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Chanthaburi . 2006-02-27
New beryllium diffused blue sapphires shock market… These color lines can be just considered as inclusions… Green sapphires are treated to be transformed… Blue sapphires were until now the last ones…
New beryllium diffused blue sapphires shock market. We already saw some clean stones of very nice color, apparently originated from Sri Lanka with even body color with just some faint of color zoning present.
These color lines can be just considered as inclusions, and by no way these lines do affect the overall color appearance of the stones. These stones were sent to laboratory to get a beryllium diffusion check, and returned positive.
This is the first time blue sapphire has been found beryllium treated.
Moreover, some brokers said inclusions like white cottony bands (ma-hin), generally present in Madagascar stones, could be dissolved using beryllium treatment.
This treatment does not only affect stones marketed in Thailand. We personally saw Sri Lanka sapphires dealers buying beryllium in Chanthaburi in order to cook directly in Sri Lanka...
Green sapphires are treated to be transformed in yellow sapphires. Because of the lack of interest from market for this color, and abundance of material available, are treated again to return to their original green color.
Blue sapphires were until now the last ones to be untouched by this kind of treatment which now can affect all corundums.
What will be the future of beryllium treated stones?
Everybody has his own opinion, but some lines can be drawn. Reputated jewelry houses have already in their catalogs beryllium treated stones, generally in the orange to red tones. This mean that these stones are entering the market by the main door. Big "red" treated sapphires from Songea (Tanzania) are in big demand especially from Asia and reach expensive prices. Stones uncooked by any mean, start to be offered as what they are, uncooked (ploy dip or ploy sot), and not by their beauty. Will it be a definite line between cooked (old style or new beryllium) and uncooked (by any mean)? Intense discussions on this subject are running...
Source : Gemsbrokers.org
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