Gemstone treatment is a very common occurrence and is one of those things that invokes a lot of debate in the industry. In short, gemstone treatment is done to improve the quality and marketability of the final gem.

The treating of gemstones to improve their colour is as old as the custom of wearing stones itself. It probably first started when someone accidently dropped a stone into a fire and upon removing it found that it had altered the colour. Using fire in this manner is the traditional way to treat many stones but has been superceded in large part by controlled heating in special ovens. This method has wide acceptance in the industry.

The types of treatments are many and varied, some are looked upon favourably and others not so. Some treatments are done ubiquitously to certain gemstones to improve colour and remove or mask impurities and flaws thus dramatically altering its appearance and the value. Heating, oiling (emeralds in particular to fill the cracks), irradiation, lasering, dyeing, acid, berrilium are common forms of treatment.

For certain varieties of stone in the marketplace, particularly the more expensive one like sapphires, rubies and emeralds, treatment is the norm. A lot of debate centres around disclosure to the buying public of any treatments done to the stone as well as the distinctions between "treatments" and "enhancements". Industry and governmental guidelines can be unclear and in some cases completely lacking. Treating stones is relatively cheap and is done on a large scale, turning inferior stones into something more marketable. This all impacts on a gemstone's value and the industry at large.

Generally speaking, an untreated stone of fine quality should demand a higher price and premium when compared to a similar stone that obtained its "quality" via some manner of treatment. Fine untreated stones of any variety are getting scarcer by the day and harder to come by.