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 October 2008
In our newsletter this month:
Gemstone Certificates
New and Interesting Gemstones
Rare and Unusual Gems
Customer Questions
Gemstone Certificates
The gemstone business has traditionally been based on trust, where deals were sealed with a handshake and a dealer's word was his bond. We still think of our own business in those traditional terms, but we recognize that the world is changing. With so much business being conducted on the internet, buyers and sellers rarely have the chance to look each other in the eye and establish trusting relationships.
We have always tried to be scrupulously accurate and complete in the description of our gems, and we back it up with an unconditional money-back guarantee. But for those customers who want the added confidence of third party verification, we are now offering gemstone certificates from a respected authority here in Thailand, the Burapha Gemological Laboratory.
We test samples from nearly every parcel of gems we buy, so we have a high degree of confidence in the descriptions we provide on our website. But if you'd like a test report for the specific gemstones you purchase from us, you now have an opportunity to purchase a certificate for most gem varieties when you put an item in your shopping cart. When we receive your order, we'll take your gems to the Burapha lab and have them tested, and send you the certificates with your order.
The certificates are what is known in the trade as identification reports. They describe the specific gem by weight, size, color, cut and shape, and identify it by type, such as Natural Sapphire. The certificate also includes a small photo of the gem. The cost to produce this type of report is very reasonable, and we are currently offering these certificates for USD $20.00 per gem tested. That is much less than you would pay at a lab in Europe or America, and we also save you the work of obtaining the certificate. Please note that if you request a certificate for an item which is a pair or lot, the lab will test just one of the gems in the pair or lot.
It is important to note what these certificates do not include. They do not cover gem treatments, except those which are easy to detect such as fracture-filling. Testing for treatments such as beryllium diffusion requires specialized equipment and additional lab time. The certificates also do not certify country or region of origin, since this is an opinion that only a small number of labs in the world can offer with any confidence. And of course they are not appraisal certificates; they scientifically identify the gemstone, but they can't tell you what it is worth in the market. But if you -- or your customer -- need assurance that you are buying a natural gemstone of a specific type, these certificates will do the job at minimal expense.
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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 a very large aquamarine from Mozambique.
Aquamarine is a member of the beryl family along with emerald, morganite and golden beryl. With a hardness of 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale, all the beryls are excellent jewelry stones. But where emerald can be fragile due to its many inclusions, aquamarine tends to be much cleaner. Even so, very large aquamarines are rarely found with perfect clarity. This 19.12 carat piece from Mozambique is an exception. Graded IF, it has the classic aquamarine blue and a very well executed step cut. It is certainly one of the nicest large aquamarines we've seen in recent years.
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: |
In your September newsletter you talked about Burmese jadeite. Is jadeite the same thing as jade? Thanks, FB, Australia. |
| A: |
What was traditionally called jade is in fact two separate and distinct minerals: jadeite and nephrite. They have different chemical compositions, hardness and density. They even have different crystal structures. All of the classic jade from China is nephrite; jadeite comes mainly from Burma. The rarest and most valuable jadeite is called imperial jade, colored by traces of chromium. It has color and transparency rivaling fine emerald, though imperial jade is slightly more yellow in tone. Jadeite is generally very expensive, while nephrite is still quite affordable. |
| Q: |
Is all red tourmaline called "rubellite"? Or only some? I'm confused about this, so your help is appreciated. JN, USA |
| A: |
It's a very good question, but not an easy one to answer because there is no clear agreement in the gemstone business about the meaing of "rubellite." Some think the term refers to any red tourmaline; others claim it should be used only for tourmaline with a vivid ruby-like red. We recently published an article on the topic of the Rubellite Rubric; click the link to read it.
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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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