Amethyst, Aquamarine, Citrine, & Topaz Cleaning and Polishing

 

Introduction:

Thank you for your purchase.  Your treasure hunt has arrived and now the fun begins!  As this material is still dirty from the mine, the first thing you will want to do is wash it thoroughly in warm water and a little dish soap.  It is best evaluated while wet and under a good light source, such as a desk lamp.  This should give you a really good look at what you have.
 

A breif background about your gems:
 

Note:  For the gems amethyst, aquamarine, citrine, and topaz we have grouped them together for cleaning instructions.  This is because they are much easier to clean than the other gems that we sell and there is relatively no matrix left on them and that is the most difficult part of cleaning.
 

Amethyst - Quartz, the most common single mineral includes many varieties and sub-varieties. Amethyst is the name given to the variety which is transparent and light to dark purple in color. Although amethyst is found on almost every continent the dark transparent and clean stones are relatively rare and always in demand. Purple has long been considered a royal color so it is not surprising that amethyst has been so much in demand during history. Fine amethysts are featured in the British Crown Jewels and were also a favorite of Catherine the Great and Egyptian royalty. Leonardo Da Vinci wrote that amethyst was able to dissipate evil thoughts and quicken the intelligence.
 

Aquamarine - Aquamarine is a member of the beryl family. The word aquamarine is derived from the Latin word for sea-water because the colors can range from light green-blue to blue. Although aquamarine can be easily confused with blue topaz, it is much more scarce and valuable. Aquamarine is tough enough to used as a ring or pendant center stone.  Aquamarine prices are primarily a function of their color and subtle differences in hue and tone will markedly affect the value of the material. Dark aquamarines are considered to be the most valuable.  The birthstone for March, legends say that it is the treasure of mermaids, with the power to keep sailors safe at sea. Aquamarine protects against the wiles of the devil. A dream of aquamarine means that you will meet new friends.
 

Citrine - The name citrine refers to any quartz crystal or cluster that is yellow or orange in color. Although, often cut as a gemstone, citrine is actually somewhat rare in nature.  Much of the natural citrine may have started out as amethyst but heat from nearby magmatic bodies may have caused the change to citrine. Interestingly, a popular gemstone on the market is a mixture of half amethyst and half citrine and is given the name ametrine. Citrine is the abundance stone. Joyous, warm and energizing. Raises self-esteem, stimulates mental focus and aids in the alignment with the higher self. Attracts ad maintains abundance. Citrine really is the stone of joy and plenty which attracts abundance on all levels, and it is useful to have around you in business. The energies of citrine are warm and uplifting and it helps to stimulate mental focus to higher levels. It is one of the most affordable gemstones, thanks to the durability and availability of this golden quartz. Named from the French name for lemon "citron", many citrine have a juicy lemon color. In ancient times, citrine was carried as a protection against snake venom and evil thoughts.
 

Topaz - Topaz is a silicate mineral that is valued as a gemstone. It is formed by fluorine-bearing vapours given off during the last stages of the crystallization of igneous rocks. It typically occurs in cavities in rhyolites and granite, in pegmatite dikes, and in high-temperature veins. Brazil is a famous locality, the well-known sherry-yellow crystals coming from Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, where they occur in a kaolinitic matrix.  Pure topaz may be colourless and, when brilliant-cut, has been mistaken for diamond. It may also be coloured various shades of yellow, blue, or brown; the colour in many cases is unstable, and the brown topazes of Siberia are particularly liable to be bleached by sunlight. In 1750 a Parisian jeweler discovered that the yellow Brazilian topaz becomes pink on exposure to a moderate heat, and this treatment has since been extensively applied, so that nearly all the pink topaz occurring in jewelry has been heat-treated. Such "burnt topaz" is often known as Brazilian ruby, as is the very rare, natural red topaz. Cut topazes of large size are known, and it is said that the greatBraganza diamond" of Portugal is probably a topaz.
 
 

What should I do next?

After you have washed them in warm water and dish soap (this works very well in a strainer), most of the gem should be in plain sight.  There may be a little bit of matrix that needs to be removed and the matrix often conceals very nice gems hidden within.  Hold each piece up to the light to see if it has gem potential otherwise you could overlook something valuable.

The easiest way to remove the matrix on the rubies is to tumble them.  If you do not have a tumbler, the matrix pieces can be flaked off with a knife or a heavy sewing needle.  A dremmel tool with a diamond tip will also work, but it is a bit tedious.

It is not important which method you use and sometimes you may need to use more than one method to fully remove the matrix; the important thing is that sometimes the best stuff is found under the matrix.
 

How can I tell if they are good?

The three factors of value for gems are Clarity, Color, and Cut (the 3 C's).

Clarity:  How well you can see light through the stone and (relative) absence of flaws.

Color:  The color scale is used to describe the color tones of a gemstone. For color gemstones, the color is measured by tone and hue. Color is the most important criteria in determining the value a colored gemstone. More important than clarity and cut, even subtle differences in hue can correspond with marked variations in valuations

Cut:
     -en cabochon - cut smooth and rounded, used for opaque stones like turquoise
     -faceted - cut with sparkling polished planes, like a diamond