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 Post subject: Can emeralds be heated
PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 6:12 pm 
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Doesn anyone know if emeralds can be heated

i mean, i have some big ones and if i sell them as they are right now..they'd probabaly be 10 to 15 dollers..but if they had a better color, that would really be a jackpot.

doesnt any one know if it can be heated and where can i heat them.

your help is appreciated.

thanks


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 7:07 pm 
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No. They cannot be heat treated.


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 9:48 pm 
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Emeralds are never heat-treated but are typically treated with oil, wax, or polymer to enhance clarity. This type of treatment is only successful when there are fissures that reach the surface of the emerald allowing for the introduction of the substance. Acceptable clarity enhancements are colorless and do not change the color of the emerald. I assume your emeralds have already been treated since approximately 95% of all emeralds are. You will probably not be able to make your emeralds look better

Sam

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 7:16 am 
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I have read, never seen in person, that some actually make use of heat although it is mild heating we are talking about, so where should one draw the line when talking about the concept of heat treatments? Warming both stone and liquid seem to be functioning, right (both cleaning and filling)?


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 9:49 am 
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When we refer to "heat" treatment of gems, we are referring to heat that is significant enough to alter the chemical bonds within a mineral, not the relatively minor heat required to melt waxes and polymer fillers.


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 1:35 pm 
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Never heard of anyone heating emeralds to alter their color, clarity or obtain whatever other improvement of the stones.... Could only imagine that all those bi/tri-phase inclusions and feathers in emeralds would just shatter the stones.

Now, I am aware that other beryls are heated to change their color: aquamarine to make it less greenish, morganite to make it more pink than peach... heliodor to make it more yellow than golden. Clearly, these have different chromatophores etc. but the nerd in me still wants to ask... what could happen to green beryl if anyone would be foolish enough to heat it! :? Oh well...

'Demantoid', where have you heard of emerald heating? Anything to read about this?


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 Post subject: yes, you will find heated emeralds in thailand
PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:22 am 
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the indian gem traders in bangkok call the heated emeralds "byron"
i have seen this material and when i asked the trader what is it she explain to me that this gem is heated emerald, i examined the gems with my loupe and noticed the sign of heat treatment, maybe some of the forum members that live in bangkok can get more information regarding this material and the process of the treatment.


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PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 10:09 am 
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What is the "sign" of heat treatment you noticed?


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PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 1:49 pm 
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Byron is a synthetic gemstone manufacturor in Australia, they produce hydrothermal beryls.

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 Post subject: hydrothermal beryls ?
PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 2:41 pm 
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hydrothermal beryls ? maybe i dont know for sure the gems i saw were of low quality, but yes it could be low quality hydrothermal beryls or low quality other green gems.


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PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 4:31 pm 
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Slight correction, Doos. The Ozzie manufacturer is Biron, not Byron.

Interesting aside. Some years back I thought there might be a business opportunity in cutting Russian hydrothermal emerald synthetics. I contacted a rough supplier and found it was sold in 3 grades. The higher-clarity grades were nearly always available but lower-clarity material that looked more like heavily fractured and included natural emerald was nearly always sold out. I was told Bangkok cutting houses had standing orders for it. Draw your own conclusions.

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PostPosted: Mon May 05, 2008 6:17 pm 
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Aside from the very accurate comments from the forum members here, you should know that you can burn the oil or resin that your emerald was probably treated with. Much of it would probably vacate the stone, but what remains will turn yellow even brown if you really cook it.

Your stones are what they are.

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