It would not be strictly correct to say that BE treatment equals diffusion treatment. Beryllium is just one element that might be diffused into sapphire to change the color or the clarity.Date: 11/26/2009 4:05:50 AM
Author:Kashmira
A true ''newbie question'': Does BE treatment equal diffusion treatment when it comes to sapphires?
Padparadscha sapphires are not diffusion treated. In fact this is one of the first things a gemological lab will check for in certifying a candidate padparadascha. If diffusion treatment is detected a sapphire would not be certified as a genuine pad. Some labs will accept simple heat treatment.
There are some sapphires which have been beryllium diffused to create an orange-pink color, and some unscrupulous dealers have been known to try to pass them off as padparadscha. Any careful buyer would insist on lab certification before paying a typical padparadscha price.
"Bulk diffusion" is just another term for "lattice diffusion".
English is not my native language and I understand that I didn''t express myself clearly. I guess I should have written "padparadscha coloured sapphires" and not "padparadscha sapphires"...Date: 11/26/2009 7:25:21 AM
Author: morecarats
Padparadscha sapphires are not diffusion treated. In fact this is one of the first things a gemological lab will check for in certifying a candidate padparadascha. If diffusion treatment is detected a sapphire would not be certified as a genuine pad. Some labs will accept simple heat treatment.
There are some sapphires which have been beryllium diffused to create an orange-pink color, and some unscrupulous dealers have been known to try to pass them off as padparadscha. Any careful buyer would insist on lab certification before paying a typical padparadscha price.
''Bulk diffusion'' is just another term for ''lattice diffusion''.
Thanks- now I understand better! I for sure do not intend to experiment with this. I am not in the "gem business" (and I don''t like this kind of treatment methods)- I just wanted to learn more!Date: 11/26/2009 8:49:24 AM
Author: morecarats
The gem burners in Thailand who invent these treatments experiment with many different chemicals, temperatures and oxidizing and reducing environments. Their methods tend to be closely guarded secrets. If you are looking for information to produce padparadscha-colored sapphires, you will need to contact somoene like Ted Themelis in Bangkok who offers courses on heat treatment of corundum.
I''ve observed the process but I''m not an expert and have no detailed technical knowledge of the process. Beryllium, a constituent element in some gemstones such as beryl and chrysoberyl, tends to turn weak-colored corundum yellow, depending on the original color. Weakly-colored pink sapphire from Madagascar was typically used to produce the padparadscha-like colors. Most of the BE-treated corundum you''ll see in the market is off-color Songea sapphire from Tanzania that has been colored yellow or orange.
If you plan to experiment with berylliyum diffusion, please be aware that beryllium-containing dusts are toxic if inhaled. Beryllium produces a direct corrosive effect to tissue, and can cause a chronic life-threatening allergic disease called berylliosis in susceptible people. Beryllium is classified as a Category 1 carcinogen, so please be careful with this stuff.