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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:51 pm 
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Ouch Roger!

I've found that the heat treatment for these reds is different for each parcel. Since I'm buying by the parcel most of the time it's easy enough to take a low-end chunk of rough, saw it into sections for testing and run a few different trys. I keep the recipe on file with the parcel's inventory number.

In the "hope springs eternal" area I took a nice dark chunk of Chrome Tourm and tried all sorts of heating options. No dice.

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PostPosted: Sat May 09, 2009 2:42 pm 
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In the "hope springs eternal" area I took a nice dark chunk of Chrome Tourm and tried all sorts of heating options. No dice.


Do you mean "No improvement" or "Epic Fail"? I had tried heat treating tourmalines a long time ago using some of Marc Liccini's recipes. I had a few pieces improve (Greens) but most turned into grey gravel..

Gave up and sold the furnace. It was a nice Blue M with a programmable Omega controller.

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PostPosted: Sat May 09, 2009 4:54 pm 
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Fortunately it was "no improvement." I've still got a pretty stone, just darker than ideal. "Epic fail" looks a lot, um, shardier :-)

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 Post subject: Re: Red/Pink Tourmaline heat treatment
PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 1:55 pm 
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Lap Journal is out of print on the May 2011 issue. I've posted a .pdf of my article on heat treatment on my website http://www.lisaelser.com/index.html under the In The News section.

I'm also giving a talk at the FFF6 this coming weekend on heat treatment.

Cheers,

Lisa

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 Post subject: Re: Red/Pink Tourmaline heat treatment
PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 2:07 pm 
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Fascinating article Lisa!


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 Post subject: Re: Red/Pink Tourmaline heat treatment
PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 2:44 pm 
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Super article, Lisa. Thanks for making it available to all!

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 Post subject: Re: Red/Pink Tourmaline heat treatment
PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 5:53 pm 
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That article was fascinating. I can't wait to see the talk this weekend.

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 Post subject: Re: Red/Pink Tourmaline heat treatment
PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 10:49 pm 
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"Great results, Roger. Inspired by Lisa's instructions and your image I decided to have another go at it. I used my programmable oven following Lisa's instructions, ramping in increments of about 250 F. to a heat-soak temperature of about 960 F. with a 2-hour hold."

Is your oven a vacum model?like the dental porcilain ovens?or just a digital programmable burn out oven? Are you using an investment that matches the expantion rate of the stone or do you use a steel ring when investing the stones? sorry for the newbness,Iv'e never tryed heating material before. :oops:

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 Post subject: Re: Red/Pink Tourmaline heat treatment
PostPosted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 10:23 pm 
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I love the photos detailing the results, thanks all.

I'm always amazed that people still buy gemstones, even when the endless methods of treatment are publicized.

One would think they'd be smart enough to be buying nothing but CZ by now, I guess it's an IQ thing.


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 Post subject: Re: Red/Pink Tourmaline heat treatment
PostPosted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 10:30 pm 
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Icehut wrote:
I love the photos detailing the results, thanks all.

I'm always amazed that people still buy gemstones, even when the endless methods of treatment are publicized.

One would think they'd be smart enough to be buying nothing but CZ by now, I guess it's an IQ thing.


A friend of mine when asked "why should I pay money for a GEM" by people at her booth would say "well, YOU shouldn't." And she was right. If you feel that a CZ has the value you want, buy it.

If you understand the value of a gemstone, heated or not, then it's worth it to you. If you don't it's not. Fortunately there are many, many people who do value gems, and who understand the difference between heating a natural gem, and coating it, filling it, or replacing it with synthetics.

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Last edited by Lisa Elser on Sat Aug 17, 2013 11:34 am, edited 2 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Red/Pink Tourmaline heat treatment
PostPosted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 6:22 pm 
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Icehut wrote:
One would think they'd be smart enough to be buying nothing but CZ by now, I guess it's an IQ thing.

Aesthetics and tastes have nothing to do with intelligence. I personally don't think CZ is very appealing, and nothing about the process of making it gives it any symbolic or sentimental value either. Heat treatment, however, doesn't bother me at all (nor does irradiation when it's permanent and disclosed).

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 Post subject: Re: Red/Pink Tourmaline heat treatment
PostPosted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 6:33 pm 
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I personally don't think CZ is very appealing, and nothing about the process of making it gives it any symbolic or sentimental value either.

I think it is very appealing, in that it is durable, and its high IR can produce a beautiful stone. Too bad it's nearly worthless.
But I have had dreams, I mean real ones at night, about finding a vug full of tourmaline crystals, and do not ever recall dreaming about finding a furnace full of CZ.


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 Post subject: Re: Red/Pink Tourmaline heat treatment
PostPosted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 8:19 pm 
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CZ is worthless,as for natural stones, banks have been trading them for years in place of currency.allso, most people think of gems of having an emergency value in times of economic uncertanty.when the economy is poor and the USD is low,metals and fine gems are up around the globe.of course small average gems donot gain as much value as the larger bank held investments,but they are a form of liquidity.

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 Post subject: Re: Red/Pink Tourmaline heat treatment
PostPosted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 8:28 pm 
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Gearloose wrote:
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I personally don't think CZ is very appealing, and nothing about the process of making it gives it any symbolic or sentimental value either.

I think it is very appealing, in that it is durable, and its high IR can produce a beautiful stone. Too bad it's nearly worthless.
But I have had dreams, I mean real ones at night, about finding a vug full of tourmaline crystals, and do not ever recall dreaming about finding a furnace full of CZ.

I can certainly understand someone enjoying cutting and/or wearing CZ; it just does very little to float my particular boat.
(And I definitely know what you mean about dreams like that--tourmaline, emerald, red beryl... good times).

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 Post subject: Re: Red/Pink Tourmaline heat treatment
PostPosted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 8:37 pm 
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Scarodactyl wrote:
Icehut wrote:
One would think they'd be smart enough to be buying nothing but CZ by now, I guess it's an IQ thing.

Aesthetics and tastes have nothing to do with intelligence. I personally don't think CZ is very appealing, and nothing about the process of making it gives it any symbolic or sentimental value either. Heat treatment, however, doesn't bother me at all (nor does irradiation when it's permanent and disclosed).


a hunk of cz, just as well as all the little, tiny, iddy-biddy and over-priced chips of natural rough passed thru the dozens if not more hands before they are finally made available to the likes of faceters like me have no more value than the gravel in my aquarium, without the time and talents of a cutter. the differences to a cutter do not correlate with the origin of the material.
any treatment of a natural piece of rough, or a finished stone such as any cut emerald you can buy, regardless of whether the seller deems it to be permanent or not, should be disclosed. if it's not, then why would any intelligent consumer purchase it?
right. intelligence has very little to do with it. especially since the physical characteristics and optical properties of cz rank up there, higher than most of the stuff people on here are cutting. just my opinion, of course...


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