Buying Treated Gemstones?

[mirre]

Hello,

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I can't seem to find the answer.

Is it ok to buy heat treated gemstones? (or any other treatments)

More information on this is:
I just had an idea that I want to see if I can get a custom piece done by a local jeweler. I know they could probably get the stones for me but I was just wondering that way if I wanted to look around online for the stones for better pricing I would kind of have an idea of what to look for and what not. I was thinking of maybe some pink stone, maybe a sapphire (I'm not sure what other pink stones there are other than diamonds which would cost more than I would like) so any other pink stone suggestions would be welcomed as well. The stones would probably need to be really tiny, I haven't even talked to a jeweler about it so I don't know how small exactly (maybe 1mm or even less), so I don't know if treatments would really matter at that size or clarity really?

I'm just trying to learn a few things about gemstones and colored stones , so I am sorry if I have asked the wrong questions.

Thanks to you all!

 

[Treenbean]

Hi
You can find small sapphire melee. It's up to you if you mind treatments. Natural stones will always be worth more, but at the size you need, you won't be emptying the ole bank account so it's up to you. Spinels come in really nice pinks and are very durable, like sapphire. Pink tourmalines are beautiful too but aren't very durable.

Hope this helped.

 

[T L]

It's okay to buy treated gemstones if

1) All treatments are disclosed
2) The treatment is permanent and safe (coating, for example can scratch off, and some irradiated gems have residual radioactivity), and doesn't dramatically affect the durability of the gem.
3) You are paying a fair price. With all things being equal- size, color, cut, clarity, gem species - a treated stone will be less money than it's equivalent non-treated counterpart, and depending on the type of treatment, it can be SIGNIFICANTLY less money.


As a side note to anyone reading this, some treatments are just not detectable, as in irradiated tourmaline, and in that case, if you don't like treated stones, I would stay away from those gems. I don't care if the source states they're untreated. Unless they dug them out of the ground themselves, there is no way to be 100% certain.

If you are shopping for a treated gem, try to pick one gem species you're interested in, and learn as much as you can on the treatments, and the cost of such a gem, next to it's untreated counterpart. For example, a be-diffused sapphire with Kashmir color would be maybe $100/ct, and the non-treated stone could be tens of thousands a carat, so it's imperative to learn as much as you can about treatments. Treatment can include one or more of the following, heating, clarity enhancement with fillers like lead glass, or resin, coating, irradiation, diffusing with chemicals to alter the color. Treatment of gemstones is a huge business, and they're always coming up with various ways to improve the appearance of gems in various ways, so there could be other treatments I don't know about.

 

[mirre]

Thank you both for your replies, they helped a lot.

 

[Pandora II]

If you're buying melee you are much better getting your jeweller to source them for you - they will almost certainly get a better price.

 

[chrono]

Sounds like you are looking for a parcel of pink melee stones. Your best bet is pink sapphire or pink spinel since it’s for a ring. For something that small, I wouldn’t sweat it if it’s treated but they are more likely to be beryllium diffused if the colour is “hot”. Whether you mind it or not depends on you. At least the treatment (heat and diffusion) are permanent and stable. I would leave sourcing coloured stone melees to your jeweler. He/she will most likely get them from Stuller and at a better price than most people are able to find on their own.

 

[T L]

Sounds like you are looking for a parcel of pink melee stones. Your best bet is pink sapphire or pink spinel since it’s for a ring. For something that small, I wouldn’t sweat it if it’s treated but they are more likely to be beryllium diffused if the colour is “hot”. Whether you mind it or not depends on you. At least the treatment (heat and diffusion) are permanent and stable. I would leave sourcing coloured stone melees to your jeweler. He/she will most likely get them from Stuller and at a better price than most people are able to find on their own.

Rio Grande also sells melee for very inexpensive prices if you want to go that route.

 

[soberguy]

I have bought several times from this dealer, and have always been please. Their prices have bested the local jeweler every single time.

http://www.israel-diamonds.com/Calibrated/Sapphires/Pink/Round.aspx

 

[T L]

I suspect a local jeweler will try to charge you more, but I think the labor involved in setting the melee will be more expensive than the melee itself (if you buy the melee yourself).