Tairus Created Gems

 Hydrothermal method is based on transformation of melted crashed emeralds and deposit of consequent solution around the beryl seed in a hydrothermal environment. The crashed low grade emeralds, known as nutrient, are melted along with color inducing chemicals, such as Vanadium and Chromium, that are ones of the nature’s coloring agents in emeralds, and deposited onto a natural beryl seed. The seed, being a larger and more solid element in the process, attracts smaller particles of the same origin and the growth process begins, depositing layer upon layer on itself. This is the reason for undulated growth lines in hydrothermally grown gems. The process takes around four weeks. If the process is slowed down, the “layers” are deposited at a slower rate, resulting in growth lines being less defined and more difficult to detect.

The process starts by gradually heating the autoclave. Subsequent rise in temperature leads to rise in pressure, as a result of liquid expansion inside the inner vessel. Once the temperature rises to about 600°C and pressure is around 800 PSI, the process reaches an ultimate equilibrium and a melt process begins. Smaller particles are attracted by the larger element, the seed, hence starting the growth process.

 

Here are some chemical formulas of Hydrothermal Gems:

Emerald              Cr³+ Be3Al2Si6O18

Red Beryl           Co²⁺, Co³⁺ - Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈

Purple Beryl                  Mn³⁺, Co²⁺, Co³⁺ - Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈

Orange Beryl                 Co²⁺, Co³⁺, Cr³⁺ - Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈

Aquamarine                     Fe^2+, Fe³⁺ - Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈

Blue Sapphire                   Fe²⁺, Ti⁴⁺ - Al₂O₃

Ruby                                Cr³⁺ - Al₂O₃

Light Yellow Sapphire     Fe³⁺ - Al₂O₃

Yellow Sapphire              Ni³⁺ - Al₂O₃

Padparadscha Sapphire Cr³⁺, Ni³⁺ - Al₂O₃

Violet Sapphire               Cr^3+, Ni²⁺ Al₂O₃

Green Sapphire              Co³⁺ - Al₂O₃

     Many discoveries in this filed are attributed to late Dr. Alexander Lebedev, who led the first group of researchers. Further development of technique to grow “platinum” variety is attributed to Alexey Ilyin and Aquamarine and Corundum (ruby and sapphires) is attributed to Dimitry Fursenko and Victor Thomas, along with the newest discoveries of a method to grow Colombian color Emeralds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut Colombian Color

Hydrothermal Emerald  

Pressure vessel

(or Autoclave)

Seed

Nutrient

Outer

Vessel

Hydrothermal Process and How do we do it (Production of Emeralds and other colored Beryl,  Rubies, Sapphires and other colored and white corundum)

Autoclave (pressure vessel) that we use to produce our gems (left) and seeds with nutrient that is inserted into the autoclave. Nutrient dissolves and re-grows on the seeds. Nutrient consists of natural, low quality emeralds.

Rough Hydrothermal Aquamarine

 

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Hydrothermal cut ruby,

photo courtesy of  Jean Claude Levandowski

Inner Vessel filled with

solutions