As in Bangkok, hundreds of cat's-eye gems in a rare brown color have turned up in the Indonesian capital recently. The way the shop assistant heard it, the stones came from a newly discovered mine in Africa. Jakarta gem expert Noni Noer scoffs at the idea. There would have been reports about a new mine before the stones appeared in the market, and she knew of none. Now, experts estimate that as many as 1,000 radioactive cat's-eyes may be in circulation, mostly in Asia, where they are most popular.
Many traders insist, however, that the danger is exaggerated.
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.