Early Winter - 514 AV
Master LI had plans for Kelski. One of the things he wanted to teach her, along with her already growing skills of gem identification, was how to spot treatments on gemstones and how to treat them herself. If she could do some of the more labor intensive work around the workshop, then that freed him up for designing more unique pieces and cutting the more technical gemstone cuts that were required in their trade. And to that end, he started teaching Kelski about Gem Treatments. Her lessons began one fall morning when the threat of an early snow was in the air.
“Kelski, with your sharp eyes I want to train you to understand the differences between natural gemstones and those treated by jewelers. I also want you to learn these treatment techniques so we can take gems that are subpar and make them desirable to our customers. To that end, young lady, there are a multitude of techniques, some of which you are going to learn today and some of which we’ll save for another time. I’ll start with bleaching, work through surface coating, move on to dying, and then talk about fracturing or cavity filling and heat treatment.” LI said, walking her to the philtering lab part of the workshop and getting her settled there.
“Bleaching? Is that turning a stone paler?” Kelski asked? She’d often been called ‘bleached’ in regards to her skinton because she was utterly pale. But she’d never heard of bleaching stones. That was an utterly new experience to her.
Master Li nodded.
“We make stone bleaches out of Vinegar, Lemon juice, and urine from strong sources of animals and birds. If you do not think it is too vulgar, I would ask that you start saving your urine for such things being kelvic.” Master Li said and walked to the back of the workshop, through another well secured doorway, and out to a small courtyard that had a discrete bucket off to the side. “Here is where we store it.” He said, gesturing to the bucket. “It’s a very destructive substance that can burn the skin just like lemon juice and strong vinegars.” He added, hoping she understood.
Kelski smiled, nodded her agreement, and tipped the lid on the bucket a bit to peek beneath. She was curious. She slammed the bucket back down again, groaning, because the acidic smell of the bucket burned at her nose. It was true they needed things and they had to do what they must to make sure the shop needs were met. This was indeed a small thing to ask.
Master Li continued, walking them back into the philtering section of the workshop.
“Now Kelski it’s important that you understand that while some of these processes can enhance a gemstones beauty and even improve its color or clarity, they can also really diminish the gemstone’s toughness and durability. I want to get your eye used to spotting these alterations so you can decide what’s legitimate to buy, sell, and disclose it to our customers if we decide too. Sometimes they don’t need to know. But sometimes treatments are short-lived rather than long-lasting and they will need to return the piece to us to get it retreated to maintain its appearance comparable to what it was when they purchased it.” Li said, looking thoughtful.
“Kelski, with your sharp eyes I want to train you to understand the differences between natural gemstones and those treated by jewelers. I also want you to learn these treatment techniques so we can take gems that are subpar and make them desirable to our customers. To that end, young lady, there are a multitude of techniques, some of which you are going to learn today and some of which we’ll save for another time. I’ll start with bleaching, work through surface coating, move on to dying, and then talk about fracturing or cavity filling and heat treatment.” LI said, walking her to the philtering lab part of the workshop and getting her settled there.
“Bleaching? Is that turning a stone paler?” Kelski asked? She’d often been called ‘bleached’ in regards to her skinton because she was utterly pale. But she’d never heard of bleaching stones. That was an utterly new experience to her.
Master Li nodded.
“We make stone bleaches out of Vinegar, Lemon juice, and urine from strong sources of animals and birds. If you do not think it is too vulgar, I would ask that you start saving your urine for such things being kelvic.” Master Li said and walked to the back of the workshop, through another well secured doorway, and out to a small courtyard that had a discrete bucket off to the side. “Here is where we store it.” He said, gesturing to the bucket. “It’s a very destructive substance that can burn the skin just like lemon juice and strong vinegars.” He added, hoping she understood.
Kelski smiled, nodded her agreement, and tipped the lid on the bucket a bit to peek beneath. She was curious. She slammed the bucket back down again, groaning, because the acidic smell of the bucket burned at her nose. It was true they needed things and they had to do what they must to make sure the shop needs were met. This was indeed a small thing to ask.
Master Li continued, walking them back into the philtering section of the workshop.
“Now Kelski it’s important that you understand that while some of these processes can enhance a gemstones beauty and even improve its color or clarity, they can also really diminish the gemstone’s toughness and durability. I want to get your eye used to spotting these alterations so you can decide what’s legitimate to buy, sell, and disclose it to our customers if we decide too. Sometimes they don’t need to know. But sometimes treatments are short-lived rather than long-lasting and they will need to return the piece to us to get it retreated to maintain its appearance comparable to what it was when they purchased it.” Li said, looking thoughtful.
