Treated

January 16, 2004 - The International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) has just issued an ICA Lab Alert summarizing the latest gemological findings regarding suspicious treated blue sapphires from Sri Lanka.

Treated Turquoise - ready to mount on your finger
As Turquoise is more of a legend than of a simple gemstone, we start here with a myth, which the Zuni used to believe.

Treated stones are gemstones that have been treated or enhanced by man through artificial means in order to improve their color or clarity.

Treated Turquoise: A process by which the pores of the turquoise stone are filled with a transparent substance such as mineral oil, paraffin wax, or plastic to improve the color and make it more desirable.

TREATED GEMS - A general term used to described gemstones that have been artificially modified to improve their color or clarity.

Treated: Diamonds that have been artificially modified to improve their color or clarity.

Treated stone A stone that has been heated, dyed, irradiated, or stained in order to improve the color or the clarity. Also pertains to gems that have their cracks or fractures concealed by filling the material.

Treated
The original, natural colors of many precious stones can be altered artificially. Irregular or unattractive nuances of color can be improved by heating the gems to a temperature of several hundred degrees Celsius.

Untreated vs. Treated (A Quick Introduction)
The Natural Sapphire Company is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and availability of fine untreated sapphires.

Heat Treated Gem Material from Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has a two thousand year history of heating their rubies to enhance the reddish-pink color, and remove any bluish or purplish hues.

Oil Treated:
Treatment usually used on emeralds to prevent numerous inclusions from detracting from the beauty of the stone. Often used on opal to prevent cracking.
Orient: ...

HEAT TREATED or TREATMENT
The application of heat to precious stones and minerals to change their physical or chemical properties,, usually with a view to changing colours or improving clarity or hardness.

[Heat treated zircons: golden, blue, white zircon used as a diamond simulant]

[Metamict green zircon, cat'seye zircon], ...

Treated Gemstones
A number of techniques are used to improve the color and appearance of natural and synthetic gemstones. Gemstone's beauty is enhanced, to increase the desirability and demand of the gemstone.

Treated goods have become an essential part of the jewelry trade. Consumers need them in order to meet their increased demand and the miner needs them to make a consistant living.

Treated, Treatment
Ignoring the fact that cutting and polishing of rough diamonds is a form of treatment, this usually refers to diamonds which have been processed in some way to enhance their colour or clarity.

Treated Diamond
A diamond with a bodycolor induced by some form of artificial irradiation, often in conjunction with controlled heating (known as annealing).

Treated Diamond
Any diamond that has been lasered, filled, coated or bombarded in a reactor to change the color or improve the appearance of the stone.
Trillion ...

TREATED DIAMOND - A diamond that has been irradiated, neutron-treated, cyclontroned, electroned, exposed to radiation (radium bromide), or given any other modern treatment.

Treated (altered) diamond: A diamond that has been coated, laser drilled, filled or otherwise treated to improve or alter its color or appearance.
V Top ...

Treated Diamond
A treated diamond is a diamond that has been altered by man to improve the stone other than cutting, polishing and cleaning. These treatments include irradiation, coating, laser drilling, filling, and chemical treatment.
Trigon ...

If treated carefully, the gold jewelry item you purchase today could last a lifetime and might even be handed down to future generations. So here are some tips that will help preserve the beauty of your gold jewelry.

If untreated, an energy disruption can deepen into a chronic blockage that prevents universal healing and balancing energy from flowing. This can lead to emotional and physical imbalances.

Some treated stones (particularly the expensive reds, pinks, violets and deep oranges, but not blue) are known to fade with prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.

Whether treated or not, may fade with prolonged exposure to light or heat
Ametrine, translucent blue (aka 'blue moon'), green (aka 'prase' or 'prasiolite')
H/L ...

DIFFUSION TREATED
Diffusion treated stones are color-enhanced (not naturally colored) stones. The diffusion process only colors the outer surface of the stone, so chipping or repolishing will result in a loss of color.

Diffusion-treated stones generally remain stable when exposed to heat. However, any ruby or sapphire exposed to this treatment will now have a surface color different from that of the interior.

Natural, untreated turquoise with a bright luster and deep, blue homogenous colour - and no matrix veining is also highly collectible. The same holds true with turquoise that has known provenance.

Do you sell treated or enhanced gems? How about synthetic ones?
What makes 18K gold more valuable than 14K?
What is white gold?

Rarely heat-treated to improve color
Andalusite
Avoid chemicals, steam and ultrasonic cleaning ...

Diffusion Treated
Diffusion Treated is stones that have had their colors altered or enhanced.
Dog Collar
Dog Collar is a tight fitting necklace like a choker.

[U] Diffusion treated.
one of a kind
excellent 6 rayed star.
Blue Star Sapphire$ 1,049.99 ...

Natural and/or treated materials may fade-avoid strong light, ultrasonic
Same as above
Lapis Lazuli
E or W ...

heat treated describes a mineral or gem put under intense heat to enhance color or remove flaws. hemimorphic describes doubly terminated crystal with two differently shaped ends.

5. What About Treated or Altered Gemstones?
Is It Imortant to Know About Treated and Altered Gemstones?

Natural versus Treated:
Angara only carries natural color diamonds.

All blue topaz is treated this way -
the vivid blue colors popular now
do not occur naturally, so clear
or very light blue material is exposed
to gamma treatment and then heated
to produce the Swiss, London Blue
and other popular shades. Most of the ...

Tanzanites are heat-treated to produce colors that include light to dark violetish blue and bluish purple, as well as pure blue. Rich, deep hues are valued most, but you'll usually see these only in stones weighing 5 cts. or more.

Amazonite has a soft rating of 5 to 6 on the Mohs Scale and is easily fractured if treated roughly. The gemstone is said to aid in building new business, inspire hope and self confidence, and for some fortunate parents, motivate lazy teenagers.

Ammolite has a hardness of about 4 (it is very brittle before it is treated) and a specific gravity of 2.8.

Some opals are treated with oil, wax or resin to enhance their finish. Opals have a hardness of 5.5 to 6.5 and a specific gravity of 1.98-2.50.

5 - Treatment: usually heat treated - Color: Light to dark reddish brown/orange (See also Chalcedony) is also called cornelian. This translucent, reddish orange variety of chalcedony was once thought to still the blood and calm the temper.

Very similar to agate, and treated agate is often sold as black onyx. Onyx may be brown, white, grey, or black.
Opal ...

It is considerably softer than quartz and thus is usually treated in some way for stability. It occurs naturally in shades ranging from sky blue to grey-green, usually in locations where copper is hidden in the soil in high concentrations.

Usually fatal if untreated.
Requires hospital admission for treatment with intravenous antibiotics.
A very uncommon complication of piercing.
Septum: Usually refers to a piercing passing through the nasal septum.

Stabilized TurquoiseA process by which the stone is treated by various methods to reduce the porosity, thus making less changeable. Sterling Silver925 parts silver, legal standard.

Anyone purchasing a diamond must also know that many diamonds today are not treated just for color-enhancement, but also for clarity enhancement.

Approximately 99% of all emeralds are treated. Similar to the heating of ruby and sapphire, this is perfectly acceptable. Emeralds have been oiled for centuries. Treatment is only possible when inclusions break the surface.

The application of most concern to the general public is probably that of wood which has been treated with chromated copper arsenate ("CCA", or "Tanalith", and the vast majority of older "pressure treated" wood).

1 out of every 3 diamonds sold in the United States has been treated to some degree, including doublets, coating, and irradiation.

Another question to ask: has the emerald been treated or enhanced? For example, emeralds have long been treated with color-less oils such as linseed or cedarwood oils to soften the visible effect of the inclusions.

It may be that the company purchased the stones already treated from another source and not being aware of the treatment had not detected it.

Almost all the sapphires in the world are heat treated to improve the clarity and color of the gemstone. The heat treatment is a common practice and is an accepted process worldwide.

Genuine Star Rubies are usually not heat treated because heating can dissolve the rutile (silk) which causes the star to form in the first place.
Beware of Synthetic (Lab-made) Star Rubies! Synthetic star rubies jump out as way too perfect looking, i.

All precious metals need to be treated with respect, as they will scratch (even platinum).

Genuine, untreated coral is very rare and therefore very valuable. It is extremely delicate, its hardness measuring at approximately 3.5-4 on the Mohs scale.

Because of turquoise's properties, it is often treated to stabilize the color. It's important to be aware of exactly what you are purchasing. ‘Natural' turquoise has had no treatment at all, and is seldom suited to being made into jewelry.

Much of the citrine on the market today is actually heat-treated amethyst. Natural citrine is not common and occurs in paler hues than the heat-treated material.

Sapphire treated by diffusion is far less costly and much more available than rare fine untreated gems or those successfully heat-treated. Diffused sapphire is available in shades of orange, pinkish orange, yellow, and sometimes even blue.

Diamonds of poor color are occasionally "painted"; often the back of the brilliant is treated with a violet dyestuff, which even in so small an amount that it is difficult to detect, ...

See also: Stone, Color, Gemstone, Jewel, Natural