On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 06:14:15 GMT, "Peter W.. Rowe,"
wrote:

On Wed, 05 Jan 2005 21:56:50 -0800, in ?? "Marilee J. Layman"
wrote:

On Wed, 05 Jan 2005 06:56:28 GMT, "Peter W.. Rowe,"
wrote:


So, as for Moonstone and Peridot... it's pretty much never used? If
not, how are these stones usually enhanced? As in peridot's to look
greener or darker or more coloration, or moonstone do give more of the
blue streak effects, etc.?

Neither treatment is generally used with either stone.

However, peridot is frequently dyed. Also amethyst, citrine, and rose
quartz. Check the string they're on -- if the string is the color of
the beads, they've been dyed and the dye will be lightened by
sunlight.

Marilee,

1. Bead stringing cords of several types are commonly available already dyed in a wide
range of colors, and it's often common practice to use a cord who's color will enhance
the color of beads. The existance of a colored cord, matching the beads or not,
provides no reliable indication that the beads were dyed, and the use of a white or
colorless cord likewise provides no assurance that they were not dyed, since dying would
most likely be done before the beads are strung, not after, due to potential degredation
of the cords by the dye process, or the potential for color mismatch if some beads take
more dye than others. Several of the professional bead and pearl stringers I know
routinely color their stringing threads, often just with permanent colored magic
markers, if they don't happen to have a good match already in stock for a colored stone
bead. Seems to work just fine, from what I've seen.

Yes, if they're stringing a piece, some people will color the
stringing material. But I've seen many strings in bead stores where
the beads have clearly been dyed on the string -- the intensity of the
color on the string is stronger between the beads.

2. Note too, that the use of dyes with these stones is pretty much limited to beads, not
to most normal cut stones. All four of the ones you mentioned are not permiable to
dyes, except via surface reaching fractures, or perhaps along the protected, but rough
interior surface of a bead's drill hole. Except for rose quartz, the stones you
mentioned are usually used, when facetted or cut as cabs, with few enough fractures and
fissures reaching the surface that most cabochons and faceted stones of these materials
won't be able to be effectively dyed. Rose quartz, when translucent, instead of
transparent, sometimes is able to be dyed, and sometimes is indeed dyed. In beads,
with all four stones you mention, often the use of a nice brightly colored cord to
string beads on makes additional dying no longer needed, as the beads will optically
pick up color from the cord, without any actual dye on the beads.

3. While some dyes do indeed fade in sunlight, not all do. Depends on the color, and
the type of dye used. And note that fading in sunlight is not exclusive to dyes. Some
of the heat treated or irradiated color treatments also are prone to fading in sunlight,
and indeed, some natural stones also, can be prone to colors fading in intense sunlight.
Topaz in particular, is noted for certain types of treatments fading, but there are many
other instances documented. Kunzite is notorious for being a nice naturally colored
stone that cannot withstand exposure toe sunlight, and there are a few others as well.

cheers

Peter

--
Marilee J. Layman