Jewellers have been told to look out for gem stones from Asia, following a radiation scare.

Hundreds of very rare chrysoberyl gems, commonly known as cat's eyes, were found to be highly radioactive after they were blasted with neutrons to enhance their value.

Tests in Bangkok have shown that radiation levels in some stones were more than 50 times above safety limits. Wearing such stones in a ring or bracelet could be lethal.

The gems make a Geiger counter buzz danger

"If it were mounted in a piece of jewellery and I were wearing the thing, there would be a high risk of contracting cancer," said gems dealer, Jeffrey Gergman.

The stones are treated to change their colour. Originally a pale yellow, the stone's value soars from a few hundred pounds to a few thousand when it becomes dark brown.

The dark cat's eyes are naturally found in Tanzania, Sri Lanka and Mozambique, but the mines in those countries are virtually exhausted.

Ken Scarratt, a British gemologist, says that 90% of all sapphires and rubies are treated to enhance their colouring, but they are usually kept for years in lead casing until the radioactive level becomes safe.

Radioactive stones have already made their way into jewellery

The deadly cat's eyes are thought to be from Orissa, India, but to have been treated by a technician working in a nuclear reactor plant in Indonesia. Mr Scarratt says the gems should not have been released until the year 2000.

It is not known how long they have been in distribution, nor how widely they have been sold. But the possibility that the radioactive gems have penetrated European markets has not been ruled out.

"The biggest problem is in places like Indonesia and Japan. In Indonesia, a gem lab has seen hundreds of these stones coming through," said Mr Scarratt.

In Bangkok, which remains the gems trade capital of the world, the million-dollar gems business has been devastated by the scare.

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