May 2008
 In our newsletter this month:
Our Home in Chanthaburi, Thailand
New and Interesting Gemstones
New Content at GemSelect
Rare and Unusual Gems
Customer Questions
Our Home in Chanthaburi, Thailand
GemSelect is based in Chanthaburi, Thailand, a town of about 50,000 people located 245 km southeast of Bangkok (see map). It is not a very well known tourist place. In fact you'll hardly find it mentioned in the average tourist guidebook. In the gemstone world, however, it's a different story -- Chanthaburi is one of the world centers for cutting and trading colored gemstones, as important as Jaipur in India or Idar-Oberstein in Germany. Chanthaburi's weekend gemstone market is a rare experience for any gemstone lover.
Chanthaburi is also a wonderful place to live and work. As expatriates who've settled in Thailand for some years, we've come to love the life here. Though living and doing business in a developing country can be challenging -- we've survived a major flood and a minor military coup in the last couple of years -- the quality of life and the hospitable Thai people more than compensate for the occasional difficulties.
 While foreign tourists have not yet discovered us, Thai people know Chanthaburi as an area of great natural beauty and outstanding food. Located in a plain between the Gulf of Thailand and the rugged Chanthaburi Mountains, Chanthaburi is one of the view places in Thailand where you can enjoy both unspoiled beaches and mountain waterfalls. With an annual rainfall of more than 3,000 mm, Chanthaburi is famous for its tropical fruit, particularly durian, rambutan, mangosteen and longan. We also have abundant seafood, especially shrimp, much of it exported; and Chanthaburi is an important producer of high quality white and black pepper.
 Chanthaburi also has quite a fascinating history. When Ayutthaya, the historical capital of the Siam kingdom, was attacked and completely destroyed by the Burmese in 1767, the country was thrown into chaos. A Thai military commander named Phraya Taksin retreated to Chanthaburi, where he built up a force to repel the Burmese. After the defeat of the Burmese, Taksin became King of Thailand in 1768 and started the work to rebuild the nation.
 Though they fought a series of wars with Burma, the Thais are proud that they have never been colonized. While all the other countries in the region -- Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Malaysia and Indonesia -- were once colonies of the French or the British or the Dutch, Thailand managed to remain independent.
Chanthaburi, however, was a temporary exception. When Thailand tried to exert control over Laos and Cambodia in the 19th century, it led to a conflict with France in 1893, known as the Paknam crisis. One of the results of the crisis is that France occupied Chanthaburi and held it until a peace treaty was signed in 1905. Signs of the French occupation can still be seen here in the French architecture of the old town and the largest Catholic cathedral in Thailand.
With its flourishing gem grade and its fruit and seafood industries, Chanthaburi is a prosperous town, probably one of the wealthiest in Thailand. It has a small but significant foreign population, though most are African gem traders, not westerners. English is not widely spoken, but foreign visitors are warmly welcomed.
|
| New and Interesting Gems -- updated July 16th |
 |
Pink Tourmaline from Mozambique: Pink is the most popular color in tourmaline and we have just expanded our stock with some outstanding new pieces. The shades range all the way from soft pink to hot pink and purple pink. We have more than 350 pieces in all, in a wide range of sizes and shapes. We buy pink tourmaline whenever we can find it, but rarely find this many fine pieces. |
|
| |
 |
Chrysoberyl Cat's Eye: The most famous and valuable cat's eye gemstone is chrysoberyl cat's eye. In fact when the term cat's eye is used alone in the gem trade, it always refers to chrysoberyl cat's eye. All other types of cat's eye gems require an additional varietal designation, such as cat's eye apatite. Chrysoberyl cat's eye is so highly regarded due to its excellent hardness (8.5 on the Mohs scale), superb luster and remarkably sharp cat's eye effect. We have just found some excellent pieces at an unusually good price. |
|
| |
 |
Hessonite Garnet from Madagascar: Hessonite belongs to the grossularite garnet group, which also includes tsavorite garnet. While most grossularite garnet is green, hessonite typically has a orange-brown color which has earned it the nickname cinnamon stone. We rarely find hessonite in the market, but we've just bought an excellent selection of matched pairs in a variety of shapes. |
|
| |
 |
Star Diopside from India: Diopside is a calcium magnesium silicate with a hardness of 5-6 on the Mohs scale. Diopside is best known for the vivid green chrome diopside, but the black diopside exhbiiting asterism or the star effect is rare and unusual. We've acquired a small number of pieces from India, in very impressive sizes (upt to 48 carats). Collectors take note, we hardly ever see these. |
|
| |
 |
Carnelian from India: Carnelian is a brownish red to orange variety of chalcedony quartz, colored by trace amounts of iron. Carnelian is one of the oldest known gemstones, being widely used in ancient Rome to make signet or seal rings. Most of the carnelian you'll find in the market is agate which has been dyed and heated, but we have found a very fine parcel of hard-to-find untreated natural carnelian, ideal for gem collectors. |
|
| |
 |
Rhodochrosite from Argentina: Rhodochrosite is an interesting rose-colored gemstone that was only introduced to the market around 1940. Though it is not particularly hard (about the same as fluorite) it has become popular as a decorative material due to its attractive soft color and its intriguing variegated markings. We've found a nice parcel of Argentine rhodochrosite and have a good selection of affordable cabochons in sizes up to 12 carats. |
|
| |
 |
Morganite from Afghanistan: The pink form of beryl was named Morganite, after the American banker and collector J.P. Morgan. A soft pink to violet, Morganite belongs to the same family as emerald and aquamarine. Like the other beryls, Morganite is quite hard (7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale). We've just acquired a good range of high quality pieces, mostly in the 1.5 to 2.0 carat size. These are clean and well-cut stones with the delicate pink hue for which morganite is famous. |
|
| |
 |
Chrysoprase from Tanzania: Chrysoprase is considered the rarest and most valuable stone in the chalcedony quartz group. That's quite a distinction considering that the chalcedony species includes agate, chalcedony, onyx, carnelian, bloodstone and jasper. But chrysoprase, it is fair to say, is also the least known of all the chalcedony varieties. Chrysoprase is a vivid apple-green to deep green gem, colored by trace amounts of nickel, and makes stunning jewelry. |
|
| |
 |
Spinel from Burma: We buy fine spinel whenever we can find it, and we've recently added some very fine pieces of Burmese spinel in larger sizes. You'll find reds, violets, blues and grays in a variety of shapes, including a number of hard-to-find cushion cuts. Sizes range from 1.5 carats all the way up to 5 carats. |
|
| |
 |
Ruby-Zoisite from Tanzania: Ruby-Zoisite, also know as anyolite, is the natural combination of ruby and zoisite crystals in a single specimen. Zoisite, the same mineral as tanzanite, provides an earthy green and black color while ruby lends exciting pink and red highlights. Ruby-zoisite is usually cut en cabochon or carved. We've recently purchased some excellent cabs, but also some unusual and rarely seen faceted peices. |
|
| |
 |
Dendritic Agate from India: Dendritic agate is a whitish-gray or colorless chalcedony with fern-like inclusions known as dendrites. The inclusions look like plant material, but they are actually iron or manganese. We've found a small number of fascinating pieces from India. |
|
| |
 |
Yellow Sapphire from Thailand: We've just acquired some brilliant yellow golden and yellow orange sapphires from Thailand, mainly in sizes from 1 to 3 carats, with a few larger pieces as well. You'll find a nice range of shapes, with many pieces VS or VVS clarity. |
|
| |
 |
Ruby Cabochons from Madagascar: Recently we've found some excellent ruby cabochons from Madagascar in the 3 to 14 carat size. These are pure red and some are clean enough to be graded translucent. These cabs make wonderful jewelry and the price is very attractive as well. |
|
| |
 |
Grossularite Garnet from Kenya: Grossularite (or grossular) garnet is a calcium-aluminium garnet. The name grossular is derived from the botanical name for the gooseberry, grossularia. Grossularite garnet combines excellent brilliance and hardness. We've recently acquired some very fine pieces from Kenya, mainly in the 1 to 2 carat size. |
|
| |
 |
Fire Agate from Mexico: Agate is a type of chalcedony quartz that forms in concentric layers in a remarkable variety of colors and textures. Fire agate is an opaque, limonite-bearing chalcedony with iridescence which is created by diffraction of light by the layered structure. We've found some excellent pieces from Mexico, in sizes up to around 10 carats. |
|
| |
 |
Diaspore from Turkey: Diaspore, sometimes marketed under the name Zultanite, is a color change gem from Turkey recently introduced to the international market. Under natural or fluorescent light, Diapsore has a kiwi green color, with flashes of yellow. Diaspore displays a champagne color under incandescent lighting, and when exposed to subdued lighting, such as candlelight, has a pinkish color. We have recently added some fine matched pairs to our extensive stock of this popular gem. |
|
| |
 |
Sunstone from India: Sunstone is a type of plagioclase feldspar that exhibits a spangled appearance, due to reflections of red haematite. We've recently acquired some interresting sunstone cabochons from India, in a good range of sizes from 5 to 50 carats. |
|
| |
 |
Labradorite from Madagascar: Labradorite is a member of the plagioclase feldspar group, which also includes andesine and sunstone. Labradorite displays an iridescence in lustrous metallic tints, often blue and green. It is mainly caused by interference of light from lattice distortion. We've found some very interesting labradorite cabochons in sizes up to 10 carats. |
|
| |
 |
Scapolite from Namibia: Scapolite is a sodium calcium aluminum silicate with a hardness of 5.5 to 6 on the Mohs scale. It is named from the Greek for "stick," since its tetragonal crystals grow in columns. As a gemstone scapolite is not well known, but it can be a very attractive stone. Its color, which is usually a virbrant yellow to orange, pink or violet, is its best feature. We've found some excellent pieces in brilliant yellow and gold, in szies from 3 to 6 carats. |
|
| |
 |
Cat's Eye Apatite from Africa: Cat's eye apatite can often be confused with the more expensive chrysoberyl cat's eye, but apatite is a softer stone (5 on the Mohs scale) that is best used for pendants and earrings. It does exhibit a very striking cat's eye effect, however, and is sought after by collectors. We've recently bought some first rate pieces in both green and honey, in sizes from 2 to 6 carats. |
|
| |
 |
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 180 pieces in stock, in mandarin and red-orange, in both cabochon and faceted. The range of sizes and quality grades is extensive. We've just purchased a number of high grade pieces with superb brilliance, at some of the best prices we've seen in spessartite in the past year. |
|
|
|
|
New Content at GemSelect
We add hundreds of new gems to our inventory every day. But we also add new content to our site each week as well, in the form of articles and reference material.
Recently we've added new articles on topics ranging from zultanite to synthetic corundum to the gemstone cutting process. For useful buying information see our new articles on untreated gemstones and buying tourmaline.
Rare and Unusual Gems
In a new feature beginning this month, we feature a rare and unusual gem from our recent acquisitions. This month's featured gem is a huge sphene from Sri Lanka:
Sphene, also known as Titanite, is a brilliant yellowish-green, green or brown gemstone of high luster, unique color shades and an intensive fire that can compete with diamond. While always in demand, sphene has been a rare gem on the market. But very large sphene with excellent clarity are extremely rare.
This 12.18 carat heart-shaped piece is the largest sphene we have ever been able to buy, but also one of the cleanest. Sphene tends to be included, but this piece is so clean we've graded it VVS. The brilliance and fire of this sphene is difficult to capture in a photograph, but this gem glitters like very few colored gems we've seen. This large sphene is perfectly sized for a very impressive pendant.
For more information about sphene see recent feature article on The Brilliance of Sphene.
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: |
I was just wondering ... why do so many gemstone names end in "ite"? Thanks for your thoughts. MM, USA |
| A: |
The "ite" suffix derives from the Greek lithos meaning rock or stone (the adjectival form of lithos is "-ites"). It is a convention in the mineral world that new minerals are given names ending in "ite." The Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association publishes guidelines for naming new minerals (or renaming old ones).
|
| Q: |
Is there a difference between brilliance and luster in gemstones? Or do they have the same meaning? FB, Australia |
| A: |
Brilliance and luster have loose meanings in everyday language, but they are technical terms in gemology. Brilliance refers to the light reflected from the interior of a gem. Thus only a transparent gemstone can be said to have brilliance. Luster, on the other hand, refers to the light reflected from a gem's surface. Brilliance is graded from low to high, but luster is usually described in terms such as vitreous (like glass), adamantine (like diamond), silky, resinuous and greasy. |
|
| 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
|
|
|
WORLDWIDE DELIVERY IN JUST 3 DAYS!
.gif){kind=small}