shape
carat
color
clarity

Timeline of sapphire treatments

Niel

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 23, 2012
Messages
20,044
I found a sapphire I'm considering purchasing. It's in a setting from the early 80s. It does not come with a gembrief to help me with treatment.

What kind of treatment could I expect from a stone from the early 80s.

I understand it could have been replaced, and it could by synthetic, but assuming it is original to the setting, what could I expect?

Could I get a gembrief done in a 14day return period. Is something above heat treatment something a jeweler can recognize on their own?
 

lilmosun

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 30, 2014
Messages
2,394
I have been told that a gemologist, who knows what they are looking for, can tell with reasonable certainty that a sapphire is natural/unheated based on the presence of intact rutile inclusions...heating does something to them.
 

Niel

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 23, 2012
Messages
20,044
lilmosun|1466379231|4045786 said:
I have been told that a gemologist, who knows what they are looking for, can tell with reasonable certainty that a sapphire is natural/unheated based on the presence of intact rutile inclusions...heating does something to them.

But I'm saying besides heat
 

lilmosun

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 30, 2014
Messages
2,394
Oops sorry - I am not very knowledgable on sapphires myself (or any other stones really) but I just searched and GIA has an article on gemstone treatments in the 1980's...can't seem to provide a direct link to the pdf...but if you search on "GEMSTONE ENHANCEMENT AND ITS DETECTION IN THE 1980s" it will come up.

Also found this in another GIA article that suggests diffusion might not be a concern for a 1980's stone:
Corundum (ruby and sapphire) – while experimentation during the 1980s concentrated on diffusion of titanium and chromium (which are coloring agents in corundum), the ability to fully penetrate the stone with color met with little success. In 2003, very strongly colored sapphires began to appear in the market, and diffusion was again suspected. It was found that it was diffusion — but of a new element: beryllium.


The couple of times, I've sent something to AGL, it's taken 2 weeks and that doesn't include shipping time. They have a rush service but it requires getting a prestige report and costs twice as much. My guess is a local reputable lab should be able to tell.
 

Niel

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 23, 2012
Messages
20,044
Don't apologize I thought I had mentioned "besides heat" but I guess I just thought I did lol
 

cm366

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 5, 2011
Messages
434
Surface diffusion's certainly been around that long, and heat, dye and oiling have been around for centuries. I don't know if there's benefit in irradiating corundum, but I'm sure someone would've tried by then. And as you mention, I believe all the presently available synthetics had hit the market by then. I suspect the only common treatment you could really be confident WASN'T present was beryllium diffusion, and maaaaybe glass filling - though the technology for the latter was certainly present.
 

arkieb1

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
May 11, 2012
Messages
9,786
If you are asking if it's be BE treated they generally did this after the 80s and it's more common in yellows, oranges and pinks and less common in blues according to two leading stone people I asked a similar question of ages ago.

So I'd say it would be either heat only or unheated.
 

minousbijoux

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 5, 2010
Messages
12,804
Just make sure that its not a synthetic or that while the setting may be from the 80's, the stone hasn't been switched out at some later date to one which has been diffused.
 

Niel

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 23, 2012
Messages
20,044
minousbijoux|1466439651|4045938 said:
Just make sure that its not a synthetic or that while the setting may be from the 80's, the stone hasn't been switched out at some later date to one which has been diffused.
I know that's why I prefaced with that in my OP. But I appreciate the comment. I have ways of determining that, in my mind, so I'm focusing on treatment assuming it is original to the ring. ::)
 

minousbijoux

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 5, 2010
Messages
12,804
Niel|1466440163|4045942 said:
minousbijoux|1466439651|4045938 said:
Just make sure that its not a synthetic or that while the setting may be from the 80's, the stone hasn't been switched out at some later date to one which has been diffused.
I know that's why I prefaced with that in my OP. But I appreciate the comment. I have ways of determining that, in my mind, so I'm focusing on treatment assuming it is original to the ring. ::)

Ha! That's what I get for not reading it closely!
 

Niel

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 23, 2012
Messages
20,044
minousbijoux|1466444870|4045967 said:
Niel|1466440163|4045942 said:
minousbijoux|1466439651|4045938 said:
Just make sure that its not a synthetic or that while the setting may be from the 80's, the stone hasn't been switched out at some later date to one which has been diffused.
I know that's why I prefaced with that in my OP. But I appreciate the comment. I have ways of determining that, in my mind, so I'm focusing on treatment assuming it is original to the ring. ::)

Ha! That's what I get for not reading it closely!
Haha happens to the best of us
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
38,364
Perhaps surface diffusion might have been present around that time. That's easy enough to detect though, if the GG knows his stuff.
 
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Top