Seaglow's Finds

[Burmesedaze]

Ooooohhh pink I like! Would you reset them perhaps as a pendant?

Would you say Mei Sai is worth a visit?

 

[Seaglow]

Ooooohhh pink I like! Would you reset them perhaps as a pendant?

Would you say Mei Sai is worth a visit?

You mean reset the pinks? Maybe not because I have 2 earring holes each on my ears and I used them as the smaller stud paired with bigger white diamond studs.

Mei Sai is interesting but as with usual street markets, many fakes and synthetics are sold. As for the real stones, many are misrepresented (deliberate or not).

Like with the rhodolites, stones can be tourmalines, garnets, etc. sold as sapphires or spinels. Or spinels as sapphires...many are nicely priced though so if you don't pay much for a stone claimed as tsavorite and it turned out to be a nicely colored chrome tourmaline, I guess it isn't so bad. there are spinels and sapphires and rubies, but not the bigger, nice ones though. There are jade carvings as well.

Are you going to the bkk fair this Feb.? It's only a short flight away from Yangon and many interesting stones to choose from!

 

[Seaglow]

Light pink Kunzite with sapphires in pavé setting finished with black rhodium.

 

[Burmesedaze]

Wow, love the statement piece. What colour are the sapphires?

Hmm, you're really tempting me with the Bkk Gem Fair. Let me check my work schedule closer to the date

 

[Seaglow]

Wow, love the statement piece. What colour are the sapphires?

Hmm, you're really tempting me with the Bkk Gem Fair. Let me check my work schedule closer to the date

The sapphires are blue.

The bkk fair is on the 22nd till 26th so a portion falls on a weekend. Let me know if you've finalized on going as I'll be there. you would need at least 2 days to even cover half! You'd find everything from crap to museum grade! Also, some of the reputable labs have booths and you can ask to check stones for safety and you get the results within an hour or two. But I think only 2 stones per day though per attendee.

The venue is closer to Don Mueang Airport. Nok Air and Air Asia flies to Don Mueang from Yangon!

Here's a close up of the melees:

 

[Seaglow]

Tsavorite and diamond bangle.



2.5carats Siamese Yellow Sapphire.

 

[chatoyancy]

Seaglow, I love your kunzite ring!! The pear cut is gorgeous! I'd love a kunzite ring, but I read everywhere that it is not a good idea. Do you wear yours only in the evening or just anytime you want?

 

[Seaglow]

Seaglow, I love your kunzite ring!! The pear cut is gorgeous! I'd love a kunzite ring, but I read everywhere that it is not a good idea. Do you wear yours only in the evening or just anytime you want?

I wear it anytime I want and have taken it out on sunny days. It held its color so far. It is a light pink and I bought the ring made. I observed the ring at a jeweler's showcase for a month or so under intense lighting and bought it when it maintained its color. I think Kunzite can stand up more heat and intense lighting than generally believed, at least for the light pink ones.

 

[chatoyancy]

Thanks Seaglow! That's good to hear. I'm so glad you are enjoying your kunzite. You were lucky to find it already set.

 

[pregcurious]

My favorite is your jade earrings.

 

[Seaglow]

My favorite is your jade earrings.

Thanks! I like to collect a bit of jade.

 

[Seaglow]

Before the stuffs goes to Tucson, I got a chance to grab some stones.

Got small stones like malaia garnets, tsavorites, color change garnets and blue sapphires.
Also some affordable stuffs like turquoise, a Swiss blue topaz, tourmaline cabs, some ametrines, small Ethiopian opals, white and light blue zircons...
And some nice stuffs - a yellow sapphire, purple sapphire rose cuts, a hot pink tourmaline (the Jedi spinels were over the roof so I got this instead ) , a cushion Namibian demantoid with high dispersion and looks so much better in person, and a couple of Mozambique copper-bearing Tourmalines 4.71 and 6.09 carats. Included but glowy.

 

[Seaglow]

 

[elle_71125]

Loving that hot pink tourmaline. It's a stunner.
And those cuprians...so beautiful (especially that round one...my eyes keep getting drawn in).

 

[Seaglow]

Thanks, Elle!

The cuprians in sunlight.

 

[Burmesedaze]

having a serious case of gem envy! I really dig the purple sapphires, tourmaline, paraibas and those large cabs.

Would stuff like these be available at the BKK Gem Fair?

 

[Seaglow]

having a serious case of gem envy! I really dig the purple sapphires, tourmaline, paraibas and those large cabs.

Would stuff like these be available at the BKK Gem Fair?

Yes but you need to hunt for them among the 2000 booths! The purplish cabs the seller still classifies as Ruby as it shifts to purplish red in some lighting.

 

[Burmesedaze]

having a serious case of gem envy! I really dig the purple sapphires, tourmaline, paraibas and those large cabs.

Would stuff like these be available at the BKK Gem Fair?

Yes but you need to hunt for them among the 2000 booths! The purplish cabs the seller still classifies as Ruby as it shifts to purplish red in some lighting.

Sold! Airasia ticket booked, late Friday night to Sunday evening

My jeweller said in the past, anything that was pinkish red/purplish red/red was called a ruby in Myanmar. "Pink" sapphire was not deemed a desirable colour and was cheap as chips. I'm here 15 years too late

Someone's wife that was here 17 years ago told me she bought an untreated 5 carat hot pink sapphire for less than US$3K and plenty of other pink sapphires. Those were the days!!!

 

[VRBeauty]

Thanks, Elle!

The cuprians in sunlight.

YUMMY!

 

[Seaglow]

Burmesedaze,

You always have interesting tidbits about the Burmese gem trade!

I will go to the fair but maybe on the 22nd to 23rd. I haven't booked flights but I will let you know if I'll be able to make it over the weekend! It's always fun just looking at what's currently available in the market. For sure lots of spessartites ATM...

VRBeauty,

Thanks! I got lucky on this one but I had to buy it as a 2 piece lot.

 

[Burmesedaze]

Sure thing! Do they accept credit cards at the fair and is everything in USD$.

I'm going more to looksee and educate myself. Won't splurge on big ticket stones since I don't know the sellers, but I don't have any Spess yet so that's definitely on the interest list!

 

[Keeliamira]

I love seeing your new finds! Your cuprians are gorgeous... That glow! And I assure your kunzite ring!!

 

[Seaglow]

Burmesedaze,

Some sellers do accept credit cards.....and in many currencies. The initial quote will be in USD though. I have paid in US dollars, Euros, and Thai Baht, they just do the conversion for the day....very good venue for education indeed.....but just in case you are buying high ticket items, many are with reports from reputable labs. And in case there's no lab report, the labs do have booths and some give free testing with no report but with a paper printout of the findings for 2 stones a day and they can do the test in 2 hours.

All the qualities are there, from study stones to museum pieces. Note though that if you come on the last day, many would start packing in preparation for the Hongkong fair.

Keeliamira,

Thank you for the nice words.

 

[Burmesedaze]

Thanks for the info, Seaglow I'm also looking forward to seeing some paraibas in the flesh at the fair.

So excited!

 

[Seaglow]

Thanks for the info, Seaglow I'm also looking forward to seeing some paraibas in the flesh at the fair.

So excited!

For education, you should look for Jedi spinels, Russian emerald green demantoids, alexandrites, some collector species, etc. etc.

You'd find that many of the stones sold as paraiba don't glow or don't have a strong glow. Sometimes the forum gives the impression that all copper-bearing stones glow but that's not the case. There are clean stones that are nice and bright but do not glow.

 

[Burmesedaze]

Thanks for the pointers!

 

[Seaglow]

Burmese princess cut pink sapphire bangle. I bought this done in silver ang I think the setting is quite thick for the stones but I thought the stones have nice colors.

 

[Burmesedaze]

Lovely pink! These are still relatively easy to find in such sizes, got to purchase by the lot.

Was it done by a Burmese silversmith?

 

[Seaglow]

Lovely pink! These are still relatively easy to find in such sizes, got to purchase by the lot.

Was it done by a Burmese silversmith?

Done by a Thai silversmith.

How many carats by the lot? Most pink sapphire melees these days are Madagascan or African of which majority tends to be a lighter pink. Vendors in Thailand give a premium to Burmese and Celyon sapphires.

How about hot pink spinel melees?

 

[Burmesedaze]

I've seen them sold by the bag and the TCW differs, depending on the stock available with the individual trader. Have you any specs in mind? I can ask my jewellers for a guesstimate.

Hot pink spinel melees not at all, but running a tad orange yes. On the small side. Basically, anything in Namya is off limits as it's in a rebel area. The Man Sin mine gems go straight out of Myanmar, very few percolate into the local market and if there are, it's very very old stock or very small/imperfect.

I wanted to visit Mogok and was invited by a mine owner to do so and stay at her house, but it's now off limits to foreigners again. I hear it's because some rebel groups have retreated all the way to Mogok, so it's not safe. URGH MUCH.