The Pink Emerald Company has recently announced the sale of the world’s largest heart shaped morganite. The immaculate 169.01 ct. gemstone, nicknamed ” The Pink Sweetheart,” was mined in Minas Gerais, Brazil. This one-of-a-kind gemstone has been graded and certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and faceted by the famous gemstone carver Volker Wild in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. The Pink Sweetheart, priced at $2,500,000, would be the pinnacle of any valentine’s gifts.

Morganite, which some mistakenly refer to as “Pink Emerald,” is actually pink/rose colored beryl. The rose pink color of morganite can be attributed to the elements manganese and cesium present in its composition. Morganite can be heat treated to enhance this pink color. Emeralds, also a variety of beryl, are colored green from trace amounts of chromium and vanadium. The word emerald originated from the Sanskrit word meaning “green.”

Morganite is rarer than other common forms of beryl such as aquamarine and heliodor. Another rare type of beryl is bixbite, which has a nice scarlet red hue. Bixbite has only been found in small quantities and the largest faceted bixbite gemstone is less than 3 carats.

Imagine watching your favorite show on a 40-inch High Definition Television. Only this is no ordinary television. This TV comes equipped with 155 brilliant rubies in three different size ranges. The rubies are embedded all over the set. This gem-studded HDTV will set you back $85,000. The size of the TV and the amount of rubies can be adjusted depending on how much you are willing to spend. So if the 40-inch ruby-studded screen does not suite your fancy, maybe something with 200+ rubies would be more in your range. I wonder if you can see the screen with all those shining rubies.

The world’s most expensive dessert has just been unveiled at The Fortress resort in Sri Lanka. A fruit infused confection with a chocolate sculpture and a huge gemstone, an 80 carat aquamarine. “The Fortress Stilt Fisherman Indulgence” was created to give visitors at The Fortress resort in the coastal city of Galle a one-of-a-kind experience, said the hotel’s public relations manager, Shalini Perera.

The dessert is a gold leaf Italian cassata flavored with Irish cream, served with a mango and pomegranate compote and a champagne sabayon enlighten.
The Indulgence has to be specially ordered, Perera said. Though the hotel has gotten calls about it from as far away as Japan, she said, no one has yet forked over $14,500 to try it.

Consumers and retailers need to become aware of the recent increase in unstable topaz being sold on the market. This topaz is reddish to pinkish brown in color and usually originates in Thailand. However, many dealers are claiming these stones are from Burma or even Brazil. The origin of the color in these gems still unclear. However, when these stones are exposed to sunlight, they fade to nearly a colorless stone.

An example of this can be seen in the photograph of the same stone side by side. The first stones shows the original color, before exposure to sunlight. The second photo shows the same stone after exposure to sunlight for 24 hours. The results are extraordinary.

The sale of these stones to unsuspecting consumers, or retailers, could damage the confidence in an already delicate market. Consumers and retailers need to be aware of what they are buying and where the stone originated. Trust becomes an important factor when buying precious gemstones. Retailers need to trust their sources of precious stones. Additionally, consumers need to go to a source where they feel comfortable buying precious gemstones in order to ensure a quality stone.

After seeing a recent increase in consumer assurance, as well as prices, the emerald market is yet again faced with a new challenge. A new method allowing for the treatment of rough emeralds has begun to spark worry for many involved in the trade. This method uses hardener resins such as Permasafe to treat rough emeralds, making them more suitable for faceting. This treatment seems to be materializing in Columbia, which is a key source of emerald production. Rough Columbian emeralds are usually washed during separation, but are never treated.

These fillers, such as Permasafe, are accepted for finished stones as long as the treatment is revealed. However, treating emeralds in the rough could result in jeopardizing the stone, as well as the assurance of consumers. Such fillers, when used in the rough, can make the stone up to 65% stronger. If stones are treated in the rough, this information is usually disclosed by the producers. However, the problem is that many retailers, those higher up in the distribution of the stones, are dropping the disclosure of these treatments.

These treatment methods create a problem for consumers looking for genuine emeralds. There is a way you can assure that your emeralds have not been treated in the rough. When buying an emerald or emerald jewelry, it is always good to buy from a source you trust. Trust is a key factor when you are looking to buy precious stones. Trust is especially important when buying colored gemstones. Colored gemstones have no international consumer authenticity source. This can create a problem when you enter the market for colored stones. In order to ensure a quality, authentic precious gemstone, make sure you shop with a dependable, reliable and established retailer whom you feel comfortable dealing with.

After several distributors have suspended the sale of Blue Topaz due to the implied threat of radioactive Blue Topaz, the The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) says nine batches of irradiated blue topaz it surveyed last week do not pose any health threat.

“From the test we did last week in New York City, there was nothing alarming from a public health and safety issue,” NRC Public Affairs Officer David McIntyre told National Jeweler.

He said NRC staff met with representatives of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC) and three vendors to conduct the testing. Eight of the nine batches of gems, which he said averaged around 500 carats each, showed only background levels of radiation, while one registered at “twice background.”

Background levels refer to radiation that is picked up merely because a survey meter is turned on because there are already low levels of radiation present in the atmosphere. By measuring “twice background,” it implies that there are low levels, but nothing that would be considered alarming, he said.

You can read the full story at National Jeweler