Emeralds and Cedar Oil

[Tanzigrrl]

My trusted jeweler said I could soak my emerald overnight in Cedar oil. It's a Columbian emerald, but it's definitely not top quality. I do love the stone. Over time, the clouds have shown up more (I've had it reset recently). Has anyone soaked their emerald in 100% pure Cedar oil before? Does it work?

 

[ChrisA222]

The Oil is supposed to help cover up the surface-reaching fractures in the stone...

Let me know if you do it, and have good results. I may end up going that route with my large Rubellite, as it has two tiny specks on it that reach the surface. I'm going to try to have it recut, but it may end up the same-in which case I was going to try the oiling method...

 

[chrono]

I would not encourage self oiling at home, especially for stones that are already set. Doing so will only affect surface inclusions like miniscule pitting plus you'll end up with an oily ring. Your emerald sounds like it has inclusions that reach quite deep which requires the oiling to be done in a vacumn. It is best to have a specially skilled person handle this.

 

[Justin_Cutter]

Without a vacuum you would need to soak them for days and even then you may not see much improvement unfortunately.

If you are dead set on trying to oil the stones yourself it would be best if you could put the stones in a very deep container filled with ceder oil.

The deeper you put the stones in ceder oil the greater the surface pressure will be on the stones. This will resulting in the oil going deeper into the fractures. I make no guaranty that this will work, but it stands a better chance than just dropping them in a cup of ceder oil.
~Justin

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Without a vacuum you would need to soak them for days and even then you may not see much improvement unfortunately.

If you are dead set on trying to oil the stones yourself it would be best if you could put the stones in a very deep container filled with ceder oil.

The deeper you put the stones in ceder oil the greater the surface pressure will be on the stones. This will resulting in the oil going deeper into the fractures. I make no guaranty that this will work, but it stands a better chance than just dropping them in a cup of ceder oil.
~Justin

Could they use one of those vacuum sealer machines for storing food?

 

[Justin_Cutter]

Could they use one of those vacuum sealer machines for storing food?

I guess that could work maybe..... If the stone was coated with Ceder Oil and then vacuum sealed it may work. This is all hypothetical of course.
I wish I had an Emerald I didn't care about to test some of these theories and report back.
~Justin

 

[PrecisionGem]

You would need many feet of oil to amount to much pressure. The pressure would be around .4 psi per foot depth of oil. Vacuum is 14 psi so to match the effect of a vacuum you would need your oil to be 35 feet deep.

Normally you heat the oil, but first clean the stone. Soak it in rubbing alcohol that has been warmed up to maybe 120 F. Let is soak over night. Then place the stone in the oil and slowly warm the oil to 190 F. Let is soak and cool slowly. Heating the oil thins it, and allows it to penetrate better. There are better, longer lasting treatments for emeralds other than oil.

 

[Justin_Cutter]

Good info! Thanks
~Justin

 

[Roger Dery]

Re: Emeralds and "Cedarwood" Oil

One should come to understand that the "oiling" of Emeralds is not ideally suited to be performed in the home. Historically, many types of oily substances have been used in attempts to increase the clarity in Emeralds (and several other gemstones). One of the oils used primarily in Colombia is actually Cedarwood Oil, not Cedar Oil. It is my understanding after a fair amount of research, that all the Cedarwood Oil on the market for the last ten years is actually synthetically produced.

Cautions:
One should not be exposed to its vapors as it will be an irritant to the eyes. In addition, Cedarwood Oil should not come in contact with the skin as it will cause irritation. If it does, it should be washed immediately with mild detergent for 15 to 20 minutes. Cedarwood Oil should not come in contact with heat, sparks or open flames.

A 1/2 litre bottle of Cedarwood Oil has a cost of roughly $100 in the US. As far as I could find, the 1/2 litre bottle was the smallest that could be found.

 

[minousbijoux]

Roger:

I love it when you post and wish you'd drop by more often. You are succinct and oh so knowledgeable. Thanks for the info and hope you're doing very well. Let us know when you have your next trip planned.

 

[Roger Dery]

Roger:
I love it when you post and wish you'd drop by more often. You are succinct and oh so knowledgeable. Thanks for the info and hope you're doing very well. Let us know when you have your next trip planned.

Hi Minou,
Well actually, we have several planned. We are doing a recon mission in Namibia for 4 days the 1st week of November to scout for new or renewed mining concerns. As you may know, much of the finer Namibian rough goes through German sources. And faceters in the US seldom see it first hand. We'd like to break the chain and create more opportunities for me and other domestic cutters. I worked on-and-off in Namibia from fall '99 thru spring 2011 and so I have a little experience there.

In early December I am planning a trip with a geologist to assist with the resurgence of an older Tsavorite mine in Kenya near the TZ border. This is about a 3 hour drive south of Voi on two-track. If nothing else, should be interesting.

Then, another joint excursion in January with 7 or 8 jewelers covering numerous mining sites in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. The jewelers on the trip are all from stores we work with and we want them to have a first hand view of how things are done. This will allow them to share the uniqueness of what we do, and also share about the conditions and the area's sustainability.

*yes, I have been asked about taking consumers addicted to gemstones on these types of trips. **and no, I'm not ready as it is enough stress planning these excursions with people I already know!

 

[PrecisionGem]

You might want to look at the ExCel process. There's a lab on 47th St. in NYC I have visited for this. This process can hold up in ultrasonic cleaners and even repolishing. Google: Clarity Enhancement Laboratory

 

[chrono]

If you are considering a more permanent and stable treatment, you have the following options:

Gematrat
A very long and time consuming process but is said to not leak or discolour. It contains a tracer that glows blue under UV lighting, which can be viewed either as a negative or positive trait. Stones treated by this method can be cleaned in a US, steamer and supposedly even withstand recutting without damage.

ExCel
This is a newer method than the Gematrat and does not contain the tracer (blue under UV).

Opticon
Not recommended. It is a green coloured plastic treatment that turns yellowish over time.

PermaSafe
This synthetic epoxy reson does not leak, evaporate or discolour. It is supposedly safe for an ultrasonic and steamer.

 

[desertgem]

Is the thought that oiling with a "natural oil" as opposed to synthetic is not enhancement ( as tradition), but the use of synthetic oils, polymers, lead glass, etc. is an enhancement? Would this cause a decrease in the "value" of such an emerald that went from natural oil to enhanced ( such as on an insurance appraisal ) ?

Jim

 

[chrono]

Oiling is still a method of enhancement; emeralds do not come out of the ground oiled. The only difference (I think) is that oiling is almost always done on stones with minor clarity issues while those treated with polymers are usually more clarity challenged. This isn't always true though because I'm sure there are now emeralds with very minor levels of resin fillings, only used because they are easier to care for than traditionally oiled emeralds (not needing retreatment every few years, can be used in US and steamers, etc).

 

[Tanzigrrl]

Against the better judgement of a lot of you, I went ahead and used Cedarwood oil on my emerald. I ordered a small vial of 100% pure Cedarwood oil online and put it in a plastic cup just enough to cover the emerald. I soaked it for an hour and it turned out GREAT!

 

[pregcurious]

Congrats Tanzigirl! Can you tell us where you purchased the cedarwood oil?

 

[Tanzigrrl]

I just did a Google search for Cedarwood oil and it took me to Amazon. I bought a tiny vial of 100% pure Cedarwood oil for less than $10 and it revolutionized the look of my emerald. It's much more transparent looking now. Misty clouds are gone! It's Columbian, but not the best on earth in terms of quality. I like it though, and the Cedarwood oil restored it perfectly. Best do-it-yourself project I've ever done

 

[ChrisA222]

Wow, thats very cool. I'm curious why you only did it for an hour, instead of, say, overnight?

Keep us posted as to how long it lasts. Also, I am assuming this only helps with surface-reaching fractures? It is not like the oil permeates inside the stone, correct?

Here is a pic of my Rubellite. I don't have the stone back yet (Dan recut some material off the table because there were a few specs that did reach the surface) so I am not sure if the stone still has any specks reaching the surface or not. So, if the stone does not have surface reaching specks, would using oil do anything at all?

I find this very interesting! The fact that using $10 worth of oil could improve the looks of my very nice but included stone...

Note: I dont have a pic of just the Rubellite...the Rubellite is the largest stone on the left. The center is a Mali (its much greener in real life) and the stone on the right is a Mozambique purple-pink Tourmaline.

 

[gsellis]

The point is, the oil has a refractive index similar to the emerald. If you fill the gaps with it, they magically disappear. But it will not fill internal fractures.

I have tried a hand vacuum sealer from Wal-Mart with Texas cedar oil and gotten fair results. It worked to a degree (treating an aquamarine and a black beryl). But in Columbia, not only do they put it under a vacuum, they put it under pressure too for better penetration. And they are using material closer to Opticon now more than before.

 

[T L]

I would never mess with an emerald and fill it with oil myself. There are companies that will do this for you, and I think that this vendor can recommend someone. He specializes in emeralds.

http://serenity-diamonds.com/

Most emeralds do require reoiling every so often and never ever ever put them in an ultrasonic cleaner, as it will deplete the emerald of its oil. I think opticon is safe in ultrasonic cleaners, but I still wouldn't put most gemstones in one as they do affect internal inclusions and fractures with emeralds all have.

 

[lizmizu]

Hey Tanzgirl,
How is your emerald doing after treatment? I've a piece myself and I've noticed a cloudy film on a small part on a one surface and it's boggling me for weeks now. I've considered what you'd done for your emerald and am wondering whether the DIY treatment last til now? I live in Sabah, where everyone's crazy about 18 or 22k yellow gold and prefer CZs to actual diamonds cuz it's cheaper. I hope you can see where I'm going. If Kota Kinabalu has a reputable jeweler I would gladly let them do it but I can just sit by and wait for my stone to degenerate. I have it since early this year, the color was good and I bought it from a stone merchant who goes abroad to get his stones. Unfortunately he doesn't provide any kind of treatment for any stones. Almost all the jeweler here do not provide such services and I don't think I'll be sending my ring away, far far away. Any suggestion? Or Tanzgirl, your ring doing OK, still?

 

[Tanzigrrl]

It's still doing just fine. I'm wearing it today, actually. I've oiled it a few more times since my original post. It lasts for a while and then when it starts to look a little cloudy again, I re-oil it.