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Here at Richard Hung Jewellers, we believe that there is a piece
of jewellery for everyone, no matter the occasion or budget. Be
it a gift for someone special, an engagement ring, jewellery to
make a statement, or even to invest, our friendly staff will be
happy to guide you through the process, ensuring that you make
the best decision for your circumstance.
Coloured Gemstones
Generally, people who are not familiar with gemstones, identify
them based on their colour (ie. blue - sapphire, red - ruby etc).
This is a misconception as sapphires come in a variety of colours
and not all red gems are rubies! To complicate matters, natural
gemstones are frequently altered to improve their appearance and
apparent quality.
A large proportion of gemstones sold today have been treated in
one way or another, with untreated gems being the exception rather
than the rule. Treatments are performed to improve the colour
or clarity of a gem. Examples of treatments are heating, irradiation,
use of nuclear bombardment, application of coloured or colourless
oil or epoxy-like resins, wax, plastic, glass, surface diffusion,
coating, impregnation or dyeing.
The list of popular gems routinely treated includes amethyst,
aquamarine, citrine, jade, lapis lazuli, opal, pearl, ruby, sapphire,
tanzanite, tiger's-eye, topaz turquoise, chalcedony and zircon.
Some of the treatments used have been around for a long time and
have either been recognized by the gemstone industry or have been
readily identifiable. However, some of the newer forms of modification
are very sophisticated and are much more difficult to detect by
anyone other than trained gemologists
While treated gemstones are widely available in the market, a
premium is usually charged for a fine-quality untreated gemstone
that comes with a lab report stating that there is no evidence
of treatment.
Besides treated natural gemstones, there are also man-made gemstones
(synthetics) in the market. These are created in a laboratory.
Synthetics do not have the rarity of naturally coloured gemstones,
and are generally inexpensive. Unlike imitations that look like
natural stones in appearance only (e.g. glass, plastic, or less
costly substances), synthetics gemstones have the same chemical,
optical and physical properties as natural gemstones.
We strongly believe it is our customer's right to know if they
are buying a treated gemstone in order to make an informed choice
for their purchase. Click here for our Policy
of Treatment Disclosure.
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