SSEF FACETTE No. 16 SWISS GEMMOLOGICAL INSTITUTE SCHWEIZERISCHES GEMMOLOGISCHES INSTITUT INSTITUT SUISSE DE GEMMOLOGIE International Issue No.16, January 2009 Reproduction permitted with reference to the SSEF Swiss Gemmological Institute - The Future of Gem Testing - Winza Rubies - Micro x-ray tomography of pearls - Age determination of pearls - Flux grown synthetic spinel - Coatings on gemstones - The Wittelsbach diamond - Courses in 2009 - SSEF Alumni Association - New SSEF Logo and Reports - SSEF and Burma - SSEF shuttle service - News from CIBJO, LMHC, and CEN Editorial Dear Reader During the last 12 months SSEF had a great di- versity of commissions to deal with. The business of gemstone testing was much in demand and our education courses were fully booked. Students from all continents profited from our professional exper- tise. Developing new instruments and the exami- nation of the next generation of analytical tools, were further areas where our specialists worked to ensure the excellence of future performance in the laboratory. SSEF is a leader in applied gemmo- logy and many other gemmo- Cover photo: logical laboratories follow in our footsteps. SSEF staff members Synthetic corundum slab showing beautiful interfer- again made contributions to ence colours under crossed polarizers. The pattern international working groups for indicates slight subgrain rotation of the material. harmonisation or standardisa- The SSEF Swiss Gemmological Institute has tion of operations. Off-premises recently analysed the quality of a series of such testing was offered to three scratch-resistant “sapphire glasses” for the Swiss Asian trading locations and watch industry. SSEF specialists gave talks in Photo: numerous major centres of the © H.A. Hänni, SSEF Swiss Gemmological Institute gemstone industry. Besides all these activities, we found time to research pressing issues and informed interested readers Good news for our customers about new developments via abroad: no VAT on our services various international journals. For me, the last year has been Due to a changed interpretation of the existing tax another characteristic period regulations by the Swiss tax authorities, our of booming business where non-Swiss customers will no longer be invoiced the we had to hire new members of staff. We rely on a VAT of 7.6 % on services at SSEF. This means, you blend of excellent professionals, forming the SSEF will not have to apply for the refund of VAT anymore staff, as a guarantee for the high quality of our prod- in future. ucts. The bank crisis, which has been overshadow- ing the commercial world, will probably make my last year before retirement a very difficult one. Luck- ily the captain has a very capable first officer on his SSEF membership fee: side who will be the new captain of SSEF from 2010 onwards: Dear SSEF Client Dr. Michael S. Krzemnicki. With high spirits I will thus complete my last year as a director of SSEF. Did you already know that the SSEF Member- ship fee is due on February 28, and a reduction of approx. 25% on the normal tariff list is granted to Wishing you all the best for the hard times ahead, registered members only ? Prof. Dr. H. A. Hänni, director of SSEF Impressum: Annual publication by: SSEF Swiss Gemmological Institute Falknerstrasse 9 CH-4051 Basel Switzerland tel. +41-(0)61-262 06 40, fax. +41-(0)61-262 06 41 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.ssef.ch page 2 SSEF Facette No. 16, © 2009 Focus The Future of Gem Testing High tech joins forces with classical observation techniques In the last few years, the position of gemmological laboratories has become increasingly important, especially for the high-end market. Consumers who invest in gemstones seek safe and reliable certi- fication, which not only identifies the material, but also offers full disclosure regarding the formation, treatment, and even origin of the material. Starting from the present situation, the following article is an outlook into the future of gemmology, with a special focus on the trends, which will challenge our work as gemmologists. Origin determination: Every gemstone has an origin. Apart from the visual beauty of the stone, its origin may be a source of emotions and inspiration for people. Gemstones are minerals found in primary or secondary deposits; these mines have limited life expectancies before published (Geology of Gem Deposits, Mineralogical they are exhausted. This has already happened to Association of Canada Short Course Volume 37, a large number of deposits that were renowned for 2007) and is highly recommended. Origin determi- gemstones in the past (e.g. Kashmir sapphires). It nation is based on a combination of observations will certainly happen to deposits currently producing (e.g. microscope, UV-reaction), measurements (e.g. gemstones. But as new deposits are continuously RI, SG), and analyses (e.g. EDXRF, FTIR, UV-vis). being discovered (e.g. copper-bearing tourmaline Although new instruments (e.g. LIBS, LA-ICP-MS) from Mozambique, rubies from Winza in Tanzania) do give us more insight into gemstone properties, I the future does not look grim; in fact it looks promis- am convinced, that the meticulous observation of in- ing and prosperous in terms of gemstone supply. clusions within a gemstone will, in future, remain the When origin determination as a lab service was in- most useful tool for origin determination. The pres- troduced at SSEF and other labs, the main sources ence, shape and distribution of inclusions are the of corundum were limited to a few classical depos- most sensitive indicators and references to differ- its. This situation has become much more challeng- ent geological settings (i.e. different origins), much ing with the discovery of large findings, especially more so than chemical or spectroscopic features. In in East-Africa and Madagascar in the 1990s. Origin future, chemical fingerprinting by mass spectrome- determination never was and never will be easy, try, luminescence spectroscopy, stable isotopes and as it requires well-trained and highly experienced age determination, using radioactive isotopes within professionals. In future, gemmologists who want to the gemstones or inclusions will further expand our practice origin determination have to have a sound possibilities. understanding of the geological setting of gem de- Summarizing, origin determination will be important posits. A highly informative volume, updating current for part of the trade and thus remain a sophisticated research on gemstone formation has recently been Small roundish dust flakes in an unheated sapphire from Rhombic oriented dust flakes in an unheated sapphire Kashmir. © H.A. Hänni, SSEF from Madagascar. © H.A. Hänni, SSEF SSEF Facette No. 16, © 2009 page 3 Focus challenge for future gemmologists. Classical depos- gemmologist who has not access to sophisticated its such as Kashmir, Burma, Sri Lanka for corun- equipment. dum, Colombia for emeralds, and Brazil for Paraiba Imitations (and simulants) are products, which are tourmaline will remain premium „origin brands“ for used as cheap replacements for gemstones, but not the trade. Establishing new important sources as necessarily with the intention of fooling the consum- reputed origins is a question of good marketing. er. But again, appropriate disclosure is a requisite. These are rarely a threat for an experienced gem- Treatment of gemstones: mologist; rather they show the creativity of the pro- The treatment of gemstones is practised on a large ducers or forgers. For the retailer or end consumer, scale. Economically it is important to cater for the however, they can be very convincing and a source market’s high demand in gemstones. This will not of bad and sorry investment. change in future. The issue at stake, however, is the We see with anxiety how terms are misused inten- disclosure of treatments (CIBJO blue books, www. tionally so as to confuse the end consumer. Espe- cibjo.org). Similar to other industries such as for nu- cially with the anonymity of the e-market (internet) trition (e.g. organic or mass produced with chemical and television channels, an environment in which additives), the conscious consumer wants to know nearly no regulation is implemented, low quality what he is buying. There has also to be a price difference between these products, so one has the decision what one wants to buy. If the jewellery trade, especially on the high-end sec- tor fails to disclose properly, the whole industry will face a dramatic loss of confidence. The beryllium diffusion of corundum is a typical example of what happens when such a new form of treatment seriously puts affects the whole market by jeopardizing consumer confidence just because there was no proper disclosure from the moment the treatment was first introduced. Ul- Portable UV-Vis spectrometer developed by SSEF Swiss Gemmological timately it was only by a concentrated Institute in collaboration with the Physics Department of the University effort of certain gemmological labora- Basel. The instrument uses a small spectrometer, which just has to be tories, including SSEF, that the detec- plugged into a laptop (see last page!). © M.S. Krzemnicki, SSEF 2008 tion of this treatment was possible; by investing in new and expensive technologies such stones (or synthetics and imitations) are often are as laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) sold without proper disclosure. International bod- and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass ies such as the World Jewellery Federation CIBJO spectrometry (LA-ICPMS). will more than ever be critical and irreplaceable in In future we will see more treatments: simple and setting trade rules and expanding these into new cheap ones for cheap stones, such as lead-glass distribution channels of gemstones and jewellery. filled fissures in low quality rubies, but also highly sophisticated for highly valuable stones, such as Gemmological laboratories: HPHT and multiple treatments for diamonds. Coat- Finally, I would like to address some thoughts about ings will also have an important impact in the future, the future of laboratories testing gemstones.