kristin
12-02-2005, 01:44 PM
Enhancement: Any treatment process other than cutting and polishing that improves the appearance (color/clarity/phenomena), durability, or availability of a gemstone.
We all know that gemstones are sometimes enhanced to help bring out their natural beauty. Before buying gemstones from any source remember to ask for this information.These are some of the types of enhancements used on some of the gemstones in the market.
Assembled: The process of producing a single stone from two or more separate pieces.
Bleaching: The use of chemicals or other agents to lighten or remove a gemstone?s color.
Coating: The use of such surface enhancements as lacquering, enameling, inking, foiling, or sputtering of films to improve appearance, provide color or add other special effects.
Dyeing: The introduction of coloring matter into a gemstone to give it new color, intensify present color or improve color uniformity.
Filling: As a by-product of heat enhancement, the presence of solidified borax or similar colorless substances which are visible under properly illuminated 10X magnification.
Gamma/Electron irradiation: The use of gamma and/or electron bombardment to alter a gemstone?s color, may be followed by a heating process.
Heating: The use of heat to effect desired alteration of color, clarity, and /or phenomena.
Infilling: The intentional filling of surface breaking cavities or fractures usually with glass, plastic, option with hardeners and/or other hardened foreign substances to improve durability, appearance and/or weight.
Lasering: The use of a laser and chemicals to reach and alter inclusion in diamonds.
Oiling/Resin Infusion: The intentional filling of surface breaking cavities of a colorless oil, wax, natural resin, or unhardened man-made material into fissured transparent/translucent gemstones to improve appearance. (i.e., oil, man-made resin, cedar wood oil, Canada balsam, paraffin, etc.)
Irradiation: The use of neutron, requiring an environmental safety release from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), with the combination of any other bombardment and/or heat treatment to alter a gemstone?s color.
Bonding: The use of a colorless bonding agent (commonly plastic) within a porous gemstone to give it durability and improve appearance.
Diffusion: The use of chemicals in conjunction with high temperatures to produce color and/or asterism-producing inclusions.
Waxing/Oiling: The impregnation of a colorless wax, paraffin and oil in porous opaque gemstones to improve appearance.
We all know that gemstones are sometimes enhanced to help bring out their natural beauty. Before buying gemstones from any source remember to ask for this information.These are some of the types of enhancements used on some of the gemstones in the market.
Assembled: The process of producing a single stone from two or more separate pieces.
Bleaching: The use of chemicals or other agents to lighten or remove a gemstone?s color.
Coating: The use of such surface enhancements as lacquering, enameling, inking, foiling, or sputtering of films to improve appearance, provide color or add other special effects.
Dyeing: The introduction of coloring matter into a gemstone to give it new color, intensify present color or improve color uniformity.
Filling: As a by-product of heat enhancement, the presence of solidified borax or similar colorless substances which are visible under properly illuminated 10X magnification.
Gamma/Electron irradiation: The use of gamma and/or electron bombardment to alter a gemstone?s color, may be followed by a heating process.
Heating: The use of heat to effect desired alteration of color, clarity, and /or phenomena.
Infilling: The intentional filling of surface breaking cavities or fractures usually with glass, plastic, option with hardeners and/or other hardened foreign substances to improve durability, appearance and/or weight.
Lasering: The use of a laser and chemicals to reach and alter inclusion in diamonds.
Oiling/Resin Infusion: The intentional filling of surface breaking cavities of a colorless oil, wax, natural resin, or unhardened man-made material into fissured transparent/translucent gemstones to improve appearance. (i.e., oil, man-made resin, cedar wood oil, Canada balsam, paraffin, etc.)
Irradiation: The use of neutron, requiring an environmental safety release from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), with the combination of any other bombardment and/or heat treatment to alter a gemstone?s color.
Bonding: The use of a colorless bonding agent (commonly plastic) within a porous gemstone to give it durability and improve appearance.
Diffusion: The use of chemicals in conjunction with high temperatures to produce color and/or asterism-producing inclusions.
Waxing/Oiling: The impregnation of a colorless wax, paraffin and oil in porous opaque gemstones to improve appearance.