Grandidierite

[normanintheskywithsapphires]

Aside that I don't know how to pronounce this gem, I have read it super rare in gem quality.
Yet, lately there seems to be a flood of these on many site and auction-platforms. Some look terrible and cost little, those that look like gems are not terribly pretty either, like washed-out jeans-color plus some green, but cost more than fine sapphire.
I cannot remember having seen that gem at all one year ago (when i started) and now it is everywhere. Perhaps there has been a big mine opening with these, in Madagascar most likely, but it is still sold and reported as one of the rarest gems in the world, in direct contradiction with hundreds on display. What to make of this? Anybody here who owns a gem quality grandidierite? How much did you pay, and when? If a new mine has been found prices will drop, right?

 

[suzanne2]

Aside that I don't know how to pronounce this gem, I have read it super rare in gem quality.
Yet, lately there seems to be a flood of these on many site and auction-platforms. Some look terrible and cost little, those that look like gems are not terribly pretty either, like washed-out jeans-color plus some green, but cost more than fine sapphire.
I cannot remember having seen that gem at all one year ago (when i started) and now it is everywhere. Perhaps there has been a big mine opening with these, in Madagascar most likely, but it is still sold and reported as one of the rarest gems in the world, in direct contradiction with hundreds on display. What to make of this? Anybody here who owns a gem quality grandidierite? How much did you pay, and when? If a new mine has been found prices will drop, right?

Hi Norman,

Here you go
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/fall-2016-new-deposit-gem-quality-grandidierite-madagascar

I'm not sure how to paste a link and if it will work, so here's the first paragraph.

Fall, 2016
A new deposit of grandidierite, considered one of the world’s rarest gems, has been discovered in southern Madagascar. The new deposit is outside the town of Tranomaro, near the original locality of Andrahomana. It occurs in the form of strong bluish green to greenish blue translucent to transparent crystals measuring up to 15 × 7 × 3 cm.

Suzanne

 

[elle_71125]

I saw Jeff White post this beautiful grandidierite, in his last gem scoop. It was priced over $4700 for 1.09ct.



I bought a very small 3mm pair, from The Gem Trader. I'm no expert on the subject but they are beautiful in person. They look like the perfect color tourmaline. Bright and happy!

 

[Nosean]

I know this gem - a rare collector gem I like very much.

But only the new EY-SI material should be expensive. Highly incluced or opake stone are not rare now.

Fine stones look like lighter colored namibian bluishgreen to greenishblue tourmaline - same hardness and a bit lower RI.

The ratio of clean material to the rest (LI to opake) is 1:10000.

At the moment it is difficult to say were the price per carat will finally be. Avoid overpriced stones like some on Ebay - 20000 for less than 1 ct is insane.

Whether prices will drop? Depends on the situation in Madagascar. Will they dig everything they can get in a short period and that's it ( like Pezzotaite) or like benitoite careful mining and marketing and enough material for 100 years....

 

[Nosean]

The Jeff White stone is awesome and price is o.k. for such a well cut and fine colored Grandidierite.

The pair is cute too.

 

[shinyrocks]

What I've learned matches Nosean's comments - opaque, translucent, or heavily-included material is still fairly rare but shouldn't be that expensive. Very clean material though is super-rare and is listed up there with taaffeite and others as the rarest in the world. I liken it to the difference between faceted opaque or translucent ruby (which can be had for a few dollars per ct.) vs. a top, clean, untreated ruby (which could cost tens of thousands of dollars per ct.). They may be the same gem type, but they are nowhere near the same in terms of rarity.

That photo of Jeff's stone is just stunning! Hmmmm - I spy some rough in the background too. Perhaps more to come from him?

 

[chatoyancy]

I saw Jeff White post this beautiful grandidierite, in his last gem scoop. It was priced over $4700 for 1.09ct.



I bought a very small 3mm pair, from The Gem Trader. I'm no expert on the subject but they are beautiful in person. They look like the perfect color tourmaline. Bright and happy!

I just love this pair! What are you going to do with them Elle?

 

[arglthesheep]

Yes same here. Clean stones are rare. They were around 10000/ct 2 years ago in eyeclean quality and now are at 2000-4000/ct depending on color and cut (only EY material). The opaque stuff is not really sellable at the moment. It now depends, as nosean said, mainly on the source if more of the top quality is coming of the next years. My contacts in Madagascar are telling me, that most of the good stuff is sold and at the moment just very few (good quality) is coming out of the mines. If this is true or not I cant say. But until mid of summer, there were a few good stones everywhere but now it seems they are getting rare again, as the first hype is gone. We have been offered some single big ones (up to 5 ct cut) but very high priced. In my opinion, the next 12 month will show how rare the stone really is and how much of rough is coming in the next month. Same as everytime in gemstone business - when is the right time to buy?

 

[normanintheskywithsapphires]

Very interesting. Thanks. Looks like another thriller gem!

 

[elle_71125]

I just love this pair! What are you going to do with them Elle?

Not sure really. I think I'll use them as accent stones in a ring one day.

 

[Gemobsessed]

Not sure really. I think I'll use them as accent stones in a ring one day.

I’m thinking of getting a pair too! Btw yours have the perfect level of green. They will look divine with your tsavourite

 

[chatoyancy]

Not sure really. I think I'll use them as accent stones in a ring one day.

Great idea!

 

[Seaglow]

I have been gathering this stone while there is supply. When there is a new strike and supply floods the market, there is a perception the the stone is common. But once supply depletes, prices goes up drastically. For Grandidierite, so far, only one location can give a steady supply at the moment. I have the big, evenly colored transluscent ones, and the eye clean transparent ones. The trasluscent ones can look a bit like chalcedony or amazonite, while the transparent ones like a nice indicolite. My source for fine rare stones said that the rough is getting more expensive each delivery and it seems not much coming out as before, but not sure if the price hike is due to lesser yield or higher demand in China and Japan, or both. The price in the market is the more saturated ones command higher price. At gem quality, this is a nice stone - hardness is good for jewelry, nice color, and not a high density stone so the lower carat weight looks bigger.

 

[Nosean]

Good that you say "more saturated" course some want a higher price for darker but not nicely colored stones. Lighter colors are really beautiful like the rough on the left. The pair or the EC have a very good color.
Price steps are big - color and/or clarity - so compare them.
Like benitoite also price steps from small accent stones to 0,30, 0,50+ or 1 ct.

A really difficult situation at the moment. But the mineral specimens are not nice, again the 1:10000 ratio. Maybe the dealer for healing stones will find some usage for the rest of the material - they are quite creative in telling stories...
Otherwise I fear only small amounts will come in the future - it doesn't make sense to dig 80 kg rough for 80 gramm cutting material an finally maybe 30-40 ct eyeclean stones.

 

[Seaglow]

A quick update. So I talked to one of the field gemologists of GIA and was informed that Grandidierite is hard enough for jewelry, it has two cleaving planes that goes around 90 degrees so he wouldn't recommend it for a ring.

 

[Nosean]

Very good news!

 

[Nosean]

A small one...

http://picbear.com/media/1653741623240480201_4753489270

http://picbear.com/media/1556529121449184139_4753489270

 

[Turbodoug]

A few grandidierite of mine

 

[Nosean]

Very nice - so many different ones! Nice collection!

 

[Turbodoug]

2 more pics of my big 12x14 grandidierite , opaque but very clean plus added bonus deep leaf green diamond, just because.

 

[Bron357]

We are a funny species, us humans, seeking and loving little bits of colored crystals with no other purpose than to look at and admire. I am totally besotted with gems, like many PSers (how nice it is to hang around like minded peeps).
Crows also have a good eye for the pretties. I have a birdbath that was too deep for the little ones, so I filled the bottom with random loose crystal hunks I had collected, plus some glass stones. I watched with fascination as the crows came down to the birdbath, plucked crystals or glass stones out, held them to the light and either dropped them back in to chose another or happy with their selection, flew off with it. The dark blue, purple and light blue went first. The green eventually went however the yellow, brownish, white and clear ones still remain.

 

[Seaglow]

Just a bit of fun. So what do you do with those transluscent, opaque grandidierites?

Carve them! Here a small chameleon carving.

 

[Turbodoug]

Too funny
I bid against you for the chamelion!

 

[kimberlyqkim]

I am very interested in this gem and want to educate myself (while I save my money!!) Any new information on market value and supply from those of you in the know?

 

[AllAboutACarat]

Hi everyone, I'm pretty new here. I collect rare gemstones and grandidierite is my favorite. Anyone interested in buying gem quality grandidierite may consider multicolour.com. They have a good amount of grandidierite to select from. I got mine from them years ago including its GIA certificate. Mine is more blue than green, I assume because of its higher iron content.

 

[Django74th]

I have this one. She’s a bit included with a window but love the color!

 

[lilmosun]

Hi everyone, I'm pretty new here. I collect rare gemstones and grandidierite is my favorite. Anyone interested in buying gem quality grandidierite may consider multicolour.com. They have a good amount of grandidierite to select from. I got mine from them years ago including its GIA certificate. Mine is more blue than green, I assume because of its higher iron content.

Wow...beautiful rare larger stone for the quality!

 

[lilmosun]

Mine is a baby 1/2 ct (center stone)

 

[PinkAndBlueBling]

I have an itty bitty one, not even half a carat. I had it set into a small band, but I don't have any photos yet.

 

[JackTrick]

I’ve got a handful of small ones I’m trying to figure out what to do with!