Gemstones Treatments and Pricing

There are some gemstones that would not even exist if it were not for treatments .  The abundance of citrine , in shades of yellow , gold and orange is the result of heat treating amethyst .  Naturally occurring citrine is quite rare in nature .  If it was not for treatments , the stone would be far more expensive than it is !

Tanzanite in shades of violet and blue depends on heat treatment to pro - duce enough supply to meet the demands of the public .

Pink topaz is another example of a gem that would not be available with - out heat treatment .  Not only are these treatments acceptable , they are neces - sary to keep these products affordable and available .

Recent demand for unheated sapphires and rubies has caused a price in - crease of as much as 50%~100% for unheated material .  Does this mean that the untreated gem is more beautiful ?  NO !  In most cases the heating enhances the gemstone to make it more beautiful ;  the price premium is the result of the rarity of being unheated !