The desire for precious stones goes back several years. In ancient times, gemstones were found in ruined areas. As a gift, they have always been considered a romantic gesture.
The price of a gemstone is determined by its size, cut, quality and type. How the stone is treated should be questioned. One treatment is called radiation. This is a process designed to bring out the color of the stone and eliminate any imperfections. A dealer who is knowledgeable about his business knows the treatment used. If they don’t, then they aren’t fully open with you. This would be an indication to be careful when selling them. Precious stones on which irradiation treatment is commonly used are: aquamarine, London blue topaz, emerald and diamond.
The next treatment is heat treatment. This also brings out the good colors of the Edelstein. The
This type of treatment is commonly used on amethyst, aquamarine, ruby, tanzanite and topaz.
The most popular treatment is coloring the stones. Watch out for dyes collecting in the cracks of the transparent stones. This should not be visible to you. You can tell if there is dye on a piece if it rubs off or appears as a white spot on the piece. It is common for lapis and rose quartz to be colored. Black onyx is permanently colored during processing.
The next treatment is applying a coating. A petroleum product is used to dip jasper.
The emerald is oiled. A wax is applied to turquoise.
Ask the dealer you buy the gems from if the stone is natural. Dealers might try to pass off an imitation stone as a natural stone. If it’s too perfect, it’s probably a fake stone.