Inorganic Gemstones

Home ยป Gemstone Treatments

Laser Drilling

  • Nature of gemstone: This technique is usually applied to diamonds.
  • Materials used: A strong and thin laser beam for the drilling process, a vacuum furnace for cleaning & lead glass for final filling.
  • Possible effects: Generally used to remove coloured impurities in diamonds and thereby improve the clarity.
  • Identification:
    • Under magnification a difference in the lustre of lead glass and the diamond on the surface is noticeable.
    • Colour flashes along the drill hole is seen on rotating the stones at varying angles namely yellow, orange and blue colour flashes.
    • Discoloration along the drill hole
    • The drill hole maybe a single channel drill hole or a series of laser drill holes in a single plane giving a fan like pattern and a surface break which appears as a thin rectangular depression.

KM treatment: Recently a newer technique has been introduced in 2000 A.D. known as KM treatment. This treatment is used on black inclusions accompanied by internal fractures. One or more pulsed laser beams are focused on the inclusion itself with the resulting heat creating an internal fracture. The point of focus of beam is then moved towards the closest surface of diamond at the same time creating a continuous fracture from the inclusion to the surface. After this, diamond is boiled in strong acid with pressure, to allow the solution to bleach out the inclusion. Identification of treatment is almost impossible.


Did you know?

Jewellery is one of the most bought products online. An estimated $1 billion USD of diamonds are bought annually via the Internet. Over 40 million people use the Internet to trade!

In Germany, the garland of ambers is hung around the necks of the infants, so that their teeth might come out without much trouble.

In Turkey, people fix a piece of amber in the hubble-bubble, dogged by an age old belief that the presence of the jewel would destroy all the germs and no disease would spread, even after many have dragged their puffs from it.

In Greece, people think if wine is poured into the cups made of amethyst, one does not get drunk after drinking that.

In Rome, a talisman having coral pieces is considered very auspicious to quell the bad spells of evil look. The Romans were in the habit of hanging chains made of ancient coral pieces from the cradle of the infants to protect them from evil effects.

In China, people wear rings studded with tiny conch or oyster shells as they believe it cures all aches such as stomach ache, worms and like.

In India, pendants made of silver and studded with pearls are hung from the necks of the children to save them from any bad effects.

Greeks still believe, if women wear blue sapphires then no sense of immorality would pollute their mind nor can any fear of the supernatural can trouble them.

The Pope Innocent III had circulated an order asking all the priests wear blue sapphire, so that morality can be strengthened.

It is said about turquoise, that when the stone changes its color into yellow, it actually signals bad times to the person who wears it.

It is believed that a turquoise gifted to a friend or a lover turns his or her life into one of happiness and good luck.

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