What is a "Trap Cut" Stone?

[TooMuchInformation]

Quick question, just sitting down for dinner with the parents, so I can''t hang out for too long and explain this in detail, but my main question is this:

What is a "trap cut emerald"? (This is how it''s written on the appraisal:

"1x1.25 ct Rectangular Emerald / Trap Cut Emerald, Colour Bright Green/Good, Clarity Medium. The stone measure approx., 7.22mm X 5.81mm X 4.53mm.

Much appreciated! More info coming after dinner.

 

[mogok]

Hello,

Well "Trap cut emerald" sound to me to be possibly: "Trapiche cut emerald" in a short way.

Here is a fine example of these little wonders, note that the sample I present to you is not emerald cut as the one you are speaking about looks to be.
Emerald cut is not a common way to cut trapiche emerald...

All the best

 

[TooMuchInformation]

Well, it looks almost like a "real" emerald top with a glass bottom starting just below the girdle. Wondering if this is a legitimate way to describe a large emerald cut top with a non-emerald extension.

I had a look at it under the loupe, and although I have no idea what I'm doing, it looked to me as though there might have been a quality emerald at the top, as the girdle / crown / table portion of the stone, and then a clear stone at the bottom, which was much more visible after washing it.

 

[TooMuchInformation]

Hrm. Googling shows that this might be the same thing as a "step" cut, (which is for the most part obvious). I'll chat about this more later, as I feel somewhat bad for blurting out "fake" when talking about one of the rings that my father purchased for my mother.

More on this whole scenario later.

 

[mogok]

Well What you are describing has nothing to do with a trapiche emerald!

Your stone looks to be a "trap" emerald which means that it looks to be what we call a doublet or a triplet.

Triplets were common imitations of emeralds: They were done usualy with colorless to light colored beryl for the crown and pavillon parts and in the middle there is a colored cement. (It can also be some quartz, glass, synthetic instead of the beryl especially in the pavillon part of the triplet)
If this is the case immerse the stone in a liquid like water of alcool and look the stone through the girdle, as water or alcool refractive index is closer to the one of emerald the light penetrate the stone with less reflections. This is the way to analyse the disposition of color in gemstone... (usueful when you are buying sapphires by the way)

Now you can also have a doublet (much more rare) with a top made from light colored or colorless beryl and the pavillon made with any green staff (glass, synthetic spinel or emerald...Whatever!)

Have also a look under immersion in water or alcool!

All the best with this sad story...

 

[TooMuchInformation]

Yes, though the terminology escaped me at the time, this is very likely what it was that I saw; a "doublet".

Why on earth would an appraiser not make this more clear on the documentation than to say it's a trap-cut emerald? I can't even find a relationship anywhere online that puts trap-cut to doublet or triplet.

I had found that elsewhere "trap-cut" referred to the rectangular emerald cut, or step cut, which leads me to believe that the gentleman that appraised this stone might not have known that it was a "fake", though I would have assumed that the top of it would have been real emerald (wouldn't he have at least looked at it through one of the emerald-identifying filters?).

I'll have a more elabortate post on this whole bit in the future, it was quite the ordeal this evening!

The appraiser is a GIA GG, though only charges $30 for the appraisal (which is done through a B&M store, who passes it onto him for the work).

 

[mogok]

Well Lets see what can be a "trap":

The noun "trap" has 8 senses in WordNet.

1. trap -- (a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned)
2. trap -- (drain consisting of a U-shaped section of drainpipe that holds liquid and so prevents a return flow of sewer gas)
3. trap, snare -- (something (often something deceptively attractive) that catches you unawares; "the exam was full of trap questions"; "it was all a snare and delusion")
4. trap -- (a device to hurl clay pigeons into the air for trapshooters)
5. ambush, ambuscade, lying in wait, trap -- (the act of concealing yourself and lying in wait to attack by surprise)
6. trap, cakehole, hole, maw, yap, gob -- (informal terms for the mouth)
7. trap -- (a light two-wheeled carriage)
8. bunker, sand trap, trap -- (a hazard on a golf course
I would add the following:
9. "trap" short word to say "trapiche"

As definition number 9 does looks to fit, I think that definition 1 or 5 fit quite well to the concept of a "trap emerald": it looks like an emerald but its a doublet...

Its bad... Very bad...

About G.G. well I will tell you a story:

I'm myself a G.G. when with my brand new diploma from GIA I began to seach for a job in a gemstone business company in Bangkok, I was told by the first guy I presented my resume:
"Yes, I see: You are a G.G.... My wife too! But this is not a reason for me to take her in my company..."
I was shocked!
Then he asked me:
"Seriously what can you do for me better than I do?"
...

Whatever G.G. are Graduate Gemologists, it means that they have learn about gemstone identification following the cursus of the Gemological Institute of America, It does not mean that they are good gemstone appraisals, it does not mean also that they know everything about gemstones: You cannot become an expert on ruby, sapphires, opals, diamonds, emeralds,... in 6 months: It takes years... Becoming gemologist is jsut the first step... I say to my gemology students here in Bangkok that becoming a gemologist is like learning how to read!
A Gemologist that dont practice will become same the wife of the Bangkok boss I told you: Somebody with a culture about gemstones but not a professionnal. Gemology is one of these few domains in which a lot of experience is really needed in order to give appraisals. But I've to day that in GIA the first thing that every studient had to do when looking at a new stone was checking if this stone is or is not a doublet... This is the very basic I was teached there... Your G.G. looks to have forgotten his basics.
Whatever eveybody have made, can make and will make mistakes...

All that to tell you that I dont know what to say. I just feel very sad for what looks to happen to you if your stone is finaly not the emerald you were dreaming about but a doublet...

May I ask you what is the weight of this stone and the price paid for it?

 

[valeria101]

Good Grief!

What IS in that picture? Don't tell me that's as big as a wallnut! The last time I saw a trapiche emerald anywhere near that quality (and about 20cts) it was worth a small business

Oh, and about the "TRAP" question: is simply means "step cut". No idea wether this is an older term or what, but I had to clarify this once while ordering an "emerald cut" stone, so that I do not get a "trapezoid" instead of a rectangle. The final "translation" was "rectangular, step cut" so no confusion remained. The "trap" word is also a short form to name that shape of diamonds used as side stones too.

 

[mogok]

Hello AnA,

Thanks for the clarification about the "trap" cut. I've never heard about that before in France or in South East Asia!
About the trapiche emerald on my photo, the stone belongs to one of my friend and its not the same size as a walnut! Its if I remember well a stone around 3 carats... I was lucky to hold it last summer in Nice (France) when I passed to visit him in his place in order to speak about stones and share a good french style lunch on a lovely restaurant near the sea side...

All the best,

 

[TooMuchInformation]

"May I ask you what is the weight of this stone and the price paid for it?"

The papers list the stone as a 1.25 carat stone (though given that it's set, that's probably estimated). I'll have to ask my father what he paid for it, though I'm sure he got a "great deal" on it, given that he probably got it in a small market in somewhere in South America.

My mother has a *lot* of jewelry that my father brings home for her from South America (and before that in places like Yemen and Saudi Arabia). I myself have a puzzle ring from Yemen. Though I'm sure a lot of her jewelry is genuine, I'm fairly sure the ring that I looked at yesterday was a doublet!

Thanks very much for your help and comments. Actually, I totally understand the bit about being a GG and still requireing a bunch of experience! I think the gentleman who did the appraisal has about 20 years of experience, but he only charges $30 CDN for an appraisal. This to me could mean a few things (in my order of believability):

- He does the appraisals quickly, and probably "missed" this dupe (if indeed it is one).
- He doesn't report "fakes" to customers in order to keep them "happy", and continue getting business.
- He's just no good.

Who knows!

Maybe *I'm* wrong (though I can't see how I could be?!)