Category: Gem Notes

Corundum "Fakes" Expanding

While these two stories are not related based on place of purchase, they illustrate the increasing prevalence of consumers being duped with false corundum purchases. The first is a sad story of how our military…

Diamond Tester

Recently, a client presented a 14KT white gold and three stone engagement ring seeking confirmation of the identification of the stones. The ring featured three round brilliant cut colorless stones set in four prong heads…

Zultanite Durability

A recent inquiry regarding the use of ultrasonic cleaners with zultanite prompted research and uncovered answers and an update to this color change diaspore from Turkey. (See Gem Market News, July/August 2006 for an in…

Synthetic Diamond

Appraisers must be on their toes at all times and it gets harder every day. We wondered when, as independent appraisers, we would encounter our first synthetic diamond repre- sented as natural. The client purchased…

Imitation Turquoise

In August, a corporate client submitted several bead strands to our appraisal division for verification of stated identity. These were samples from a large order of thousands of pieces purchased from a Chinese vender as…

KM Diamond

A gemologist colleague, Jim Swenton, relayed this gem note to us. Looking for a diamond for a customer, he had requested a diamond on memo from a supplier. The diamond came in with no indication of treatment…

Diffusion Star Sapphire

A local dealer brought in the ring shown here for identification. The large sapphire mounted in a mans ring was reportedly belonging to the father of a client. The father had passed away and the…

Synthetic Peridot Gem Alert

Things are not always what they appear to be. In todays world, new treatments and synthetics are appearing on a more regular basis. Many of these newer treatments, imitations and synthetics are getting harder to…

Coated Tanzanite

In late May, the American Gem Trade Association-Gem Testing Center informed the industry that the lab had identified several tanzanite gems that had been color enhanced by coating. As is often the case, the discovery…