GUIDANCE COLOURED GEMSTONE ENHANCEMENT

A traditional as well as a trendy embellishment in use for thousands of years, the gemstones are renowned across the globe for their undying charm and every admired beauty. These precious and semi-precious stones have been in use for crafting various adornments, particularly jewellery, since the very beginning. The true essence of a gemstone's beauty lies in the rich purity of its colour and lustre.

Gemstones are mined across the globe. Every region produces a unique variant of gemstones based on the environment of the region itself. These stones are in reality crystals of various salts and minerals chemically bonded together to make a hard stone form. These chemical components of the crystals are the source of colour and hue in these stones. Out of the five fundamental characteristics which are tested for evaluating the quality grade of a gemstone, colour, cut, clarity, size and enhancement, the colour carries primary significance for it is the colour of a gemstone that enriched the sparkle and sheen of these stones. Unlike the transparent stones as diamonds where the presence of hue is treated as impurity, a gemstone's hue is its real beauty. For every kind, the moderately tinted gemstones are valued the highest in enchantment and worth. However, the raw gemstones are not as well refined as the ones used in jewels, the ones with absolutely stunning dazzle and eye-catching lustre. For ages, ever since the art of gemstone embellishment prevails, the craftsmen have used enhancement techniques to refine the raw stones into their beautiful and polished forms as we find them embedded in our jewels.

Over the passage of time, numerous techniques and methods of gemstones enhancements have been in practise, some of being as historic as the legends of these stones themselves. Here we elaborate on some basic and known enhancement methods used worldwide for refining the gemstones to their top quality form, culturing the hue to enhance saturation and lending lustrous surface elegance to them.

The heat treatment of gemstones to enhance their glow and sheen has been known to the craftsmen ever since the use of gemstones became general to the practices of adornment in the human society. This method is exercised around the world and is acclaimed internationally.

The coating method is very commonly used for refining the polish of the gemstones using oil or wax as for added sheen and preservation of the natural shine in the stone's material.

Infusion is one of the oldest techniques of gemstones enhancements. It was primarily used for emeralds but is now common for all stones. Dipping gemstones into oil or wax solutions increases the clarity and adds more lustre to the stones.

Colour aids or bleaching agents are used to enhance the appearance of a stone by affecting the natural hue.

Radiations are used to refine the indigenous colour of the stones to make them more valuable. Radiations are commonly complemented by a heating process for better results.

In the modern day, laboratory equipment is used for gemstones enhancements. Nowadays it has become quite difficult to find a raw or unpolished gemstone in the markets unless you get an opportunity to see one before it is sent to the lab soon after being mind.