The Sri Lankan Corundum Conundrum

In late March, a trio of industry groups — the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO), the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), and the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) — issued a joint press release expressing concern over undisclosed irradiated corundum from Sri Lanka. Irradiating a gem can cause unstable color that fades over time “to almost white or light pink tones” in stones such as padparadscha and pink sapphires, or to dark red in the case of rubies, the letter warned. 

This issue is not new; CIBJO addressed it in 2022, specifically regarding rubies, and a 2024 report from the trade body’s Colored Stone Commission highlighted it again, this time for yellow, orange and padparadscha sapphires. The latter report called the issue “increasingly important, given that the irradiation of colored gemstones is now widespread,” according to the March letter.

Taking it to the top 

Even before the joint statement in March, dealers stopped importing these goods, at least temporarily.  

To try and find a solution, AGTA CEO John W. Ford, Sr., sent letters in February to both the Sri Lankan government and the Sri Lanka Gem & Jewellery Association (SLGJA), asking them to investigate local sellers who either knowingly or unknowingly sold irradiated or otherwise treated corundum with color instability.  

“It has come to our attention that some vendors may be using radiation from various sources to create temporary, undisclosed treatments,” said Ford in those missives. “AGTA and other industry associations strongly oppose these unethical practices, as they risk eroding consumer trust and diminishing demand for colored stones altogether.” 

Ford called to implement “strict penalties for dealers who use such treatments without full disclosure.” 

Within days, the SLGJA responded by laying out a course of action: launching an awareness campaign in Sri Lanka, encouraging full disclosure of treatments among dealers, initiating policy and regulatory discussions with the National Gem and Jewellery Authority (NGJA), and lobbying for more strenuous testing at Sri Lankan gemological labs regarding color stability and radiation exposure. 

The NGJA, meanwhile, declared that it would “urgently pursue policy and regulatory measures and introduce stricter regulations and penalties for those engaging in undisclosed treatments, with the objective of upholding best practices that will strengthen the business in gemstones traded globally.”

Threat averted? 

If the problem remains unaddressed and the issues reach shoppers, consumer confidence could deteriorate, gem traders worry.  

Many ICA members who hail from source countries are concerned about potential damage, reports the group’s president, Douglas Hucker. However, he says the issue “is not prolific,” and expresses his faith that the NGJA “is committed to stricter oversight to clamp down on those bending the rules.”  

In Ford’s mind, the issue is resolved. 

“AGTA is satisfied with the progress that the Sri Lankan government and SLGJA has taken,” he tells Rapaport Magazine. “We are monitoring the situation and do not see a threat to the colored-gemstone supply chain at this time.”

Main image: A cushion-cut, 3.10-carat padparadscha sapphire from The Rare Gem. (The Rare Gem)