A CLOSE-UP of a PILE OF GEMSTONES
April 4, 2012 | Filed under: Uncategorized
This pile of gemstones consists of a good quality turquoise on top
with lavender amethyst coins, some green keshi pearls showing, as well as korean jade towards the bottom, which is a greenish colour with purple jade under it. The brown stones on the left are a particularly fine tiger eye.
And the fuschia colour is a treated jade. The black to the right is onyx, one of my favourites to work with. Did you know that natural onyx is variegated and that most black onyx is treated? The colour of green onyx is achieved by heat treating. Most stones are treated in some way. If the tag doesn’t say natural, then most likely the stones have had some process applied. Quite acceptable now as long as it is transparent.
Blue topaz which is often seen in rings and earrings, is actually brown topaz that has been irradiated.