I won a pretty little oval green kunzite in a low-cost online auction a few months ago. It was a nice prasiolite-like green and I kept it stored in an individual small covered gem display container with all my other faceted gems. I looked at it again today and I was a little baffled to see that it now appears completely completely colorless. Is this a sign that the gem was irradiated and exposed to too much light?
Hi gigihr,
Unfortunately, that may be the case. Here is a good reference on how pink kunzite is irradiated to change the color to deep green. The reference does indicate that heat or light can remove the treatment effects in as little as one hour.
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Thank you so much for your response and for that reference. As a jeweler the color loss is disappointing, but I’m a gemology student too so I think it’s also fascinating!
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Gigi,
I completely agree with both emotions! It can be devastating when an acquired stone doesn’t behave the way it should… and absolutely a fun challenge to figure out the puzzle to answer why.
