:D Glad you enjoyed it Cheryl~

That's the goal ~ i'm glad you see its value.

Fantastic to hear, Gavin~ This topic is actually one of the reasons that I started the channel. Some conversations are SO hard to have over text on a messenger app. Better to make a video and send a link when necessary XD

My pleasure to serve, James

I'm glad to be of service~

Thanks very much ~ I hope to grow in time, but best to grow from a strong foundation of solid content, so that's what i'm focusing on at the moment :D

Huzzah ~! Repeat value :D On the alexandrite - was it tested as alexandrite, or did the dealer/owner say it was alexandrite. There is colour change sapphire out there that can look an awful lot like alexandrite (almost all the alexandrite simulants are synthetic colour change sapphire now bc its much cheaper to manufacture than synthetic chrysoberyl/ alexandrite) If it actually is chrysoberyl/alexandrite and beryllium treated, i'd be thrilled to hear more about it.

thanks~ my pleasure to serve.

I 100% agree with you that disclosure is essential. This is a real wrench in the gears for the gem trade right now, because any suspected sapphire in several important colours, now MUST go through certain labs that are able to test for Beryllium, other wise you can in no certainty trade at the right price. Many people have responded by only trading on unheated sapphires and rubies. As long as you have the money ~ that's certainly the way to go. The rest of this material though, and MUCH of the previously saleable material that came out of the mines needed to be treated. Now it's just tough for people to trust (and rightly so). Now if only folk could all be pinnochios and we could know clearly if they were lying, this would be much easier eh? I'll ask my uncles if they have any 'splainin' to do.

@@GemologyforSchmucks - I can’t agree with you more on that one, unfortunate as the situation is. 👍

I have a very beautiful yellow sapphire that is 6.5 carats. It is certed and is Be heated. I am going to enjoy it for what it is. If I sell it I will be sure to sell it for what it is.

Thank you ~ you're very kind.

Thank you thank you~

My general theory is that, the more I see of treated stones, the faster I get bored of them. Somehow that doesn't seem to happen with untreated stones. Perhaps it's magic XD.

From what I've seen,something like 90% or more of stones are treated. I'm no expert but I hear that the heat treatment changes the molecular structure or something and lessens the metaphysical properties. That might make a good episode to discuss

Heating changes the crystal alignment of their electrons.

The tasty kind...? 😂 Snark aside: I like a large variety, though i'll say my top picks are Malbec, Shiraz/syrah for red (though I think Cabernet Sauvignon has never let me down either...) and for white I like Gewürtzraminer, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Blanc, Viognier. There no more abridging the list further than that... XD

​Alex Hadden great idea, dear Peter i send you one virtual wine bottle "Dingač" , fantastic video i never heard about Beryllium treatment,,,bravo again

@@Liburni I'm glad you were able to hear about something new from my channel :D I also look forward some day to trying this Dingač stuff.

Hi Jon ~ for the pricing of diamonds, your best bet is to approach several diamond dealers and see what they're asking and go from there. I'm not so much in that particular niche ~ thanks for the question.

Hi Louis ~ most basaltic type sapphire sources (Australia, Nigeria etc) can tend to the dark side. Beryllium treatment is unlikely to do anything positive to those types of stones as I understand it, but who knows until you try.

Thanks

An excellent question, and the answer will depend entirely on the nature of the crystal. Some spinels have an inherently dark crystal body and have to be handled one way, others are cut overly deep and have extinction that causes darkness. There is a lapidary in our community that says learning how to reduce darkness is how a gem-cutter gets their Ph.D.

There are around 200 commonly traded minerals that we think of as gemstones. A large chunk of those are unknown by the general public and do not have a true synthetic, are primarily untreated, or only have treatments that mimic what happens already in the earth and are effectively undetectable as such. There is no need to use heavily treated gemstones in your jewelry. That is just the path of least resistance for many people. For someone who wants to build their own line, i'd choose a lesser known gemstone that you find beautiful and build people's awareness of it. You can get a great price on some of those stones and build value through education and exposure that way. No need to surrender like water.

HAH! That's a fantastic vote of confidence. Thanks Michelle

Hi Abraxas~ The short answer is no. Aqua aura/ mystic quartz/ etc etc are coatings of metal that are sputtered onto the gemstone. It is only "skin deep", so if you scratch them aggressively enough, they will come off. Beryllium treatment is "in the meat" of the stone, which means it is a stable treatment. Thanks for the question

Not to my knowledge ~ Dark spinels are just dark. You've got to love em' or hate em. I personally love the deep blues and grays, but I've been known to be unusual.

Diffusion covers a large category of outside-element processes. Most common are titanium for blue sapphires, and chromium typically for red. Beryllium is a much more complex process. This is a "heavily" treated gemstone regardless.