TREATMENTS & TESTING

Fluxed Up: The fracture healing of ruby
Pala’s ex-webmaster, Richard Hughes, takes a look at a little-known, but common treatment. Illustrated, with an Appendix by John Emmett.

Gods, Graves & Sapphires
Pala’s President, William Larson, waxes philosophic on the impact of treatments on the ruby and sapphire market. Illustrated.

LIBS: A New Beryllium Testing Method
The SSEF adds a powerful new weapon to the gemological arsenal. Illustrated.

Questions About Treated Sapphires from Thailand
Answers to questions regarding the outside-in diffusion of coloring agents used in these treatments.

Red Hot and Blue: Irradiated Topaz
Blue topaz is achieved by a combination of irradiation and (often) heat treatment. But what happens when “hot” material isn’t allowed to cool?

The Skin Game
Richard Hughes covers all the latest developments on the new treated orange sapphires in a comprehensive article. Fully illustrated.

Suspect Blues: Coming in from the Cold?
In 2003, certain blue sapphires in Sri Lanka were the cause of great debate. Read about them here.

Topaz Blue & Déjà Vu
by Robert Weldon. Reprinted by permission of GIA, 2007.

Understanding the New Treated Pink-Orange Sapphires
Experiments reproduced the Thai gem treatment. By John Emmett and Troy Douthit.