Thai Gem Players Meet About Treatment

By Mick Elmore

BANGKOK — In an effort to address the confusion and controversy over the "orange sapphires" that started appearing on the market late last year, the Thai Gem and Jewelry Traders Association (TGJTA) held a meeting on June 12 to discuss the issue, particularly whether or not they should start to disclose the process.

A group of heat treaters, informally dubbed "cookers," attended the meeting, asserting that they do not put any additives in the cooking process that creates the orange sapphires.

Some admitted to adding chrysoberyl, which shortens the burning period and serves as a catalyst in lowering the melting point. But they claimed that is not an additive. "If you mix stones with stones, is that additive?" one asked.

Also, they argued, if they used additives, why do only some of the stones react? With additives, they claimed, the whole parcel should be affected, while if they burn 30 stones, only about seven or eight turn pink or orange, or 10 are white.

"The [cookers] are really upset because they don't believe they are cheating anybody, and they claim they don't use any additives," a TGJTA member who attended the meeting told Colored Stone.

The TGJTA member, who asked not to be named, estimated that there were between 30 and 40 persons in attendance. Although it started out tense with accusations flying, by the end, most of them agreed with the proposed resolution.

Photos, above and top: Treated orange sapphires courtesy of Thaigem.com.

The TGJTA tentatively agreed to a new classification for these types of sapphires and will finalize the definition later. At this point it is not official, but a member proposed the term "internal migration" and most agreed.

This resolution may not be good enough for dealers who sell to the United States, however, where two of the biggest gem labs, the Gemological Institute of America and the AGTA Gem Testing Center, are certifying them as "bulk diffusion treated."

Some dealers, particularly those with a lot of business in the United States, say the cookers need to "come clean and let the labs come have a look [at what they're doing]." The classifications given in Thailand, which tend to be lax and sometimes non-existent, may not be accepted on the U.S. market.

In Thailand, dealers say it all comes down to disclosure.

"The misunderstanding arose because the definitions are not very clear. All of this is because of terminology and interpretation, that's all," said Henry Ho, president of the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences.

Meanwhile, confidence in the Thai gem market is falling due to the controversy and the lack of definitive information. "It absolutely killed the [sapphire] market. No responsible buyer is buying yellow or orange sapphire," one dealer said. "Most are losing money from the greed of a few."

And only a few are making money from the orange stones, while most are losing due to the decreased confidence and trust in the market. The losers include the big Thai gem dealers, but so far they have been quiet on the issue.

Thai dealers fear that the controversy will have an adverse effect on other gems sales, too. As a result of the mysterious sapphire treatment, rumors of treatments for other stones have begun to circulate.

The group, led by the TGJTA, plans to meet again to try and finalize the resolution in the coming weeks, more likely sooner than later.

The Chanthaburi Gem and Jewelry Association held a meeting on June 8 regarding the sapphire treatment. Click here to read the official statement it released afterward.

Posted: June 13, 2002