March Newsletter - A local mining trip and news from Tucson
The Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair began in the last week of February with many precautions in place to prevent any possible spread of Coronavirus. The Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem and Pearl Show has been postponed from early March to late May but the Tucson Gem Show has just finished with most people reporting a great event.
A couple of trends from Tucson did not surprise us here at GemSelect with freeform shaped gemstones proving to be very popular. We have noticed over the past few years a lot more interest in weird and wonderful shapes – they are perfect for unique jewelry designs or displays.
Take a look at our recent article Odd shaped gemstones for jewelry making
The most popular colored gemstones this year were sapphires, garnets and spinels. No surprise with the first two and while they are lovely gemstones it is great to see such an unsung hero as spinel get a bit of recognition. Great colors, great clarity, gorgeous cuts and superb value for money, check out the spinels we have for sale.
Our offices are in the Eastern Thailand province of Chanthaburi. This area is now known as the major fruit growing area of South East Asia but a few hundred years ago it was most famous for the sapphires, rubies and zircon that were found here.
The mines were eventually depleted so the locals turned to importing gemstones from all over the world and cutting and polishing them for export thus establishing the trade that would develop Chanthaburi into the world’s centre for colored gemstones.
Although the mines are depleted there are still a few families who work the ground looking for any gemstones that may have slipped notice. One such family is headed by Mr. Samlan (Mr. Happy) and he allowed my son, Tyler and I to spend a morning with him while he sifted through the red soil on his land.
He makes his living growing durian and bananas but his passion is sapphires and garnets and told us of the days when his grandmother and grandfather would come across world class gemstones while tilling the ground to plant vegetables!
It is hot and muddy work and we did not find anything but rubber flip flops and plastic bottle tops but seeing the old sluice in action and turning the hose on a mountain of soil was great fun. We did get to see a few of the precious gems he has found which made us have another try but looks like I will have to carry on with my day job for a while yet.
So it is March 2020 already. The main birthstone for March is Aquamarine which is one of the finest gemstones available. A member of the beryl family like its famous cousin, the emerald, but it comes in much more subtle colors such as pastel blue, sea green and turquoise. Speaking of pastel colors, our latest article is a Pastel Colored Gemstone Guide - take a look at it here.
If your birthday is in March or someone you know celebrates this month but you are not keen on the low-key colors of Aquamarine you might prefer Bloodstone. This secondary birthstone is spiritually very powerful, has a long and illustrious history and bold green and red colors.
Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhaoibh! We cannot let March go by without celebrating St Patrick’s Day on the 17th honoring the patron saint of Ireland. Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona duit means ‘A happy St Patrick’s Day to you’ and is pronounced lah leh Pah-drig sun-uh gwitch if you want to join in the fun. Green is the color of St Patrick’s Day so make it extra special with a green gemstone – there are many to choose from but our article Green Gems for Jewelry will help.
Slainte to all our Irish friends and we hope everyone has a great March see you in April!
Customer Questions
Every month we answer questions of general interest from our customers. Please feel free to send your questions or suggestions to our support team at help@gemselect.com
Question
What colors do Kornerupine come in?
Answer
Kornerupine occurs in a number of colors, including white, pink, yellow, brown, green and blue. Most crystals display a strong pleochroism (when a gem appear to have different colors or depth of color when viewed from different angles), usually from yellowish-green to reddish-brown. The emerald green and blue colors are the rarest and most valuable.
Question
Is there a way to tell if an Opal is a doublet?
Answer
An opal doublet is a slice of precious opal glued to a black backing. This technique is used frequently with rare opal to produce larger and stronger pieces at a lower cost. Doublets can easily be identified by looking at the side of the opal; if the stone has been adhered together you will notice that the line where the colored opal and the black backing meet is perfectly straight. Opal doublets are highly regarded as an inexpensive alternative to solid opals which are very expensive in larger sizes.
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Happy Gemstone Hunting!
Team GemSelect
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Purchasing from Gem Select was a pleasant and easy experience. The photos of the stones I was interested in were an accurate depiction of the stones I received. Ordering was easy and the items arrived within a week. Over all it was a very positive experience.
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I did not realize how small the stone was. I cannot use it for the project I wanted, but I am keeping the stone and tru to use it in something else.
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