Is the Gem You Bought Real? Proper Gemstone Treatment Disclosure So Important!

Berry Sapphire

At AfricaGems.com we disclose if a gemstone we sell has been treated or not.  Why is this important?  So you know what you are getting, how to care for it and so you know you are getting value for your money.

100% Natural Gemstones

At AfricaGems.com we sell the best natural gemstones Mother Nature can provide.  Some gemstones are treated using traditional treatments, some gemstones are traditionally not treated.  For example, garnets are not typically treated but rubies and sapphires usually are heat treated.  Heating sapphires or rubies is a permanent treatment, has been used for hundreds and hundreds of years, is considered natural and just a continuation of what Mother Nature started.  It improves the color and clarity of either the sapphire or ruby and make the gemstone more valuable.

Garnet Ring

Having said that, a buyer will pay much more for a ruby or sapphire that is top quality in color and clarity where Mother Nature finished the job herself and that is unheated and untreated by man.  Why, because they are so rare.

On the other hand, there are rubies available in the market place that have been subject to cavity or fracture filling or that are leadglass composite rubies.  These treatments take a very poor quality unsellable ruby and turn it into something beautiful, but which requires special care, may be less durable and for which a buyer should be paying a fraction of the prices of quality rubies that are heat treated using traditional methods.  By the way, AfricaGems.com does not sell these types of fracture filled – leadglass composite rubies.

Un-heated Ruby

The Best in Loose Gemstones and Gemstone Jewelry

There are a variety of treatments for gemstones.  And it seems as technology advances, there are new types of gemstone treatments introduced so a buyer must be able to get accurate information about the gemstones they are purchasing.  That is why a buyer should purchase loose gemstones or gemstone jewelry from someone they can trust to disclose treatments!  It's all about value and honesty.

Check out our guarantee policy.  And don’t hesitate to ask us if you don’t see what you are looking for or if you need more information.