When you go to the store to but a pair of blue jeans, no one tells you that the cotton in them was combed, washed, bleached, dyed with a chemical dye, and spun. Likewise when purchasing oak furniture, you are not told about the bleaching, staining and varnishing of the oak. In both cases you view the cotton, and the oak, as natural, organic products.

So it is with gemstones. Many types of gemstones are treated in some way to enhance their appearance. If this were not the case, you may well not be able to purchase gemstone jewelry for anything less than astronomical prices today. Many of these gemstone enhancements have been practiced for many decades, even centuries. Jewelry trade practices and standards, and popular opinion determine which of these enhancements are acceptable and which are not. Lets look at a few enhancements and gems which are treated.

CUTTING is probably the oldest enhancement, and the most profound in it's effect on the gem's appearance. When a gem is cut and polished it takes on a beauty it did not have in nature. The quality of the cutting has a lot to do with the gem's look. Most gems are cut.

HEATING is another treatment that has been long in practice, Gemstones are heated slowly and cooled even more slowly to enhance their looks. Ruby and Sapphire are virtually always improved in this manner, and it has been around long enough that Grandma's Ruby was probably heated. Heating in Ruby or Sapphire dissolves tiny rutile inclusions, improving the sparkle, and permanently changes the color to some degree. Heating of Amethyst mimics nature and produces the golden yellow stone Citrine. When we have a Citrine, we usually cannot tell if the heat occurred in the ground or in a lab. Blue Zircon also derives it's brilliant blue from heating, likewise Tanzanite.

FILLING... Almost all Emeralds have tiny fissures and fractures inside the stone. It's just part of the nature of this stone. In an attempt to minimize the appearance of these inclusions, mankind fills them with various substances. The oldest and most widely accepted of these is cedarwood oil, however this may evaporate over time leaving you with a stone that appears more fractured. Recent advances have been made with clear epoxy resins and these are beginning to gain acceptance. Virtually all Emeralds today are treated with some kind of filling.

Some fillers in Emerald may dissipate with harsh cleaning, or wear, and will change the appearance of the gemstone. If this should occur, you may want to get the Emerald re-treated.

Ruby and Sapphire sometimes have pits filled with a glass like substance, but this is considered an unacceptable treatment.

IRRADIATION This is a relatively recent development. It was discovered that some gems permanently change color when bombarded by a controlled dose of radiation. This is followed by a cooling down period of several years where the radiation completely dissipates from the stone.

Of the stones we sell, only Blue Topaz is irradiated to produce it's color. There are a couple of points to take note of here:

Both heating and irradiation cause changes in the color of a gemstone. However, the extent of those changes are determined by the stone itself. This means that every Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Topaz cannot be magically transformed into that perfect shade of color we want. We must depend on nature, and then pick the best colors to grace Foxfire's showcases.

Another point concerns radiation. The U.S. government has specific policies, laws, and enforcement officers to protect the public. Irradiated Blue Topaz sold in the USA is subject to inspection and record checks to insure it's safety. Not so the gemstones purchased by consumers abroad. Case in point was a group of gems which recently surfaced in Hong Kong with potentially dangerous radiation levels.

DYING is always considered to be unacceptable in colored gemstones. That Sapphire's blue, that Rubies red, that Emeralds green had better come from nature, and no dyes or colored fillers are allowed.

The only exception is cultured pearls. Both freshwater and saltwater Pearls are routinely bleached to whiteness. then enhanced to a slightly pinkish color. Some are even dyed black.

South Seas Pearls from Australia, Tahiti, Burma, etc. however are virtually never dyed or bleached, but are prized for their natural white , black, or golden colors.

SOME GEMSTONES are not generally enhanced except by cutting. These include Amethyst, Garnet, most Tourmaline, Fire Agate, Opal, Peridot, Iolite, Moonstone, and many other less well known stones. The other stones I mentioned earlier are commonly enhanced in order to bring beautiful gems to the market. It is a normal and universal practice That ensures supply to meet demand.

Foxfire Jewelers has done an article in the newsletter on this subject before, as well as mentioning it whenever possible in our sales presentations. Our brochure for many years has carried the statement that " gemstones enhancement information is available upon request". We made this information available long before the laws started to evolve requiring this disclosure. We did this to be honest and candid about the products we sell, part of the values we feel strongly about.

So our summation is this: Foxfire Jewelers stocks only genuine gemstones, some of which have been enhanced by treatments which are considered permanent, ethical, and acceptable by the jewelry trade. We disclose this freely and honestly, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Other stores may not be so forthcoming in disclosing gem treatments, and may even go so far as to falsely claim that the stones they sell are not enhanced. This may be because of lack of gemological knowledge, or just as a cover-up. Know who you're dealing with and remember you can always get the straight facts from Foxfire Jewelers.

Further questions?Email us at:

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(425)-485-0625.

Foxfire Jewelers
14176 NE Woodinville-Duvall Road
Woodinville, WA 98072

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