Posts Tagged ‘heat treatment’
Friday, August 20th, 2010
The desire and ability to exploit our environment and to utilize and improve the natural materials we find is rooted in our deepest past, and is in fact, part of the reason we are here today. I was absolutely fascinated by an article in the August 2010 Scientific American, When the Sea Saved Humanity, that [...]
Tags: Cape Floral Region, Cape Town, Curtis W. Marean, endangered humans, fynbos, heat treatment, Ice Age, renosterveld, Scientific American, silcrete
Posted in Gemstones, Jewelry Facts | 1 Comment »
Friday, October 2nd, 2009
Blue, the color of sky, ocean, peace and tranquility has long been associated with purity and wisdom. Blue colors dominate many forms of spiritual art. Cardinals of the Catholic Church, exemplars of chastity and celestial purity, often wore rings of blue sapphire. Blue has always been an important color for mankind, so when we ask [...]
Tags: beryllium diffusion, Burma, Ceylon, gem enhancements, Geuda, glass filling, heat treatment, Kashmir, Madagascar, surface diffusion
Posted in Gemstones, Jewelry Facts | No Comments »
Thursday, September 10th, 2009
Blue sapphires are found in many countries worldwide. The geological conditions in which they form determine the quality of the sapphire crystals. Some locales are known to produce exceptionally fine crystals, yielding extra fine gems. Each locale produces a range of gem material that shares common characteristics that are directly related to its unique geology. [...]
Tags: alluvial mining, Burma, Ceylon, county of origin, gem gravel, GIA, GRS, heat treatment, Kashmir, Madagascar, Mogok, Sri Lanka
Posted in Gemstone of the Month, Gemstones | 1 Comment »
Saturday, September 5th, 2009
The characteristics of any gemstone are directly related to the crystal from which it is cut, so it’s important to understand how the physical nature of the crystal influences the color of the gem. In the case of blue sapphire, one of the more common crystal forms is an elongated six sided dipyramidal form, as [...]
Tags: color zoning, heat treatment, hexagonal crystal system, pleochroism, silk
Posted in Gemstone of the Month, Gemstones, Jewelry Facts | No Comments »
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
Our clients often ask “What is the best color blue sapphire?” There are two answers– the obvious is that personal preference should dictate your color choice. Every person has unique abilities to perceive color, based on such things as age, health, culture and genetic gifts. Some people prefer light pastel colors, others prefer rich intense [...]
Tags: Australia, blue sapphire, Burma, Ceylon, heat treatment, hue, Kashmir, Madagascar, Montana, saturation, Thailand, tone
Posted in Gemstone of the Month, Gemstones | 3 Comments »