Professional Documents
Culture Documents
IN BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
By Ron Ringsrud
United States, he not only stressed the impor- THE OIL TREATMENT PROCESS
tance of careful cutting but also sincerely empha- Cleaning. The most common set-up of a treat-
sized proper acid treatment and oiling, implying ment lab in Bogota is similar to that in the house
that the emeralds were not "finished" until they of Mr. Jorge Murcia, whose family has been in the
had been treated. In Bogota as well, the largest emerald business for nearly two decades and who
treatment laboratory, Bargar Labs, posts a fixed has personally been treating emeralds for eight
pricing schedule for treatment of cut stones and years. Murcia begins the treatment process by
also issues a disclaimer upon receipt of stones for cleaning the freshly cut stones, that is, putting
treatment. The disclai.mer outlines the possible them in a test tube with methyl alcohol or ethyl
risk to the stone from "the acids and other ele- alcohol, bringing them to a boil, then letting them
ments used in the cleaning process . . . . I 1 cool slowly (figure 2).They may be boiled and
The treatment process, though performed dif- cooled up to three times. This first step is not
ferently from one person to the next, usually be- always necessary (Barriga begins directly with the
gins after the emeralds have been cut. The stones acid treatment), but Murcia explained that occa-
are treated either by the cutter or the dealer him- sionally the emerald rough is oiled to facilitate its
self, or they are sent out for treatment. The actual sale. Such oil in the fractures of the stone often
procedure, though, usually follows a basic five- reacts with the acid, leaving permanent brown
step program of preliminary cleaning, acid treat- stains inside the stone (which resemble the com-
ment, acid removal, oiling, and final cleaning. mon brownish iron stain inclusions found in
Each of these steps is described in detail below. some emeralds). If Murcia is certain the rough
Also discussed is the permanence of the oiling was oiled before cutting, he leaves the stones in
treatment, detection, and the use of colored oil. the alcohol overnight. One major cutter in
Bogota's emerald district suggests pretreatment not heat them. The stones bubble slightly for
cleaning in acetone. about two hours as the acid reacts with impuri-
ties, residual cutting compounds, and replaces
Acid Treatment. Tin oxide and chromic oxide any air left in the fractures.
that have built up in the fracture openings during The pressure buildup in the test tube can be
cutting and polishing are removed during this excessive, particularly if the acid is boiled; the
and the next step of the process in order to allow treater should, therefore, relieve the pressure pe-
for the penetration of the oil into the fractures. In riodically, taking care not to breathe the fumes.
this step, the stones are treated with a mixture of At this stage of the process, some treaters use an
hydrochloric and nitric acids. Murcia uses a 2-to- ultrasonic cleaning tub to help the acids penetrate
1 mix of concentrated HC1 to concentrated the fractures (figure 4). However, both Barriga
HNOa in a wide-mouthed pyrex test tube with a and Murcia feel that this is unnecessary. During
screw-on cap. This cap maintains pressure these early steps, great care is taken with the sol-
buildup within the test tube, which Murcia feels vents, which are flammable, and with the acids,
is beneficial to the penetration and cleaning ac- which are extremely corrosive and dangerous.
tion. Other treaters use rolled-up newspaper
moistened with water as a stopper, which relieves Acid Removal. The process continues with the
the pressure very slowly but will not pop out as a cleaning of the acid from the stones. Generally,
cork or rubber stopper would. The Bargar Labs this is accomplished by boiling the emeralds or
puts the stones in a vacuum test tube apparatus heating them slightly in alcohol, ethyl alcohol,
(figure 3) rather than under pressure, and leaves acetone, or paint thinner. However, Barriga feels
them overnight, heating but not boiling. Murcia that water is the best substance for removing the
leaves the stones in the acid overnight but does acids. It is also safer because acid-wet stones
should not come into contact with solvents un- heated in order to penetrate the stone well. As
less they are first rinsed and dried. In his treat- with the acids, Bargar Labs places the emeralds in
ment lab, Barriga uses small beakers to hold the with the oil and creates a vacuum in the test tube
emeralds in a solution of water with detergent. with the equipment shown in figure 5. The
The beaker is then put in an ultrasonic tub for stones are then heated, but not boiled, for several
half a minute and stirred slightly. After the hours. Then, without vacuum, they are baked at
beaker is removed, the stones are left to soak in 83OC for four hours. Although boiling the oil is
the solution for several hours. The stones are more common among independent treaters,
then rinsed and dried. Murcia prefers the less harsh treatment of 45
minutes in a "baiio maria," that is, placing the
Oiling. The next step, oiling, is the one that prob- test tube in boiling water. The test tube is then
ably varies the most from person to person. immediately exposed to the heat of a 75 watt bulb
Although there are reports that "3 in 1" oil, clove overnight. To prevent burning, it is placed no
oil, mineral oil, and the like, have been used, the closer than one or two inches above the bulb. A
one most highly recommended in Bogota is the tight screw cap or stopper is used to maintain
Merck brand cedarwood oil (refractive index, pressure. Low-quality or cabochon material may
1.515) or Merck Canada balsam (R.I., 1.52). require several days over the light (figure 6). A
Although the refractive index of these two oils is less sophisticated method of producing a vacuum
below that of emerald (1.577-1.5831, it is soclose in a test tube involves the use of a rubber stopper
that the oil appears invisible within the stone. placed beneath the screw-on cap. A syringe nee-
The Merck Index (Merck, 1976)) a standard dle is inserted several times through the stopper
chemical reference book, describes Canada bal- in order to draw the air out. If done correctly, this
sam as a transparent, slightly fluorescent liquid method creates such a high vacuum that the oil
that upon exposure to air gradually solidifies to a begins to boil at room temperature. The test tube
solid, noncrystalline mass. It is used either alone is then placed in boiling water.
or mixed with a small amount of cedarwood oil. In terms of immediately perceptible results, it
Although the properties of Canada balsam are seems that treatment with the oil and acid under
well known in Bogota, the cedarwood oil is still slight pressure is essentially the same as treat-
used the most, since the majority of fractures in ment under vacuum. In terms of long-term re-
emeralds need only a minute amount of oil to sults, the vacuum method is probably the most
reduce their visibility and the cedarwood oil is thorough and long-lasting. This process is also
much less expensive. faster and more suited to the high volume of
Because the oils are quite thick, they must be emeralds that Bargar Labs treats on a day-to-day
DETECTION OF OILING
The gemological literature states that some oils
fluoresce a dull yellow under long-wave fluores-
cent light. Stones oiled by the author with the
Merck cedarwood oil did not fluoresce. How-
ever, the emeralds oiled with the Merck Canada
balsam fluoresced yellow in the oiled areas.
The presence of fractures will interrupt the
passage of light somewhat even with oiling. If the
Figure 6. The lightbulb of an ordinary table stone is less transparent than it seems it should
lamp provides heat for maintaining the oil at a be, sidelighting with a pinpoint illuminator may
constant high temperature, reveal dull indications of the oil-filled fractures.
Since emeralds commonly have numerous subtle
ued success and who therefore do not willfully liquid-filled inclusions that could resemble oil-
misrepresent stones. filled fractures, the investigation should be con-
The use of Canada balsam versus cedarwood fined to fractures that reach the surface of the
oil, the amount of heat, and other factors vary stone. If an oil with a refractive index signifi-
from parcel to parcel. In this same way, the per- cantly different from that of the stone was used,
manence of the treatment varies with the mate- careful manipulation of the lighting while the
rial and the experience of the treater. In actuality, stone is viewed under magnification will reveal
the percentage of stones that do dry out is impos- an iridescent effect. If the oil has not penetrated
sible to calculate. Probably the only means of completely, then gaps will be seen. Also, the care-
determining the extent to which oiling has ful use of the heat from a thermal reaction tester
affected the appearance of the stone is to let the may cause a drop of oil to bead up on the surface
emerald sit overnight in warmed acetone. How- of the stone from the fracture (Liddicoat, 198 1).
ever, this would be considered a "destructive" A prominent emerald buyer in Bogota suggests
test on stones in which the oil would otherwise be holding the stone papers up to the light and look-
stable (i.e., under conditions of normal wear). ing for oil spots and signs of oil that may have
After drying, all fractures would be visible. Since seeped from the stones.
the maximum drying occurs in the first month In rough stones, the dealers smell the stone for
after oiling, one might simply determine how the characteristic cedar smell of the oil. They pay
long the emerald has been in the jeweler's or close attention to the transparency of the stone.
dealer's inventory. Also, any shale matrix on a stone that has been
One large-volume emerald purchaser in Bo- oiled will appear glossy black from the oil rather
gota says that when he is in doubt he leaves the than the normal dull black.
REFERENCES
Fryer C.! Crowningshield R.! Hurwit K.!Kane R. (1981] Gem Gemological Institute of America! Santa Monica, CA.
Trade Lab notes, G6ms el G6mology, Vol. 17, No. 4, pp. Merck E, (19761 Th6Merck Index, 9th ed, Merck & Co.! Inc.,
226-230. Kahway, NJ.
Liddicoat R.T. Jr. (1964) Developments and highlights at the Sinkankas J. (1972) Gemstone and Mineral Data Book.
Gem Trade Lab in Los Angeles, G6ms eJ G6mology, Vol. Winchester Press, NY.
11,No. 6)pp. 185-189. Sinkankas J. (1981] Emerald and O t h u Beryls. Chilton! Rad-
~iddicoatR.T. Jr. (198 1) Handbook of Gem Identification. norl PA.
PUT TIME ON
In just six months you can complete minimum of 1,000 colored geinstones,
GlA's resident program in gemology. using state-of-the-art gemological
Only GIA offers an accredited resi- instruments.
dent program leading to the graduate Six months from now, with a CIA
gemologist's degree-the prestigious G.G. diploma in hand, you'll not only have
And because GIA knows your time time on your side, but also a valuable
is valuable, we have designed our edu- credential that is internationally recog-
cational program to meet the needs of nized in the jewelry industry.
the busy professional. Write today for a free CIA resident
Once enrolled in the resident pro- program brochure.
gram, the student grades and evaluates
at least 100 diamonds and identifies a Make time work for you!
GIA1660 Stewart street, Santa Monica, CA 90404