In the trenches: The challenges of working as a retail gemmologist

by jacquie_dealmeida | December 1, 2015 9:00 am

By La Shawn Bauer

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Being a retail gemmologist is kind of like being in the Special Forces, I find. We are dropped into the field and in most cases, are all alone with no backup, making do with what we’ve got. So we had better make sure we know what we are doing.

By that, I mean we must be up to date regarding advances in gemmological testing, the latest techniques to help identify various treatments, newly discovered gem deposits, and the synthetics and imitations making their way to the retail environment. Ongoing education is a must among our ranks. As retail gemmologists, we have some very specific challenges in our field. In some ways, our work is completely different from that of lab or research gemmologists.

How so? Well, first of all, our workspace is not a pristine, germ-free laboratory environment. We also have to contend with testing unknown stones in their mountings and without the benefit of them having been meticulously cleaned. We have neither hours nor days to conduct our tests and evaluations. There is also the matter of not having another gemmologist sitting next to us to offer a second opinion on a particularly challenging stone. We definitely don’t have access to the latest, greatest, and insanely expensive equipment that would help make our jobs easier. And finally, we don’t get to wear fancy white lab coats with our names embroidered above the left pocket. (Yes, I’m poking fun at my lab rat brothers and sisters, but I still want a lab coat!)

What do we have? For starters, it’s the ability to convey gemmological principles in everyday English, free of the scientific names, definitions, and terminology consumers may struggle to understand. Why is that important? Consumer confidence is built on trust; clients need to feel the person they are dealing with is not talking down to them. Overall, our task is to strive for professional excellence as we offer an opinion regarding grade or value.

Line of sight

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In our profession, arrogance is a deadly sin. Trust me, none of us is infallible. You’re going to make some mistakes, and believe you me, some will be doozies. In our circles, sight identification of an unknown gemstone in front of a client is by far the worst sin we can ever commit.

I say this because our goal as retail gemmologists is not just to identify a stone, but to instill confidence in the manner in which we do that. As such, we need to project the image of a knowledgeable and professional gemmologist. Sight identification is lacking in that respect, as the gemmologist fails to do the required scientific tests to be able to determine what the subject stone really is.

Our first task is to create an appropriate work area that is equipped with all the tools required to do the job. You also want to be able to set up your space to allow the customer to sit across from you while you test the stone right in front of them. Don’t hide in the back—instead, be out front with clients on a daily basis.

When examining a piece, keep in mind the importance the customer may have placed in their jewellery. Yes, it may be inexpensive and possibly not the prettiest ring you’ve ever seen, but to your customer, it may have been handed down through the generations and means more to them than the Hope Diamond.

Allowing your client to watch you test their jewellery silently communicates you are indeed taking the time to carefully and scientifically examine their prized possession. You might also consider describing to them what you are doing and why you are doing it. And before you begin, reassure the client you are not going to conduct any destructive tests on their item.

This might sound like pretty basic stuff and you may not even feel as I do about sight identification. I am reminded of a time, however, when I saw a gemmologist sight-identify a tsavorite garnet as a lab-grown synthetic emerald. The customer knew exactly what they had and called the gemmologist out on it. Losing face in front of a client when you fail to do your due diligence can be quit embarrassing and instantly humbling, too.

Equal to the task

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Here are the steps I take to identify coloured gemstones and diamonds in my store:

1) Visual observation with the naked eye—observe the stone’s colour, hue, tone, saturation, surface lustre, brilliance, chips, and abrasions along the facet junctions. Each piece of information gathered can help bring you closer to identifying the subject stone correctly.

2) Look at the stone through magnification, preferably with a high-quality research-grade gemmological microscope with dial zoom magnification. Depending on the task at hand, loupes are not always effective. Lighting is also a consideration. Overhead reflective lighting allows you to observe surface features, lustre, hue, tone, saturation, and surface abrasions along facet junctions, the girdle, and culet. You should be able to determine the colour of the abrasions, as well as their structure (e.g. grainy, flat, or sharp edges).

Dark-field illumination allows you to determine whether the subject stone is transparent, translucent, semi-translucent, or opaque. Colour zoning, growth patterns, curved internal lines, included crystals, and air bubbles can also be observed. Direct high-intensity lighting reduces surface glare and flaring, and can help highlight certain internal features from oblique angles.

3) Testing the subject stone’s refractive index (RI) is a must. This is usually the quickest and easiest way to help identify it, since RI is unique and can instantly eliminate a lot of possibilities.

4) Check for birefringence to eliminate stones from your list of possibilities. For example, red garnets are single-refractive, while rubies are double-refractive, yet they can be mistaken for one another due to their similar RIs. To test for birefringence, rotate the subject stone 1/12th of a turn to the right and record your reading. Do this until you have rotated it a full 180 degrees. When following this process, you should have six sets of high and low RI readings when the stone is double-refractive and only six constant single readings when it is single-refractive.

5) Test the subject stone under both long-wave and short-wave ultraviolet (UV) light within a fully enclosed UV viewing cabinet. Diamonds and some gemstones fluoresce different colours and with varying intensities under long-wave and/or short-wave UV light. Keep in mind, however, applying UV light in this manner should never be used as a standalone definitive test for any stone—it is merely an additional test. Consider placing known test stones inside the UV box so you instantly know whether your long-wave and short-wave lights are working properly every time you use them.

6) Always prove what the subject stone can’t be, rather than trying to prove what it might be. Use simple deductive reasoning and logic in your identification process.

7) Having a gemmological reference library close at hand is a must. Every professional gemmologist should have one and be adding to it as the latest research findings or new information on treatments becomes available. Never rely solely on your mind and memory. Double check your facts and conclusions against your reference books.

Make no mistake

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Once you start cutting corners, mistakes happen and they will come back to haunt you. Take the time to do things right the first time. In other words, never forget the basic methods of gemmological identification. Pretend as if your client is a gemmology instructor testing you in the real world with a hidden video camera recording everything you say and do.

Personally, I find it helps to act as if I’m on the witness stand in a courtroom performing my tasks and duties, knowing full well the opposing side has a professional gemmologist prepared to rebuke my testimony and question my testing procedures. The scientific testing protocols you apply in the store should be the same ones you would expect a lab or research gemmologist to meet themselves.

Why does all this matter? Well, there are more treated gemstones and diamonds, not to mention undisclosed lab-growns, in the supply chain and finished jewellery than ever before, which goes to the need for careful examination and proper testing procedures. It is critical you understand not only what your tools and instruments can do, but more importantly, what they can’t do. This is particularly important where synthetic diamonds are concerned, but that’s a topic for a whole other article. Suffice to say, there are some basic testing methods to help flag a stone for advanced testing, some of which were covered in the gemmology column appearing in the August 2015 issue.

In future articles, I will show how you can make some of your own gemmological tools, equipment, and instruments that will hopefully help make your job easier and less costly. We’ll also talk about building and assembling a world-class retail gemmological laboratory and how you and your store can benefit from advertising this fact. Gemmological identification is at the heart of our industry in terms of continued consumer confidence. In the end, maintaining a well-equipped retail gemmological lab and providing accurate information regarding a stone can only help further the public’s trust. After all, isn’t that what we all want?

[5]La Shawn Bauer is a senior bench jeweller, graduate gemmologist, and professional appraiser of gems and jewellery. With more than 36 years of experience in the jewellery industry, he has taught courses in both advanced gemmology and jewellery appraising, and has appeared as a speaker and guest lecturer at various industry events. Bauer is also a mentor for budding gemmologists, bench jewellers, and jewellery appraisers. He can be contacted via e-mail at lashawn308@yahoo.com[6].

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