Gemology Certification Gem Treatments & Enhancements

Question 1

What is the most common treatment applied to rubies to improve their color and clarity?

Accepted Answer

Heat treatment

Answer

Fracture filling with lead glass

Answer

Beryllium diffusion

Answer

Irradiation

Question 2

Which gemstone is most traditionally treated with cedar oil or synthetic resins to fill surface-reaching fractures?

Accepted Answer

Emerald

Answer

Ruby

Answer

Sapphire

Answer

Tanzanite

Question 3

Which gemstone is most commonly subjected to irradiation treatment to achieve its popular blue color?

Accepted Answer

Blue topaz

Answer

Ruby

Answer

Tanzanite

Answer

Aquamarine

Question 4

What does 'untreated' mean when applied to a gemstone in a gemological context?

Accepted Answer

The stone has received no post-mining enhancement beyond cutting and polishing

Answer

The stone has not been cut or polished

Answer

The stone has not been tested in a laboratory

Answer

The stone has not been cleaned or graded

Question 5

High-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) treatment is primarily used on diamonds to improve which characteristic?

Accepted Answer

Color, by reducing or eliminating brownish or yellowish tints

Answer

Clarity, by dissolving inclusions

Answer

Cut precision

Answer

Fluorescence intensity

Question 6

Tanzanite found in nature is typically brownish-purple. What treatment transforms it into the prized blue-violet gem seen in the market?

Accepted Answer

Heat treatment

Answer

Fracture filling

Answer

Irradiation

Answer

Beryllium diffusion

Question 7

Which treatment process involves diffusing a foreign element deep into the surface layer of corundum at high temperatures to create an orange or padparadscha-like color?

Accepted Answer

Beryllium diffusion

Answer

Fracture filling

Answer

Irradiation

Answer

Standard heat treatment