Seaglow's Finds

[pwsg07]

If ordinary patterned chrysocolla, they are available by gram in Bangkok. Gem chrysocolla, you'd get them in Tucson, Bangkok, and HK fairs. But you have to look closely. I don't see them often. I don't hunt for them so I didn't ask for the prices.

Thank you

 

[Seaglow]

I like these color-shifting/color-changing Madagascan spinels. However, they can be quite confusing. The colors are playing between lavender, periwinkle, gray, grayish blue, green blue, light blue. Just a bit of change from a cloudy day to a bit of sun, the color shifts.

Here are the stones in various lighting conditions.

 

[Burmesedaze]

I personally enjoy colour shifts in the CS. I feel that that's what makes each and every CS individual, unique and with their own character, under varying lighting conditions. That extends to their inclusions too. One can never collect the entire spectrum (or enough of any )

Do you think these spinels are native cut, or cut in Thailand? They look much better than the Burmese native cuts.

 

[Bluegemz]

Really lovely! I small rectangle seems to hold its color very well in that it remains of a certain color range and tone the different pics. love that one!

 

[Seaglow]

I personally enjoy colour shifts in the CS. I feel that that's what makes each and every CS individual, unique and with their own character, under varying lighting conditions. That extends to their inclusions too. One can never collect the entire spectrum (or enough of any )

Do you think these spinels are native cut, or cut in Thailand? They look much better than the Burmese native cuts.

Cut in Thailand for US market. They do a higher polish. Not precision cut but cut for beauty, not weight.

 

[Seaglow]

Really lovely! I small rectangle seems to hold its color very well in that it remains of a certain color range and tone the different pics. love that one!

Yes! The blue has a more saturated color than the rest.

 

[Seaglow]

Green sapphire precision cut done. 6.73cts. and now down to 3.17cts. Below are the before and after photos. Third photo is a mint tourmaline I have been negotiating to buy and had finally reached an agreement. 3.85cts. and it holds a nice color in all lighting conditions.

 

[Bluegemz]

Really beautifully done, Seaglow! The sapphire seems to show a different green in the recut and not as dark. Love that! I think finding nice green sapphires is exceptionally challenging. Also, the tourmaline has a lovely liveliness.

 

[Seaglow]

Since you have so much cabochons, how do you store them? I have some opal cabs that are too thick for the gem box. I have no idea how to store them without closing the lid of the gem box with lots of pressure.

Do you have any chrysocolla?

I'll try to answer your question again since one of my sources got a better looking patterned chrysocolla and some more even colored. Is this the type you mean? Just throwing in a photo of an interesting cab. The faceted and rough are gem silicas

 

[Seaglow]

Some old stock of gem silica rough from Arizona got to me. I do not see this quality often so I grabbed them. Faceted stone is 6.48 carats. The rough I might do a cab with unpolished bottom.

 

[Rfisher]

Some old stock of gem silica rough from Arizona got to me. I do not see this quality often so I grabbed them. Faceted stone is 6.48 carats. The rough I might do a cab with unpolished bottom.

Beautiful!
I gave up looking for a nice gem silica.

 

[pwsg07]

Some old stock of gem silica rough from Arizona got to me. I do not see this quality often so I grabbed them. Faceted stone is 6.48 carats. The rough I might do a cab with unpolished bottom.

Beautiful stones. This is the kind of chrysocollas I am referring to. How much is the faceted one per carat? Someone in the gem show told me that the chrysocollas mine in Arizona is closed down already. The chrysocollas selling by Taiwanese are mostly from Indonesia. This one is blue in colour and highly transparent. I don't know how to evaluate the chrysocollas but I heard that the bluer stones will be highly prized.

 

[Keeliamira]

Wow! Gorgeous gem silica!

 

[Seaglow]

Beautiful!
I gave up looking for a nice gem silica.

They are few in the market and seldom available. You can almost exclusively get them from US cutters/cabbers/dealers (Arizona origin material) who were able to save rough about 20 years ago back when you can hoard in grams. They can let go of a few carats of rough once in a while.

Beautiful stones. This is the kind of chrysocollas I am referring to. How much is the faceted one per carat? Someone in the gem show told me that the chrysocollas mine in Arizona is closed down already. The chrysocollas selling by Taiwanese are mostly from Indonesia. This one is blue in colour and highly transparent. I don't know how to evaluate the chrysocollas but I heard that the bluer stones will be highly prized.

Wholesale (from wholesalers and cutters), if you can chance upon gem silica of this quality (Paraiba color with high transluscency), they are sold (faceted or cabbed) in the US at USD100/ct. (this material usually goes straight to US or stays in the US for finished stones), which means at dealers rate it will be around (I think) USD150-200, and at retail rate (I think) USD250 up.

The more blue turquoise color is more pleasant so I took the nicest color, but the rough I saw are almost all Paraiba colors with slight variations (some a bit more greenish but not like the Peruvian material which is mostly green, the Arizona material, has a dominant or obvious blue hue).

As far as I know, the mine may not be closed down, there's a trickle that can be found but material this quality does not come out anymore (maybe once in a while if lucky), so this transluscency is usually old stock, cut from slices or small slabs from a boulder to separate the transluscent, even-colored sections. I heard even the more opaque even-colored stones are not easy to come by.

I think you've got sweet lips because you mentioned this and it pops up to me (only 8 pieces of rough and 4 of them are small roughs).

Wow! Gorgeous gem silica!

Thanks.

 

[Seaglow]

Parti-colored tourmaline, 2.51 carats, Nigerian origin.

 

[Burmesedaze]

Parti-colored tourmaline, 2.51 carats, Nigerian origin.

Lovely colours. The gold adds another dimension to the green and pink.

 

[Bluegemz]

Parti-colored tourmaline, 2.51 carats, Nigerian origin.

The golden color within that color fade is so beautiful! What an unusual tourmaline. It really has a light from within, like colors in the sky in front of the sun and its glowing light. Simply stunning piece Seaglow! Actually, I also think that this stone looks like the joining of a watermelon tourmaline with a yellow sapphire. It almost looks like a new species!

 

[Seaglow]

Lovely colours. The gold adds another dimension to the green and pink.

The golden color
within that color fade is so beautiful! What an unusual tourmaline. It really has a light from within, like colors in the sky in front of the sun and its glowing light. Simply stunning piece Seaglow! Actually, I also think that this stone looks like the joining of a watermelon tourmaline with a yellow sapphire. It almost looks like a new species!

I saw the preformed stone before it was cut. It was only green and pink. High pleochroism and the cutting brought out the gold on the sides. Quite interesting, actually.

 

[Bluegemz]

I saw the preformed stone before it was cut. It was only green and pink. High pleochroism and the cutting brought out the gold on the sides. Quite interesting, actually.

Could the yellow also be on one of the axises? I forget if it's A or B axis, but I've heard that how tourmalines are cut in relation to these significantly affects the color play. In any case, it's gorgeous and extremely interesting.

 

[Garnetgirl]

Parti-colored tourmaline, 2.51 carats, Nigerian origin.

What an incredibly beautiful gem . I've seen watermelon tourmaline, but never a stone with three colors. How unusual!

 

[Seaglow]

Could the yellow also be on one of the axises? I forget if it's A or B axis, but I've heard that how tourmalines are cut in relation to these significantly affects the color play. In any case, it's gorgeous and extremely interesting.

Definitely cutting at the right axis can bring out another color.

 

[Bluegemz]

Definitely cutting at the right axis can bring out another color.

That's the correct terminology, thank you! I was fuzzy since it had been so long since I read about that. My big question is, are you going to set this one?

 

[Seaglow]

That's the correct terminology, thank you! I was fuzzy since it had been so long since I read about that. My big question is, are you going to set this one?

Yes! I will set it.

A cutter told me that he once lost thousands of bucks because they didn't cut an alexandrite at the right axis and the stone lost the color change.

 

[Bluegemz]

Yes! I will set it.

A cutter told me that he once lost thousands of bucks because they didn't cut an alexandrite at the right axis and the stone lost the color change.

Such a disappointment! So much risk with cutting such gems! Makes one appreciate the gems that really are showing their magnificence through a great cut.
I'm glad that you will set that one. It's just so interesting and beautiful.

 

[Seaglow]

Green tourmaline pair. 9+ TCW.



...and a 4.71 carat solid black Aussie opal.

 

[Burmesedaze]

The black opal is a winner. It's like an underwater oceanic landscape

 

[Bluegemz]

The slender tourmalines are very much like shafts or shards of color and light.
That opal really reminds me also of the ocean floor. It's like going on a mini adventure just looking at it!

 

[Seaglow]

Got a couple of rings today. The stones were old stock that the seller had recently had set. One ring has an unheated Burmese sapphire with baguette diamonds. The color of the sapphire goes well with my imperial jade ring. The other ring are with baguette Burmese rubies/pink sapphires (depends on lighting conditions), 3.8 carats TCW and Diamond melees. The 'rubies' look more pink in the photos, but in some lighting, it looks more red but do look magenta color in bright lights. Rings are in 18k gold. The third is an Aussie Boulder Opal with flecks of pinprick flashes that I just asked to be thrown in as part of the negotiation.

 

[Bluegemz]

Wow, they are lovely! I particularly like the sapphire ring. You are right, it goes very well with your jade! I've been discovering this lately, the unusual and good look of sapphires with jade together. I particularly love the setting of the sapphire ring. In fact, I just received a lavender jadeite pendant in a similar setting with the baguette diamonds. As always, lovely finds, Seaglow! I also love how you are wearing 3 rings together....oh, the sumptuous drama!

 

[Burmesedaze]

Very nice haul. See, you get better deals in Thailand than Burma.