The saga began in July when Nizamudeen bought a set of 50 cat's-eyes from an Indonesian trader. Each was in a prized shade of chocolate, bisected by the characteristic light streak resembling a cat's slit pupil. To find out, Nizamudeen eventually turned to fellow trader Jeffrey Bergman, whose Gem Source company specializes in heat-treated gems. The dealers stood to make a fortune, if only they could figure out how it was done. But all conventional tests at the Bangkok Center for Gemstone Testing failed to reveal anything out of the ordinary, recalls Bergman.
Chrysoberyl forms the most valuable variety.
But with Nizamudeen's lot, nature had assistance. When testers turned on their Geiger counter, the gems sent the pointer bouncing off the dial. Nizamudeen, who had already sold five of them, refunded his customers after informing them of the danger. Bergman had taken a Geiger counter along to the Hong Kong Jewelry Fair in September, concerned that the hot stones might have spread to other markets. Most gems tested negative.