Editor’s Note
This article highlights a significant but underreported update from CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation. As noted by the American Gemological Laboratories (AGL), the term “composite” can now officially be used to describe lead-glass treated rubies, a change with important implications for transparency and disclosure in the gem trade.
New York–The American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) recently pointed out a “pivotal” change in disclosure nomenclature by CIBJO: the use of the word “composite” now can be used to describe lead-glass treated rubies, a change the AGL said many overlooked following CIBJO’s meeting in May.
Following its 2013 conference in Tel Aviv, CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, issued a press release explaining that going forward, it would follow the Laboratory Manual Harmonization Committee (LMHC) disclosure guidelines for lead-glass treated rubies and recognize the use of the term “composite” to describe the stones.
This is a change the AGL advocated for, but one that was largely overlooked in post-conference reports and not widely understood in the industry, the lab said.
The previous definition of “composite” in the CIBJO Blue Book did not permit the word to be used as a description for lead-glass treated rubies.
Lead-glass treated rubies began entering the jewelry market in vast numbers in 2003.
The creation of these stones involves taking very low quality, industrial-grade ruby and infusing it with glass that has a high lead content. Some stones are more ruby than glass while other are more glass than ruby.
In either case, the AGL said the amount of glass in these stones is significant and they must be handled carefully because the glass can be damaged by a variety of standard practices used by bench jewelers and even household products such as cleaners.
The LMHC has a multi-tiered disclosure system in place for lead-glass treated material that is dependent on the level of treatment, but AGL collectively describes all of this material as composite.
Additional trade organizations that recognize the term “composite” for lead-glass treated rubies are the American Gem Trade Association, International Colored Gemstone Association, Gemstone Industry and Laboratory Committee and the Jewelers Vigilance Committee.
