| New and Interesting Gems -- updated June 30th |
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Tourmaline from Mozambique and Nigeria: Tourmaline is a GemSelect speciality and we have nearly 1,000 pieces in stock. We continue to expand our vast selection of colors and we've recently added some rare crystal slices of watermelon tourmaline from Nigeria. These make outstanding pendants and are very popular with collectors. |
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Heliotrope from Madagascar: Heliotrope, also known as bloodstone, is a green gemstone usually dotted with bright red spots of iron oxide. A form of chalcedony quartz, heliotrope draws its name from the fact that polished stones were once thought to reflect the sun. Heliotrope is the original birthstone for March. We've found some impressively large pieces, some as large as 100 carats. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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, mainly in smaller sizes up to 2 carats. |
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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. |
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Emerald Cabochons from Columbia: We've discovered some exceptional emerald cabochons in large sizes, with a number of pieces over 10 carats. These have excellent color and many of the pieces have very good translucency. If you've ever wanted a large emerald for a pendant, have a look at these unique stones. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Tiger's Eye from Thailand: Tiger's Eye is a type of opaque macrocrystalline quartz with a fibrous structure. It typically displays chatoyant stripes, because structural fibers are crooked or bent. When cut en cabochon, the surface shows chatyonancy reminiscient of the eyes of a cat. We've bought a new stock of cabochons from Thailand, with a number in very large sizes (up to 84 carats). |
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Aquamarine from Mozambique: Aquamarine is the light blue or green variety of beryl, the same gem species as emerald and morganite. High quality aquamarine is not easy to find, particularly in large sizes, but we've just acquired some very nice pieces from Mozambique, including a number of larger pieces in the 6-14 carat size. |
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Rutile Quartz from India: Rutile (or rutilated) quartz is clear or smoky quartz with inclusions of rutile crystals. Rutile is the mineral name for natural crystals of titanium dioxide. While most varieties of transparent quartz are valued most when they show no inclusions, rutilated quartz is valued specifically for the lovely patterns formed by the delicate golden needles of rutile inside it. We've just purchased an interesting lot from India of this fascinating gemstone. Each piece is entirely unique. |
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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. |
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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 multicolor, green and golden pieces in interesting shapes and cuts, mainly in the 1 to 3 carat size. This is the largest stock of sphene we've had in quite some time, with over 70 pieces in all. |
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Chrysoprase from Tanzania: Chrysoprase is a gemstone variety of chalcedony or cryptocrystalline quartz, colored by trace amounts of nickel. Its color varies from apple-green to deep green. We've found some very nice pieces in sizes ranging from 5 to 20 carats. |
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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 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. |
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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, mostly in smaller sizes, including some nice matched pairs. |
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