Summary
The jewelry trade is certainly aware of the possibilities of fraud associated with non-disclosure of gemstone treatments. Various groups (including the Federal Trade Commission) have worked to find solutions acceptable to all parties in the industry. One group, the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), has proposed a list of “codes” to use as product labels, indicating possible treatments.
Reading time:
1
min
This “pink fireball” tourmaline has been classified N, “Natural,” according to the AGTA gemstone treatment codes. Photo by Jessa and Mark Anderson. Licensed under CC By 2.0.
AGTA Gemstone Treatment Codes
- ASBL Assembled product
- B Bleaching
- C Coating
- CMP Composite materials
- D Dyeing
- F Filling
- H Heating
- I Impregnation
- IMIT Imitation
- L Lasering
- N Natural
- O Oil/Resin Infusion
- R Irradiation
- SYN Synthetic
- U Diffusion
- W Waxing/Oiling
For more information, consult the AGTA Gemstone Information Manual. Note that consumers should still receive information on enhancements in “plain language,” not simply codes. However, hopefully, these codes will promote a “uniform and consistent communication language.”
This is an excellent start. One can only hope that awareness, disclosure, and integrity will converge to maintain the health and viability of one of the world’s oldest commercial markets.
IGS Newsletter