Rare Stones

[RevolutionGems]

Do any of you fellow junkies collect rare stones? I''m not talking about "rare" like an untreated padparadscha but rare like bixbite, jeremejevite, pezzottaite, kornerupine, painite, benitoite....

If so, do you have them set in jewelry or are they strictly "collector" stones to be admired?

I have a few but I don''t know if I would ever risk setting them in jewelry. Chipping and long term wear (facet rounding, scratching) would be a serious consideration.

Thoughts?

 

[Arkteia]

Would love to buy a decent bixbite but they are so cracked. Sphalerite is too soft. I am more of a "wearer" so whatever I buy, I set. I tried to contact the owners of bixbite deposits, to no avail.

 

[RevolutionGems]

I have been trying to get ahold of some decent bixbite rough for a long time. These days, it is virtually impossible to find cuttable material. Even if you do, it will be small and extraordinarily expensive.

There is a guy that sells bixbite on ebay. His username is, of course, RedBarrels. He is a very honest seller and seems to have a rather large stock of bixbite. I think he must have purchased a significant parcel of the material at some point and he posts two or three pieces for auction each week. Most of the time it is crystals but he does post cut stones from time to time as well.

 

[LD]

Bixbite, painite and benitoite are unset - more because they are smaller than I would normally set in jewellery. If they were larger I might be tempted to set them but I''m fairly careful with my jewellery and these wouldn''t be everyday pieces so setting would be a distinct possibility. I have a few large Pezzotaite (not great specimens but pretty all the same) and they are set.

 

[RevolutionGems]

You wouldn''t happen to have a picture of those pezz''s would you?

I have one pezz I cut and a larger piece that I have not yet cut. It is such a tasty stone! That hot pink AB axis is a killer!

 

[RevolutionGems]

Is your painite red or brown?

 

[LD]

Will dig out the Pezz pics and post up - I am going to issue a health warning that they''re NOT great and are highly included! The painite is very dark. It''s the darkest red you''ve ever seen - in some lights it looks brown/black with red flashes. Eugh that''s a horrible description sorry!

Just curious about the Ebay seller you mentioned. Is it definitely Bixbite he/she is selling? I''ve seen so much Pezz sold as Bixbite it''s untrue!

 

[LD]

HEALTH WARNING - DO NOT JUDGE PEZZOTTAITE BASED ON THESE PHOTOS

Here's one of the Pezz. It's 3.56ct in the worst setting you've ever seen (it's probably about 10-15 years old). The colour is more hot/bubblegum pink in real life. For some reason I can't find the photos of the other Pezz but it's 1ct and looks like the baby sister of this one.

 

[RevolutionGems]

Without a doubt. This guy is the real deal.

I am EXTREMELY paranoid when it comes to bixbite. You are correct that there is quite a bit of pezz sold as bixbite. That is reasonably easy to tell if you know what you are looking for. The tough one is the guys who are selling spinel as bixbite, particularly in the rough.

For instance, I saw one dealer (a thai, if I remember right) who was trying to sell what was very obviously a large spinel crystal (around 30 carats, heavily included junk) as bixbite. He was asking.....wait for it.....$38,0000 for it.

I called him on it, telling him it was obviously spinel. His reply? It HAS to be bixbite. The RI is wrong for spinel. Needless to say, I immediately saw the error of my ways and purchased the stone right away. After all, if the RI is right....

 

[RevolutionGems]

Loving!!!!!!!

For a pezz, that is both incredibly colored and quite clean. I am totally jealous! That is a very nice stone. It is way better than the one I cut. I MIGHT be able to get a stone of that quality out of the other piece of rough I have but I''m not sure.

 

[RevolutionGems]

As far as the painite goes, simply having a cut stone, regardless of the quality, is something to be proud of. From all that I have read, the indications are that ALL of the cut painites in the world would probably fit into the palm of your hand. I know it isn''t as rare as it used to be but still firmly entrenched near the top of the rare stones list.

 

[LD]

My Painite is a tiddler at 0.62ct and it''s not a great cut (bit of a wonky oval - more a roval) but hey ho it''s Painite

I''m glad you like my Pezz. I hate to say this but it reminds me a real Barbie bubblegum pink! Some areas have a slight peach hint and it does have some darker inclusions but it''s pretty (although that setting isn''t

)

 

[T L]

I have a benitoite, sphalerite, cuprite (cool metalic luster), and a euclase. Do not intend on setting any of them, but I wish I could set the sphalerite.

 

[empress]

I have faceted smithsonite, cinnabar, lazulite and sapphirine - but won''t set any of them - although the lazulite is the bluest thing I''ve ever seen.

I also have a conch pearl but that would be for evening jewelry only, and it''s not set.

 

[LD]

Any views on Hauyne? I adore it but I''ve only ever seen teenie tiny ones! The blue is probably THE best blue of any gemstone I''ve ever seen!

TL - set your Sphalerite! Life''s too short. I''ve got a number of them and they''re in the project pipeline.

 

[RevolutionGems]

a .25pt is a really big hauyne. Though I have never tried to cut it, it is supposed to be very difficult to cut due to cleavage. I will agree though. It is one of the prettiest blues on the planet. There is really nothing else like it.

Unfortunately, tiny is the name of the game.

 

[brandy_z28]

Date: 1/20/2010 5:31:40 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
Any views on Hauyne? I adore it but I''ve only ever seen teenie tiny ones! The blue is probably THE best blue of any gemstone I''ve ever seen!

TL - set your Sphalerite! Life''s too short. I''ve got a number of them and they''re in the project pipeline.

I was going to mention Hauyne as well LD. The blue is just

I don''t own one but I will, one day! I''ve never even seen one in real life but if it''s anything like the pictures...man...

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Date: 1/20/2010 6:08:49 PM
Author: brandy_z28

Date: 1/20/2010 5:31:40 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
Any views on Hauyne? I adore it but I''ve only ever seen teenie tiny ones! The blue is probably THE best blue of any gemstone I''ve ever seen!

TL - set your Sphalerite! Life''s too short. I''ve got a number of them and they''re in the project pipeline.

I was going to mention Hauyne as well LD. The blue is just

I don''t own one but I will, one day! I''ve never even seen one in real life but if it''s anything like the pictures...man...

I have a tiny hauyne - gorgeous blue! I hope to have a larger one some day. I hope that the new find will bring prices down somewhat.

I love my sphaelerite, so I am too chicken to set it. I would rather buy one already set.

 

[Kim Bruun]

Funny that you should bring this up - I recently became aware of jeremejevite when I saw a crystral prism. One end was colourless, while the other was a sweet, pale violetish blue. A quick online search did not yield any facetted stone of this colour... The mineral is probably more appealing because of its rarity than any especial beauty.

It is another matter with bixbite, pezzottaite, and benitoite - the two former come in delicious pinkish reds frequently described as bubblegum (but both are typically included), while the latter - under the best conditions - combines a nice blue colour with dispersion superior to that of diamond.

I don''t own any of the super rares, but taafeite is fairly hard and could be set. Benitoite is not ring material IMO because it is so soft - and most cut stones are so small that they may not be ideal for earrings and pendants.

Of course, I''d love to own a taafeite, a benitoite, and a bixbite one day.

Also worth adding to the list of rare, desirable collector''s gems is haüyne - check out this one from Pala Gems:

http://www.palagems.com/Images/gem_news/featured_hauyne.jpg

 

[Kim Bruun]

Whoops! You guys had already mentioned haüyne. Its typical small size made me think of violane, which never forms crystals large enough to facet. But if it did - wow:

http://www.mindat.org/photo-111714.html

 

[T L]

Date: 1/20/2010 5:28:26 PM
Author: empress
I have faceted smithsonite, cinnabar, lazulite and sapphirine - but won''t set any of them - although the lazulite is the bluest thing I''ve ever seen.

I also have a conch pearl but that would be for evening jewelry only, and it''s not set.

I saw a diamond studded necklace with around 9 conch pearls, if my memory serves me correctly, at the "diamonds" exhibit at the Chicago Field Museum last weekend. It was difficult to see the flame pattern, but it was there on them. Barry recently had a conch pearl up for sale, it was pricey.

 

[T L]

Date: 1/20/2010 5:31:40 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
Any views on Hauyne? I adore it but I''ve only ever seen teenie tiny ones! The blue is probably THE best blue of any gemstone I''ve ever seen!

TL - set your Sphalerite! Life''s too short. I''ve got a number of them and they''re in the project pipeline.

LD, let me know how your setting goes before I set mine.

 

[T L]

My benitoite, which is around .75 points isn't as nice as my recent blue/violet spinel, and they both shoot blue laser beams of color. I just don't think it's worth setting, but I bought it around 15 years ago, and I'm glad it's in my collection.

 

[T L]

Date: 1/20/2010 6:23:24 PM
Author: Lady_Disdain

Date: 1/20/2010 6:08:49 PM
Author: brandy_z28

Date: 1/20/2010 5:31:40 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
Any views on Hauyne? I adore it but I''ve only ever seen teenie tiny ones! The blue is probably THE best blue of any gemstone I''ve ever seen!

TL - set your Sphalerite! Life''s too short. I''ve got a number of them and they''re in the project pipeline.

I was going to mention Hauyne as well LD. The blue is just

I don''t own one but I will, one day! I''ve never even seen one in real life but if it''s anything like the pictures...man...

I have a tiny hauyne - gorgeous blue! I hope to have a larger one some day. I hope that the new find will bring prices down somewhat.

I love my sphaelerite, so I am too chicken to set it. I would rather buy one already set.

What new find? Are they tiny too?

 

[LD]

Date: 1/20/2010 6:08:49 PM
Author: brandy_z28

Date: 1/20/2010 5:31:40 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
Any views on Hauyne? I adore it but I''ve only ever seen teenie tiny ones! The blue is probably THE best blue of any gemstone I''ve ever seen!

TL - set your Sphalerite! Life''s too short. I''ve got a number of them and they''re in the project pipeline.

I was going to mention Hauyne as well LD. The blue is just

I don''t own one but I will, one day! I''ve never even seen one in real life but if it''s anything like the pictures...man...

Oh Brandy it''s seriously gorgeous. It''s an electric blue and the colour literally screams out at you.

 

[RevolutionGems]

Yeah!! Out with it! Where is this new find?

 

[LD]

The find in Afghanistan of bi-colour Hauyne?????

 

[RevolutionGems]

You''re messin'' with me, aren''t you?

I got sucked in to a little scam cooked up by the regulars here regarding a "new find" of Paraiba about a year and a half ago (strangely enough, it was right around April 1...). Being the trusting soul that I am, I went for it hook, line, sinker, fisherman and boat.

Ha Ha. Funny funny. Jokes on you.

Hey Chrono, you listening??????

 

[blithesome71]

I have a 1.04ct round Clinohumite. Not planning on setting it in jewelry though... But wishing to own a blue sillimanite someday too...

 

[Harriet]

Date: 1/20/2010 11:34:30 PM
Author: Revolution
You''re messin'' with me, aren''t you?


I got sucked in to a little scam cooked up by the regulars here regarding a ''new find'' of Paraiba about a year and a half ago (strangely enough, it was right around April 1...). Being the trusting soul that I am, I went for it hook, line, sinker, fisherman and boat.


Ha Ha. Funny funny. Jokes on you.


Hey Chrono, you listening??????