Special Edition: The Truth on Blue Topaz - By Robert James FGA, GG

Special Edition: The Truth on Blue Topaz
 
or........how the NRC and JVC yelled FIRE in the theater!
 
Blue Topaz: Too Hot to Handle! That is the headline from one leading gemstone industry publication. But has the panic over the radiation of blue topaz taken over common sense, and more importantly the truth? I believe it has. And in this Special Edition of the ISG QuikConnect eNewsletter we would like to present some down to earth information to clarify this situation.
 
The History
 
Topaz has been irradiated to produce a blue color since around 1979. At the time, the material was selling for US$80.00 per carat wholesale, with the US market buying up every blue topaz that could be produced. The market was so big that foreign producers were importing the stones in huge quantities.
 
                                    
                                                                                           
                           Blue topaz is brown after radiation. Heating turns it the blue color as shown above. 
 
The Problem
 
The problem was that once the stones are irradiated, they give off residual radiation for a period of about a year, meaning that stones that are irradiated and immediately shipped and sold will give off that residual radioactivity to the shipper, dealer and wearer. And that is exactly what happened during the 1979 to 1981 introductory years of blue topaz on the markets. A lot of radioactive blue topaz sold on the US market, but we did not hear about it at that time.
 
The Solution
 
The solution was adopted in the early 1980s when the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission was given power to control distribution of blue topaz in the US markets. And to do this, the NRC required all importers to maintain a blue topaz import license to insure that all blue topaz was properly tested.
 
The Problem (again)
 
The problem was that the NRC failed dramatically to maintain their vigilance of the licenses and importers. They simply failed to do their job. As a result, over a period of about 25 years, the NRC's failure to do their job resulted in license holders not renewing their import license, and dealers simply importing blue topaz without any controls. 
 
 
The Panic
 
This has gone on for decades. And those of us who have been around 30 or more years have been fully aware of this situation. Based on the fact that no one has ever actually found a blue topaz that was radioactive in a jewelry store, the situation was simply moot.  However, about a year ago someone at the NRC realized that blue topaz was being sold throughout the US , but no one had a NRC license to import blue topaz.  When that word got out, the jewelry industry media (by way of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee) picked up on the story and used it to create panic and headlines.
 
To date, the NRC reports no radioactive blue topaz has been found by their investigations and dealer testing. In other words, this whole panic was not started because radioactive blue topaz was actually found anywhere in the market. It was started because someone at the NRC realized that the NRC had failed to do their job and oversee the license requirements for importers.
 
So the panic is not based on radioactive gemstones. This whole mess is based on the NRC failing to do its paperwork.
 
And just to prove the point, the ISG will pay a $250.00 reward to any jewelry store owner who can send us a radioactive blue topaz from your inventory. US$250.00 for a proven radioactive blue topaz of any size or color. We are looking to obtain 10 stones if anyone has any.
 
The truth is that this entire blue topaz fiasco is based on a condition that has been around for 27 years, is due to the failure of the NRC to do its job, is due to the jewelry industry media creating a panic without telling the complete story, and all the while not one radioactive blue topaz has been found by all of the NRC testing.
 
As if business was not bad enough right now for independent retail jewelers, we do not need this. The NRC, the jewelry industry media, and the Jewelers Vigilance Committee should be more responsible.
 
They have done the equivalent of yelling FIRE in the jewelry industry theater, when there is neither smoke nor fire to be found anywhere. Just some people not doing their paperwork.
 
Robert James FGA, GG http://www.schoolofgemology.com/

Posted by Posted by Jewelry News at Monday, October 22, 2007 2:44 PM
Categories: Jewelry News, JVC, School of Gemology, Blue Topaz
 

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