Lilimom
Jackson,#2Consumer Comment
Tue, July 15, 2008
As far as not reseaching well enough, the person who posted the first rebuttal might well profit by what they are preaching. This stone is not gently heated and is one of the most controversial gemstones to hit the market in years. There is a slew of evidence that can be accessed through (((link redacted))) that give links to the process by which this stone has been heavily manipulated. We have a couple of pet names for this stone one is ScamDeSine and another is FranKenStone, there are several others. I invite anyone reading here to come and research this travesty that was purpotrated on the trusting customers of JTV aka: Jewelry Television. We have months of research information available that refute each and every claim in the first posted rebuttal. FYI: In regards to Paraiba Tourmaline -- well, that is one of the next scandals that will be surfacing. Seems the same process used to infuse copper into the andesine - labradorite may have also been used to alter the NEW finds of elbaite tourmaline that is being sold as Paraiba Tourmaline by none other than the company in question. CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.
Nancy
Steilacoom,#3Consumer Suggestion
Mon, June 23, 2008
Here is jsut some of what I found. By the way a LOT of gem stones ARE heat treated, even tanzenite, they are still natural. Around four and a half to five years ago some miners found some Labradorite which is a plagioclase Feldspar. Normally this material is an opaque stone with a lot of colors shimmering across the stone which is called Labradorescence. Well in this find 4.5 to 5 years ago they found some that was transparent. Well this new transparent Labradorite has high mineral counts of sodium, calcium, aluminum, silicate and COPPER and this stone is very transparent and very clean, what we call GEM quality fascetable stones. After five years this gemstone has become very popular, very beautiful and very rare. There is one other gemstone with these qualitys and thats the Paraiba Tourmaline. Nobody has found any more of this fine gemstone and thru the trade it has become a gemstone to have. After further testing they have found that the red & green color test out as Labradorite and Andesine. Now these gemstones have raised big commotion in the trade and have become very valuble and the trade journals have had alot to say about Andesine/Labradorite. They are predicting that this gemstone will be the next Paraiba Tourmaline because this stone is doing the same thing the Paraiba did and this Centuries ago, someone stumbled upon the magical effect of applying heat to gemstones. High heat, such as that from a charcoal fire, can make a bland looking gemstone change its color into something spectacular. If this fortunate technique were not discovered, there would be very few affordable gemstones of good color in the market. Heat treatment is considered a natural type of enhancement as it is a continuation of the processes that occur in the earth when the stone was originally formed. During treatment, the stone is heated to very high temperatures (approximately 1600 Centigrade) causing inclusions, chemical elements, and other impurities to reform themselves and change the color of the stone. This color change may result either in the stone being darker, lighter, more intense, or of a different color. An example of this is the dissolving of rutile silk inclusions in blue sapphires, which improves both clarity and color. This heat treatment is permanent and irreversible. Another example is ruby. This a stone that is commonly heat treated. Only the most valuable and expensive rubies possessing the richest colors are not heat-treated. Ruby is heated almost to its melting point, allowing the aluminum oxide in the stone to reform, creating a new crystal structure. This allows the chromium in the stone to combine with different atoms, allowing for a better color of red. The same can apply to a type of sapphire known as gouda sapphires. These milky white sapphires turn blue, and account for many of the quality sapphires on today's market. Detection of heat and diffusion treatment is possible because these treatments modify natural inclusions. The destruction of gas or fluid inclusions or the dissolving of mineral inclusions are clues to heat treatment. For gems that contained rutile needles, the needle margins may become diffuse. On rubies, inclusions may be found that are glassy in appearance. These are caused by borax-based substances that are used in the heat treatment process. However, it is usually more difficult to know if a stone has not been treated, in other words, has the stone never been treated? Gemologists can examine the inner workings of the stone and study the inclusions for signs of heat treatment. For example, if the stone has been treated, tiny inclusions such as small crystals will melt during the heat treatment process. A gemologist can easily see this using a microscope.