NEWS BULLETIN: August 3, 2007

The NRC Brings its Geiger Counters to NYC for a spot check of blue topaz

By David Federman, Colored Stone Editor-in-Chief

On August 2nd, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) sent inspectors to test radiation levels of New York dealers’ neutron-irradiated blue topaz inventories—both loose and set.

According to eye witnesses of those spot checks, the NRC found no worrisome stones.

By ‘worrisome,’ we mean stones whose radioactivity readings were significantly above background radiation levels when measured with a Geiger counter. As a general rule, stones which give radiation readings that are twice, or more, over background radiation levels are generally considered unsafe—or, in light of stringent NRC exemption standards—not yet ready for release.

Although the NRC has not yet commented on its New York tests or their results, it is hoped that the agency will now accept industry assurances that it has kept the public’s welfare in mind with regards to blue topaz. If so, it might be willing to grant testing exemptions to blue topaz jewelry currently in retailers’ counters—but leave open for now any decision regarding future supplies of this gem.

Nevertheless, if blue topaz is on your Christmas shopping list, you may still have to cross it off. Why? When it comes to irradiated products, a clean bill of health doesn’t necessarily translate into a bill of sale. Indeed, many jewelers fear it may sooner translate into legal bills on the part of angry consumers. So they are emptying their shelves of all irradiated blue topaz. But will this lessen liability for past sales? No, says one Los Angeles retailer who has decided to stick with topaz if given NRC approval: “Empty shelves are no less an admission of guilt. If I can prove you sold blue topaz, the sudden absence of this product is only cause for suspicion.”

BETWEEN ROCKS & HARD PLACES
The blue topaz quandary is unlike any other the jewelry industry has ever faced. It’s not a matter of selling potentially hazardous materials. There is no convincing evidence that we know of to prove that irradiated blue topaz has ever posed a health threat. No one, including the NRC, has ever asked for a recall of this gem based on safety concerns.

So what’s the legal problem with this gem? It’s a technical one. Irradiated blue topaz needs to be sold by NRC-licensed distributors who can guarantee stones have been tested and found in compliance with NRC safe-dosage standards. It is probably safe to say that 99.9% of all blue topaz sold in this country for the past five—perhaps, ten—years has not been certified for commerce in accordance with NRC regulations or by a NRC license holder.

This isn’t to say these gems haven’t been tested and certified. Indeed, it is probably just as safe to say that most blue topaz sold in this country has been tested and certified for safety—but using less stringent international standards in effect in the countries where they are cut and mounted in jewelry. As one maker of blue topaz jewelry told us: “Every piece of blue topaz jewelry in my inventory would be deemed safe for sale throughout Europe.” How does he know? Because he has his topaz tested to meet those standards.

Okay, we continued, if stones are legally safe for sale in England or Germany, why not test them to see if they are legally safe for sale in the United States? His answer: “Because it is possible that stones which might be judged safe for sale in those countries might need years of quarantine in this country before they were judged safe for sale.”

And there’s the rub: American jewelers are caught in a discrepancy between standards. And just because the American standard is stricter than the international standard doesn’t mean the latter isn’t fair or safe. It just means it’s different.

Stay tuned for more developments in the blue topaz crisis.

This was also sent out to our Colored Stone E-News mailing list members as an e-mail news blast. Want to receive the latest up-to-date information on the gemstone industry? Sign up for our Colored Stone E-News mailing list here.

Back to Part 1 of the story

Sept/Oct 2007 • Blue Topaz: The Ban That Never Was • Pearl Trade Faces Crisis • Chinese Pearl Farming Imperiled • Blue Topaz: From Hot Rock to Cool Stone This X-Mas • Topaz Troubles • NRC Exclusive Statement to CS on Irradiated Topaz • This Holiday Season May Not a Blue (Topaz) Christmas • The NRC's website