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Old Lab Notes NewsSpring 2000
Moissanite Under the MicroscopeCBC MarketPlace, the consumer watchdog TV programme has broadcast a show about Synthetic Moissanite. It seems that jewellers who are in the habit of buying from the public have been burned by buying moissanite; mistaking it for diamond. Our laboratory has gone to great lengths to make the jewellery trade aware of moissanite and how to identify it. It seems that our warnings have gone unheeded by some, and those few were caught on a hidden camera by a marketplace researcher. The potential for harm is great. The lack of knowledge in people who buy diamonds from the public for a living is bad enough, but now all jewellers are being made to look at the best foolish and at the worst irresponsible. The need for further education and communication in the jewellery industry has been demonstrated in a very dramatic and public way. The programme itself was mostly factual but somewhat sensational. A lawyer who represents a fraudulent seller of moissanite was quoted as saying that anyone who has bought a diamond in 1999 is in danger of having bought a moissanite even though the diamond might have been accompanied by an appraisal or certificate. That is a very big statement. How does he know this? Was his client busier than the charge of five acts of fraud might indicate....or is that simply the most irresponsible thing to be said on television in a long time? CBC Marketplace website summarizes the show and provides other comments on the topic. They link to this page, and provide some useful additional information on moissanite. Twenty years ago, when cubic zirconia hit the market, there was general concern, but techniques were quickly developed to ease identification. Soon a knowledgable gemmologist could spot CZ from some distance away although, in fact, it is a better looking diamond simulant than moissanite. Moissanite is a more sophisticated simulant, but it too can be readily identified by very simple means. Education is the answer. Stay tuned. Moissanite identification information.
News for November 1999In January 1999 Toronto received more than 100cm of snow in two weeks, and seven pieces of synthetic moissanite. At that time retailers, repair shops pawnbrokers and second hand dealers were made aware of the potential for fraud that lies with this simulant that tests as diamond with the thermal diamond-tester! However, late in the year, the stuff is still showing up and bad guys are still making money on the greedy and the gullible. Be aware and be careful! Melee goods are showing up mixed with diamonds in cluster rings. Charles & Colvard the North Carolina manufacturer of synthetic moissanite is working on fancy cuts (princess, radiant, triangle brilliant), fancy colours (green and blue) and possibly cubic crystal growth which will make it even more difficult to detect. But for now, the standard methods of identification are still working. Charles & Colvard is marketing moissanite as a new gemstone, and in that respect it is quite lovely, both fiery and brilliant, but it is potentially still a serious source of trouble for the industry and ultimately for the jewellery buying public. Read more here. News for Fall 1999 The staff shake up at the Canadian Jewellers Association has produced some wonderful changes. The new general manager, Myra McKeen, has brought her many years of experience with lobbying and dealing with government bureaucracy to the table with some stellar results! Courses in jewellery and related topics are available through the CJA. Contact Catherine Sproule at the Canadian Jewellers' Institute (CJI) for more details (416) 368-7616 ext. 223. The new CJI JETS is now available and is better than ever. Completely updated and revamped for the "naughties" (i.e. 2000 and beyond) this new JETS focuses on professionalism and selling techniques.
Formal gemmological training is available at the Canadian Gemmological Association (CGA), 1767 Avenue Road, North York, Ontario Canada M5M 3Y8 Tel: 416 785-0962 Fax: 416 785-9043. For more information about the CGA click on the logo above or here. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in Carlsbad California is also a source of gemmological training, both in on-site and correspondence courses. Contact the CJI for details Jewellery Events of Note The annual CGA Conference and Graduation will be held at the University of Toronto's Hart House again this year. The title of the conference is "Probing the Depths", the subject will be inclusions and the keynote speaker will be John Koivula of the GIA, one of the world's leading experts on gemstone inclusions. Presentations and workshops will also be given on antique jewellery, appraisals, synthetic moissanite, jewellery design and Canadian diamonds. The conference will be held on October 23rd and 24th. Contact the CGA at (416) 785-0962 for more information. The new mineralogy gallery at the Royal Ontario Museum is now open and doing land-office business. It has been long anticipated and eagerly awaited. The beautiful little jewel box which is the SR Perren Gem Room is the heart of it. The larger subjects of mining and minerals, which are vital to this resource-based economy of ours, is the focus of the new gallery. Critics say that it "dumbs down" the subject matter. Perhaps that is so, but we in the industry often forget that not everyone knows or cares about the topics which we hold so dear! The staff of the mineralogy department have done a wonderful job in making geology and gemmology more accessible and understandable. Hats off to them! The final gemmological event of the millennium took place in San Diego this past June. The GIA Symposium was the jewellery event of the decade (century etc). It was much more business oriented than the spectacular '91 Symposium, which was both dynamic and successful! It focused on the subjects that are of major concern in the industry today...diamond cutting, diamond sources and diamond treatments (do we detect a theme here?). Industry Comments Canadian diamonds are making a splash in the marketplace! After all the hoopla and rumour, after all the worry and bother, the October '98 opening of the Ekati mine and the anticipated 2002 opening of the Aber Resources property have made Canada a big player in the world diamond market. at last! Many of the stones are being cut in Canada and are being marketed by Canadian companies like Sirius, First Canadian and Polar Star. Laser inscribed logos, such as a polar bear or maple leaf, on the girdle edge of the diamonds serves to identify them as Canadian. The public are asking for them too which is very encouraging! The Ekati mine is a producing reality, with a sight (that's diamond sight not web site) in Antwerp and a deal with DeBeers! The Calgary school of diamond cutting is in full swing and the NWT rough grading course has had participants from all over the country. Canada, the emerging diamond power...who d'a thunk it eh! Synthetics in the Market The last Jewellery World trade fair, held in Toronto in early August, had some dynamic and fascinating new exhibitors, amongst them Tais Gems Inc, a Russian manufacturer of synthetic gemstones including silicon carbide (synthetic moissanite to the uninitiated), gem and optical quartz, and synthetic diamonds. The synthetic diamonds were the most fascinating! They all showed the characteristic hourglass graining and metallic inclusions that we expect in the synthetics but the best part was the colour: blues, greens, near colourless and...some of them were red! Garnety and brownish but definitely red. Boulatov Alexandre, the president of Tais Gems said that they produce the reds by treating the brownish yellow material that results from the BARS process. He is working on a method of growing red! We keep thinking about that old Chinese curse....we certainly do live in interesting times! Back to Lab NotesHWL Home |
