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Mystery stone - guesses please

beaujolais

Ideal_Rock
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Dec 4, 2007
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I'm thinking I got this as freebie and that it is a 4-peaks amethyst with some issues, perhaps. (That is what I remember it to be. Note to self: label all stones when received, even if roughly on a piece of tape or else you may forget.)

It is not well cut, it has an area of lucency in the pavillion, the table is slightly cloudy, it gives off iridescent blues & greens when turned and has a base color of a grape-ish red. It does not fluoresce to UV light.

Your guess?

Thanks so very much.
 

beaujolais

Ideal_Rock
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this is not a good representation of it's color, though; it's darker than this
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
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You have me stumped! I have never seen any amethyst showing iridescence. If anything, it looks very labradorite-like but the "shape" isn't right.
 

Quantz Studios

Shiny_Rock
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I wouldn't rule out opal. It sure looks like it to me, despite that body color. But likely to be Mexican in origin- that source does produce some deep cherry reds. The iridescence is pretty spot-on for opal play of color.
 

blithesome71

Shiny_Rock
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Same here. At first I thought it's Axinite but the translucency & the blue/green color play (on the 3rd photo) make me guess it as an Opal :naughty:
 

beaujolais

Ideal_Rock
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Coated topaz perhaps (like Mystic Topaz)??? Just a guess...

I thought about that but it has a clear area in part of the pavilion. Also, it is pretty poorly & roughly cut so I don't think it is synthetic. Would a synthetic fluoresce, as it doesn't?

I could see the opal part. I did put in it water for a day and it didn't change at all, though. (But, I don't know if all opals change in water.)

----

Do you like it any? Honestly, I don't but someone I showed did, as they said it is different.

Thanks so much.
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
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My initial thought was an opal but the red/purple base is throwing me off. It has the right iridescence and the cloudy translucency but I've never seen a body colour quite like that. Not all opals are of the hydrophane variety. It's definitely interesting and different.

I don't think all synthetics fluorescence. It all depends on its composition.
 

beaujolais

Ideal_Rock
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Thanks so much ! I sent the vendor that "I think" it came from a note and a link to this thread. He said he doesn't know what it it and that it is peculiar.

If it were synthetic -

1. Would it have that area of lucency near the pavilion? (You can see that best in my last 2 photos. And it's not just a window; turn it upside down and it has a clear spot and the rest of the stone is that reddish color.)

2. Would it be so roughly cut if it were synthetic (uneven facets, rough girdle)?

I was going to get rid of it, as to me - is not nice to look at, sort of gets my stomach upset and maybe it has some curse on it :rodent: . But it might be good to have if I ever do the Colored Stone course for "What-the-heck-is-this Day?"
---

(No e-mail back yet from Marc Williams yet, btw. They were probably closed yesterday. )
 

T L

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Is the iridescence coming from the luster, or from within the stone?

What is the luster like? Is it metallic?
 

davi_el_mejor

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Could it be a smoked opal?
 

beaujolais

Ideal_Rock
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Thanks TL. It's a metallic type iridescence.

Is the iridescence coming from the luster, or from within the stone?

I'm not sure how to answer that as it's got a cloudy looking table so I think assessing the "within" is compromised/hard due to that. The pavilion has a fairly dull reddish base color but then has a good amount of iridescence, also. On the top of the stone, it does those iridescent colors both at the outer edges and across the table, at different times. What the cloudy table would come from, I don't know. Any guesses on that?

If it were a synthetic (mystic) would the pavilion have iridescence?

I undid a paperclip and tried to scratch it (a bit) (I don't like the thing that much) and it didn't scratch. I don't know if a mystic coating would scratch with a paper clip end or not. Any other experiments I can do with it to try to figure it out?

Davi: I looked up smoked opal (and smoke opal, and smokey opal) and could not find anything. Please tell me what that is?

Thanks all !
 

ChrisA222

Brilliant_Rock
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Sonoma....JTV is selling the "smoked Opal" as "Chalama Opal"....check that out. This doesn't look like Opal to me though..Im convinced, especially if you think this was a freebie....that it is one of the coated Topaz's that are everywhere now...
 

beaujolais

Ideal_Rock
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Thanks Chris (M). I wonder if a coated "whatever" would usually scratch with the end of a paperclip - which is why I tried to scratch it.
 

beaujolais

Ideal_Rock
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Gotcha. I think they also used to (or still do) soak them in motor oil to darken them, also. Those, in your article, are prettier than mine, though.

I'm more starting to think that Chris is probably right in that this is a coated something.
 

Quantz Studios

Shiny_Rock
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I doubt its a smoked opal. That usually doesnt turn an opal red. But I'll say with near certainty that this isnt coated topaz. That coated stuff puts off a different iridescence than I am seeing here. If someone has seen similar, please post a picture- But i've never seen it come close.

The cloudiness through the table is highly suspect for the type of adularescence that opals display, called "opalescence", when light is scattered and bounced around inside the stone creating that haze.

The fact that it displays its colors across the stone at different times and not all at once is evidence against a coating. But....there's really only one way to be sure what this is - Take it someone qualified to give it a proper look over. Respectfully, the last thing you wanna do is conduct a scratch test on a cut stone. ;))
 

beaujolais

Ideal_Rock
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Thanks Stonebender.

Today, I took with me, in gem jars, the mystery stone and a blue/green mystic topaz (one of those coated ones) (no, I don't like them, I just happen to have one for some reason). So, I was looking at them in various lights and situations throughout the day.

I realized that if the mystery stone was a synthetic, the person who made the mold needs to seriously go back to mold making class as mystery stone does not have a great shape. Synthetics (aka coated or mystic stones) probably would have a better shape than mystery stone does. Meaning maybe mystery stone is real because it's not cut/made too well.

Mystery stone does interesting colors, for sure. It does most every color but purple. It does blue & green most, then grapey red flashes, some orange, rare yellow.

But....there's really only one way to be sure what this is - Take it someone qualified to give it a proper look over.

I don't know too many qualified people nearby. I'll take it to my local benchperson next time I go (in a week or two). That may not be the easiest thing as the front help barely lets him speak to people. He is a great benchperson but I expect to get somewhat blown off if I ask him to look at it. Then I expect the front counter help to try to answer for him but they are seriously clueless. (Lots of stories re clueless. One example is that they told me I shouldn't take a poorly cut, marginal color green tourmaline out of a ring - as "green tourmaline are quite rare." :sick:

Respectfully, the last thing you wanna do is conduct a scratch test on a cut stone.

I expected to get some grief for that and probably, rightfully so. The base color and cut makes me dislike this stone so I figured I'd try a scratch in some somewhat out-of-the-way area on it. However, I had it in the car today with the sunroof open and it sort of redeemed itself with a wide array of iridescent colors when you turn it in different directions. (No, I don't do that when I'm driving.) I could almost live with this stone but for the cloudy table.

Thanks so much for your opinion & explaining !

Does cherry opal do iridescence, as this one does ? Or would we think more like this is just a reddish opal?
 

LD

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Pretty certain that's not a coated topaz. You very rarely see cloudy coated stones.

The play of colour and the fact that it moves around the stone points to Opal. Lightning Ridge opals can look like that (and you may see red) but there's something that's making me hesitate about the stone in general. I think the smokiness is throwing me.
 

Richard M.

Brilliant_Rock
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sonomacounty|1340752567|3224086 said:
If it were a synthetic (mystic) would the pavilion have iridescence?

First, I don't know what your stone is. In 99% of cases it's impossible to ID a stone from an image.

Second, Mystic topazes are not synthetic but they're not entirely natural. They are natural white topazes with a lab-applied coating of titanium, usually on the pavilion only. If a refractive index reading is taken from the table (top of the stone) it will read as natural topaz.

Third, Mystic topaz with red body color is widely available. That would lead me to consider it a strong possibility for your stone. But I don't know exactly how those body colors are created. One likely method is making a color-tinted topaz doublet which is widely done in Asia where most of the Mystics originate these days.

Finally, the only way you'll know for sure is to have it checked by a properly-equipped gemologist. A simple refractive index reading might do the job but there are so many different ways of making Mystics these days further work might be needed.

Richard M. (Rick Martin)
 

beaujolais

Ideal_Rock
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Thanks Rick. I really appreciate your input !

First, I don't know what your stone is. In 99% of cases it's impossible to ID a stone from an image.

I figured such but I put it up for fun & discussion anyway.

Second, Mystic topazes are not synthetic but they're not entirely natural. T

I forgot that. I have one mystic topaz that given me the feeling (not scientific, I know) that it is totally plastic, so that is why I thought that. In retrospect, some in this thread were speaking about coated topaz but that failed to register with me. :sick:

If a refractive index reading is taken from the table (top of the stone) it will read as natural topaz.

Ah ha, something to look into one day, perhaps.
 

desertgem

Rough_Rock
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Feb 28, 2008
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Since it is a faceted, somewhat transparent stone, it could be determined if single or double refractive, and approx. refractive index
by learning the techniques here.
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...-weapons-tactics-for-guerilla-gemology.10635/

The technique seems very daunting at first, but if one doesn't have a refractometer handy, it can give some information other than just appearance on the various mystery stones you might run into. Just don't poke yourself in the eye :)
 

beaujolais

Ideal_Rock
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Dec 4, 2007
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Thanks so much Desert ! Give me a day or two to report back, though.

much appreciated!

sonoma
 

jstarfireb

Ideal_Rock
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Mar 24, 2007
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Could it be a labradorite if not an opal?
 
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