GRS and AGL COLLABORATE ON RESEARCH AND HARMONIZE THE DESCRIPTION OF LEAD- GLASS TREATED RUBIES.

HONG KONG / NEW YORK: 29 September 2011 ― Ever since the lead-glass treatment of ruby/corundum hit the market nearly 10 years ago, there have been issues over how to describe and represent this material for the trade and laboratories alike. GemResearch Swisslab (GRS) and American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) have come together to begin harmonizing the description of these stones on their respective gemological reports. “We wanted to let the gemstone and jewelry industries know that GRS and AGL have begun working in a spirit of collaboration between our labs and we believe that the controversies surrounding how these stones are described on our reports is a perfect venue to demonstrate this,” indicated Dr. Adolf Peretti, President of GRS Laboratories.

“Increasingly over the past several years issues surrounding the clear representation and dis- closure of this material have come to the forefront around the world”, stated Christopher P. Smith, President of American Gemological Laboratories. “Both GRS and AGL believe that this treatment needs to be clearly distinguished on our reports from the more traditionally heated rubies that are available in the marketplace in order to avoid confusion between these two products.”

Since the lead-glass treatment of low-grade ruby/corundum began entering the market in 2003, literally hundreds of thousands of stones have been sold globally. Gemologists, gemological and trade associations, as well as laboratories around the world have extensively published, lectured and generally communicated how to recognize these stones and the inherent issues of durability that surround this treatment, as well as the need for proper disclosure.


In November 2007, AGL took a high-profile position by coining the name Composite Ruby to describe all lead-glass treated ruby/corundum, while in 2010 GRS started using the name Hybrid Ruby for the same purpose.


Several features make these stones readily recognizable by anyone with little training and a loupe or microscope. Internal characteristics such as contraction bubbles in the glass, a distinct bluish and orangey color flash and the golden to red body color of the lead-glass make these stones easy to identify without the use of a gemological laboratory or advanced analytical testing. In addition these stones are not durable. Lead-glass treated ruby/corundum may be strongly damaged by some ordinary household products and routine repair by a bench jeweler.

Press Release – Consumer Alert

Industry groups have detected an increased supply of highly treated “Ruby” products in the marketplace. According to information gathered by various industry members, these lead glass filled red stones are being sold throughout the supply chain including in U.S. department stores, venues in the Caribbean and elsewhere.    These treated red stones have significant fissures filled with relatively large quantities of Lead Glass. They are often being sold as “Natural Rubies” without proper disclosure and most importantly with NO information on the required special care to maintain the appearance of the product.


Be Advised: This product is unstable and requires special care to avoid major and irreversible damage

To protect the consumer and the integrity of our industry we call upon the all sellers of this Composite Lead Glass “Ruby” Product - loose or in jewelry - to make the proper disclosures with the utmost clarity.

Failure to do so can directly lead to loss of consumer confidence not just for the Ruby market, but for all gemstones, including diamonds and jewelry. Additionally, it can result in potential legal action against merchants who fail to make the required FTC disclosures. Certain actions (heat or acid) that take place during repair or even normal wear can, and probably will, alter the appearance of these products, and render the jewelry unusable. Certain every day, common exposures to heat, acids and polishing can and probably will significantly alter the appearance and quality of these stones from their point of purchase. This could lead to potential legal action against sellers.

False Promise - Barrons.com

In January of last year, I was offered a spectacular natural alexandrite, a rare color-changing gem that is among the most expensive on the planet. An oval of diamonds surrounded the gorgeous stone, all set on a classic Tiffany & Co. platinum ring. A Philadelphia jeweler, with whom I'd done business, had bought it several weeks earlier from a well-dressed woman selling her mother's estate. To be prudent, the jeweler made his purchase contingent on an inspection by the Gemological Institute of America and the issuance of a GIA Lab certificate stating the alexandrite to be of natural origin, not man-made.

My eyes popped at its luscious beauty. At last, an essential prize for my gem portfolio. A world-class alexandrite with a world-trusted GIA certificate. What could go wrong? Everything, as it turned out. After certifying the alexandrite as natural, the GIA ultimately reversed course, concurring with another lab's analysis that the gem was a fake; it was possibly the creation of rogue scientists. What follows is a cautionary tale for anyone buying jewelry with expensive gemstones. Even if you're shopping at big, brand-name jewelers, it's wise to do a little probing. The good ones stand ready to help you.

Christopher P. Smith Elected to Fellowship of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain

5 November 2010: NEW YORK – American Gemological Laboratories (AGL): Following a presentation during the Gem-A conference recently held in London, England, Christopher P. Smith, President and Chief Gemologist of AGL was elected to Fellowship of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A). The presentation was made in the magnificent surroundings of Goldsmiths’ Hall, London.

“FGA credentials and affiliation with the Fellowship of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, is our industry’s oldest and one of the most widely respected gemological honors.” Smith stated, “I feel very privileged to have received this special consideration and I am proud to become a member of this famous organization.”


Dr Jack Ogden, CEO of Gem-A said “Chris is highly respected internationally for his gemological research and he has demonstrated his commitment to upholding the standards of the gemstone and jewelry industry and furthering the advancement of gemology over the many years of his career. We are pleased to welcome him into our association and for him to become an FGA.”

Spinel and its Treatments: A Current Status Report

By Christopher P. Smith, American Gemological Laboratories

Introduction

Spinel has historically been one of the most highly revered gemstones. However, over an extended period of time, its popularity had suffered as a result of many factors, including its classification as “semi-precious” and a general confusion with another dominant red gemstone: ruby. More recently though, spinel has been making a strong comeback and so its popularity is once again on the rise.

Articles of important new sources and even a book devoted to this beautiful and colorfully diverse gemstone have helped to focus attention back onto spinel (see e.g. Smith et.al., 2007; Senoble, 2008; Pardieu et.al., 2009; Krzemnicki, 2010; Yavorskyy and Hughes, 2010). In addition to exhibiting a vibrant array of shades and nuances of color, spinel has also traditionally been spared the controversy of treatments that have encumbered many other gem varieties, such as ruby, sapphire, emerald, quartz, topaz and tanzanite among others.

Fortunately, spinel remains a gemstone that is generally free of treatment considerations. However, today some treatments are starting to be encountered (Robertson, 2012). This article is a review of those treatments and the gemological characteristics that help to distinguish them.

AGL Will Not Be Classifying New Ruby Treatment As Composite Ruby

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why not call this material Composite Ruby?

Although the extent of this treatment may be significant, there are several fundamental differences between this new treatment and the material AGL classifies as Composite Ruby. Of particular note, the glass infused into the Composite Ruby material contains lead and/or bismuth, as well as other potential elements to raise the refractive index of the glass to that of the host ruby. This makes it quite difficult to ascertain the true extent of the treatment without partially dissolving the glass. With this new treatment, it is readily visible through standard microscopy to determine the true extent of the healing and in-filling that has taken place.
Additionally, the lead-glass of Composite Ruby does not participate in the healing of fissures, and the golden color of the lead-glass further augments the color of a Composite Ruby. Neither of which is the case with this new treatment.

Lastly and perhaps most importantly, Composite Ruby carries with it certain intrinsic special care requirements that must be conveyed to bench jewelers and consumers, in order to make certain that inadvertent damage to these stones does not occur. This new ruby treatment has similar care considerations to that of the more traditionally heated rubies, which bench jewelers and consumers should already be familiar with.

AGL MODIFIES ITS DISCLOSURE POLICY ON LEAD-GLASS FILLED RUBIES.

NEW YORK, NY ― 13 November 2007 ― After several months of discussions with many sectors of the gemstone and jewelry trade in the U.S., Europe and Asia over concern that exists regarding the proper and adequate disclosure of the lead-glass treated rubies that are entering the market in large numbers, the American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) has decided to modify its disclosure policy regarding stones treated in this manner.


The gemstone industry was stunned in 2005 when the market began to be virtually flooded with large amounts of the lead-glass filled rubies for sale at very low prices, often as low as $2-$15 per carat (figure 1). “Those who have developed this treatment found a highly effective means of taking very low quality ruby that was available in massive quantities and turning it into more transparent, facet-grade ruby via a multiple-step process that involves stages of heating, acid cleaning, as well as injecting a high-refractive index glass,” explained C.R. “Cap” Beesley, President of AGL.

American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) modifies its disclosure wording on heated rubies

12 June 2009: Over the past year, I have been having extended discussions with AGL clients in the wholesale and retail sectors of the trade, as well as industry organizations to evaluate the services of our laboratory. Some of these discussions have led to refinements in our reporting procedures (already implemented) and contributed to the complete redesign of our Prestige report, which was launched this past February during the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show.


With the recent independence and re-privatization of AGL, this process has continued and resulted in the publication of our first official price list. In it, we have refined and simplified our pricing structure to offer highly competitive rates for top-quality gemological reporting. We are also maintaining the innovative and very popular FastTrack services of GemBriefs, our lower cost alternative in a convenient credit card sized format.