Radiotherapy equipment used to temporarily enhance ruby color (SSEF news)

[demantoidz]

I posted this in another thread but most will probably not see it, so here's a PSA that you may want to request a color fading test on rubies now as well, especially if they are from Mozambique. The gist:

"As is known in the gem trade, the colour of certain gems may change when exposed to sunlight over a longer period of time...

In light of information gathered over the past few months, we have now added rubies to this colour stability testing protocol, specifically but not limited to rubies originating from Mozambique. The reason is that we have information from several reliable sources that a number of Mozambique rubies (e.g. of slightly purplish red tint) have been treated by a small number of individuals in the past months using cancer radiotherapy equipment. The treatment can induce a colour centre that results in a shift to a more attractive red hue, which is however not considered stable."

More here: https://www.ssef.ch/new-additional-test-at-ssef-for-the-colour-stability-of-rubies/

I hope a more in depth study will be conducted if they get access to these rubies.

 

[T L]

Another reason I won’t ever buy a ruby. Ugh!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I don't even like red
But this makes me just sad and a little mad

 

[demantoidz]

First look at the effect of radiation treatment on rubies.

RICHA: gems, diamonds & jewels on Instagram: "This post is about an UNSTABLE treatment being done on RUBIES & is based on a cautionary note published by Vincent Pardieu • VP Consulting, Ken Scarratt • ICA | GemLab, & Richard Hughes • Lotus Gemology o

729 likes, 93 comments - richagoyalsikri on March 3, 2022: "This post is about an UNSTABLE treatment being done on RUBIES & is based on a cautionary note published by Vincent Pardieu • VP Consult...".

www.instagram.com

 

[minousbijoux]

Just - WHY?!! Ugh. So you can dupe someone? There cannot reasonably be any other purpose for something that is so temporary.

 

[demantoidz]

Some interesting nuggets of information in the comments of that post by director of a lab called GGTL Laboratories Liechtenstein, Dr. Thomas Hainschwang. He implies this has been known, at least in a lab environment (maybe not in the 'wild'), for much longer than a few months.

'you can irradiate any corundum, no matter how included. We have done this on a kind of colors and last year on rubies. The change of color is subtle but present, and the treatment can be detected by UV Vis NIR spectroscopy'

'and obviously the treatment is unstable to intense light. We have treated stones with high doses of neutrons years back, the treatment was surprisingly stable and it needed several hundred degrees Celsius to destroy the color centers....'

 

[E H]

Any update on this?

 

[Autumn in New England]

I got excited when I saw this thread at the top of the CS forum, but alas it is from March. We miss you @demantoidz... come chat for a while!!