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 April 2009
In our newsletter this month:
• Gems for Collectors
• New and Interesting Gemstones
• Rare and Unusual Gems
• Customer Questions
Gems for Collectors
Many of our customers are gemstone collectors, so we get numerous requests for rare and unusual stones. Finding these gems is far from easy, even given our location in Thailand and the extensive contacts we've established over the years. But some months we get lucky and have opportunities to buy some unusual stones. Last month, for example, we found interesting specimens of 15 different gemstone varieties that we've never stocked before.
When we started our online business 5 years ago we carried about 40 different kinds of gemstones. At the time we thought that was an impressively wide range. But at last count we now have 119 different varieties in stock. We continue to search out the rare and unusual.
Among the unusual varieties we found recently is Idocrase, a brilliant olive green gem from the mineral vesuvianite. Idocrase is not only rare, but transparent specimens that can be faceted count as very rare indeed. Most gem-quality idocrase is opaque with an appearance similar to jade. Recently some very fine transparent specimens have come from Tanzania and Kenya and we were able to buy a small lot.
Another rare green gem is tashmarine diopside, a bright green form of diopside from Tajikistan. Many people are familiar with the chrome diopside from Russia, a saturated green that is so deep that it can only be cut in small sizes without becoming overly dark. The much brighter tashmarine can be faceted in larger sizes.
We've had a number of requests for larimar, an unusual green-blue variety of pectolite found only in one location in the Dominican Republic. Due to limited supply, it is very hard to find outside of the Caribbean region. We've found a small lot of excellent pieces.
Among our recent acquisitions are some unusual cabochons. These include violet charoite, a recent discovery from Siberia with a distinctive swirling pattern; gaspeite, an apple green nickel carbonate from the USA; hemimorphite, a rare zinc silicate from the Congo that occurs in a vivid blue with white banding; hematite, one of the few gems with a metallic luster, and one of the densest materials in the gems world; and lepidolite, a lilac-gray or rose-colored lithium-bearing mineral of the mica group from Mexico.
You'll find other interesting new stones in our stock this month, most in very limited quantities. Look for our new stock in melanite, nuumite, sodalite, sugilite, strawberry quartz and peanut wood.
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| New and Interesting Gems -- updated March 15th |
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Variscite from the United States: Variscite is a relatively rare phosphate mineral and high quality specimens are used as gemstones and for carvings. Its name derives from Variscia, the historical name of Vogtland in Germany, where it was first found in 1837. At one time it also went under the name Utahlite, since important deposits have also been found in Utah, USA. We've found some excellent cabochons in various shades of green, mainly in the 20 carat size. |
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Goshenite from Russia: The colorless precious beryl is known as goshenite. It is named after the small town of Goshen in western Massachusetts where it was first described. Goshenite was once used for manufacturing eyeglasses and lenses owing to its excellent transparency. Goshenite belongs to the same family as emerald, aquamarine and morganite. We've found a small number of high quality pieces from Russia, in sizes ranging from 3 to 5 carats. |
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Dumortierite Quartz from Namibia: Dumortierite Quartz is an ususual quartz that is integrown with the mineral dumortierite. The inclusions of dumortierite give it a deep blue color that is unique in the world of quartz. The color has similarities to lapis lazuli and sodalite, but with the superior hardness of quartz. We have a nice range of cabochons from 7 to 35 carats. |
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Mali Garnet from Mali: Mali Garnet is a rare garnet that is a mixture of grossular and andradite garnets. The name derives from the West African country of Mali where this garnet was first discovered in 1994. Mali is still the only source for this unusual garnet. Though Mali Garnet is predominantly grossular by composition, the presence of andradite is responsible for its superb dispersion or fire, reminiscent of the most famous andradite garnet, demantoid. |
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Rubellite Tourmaline from Mozambique: Rubellite, the intense ruby-red color of tourmaline, is one of the rarest tourmaline colors. We rarely find good specimens in the market, so we're glad to announce that we've just added more than a dozen new rubellite pieces to our inventory, mainly in the 1 to 3 carat size. |
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Sillimanite Cat's Eye from Madagascar: Sillimanite is an aluminum silicate, related to both andalusite and kyanite. In fact these three minerals are polymorphs -- they share the same chemical composition but different crystal structures. Sillimanite is named after the American chemist Benjamin Silliman (1779-1864). Silliman was one of the first American professors of science at Yale University. We've bought some interesting sillimanite cabochons with an exceptionally vivid cat's eye. |
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Sugilite from Australia: Sugilite is a rare mineral named after the Japanese geologist, Ken-ichi Sugi, who discovered it in 1944. It is rarely found as crystals, usually being massive in form. It has a distinctive purple colour and is usually opaque to translucent. Sugilite has sometimes been called purple turquoise although there is no real connection between turquoise and sugilite, except both are colorful cabochons that are very attractive when set in silver. We've just bought a new stock of some top-grade sugilite. |
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Amazonite from Brazil: Amazonite is a gemstone variety of green microcline, a feldspar mineral. It is named after the Amazon river in Brazil, though surprisingly no deposits have been found in that location. The lively green or blue-green color is reminiscient of jade. We've just acquired a parcel of interesting cabochons in a vivid blue green, including some matching pairs. |
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Color-Change Garnet from Tanzania and Madagascar: The rare color-change garnet from east Africa and Madagascar has been very popular, and we have been buying all the high quality pieces we can find. We have just added several dozen new pieces from Madagascar. These have a striking color change from golden to orange or pink. |
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Charoite from Russia: Charoite is a new gem on the market, first appearing in 1978. It is found only in one location in Siberia, Russia. The color and patterns are quite unique, with swirling shapes of lavender and violet. It is sometimes described as having the appearance of a purple marble. We've just purchased a new lot of charoite cabs in a deep violet, in sizes up to 9 carats. |
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Emerald from Colombia: We have just received a new stock of Colombian emeralds with rich color and good transparency. These are mainly ovals, pears and emerald cuts in smaller sizes, ideal for earrings and ring settings. |
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Cat's Eye Scapolite from Madagascar: Scapolite displaying a cat's eye effect are rare and highly regarded in the gem trade, since they tend to have exceptionally sharp eyes. Just keep in mind that these are slightly soft stones (5.5 to 6 on the Mohs hardness scale) and are not suitable for rings. But they make terrific earrings and pendants. |
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Blue Sapphire Pairs from Madagascar: We have been buying some outstanding blue sapphires from Madagascar recently, and we've put together several dozen matching pairs. These are mainly rounds and ovals, with a few square-cut as well. A classic stone for earrings and perfect for ring and pendant designs. |
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Unheated Yellow Sapphire from Tanzania: Completely untreated yellow sapphire is rare and difficult to find, not to mention expensive. We have been finding some very good unheated yellow sapphire from Tanzania, mostly in sub-carat sizes. But we did find 5 very good pieces between 1.1 and 1.5 carats. These are all ovals with VVS clarity, at an excellent price for unheated material. |
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Large Tourmaline from Mozambique: We have one of the largest inventories of tourmaline you'll anywhere, and we have just added many large pieces to our collection. You'll find pink, red, orange and green, as well as an amazing variety of multicolor and bi-color pieces. We also have a good stock in watermelon crystal slices. |
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Demantoid Garnet from Namibia: Demantoid is the rarest and most valuable of the garnets, and is one of the most difficult to find of all colored gems. It is one of the few colored gemstones with a luster and brilliance similar to diamond. We have built up a stock of more than 150 pieces of Namibian demantoid, including some very fine matched pairs. |
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Spinel from Burma and Tanzania: We buy fine spinel whenever we can find it, and we've recently added some very fine pieces to our extensive stock. You'll find red, violet, orange, blue and gray in a variety of shapes and sizes. Notable among these acquisitions are some larger pieces in the 2 to 4 carat size, and a number of hard-to-find matching pairs. |
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Apatite from Madagascar: Apaptite from Madagascar is famous for a vivid blue-green that is reminiscent of paraiba tourmaline. We have just acquired a range of excellent new pieces. Most are in the 1 to 2 carat size, but we've also found a few rare stones in the 4 to 5 carat size. We also have stock in the popular green apatite, known as the "asparagus stone." |
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Sphene from Sri Lanka: We have added some excellent new pieces to our stock of this rare gemstone famous for its remarkable dispersion or fire. These are bright golden and green pieces in interesting shapes and cuts, including a number of rounds in smaller sizes. Sphene tends to have inclusions, but we've found a number of eye-clean pieces. |
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Chrome Diopside from Russia: Chrome diopside is one of the few gemstones colored by chromium. Its rich green is unique in the gems world, rivalled only by the best tsavorite garnet and chrome tourmaline. We have recently purchased some very fine matched pairs for earrings, as well as a number of very affordable pieces in smaller pieces. |
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Spessartite Garnet from Mozambique: We have added a large number of new pieces to our extensive inventory of this very popular gem. We now have over 500 pieces in stock, in mandarin and red-orange, in both cabochon and faceted. The range of sizes and quality grades is extensive. Our most recent additions are in the best mandarin orange color, mainly in smaller sizes. |
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Rare and Unusual Gems
Each month we feature a rare and unusual gem from our inventory. This month we feature an extremely rare 20 carat blue sapphire from the Diego Suarez mine in northern Madagascar.
There are rare gems and then there are very rare gems. High quality sapphires in very large sizes are very rare indeed. This 20.83 ct. blue sapphire from Madgascar displays superb color saturation and brilliance with outstanding clarity.
Customer Questions
Every month we answer questions of general interest from our customers. Please feel free to send your questions to help@gemselect.com. |
| Q: |
Thank you for your article on Madagascar in your recent newsletter. How is the latest news affecting the gemstone supply? PC, UK
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| A: |
The situation in Madagascar has unfortunately gone from bad to worse. The elected government of President Marc Ravalomanana was deposed in a coup led by the opposition leader, Andry Rajoelina, with the support of some factions in the military. Latest reports are that supporters of Ravalomanana have taken to the streets en masse to protest the coup and the country is in a state of paralysis. The gemstone trade has come to a complete halt. Everyone in the gemstone trade is watching the situation closely, but there is no end in sight to the political turmoil at the moment. |
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How are trillion cut gems measured? Do trillions come in calibrated sizes? Thank you for your help, NK, USA |
| A: |
There are some manufacturers making standard settings for trillions, but they are not common. Trillions can be cut in different proportions, but the most typical proportions are those of an equilateral triangle. Trillions are measured across the widest points, so the standard settings would be 5 x 5 mm, 6 x 6 mm, and so on.
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| A final note -- If you send us email, please be assured that we answer all our email very promptly, 6 days a week. But we sometimes have problems with spam filters on the receiving end, so please adjust the settings on your mail client so you can receive mail from help@gemselect.com.
Happy gem hunting,
Your friends at GemSelect |
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