Gemstones Don't Always Come Out Pretty
Bet you didn't know that a lot of gemstones aren't just cut & polished before they get to you. Many of the stones are treated in some way. Treatments can include coatings, radiation, heating, waxing, oiling or dyes. This article includes a short description of various treatments.
Stabilization
The majority of turquoise sold in the U.S. has been stabilized with resins because turquoise is a very fragile stone. Emeralds are starting to be treating in this manner instead of oiling.
Oiling / Waxing
Some gemstones have natural cracks. These gemstones can be coated with wax or oil to improve the appearance of the stone. Turquoise and emeralds are two stones that have been treated with these techniques. Extra care needs to be taken with oiled stones as household cleaners can diminish the beauty of the stones over time.
Radiation
Yes, some stones are treated to a dose of radiation to change the color. Blue topaz and some quartz are exposed to radiation. Gemstones are exposed to some amounts of radiation in their natural environment so this treatment just helps some of them along.
Heat
Lots of gemstones are treated in some manner with heat to get a more pleasing color. Some of these stones are: aquamarine, citrine, ruby, sapphire, tanzanite, and topaz. Gemstones are placed in a kiln that is maintained at a certain temperature for a period of time to attain the desired color. Gemstones are exposed to heat in their natural environment and this extra heat treatment just helps out the ones that got left behind. Heat treated stones are said to have a red tint to them.
Coatings
In recent times chemical coatings have been used on some gemstones. These coatings are not permanent and can be scratched off.
Dyes
Some stones are dyed to give a greater variety of color such as with fresh water pearls, or to improve the natural color. Some of our designs include dyed stones like turquoise, garnet & lapis. If you purchase loose beads for jewelry making you may wish to rinse them in water with a light colored container if you have doubts about them being dyed or not. The light colored container will let you see that any residual dye has rinsed away.
Bleaching
Sometimes pearls and coral are bleached to make the stones match more evenly.
It is not a bad thing to have a piece of gemstone jewelry that has been treated in some manner. Not everyone you buy from will be able to tell you if the stones have been treated because they simply do not know. This is something for you to be aware of as you purchase jewelry or gemstones to make jewelry.Some Informative Links About Jewelry & Gemstones
