"The
United States Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) states that it is unfair or deceptive to fail to
disclose that a gemstone has been treated if: (a) the treatment is not
permanent. The seller should disclose that the gemstone has been treated
and that the treatment is or may not be permanent; (b) the treatment
creates special care requirements for the gemstone. The seller should
disclose that the gemstone has been treated and has special care
requirements to the purchaser; (c) the treatment has a significant
effect on the stone's value. The seller should disclose that the
gemstone has been treated."
(section ruling 23.22, United States Federal Trade Commission)
A gem-quality
emerald with no enhancement is among the rarest of gems.
For this reason, virtually all emeralds in the world today have
undergone clarity enhancement before they are put in the market place.
All major colored stone trade organizations and gemological laboratories
recommend disclosure of this known fact in a professional manner.
Click to enlarge
Picture A) Illustrates the ultimate fate of traditional enhancements
which results in the drying out and breakdown of the enhancement
substance.
Picture B) Illustrates the same stone enhanced with the ExCel Process.
The inherent "market value" of a stone does not change by its
enhancement substance.
Click to enlarge
Illustrated here is the same stone, one enhanced with cedarwood oil (left) and one with the ExCel Process (right), showing that the only difference between the two stones is the "quality" and the "stability" of the enhancement substance.
Clarity Enhancement Substances
"A good filling substance should have certain properties: It should hide
fissures, it should flow into the fractures (i.e., be liquid, at least
initially), it should hold up over time or else be easy to restore, and
it should be removable or not have any physical properties that might
later harm the stone (e.g., during jewelry repair or re-polishing). It
should also have an R.I. similar to that if the stone being treated."
(Emerald Filling Substances,
Gems & Gemology, Summer 1999)
Clarity Enhancement in Emeralds
"Emeralds from all sources generally contain fissures, and emerald
processing (e.g., mining, fashioning, and jewelry manufacturing) can add
fractures as well. The filling of such surface-reaching features
(hereafter called fissures) to make them less visible has been practiced
for centuries." (Emerald Filling Substances,
Gems & Gemology, Summer
1999)
Important Questions Today
What is the effect of the degree of enhancement on an emerald's
appearance? How does the enhancement change with time, normal wear, and
other typical events in the life of a piece of fine jewelry? (Emerald
Filling Substances,
Gems & Gemology, Summer 1999)
"The ExCel Process eliminates the traditional re-oiling of emeralds, and
with its lifetime guarantee, disclosing the ExCel Process should be the
beginning of restoring the confidence that has been lost in the gem
industry."
Clarity Enhancement Laboratory offers trade-expert cutters to re-polish
or re-cut their emeralds.
|
Click to enlarge In addition to being enhanced, this stone was also repolished |
