.4.71TurquoiseVictorianbrooch(Circa1870).JewelryandphotofromThreeGracesAntiqueJewelry.

Fig.4.72Magnesitethatwassoldasturquoise.CabochonandbeadlabsamplesfromStoneGroupLaboratoriesLLC;photobyCaraWilliams.

BasicturquoisedataChemical composition: CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8•5H2O—hydrated copper aluminumphosphateRI:1.61–1.65,Hardness:5–6,SG:2.4–2.9Decemberbirthstonealongwithbluezirconandtanzanite

TurquoisecaretipsCleanwithsoapywater,butdon’tsoakit.Avoidultrasonicsandsteamers.Also,avoidheat andchemicals.Perspiration, skinoils, andcosmeticsmay turnblueturquoisegreen.

Zircon

Zirconisnotthesameascubiczirconia(CZ).Zirconisanaturalgemstonewithexceptional brilliance and a diamond-like luster. Cubic zirconia is a syntheticstone with a different chemical composition. Zircon is found in a variety ofcolors.

BLUEZIRCON: It often resembles aquamarine andblue topazbut hasmorefire and brilliance. The blue color results from heating brownish zircon. Bluezircon sold in jewelry stores is heat treated and susceptible to abrasions,especiallywhenmounted in rings.Bluezirconprices can retail from$30/ct to$800/ctdependingonsizeandquality.MostbluezirconisfromCambodia.

Fig.4.74Bluezircon.Ring&photocourtesySunaBros.Inc.Fig.4.75TanzanianbicolorzirconcutbyClayZava.PhotobyClayZava.

Fig.4.76ZirconfromTanzania.GemscutbyLarryWoodsofJewelsfromtheWoods;photobyJohnParrish.

GREENZIRCON:Foundmostly inSriLanka, thiszircon isoftengrayishoryellowish.It’snotuncommonforstreetvendorstosellitasgreentourmalineorgreensapphire.Acuriouspropertyofgreenzirconisthatitusuallyemitssomelevelofnaturalradioactivity.

YELLOW, ORANGE, BROWNISH-RED, VIOLET, & COLORLESSZIRCON;Intheirnaturalstate,thesezirconstendtobeeitherbrownishorpale.Heat treatment can intensifyor eliminate thecolor and reducebrown tints.Toverify color stability, dealers sometimes expose zircons to the sun for severaldays.

GeographicsourcesofzirconFour of themain sources of zircon areCambodia,Tanzania,Thailand andSriLanka. It’s also found in Australia, Madagascar, Myanmar, Nigeria, andVietnam.Bangkokistheworld’scuttingandmarketingcenterforzircon.

BasiczircondataChemicalcomposition:ZrSiO4—ZirconiumsilicateRI:1.78–2.01,Hardness:6–7.5,SG:3.9–4.8ZirconisabirthstoneforDecember.

ZirconcaretipsClean with warm soapy water. Ultrasonics are risky cleaning methods.According to the GIA Gem Reference Guide, page 262, the toughness ofuntreatedstonesisfairtogoodwhereasthatofheat-treatedstonesispoortofair.Thismeans zircons can easily abrade and chip. Some heat-treated stonesmayreverttotheiroriginalcolor.Zirconisresistanttochemicals.

5/Diamonds

DiamondPriceFactorsinaNutshell

Therearesevenbasicpricefactorsfordiamonds:Cutquality(proportionsandfinish)ColorClarityCaratweightStoneshapeandcuttingstyleTransparencyTreatmentstatus(untreatedortreated?typeoftreatment)

CUTQUALITY: (proportions and finish): This is a crucial factorwhich canaffectpricesbyasmuchas50%.Theproportioningof thepavilion(bottomofthediamond)determinestheoverallbrillianceofthestone.Ifthepavilionistoodeep, the stone will look dark in the center; if it’s too shallow, brilliance isdiminishedandawhitecirculararearesemblingafisheyemaybevisible.Inbothcases,lightisleakingoutofthepavilioninsteadofbeingreflectedbacktoyoureye.

Figs.5.1&5.2Face-upview&profileofawell-cutdiamond.DiamondfromJoeLandau;photo©RenéeNewman.

Fig.5.3Adarkcenterresultingfromapavilion(bottom)thatistoodeep.Fig5.4Whitecircle(fisheye)causedbyapavilionthatistooshallow.Photos©RenéeNewman.

Fig.5.5Achunkymarquisewithaverythickgirdleandabulgingpavilion.Itlookssmallforitsweightfaceup.Fig.5.6Thincrown,deeppavilion.Face-upthisdiamondhasreducedfire,sparkle,andbrilliance.Photos©RenéeNewman.

Ifthecrown(topofthediamond)istooshallowandthetable(largetopfacet)istoolarge,thediamondwillnothavegoodsparkleandfire.Firereferstoflashes

ofrainbowcolors. If thecrownis toohighor thegirdle(diamondedge) is toothick, the stonewill look small for its weight and you’ll pay for unnecessaryweightthatcanreducebrilliance.

Look at figures 5.1 and 5.2 to see what a well-cut round diamond looks likeface-upandfromtheside.Comparethemtofigures5.3to5.6.Formorephotosand information on judging cut, consult the Diamond Handbook by RenéeNewmanandDiamondGradingABCbyVerenaPagel-Theisen.Inaddition,dealwith salespeople who can explain diamond proportioning and cut quality inlanguageyoucanunderstand.You’llneedassistance.

Fig.5.7DiamondsoffivedifferentcolorgradesrangingfromD(colorless)toZ(lightyellow).Actualcolorsareslightlydifferentthandigitalcolors.DiamondsandphotofromJ.Landau,Inc.

COLOR:Basicallythelesscolor,thehighertheprice.Stonesthatareasclearascolorlesswater are themost expensive and have aD toE rating,Dbeing thehighest.StonesintheGtoJrangearenearcolorless.DiamondsintheKtoMrangeare faintyellow,andas the lettersdescend towardZ thecolorgraduallygoesfromverylightyellowtofancyyellow.Theseletterdesignationsarebasedon theGIA (Gemological InstituteofAmerica) colorgrading scale.Diamondswithabodycolorother than lightyellow, lightbrown,or lightgrayarecalledfancycolordiamonds.Thesecoloreddiamondsmaycostalotmorethanthosewhicharecolorless,especially if they’renaturallyredorblue.Somediamondsarecoloredartificiallybyirradiationorhigh-heat–high-temperaturetreatment.

CLARITY:Thefewerandsmallertheflaws,thehighertheprice.Thereare11GIAclaritygrades.Theyare:

Fl:Flawless—noinclusions(flawsinsidethediamond)andnoblemishes(flawsonthesurface).Rarelyusedinjewelry.

IF:InternallyFlawless—noinclusionsandonlyinsignificantblemishes

VVS1&VVS2: Very, very slightly included—minute inclusions difficult toseeunder10-powermagnification. Jewelers seldomhave these stones in stockduetotheirrarity.

VS1&VS2:Veryslightlyincluded—minorinclusionsrangingfromdifficulttosomewhateasytoseeunder10-powermagnification.VSdiamondsareavailableinjewelrystores.

SI1&SI2:Slightlyincluded,noticeableinclusionseasy(SI1)orveryeasy(SI2)toseeunder10-powermagnification,butthatnormallyaren’teye-visible.

I1, I2, & I3: Imperfect—eye-visible inclusions face up that range from justvisible(I1)toextremelyvisibletothenakedeye(I3).SomeI2andI3diamondsmay be damaged by ultrasonic cleaning. They may also be less resistant toknocks.

Figs.5.8&5.9(Left)VS2radiant-cut(octagonalshape,brilliantcut)diamond.(Right)

SI1princess-cutdiamond(squarebrilliantcut).Photos©RenéeNewman.

Figs.5.10&5.11(Left)SI2.(Right)I1.Photos©R.Newman.

Figs.5.12&5.13(Left)I2.(Right)I3.Photos©R.Newman.

CARATWEIGHT: In most cases, the higher the carat weight category, thegreatertheper-caratprice.Acaratisaunitofweightequalingafifthofagram.Theweight of small diamonds is often expressed in points. One point equals0.01 carats. There’s a difference between the labels 1 ct TW (one carat totalweight)and1ct(theweightofonestone).

SHAPE&CUTTINGSTYLE: Some shapes such as rounds costmore thanotherslikepearshapes.Theeffectofshapeonpricedependsonthestonesize,demandandavailablesupply.Radiantsmaycostslightlymorethanemeraldcutsdependingonsize.Theyhavethesameshapebutdifferentfacetingstyles.Patentedandtrademarkedcuttingstylestypicallysellformorethangenericcuts

ofthesameshape.

TRANSPARENCY: Not all diamonds are transparent. Some are cloudy ortranslucent because they have finely divided particles which interrupt thepassage of light. Normally, the higher the transparency themore valuable thediamond.Eventhoughtransparencycanhaveasignificantimpactonprice,labdocumentsdo not include it as a price factor. Gem labs, however, may take it intoconsideration when assigning a clarity grade. Some labs identify translucentdiamonds as “fancy white diamonds” and may omit a clarity grade. Thisterminologydoesnotchangetheirinherentlowervalue.If you’re interested in buying a brilliant diamond, choose one with hightransparency.Youdon’tneeda lab report tohelpyoudo this.Youreye is thebestjudgeoftransparency.Makesurethediamondsyou’recomparingareclean,andbeawarethattransparencyisanimportantpriceandbeautyfactor.

TREATMENTSTATUS:Unlikecoloredgems,mostdiamondsareuntreated.That is changing.Before1999,buyersonlyneeded toknow ifdiamondswerefracture-filled or laser drilled to improve their clarity, or irradiated to changetheir color. In 1999, jewelry trademagazines announced thatGeneral Electricwas able to turn a special class of browndiamonds colorless by heating themwithhighpressure andhigh temperatures (HPHT treatment).Browndiamondstypically sell for about 40% to 70% less than colorless diamonds of the samequalityandsize.

HPHT-treateddiamondshavebecomemorereadilyavailablesince1999andarenowfound inavarietyofcolors,which retail formuch less thannatural-colordiamonds. They are sold under the generic names “processed diamond” or“HPHTdiamond”orundertrademarkednamessuchas“Bellataire.”

Gemstones which are naturally beautiful are more highly valued than their

treatedcounterparts.Notallcountriesrequiredisclosureofgemtreatments,andsome sellers don’t complywith disclosure laws that exist. Therefore, ask if adiamond you want is treated or of natural color and make sure it has a labdocumentfromareputablelabstatingthatitisuntreatedifyouwantanatural-colordiamondwithnoclarityenhancement.

Majorsources:Australia,Botswana,Canada,RussiaandSouthAfricaare theworld’s leading diamond producers. Canada became a diamond producer inOctober1998whentheEkatidiamondmineopenednortheastofYellowknifeintheNorthwestTerritories.Diavik,Canada’s secondmine, began production in2003.

BasicdiamonddataChemicalcomposition:C—crystallizedcarbonRI:2.417,Hardness:10,SG:3.51-3.53DiamondisthebirthstoneforAprilandthe60thand75thanniversarystone.

Fig.5.14Natural-colordiamonds.RingsandphotofromtheJyeLuxuryCollection.

Fig.5.15AnAsscherCutPrincessdiamond,asquarepatenteddiamondwithcutcorners.Ring&photocourtesyQuadamas.Fig.5.16Blackdiamondsurroundedby“white”brilliant-cutdiamonds.Ring&photocourtesyToddReed.

Beware:Somesellersover-gradetheirstonesandneglecttoprovideinformationaboutthequalityofthecut.Theirpricesmayseemlowwheninfacttheymightbehigherthanthoseofethicaljewelers.Ifyou’rebuyinganexpensivediamond,eitherpurchaseonewithalabreportfromarespectedlaborelsemakethesalecontingentonanappraisalfromanindependentappraiser.

Diamonds that are fracture-filled, irradiated, drilled or heat& pressure treatedshould sell for less than untreated diamonds, all other factors being equal. Inaddition, thefillings infracture-filleddiamondsmightbedamagedbyrepeatedultrasoniccleaningsorbyjewelryrepairproceduresinvolvingdirectheating.

Onepopulardiamondimitationissyntheticmoissanite.Itreactslikediamondtothermaldiamond testers,but jewelerscandistinguish it fromdiamondbecauseitsfacetsappeardoubledundermagnification.

Synthetic (man-made) diamonds were first produced in the early 1950s forindustrial purposes, but it wasn’t until about 2003 that they becamecommercially available in stores and on the Internet. Sellers typically identifythembytheirbrandnameoraslab-createdorlab-growndiamonds.Sometimessynthetic diamonds are incorrectly called “cultured” diamonds. Man-madediamonds often sell for a few thousand dollars per carat, but their prices are

droppingasproductioncostsgodownandcompetition increases.On theotherhand,thepricesofnatural,mineddiamondsareremainingstableorarerising.Ifyou would like for your diamond to retain its value, then select an untreatednatural diamond, one that has been mined in the earth. See the DiamondHandbookbyRenéeNewmanformoreinformationonsyntheticdiamonds.

Sometimes people are concerned about diamond switching or identifying theirdiamond(s)intheeventoflossortheft.Thankstosophisticatedtechnology,anoptical“fingerprint”hasbeendevelopedcalledGEMPRINT®.It’sbeenusedbythe FBI, Canadian government and insurance companies to identify diamondsthat were “gemprinted” at the time of purchase. These diamonds receivediscounts from insurers because it is easier to positively identify them whenjewelryisrecovered.Formoreinformation,gotowww.gemprint.com

Diamondcaretips:Untreateddiamondswithoutcracksandlargeinclusionscanbe cleaned by anymethod.You can soak them in soapywater, alcohol or anammonia solution and then rub them clean with a lint-free cloth. Ultrasoniccleaning is usually the easiest andmost effective method.Most jewelers willcleanyourjewelryandcheckyourdiamondsettingsfreeofcharge.

6/GemsfromLivingOrganisms

Pearls, amber, coral and ivory are not stones, but they’re regarded as gemsbecausethey’reattractive,relativelyrare,andcanbewornasjewelry.Ofallthegemsproducedbylivingorganisms,pearlsarethebestknownandmosthighlyvalued.

PearlPriceFactorsinaNutshell

Thefollowingfactorscanaffectthepriceofapearl:LusterShapeSurfacequalityColorSizeThicknessofthenacre(pearlysubstancesecretedbymollusks)Treatmentstatus(untreatedortreated?Typeoftreatment)Pearltype(saltwater/freshwater,natural/cultured,whole/blister)

LUSTER:Thisispearlbrilliance;theshineandglowofapearl.Thehigheranddeeper the luster, themorevaluable thepearl.Pearlswithahighlusterdisplaystrong and sharp light reflections and a good contrast between the bright anddarker areas of the pearl. Pearls with low luster lookmilky, chalky and dull.Selectpearlsthathaveagoodluster.

Fig.6.1Lusterqualitiesrangingfromhightoverylow.PearlsfromKingPlutarco;photo©RenéeNewman.

SHAPE:Normally,themoreroundandsymmetricalthepearl,themoreitcosts,but unique, asymmetrical shapes are also desirable and are used to createdistinctive pearl pieces. The lowest priced shapes are baroque (irregular andasymmetricalinshape)orhavering-likeformationsencirclingthepearl.

SURFACEQUALITY:Thefewerandsmallertheflaws,themorevaluablethepearl.Blemisheson single pearls tend tobemoreobvious and less acceptablethan those on strands. It’s normal for pearl strands to haveblemishes.Naturalpearls normally have more flaws than cultured akoya pearls. That’s becausethey’vebeenintheoysterlongerandhavehadmoretimetodevelopblemishes.Cultured pearls from the South Seas are also more likely to have flaws thanakoyas,whichhaveathinnernacrecoating.

Fig.6.2SouthSeapearlshapes:round,oval,drop,button,circleddropandbaroque.PearlsfromKingPlutarco;photo©RenéeNewman.

Fig.6.3Surfacequalitiesrangingfromcleantoheavilyblemished.Pearls:KingPlutarco;photo©RenéeNewman.

Fig.6.4SomeAustralianSouthSeapearlcolors.PearlsfromKingPlutarco;photo©RenéeNewman.

COLOR: Saltwater pearls that are yellowish usually sell for less than thosewhicharewhiteandlightpink.GoldenSouthSeapearlsfromIndonesiaandthePhilippinesareanexceptionandcansellforasmuchaswhiteSouthSeapearls,providedthegoldcolorisintenseandnatural.

Natural-colorblackpearls(they’reactuallygray)cansellforasmuchaswhitepearlsofthesamesizeandquality,aslongastheyhaveovertonecolorsandarenot just plain gray.Theovertone colors,which are visible in the light-coloredareasofblackpearls,maybegreen,pink,blueorpurple.

Pinkovertonesaredesirableonwhitepearlsandarevisibleinthedarkareasofthe pearl. Greenish or yellowish overtones tend to reduce the price of whitepearls.Occasionally, iridescent rainbow-like colors are visible onpearls. Pearliridescenceisalwaysconsideredavaluablequality.

Thewayinwhichcoloraffectsthepricingoffreshwaterpearlsvariesfromonedealertoanother.Oftenithaslittleornoeffect.However,whencomparingthepricesofanypearls,trytocomparepearlsofthesametypeandcolor.

NACRETHICKNESS:Nacrethicknessisnotapricefactorfornaturalpearlsbecausethey’renearlyallnacre.However,itisofcriticalimportanceinculturedsaltwaterpearls.The thicker thenacrecoatingofapearl, thebetterandmoredurable thepearl.Beforeabout1960,Japaneseakoyapearlfarmersleftthepearlsintheoysterforat least twoandahalfyears.Around1979,pearlharvestingstarted tobedonejustaftersixtoeightmonths.Theresult—alotofinexpensive,thin-nacrepearlsonthemarket,manyofwhichlooklikedullwhitebeadsandhavenacrethat’speelingoffthepearls.

Fortunately,betterpearlswiththickernacrearealsoavailable,butthey’rerarelyas thickas thoseculturedbefore the1960's.SouthSeapearlsnormallyhaveathicker nacre coating than akoya pearls. Nacre thickness is one of the mostimportantqualityfactorsforculturedsaltwaterpearlsbecauseitaffectsboththebeautyanddurabilityofthepearls.

Nacrethicknessisnotasimportantafactorinculturedfreshwaterpearlsasitis

insaltwaterpearls.Thisisbecausemostfreshwaterpearlshavenoshellnucleus.Whenoneispresent,thenacreisusuallythickerthaninakoyapearls.Oneofthebiggest selling points of cultured freshwater pearls is that they usually have ahigherpercentageofpearlnacrethantheirsaltwatercounterparts.

SIZE: The larger the pearl, the more it costs. An exception would be roundpearls with a diameter of less than 7 millimeters. A 2–2½ mm strand, forexample,might sell for the samepriceormore thana4–4½mmstrand (pearlmeasurements are generally rounded to the nearest half or wholemillimeter).Pricingoftendependsonavailabilityanddemand.

TREATMENT STATUS: Dyed and irradiated pearls cost less than those ofnaturalcolor.Irradiatedpearlsnormallycostmorethandyedpearlsbecausetheirradiation process ismore costly and because it’s usually reserved for higherquality pearls. During the 1920s and 30s, however, dyed black pearls wereconsidered fashionable and sometimes sold for as much as white pearls ofsimilarsizeandquality.

PEARLTYPE:Beforeyoupriceapearl,youshouldknow,forexample,ifit’ssaltwater(fromtheoceans,sea,gulforbay)orifit’sfreshwater(fromariver,lakeorpond).

Good saltwater pearls (e.g., South Sea and Japanese akoya) can cost severaltimesmorethanfreshwaterpearlsofsimilarqualityandsize.Oneofthereasonsfor this is that onemussel in a lake can produce asmany as forty freshwaterpearlsinoneharvest.Anoysterintheseatypicallyproducesoneorsometimestwosaltwaterpearlsatatime.Inaddition,mostfreshwaterpearlsareculturedinChina,wherelaborcostsarelowerthaninJapan,AustraliaandTahiti.

Naturalpearlsaremorevaluablethanculturedpearls.Naturalpearlsareusuallyformedasthemollusksecreteslayersofprotectivenacre(pronouncedNAY-ker)

around an irritant that accidentally enters the mollusk. The irritant can be aminutesnail,worm,crab,oraparticleofshell,clayormud.

Fig.6.5CulturedSouthSeapearlsfromA&ZPearls.PhotobyDiamondGraphics.

Fig.6.6AbaloneshellcarvingbyLouHernandez.PhotobyArnimHuber.Fig.6.7CulturedmabeCortezPearls.PearlsandphotofromColumbiaGemHouse.

Culturedpearlsareformedaroundirritantsthatareintentionallyintroducedbyman.Theirritantmaybeashellbead,anotherpearlortissuefromanoysterormussel.Theshapeandsizeof the resultingpearlsdepend toa largedegreeontheshapeandsizeoftheimplantedirritant.Morethan99%ofthepearlsonthemarkettodayarecultured.Perhapsthehighestpercentageofnaturalpearlssoldtoday are found in Europe and the Middle East. In Europe, “pearl” means“natural pearl.” In the United States, the term “pearl” has come to mean

“culturedpearl”becausenaturalpearlsarenotnormallysoldinjewelrystores.Ifa pearl is natural, it’s usually called a natural pearl. According to the U.S.FederalTradeCommission,however,pearlsthatareculturedaresupposedtobeprecededbytheword“cultured.”

OnetypeofnaturalpearlthatisfoundinNewZealandandoffthewestcoastofNorthAmericaistheabalonepearl.Eventhoughtheabaloneisasnailandnotanoysterormussel,thecolorfulnacreousgemsitproducesareconsideredtobepearlsbecausetheyconsistofmanyconcentriclayersofnacre.Theshelloftheabaloneisalsousedforjewelryandcarvings.

Colorfulpearlsalsocome from the rainbow-lippedoyster in theSeaofCorteznearthecityofGuaymas,Mexico.ThesepearlsareculturedbyColumbiaGemHouseandareavailableinsemi-round,dropandroundshapes.

Fig.6.8Chinesefreshwaterbead-nucleatedculturedpearls(rounds:12-14mm,baroques:17-30x21-37mm),a14.32mmgoldenroundPhilippineSouthSeaculturedpearl,a16.2mmroundTahitianSouthSeaculturedpearlandroundVietnamesewhiteakoyaculturedpearls(2.5-3mm).PearlsandphotofromBettySueKingofKing’sRansom.

Besidesknowingwhetherapearlisnaturalorcultured,onemustalsoconsiderifthepearlisawholepearl,blisterorthree-quarterpearl.Whole pearls are muchmore valued than blister pearls— those which growattached to the inner surface of a mollusk shell and three-quarter pearls—wholepearlsthathavebeengroundorsawedononeside,usuallytoremoveblemishes.Mabepearlsaremadefromblisterpearlsbyremovingtheinterior,filling it with a paste and covering it with a mother of pearl backing. Theseassembledpearlsoffer abig lookat a lowprice, but they’renot asdurable asnon-assembledpearls.

GeographicsourcesofpearlsJapanisstillthemajorproducerofakoyapearlsthatare7mmandaboveinsize.Chinahasbecomealargecultivatorofsmallakoyapearls,andVietnamisalsoasourceofakoyaculturedpearls.Chinaisthemainproduceroffreshwaterpearls,buttheyhavealsobeenculturedintheUnitedStatesandJapan.

AustraliaistheprincipalproducerofwhiteSouthSeapearls,whereasIndonesiaisthelargestsourceofgoldenSouthSeapearls.AsignificantquantityofgoldenSouth Sea pearls are from the Philippines. The majority of black pearls areculturedinTahiti,butsomearealsoproducedintheCookIslandsandMexico.The highest percentage of natural saltwater pearls have been harvested in thePersian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Manaar (between India and SriLanka). Natural freshwater pearls have been found in the rivers of the USA,Scotland, Ireland, France, Austria and Germany, but they’re no longercommerciallyimportant.

Fig.6.9Culturedfreshwaterpearlfrogonagreenopalbase.

One-of-a-kindsculptureandphotobyA&ZPearls.

BasicpearldataChemicalcomposition:CaCO3—calciumcarbonate(mostofitaragoniteandtherest calcite)+2–4%water and4–14%conchiolin.RI: 1.530–1.685,Hardness:2.5–4.5PearlisoneofthebirthstonesforJune.

Beware: Dyed and irradiated pearls are not always disclosed. For black andgoldenSouthSeapearlsthatcostthousandsofdollars,it’sagoodideatogetareport from a respected lab stating there’s no evidence of artificial coloring,especiallyifyoudon’tknowtheseller.Imitationpearlsareoccasionallysoldasculturedpearls.

Forinformationandphotosondetectingfakeanddyedpearls,consultthePearlBuyingGuidebyRenéeNewmanandPearlsbyElisabethStrack.

Anothercommonproblemwithpearlsisnacresothinthatitpeelsoff.Thiscanbedetectedbothwiththenakedeyeanda10-powermagnifier.Youcanusually

avoidgetting thin-nacrepearlsbyselectingpearls thathaveahigh, rich luster.To learnhow toevaluate luster,have salespeople showyouavarietyof lusterqualitiesfromveryhightoverylow.

PearlcaretipsCleanpearlsbywipingthemwithasoftdampclothafterwearingthem.Avoidultrasonics,steamcleaners,detergents,bleaches,powderedcleansers,ammonia-basedcleaners, andchemicals.Pearls are attackedbyall acids,but it’s safe touse acetone on pearls to remove glue and stains. Put your pearls on afterapplyinghairspray,cosmeticsandperfume.Ifyouwearpearlsoften,haveyourjeweler check the strands at least once a year to determine if they needrestringing.

Amber

Amber is fossilized tree resin, which is produced by some trees as a form ofprotection fromdiseaseandwood-burrowing insects. Itwasoneof theearliestgemsused for personal adornment.Of special interest to scientists are amberscontaining insects, pollen, leaves, andoccasionally frogs and lizards thatweretrappedmillions of years ago as the sticky resin dripped down the tree trunk.Amberswithinclusionsprovideararelookatplantandinsect lifeof that timeperiod.Mostamberisbrownishyellowtoorangeincolorbutitcanalsobeblue,green,or red. Brownish colors are the least valued. The best quality amber istransparentandeitherhasnoflawsorelsehasverydistinctiveinclusions.

MajoramberdepositsThemajority of gem-quality amber is found along theBaltic coasts ofRussiaand Poland. Other significant sources are the Dominican Republic, Mexico,Myanmar,Sicily,andRomania.

BewareAmber is sometimesdyed tomake itdarkeroradifferentcolor.Thedyemayfade.Beonthelookoutforpressedamber(alsocalledreconstitutedamber).It’smadebyheating small amber fragments andcompressing them into largerpieces.Itcanbeidentifiedbymagnification.Alotofnaturalamberisheatedjusttomakeitmoretransparent.

Amber can be separated from imitations such as plastic by placing it in asaturated salt solution. Amber will normally float while imitations may sink.However,copalandpolystyreneplastichaveaboutthesamespecificgravityas

amber,soamberexpertsfindhighmagnificationtobemoreusefulindetectingimitations.

Fig.6.10Mexicanambercontainingavarietyofinsects;themaininclusionisawingedtermite.Specimen&photofromDaveGibsonofwww.MexicanAmber.org.uk.

Oneimitationthatishardertodetectiscopal,ayoungversionofamber.Ithasessentiallythesamechemicalformulaasamberbutdifferentphysicalproperties.Copal contains liquids suchasoils, acids andalcohol,whereas in amber theseliquidshaveevaporated,resultinginamoredurableproduct.Besidesitsgreaterresistance tocrackingandcrazing,amber ismuchmorerareandvaluable thancopal.Adropofacetonenailpolishremoveronthebackofthematerialcanhelpseparatecopalfromamber.Theacetonewillmakecopalstickybutitwillhavenoeffectonamber.

BasicamberdataComposition:fossilizedplantresinsRI:1.53–1.55,Hardness:2-2.5,SG:1.05–1.10

AmberCaretips

Amberscratches,abradesandmeltseasily.Ifit’sleftinthesun,itcandehydrateandcrack.Avoidultrasonics,allchemicals,brushes,andheat.Tocleanamber,wipeitwithasoftdampcloth;orcleanitincoolsoapywater,rinseanddrywithasoftcloth.

For more information on amber, consult Gem & Ornamental Materials ofOrganic Origin by Maggie Campbell Pedersen andwww.MexicanAmber.org.uk.

Coral

Coral is formed by colonies of tiny boneless sea animals called coral polyps.Theysecreteahardouterframeworkwhichbecomesacoralhomeforthemandwhichcaneventuallygrowintoreefs.TheMediterraneanandRedSeasarethemainsourcesofthefinestcoral.MuchofitisfashionedandtradedinTorredelGreco, Italy near Naples. The current production of coral is limited byenvironmentalregulations.

Fig.6.11Atermite,cockroachandflyinamber.Specimen&photofromDaveGibsonofwww.MexicanAmber.org.uk.Fig.6.12VictoriancoralcameoringfromLangAntique&EstateJewelry.PhotobyColeBybee.

Coraloccurs inavarietyofcolors—pink,red,orange,white,cream,blackandoccasionallyblueorpurple,butthemosthighlyvaluedisred,followedbypink.Thestrongerandmoreeventhecolorthebetterthequality.Coralistypicallycutintocabochons,beads,cameosandfigurines;orbranchsegmentsaredrilledandstrungintonecklaces.

MajorcoralsourcesAustralia, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Western Mediterranean Sea, Philippines,

RedSea,TaiwanandHawaii.BlackcoralisfoundinAustralia,HawaiiandtheWestIndies.Eventhoughtherearehundredsofspeciesofcoralworldwide,onlyasmallnumberareusedforjewelry.

BewareAskif thecoralhasbeendyed todeepenorchange thecolor.Dyedcoralmayfadeandshouldcostless.Lowqualitymaterialmaybeimpregnatedwithglue-likematerialtofillandhidesurfacecavities,andbrokenpiecesorcracksmaybeglued back together. Common imitations include bone, chalcedony, plastic,glass,andshell.GilsoncoralisanimitationcoralmadebyGilsonInc.

BasiccoraldataChemical composition: primarily CaCO3—calcium carbonate (in the form ofcalcite).RI:1.48–1.66,Hardness:3–4,SG:1.37–2.60–2.70

CoralcaretipsCoralscratchesandabradeseasily,anditdissolvesinacidicsubstancessuchasvinegarandlemonjuice.Avoidultra-sonics,allchemicals,brushes,brightlightandheat.Tocleancoral,wipeitwithasoftdampcloth.

Ivory

Ivoryisdentine,asubstancecommontotheteethofallmammals.However,thetermisgenerallyusedtorefertoelephant’stusksandtheteethofhippopotamus,mammoth,narwhal,sealion,walrus,whaleandwildboar.

Fig.6.13ADavidWebbivoryandturquoisebracelet—hammerpriceof$11,950on5-2-2011atHeritageAuctionGalleries.Itwasmadeon5/8/1970,whichwasbeforetheuseofivorywasprohibited.Photo&informationfromGailLevine’swww.AuctionMarketResource.com.

Since more and more ivory-bearing animals are threatened with extinction,tradinginmostnewivoryhasbecomeillegalinmuchoftheworld.Asaresult,some new ivory pieces are dyed tomake them appear as if they are valuableantiques.Todaypeopleareencouragedtouseimitationivorymadefromboneorpalmnuts(vegetableivory)asasubstitute.Plasticisalsousedtoimitateivory.

MajorivorysourcesTanzaniaandZairearekeysources.It’salsofoundinIndia,Kenya,Senegal,SriLankaandThailand.

BasicivorydataComposition:calciumphosphatewithcollagenandelastinRI:1.53–1.54,Hardness:2–3,SG1.7–2.00,

Ivorycaretips

IvorycaretipsIvoryissoftandporousanditcanshrinkanddiscolorfromheat.Avoidroughwear, ultrasonics, chemicals, brushes, bright lights and heat. To clean ivory,wipeitwithasoftdampcloth;orcleanit insoapywater,rinseanddrywithasoftcloth.Foradditional information, see Ivory Identification:APhotographicCompanionbyWilliamR. (Bobby)MannandCharlesM.MartsandGemandOrnamentalMaterialsofOrganicOriginbyMaggieCampbellPetersen.

7/Gold,Platinum,Palladium&Silver

Jewelryisnormallymadefromalloys,mixturesoftwoormoremetals.Gold,forexample, is alloyed (combined)withmetals such as silver, copper and zinc tomakeitharder,tochangeitscolorand/ortoreduceitscost.Platinumalloysareusuallymadebycombiningplatinumwithruthenium,iridium,palladium,cobaltorcopper.

Whencomparingfine jewelryprices, findout thegold,platinum,orpalladiumcontentof themetal. It’scalled fineness—theamountof thepreciousmetal inrelation to1000parts.Forexample,goldwitha finenessof750has750parts(75%)goldand250partsofothermetals.Analloycontaining95%platinumorpalladiumhasafinenessof950.

Insomecountries,thekaratisalsousedasameasureofgoldpurity.Onekaratis1/24pure,so24karatrepresentspuregold.Metalcontaining75%puregoldis18 karat (18K) gold. Tables 7.1–7.4 list gold, platinum, palladium, and silvercontentnotationusedinjewelry.

Table7.1Gold(Au)Content&Notation

Table7.2Platinum(Pt)Content&Notation

Table 7.3 Palladium (Pd) Content & Notation

SourcesofdataforTables7.1–7.4:CIBJOPreciousMetalsBook,WorldHallmarks,Volume1,2ndEditionbyWilliamB.Whetstone,D.Niklewicz,&L.Matula;GIAGold&PreciousMetalsCourse,PalladiumTechnicalManual,UKEdition,FTCGuidelinesfortheJewelry&PreciousMetalsIndustries,www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk,www.competitionbureau.gc.ca,www.stillwaterpalladium.com,www.luxurypalladium.com,www.gold.org,www.ftc.gov/enforcement/rules

Table7.4Silver(Ag)Content&Notation

Fig.7.5RepoussesterlingsilverandgildedgoldcuffbyMichaelGalmer.PhotofromRepousseJewelry.Fig.7.6Piercedandhand-engravedsterlingsilver.Broochcreated&photographedbyVincentHawleyofVWHJewelry.

Fig.7.7Palladiumsetwithdiamonds.Ring&photocourtesyToddReed.Fig.7.8Palladiumframeringinlaidwitha24Ksolidgoldbarhand-engravedwithaCelticdragon.RingandphotobyRoyRudolphDuranofFinerJewelry.

Fig.7.9Platinumandtanzanitenecklace.HandwovenbyBarbaraBerk;photoby

Robert&OrasaWeldon.

Fig7.10Rosegold.RingbyWhitneyRobinson;photobyHannaCook-Wallace.Fig.7.11Gold(18K)withafleecemattefinish.RingandphotobyStephenVincentDesign.

OtherJewelryMetalTerms

Budget-pricedjewelryismadewiththefollowingmetaltypes:BONDEDGOLD&SILVER:Anunofficialtradetermusedtodescribealayerof at least 10K gold that is mechanically affixed to sterling silver. Examplemarking:9251/2010Kforsterlingsilverwitha10Kgoldlayerthatis1/20thofthegrossweightofthearticle.

GOLD ELECTROPLATE (GEP), ELECTROPLQUÉ D’OR: Having anelectroplatedgoldlayerofatleast.175micronsor7/1,000,000ofaninchthickintheU.S.andonemicrometerinCanada.Thegoldmustbeatleast10Kgold.

GOLDFILLED(GF)DOUBLÉD’OR:Havinga solid layerofat least10Kgoldbondedwithheatandpressuretoabasemetalsuchasbrass.TheGoldlayermustbeatleast1/20thoftheweightofthemetalintheentirearticle.Examplemarkings“1/2014KGF”or“14KtGoldFilled.”Gold-filleditems,evenwhenworndaily,canlastseveralyears,butwilleventuallywearthrough.

GOLDFLASHEDORGOLDWASHED:Having a thinner gold layer than7/1,000,000ofaninchthick.

GOLDOVERLAY:Havingathinnersolid,mechanicallybondedlayerofgoldthangoldfilled.

GOLDPLATE(GP):Havingagoldlayerof½micronsorabout20millionthsofaninch.Examplemarkings:“2microns12K.goldplate”or“2µ12K.G.P.”foranitemplatedwith2micronsof12karatgold.

ROLLEDGOLDPLATE(RGP),PLAQUÉD’ORLAMINÉ:Havingasolidlayerofgoldlessthan1/20ofthegrossweightoftheentirearticle.Thelayeris

applied by a mechanical process with at least 10K gold. Marking examples:“1/40th12Kt.RolledGoldPlate”or“1/4012Kt.RGP”

VERMEIL:Consistsofabaseofsterlingsilverplatedwitha layerofat least10Kgoldandaminimum thickness throughoutequivalent to21/2micronsoffine gold in the US. The layer of gold may be either electroplated ormechanicallybonded.InCanadathethicknessofthegoldlayermustbeatleastonemicrometer.

GeographicsourcesSouthAfrica, theUnitedStates,China,Australia,Peru,RussiaandCanadaarethe largest producers of gold. Other sources include Indonesia, Uzbekistan,Ghana,Mali,Argentina,ChileandBrazil.

Morethan70%oftheworld’splatinumisminedinSouthAfrica.Russiaisthesecondlargestproducer.Canada,theU.S.andIndiaareothersources.

Themajorityoftheworld’spalladiumhascomefromRussiaandSouthAfrica.There have also been finds inMontana, Canada, and Zimbabwe. The leadingproducersofsilverareMexico,Peru,Australia,Russia,CanadaandtheU.S.

BewarePlatedgoldissometimessoldasgenuinegold,sobewareofstreetvendorsandofpricesthatseemtoogoodtobetrue.Somefakegoldcanbedetectedwithamagnet.Unlikemanyfakes,goldisnotmagnetic.Finenessstampsonclaspscanbemisleading.Forexample,it islegalfora14Kclasptobeattachedtoafakegold chainwith a jump ring that is bent closed, provided it is not soldered orweldedtothechain.

Nonetheless,finenessstampsarehelpful.Soselectjewelrythatisstamped.Lookforthestampontheinsideofthepieceandontheclasp.Youmayneedahand

magnifier to read it. The stamp doesn’t guarantee the purity, but it’s a goodindication.Preferablythereshouldbeatrademarkstampednexttothefinenessmark.Thismayenableauthoritiestotrackthemakerofthepieceifthemetalisdifferentthanstamped.

Don’texpectconsumerprotectionlawstobeasstrictindevelopingcountriesastheyareinindustrializedcountries.Whenbuyingjewelryabroad,it’sespeciallyimportanttodealwithjewelersthatmeetthecriteriadiscussedinChapter12.

Care tips:Cleangold, platinum,palladiumand silverwith soapywater and asoftcloth.Avoidusingbrushesbecausetheycanscratchthesepreciousmetals.Ammoniasolutionsandjewelrycleanersmayalsobeused,providedthejewelryis not setwith stones such aspearls, coral, emeralds,malachite and turquoise,whichmaybedamagedbycleaningsolutions.Avoid cleaning jewelry with toothpaste, powder cleansers or scouring padsbecausethesecanwearawaythemetal.Bakingsodaissafe,however,andcanhelp remove tarnish on silver and low-karat gold. If jewelry is so dirty that itcan’t be cleaned with ammonia, soapy water or baking soda, have it cleanedprofessionally.Somejewelersdothisfreeofcharge.

Avoidwearinggold jewelry in swimmingpoolsorhot tubs thathavechlorinedisinfectants,andneversoakitorcleanitwithbleach.Thechlorinecanpitanddissolve the metals with which gold is alloyed, causing prongs to snap andmountings to break apart. Chlorine does not affect pure gold, platinum orpalladium,butitmaydarkensomesilveralloys.

Forfurtherinformationandphotosonalloys,metalstesting,andmarkingsreadGold, Platinum, Palladium, Silver & Other Jewelry Metals and the JewelryHandbook: How to Select, Wear & Care for Jewelry. Go towww.reneenewman.com to see descriptions and reviews of these and otherbooksbyRenéeNewman.

8/JewelryCraftsmanship

Ifyouwantyourjewelrytolastandtoholdgemssecurely,payattentiontothemountingandsetting.Herearesomebasictips:

Mountings

Select sturdy mountings and chains for everyday rings, necklaces andbracelets.Ringsthatarewire thinandbracelets thatcanbendanddentdonotlast long. Herringbone chains offer a big look at a low price but may kink.Platinummountingscannormallybethinnerandmoredelicatethanthosemadeofgoldbecauseplatinumisstrongeranddenser.

Avoid hollow rings and chains. They provide a big look at a low price, butthey’re hard to repair and they’re less durable than solid jewelry. Rings,bracelets, and chains need to be more durable than earrings, brooches andpendants,whicharenotsubjectedtoasmuchwearandtear.

Checktoseeifthepieceiswell-finishedonthebackandunderneath.Ifitis,chancesareit'swellconstructed.Ifit’srough,orhasexcesssolder,holesandanillegiblefinenessstamp,thissuggeststhepiecewasdonequicklywithoutmuchcare.It’shelpfultouseahandmagnifierwhencheckingajewelrypiece.

Figs.8.1&8.2Unacceptableroughfinishandahighqualityfinishonbackofcastjewelry.Photos©RenéeNewman.

Figs.8.3&8.4Herringbonechainwithkinks&aclaspwithaknobsosmallitdoesn’tstayclosed.Photos©R.Newman.

Makesuretheclaspworksifthereisone.Itmaybedefectiveorhardtoopen.Ask the salesperson to show you how to open and close it. Then try it twiceyourself.Forbracelets,seeifyoucanopenandclosethemwithonehand.

Figs.8.5&8.6(Left)Improperlysetstone.Notethespacebetweenthestoneandtherightprong.(Right)Edgeofstoneflatagainsttheseatintheprong.Images©RenéeNewman.

Figs.8.7&8.8(Left)Bulkyirregularprongs.(Right)GoodprongsettinginaVarnaPlatinumring.Photos©R.Newman.

Askifthejewelryiswellcraftedandfindoutwhyitisorisn’t.Jewelersthat

sell well-made pieces often like to explain why their mountings, settings andfinishes are better than those of competitors. You can learn a lot aboutworkmanship by listening to them. Salespeople must understand jewelrycraftsmanshipinordertohelpyouselectawell-madepiece,

Settings

Determine if there’senoughmetalholding thestone.Usea ten-powerhandmagnifier.Forexample,ifprongsaremissing,thestoneisnotsecure.

Ifpossible,makesuretheedgeofthestoneisflatagainsttheseat(thegroovein themetalwhich supports the stone). There shouldn’t be space between theprongsandthestone.

Verify thatyoucanseemostof thestone.Gemsshouldn’tbecoveredbysomuchmetalyoucanhardlyseethem.Nomorethanone-thirdofthestoneshouldbecovered.

For every-day prong-style rings, it’s good to select hand fabricated or die-struck(machinemade)settings.They’restrongerthancastsettings,whicharemoreporousandbrittle.Ideally,thesettingswillbemadeofplatinum,becauseit’sstrongerandwearsbetter.

Ask your jeweler to show you some examples of good-quality setting soyou’llhaveabasisforcomparison.

Check jewelry for loose stones by shaking or tapping it lightly with yourforefingerwhileholdingitnexttoyourear.Ifyouhearthestonesrattleorclick,there’saproblem.

Make sure pearls are secured to jewelry with a metal post and not justglued to the mounting. Otherwise, they can easily be knocked out of themounting.Ideallythepostshouldscrewintothepearl.Evenifthegluefails,thescrewwillstillholdthepearlsecurely.

For more information on jewelry craftsmanship, finishes, chains and settings,consulttheJewelryHandbookbyRenéeNewman.

9/NotableGemSources

Listedbeloware theprimarysourcesof thegemsdiscussed in thisbookalongwith those of preciousmetals.Other deposits are included in thewrite-ups ofeachgemunder“Majorsources.”

AfricaBOTSWANA:diamondDRCONGO:diamond,malachiteEGYPT:formerlythemostimportantsourceofperidotETHIOPIA:opalKENYA:aquamarine,grossular,rhodolite,ruby,spessartine,tsavoriteMADAGASCAR:agate,aquamarine,garnet,morganite,bluesapphire,pinksapphire,spodumene,starrosequartz,yellowberylMALAWI:bluechalcedony,yellowtourmalineMOZAMBIQUE:aquamarine,ruby,tourmalineNAMIBIA:bluechalcedony,tourmaline,spessartineNIGERIA:aquamarine,tourmaline,spessartineREPUBLICOFMALI;grandite(Maligarnet),yellowopalTANZANIA:garnet,greenopal,iolite,ruby,fancy-colorsapphire,spinel,tanzanite,tourmaline,tsavorite,zirconSOUTHAFRICA:diamond,gold,hydrogrossular,palladium,platinum,pyrope,tiger’s-eyeZAMBIA:amethyst,aquamarine,emerald,tourmaline

AsiaAFGHANISTAN:lapislazuli,redtopaz,tourmalineCAMBODIA:sapphire,zirconCHINA:aquamarine,pearls(akoyaandfreshwater),nephritejade,peridot,tourmaline,turquoiseHONGKONG:ashopper’sparadiseforallgemsandjewelryeventhoughnoneareminedthereINDIA:agate,almandinegarnet,bloodstone,chalcedony,iolite,moonstone,quartzcat’s-eye,starruby;sunstone,acuttingcenterforlower-qualitydiamondsINDONESIA:SouthSeapearls(golden)JAPAN:coral,pearlsKASHMIR:formerimportantsourceofthehighestqualitysapphireMYANMAR:jadeitejade,moonstone,peridot,ruby,sapphire,spinelPAKISTAN:aquamarine,emerald,kunzite,peridot,pinktopaz,tourmalinePHILIPPINES:SouthSeapearls(golden)SINGAPORE:ashopper’sparadiseforallgemsandjewelryeventhoughnogemsareminedthereSRILANKA(FORMERLYCEYLON):alexandrite,cat’s-eye(chrysoberyl),garnet,moonstone,padparadscha,ruby,sapphire(blue&fancy-color),spinel,zircon;cuttingcenterforcoloredgemsTAIWAN:cuttingcenterforcoloredgemsTHAILAND:ruby,sapphire,blackspinel,zircon;atradingandcuttingcenterforcoloredgems,especiallyrubyandsapphireVIETNAM:spinel

EuropeBELGIUM:Antwerp:acuttingandtradingcenterfordiamondsCZECHREPUBLIC:redgarnetFINLAND:spectroliteGERMANY:Idar-Oberstein:amajorcuttingcenterforcoloredgemstonesandprocessingcenterforagateITALY:goldmanufacturingcenter;TorredelGreco:atradingcenterforcoralPOLAND:amberSCOTLAND:agate,smokyquartzRUSSIA:alexandrite,amber,demantoidanduvarovitegarnet,diamond,palladium,platinum,redtourmaline,silver,yellowberylSERBIA:greenopalTURKEY:bluechalcedony,diasporeUKRAINE:bluetopaz,bicolortopaz

Fig.9.1Mozambiquetourmaline.Ring&photofromSunaBros.Fig.9.2TanzanitefromTanzania.EarringsbyCynthiaRenéeInc;photobyJohnParrish.

Fig.9.3BurmeseredspinelfromPalaInternational.PhotobyMiaDixon.Fig.9.4SriLankanstarsapphire.Ring&photofromCynthiaRenéeInc.

Figs.9.5&9.6ColumbianemeraldandMexicanfireopal.RingsbyHubert;photosbyDiamondGraphics.

Fig.9.7MtMica,Mainetourmaline(256cts).CutbyArtGrantofCoasttoCoastRareGemstonesInternational;photobyTinoHammid.Fig.9.8HessonitegarnetfromCanada.Cut&photographedbyJeffWhiteofJ.L.WhiteFineGemstones.

Fig9.9Non-beadedChinesefreshwaterculturedpearls(10-14mm).NecklaceandpearlsfromKing’sRansom;photobyLee-Caraher.

Near&MiddleEastIRAN:turquoiseISRAEL:acuttingandtradingcenterfordiamonds

NorthAmericaCANADA:diamond,gold,silverAlberta:ammoliteBritishColumbia:nephritejade,hessonitegarnetNewfoundland:labradoriteUSA:gold,silverWesternUnitedStates:agate,chalcedony,jasperAlaska:goldArkansas:clearquartzArizona:fireagate,peridot,pyropegarnet,turquoiseCalifornia:abalonepearls,benitoite,quartz,tourmalineHawaii:blackcoral,peridotfromvolcanosfortouristsIdaho:stargarnetMaine:tourmalineMontana:agate,palladium,sapphire(blueandfancycolor)Oregon:agate,sunstoneUtah:redberylWyoming:blackjade

MEXICO:agate,chrysocolla,fireagate,yellowlabradorite,fireopal,pinkgrossular(rosolite),turquoise;Taxco,asilvermanufacturingcenter

SouthAmericaARGENTINA:rosequartzBOLIVIA:ametrineBRAZIL:agate,alexandrite,amethyst,aquamarine,cat’s-eye(chrysoberyl),citrine,emerald,iolite,morganite,quartzcat’s-eye,opal,rosequartz,rutilatedquartz,sard,smokyquartz,spessartinegarnet,spodumene,topaz,tourmaline,yellowberylCHILE:lapislazuliCOLOMBIA:emeraldPERU:blueopal,gold,pinkopal,silverURUGUAY:agate,amethyst

SouthPacificAUSTRALIA:blackjade,diamond,gold,opal,sapphire,silver,SouthSeapearlsLightningRidge,NewSouthWales:blackopalQueensland:boulderopal,chrysoprase,matrixopal,sapphire,opalSouthAustralia:lightopal,AndamookamatrixopalWesternAustralia:chrysoprase,diamond,sapphire,SouthSeapearlsFRENCHPOLYNESIA:blackpearls(Tahitianpearls)NEWZEALAND:abalonemabepearls,nephritejade

10/Euphemisms,MarketingTerms&Misnomers

Whatdoestheterm“clarity-enhanceddiamond”meantoyou?Iaskedseverallaypeoplethisquestion.Nobodyknewexactlywhatitwas.Themostcommonresponsewas“Idon’tknow”or“Ihavenoidea,whatisit?”Hereare other responses: • “They did something to the diamond to make it lookbetter.”•“Itmeansthecolorisclearerandbrighter,soit’smoreexpensive.”•“Thediamondisfake.”•“Itsoundslikealow-qualitydiamondthatwaspumpedup.”•“It’sabetterqualitydiamondthanothers.”•“It’sadoctored-updiamond.”•“Itdoesn’tmeananything.Howcanyouenhanceadiamond?”•“It’seitherclearoritisn’t.”

Sellersmaytellyouthataclarity-enhanceddiamondisonewhoseimperfectionshavebeeneliminatedthankstoamazingachievementsinmoderntechnology.

Inactuality,“Clarity-enhanceddiamond”isamarketingtermforfracture-filleddiamonds—diamondswhosefractureshavebeenmaskedwithaverythinglass-likefilm.Althoughyoumaynotseethefractures,they’restillpresent.“Clarity-enhanced”canalsorefer todiamondsthathavebeenlaserdrilled toremoveblackflawsbybleachingthemandsometimesfillingthem.Bothofthesetreateddiamondsareworthlessthanuntreateddiamondsofsimilarsizeandquality,andthey’rehardertoresell.Somejewelryrepairsinvolvingheat(e.g.,retipping)candamagethefiller,andthetreatmentisnotalwayspermanentifafillerhasbeen

used.Nevertheless,clarity-enhanceddiamondscanbeanaffordablealternativeforpeoplewhowantabiglookatalowerprice.

It’s not surprising that suppliers of fracture-filled diamonds prefer to describethem as clarity-enhanced. This allows them to disclose the treatment in apositive, vaguemanner.However, sellers to the general public should explainthemeaning of “clarity-enhanced” to their customers because lay peoplemaynotknowwhatitmeans.Thetermevenmisleadssomepeopleintothinkingtheenhanced diamond is more valuable than an untreated diamond. Gemlaboratoriesshoulddefine“clarity-enhanced”ontheirlabdocumentsorelsetheyshould use clear, specific terminology such as “fracture-filled.” Otherwise,they’renotprovidingproperdisclosure.

Gem colors are often describedwith non-color adjectives such as champagne,honey,pistachio,grape,cornflowerandsherry.Thesemarketingtermsareidealfordisplaysandadvertisementsbecause theyevokepositive images thatenticecustomers to buy.However, they’re not appropriate for lab reports, appraisalsandseriousgemologicaltextssincetheydon'tprovideanaccuratevisualideaofgemcolor.Forexample,dependingonwhomyoutalk to,sherry-coloredtopazcanbeeitheryellow,orange,brownishyelloworreddish.That'sbecausepeoplehave different opinions as to the color of sherry. Consequently an insuranceappraisalwhichdescribesatopazassherry-coloredwon’tbeveryhelpfuliftheownerneedstoreplacealostorstolentopaz.

Within the diamond industry, the term “champagne” is a euphemism for lightbrown.Sincethepresenceofbrownandgrayingemsoftenlowerstheirvalue,dealers prefer to avoid these two color termswhen describing gems and evenmetals.Forexample,platinumhasanattractivegraycolor,butit’sdescribedasawhitemetal.Ifitwerereallywhite,platinumwouldlooklikeplastic.Whenusedto describe colored gems, “champagne” is typically an ambiguous marketingterm.“Champagnegarnet,”forexample,hasbeenusedtorefertolightyellow,

lightpink,lightorangeandlightbrowngarnet.

Salespeoplewhohaveyourinterestsatheartwillexplaintradeeuphemismsandmarketingtermsclearly.Butsincesomesellersaremoreinterestedinmakingaquicksalethaninestablishingalong-termrelationshipoftrust,youmayneedtorefertothefollowinglisttounderstandtheirterminology.

TradeEuphemismsTranslatedintoClearEnglish

B-JADE: Jade that’sbeenbleachedand impregnatedwithasynthetic fillerC-JADE:Jadethat’sbeendyedinadditiontobeingbleachedandimpregnatedinsome cases CHAMPAGNE DIAMONDS: Light brown diamonds BROWNDIAMONDS:BrowndiamondsCLARITY-ENHANCEDDIAMOND:Usuallymeansfracture-filleddiamond.Canalsomeanlaserdrilledwithorwithout theadditionofafiller tomaskthedrillhole.CLARITY-ENHANCED EMERALD: Fracture-filled emerald. The fillingmay be oil, wax, natural resin and/or an epoxy-like substance. Almost allemeraldsarefracturefilled.CLARITY-ENHANCEDRUBY:Rubywith glassy residues in fractures as aresultofbeingheattreatedinafluxsuchasborax.“Clarity-enhanced”canalsodenoterubies(orsapphires)thatareoiledorcavityfilled.Inaddition,theterm“clarity-enhancedrubies”hasbeenusedtorefertorubiesimpregnatedwithlead-glass, which are typically called lead glass-filled rubies, composite rubies,hybridrubiesormanufacturedproducts.CREATED:Synthetic,lab-grown,man-madeENHANCEMENT:TreatmentFAUXPEARLS:ImitationpearlsFEATHER: Crack, fissure, fracture of any size PROCESSED DIAMOND:HeatandpressuretreateddiamondSTABILIZED:Impregnatedwithacolorlessbonding agent such as plastic or waxTHERMAL ENHANCEMENT: Heattreatment

MisnomersSometimes gems are sold under names that misrepresent their true identity.These names are called misnomers. For example, a garnet may be called an“Americanruby”or“Caperuby”tomakeitseemmorevaluable.Ifasalespersonaddsaqualifyingwordorprefixtoagemname,askhimorhertoexplainwhatitmeans.Someexamplesofmisnomersinclude:Ceylondiamond:zirconBraziliandiamond:colorless topazHerkimerdiamond:colorlessquartzMogokdiamond:topazEveningemerald:peridotMedinaemerald:greenglassOrientalemerald:greensapphire Spanish emerald: green glass Soudé emerald: green doublet Africanjade:translucentgreengarnetAmazonjade:amazoniteAustralian jade: chrysopraseColorado jade: amazonite Indian jade: aventurinequartz Pikes Peak jade: amazoniteOregon jade: dark green jasper Swiss jade:dyed chalcedony D-Jade: an unofficial street term for imitation jade Germanlapis: dyed blue jasper Swiss lapis: dyed blue jasper Black onyx: dyedchalcedonyMajorica pearl: imitation pearl Red Sea pearls: coral beads Semi-culturedpearl:imitationpearlBalasruby:spinelBohemianruby:rosequartzBrazilianruby:topazCaliforniaruby:garnetColoradoruby:garnetCulturedruby:syntheticrubySiberianruby:tourmalineSpinelruby:spinelBrazilian sapphire: tourmaline or topaz Meru sapphire: tanzanite Orientalsapphire:chrysoberylSpinelsapphire:spinelWatersapphire:ioliteTopaz:citrinequartzMadeiratopaz:citrinequartzSmokytopaz:smokyquartzSpanishtopaz:citrinequartz

11/HavingJewelryCustomMade

Ifyoudon’tfindthetypeofjewelryyou’relookingfor,youmaywishtohaveitcustommade.ManyAsiancountriesarenotedfortheirfastservice—oftenonetotwodays.TheycanbethatquickbecausetheyhavemorejewelerspercapitathancountriessuchastheUnitedStates.AjewelerinAsiamayhaveonlyoneortwopiecestoworkonatatime,whereasoneintheUSAmaybehandling30or40 jobs at once. When having jewelry custom made, follow the guidelinesbelow:

Beforeselectingajeweler,asktoseesomeexamplesofhisorherbestwork.Normallythequalityoftheworkjewelerswilldoforyouwillbenobetterthanwhat they have done for others. If you’re not satisfied with the samples, gosomeplaceelse.

Try on jewelrypieces that resemblewhat youwant.What looks good in apicturemaynotlookorfeelgoodonyou.

Ifpossible,havegooddrawings,photosormodelsofthejewelrypieceyouwantmade.Neverassumethatthejewelerunderstandsyourverbaldescriptionofwhatyouwant.Beasspecificaspossibleabouthowyouwantthejewelrytolook.

Don’t assume a piece of jewelrywill look exactly as it does in a photo. Itshould,however,haveacloseresemblance.Thebestwaytogetwhatyouwantistohaveamodelorsample.

If youhave a ring that fitswell andhas about the samebandwidth as a

customringyouareordering,showit to thesalespersonor jewelerso theycanchoose thebest ringsize foryou.Thesamplemetal rings jewelersuse forcustomerscansometimessuggestthewrongsize.

Always tell a jeweler you need the ring earlier than you actually do,especially if it’s a complicated job. InAsia, allow 3 or 4 hours extra; and incountriessuchastheUnitedStates,atleast3or4days.Eitherthejewelersmaynot finish on time, or alterations may be needed. Work out an acceptabledeliverydateortimeandhaveitputinwriting.Butstillbepreparedfordelays.It’sbestnottorushcustom-madejewelry.

Ifpossible,avoidhavingjewelrycustommadeinDecemberincountriesthatcelebrateChristmas.Sincejewelersarerushedandoverworkedatthattimeofyear,theymightnotdotheirbestworkjustbeforetheholidays.

Getawrittenestimateof thecostof the jewelry. Ifmore stonesareneededthanestimated,thejewelerisnotexpectedtogivethemtoyoufreeofcharge.Heshould,however,getyourpermissionbeforedoinganythingthatwouldincreasetheestimatedcostofthejewelry.

Knowinadvancewhowillberesponsibleifyourstonesarelostordamagedduring setting or recutting. If you give a jeweler your gemstones, he’s notalways liable if something unfortunate happens to them. Reliable jewelers,however,willeitherfeelmorallyobligatedtoreplacedamagedorloststonesorelsewillclearlywarnyouthatthegemsareatrisk.

Make sure that gold, platinum, palladium and silver pieces are stampedwithafinenessmark.Amanufacturer’strademarkisalsodesirable.

Ifaringisbeingcast,asktoseethewaxmodelbeforecasting.Pointoutanyareasyouthinkmightbeproblematic,andsuggestalterationsifneeded.

Know the refundpolicyof the jeweler. It is normal for jewelers to retain atleast a portion of your deposit if you decide not to buy the ring you ordered,particularlyifit’sastylethatwouldbedifficulttosell.

Whenyouhaveapiececustommade, itoftenmeansmore toyou than ready-made jewelry. The piece is unique, and you played a role in creating it. Theexperience of having jewelrymade should be a positive one. Prevent it fromturningintoanegativeonebytakingthenecessaryprecautions.

12/ChoosingaJeweler

When selecting a jeweler or salesperson, consider the following factors:Aretheyknowledgeable?Dotheyknowhowtoevaluategemandjewelryquality?Are theywell-informedaboutgemtreatments?Themore informedsalespeopleare, themore capable they areof helpingyoumakewise choices that fit yourneeds.Someoneinthestoreshouldhavegemologicalcredentialssuchasthoselistedinthechapteronappraising.It’simportant,forexample,thatatleastonestaff member be able to detect imitations and lab-grown stones. Even honestjewelers may end up selling lab-grown stones as natural if they’re unable toidentifythemasman-made.

Are the sellers candid and ethical?Do they tell you both the good and badpointsoftheirinventory?Dotheydisclosegemtreatmentswithoutyourhavingtoask?Dotheyexplainqualityandtreatmentsinclearlanguage,ordotheyrelyon trade euphemisms and marketing terms? Jewelers that providestraightforwardinformationdemonstratetheycareaboutyou.

Dothesellershavea love forgemsand jewelry? If so, theyprobablyknowaboutnewtrendsanddevelopmentsintheindustry,andtheycanhelpyouselectunique, appropriate jewelry for yourself and others. Their knowledge andenthusiasm can also help you appreciate your purchases more. Jewelers whoonly care about price and weight are not likely to have well-crafted, artisticdesigns.

HowtoDetermineifaSellerisKnowledgeableandCandid

Jewelry industry brochures usually tell you to choose a jeweler by gettingrecommendations, by checking credentials and length of experience and byfinding out if they’re affiliated with trade organizations. This is goodinformation,but it’snotadequate.Justbecausea jeweler isamemberof tradeorganizationsandhasdiplomasdisplayedonthewalldoesnotguaranteeheorshe isethicalandwell-informed.Conversely,someof themostknowledgeablepeopleintheindustrydonothavegemologydiplomas.Inaddition,it’seasytolieaboutyourexperienceandeducationalbackground.

Gettingrecommendationsfromsomeoneyoutrustisnotalwayseasyorpossible,especially when you’re traveling abroad.More often than not, you’ll need tojudgeforyourselfifajewelerisreliable.Tomakeagoodjudgment,you’llneedto know some basics so that you’ll be able to understand and assess thesalespeopleyouencounter.Readingthisbookisagoodstart.

To evaluate a prospective jeweler, you should be prepared to ask someof thefollowingquestions:1.Couldyoutellmesomethingaboutthispiece(orgem)?Asalespersonwhocancompare it tootherpiecesandwhocan tellyouabout thebackgroundandquality shows more expertise than one who can only tell you the price, theweightandtheidentityofthemetalandstone(s)byreadingthetag.

2.Whichoneofthesepieces(stonesorstrands)ismorevaluableandwhy?Twooftheadvantagesofbuyingjewelryinastoreratherthanfromacatalogueor the Internet is that you can see the merchandise before buying it and youreceive the free services of a jewelry consultant, provided the seller is

knowledgeable. When a jeweler can explain quality differences to you, thisindicates he or she is amore competent consultant and onewho’s probably abetter judge of merchandise than a jeweler who can’t discern differencesbetweenpieces.

3.Arethesestonestreated(andpointtothestonesofyourchoice)?Ifsellerstellyouthatnoneoftheiremeralds,forexample,aretreatedinanyway,thisisastrong indication they’re either ill-informed or dishonest. Review theinformationinChapter2ontreatmentssoyou’llknowhowandwhatstonesareusuallyenhanced. If sellers tellyou that an individual stone isnot treated, askhow they know it’s not treated and ask if they’rewilling towrite this on thereceipt.Untreatedstonescanbeworthmorethanthosethataren’t.Thewayinwhichjewelersdisclosetreatmentsisoneofthebestindicationsofhowethicaltheyare.

4.Canyoutellmesomethingaboutthecutofthisstone? It’snotsufficientforasalespersontosimplydescribetheshapeofastoneandtotellyouit’safinemake, if it is.Youneed specific informationaboutwhy it’s a fine, averageorpoormake.Forexample,theyshouldbeabletopointoutifastonehasastrongwindow,avery thickgirdle, aunique facetingdesign,etc.Youcouldalsoaskthe salesperson to showyouoneof thebest-cut gemstones in the store and tocompareittoaninferiorone.Notonlywillyoulearnmoreaboutcut,you’llalsolearn if you’re dealing with a knowledgeable salesperson. Keep in mind thatrubies, sapphires, emeralds and alexandrite are normally not as wellproportionedasmostdiamonds.

5. Howwould you rate the quality of your jewelry craftsmanship.Why?Jewelerswhosellwell-made jewelryoften like theopportunity toexplainwhytheirmountings,settingsandfinishesarebetter thanthoseofcompetitors.Youcanlearnalotaboutworkmanshipbylisteningtothem.Salespeoplemustknowsomethingaboutjewelrycraftsmanshipinordertohelpyouselectawell-made

piece,

6.Willyoushowmethestone(s)undermagnification?Iftheyaren’twillingtoprovideyouwithaloupe(handmagnifier)oramicroscope,considershoppingelsewhere.

7.Areyouwillingtoputinwritingwhatyou’vetoldmeverballyaboutthepiece(stones)?Reliablejewelerswillsayyes.

8.What’s your return policy? It’s a good signwhen jewelers back up theirmerchandiseandclaimsbya100%money-backguarantee.Somejewelersonlyallow exchanges in order to prevent customers from “borrowing” theirmerchandiseforspecialevents.Whenyoubuyjewelryawayfromhome,though,exchanges become impractical. There aremany jewelers throughout theworldwhooffer a 100%money-backguaranteeon jewelry that is not custommade.It’sbesttodealwithoneofthem.Whenbuyingexpensivejewelryabroad,havethesalespersongiveyouawrittencopyoftheirreturnpolicyorhavethemwriteit on the receipt. Then pay by credit card, not a bank debit card. If there’s aproblemwith thepiecewhenyouget backhome, itwill be easier toget yourmoneyback.

13/MakingthePurchase

GeneralGuidelines

Theprecedingchaptersgavetipsonselectinggemstonesandjewelers.Herearesomeadditionalguidelines:

Whenbuyingabroad,ask if the storehasanoutlet inyourhomecountrythat can service you andmake refunds. If it does, get the name, address andphonenumber.

Knowhowmuch thepurchase is inyourhomecurrency.Foreigncurrencypricescanbeconfusing.

Haveverbalagreementsputinwriting.Forexample,havethemwriteonthereceiptorgiveyouawrittencopyoftheir“money-backguarantee”policy.Ifastoreisdoingcustomwork,havethemwritethedeliverydateonthereceipt.

Considerhaving expensivegemscheckedbya reputable lab in the cityofpurchase.It’seasiertoreturngoodsandgetyourmoneybackonthespotthanthousands of miles away. Be wary if a store is overly pushy about using aspecificappraiser.Theymaybeworkingtogether.

Getadetailedreceipt.Thereceiptshouldatleastinclude:1.theidentityandshapeofthestone(s)2.theidentityandpurityofthemetal3.thecaratweightofanymajorstonesandthetotalweightofanysmallerstonesofeachgemtype

4.themillimeterdimensionsofloosestones

Thisinformationwillhelpidentifythestoneorjewelryinthefuture.Foraddedprotection,havethestorespecifyifthestoneisofnaturaloriginonthereceipt.In the United States, it’s against the law to call a man-made diamond, forexample,simplyadiamond.Thegemnamemustbequalifiedwithtermssuchas“synthetic”or“lab-grown.”Notallcountrieshavelawslikethis.

Ifthestoretellsyouagemisuntreated,havethemwritethisonthereceipttoo.Thenitwon’tbeyourwordagainsttheirsifthestoneturnsouttobetreated.Manycountriesdonothavetreatmentdisclosurelaws.

Askthestoretomakeaphotocopyofthereceiptorgiveyouaduplicateore-mailcopy,especiallyifit’salargepurchase.Youcankeeponereceiptinyourwalletandanotherwithyourpurchase,orelseyoucanmailonecopyhomeincasetheotherislostorstolen.Whenyoureturnfromyourtripyou’llneedtwocopiesanyway—onetokeepathomeandoneforyoursafedepositboxifit’samajorpurchase.

Ask the salesperson to give you his or her business card with the store’sphonenumber,streetaddress,andfaxnumber(iftheyhaveone).Youmayneedtocontactthemlater.

Ifyouboughtjewelryatastoreatourdirectorrecommended,gethisorheraddressandphonenumber.Tourdirectorscanbeabighelpifproblemsariselateron.

Paywithacreditcardwheneverpossible.Resistabargainforcashon largepurchases.Creditcardcompaniescanbeanexcellentsourceofprotectionifandwhen problems arise. If a store can’t orwon’t accept your credit cards, thinktwicebeforemakingamajorpurchasefromthem.Whentravelingabroad,notifyyourcreditcardcompany(s)andtellthemwhenandwhereyouwillbetraveling.

Otherwise, vendors may have a problem getting an authorization number foryour card since it is not being used in its usual geographic location. It’sadvisabletotravelwithat least twocreditcards.Ifauthorizationoracceptanceproblemsoccurwithonecard,you’llhaveabackupcard. Ifyoubecomeillorinjured,orhavetoreturnhomeearlyforfamilyreasons,you’llprobablyneedtousebothofthem.

CreditCardsVersusDebitCardsDebitcardaresometimeseasiertouseabroadbecausetheydon’tofferasmuchprotectionasacreditcard.Somebasicdifferencesbetweencreditanddebitcardsare:

Creditcardusershave fullaccess to theirmoney in theeventofcard theft,fraud or a dispute about a charge.They don’t have to pay until the dispute issettled, which may take a fewmonths.Debit card holdersmust wait to bereimbursedforunauthorizeddebits.Inaddition,theirchecksmaybounceandtheir checking account is no longer safe to use as long as someone else hasaccesstotheirdebitcard.

Standard credit cards offer consumers a free loan until the due date ofpayment.Anexception to this is thesocalled“secured”card,usedbypeoplewith bad credit, which charges user fees. When you use a debit card, youraccountisimmediatelydebited.

Incaseof lossor theft, creditcardsoffermoreprotection.Merchantsmustgetanauthorizationnumbertoavoidresponsibilityforpurchasesmadeonstolencreditcards.Thisisn’ttrueofdebitcards,whichiswhysomemerchantsintheU.S.nolongerrequirepinnumbersorID’sfordebitcards.

Manycreditcardsofferyouprotectionfromfraudulentmerchants.Usingadebitcardisalmostlikepayingcash.

WhenProblemsAriseIfanappraiserorgemlabtellsyouyourpurchaseabroadiseitheroverpricedormisrepresented,proceedasfollows:Firstsendthestoreaphotocopyoftheappraisalorlabreport(byfaxorairmail),andexplainhowyouwould like thematter resolved. It’sagood idea tofollowupwithaphonecall.Youshouldletthestorehaveachancetogiveyouanexplanation.Appraisersarenotinfallible,noraretheyallhighlyqualified.Infact, some have little experience valuing and identifying some of the coloredgemsminedabroad.

If the store ignores you or refuses to resolve the matter, tell the owner ormanager that you will be filing formal complaints with business and tradeorganizationsinhiscityandwithyourcreditcardcompany(ifyoupaidbycreditcard).Ifthestorestillrefusestocooperate,thenfollowthroughonyourthreats.

Togettheaddressesofbusinessandjewelryorganizations,trycallingthetradecommissionerthatrepresentsthecountrywhereyoumadethepurchase.Explaintheproblem,andaskifhecanhelpyou.Youcanusuallygetthephonenumberofthetradecommissionerbycallingthelocalconsulate.TwoorganizationsthathandlecomplaintsaboutjewelersintheUnitedStatesandCanadaare:

Jeweler’sVigilanceCommittee25W.45thStreet#1406,NewYork,NY10036,(212)997-2002,www.jvclegal.org

Jeweler’sVigilanceCanada,Inc.27QueenSt.E.#600,Toronto,ONM5C2M6,Canada(416)368-4840,(800)636-9536,www.jewellersvigilance.ca

If you paid by credit card, phone the credit company within 30 days ifpossible, explain the problem, and ask them to stop payment on yourpurchase.They’lltellyouiftheyneeddocumentationandletyouknowhowtoreturnthemerchandise.Getthenameofthepersononthephoneandthefileorreferencenumberofthecase(ifonecanbeassigned).

Ifyoubought the jewelry froma storea tourdirectorrecommended,youmaywanttocontacthimorherfirst.Goodtourdirectorscansaveyoualotoftimeandhassleifproblemsarise.Theywillcontactthejewelerforyou,explaintheproblem,andrelayyourrequests.Eitherthejewelerortourdirectororbothshouldgetbacktoyoutotakecareofthematter.

If you bought the jewelry from a store recommended in a brochure of areliable tour operator in your country, contact the tour company. Theycouldgivethejeweleroneoftwochoices—eitherresolvethematterorloseallfuturebusinessfromthem.

When you returnmerchandise, it’s best to send it insured registered air-mailandtopayforareturnreceipt,wheneverpossible.Youmayneedproofthat you returned the merchandise. Sometimes the insurance offered is notadequate tocover theamountof thepurchase. It’shardest toget insurance forpackages sent to developing countries. This is another reason you should becarefulwhenmakinglargepurchasesabroad.

If you plan on making a major jewelry purchase while traveling, find out inadvancehowmuch insuranceyourpostal serviceoffers to thecountrieswhereyou might buy jewelry. If there’s no way for you to safely returnmerchandise via insured mail, you could end up being stuck withmisrepresented goods. As mentioned earlier, some stores abroad may haveoffices in your home country where you can return jewelry. This is the idealalternative.

Keeporiginalsofalldocumentationregardingyourcase.Onlysendcopies.

It’sbesttoavoidproblemsbeforetheyoccur.Learnaboutgemsbeforeyoubuy;reviewthetipsinthisandtheprecedingchapters;andbewaryofdealsthatseemtogoodtobetrue.Everysellerneedstomakeaprofit,eventhoseabroad.Unfortunately,someofthemwon’thesitatetomisrepresenttheirmerchandiseinordertomakethatprofit.

14/ChoosinganAppraiser

Ifyouwerebuyingaclassiccar,youwouldn'tgototheseller'smechanictohavethe car checked. You'd take it to your own. Likewise, when you're buyingexpensive jewelry, you shouldn’t rely solely on documents provided by theseller.Instead,haveitevaluatedbyanappraiserwhoisanunbiasedthirdpartyand who has your interests in mind. Appraisals paid for by sellers are notindependentappraisals.

Fourreasonsforgettinganindependentjewelryappraisalare:1.Toverifytheidentityandqualityofthegemsandmetalsused.2. To get additional information about treatments, origin, and quality that thesellermaynothaveknown.

3.Tohaveawrittenthird-partydocumentthatwillberecognizedbyinsurancecompanies.Manyinsurancecompaniesdonotrecognizeappraisalsprovidedbytheseller.

4. To determine if you paid a fair price. It’s best to find this out from aprofessional appraiser who doesn’t sell jewelry. Competing jewelers maydowngrade and under-appraise the merchandise so in order to afterwards sellyousomethingelse.In addition, sellers may have a tendency to give inflated appraisals. This canresultinunnecessarilyhighinsurancepremiums.Formostinsurancepoliciesinthe United States, the insurance company has the option of replacing yourmerchandiseorpayingyoucashfortheamountitwouldcostthemtoreplaceit,whichever is lower;don’texpect togetcashfor thevalue listedonan inflated

appraisal.

However, an undervalued appraisal isn’t desirable either. In some cases,insurance coverage has been voided by the company because of eitherundervalued or highly inflated appraisals. It’s best to obtain a legitimateappraisal from a qualified independent appraiser and avoid paying more thannecessaryinpremiumstotheinsurancecompany.

The purpose of most appraisals is to obtain insurance coverage and tosubstantiateclaimsintheeventoflossortheft.Aninsuranceappraisalstatesthevalueofreplacingapiece; itdoesn’testablishwhatyoucangaininsellingthepiece.Itmustcontainathoroughdescriptionofthevalue-makingfeaturesofthejewelryinordertoensureitwillbereplacedwithapieceofequivalentqualityincase of a claim.American insurance companies seldom pay cash for a piece;theyusuallybuyareplacementpieceatwholesale.

Thetypeofappraisalthatgivesyoutheimmediatecashvalueofyourjewelryiscalled a liquidation appraisal. If you’re only interested in a verbal estimate ofhowmuchyoucansellapiecefor,youcanusuallyfindthatoutforfree.Simplygotoseveraljewelersordealersandaskthemwhatthey’llpayforthepiece.Butbeawarethatthepricetheyofferyoucanbelowerthanwhatyoumightobtainin a more competitive interactive market such as an auction. If it’s an estatejewelrypiece,contactanantiquespecialistand/orauctionhousetofindoutifithasvalueasacollectibleorantiquepiece.

HowtoFindaQualifiedIndependentAppraiser

Somewaystofindappraisersare:•Getrecommendationsfromfriendsandjewelers

• Look through the list of independent appraisers at:www.reneenewman.com/appraisers.htm

• Write, fax or e-mail an appraisal organization and ask for the names ofqualifiedmembers in your area. Listed below and on the next page are someorganizations that will give you appraisers’ names either verbally or on theirwebsites.

AmericanGemSociety(AGS)8881W.SaharaAve,LasVegas,NV89117Phone(866)805-6500www.americangemsociety.org/find-an-appraiser

AmericanSocietyofAppraisers(ASA)www.appraisers.org11107SunsetHillsRd,Suite310,Reston,VA20190Phone(800)272-8258(703)478-2228,Fax(703)742-8471TheAssociationofIndependentJewelleryValuers(AIJV)AlgoBusinessCentre,GlenearnRoad,Perth,ScotlandPH2ONJ,UnitedKingdom,Phone+44(0)1738450477e-mail:info@aijv.org,www.aijv.org

CanadianJeweller’sInstitute27QueenSt.East,Suite600,Toronto,OntarioM5C2M6Canada,Phone(416)368-7616ext223,Fax(416)368-1986www.canadianjewellers.comclickon“findanappraiser”

InternationalSocietyofAppraisers(ISA)225WestWackerDrive,Suite650,Chicago,IL60606Phone(312)981-6778,Fax(312)265-2908,www.isa-appraisers.org

NationalAssociationofJewelryAppraisers(NAJA)P.O.Box18,RegoPark,NewYork,11374-0018Phone(718)896-1536,www.NAJAappraisers.comwww.AuctionMarketResource.com

ValuethePast(Anappraisalservicethatspecializesinantiqueandestatejewelryandpersonalproperty)Phone(877)797-9011,Fax(866)551-5017,www.valuethepast.com

In Australia, you can find appraisers through the following branches of theNationalCouncilofJewelryValuers:NationalCouncilofJewelleryValuers,Inc.(NCJV)Level2Suite213,155KingStreet,Sydney,NSW2000,Australia,Phone0292326599,Fax0292326399,www.ncjv.com.au

NCJVInc.(Queensland)Grange,Queensland,AustraliaPhone/Fax0738574377Email:qld@ncjv.com.au

NCJVInc.(SouthAustraliaDivision)HenleyBeach,SouthAustralia,AustraliaPhone0882342505,Fax0881255822Email:sa@ncjv.com.au

NCJVInc.(TasmaniaDivision)Hobart,Tasmania,AustraliaPhone0362342426,Fax0362315366Email:tas@ncjv.com.au

NCJVInc.,(VictoriaDivision)Melbourne,VICAustraliaPhone0395009250,Fax0395002904Email:vic@ncjv.com.au

NCJVInc.,WesternAustralia,AustraliaPerth,WAAustraliaPhone0894092009,Fax0893645504Email:wa@ncjv.com.au

Aftergettingthenamesofsomeappraisers,interviewthemtofindoutifthey’requalified toappraiseyour jewelry.When interviewinganappraiseryoushouldask:•Whatareyourqualifications?•Howmuchdoyoucharge?•Whatdoesyourappraisalfeeinclude?

QualificationstoLookFor

Qualifiedappraisersknowhowtoidentifygemsandgemtreatments.Competentprofessionals shouldhaveoneof the followinggemologicaldiplomas toprovethey’vegainedtherequirededucationneededtoidentifygemstones.

•AG(CIG),AccreditedGemmologist, (Awardedby theCanadian InstituteofGemmology)•FCGmA,FellowoftheCanadianGemmologicalAssn•FGA,FellowoftheGemmologicalAssociationofGreatBritain(alsocalledGemA)•FGAA,FellowoftheGemmologicalAssn.ofAustralia•FGG,FellowoftheGermanGemmologicalAssociation•GG,GraduateGemologist(AwardedbytheGemologicalInstituteofAmerica)•Agemologistdiplomafromanotherschoolorassociation,equivalentinstaturetothoselistedabove.

Although the gemologist diplomas listed above are important, they aren’tsufficienttoqualifyindividualstobeappraisers.Appraisersmustalsobeskilledin valuation theory; they must be familiar with gem prices, jewelrymanufacturing techniques and costs, and the legal aspects of appraising.Appraisersmust have trade experience, integrity and the initiative to keep upwiththemarketandnewdevelopmentsinvaluationtheoryandgemology.

This means appraisers should have taken appraisal courses and performedappraisal work after getting their gemologist diplomas. Some of the titlesawardedtoappraisersare:

AA-CJI,AccreditedAppraiseroftheCanadianJewellersInstitute.Musthavea

gemologist diploma, a gem lab or access to a lab, 3 years Canadian tradeexperience,mustcompleteanappraisalcourseandpassawrittenandpracticalexam.

ASA, Accredited Senior Appraiser of ASA ( the American Society ofAppraisers).TobeanASAinthegems&jewelrydiscipline,themembermustbeaGG.Theymustpass theethicsexam,anexamonvaluation theory,andaproficiency exam on gems and jewelry and their appraisal. An AccreditedMember (AM) must substantiate 3 years of full-time appraisal experience; 5yearsexperienceisrequiredtousethetitle“ASA.”

CAPP, Certified Appraiser of Personal Property. This is the highest awardofferedbytheInternationalSocietyofAppraisers.Toreceiveit,onemustattendtheir appraisal courses, pass the exams, and have a gemological diploma andtradeexperience.

CGA,CertifiedGemologistAppraiser.This is awardedby theAmericanGemSociety to certified gemologists that pass their written and practical appraisalexam.Tradeexperienceisaprerequisite.

CMA, Certified Master Appraiser. This is the highest award offered by theNationalAssociationofJewelryAppraisers.Toreceiveit,onemusthaveatleastseven years of appraisal experience, take the NAJA appraisal studies course,pass a comprehensive theory and practical appraisal examination, and have aNAJAorAGACertifiedGemLaboratory.

CSM, Certified SeniorMember of the (NAJA). CSMs must have a graduategemologistdiploma,atleastfiveyearsoftradeandappraisalexperience,atleast14daysofappraisaltrainingandmustpassanappraisalexam.

MGA,MasterGemologistAppraiser.This is thehighest awardofferedby theAmericanSocietyofAppraisers.Toreceiveit,amembermustfirstbeanASA,

haveorworkinacertifiedgemlab.Theymustcompleteadditionalcoursework,and must pass the MGA exam without error, which includes successfullyidentifying, grading and appraising four pieces of jewelry in a supervisedenvironmentandsubmittinganacceptedwrittenappraisalontheitems.MGA’smustrecertifyeveryfiveyears.

ISA, International Society of Appraisers Accredited Member. Must pass anethicsandappraisalexam, submit sampleappraisals forpeer review,andhavetwoyearsoffull-timeappraisalexperienceandacollegedegreeorequivalent

Besides sharing their educationalbackgroundand titles, appraisers should alsodiscusstheirexperienceandthetypeofjewelryandgemstheyusuallyappraise.

AppraisalFees

Asaconsumer,youhavetherighttoknowinadvancetheapproximatecostofan appraisal. Occasionally, an appraiser will tell a caller that it’s unethical orunprofessional to quote prices over the phone. This isn’t true. Professionalappraisers should at least be able to tell you their hourly fee and/or theirminimum charge if they have one. Some will tell you a flat or approximateappraisal charge for the piece when you describe it to them over the phone.However, infairnessto theappraiser, theyareentitledtochangetheirestimateuponseeingthepieceifyouhaveplayeddowncertainareasofdifficultyorhavenotdescribeditfully.

Some people will offer to appraise your jewelry free of charge, even if youhaven’tboughtitfromthem.Thisisgenerallyasignthateithertheywanttobuythe jewelry fromyouor else theywant to lureyou into their store to sell yousomeoftheirmerchandise.Professionalschargefortheirservices,whethertheybelawyers,doctors,accountantsorappraisers.

Appraisalfeesarechargedinavarietyofways.Somearelistedbelow:•Aflatfeeperitem,sometimesalowerfeeforeachadditionalpiecebroughtinatthesametime•Anhourlyrate(oftencombinedwithaminimumfee)•Aratefullyorpartlybasedonthegemstonetype•Aratebasedonthetypeofreportyou’reseeking,basedonthedegreeofworkrequired.•Apercentagerateoftheappraisedvalueofyourjewelry.Thehigherthevalue,themoremoneytheappraiserearns.Ifyouwantanappraisalthatisasobjectiveaspossible,avoidappraiserswiththistypeoffeestructure.Thisisanunethicalfeeiftheappraiserisamemberofanyoftheassociationslistedpreviously.The

InternalRevenueServicedoesn’trecognizeappraisalsdonebypeoplewhochargepercentagefees.

WhatDoestheInsuranceAppraisalInclude?

Thekeyservicetheappraiserwillprovideisanaccurate,detailed,wordpictureoftheitemyou’rehavingappraised.Thestructureoftheresultingreportwilltellyousomethingaboutthequalityoftheappraiser’swork,anditwillhelpyoutobettercompareappraisalfees.It’sunderstandablethatafive-pagereportwithaphoto will cost more than one with only a two-sentence description and anappraised value, and you should avoid the latter type. Items that professionalindependentappraisersnormallyincludewiththeirreportsare:•Theidentityofthestone(s)andmetal(s•Themeasurementsandestimatedweightsofthestones.Ifyoucantellappraiserstheexactweightofthestones,thiswillhelpthemprovideamoreaccurateappraisal.Therefore,whenbuyingjewelry,askstorestowriteonthereceiptanystoneweightslistedonthesalestags).•Relevanttreatmentinformation•Adescriptionofthecolor,clarity,transparency,shape,cuttingstyle,andcutqualityofthestones.Thegradingandcolorreferencesystemusedshouldalsobeindicated.Appraisersusedifferentcolorcommunicationsystemstodenotecolor.Fourofthebest-knownonesareGemDialogue,AGLColor/Scan,Gem-eWizard,Munsell,andWorldofColorBookbyGemworldIntl.•Plotsoftheinclusionsinthestones(ofeitheralloronlythemajorstones)•Atestofthefinenessofthemetals•Approximateweightanddescriptionofthemounting•Thename(s)ofthemanufacturersordesignersofthepiecewhenthisisknown•Acleaningandinspectionofthepiece•Aphotograph•Alistofthetestsperformedandtheinstrumentsused.•Definitionsorexplanationsoftheterminologyusedonthereport•Abiographicalsketchoftheappraiser’scredentials•ACertificationofAppraisal

biographicalsketchoftheappraiser’scredentials•ACertificationofAppraisalPracticessheet(awrittencodeofbusinessethicsforappraisers)Onrareoccasions,acountryoforiginreportmayalsobeincluded,butthisrequiresahighlevelofexpertise.

Besides knowing what appraisers’ fees include, you should know what theirappraisals look like. Have them show you a sample, and check it forthoroughnessandprofessionalism.

Jewelryappraisingisanart.There’salotmoretoitthansimplyplacingadollarvalueonastoneorjewelrypiece.Ifyourjewelryhasagreatdealofmonetaryvalue, it’s important thatyouhaveadetailed, accurate appraisalof it.Takeasmuchcareinselectingyourappraiserasyoudidwithyourjewelry.

15/GemLabDocuments

Forgemsthatcostseveralthousanddollars,it’sagoodideatogettwotypesofdocuments—anindependentappraisaldescribingandevaluatingthestone,andalabreportfromamajorgemlaboratory.

Labreportsdon’tindicatewhatastoneisworth.Theyidentifythestoneandthetreatmentsitmayhaveundergone.Theymayalsoindicateitsgeographicoriginand/orevaluateitsquality.

Whyisalabreportnecessaryalongwithanappraisal?Major laboratories have greater expertise, more sophisticated equipment andmore opportunities to examine important gems than the average jeweler orappraiser. As a result, they are better equipped to detect enhancements andsyntheticgems,and theirdocumentsusuallycarrymoreweight thanappraisalswhen gems are bought and sold. If you plan to sell an expensive gem on theinternationalmarketorthroughamajorauctionhouse,itshouldbeaccompaniedbyareportfromaninternationallyrecognizedgemlab.

Ifyou’reonlyspendingafewhundreddollarsonagemstone,it’snotfinanciallyworthwhile to pay for a lab report. A good appraisal will do. Some storesprovide lab reports with their stones. These are helpful aids, especially whenbuyinggemsabroad.Forastonesuchasa$30,000ruby,however,it’swisetoobtainanotherreportfromadifferentgemlabthanthesellerused.Getawrittenpromiseofa100%refundifyou’renotsatisfiedwith theresultsof thesecondreport.Treatmentshaveamajorimpactonrubyprices,butsometreatmentsaredifficult for even gem labs to detect.Occasionally, expensive untreated rubies

withsurfacereachingfracturesareoiledafteralabIDreporthasbeenissuedforthem.Inaddition,labsmighttendtoshowtheirloyaltytothepersonwhopaysforthereport.Asecondreportmayuncoversuchpractices.

Listedbelowaresomeofthemostrespectedgemlaboratoriesintheworldalongwiththetypesofreportstheyoffer.Theyallprovidetreatmentreportssothesearen’t indicated. “ID” stands for “identification report,” “origin” stands for“geographicoriginreport.”

AGIL(AsianGemmologicalInstituteandLaboratoryLtd.)7/F.No.11LockRoad,Tsimshatsui,Kowloon,HongKongTel(852)27230429,Fax(852)23675201,www.agil.com.hkJade,pearl,coloredstoneID,diamondgrading

AGL(AmericanGemologicalLaboratories,Inc.)580FifthAve.Suite706,NewYork,NY10036(212)704-0727Fax(212)764-7614,www.aglgemlab.comColoredstoneID,origin,&qualitygrading

AIGS(AsianInstituteofGemologicalSciences)JewelryTradeCenter,6thfloor,919SilomRoadBangkok10500,Thailandwww.aigslaboratory.comTel(662)267-4325/7Fax(662)267-4327,ColoredstoneID,origin,grading;pearlID;diamondgradingAmericanGemSocietyLaboratory(onlyforthetrade)8917W.SaharaAve.,LasVegas,NV89117Tel(702)233-6120Fax(702)233-6125,www.agslab.comDiamondgrading

C.C.I.P.GemologicalLaboratory(C.C.I.P.ServicePublicduContrôledesDiamants,PerlesFinesetPierresPrécieuses)2PlacedelaBourse,75002Paris,

FranceTel(33-1)40262646Fax(33-1)40260675ColoredstoneID&origin;pearlID;diamondgrading

CGLCentralGemLaboratoryMiyagiBldg.5-15-14UenoTaito-ku,TokyoTel(813)3836-1627FAX:(813)3832-6861,www.cgl.co.jpDiamondgrading&gemidentificationDeutschDiamantundEdelsteinLaboratorienIdar-Oberstein(GermanDiamond&GemstoneLaboratories)Prof.-Schlossmacher-Str.1,D-55743Idar-Oberstein,GermanyTel49-6781-981355Fax49-6781-981357www.gemcertificate.comEmail:info@gemcertificate.comColoredstoneID&origin;pearlID;diamondgrading

GCAL(GemCertification&AppraisalLab)580FifthAve,LowerLobby,NewYork,NY10036Tel(212)869-8985,Fax(212)869-2315,www.gemfacts.comDiamondgrading,coloredstoneID&grading,jewelry

GGTLLaboratorieswww.ggtl-lab.orgGGTL-GEMLABLaboratoryGnetsch,42,LI–9496,Balzers,LiechtensteinTel(423)2622464;(423)3732243andGGTL-GemTechLablaboratory,41(0)2273158804bisroutedesJeunes,H-1227LesAcacias,GenèvePearlID,coloredstoneID,diamondgrading

GIA(GemologicalInstituteofAmerica)GemTradeLaboratoryInc.,5355ArmadaDrive,Carlsbad,CA92008Tel(800)421-7250&(760)603-4500,www.gia.edu/gem-lab50West47th,Unit800,NewYork,NY10036,(800)3668519&(212)221-5858ColoredstoneID;pearlID;diamondgrading

GIT(GemandJewelryInstituteofThailand)140,140/1-3,140/5ITF-TowerBuilding.1st-4thand6thFloor,SilomRoad,Suriyawong,Bangrak,Bangkok10500,ThailandTel(662)6344999Fax:026344970www.git.or.thColoredstoneID,pearlID,diamondgrading

GübelinGemLabLtd(GGL),www.gubelingemlab.chMaihofstrasse102,CH-6000Lucerne9/SwitzerlandTel(41)414291717,Fax(41)414291734ColoredstoneID&origin;pearlID;diamondgrading

HRDAntwerpHoveniersstraat22,BE-2018Antwerp,BelgiumTel.:(32)32220611,Fax:(32)32220699www.hrdantwerp.comE-mail:info@hrdantwerp.bediamondgrading

SSEF(SwissGemmologicalInstitute),www.ssef.chFalknerstrasse9,CH-4001,Basel,SwitzerlandTel(41)61262-0640Fax(41)61262-0641ColoredstoneID&origin;pearlID;diamondgrading

HowLabReportsareSometimesMisused

Whenusedproperly,gemlabreportscanbeabighelptobuyers.Theyserveasadocumented second opinion by impartial experts (when issued by reputablelabs).Unfortunately,theyaresometimesmisusedinthefollowingways:

•Alabreportmaybeusedwithan inferiorstoneof thesameweight. Inotherwords,thedocumentdoesn’tmatchthestone.Aconartistcanhaveagoodstonecertifiedmore thanonce and thenuse the extra reports for other stonesof thesame size. Avoid ripoffs like this by dealing with reliable jewelers and byexaminingstonescarefullybeforeyoubuythem.

• A synthetic stone may be cut to match a gemstone on a report. Then it’ssubstitutedforthenaturalstone.

•Astonemaybetreatedafterareportisissuedstatingit’snottreated.

•Anidentificationreportfromarespectedlabmaybeusedtomakeaverylowquality stone seem valuable. If a stone, for example, is identified as a naturalrubyona report, thisdoesnotmean it’swortha lot.Youshouldseeaqualityanalysisofthestonebeforeyoumakeajudgment.

•Occasionallythegradesonadocumentmaybealtered.Mostlabsmakeitverydifficulttochangeorcounterfeittheirdocuments.Consequently,thisisseldomaproblem.Ifyouhaveaquestionaboutareport,youcanverifytheinformationonitbycallingthelabthatissuedit.

•Quality-analysisreportsfromnon-existentlabsmaybeusedtomisleadbuyers.The grades on these reports are often inflated. Before relying on informationfrom a lab report, check out the lab. Interview themon the phone about their

qualificationsandthetypeofresearchtheyconduct.Askforreferencesandfindout if reputable jewelers, auction houses and gemological organizations knowaboutthemandusethem.

TipsonUsingLabReports

Inorder togainmaximumbenefit from these lab reportsandat the same timeavoidtheirpitfalls,keepinmindthefollowingsuggestions:Don’tbuygemssolelyonthebasisofalabreport.Alwaysexaminethestonesyourselfwithandwithoutmagnificationbeforeyoubuythem.Occasionally,thestonemaybedifferent than theoneon the report, or a stonemighthavebeendamaged since the report was issued. Nevertheless, it’s far better to buy anexpensive gemstone with a lab report from a respected lab than to buy onewithout a report, especially when buying gems abroad. Written guarantees,reportsandwarrantiesarecriticallyimportant.

Don’t buy gems in sealedplastic containerswhich you arenot allowed toopen. Clear plastic covers can mask gem flaws and cutting defects. Peopleinvolved ingemscamsoftensell sealedstoneswithawrittenwarningsuchas“Breakingthesealwillinvalidateallguarantees.”Legitimatedealerswillallowyoutolookatthestoneoutsideofitspacketorcontainer.

Don’tbuyexpensivejewelryandgemsthroughthemailoroverthephoneorInternetifyoudon'tknowtheseller.Theseareprobablythemostcommonsituationsinwhichlabdocumentsaremisused.Makesurethereisatleasta30-dayunconditionalmoney-backguaranteeinwriting.

Avoidgeminvestmentschemesevenwhenthestonescomewithlabreports.Peoplehavelosttheirlifesavingsbybeliev-ingpromisesofhighreturnsongeminvestments. If a stone ismerely identified as a natural ruby or sapphire, thisdoes not necessarily mean it is valuable. Its quality must be taken intoconsideration.

Keep in mind too, that some appraisers give stones inflated values on theirreports,evenwhentheynotequalitycharacteristics.Thismaybeduetolackofexperience,inadequatetrainingorcollusionwithsellers.

Remember that lab documents are not infallible. They only represent theopinionsofthelabsissuingthem.

Keepinmindthatawrittenreportcannotgiveacompletepictureofagem.Youhave to see the stone to reallyknowwhat it looks like.Lab reportswerenever created to be a substitute for viewing a stone. Use them as an aid tojudgingqualityandasaconfirmationthatastoneisrealandnatural.Butwhenit’stimetomakethefinalchoice,youbethejudge.

On thenext sixpagesaredocuments fromsixgemological labswhose reportsareusedon the internationalmarketbydealersandauctionhouses.These labsarealsonotedfortheirresearchandcontributionstothefieldofgemology.

©GemologicalInstituteofAmerica.Reprintedbypermission.

16/Customs

CommonRegulations

Whenever you enter a foreign country, your belongings are subject to search.Herearesomeof the itemscustomsofficials throughout theworldare lookingfor:

•Drugs.Evenlegitimatedrugsmaybeconfiscated,sobesureyourmedicationsare in theiroriginal labeledbottles and just take theamountyou’llneedwhiletraveling.Also carry a copy of your drug prescriptions or awritten statementfromyourdoctorsayingyouneedthemedication(s).

•Weaponsandammunition.Leavethemathome.

•Endangeredspecies.Don’ttravelwithivoryjewelryoraccessoriesmadefromanimalssuchasseaturtles,whales,rarereptiles,mammalsandbirds.Theycouldbeconfiscated.

•Commercialquantitiesofgoods.Ifyou’recarryingmerchandisedestinedforanothercountry,declareitanywayatintermediaryportsofentryandhavegoodproofastowhereyou’retakingthegoods.Otherwise,youcouldbechargeddutyand/orfinedfornotdeclaringthem.

•Agriculturalproductsandplants.Flowers,plants,meatproducts,fish,dairyproductsandfreshfruits&vegetablesmaybeseizedtohelppreventthecountryfrom being infestedwith unusual insects andmicroorganisms.Australia, NewZealandandtheUSAareparticularlystrict.Evenairlinefood,sacklunches,and

somecannedfoodsmaybeconfiscated.

•Counterfeit products. Normally no counterfeit copyrighted goods such ascopies of videos or computer programs are allowed under any circumstances.TheUnited States does allow one article of each type of product that bears aprotectedtrademark,suchasadesignerhandbagifit’sforpersonaluse.

Duty-freeGoodsandExemptions

Customsdutiesare leviedinyourhomecountryandincountrieswhereyou’releavinggiftsorcommercialgoods.Somepeoplethinkthatiftheybuygoodsinaduty-freeshop,theywon’thavetopaydutyonthemordeclarethemwhentheyreturntotheirhomecountry.Thisisfalse.

“Dutyfree”simplymeansthatitemsdon’thaveimportdutiesortaxesincludedintheirprice.Forexample,whiskyboughtinaduty-freestoreattheSingaporeairport does not have Singapore duties included in the price. However it’ssubject to duty when you arrive home, and it must be declared. If you’retraveling with more than the permitted amount of liquor, you could even bechargeddutyorhaveitconfiscatedwhenyoujusttravelthroughacountrywithit.

Incidentally, jewelry sold in duty-free shops is not necessarily cheaper thanelsewhere.Infact,oftentheoppositeistruebecausetheshopsattheairporthavelittleornocompetition.

Duties, exemptions and restrictions vary depending upon the country. Mostcountriespublishcustomspamphletsyoucanpickupatconsulatesorairports.“Know Before You Go” is a good one for the USA. Also, seewww.cbp.gov/travel/

In the United States, there’s an $800 exemption for items bought for yourpersonaluseprovidedyouhaven’tusedtheexemptionwithinthepreceding30-day period. The goods must accompany you on your return, and your stayabroadmusthavebeenatleast48hours,exceptifyou’rereturningfromMexicoortheU.S.VirginIslands.

Theduty-freeexemptionis$1600foritemsboughtinU.S.Insularpossessions—Guam, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These exemptionamountsaresubjecttochangeandmaybedifferentwhenyoureadthisbook.

Thereisaflatdutyrateof3%onthefirst$1000worthofpurchasesabovethepersonalexemption.Abovethatamount,dutypercentagesarebasedontheitemandthecountryoforiginandmanufacture.Fineart,antiquesover100yearsoldand many items from developing countries may be exempt from tax. Loosegemstones are usually duty free in theUSA.Duty rates can be complex. Forexample,dutypercentagesonwatchesvarydependingonthenumberofjewels,thetypeofcase,theprice,andthetypeofmovementanddisplay.

The personal exemption inAustralia isAUS$900 if you are aged 18 years oroverand$450ifyouareunder18yearsofage.

In Canada, the personal exemption is CAN$800 including liquor and tobaccoallowances.

TheNewZealand accompanied goods exemption isNZ$700 excluding liquorandtobaccoallowances.AGSTtaxisalsolevied.

In theUK,£390 is thepersonalcustomsallowanceongoods fromoutside theEuropeanUnion.Thisexcludestheliquor,tobaccoandperfumeallowance.

ThelastsectionofthischaptertellsyouhowyoucanfindmoredetailedcustomsinformationabouttheseandothercountriesontheInternet.Allexemptionsaresubjecttochange.

U.S.DutyRatesonJewelryandGemsWhenyoushopforgemsabroad,it’shelpfultoknowinadvancehowmuchdutyyou’llhavetopayonthem.InformationaboutU.S.dutiesonjewelryandgemsisavailableinSectionXIV,Chapter71oftheHarmonizedTariffScheduleoftheUnited States International Trade Commission. See www.usitc.gov/. TheHarmonizedTariffScheduleshouldalsobeavailableatyourlocallibrary.

Duties vary depending on the country of origin of the goods. Duty-free orreduced-ratetariffsapplytocountriesclassifiedasGSP(GeneralizedSystemofPreferences)orthathavemadespecialtradeagreementswiththeUnitedStates.GSPcountriesareunderdevelopedcountriesthathavegoodtraderelationswiththeUS.Most countries in SouthAmerica,CentralAmerica,Africa, SoutheastAsia,EasternEuropeandtheMiddleEastareGSPcountries.Japan,Singapore,HongKong,CanadaandWesternEuropearecategorizedasdevelopedcountriesandarenotGSP.

TheU.S. has special trade agreementswithCanada,Mexico and Israelwhichexempts many goods made in these countries from duties. Jewelry is one oftheseduty-freeitems.

If countries do not have Normal Trade Relations (NTR) status with the US,goodsboughtthereareeitherprohibitedorhaveahigherthannormaltariffrate.Asof2014Myanmar(Burma),Cuba,Iran,NorthKoreaandpartsofSudanwerenon-NTRcountries(formerlycallednon-MFN,MostFavoredNation).Keepinmindthatdutyratesandcountryclassificationsarealwayssubjecttochange,sothesetariffsmaybeoutofdatewhenyoureadthem.Updatedinformationaboutnon-NTRandNTRcountriesisavailableatwww.usitc.gov/

For specific information about tariffs andduties, contact your nearest customs

office,which isnormallyatan internationalairportorseaport. In theU.S,youcanfindtheiraddressesandphonenumbersbygoingtowww.cbp.gov/contact.Then click on “Locate a Port of Entry” and next click on the desired port ofentry.Keepclickingonthedesiredlocationsuntilyoureachthewebpagewiththe hours, phone numbers and full address of the customs office. Directinformation from customs is more reliable than what you may hear fromsalespeopleabroad.Somewill tellyouanything toencourageyou tobuy theirproducts.

TipsonAvoidingHassleswithCustoms

Keeparecordofyourpurchasesasyoubuy them. It’s easy to forgetwhatyou’veboughtandhowmuchyou’vepaidforit.Getreceiptswheneverpossibleand keep them in a safe place. For large purchases, it’s a good idea to getduplicatereceiptsthatyoukeepinseparateplaces.

Thenightbeforeyoureturnhome,go throughyour luggageandmakesureallyourpurchasesarewrittendown.Nomatterhowhonestyouare,youcouldbeaccusedofsmugglingifyouforgetsomethingyoubought.

If you travel with jewelry from home, take along a photocopy of thepurchase receipt(s) or appraisal(s). When you return home, it’s yourresponsibilitytoprovetocustomsthatyoudidn’tbuyitabroad.Jewelrycan’tberegisteredwithcustoms,exceptforcertainwatches.Ifyoudon'thavereceiptsorappraisals,photographthejewelrypiece(s)nexttosomethingfoundonlyinyourcountry, such as your car license plate. It’s best, however, not to travel withexpensivejewelryorwatches.

Bytheway,customsofficialsarequiteadeptatusingaloupetodetermineifawatchyou’rewearingisnewornot.

Register expensive items with serial numbers such as cameras and laptopcomputersbeforeyoudepart fromyourhomecountry.Thiscanbedoneat theairport.

Check the customs regulations for your own country and for the countriesyou’llbepassingthroughbeforeyourtrip.

Whentravelingthroughortoanothercountry,reviewinyourmindbeforehand

whereyou’restayingorwhoyou’restayingwith.Thisisacommonquestionasked along borders, but it’s easy to forget the answer. If you don’t come upwithanimmediateresponse,thismaypromptasearchofyourbelongings.

If youplan tobuyantiques, findout inadvancewhatdocumentationandproofyou’llneed.Youmay,forexample,needanexportcertificate.Tobedutyfree,antiquesusuallymustbeatleast100yearsold.Regulationscanvaryfromone country to another. Customs has a right to dispute any certificate youpresent.

Mostimportant,tellthetruth.

WebsitesforCustomsRegulations

YoucannowfindthecustomsregulationsofmostcountriesontheInternet.TheWorldCustomsOrganization(l’OrganisationMondialedesDouanes)providesinformation on customs agencies throughout the world. Its website address iswww.wcoomd.organdithaslinkstothecustomswebsitesofindividualnations:www.wcoomd.org/en/about-us/wco-members/customs-websites.aspxLinksarealsoprovidedbelowforsomeofthecountries:

AUSTRALIA:www.customs.gov.auBOTSWANA:www.burs.org.bw/BRAZIL:www.receita.fazenda.gov.br/CANADA:www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/CHINA:www.customs.gov.cnDUBAI,UnitedArabEmirateswww.dxbcustoms.gov.aeFRANCE:www.douane.gouv.fr/accueilGERMANY:www.zoll.deHONGKONG:www.info.gov.hk/customsINDONESIA:www.beacukai.go.idICELAND:www.tollur.isIRELAND:www.revenue.ieJAPAN:www.customs.go.jp/english/index.htmKOREA:www.customs.go.krMALAYSIA:www.customs.gov.my/MEXICO:www.sat.gob.mx/Paginas/Inicio.aspxMOZAMBIQUE:www.at.gov.mz/NEWZEALAND:www.customs.govt.nzPAKISTAN:www.cbr.gov.pk

RUSSIA:www.russian-customs.orgSINGAPORE:www.customs.gov.sg/topNav/hom/SOUTHAFRICA:www.sars.gov.za/Pages/default.aspxSPAIN:www.agenciatributaria.es/THAILAND:www.customs.go.th/wps/wcm/connect/custen/home/UNITEDKINGDOM:www.hmce.gov.ukwww.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/index.htmUKRAINE:ukraine.visahq.com/customs/USA:www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/know-before-you-go

Index

AAJade85-87agate30,58-62akoyapearls148,151,156alexandrite22,41,46-51alloys166,176almandine70-72,76amazonite29,95,96amber158-162,184amethyst51-53,56ametrine52,53ammolite56-58andradite72,75,78anthillgarnet71appraisalfees219-221appraisals211-222,223aquamarine65-67,69assembledstones43,44,86,100,103aventurinefeldspar86,96azurmalachite92

BBJade86,87beryl41,65-69berylliumtreatment32,33,111,113bicolortourmaline125bixbite68blackonyx30,63,64blackopal24,98-101,103blisterpearls156bloodstone61bluechalcedony60,62blueopal97,99boulderopal98,100,103-105brilliantcut19

CCJade86,87carnelian26,60,61,63cat’s-eye46,48-51,53,127cavityfilling28,113chalcedony59-63,65choosingajeweler199-203choosinganappraiser211-218chromepyrope71chrometourmaline124chrysoberyl46-51chrysocolla62chrysoprase60,62citrine51-53claritygrades139clarity-enhanceddiamond190,193clarity-enhancedemerald193clarity-enhancedruby193coating42cobaltspinel116color-changegarnet76,77commonopal97,98compositeruby29,45compositestone40,44copal159,160coral161-163corundum107-113crystalopal98

cultured147-157,187cupriantourmaline122,124,126custommade196-198customs237-245cutquality15,16,135-137cuttingstyle17-19

DDJade87demantoid72,73,184diamonds28,31,37,41,42,135-146diffusion31,33,34,111,120doublet103duty-freegoods238dyeing23,30,85

Eemerald28,37,40,41,44,65-69

Ffeldspar31,93-97fineness166-170,175fireagate60,62fireopal98,99,101,104foilbacking40,43fracturefilling23,35fracture-filleddiamonds145,191freshwaterpearls150-152,156FTIR87,129

Ggarnet70-78gemlabdocuments223-236gemsources182-189Gemprint146glassfillings27-29glass-filledruby27-29,108gold166,167,169,171-177goldelectroplate173goldfilled173goldoverlay173grandite78greenberyl66,69greenquartz51,53greensapphire107,133,194grossular74,75,78

Hheliodor68,70herkimerdiamond194hessonite75HPHTtreatment28,37,142,143hybridruby29

Iicejade81,83Imperialjade80imperialtopaz120impregnation29,30,86,87indicolite126iolite77,79irradiation30,37,51,111,120,138,152ivory163-165

Jjade29,30,36,80-88jadeite30,80-88jasper63,64Jeweler’sVigilanceCommittee208jewelrycraftsmanship177-181

Kkarat166,167,174,176kunzite89,90

Llabreports223-236labradorite93,94,96lab-grown39-45lapislazuli90-92laserdrilling34,35leadglass-filledruby27-29,36,38,108luster147,148

Mmabepearls156magnesite129,130malachite92-94malaiagarnet74,76maligarnet70,78matrixopal100,105minttourmaline124misnomers194,195Montanaagate58,59moonstone93,94,96morganite67,68,70mossagate59mounting177-181multicoloredtourmaline126

Nnacre147-158naturalpearls152,154nephrite80-87

Ooiling26,37,111,113onyx63,64opal24,25,30,41-44,97-105

Ppadparadscha110,184palladium166,169,171Paraibatourmaline122-124,127pearl42,50,147-158peridot105,106picturejasper63pinktourmaline31,125platinum40,41,166,168,172-176play-of-color24,25,97-99,101,103polymerimpregnation86potch97,103prasiolite53prongsetting179pyrope70,71,76

Qquartz,51-59,64quenchcrackling43

Rredberyl68redtourmaline125rhodolite73,76rockcrystal53,55,64rosequartz52,54,56rubellite125ruby25-29,37,41-45,48,107-114rutilatedquartz54,55

Ssaltwaterpearls150-152,156sapphire22-29,31,40,41,44,45,107-114sard63sardonyx63Seafoamtourmaline124setting179-181silver170,171,173-176slocumstone104smokyquartz31,55,56SouthSeapearls150,151,153,156,157spectrolite93,94spessartine72,73spinel22,25,41,114-116spodumene89starruby111starsapphire24,111,185sterlingsilver171,173,174sunstone95,96surfacediffusion120synthetic39-43

Ttanzanite14-17,21,22,26,116-118,172tiger’s-eye55topaz30,31,53,119-121tourmalinatedquartz54,55tourmaline31,48,54,121-127trademark175transparency23,83,142treatments26-38,142,143triplet103tsavorite75,182,183turquoise29,30,36,41,128-131

Vvermeil174

Wwatersapphire79,195watermelontourmaline126

Yyellowberyl65,68yellowsapphire31,44

ZZandrite50zircon36,131-134zoisite116-118

OtherBooksbyRenéeNewmanDiamondHandbook

APracticalGuidetoDiamondEvaluation,2ndEditionDiamondRingBuyingGuide

HowtoEvaluate,IdentifyandSelectDiamonds&DiamondJewelry,7thEditionGemstoneBuyingGuide

Howtoevaluate,identify,selectandcareforcoloredgems2ndEditionExoticGems:Volume1

HowtoIdentifyandBuyTanzanite,Ammolite,Rhodochrosite,Zultanite,Sunstone,Moonstone&OtherFeldsparsExoticGems:Volume2

HowtoIdentifyandBuyAlexandrite,Andalusite,ChrysoberylCat’s-eye,Kyanite,CommonOpal,FireOpal,DinosaurGembone,Tsavorite,Rhodolite&

OtherGarnetsExoticGems:Volume3HowtoIdentify.Evaluate,SelectandCarefor

MatrixOpal,FireAgate,BlueChalcedony,RubelliteIndicolite,ParaibaandOtherTourmalines

Gold,Platinum,PalladiumSilver&OtherJewelryMetalsHowtoTest,Select&CareforThem

JewelryHandbookHowtoSelect,Wear&CareforJewelry

PearlBuyingGuideHowtoIdentifyandEvaluatePearls&PearlJewelry

5thEdition

RareGemstones

HowtoIdentify,EvaluateandCareforUnusualGems

Ruby,Sapphire,andEmeraldBuyingGuideHowtoIdentify,Evaluate&SelecttheseGems

3rdEdition

OsteoporosisPreventionAProactiveApproachtoStrongBones&GoodHealth