Another line of amethyst questions for Amethyst Guy

[Haywood74]

In a side by side comparison, what, in your opinion are the pros and cons of top notch Four Peaks amethysts vs. top notch JXR amethysts?

I have found an already faceted 4 Peaks piece that is pretty close to what I am looking for, however, I am considering the possibilities of a Georgia piece. In your opinion, would it be worth the time and added expense of trying to track down some JXR rough and then having it faceted to spec? Or, should I grab onto the Four Peaks piece and be happy I got it? Assuming a 20% finished cut yield as compared to the rough, are 30-50 ct pieces of top notch JXR rough readily available?

The finished amethyst I am looking for is something along the lines of a 8-10 ct. Asscher/Emerald cut or some variation of that type of cut, maybe a little smaller if need be.

 

[Barrett]

LOL..you know I am partial to JXR so it's an already biased answer..here is the deal..on Thursday i am going to the original owner of the JXR mines house to help him load up for the cartersville show..while I am there I will grab some four peaks material that he has..he has over 2 pounds of facetgrade material from there..now since he was the original owber of JXR you would think he would have tons of facet material from there as opposed to a mine in arizona that he had no stake in..nope..he has a decent amount for any one person but most is in crystal specimens that run from $300-$10,000..as a matter of fact when he went to tuscon this year he actually took 3 pieces of my facetgrade material with him to sell..two 80ct. top color pieces priced at $160-$175 and a 58ct. piece priced at $105..now those are top color pieces so they fetch quit a high price..but when it comes down to it he will give me a half pound of four peaks material(facetgrade) for $25 bucks..so as you can see it's a real collectors item and is pretty much as top quality an amethyst as you can get..but more so as far as the crystals go..now you can get facet rough similar in color from korea, tanzania, and a handful of other places around the world but being from an American location it bumps the price up more so than simialr quality from another location(keep in mind the price of JXR amethyst is extremely high because of the quality of the crystal specimens that come from there..very few places in the world can compete with the giant purple-blue crystal clusters that come from there..just about every museum in the south-east has a specimen from there). Four peaks material tends to be more reddish-purple where as JXR is more bluish-purple. Check out irocks site in the vault collection..the only amethyst he has on there in the same echelon as giant tourmalines, giant gem grade tanzanites, etc.
http://irocks.com/vault.html?page=1
So you can see how much more a JXR piece cost than say a fourpeaks piece..or really a piece(amethyst)from anyplace else. Here check this ebay seller..I talk with him on a regular basis..he has lots of unique and different rough fro sale..he has an 80ct. piece of JXR facet rough for sale on there for $99.00(check third apge of listings)..if that tells you anything..it's one of his more expensive pieces his ebay name is seriously-gemented

 

[cellentani]

So amethystguy, how much do you think that JXR rough on eBay should go for? Just curious.

 

[Barrett]

Heck..I went to check the rough and link to the auction but it's gone..it was there this morning..that sucks..somebody snagged it up between then and now..i didn't give it a once over real good this morning but if the color was a good purple then the price was pretty close..I would have shot for $75 with buddy
here this is 8 pounds of rough(boxes in the back) i have collected there that I trimmed..out of 8 pounds I oinly got 4 small pieces of light purple

 

[Barrett]

here is my best piece of rough I have now

 

[Tropicmaster]

I saw 4 Peaks rough and finished in person last week and I have to say that I have yet to see anything here (US) that would compare. The GA stuff is close, but not quite as intense ( what I have seen) I have a really good contact for finished 4 peaks stones if you are interested. let me know.

 

[Haywood74]

You said Cartersville, I am assuming Georgia? If so, I will be in that area on Friday, maybe Saturday and could drop in there and check this stuff out in person. Are you planning on going to the show or are you just helping load up? I would really love to see your prize rough that you had pictured. It''s a real looker!



Tropicmaster, if I decide to go with a Four Peaks, I would love to see more options for finished stones than what I have already seen.

 

[Barrett]

Hayweood i will be helping load up and set up on Thursday ..I will be back up there on Sat. helping out..check the dixieeuhedrals roon..like i said you will see tons four peaks material faceting material in my buddies roon(huge tupperware full) but the JXR material will be few and far between..unless you want to drop a grand on a nice crystal..also ask around and see what some of the big-time dealers think about whats what when it comes to comparison..I will post what room it is Thursday evening

 

[cellentani]

Holy smokes amguy - that rough is amazing. I''d love to know more about it - how many carats is it, and what are you planning to do with it?

I didn''t mean to lead you on earlier, but I''m the one who got the eBay JXR rough this morning. I have never bought rough before, and this will just be a fun project for me (no expectations on getting a certain yield). I was just trying to guage if my offer was a good deal. I know the color wasn''t as fantastic as your best piece, though.

 

[Haywood74]

I will try and stop in there and take a look. I''m fairly confident I can stop by on Friday, but unsure about Saturday.

I''m glad someone else asked you what your intentions were for your piece of rough as I am interested in it as well. If, by chance, you are wanting to part with it, I am interested.

 

[autumngems]

I just bought a faceted Four Peaks gem the other day and I am in awe at the color. See it attached. I also contacted seriosly gemented on Ebay and he had some JXR rough he hadn''t listed and I picked up a nice piece of rough from him, 13 carats I think it was, I will post some pics on that later. They are both amazing color. They are working on another Four Peaks piece for me now, cutting me an asscher.

 

[T L]

Date: 8/12/2009 1:07:44 PM
Author: autumngems
I just bought a faceted Four Peaks gem the other day and I am in awe at the color. See it attached. I also contacted seriosly gemented on Ebay and he had some JXR rough he hadn''t listed and I picked up a nice piece of rough from him, 13 carats I think it was, I will post some pics on that later. They are both amazing color. They are working on another Four Peaks piece for me now, cutting me an asscher.

Man, that looks like the original Siberian material they mined in the Urals of Russia. It has a strong red component to it. It''s no longer available, but it was said to be the finest amethyst there is.

 

[Barrett]

Great color on that stone, autumngems...that red component is great..I guess it''s like trying to compare apples to oranges..like AG pic shows that amethyst has a strong red side to it where the GA amethyst have a strong blue side to them..i guess it''s reall your preference..red flash is quite common in amethyst which is what, like TL said, the orginal siberian ammy''s had..Zambian material is a red flash material too. It also comes down to rarity..I don''t have an idea but I am guessing that for every 10 four peaks ammy''s that come out only 1 or 2 JXR ammy''s are found..if you google "faceted four peaks amethyst" you will get page after page of cut stones or jewelry..even one that sells wholesale four peaks material..if you google "faceted jackson crossroads amethyst"..you get just a couple hits on gems and nothing in "wholesale" like four peaks..here is an excerpt from the Mineralogical Record magazine: "For the gem collector, Jackson Crossroads amethyst can be faceted into outstanding gems of dark royal purple color with intense saturation, and a unique feature. The best gems display a pleochroic effect which the miners call "blue flash." When a faceted amethyst is viewed in one direction it displays a rich purple color, whereas from another direction an electric blue-purple color emerges"
Full article: http://www.articlearchives.com/mining-extraction/mines-mining-nonmetallic/1010354-1.html
Also..you can''t collect at four peaks mine..they don''t allow it and the owner is very strict about folks coming around..on the other hand collecting ir recommended and encouraged at JXR..the mine owners don''t mind if you dig through the piles and tailings..i guess thats southern hospitality

it comes down to quantity..there is tons of four peaks material(for a US location..the real tons of material is brazilian and uraguian) and so little of JXR material..sort of like an emerald of exact same quality and color will cost a whole heck of a lot more if it''s from North carolina than it will if it''s from columbia or africa..lots comes from africa and columbia but little comes from N.C....yea seriously-gemented deals in a lot of rare and unique rough..he has stuff you can;''t find anyplace else..like that purple facetgrade apatite..that stone/rough above I showed was the first piece of amethyst..rock..mineral..stone I ever collected..ever..that is why i chose the name amethystguy..when you pull something like that out of the mud you can''t help but become addicted, ya know...i actually sent it off to Dave Gronki to have faceted(check out this months Rock & Gem magazine he has a new facet design published in there)..really a top class cutter..he drives all the way down here from pennsylvania just so we can collect and try and score some JXR facetgrade material..well i sent it off for him to cut and his machine broke..it would have been a month till it back back repaired so i had him send it back..i figured it was a sign telling me not to have it cut..that it might be better left asis..since it was my first find of any stone ever..check out this specimen I found last spring from there..when i pulled the rock out it was covered with mud and all i saw was a little purple peeking though the mud..these are early pics before i soaked the piece is acid..it still has pocket clay and mud on the rock

 

[Barrett]

It''s actually pretty cool learning and knowing a little about the locations and types of stone that come from them..maybe someday you will get a fpour peaks cut stone and then get a JXR cut stone..you will know a little about each..you can compare them and hold them side by side..it''s sort of like TL and her knowledge of spess location..she gets a stone and deduces where it came from..she knows a little about the locations and what traits or characteristics to look for...it makes the gem buying experience a little more in-depth, fullfilling, and interesting..gives a little more meaning to your stone if you know a little about where it came from...

 

[cellentani]

I loved reading your posts, amethystguy - very informative. Um, the stone in your avatar has a lot of blue - is it a JXR amethyst, by any chance? If so, do you have any other pics?

 

[beaujolais]

AmGuy - you bring up a lot of great topics w. great photos. Thanks.

Question: How does one get the rough off the host material?

Thanks.

 

[Barrett]

When I get back this evening from helping at the show i will take some more pics of my avatar which is an ammy from there and answer your question SC ..gotta beat atlanta traffic so have to leave early this morning..I am taking my camera and will get a few pics of some cool crystals to show as well

 

[chrono]

Great pictures of amethyst rough.

Autumngems,
Your amethyst is amazing. The colour is so rich and reddish.

 

[rubyisforlove]

Amazing roughs,Amguy.

 

[autumngems]

Chrono,

That pic is amazing but you should see it laying against the skin, it gets better, if possible.

 

[Barrett]

okay just got back from helping set up at the show..I don''t know if you went today haywood but if not when you go tomorrow stop by room 122 and the kudzu mineral room.
guess what the theme at this years show is jackson crossroads..it''s on the main poter and on the show shirts..go figure..LOL

 

[Barrett]

Here is 1 and 1/2 kilos of four peaks facet material..almost 99% of fourpeaks stuff looks like this..it''s about as ugly a crystal as you can imagine..but when cutting the outside doesn''t matter..the owner of the mine has 3 specimens which are decent looking but out of tons of material that has come out only 3 have looked halfway decent speicmen wise...I snagged a few pieces for cutting that i will post later...it''s very hard to see what has good cutting material since it''s so chewed up on the outside..it has a very strog red color in some of the pieces..real bad color zoning in some..really need to polish in a window to see whats inside

 

[Barrett]

here is a piece of fourpeaks held up to the light..you can see how hard it is to tell whats good and whats not..this piece is fairly clean and will cut a decent stone on either end where the color is better

 

[Barrett]

here are a couple of JXR ammys ..these are at the owners house..pics may be a little out of focus I didn''t want to take them from the case lest i drop one..LOL

 

[Barrett]

another one

 

[Barrett]

and another

 

[Barrett]

here is a $2000 dollar ammy from JXR..this pic was taken in sunlight..the previous ones were under LED

 

[Barrett]

here are a bunch of cut JXR ammy''s that i took at the show..I help set this case up..wish i would have taken a pic of the whole case..it was sweet..lots of super expensive minerals and gems

 

[Barrett]

this is the piece that got my heart pumping...Rodney never showed me this piece before..it''s a $1,400 piece of JXR facet rough..$1,400!!!! I have never seen any amethyst rough that was this expensive(facet rough not crystal specimen)..this piece of rough was flawless and a super blue color..I meant to take it outside in the sun to get a pic but forgot

 

[Barrett]

i blew the pic up..wish i would have gotten a few more pics of it..maybe Haywood will see it..try to find another piece of amethyst rough that cost this much..maybe an original siberian if any was still around would cost this much