Lexi and Rose is proud to support the Kimberley process, which is an international initiative to track and certify diamonds. The Kimberley Process requires all US diamond retailers to buy diamonds only from manufacturers who have documentation warranting that their merchandise was obtained through legitimate channels. Today, the US Customs Service actively enforces the Kimberley Process requirements as diamonds enter American ports. You can learn more at diamondfacts.org.

A diamond’s quality is determined by the 4 C’s:

Cut: Quality of the angles, proportions, facets, and finishing details
Color: How colorless the diamond is
Clarity: How clean the diamond is of inclusions and blemishes
Carat: The weight of the diamond

Learn more about diamonds at gia.edu.

Reference the table below to see standardized weighting and the corresponding range of precise weights.

Yes, Lexi and Rose enhances our colored gemstones. In fact, almost all colored gemstones sold at fine jewelers are enhanced using various techniques, which have been carefully developed and practiced by jewelers over centuries. Colored gemstones that have not been enhanced are extremely rare, commanding excessive prices.

There are numerous methods used to enhance colored gemstones. Some of the most common are explained below. To learn more about colored gemstone enhancements, see the American Gem Trade Association's Gemstone Information Manual link here.

HEAT TREATMENT

For centuries, it has been common practice to apply heat to gemstones in order to enhance their color and clarity. This is considered part of the standard polishing and finishing process for many colored gemstones, and the enhanced results in color and clarity are permanent. This is an accepted practice by the American Gem Trade Association.

INFUSION

Infusion is the practice of filling a gem material with oil, wax, glass, resin, or other materials, either colored or colorless, to improve their appearance. This process began centuries ago when gemstone merchants found that immersing emeralds in oils or waxes made them look clearer to the unaided eye. It continues today with many colored gemstones.

COATING

Coating is the practice of applying wax, resin or oil to the exterior of a porous colored gemstone not only to improve its appearance but also to increase its sturdiness and protect the gem’s natural substance.

BLEACHING

Bleaching is the practice of lightening or enhancing color consistency in a gemstone by applying chemicals or other elements.

DYEING

Gemstone color can be enhanced or altered by the application of coloring agents, permeating the colored gemstone itself to permanently affect its appearance.

IRRIDATION

Often following a heating process, radiation can be applied to gemstones to permanently alter and enhance their coloration.

While many of these practices have been employed and handed down over centuries by generations of jewelers, they continue to be refined and built upon today. There are also new techniques continually being developed to enhance colored gemstones. These new techniques may be difficult or, in rare cases, impossible to detect, even for the most sophisticated laboratory. Lexi and Rose continues to consult with industry groups and gemological experts who are committed to the identification and disclosure of new and future techniques in order to maintain our stringent quality standards.

Learn more about gemstones here:

Gem encyclopedia
Birthstones