AGTA
Enhancement: Any treatment process other than cutting and polishing that improves the appearance (color/clarity/phenomena), durability, or availability of a gemstone.
E: The “E” symbol indicates that a gemstone has undergone its traditional enhancement process.
(N) Natural
No modification; natural stones which are not currently known to be enhanced (or currently has no known modification process).
(B) Bleaching
The use of heat, light and/or other agents to lighten or remove a gemstone's color.
(C) Coating
The use of such surface enhancements as lacquering, enameling, inking, foiling or sputtering of films to improve appearance, provide color or add other special effects.
(D) Dyeing
The introduction of coloring matter into a gemstone to give it new color, intensify present color or improve color uniformity.
(F) Filling
The filling of surface-breaking cavities or fissures with colorless glass, plastic, solidified borax or similar substances. This process may improve durability and/or appearance, and/or to add weight.
(H) Heating
The use of heat to effect desired alteration of color, clarity and/or phenomena. If residue of foreign substances in open fissures is visible under properly illuminated 10X magnification, H F should be used.
(HP) Heating and Pressure
The use of heat and pressure combined to effect desired alterations of color, clarity and/or phenomena.
(I) Impregnation
The impregnation of a porous gemstone with a colorless agent (usually plastic) to improve durability and appearance.
(IMIT) Imitation
A simulant, which is defined as a man-made single crystal product that is used to simulate the appearance, but not duplicate the characteristic properties of the natural gemstone it imitates.
(L) Lasering
The use of a laser and chemicals to reach and alter inclusions in gemstones, usually diamonds.
(O) Oiling/Resin Infusion
The filling of surface-breaking fissures with colorless oil, wax, resin or other colorless substances, except glass or plastic, to improve the gemstone's appearance.
(R) Irradiation
The use of neutrons, gamma rays or beta particles (high energy electrons) to alter a gemstone's color. The irradiation may be followed by a heating process.
(SYN) Synthetic
Synthetic materials that have essentially the same optical, physical and chemical properties as a naturally occurring counterpart. In all cases, stones must be referred to as "synthetic ruby," "laboratory grown sapphire," or "Chatham-Created emerald," etc.
(U) Diffusion
The use of chemicals in conjunction with high temperatures to produce ARTIFICIAL color change and/or asterism-producing inclusions.
(W) Waxing
Waxing/Oiling: The impregnation of a colorless wax, paraffin or oil in porous opaque or translucent gemstones to improve appearance.