Precious Stones and Metals: Physical and Chemical Properties

First, the attributes which defines something as being Precious and Valuable. *It has to be durable, *It must be universally acknowledged as desirable, *It must be rare. There have been legends about eyes of idols which were fabulous gems from the Orient set into the center of worship in temples there. The Hope Diamond was one such stone, and what there is of it now is only half the original size. Diamonds come in many colors. The British Museum of Natural History has on display cut examples of diamonds in blood red, emerald green, Golden-yellow, Royal Blue, Turquoise, and various shades of champagne, pink and white. Each specimen is cut perfectly and sparklingly clear as a fine diamond should be. Some are so rare that they are tiny - as in the Greens and the Reds. The hardest substance on Earth is the Diamond at 10 on the Moh's Scale of Hardness, but they are brittle. Slam you hand against a porcelain sink and your diamond may shatter to pieces from some tiny flaw in the crystalline structure. Daimonds are, after all, the purest form of Carbon, and they will burn with a hot blue flame and turn into Carbon Dioxide. I would like to recommend you take me at my word on this - there is no way to get it back to being a diamond after it has been consigned to the flames.

tanzanite is a unique gem in that under different lights, the colors change. the colors range from deep sapphire blue, to purple, to gray when held on an angle. i thoroughly enjoy my piece of tanzanite and have noticed that they are increasing in popularity. sapphire also comes in a myriad of colors to include green, white, and red.

And so is Alexandrite which is amethyst under incandescent light and green in the daylight. Mine even turned blue one time when we were high in the Sierras on an exceptionally clear day. I am taking the stones and metals in descending order of hardness. Next is the Sapphire / Ruby group.

didn't know there was an order of business *grin* sapphire and ruby are members of the berile group right?

BTW, of all the colors a sapphire may be - they cannot be red. Then it is a ruby! All others are Sapphires. (Don't know why but am researching it)

Sapphires and Ruby are Corundum. Beryls are softer and include Emerald and Aquamarine

Wolf, as a fellow Emerald Baby, I lusted after that emerald green diamond I mentioned above. What a sparkle it had. That would have been some birthstone!

Ummmmm, I guess we will just go for which stones come up in discussion. No order unless no one posts. Then, I start teaching again (heaven help us *lol*)

wait, are you a june or may baby? i'm june, so alexandrite and pearl are my precious gems. have never cared for emerald that much. aquamarine is beautiful and i own three pieces. i forgot that ruby and sapphire were so closely related! i know the colors of some gems are directly related to an element found in their chemistry. off the top of my head, i can't think of what it's called!

May 31st is mine. Gemini is from May 22 to June 22? Something like that anyway. Never cared for emeralds; I also have three pieces set with aquamarine (pretty hard to come by these days) - one I set myself! Ruby is red due to iron and titanium makes them blue(very simply stated, and can be from other metallic salts as well.) Rutile filiment cause an asterism - a flaw, really - the result being a star ruby or a star sapphire (my original engagement ring!)

woohoo! you're right about gemini. mine is june 8. i see a lot of aquamarine in the jewelry departments here and tanzanite is about to get its own display shelf! of course, as the popularity increases, so does the price. found mine on a 50% off display and absolutely love it!

Wolf: i see a lot of aquamarine in the jewelry departments here Are you sure you are not seeing light topaz? It is everywhere and relatively inexpensive. BTW, do not purchase any Deep blue topaz. To get that lovely color they take clear topaz and irradiate it. The darker the color the more radiation. The really dark and lovely London blue is actually radioactive. Put that think on your finger and wear it all the time and you may have some serious problems! Tanzanite is lovely, but I Know a lady with a deep velvet indigo one. Stunning!

i knew about how they darken topaz, i don't own any. um, the aquamarine i'm seeing is marked as such. lighter topaz stones are with the darker stones.

Then, you are dealing with reputable jewellers. Beware of the ones who display the stones by color without identifying them. In cases like these it can save you a great deal of money and heartache - unless you are delighted with your stone and got what you think was a good deal on it Back to my Birthstone, the emerald. Since I do not care for them, I have been hunting for a green stone I do like. That is not easy. One visit to Britain I found a little second-hand shop and asked to see the jewelry - rings in particular. He brought out a tray of uninspired stuff, so I asked him if he had any tasteful Victorian items. He drolly remarked that I could have either Victorian or tasteful, but not both. I chose an Edwardian Bezel set deep green tournaline set in 18K gold. Very plain and very tasteful. I adore it and am very happy with it.

and in 18K! wow!! i believe there are two stones for each month, but i'll have to find a reference for that. tourmaline is famous for the watermelon colors, right?

there are at least two...I think I've run across about four for June...

Moonstone, Pearl and Alexandrite is what comes to mind for June...will check on that some more. Tourmaline crystals grow in columns and are (the gem quality) usually green or black at the bottom fading into clear fading into rosy red at the tops, making a unique banding effect. That is how it got the obvious watermelon name. It is precisely the color of a ripe watermelon!

What about for Oct? I seem to remember being told my birth stone is an opal- which, of course, makes me look like a corpse. :) Anything brighter as an option? By-the-bye, excellent work Marica! This place is great!! :)

ACK!!!! Marcia! really- i can spell when i remember to pay attention to what i'm doing! Sorry dear! *blushing*

Whoa, honey. You have a *real* Alexandrite? Do you know how rare that is? Even the lab-created (same physical and chemical properties) are very expensive. BTW, tanzanite doesn't change colors. Tourmaline comes in many, many colors. I do like the green as well and better than emeralds, which are so cloudy and flawed usually. Many stones (besides topaz) are irradiated for color. In Russia, they make blue diamonds that way or maybe it's just intense heat.

And while we're on the subject, I think I heard that there were new sources of aquamarine on the market from China, which may account for greater quantities appearing in stores. From the ones I've seen, they don't have the same lovely greenish tinge and are more light sky bluish, which defeats the purpose of having an Aqua IMO.

october also has rose zircon (a bright and delightful pink) am not sure if that's a precious stone or a cheap alternative to opal. i don't care for the white opal, but when you find it in the most intense irridescence, it can be quite beautiful (a fiery blue/aqua)... tanzanite only appears to change colors in light, of this i am aware, but did you know that upon tilting it, it seems to be slate gray? thanks for visiting marcia's geo board! way to go, marcia, you're bringing droolers over!! woohoo!!

the aquamarine i own came from china and are more blue than green, but because of the faintness of the color and the fact that the colors you're wearing only enhances the color of the stone, i find it quite enchanting :) do they irradiate aquamarine as well, to intensify the color?

Wolf, hon, the quality of opals you see in this country makes people hate them!! What you will see in Australia would blow your mind! The normal opals are on fire with color leaping out. The black opals (which are really greenish) are gorgeous and I have something called boulder opals that are deep blue and green. Blue zircon is very rare (isn't that an alternative for December). I know they don't really change colors, but appear to be different colors in light. I have tanzanite and don't recall anyone ever saying it would do so. I'm a little rusty, but I know there's another stone beside alexandrite that would do that. It will come to me.

hee hee hee...won't Marcia be surprised to see me here!? And no, I've never heard of anyone irradiating Aquas.

that's what i love about tanzanite. i fiddle with it all the time to see the way the light affects the color!! have never owned a real alexandrite and really didn't know they actually were a stone (haha, and i'm a june baby)!! about the opals, have a gemstone book and when i found the other colors opal can display i was quite impressed! have never seen blue zircon, will have to look that one up. we'll have to find some pictures to post here (i'll post some after i locate that book!!) i would love to see australia period, not to mention all the stuff i'd find there *grin*

you snuck in ahead of me again! *laugh* guess i don't type as fast as i used to...

ok, i just went out on a search and found this website on birthstones. will investigate it and see if it's any good-- http://www.jewelrymall.com/birthstones.html

If you like the grey slateish look of tanzanite (although I prefer it in the more valuable blue-violet shade), you should see silver and violet sapphires!! *oil up them digits* ;-D

actually, i love the tanzanite in that magical bluish purple, it's so vibrant! the website is great. it lists modern, traditional, tibetan, indian, and other birthstones for each month. it further breaks it down into astrological birthstones. each month is broken down with references and places to purchase...really really interesting!!

I turn my back to get another Topic going and what a super surprise I find in Precious stones. Thanks for all of the postings. Opals - black ones are magnificent as are fire opals which are red to red-orange. Oil them to help keep their luster, but be aware that it is little pockets of fluid trapped in the stone which makes the rainbows ( just like in the sky) and they are fragile. Do not hide them in your refrigerator. Do not bang them against hard surfaces. They will shatter. I have a blue Zircon and it is lovely- a medium steely teal blue color. I am wearing my real Alexandrite, and it turns three colors - though the third color only once in the High Sierra on a very clear day. Mine is green by Day and amethyst by night, but neither are very pretty colors. It turned blue in the Sierras! Sapphires come in all colors of the spectrum except red. They are rubies. Ok next posting is on Bi-refringence - which is the apparent colorshift in a stone. and Pleiochromism. Class tomorrow... I am delighted that you all came here to post!

well, i shall now be on the lookout for alexandrite (if i can afford it!)

Wolf, I wear my Alexandrite (Marquise cut set in white gold) on my wedding ring finger in honor of someone born in June. It looks great with any color setting, but it is usually set in white metal - estate and old world settings were silver and current ones use white gold - especially since the prices went up. If you cannot find a real one in something you can afford, I have seen some good ones which do the amethyst-to-green change rather well. They are also not cheap, but are much more affordable. Be are of the ones which go from greyish to pinkish. That is what you find in Mexico and is another stone entirely (but I have one I love!)

Dichroism Some gems are of a crystal structure which causes light from different angles to exhibit different shades of the same color. Rubies have this quality and it distinguishes them from all other deep red stones (Spinels and Garnets). All corundum gems - Sapphires - are dichroaic. (also known as Pleochroism Birefringence The crystalling structure is such that it produces double images. Calcite, Zircon and others exhibit this quality. When looking through a faceted stone from the top, the bottom facets will appear double. The occurrance of two different colors in the same stone viewed under differing light sources, as in Alexandrite is called something I cannot find (yet!)It has also been observed in green or bluish grossular Garnet from East Africa which have been observed to turn red. (Still hunting for the name of this optical quality...check out this URL as a possibility for your specimen http://www.chatham.com/mainalex.htm)

The term for the two-color optical quality of Alexandrite is considered an extreme and very rare form of Dichroism For more information on Alexandrites (including the price of flawless stones from Brazil = $20,000 per carat) http://www.houseofonyx.com/gem1.html More on cut stones http://18carat.co.uk/alexandrite.html

There are lesser grades of Russian Alexandrites which turn from brown to yellow, but I have never seen one.

I wonder what color German Alexanders turn...hmmm...

Anything from red to pale, depending on how Marcia looks at them ;-) This may well become one of my favourite topics...Well, the female brain has a large area attuned to shiny things, remember? :-)

Depends upon what I have written in my last message to him, I guess...Gi, no telling my secrets in here... but you share that proclivity as well, as I recall...;)

Indeed! And have already bookmarked that birthstone site Wolf told us about... am going hunting for it as soon as I can! The DH is feeling generous...;-)

Check out the other ones I put on, too. Generous enough for an Alexandrite?

I doubt that... Alexandrite is now being used as the core for laser machines used in definitive epilation.

ooh...neato...

Why are they using beryl rather than corundum? (William - do not even think about it!!!)

but think of the cool designs that could be traced out on me...

The Illustrated man?! (I do not know what cool designs are there now!)

that's true...hehe...

please no pics, wer *grin* i don't think i've ever seen an alexandrite in our local stores, probably have to go to some high-faluten place and that means i couldn't even afford to walk in the door. the last time the big alpha wolf was generous i came home with a 1 carat anniversary ring *gush* it looks, to the untrained eye, more expensive than it really was, but this gal ain't complainin'!!

I gave you some resources on the net. Check them out first, and there are some better and better man-made ones as well.

Wolf, I am grateful for small packages which sparkle. I am easy to please because I get so little anymore. Congratulations to Alpha Wolf and to you.

oh, thanks! i forgot about the websites you posted, thanks for reminding me!! and you know what else? since i go out of town on business, i treat myself to something special. have purchased several pieces of jewelry this way and because i'm frugal (for the most part) haven't broken the bank *grin*

Good for you - I am frugal too, but on occasion...Glad to hear you say that, Dear!

Quite the busy place!! Is there a gem sale going on? *whipping out her credit cards* Alexandrite is now being used as the core for laser machines used in definitive epilation. Hair removal?

It would seem so. Wish she'd get back and let us know. Are hedge trimmers far behind?!

Hair removal is what i mean. Some of you know that part of my job is also hair transplanting. I haven't done any removal, but have seen it done and it seems pretty cool. Ruby lasers can also be used for hair removal (as for removal of small vascular lesions and pigments), but apparently alexandrite lasers can do better in less time. However, they are stupidly expensive and therefore hair removal by this means is also stupidly expensive.(I think it is probably worth it, though;-))

You are our resident expert. Thanks for the input, my dear. (Please do not ornament or carve my friend...!)

Ooh, I almost forgot, I have a laser-ruby ring set in heavy Mexican Silver. It is made from the leftover pieces of perfect rubies and is a rather good-sized stone for my little fingers, but the color is outstanding!

neato!!

What do you mean re: laser ruby? Industrial grade?

Yes, they cut the middle out which is the most perfect part, and the rest is culled for the gem trade. Mine is flawless as far as I can tell (10x and higher magnification) Laser rubies are not "industrial grade" the way we think of "industrial diamonds" - to be laser material, the ruby must be flawless.

It seems like I can learn a lot here, if I ask the questions. However, you must not think my questions ignorant. the asker is ignorant and asking to learn because it seems interesting. That having been said -- I love diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. and emeralds too. Marcia you mentions industrial diamonds - what exactly is ment by 'industrial diamonds'? The only way I know them is by color, different grades, and flaws. I have rubies from Africa, which are beautiful, but not as bright as say a Burmese. How would I know whether it was a laser ruby? I, however, assume it is gem quality.

There is no soch thing as a stupid question as far as I am concerned. I am delighted that you are interested enough to ask. Industrial gem anything is so full of flaws that about the only thing you can tell about them is that they are diamonds by their hardness. They use them is drill bits and as abrasives. Industrial garnets are used as abrasives, also. In short, purchase only from reliable sources unless you can test what you are buying. Most laser culls are thrown back into the vat and remelted. Mine came from a friend of my Father's who was in the laser business. Your rubies sound lovely. Laser rubies are too perfect - that is the nature of man-made stones. It was a huge problem with the man-made emeralds. Natural emeralds have flaw internally and it was very difficult to achieve just the right flaw patterns as in natural stones. As to how they tell Burmese (the best in the world, btw) from any other rubies is to run tests to ascertain other trace elements in it. Each source has different readings. This is not something you want to do at home unless you have he resources to buy some pretty exotic and expensive equipment. Thanks for stopping by and do come back - love your questions!

hey marcia, i went to one of the sites you listed and looked at the created and real alexandrites and what a price difference. looked at the cheapest real ones but couldn't find a setting i liked. (ditto for the created ones). my mom gave me an alexandrite ring but told me it wasn't real (stone or metal) and the stone came out and i lost it. now i feel bad that i thought it was so chintzy and that experience is what made me thing alexandrites weren't worth much. (silly me, i know *blush*) anyway, the alpha male wolf asked me what i wanted for christmas and i almost blurted "an alexandrite!"

(Marcia) As to how they tell Burmese (the best in the world, btw) from any other rubies is to run tests Natch, but Burma rubies look v. different from African. Burmas are definitely more cherry red, while the African are darker. I know, I have a Burma ruby ring. It's real purty. :)

and about the emeralds. The term used to describe real ones is "occluded." They are cloudy and full of flaws and everyone knows it. That's why the man-made stuff looks so wrong because they are sparklingly clear. I'm sure there are some flawless pieces out there, set in royal headwear or sceptors, or dangling in pendants encrusted with diamonds, but it's so rare to find a clear emerald. Saw some huge emeralds at the Topkapi museum.

Karen, as always we welcome your input. I have a very small ruby from my Grandmother (it was hers as a little girl) and have no idea of its origins, but it is a lovely cherry red. Sounds like it could be Burmese. Perhaps it is time for me to get out the terms like occluded and other optical and physical things in a stone apart from the ordinary cat's eye ans asterism (which are flaws, too.) The treasury of Iran (wherever it is now) has the largest single emeralds known. On a box about the size of a double deck of cards and twice as high, the lid is one huge slab of the most incredible emerald. The sides and back are too. But it is Too Much! It is soooo green it hurts your eyes. If I had a scanner I would pu it on the page...Soon!!!! My Alexandrite is of second quality - which means it goes from Amethyst to forest green. I want a Chatham Created one. They are costly, but they do go from ruby to emerald. BTW, I hope you all buy or receive yours in the day time with a blue sky and sun shining. I got mine at night and it was amethyst no matter what light I used. I had to wait for morning to see it turn green. Then I had to wait for 20 more years to see it turn blue!

Thanks Marcia. Karen, Burmese are much lighter and seem to me not cloudy. I know that the African ruby is darker. Both are beautiful in their own right. I have an African (3k) for everyday and 2 Burmese for special or different occasions. Emeralds are beautiful too. I don't care for the manufactured ones. And Wolf, I hope you get that Alexandrite sooner than Christmas.

Man, it must be nice to have every-day Rubies and Special-occasion Rubies... I asked you whether you were male or female in Horoscope. I am almost positive that you are of the XX gender - but I still might be wrong. Karen and roark are both from Chicago. Small world!

FEMALE; Diann, keep the horoscopes coming. I thought you made them up.

my goodness a 3K ruby for everyday! you go, girl!! ok, you all will think me a fool, BUT, i ordered two pieces with garnet. one is a black hills gold bracelet with links that each carry a piece of garnet and a matching ring. alpha male will never get me that alexandrite now! haha, black hills is so pretty i couldn't resist. it'll be here next week and i'll let you know.

I love Garnets more than rubies for their color. I have 4 garnet rings, one of which I bought on one of my visits to Britain, I also have a lathe pectoral corss set with cab garnets in havy silver. Truly magnificent stones! Let us know how you love them when you get them.

Welcome Diann =) Go happy to meet you. I think I need to hunt for better astrology stuff...some of that is pretty weird.

astrology has been discussed at paraspring, genx, porch, and spirit! i don't believe in it, but some of it is really uncanny....

Did that long Gemini thing I posted sound like you? I am terrible with grocery carts. My son won't let me wield one!

did i miss the long gemini thing? where did you post it? i have to have the cart when i need one. my kids want to run into everything with it and i can't stand the "no control" thing.

Porch 55.170

k!

wolf, you are so right about alpha wolf. You definitely have to take things into your own hands, like I did. I was loving myself. about para: is there anyone over there that soothsays?

Marcia, I almost forgot. are you a geologist?

I ended up with more credits in earth sciences (Geology, Paleo, Mineralogy, etc) than I did in my major so I got a split degree...you could call me a geologist without the math credentials.

Diann, I don't think there is a Soothsayer in Para, but you could check - or ask Wolf about a topic to open if you are one yourself. I would come forsooth! ...and forthwith.

i'd be more than happy to open a soothsayer topic, not a problem!! say the word, and since i'm not extremely clairvoyant, because i'm sure i wouldn't be able to read your mind *grin*

There are more to garnets than the traditional burgundy ones you know. Let's see if I remember...there's tsavorite (named after the Tsavo park area of Kenya), which is green, and a necklace I have has a teensy little orange bit of garnet, which I believe is called Mandarin garnet. Can't do the Black Hills stuff because they use mainly 12K or 10K gold and all the alloys that are put in for the color!! Bad enough some 14K will make black marks on my fingers, although I am a huge fan of rose gold and have many pieces both new and antique. For a minute there, I thought I was OT but it is "precious metals" too.

fortunately for me, i've no probs with the jewelry i wear regardless of chemical composition. karen, can you wear white gold, platinum, or silver? the garnets on the BHG bracelet and ring (!!) are kinda orange-burgundy, real earth toned. it's very pretty. have you all seen the orbis rings? (i think that's what they're called). you can interchange stones. saw some at a craft show that were $60 for the petite sizes and came with 8 stones. didn't get one, but maybe next time when i learn more about them and the kinds of stones used.

Karen, you must have been reading my mind. I was about to post about garnets. I love the rich red ones, even better than *gasp* rubies just because of the color. (I think garnets are bad luck for my family. Son gave one in a ring to a lady and he is not seeing her anymore. And, when I was in California for 4 months I received a goregous ring of Garnets and I will most likely never see the donor again...) Tsavorite is an interesting stone - the rich green color is due to vanadium "contamination." Garn ts come in colors varying from Yellow to violet with all shades of reds and oranges inbetween. Spessartine Garnets are a righ red-orange from Brazil and from such diverse places as New York City (found when they dug up a street) and in San Diego County, California. Uvarovite is deep tourmaline green and quite rare and therefore expensive, as are the violet stones. Grossular garnets have asbestos inclusions which impart a silky luster. I have a green one of these, but it is not transparent, so only of nterest to my mineral collection. Most common red garnets are Almandine with the brown to deep red color. Pyrope is the ruby-colored one, and a flawless specimen can cost almost as much as a ruby of the same size. Rhodalite is the third form of red garnet is the most costly of the red garnets for a rare flawless gem.

Wolf, your orangish brown-burgundy garnets are Hessionite.

That same necklace has a little Pyrope in it as well. What's interesting is that the gems were cut by Swarovski of the crystal fame. Had never realized that they did gem cutting. So they are brilliantly faceted. As soon as I posted, I realized I had forgotten Rhodalite garnets - Raspberry rhodalites - and the Hessionites. It will take a while, but it will all come back. ;-D Wolf, I don't have any platinum and very little white gold, but I do wear silver all the time, with no problems at all. Now, I'm trying to remember which is the alloy that most people have problems with.... argh!!

Copper!

One summer on sabbatical from UHH we visited my parents in Tucson, Arizona. There was a nice little arroyo (dry creek bed) which ran across the back of their property, and I discovered what the local kids were calling "sand rubies" - perfect dodecahedrons of Garnet - just a wee bit bigger than sand grains. I sat out there all summer and got a little vial full of the prettiest perfect little garnets - for my collection. It comes back to me because I have my mineralogy texts right beside me =)

Copper, no that's not the one. Besides, copper is what is used in rose gold. *still thinking*

zinc? Tin?

pewter?

(Everybody join in! It's 20 questions in Geo!!!)

i don't know, thought it was copper as well....

Me too - that is why they epoxy those copper "health" bracelets or else coat them with 24K gold (which is so thin and so soft that it will be gone before you have gotten any "benefits" therefrom.

I think zinc is responsible for many allergies to metal alloys.

I was wondering when we would shake the medical faculty of Spring out of the trees to offer their comments. Thanks, Gi. I suspect zinc, too. Copper can turn you colors (it turns me green,) but nothing like zinc...that makes lesions. Not a good thing!

didn't know that about zinc! so what do they use on those cheapy earrings? you know, the posts that, when you leave the earrings in overnight, you get a crust on the earring hole? (sorry about being so gross!)

They're supposed to be surgical steel if they are not gold...but on really cheap ones, it might be almost anything. Zinc is used to harden things like copper to make brass or bronze and to make gold and silver less fragile and more affordable.

and that happens to me even with nylon posts, Wolf...

Wooden posts here! Stick in the eye, anyone?

never heard of nylon posts....was that a trick?

nope...you can buy some nylon earrings (usually kiddie ones) and since I have a problem with all the metals I've tried (including gold and surgical stainless) I thought I'd try them...still haven't given titatium a trial run, though...

i've heard that's the best for sensitive ears but expensive. the only earrings that don't give me probs if i leave them on too long are the ones used for piercing. they may be the surgical steel.

Over here are guilds of carpenters who wear a special and customary hat and work clothes. If a aprenticed carpenter wants to become a master, he has to wander from carpenter to carpenter, work for food and shelter only, and on the road beg for his fare. They have through all time worn golden earrings; the piercing is an initiation rite to welcome the new brother: A pointed piece of wood is driven through the ear lobe with a hammer... (Sweet dreams... I guess I'm off for now!)

ok, orbis rings. picked a sterling silver one today that holds 8mm stones. i got 10 stones with the ring plus a titanium ball for an extra $7. altogether, my total was $32. not too bad. there are precious stone balls that are available too, but of course the price is much higher. but silver balls and gold balls were $3 and $4 each. they had gold and silver rings for $170. unless i decide that these rings are the bomb, i'll have to hold out for a gold one.

These are those lovely rings which have oscillating elements on them? Sounds like you got a deal. Please describe them. I love rings!!!

well, they come in different styles. mine is sterling silver with two thin strands going up and over the middle attaching to the other side. the middle is empty and is the place where you slip the ball into. so be very careful when you take it off as the ball will fall right out the back. the balls are all highly polished. they look like balls with cat's eyes in them. mine are different colors but have seen precious opal, as well as balls encrusted with gems. you can change them out as the mood hits you or to go with whatever you're wearing. some of the rings come together in the middle of your finger with a gap between for the ball to squeeze into, and some have just a decorative opening in the middle. hard to describe, before i scan mine, lemme see if i can find a site with bunches of them to look at. oh, the gold and silver were designed with silver as the main ring and gold decorating the opening for the ball.

I have never seen anything even remotely like that. How interesting and lovely and just the thing to wear to those boring lectures when we must look like we are interested...look at your ring! (I used to peek at guys next to me in lecture halls reflected in the facets of my class ring...!) ... waiting for your success on scanning / website hunting ...

so far, no luck on the web, but will try a different search engine!

no luck at all yet. will keep trying. (don't try captive bead ring because you will get all the body piercing sites! unless you wanna) (oh, and i actually have 12 balls, guess the lady didn't count the one in the ring already)... and while i was there, i stopped at a pawn shop booth to see their orbis rings. this guy doesn't want to sell an orbis ring to me, he wants me to buy an aquamarine ring set in 14K for $100. i asked him what the clarity of the stone was and from which part of the world it was from. he said he didn't know and couldn't tell me (either question). he said that stuff about where a stone is originally from is a bunch of bull. well, my gembook certainly talks about where they come from. so i told him thank you ve y much and took my business elsewhere. marcia, how can they sell aquamarine for $100? it had a large diamond shaped stone in the middle flanked by baguettes (sp?). i figured because the ring was pre-owned and not one whole piece and that the quality of the stone was fair at best. although my naked eye didn't see any inclusions.

The guy is wrong...he just does not want to be bothered to find out! It is not a real one, or the guy does not know his business. The price is way too low for one set in 14K.n Gotta get you a 10x jewelers loup to carry in your pocket (or a very good magnifier would do as well) so you can make your own accessments. You also need to check that it is not a doublet - a sliver of aquamarine glued to the top of a clear white stone making the entire thing look like aquamarine, but it is not, and is not wort the money! Were the baguettes also of Aquamaring? I'll bet anything it was a zircon - much harder and more easily made into baguettes - and more cheaply grown in the lab. You were wise to pass it by!

uh...thanks for the warning about the body piercing sites. I have been guided to some by another, and have seen all I need to see...eeeeesh!

haha!! i knew that when this guy wouldn't entertain my ideas and kept pushing other ring sets on me that he didn't have a clue! but all of the stones were claimed to be aquamarine! i want a jeweler's loup, where can i find one?

Any jewellers tool or stamp and coin collecting or rock collecting or hobby shop should have a 10x loup or folding one (an oval slipcase with a lens which swings in and out - mine is by American Optical)...even a store which sells glasses or telescopes or microscopes, binoculars or similar precision optics should have one. I'd try a craft or hobby place first, though.

might be a tad easier on the pocketbook, huh? thanks for the info! now i'll either cry or leap for joy at what my own jewelry reveals!

It will be a revelation. But, before you peer into them, clean them first in a dilute solution of household ammonia...You don't want to see all that soap and whatever under there and think it is flaws in your stones! (The least specialized the place you buy your magnifier, the better the price will be!)

no loupe yet, but i do have a question regarding silver. i own mostly gold jewelry and haven't had this problem with them. the silver orbis ring tarnishes quickly on the underside (palm side) on the outside. i've cleaned it and in a couple of wearings, it's tarnished again. does this mean that the silver i have is of poor quality or what? there is a stamp inside of .925, i know this has something to do with the gram weight. oh, and i absolutely cannot find a site on orbis rings. am going to look up some jewelry store chains and see what's up with them.

Nothing wrong with your silver - it is .925 out of 1000% pure silver - the standard for Sterling. Your body chemistry is making it tarnish. I turn green from copper stuff...and some medications can do it, too, under your silver. Just coat the ones which do it to you (the rest are probably Rhodium plated)with a thin coat of colorless nail polish. Our air has enough sulfur in it from the eruptions that leaving silver out on display is foolish.

I did not find an easily obtainable loupe, but I did see a good magnifier in Walmart in their pharmacy with the off-the-rack reading glasses. Check there.

cool, thanks!

Gemstones of the Zodiac There are many variations on this list. Find your sign in the table and select the gem(s) indicated for more information. Aquarius Garnet Pisces Amethyst Aries Bloodstone Taurus Sapphire Gemini Agate Cancer Emerald Leo Onyx Virgo Carnelian Libra Peridot Scorpio Beryl Sagittarius Topaz Capricorn Ruby

The above list is in chart form which lost a lot in the transfer - it is at http://www.jewelry4less.com/parts/zodiac.shtml

http://www.gemstone.org/gematic.html Birthstones: choosing a gem for you Most gem scholars agree that the tradition of birthstones arose from the Breastplate of Aaron: a ceremonial religious garment set with twelve gemstones that represented the twelve tribes of Israel and also corresponded with the twelve signs of the zodiac and the twelve months of the year. Because ancient people did not always classify gemstones by mineral species like we do, there is some debate about which gemstones were set in the breastplate and why. Because of this, different cultures around the world have developed different birth stone lists. The modern day list that you know is only the most recent list: some older lists still exist. Some also argue that the proper way to assign gemstones is according to astrological sign and not month. We think it is more fun to choose the ge mstone that speaks to you from all the possibilities. Of course it is hard to keep track of all the lists. Enter the Gem-o-Matic! Select your birthdate or other significant date or anniversary and the Gem-o-Matic will give you the list of all the birthstones that correspond to that date!

http://www.gemstone.org/plate.html The Breastplate of the High Priest The instructions for fabricating the Breastplate of the High Priest, or the Breastplate of Aaron, can be found in Exodus 28, 15-30: And thou shall make the breastplate of judgement with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen shalt thou make it. Foursquare it shall be doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper; they shall be set in gold in their enclosings. And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings on a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.... And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgement upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.

I checked mine for May 31 and this is what it said Modern birthstone: emerald Zodiac gemstone for gemini: agate Ancient traditional birthstones: Hebrew: agate Roman: agate Arabic: emerald Hindu: emerald Polish: emerald Russian: emerald Guardian angel: amriel His talismanic stone: carbuncle (garnet) The custom of wearing birthstones probably first became popular in Poland in the fifteenth or sixteenth century. For more information about the history of birthstones, try The Curious Lore of Precious Stones by George Frederick Kunz, a fascinating compendium of all the powers that have been associated with gemstones through the ages. For example, birthstones originally may have been worn each month by everyone, since the powers of the gemstone were heightened during its month. If that is true, to get the full effect, you need to go out and get a full set of twelve and rotate them each year!

They got one thing right - Garnet is my favorite colored gemstone, and it is the talisman of my Guardian Angel... I agree we should all have a complete set of gem stones...Yessssssss!!!

what, a talisman of our guardian angels? and how do we find that?

By going to this web site and entering your exact birthday (month and day) then hitting the submit button... http://www.gemstone.org/gematic.html

ok, here's my stuff: Modern birthstone: moonstone or alexandrite Zodiac gemstone for gemini: agate Ancient traditional birthstones: Hebrew: emerald Roman: emerald Arabic: agate Hindu: pearl Polish: agate Russian: agate Guardian angel: muriel His talismanic stone: emerald cool!

Excellent! One would not wish to be without one's talismanic gem, now, would one...even if it is an emerald (not my fav stone.)

Had I known earlier, I could have spent Halloween as a Stoplight...My Emerald Birthstone on one side and my talismanic Garnet on the other! (making notes for next year...)

marcia, i finally got a stroke of brilliance! i scanned my orbis ring for you to see, including all the stones. plus, an ad for them at a local jeweler's. enjoy! here's mine: the ad (it's hard to see, i know, these are silver, but they come in gold and combos:

again, my apologies for the quality of them, but you get the idea (i hope)!

Thanks so much. Wolfie...Not at all what I imagined. How beautiful they are! And, Now I can see why you want one in Gold, as well. Quite nicely made and very secure for the stone. What a clever idea! How many different stones are available? Actually, in a setting that protective, you could use fairly soft gems which are usually not cut for rings because you cannot set them securely (Pressure to bend the prongs on the setting is enough to fracture the stones in some cases.)I just love it. Thanks aga n!

you can get all sorts of stones. mine came with 11 plus the titanium that i purchased separately. if you go to a jeweler's, you'll pay an arm and leg. mine was $32, ring and 12 8mm stones. i imagine the bigger the ring and stones the more they cost. at the place i picked up mine, they were silver with gold rings for $200.

Sounds fantastic. Ok, where did you get yours? From Lucky Looey on the corner in the bulging trench coat?! Or...the PX? (Hast thou an inside track on jewels? she asked pantingly)

i got it from a vendor at an arts & crafts show. she had a ton of stones to choose from and the ring she was wearing had an opal in it! they don't carry them at the PX. but, there's a kiosk in the mall with them and some of the major jewelry store chains carry them.

Gonna have to look this season when I am at the Angel Tree for the Salvation Army. I leave him there to tend the tags and I go on Santa excursions and just plain looking...I'll even ask about them. If anyone would have them, they will be in our biggest mall (Does Zales carry them?)

not that i've seen. bailey's does, do you have that chain? (be warned, they're expensive)..

No, but my Mother's wedding set came from Bailey, Banks and Biddle in Philadelphia. Any relation? If so, they are *very* expensive, but also very nice things which are not available other places. I can barely afford to breathe the air in the store, but it does not cost anything to look. (...and I can elevate my patrician nose right along with the best of them so they dare not risk snubbing me and losing a sale to a potentially important customer!)

haha! i walk into a place like that even in my best duds and they snub me!

No, but my Mother's wedding set came from Bailey, Banks and Biddle in Philadelphia. Any relation? If so, they are *very* expensive, but also very nice things which are not available other places. I can barely afford to breathe the air in the store, but it does not cost anything to look. (...and I can elevate my patrician nose right along with the best of them so they dare not risk snubbing me and losing a sale to a potentially important customer!)

The Philadelphia store is their original one, and the very air smells like money. it is the oddest place - hushed and subdued like a church with obsequious gentlemen in morning clothes waiting to relieve you of a considerable amount of your where-with-all. Bizarre and memorable for this little girl who remembers a Christmas there long ago.

this place is a bit like that. i took my tanzanite to be checked because i could feel the stone move. they took it in the back, tightened the setting and gave it back in less than five minutes. no charge. i certainly didn't expect that!

That's the sign of a truly proper jewelry store which understands the value of making friends of their customers. Once, when Harry Winston was interviewed, his best advice to jewellers starting out in the trade was to keep a stock of modestly-priced engagement diamonds on hand...you never knew when a future wealthy patron was standing before you making his first purchase. Harry usually kept repeat customers of the wealthiest sort very happy, indeed!

hey, that's why I stay with the bank where I have an account:they treated me like money even when I had none! :-)

Indeed, they were very wise. It makes me wonder if the greed of today has made newcomers to customer service eliminate that nicety thus not creating patronage they can count on in the long term.

guess what? went to the arts and crafts show again and got another orbis ring. AND they had an amber ball (it's real, i looked at it). the thing was they had it for $6 but charged only $2. hmmmm....there were so many people there that i didn't want to confuse anyone so i left with my "steal". there were many more stones to choose from this time and i only swapped one out of the set of 10 that i got with the ring. was so excited to find that amber stone! and all for $29 (sterling silver) a prettier sett ng than my other one. will have to scan it for you to see.

Man, I need to get to that show...Of course our big one is on each year during this tournament...so I never get to go to it. I am most interested in one, and am delighted you scored an amber stone for it. Cheers and Merry Christmas to you!!! (such a deal...*sgh*)

Wolf, do scan your ring, I am so curious :-)

(She has her Alexandrite for Christmas, as well...) Scan your new ring for us, too, Wolfie!

Did you check her ring where she scanned it first? http://www.spring.net/~bayou/orbisring.gif

you want to see the new one as well? (i'll see what i can do!)

Oh yes! Please!

*grin*

(Sitting quietly and patiently with my hands neatly folded in my lap and trying to be patient while you work so diligently with your scanner...)*smiling hopefully and eagerly*

well, you asked for it: the new Orbis Ring

no, DO NOT go there, it's way tooo big. let me cut it down:

ok, it's fixed but the name has changed: This is really the new Orbis Ring these rings are also called "interchangeable ball rings"

Ooooooooh....that is beautiful!!! More substantial than the other rings I recall seeing. Lovely! That is such a neat box it comes in, too. Gotta find somewhere here who carries them or tell them to get some in so I can see and admire and maybe even afford one for myself! *thinking...* Thanks! (Yep, you don't want to go to her first hotlink - it is not as advertised *grin*)

i think with the popularity, they're adding styles. when i bought the first one, they didn't have many styles to choose from. they had a dolphin pendant too (but it was $60 with one stone). sterling silver, too. it was beautiful, to say the least. i'll see if the place has a web site, hopefully they do and you can see these pieces for yourself.

Maybe I could even order one through eCommerce. Thanks. Trying to discern the stones you have in that ring...is the one at the 8-9 o'clock position a garnet? It is a gorgeous color!

no, that's the amber!! i did the acetone test and it didn't get sticky! it also has a spangle in it (which is not a natural occurance but comes from heating amber in rapseed oil--a little something i learned from doug lungren's site) i gotta go, the AM wants to surf awhile. g'night and *hugs*

Fascinating - a beautiful color, and I know amber comes in everything from pale yellow opaque to deep burgundy clear and everything inbetween. The test I have heard for it (and I have not the courage to do it to my pieces) is to press a hot needle against it and smell the vapors - it should smell like pine trees not plastic melting. Interesting about the rapeseed oil (what we squeemish Americans know as Canola oil). I wonder what happens to cause that interesting phenomenon.(I know - look in Lundgren's site...!)

g'night Wolfie. Be safe in that weather *hugs*

i've finally found the right combo of words to put into the search engine: interchangeable stone rings. and viola, here's a link with pics and everything! http://www.signaturejewelers.com/sphere2.html

Thank you Wolfie!!! That is the best christmas present I have had all day - asnd the only one, for that matter. Going to look...reporting back asap

Ok, there are all sorts including faceted stones. Love the choice. Any questions on the appearance or hardness of any of them and I will be able to describe to you what it looks like and and how hard or durable it will be. I am gonna get me one for Christmas after I send Terry a check and balance my check book and pay bills so I can stay online.

Best news of all is that they also use 10K gold which is more durable and more affordable. That is what I will try for but I do like the silver...

Oh boy - the $18.99 was a steal even if it was the simplest design (did not see the style in their inventory) but I like the gold filagree one. $249 is a little steep - I like your styles better and they do not have them, either!

http://listings.ebay.com/aw/listings/list/all/category282/page4.html Is a remarkable collection of jewelry and unset stones at eBay. Check them out - lots of those laser (which they call lab) rubies like the one I have and lots of Alexandrites which are listed as corondum - they are NOT alexandrites and will only change from purple to blue-grey. I have one and it is lovely - but not as interesting as my real one!

http://www.galleryone.cc/galleryone-sandiego/injew.html has them the most reasonable of all but more limited choice of styles.

according to my gem book, alexandrites are listed under chrysoberyl. isn't that what sapphires ball under, the beryls? nevermind, going a few pages back, the corundums are the rubies, sapphire, and padparadscha (wait, that's a sapphire too). and while i'm here, what's the difference between precious and semi-precious? (thanks for the links and i'm glad you got at least one christmas present!)

Sapphires are Corundum and Alexandrites are in the same family as Emeralds and aquamarines - little softer than Corundum, but I have worn my Alexandrite without taking it off for any reason for a long time and there are no scratches on it. Precious gems and semi-precious. Most stones can be both as in inferior and inky sapphires, way-too-pale rubies, and grit-filled diamondsn are semi-precious whereas the vibrant clear stones in these same categories without flaws as precious because they are so rare and so difficult to mine. The best Christmas present was a Remember Button *grin* But since O'O is paying for the changeable stone ring I'm gonna get a "good" one, the one I really want. He has not given me presents for 2 birthdays and Christmases...

Oops - you did note that about the sapphires...*grin* If you can find one of those antique kalidoscopes they are full of semiprecious slices and that is an additional bonus to having one of them other than their beauty - and huge price. They used citrine for yellow, peridot for green, amethyst for purple, carnellian for orange, rose quartz for pink and garnet for red...plus all sorts of elegant imported hand-made glass. I'd love to have one but it would probably mildew here...*sigh*

think i've seen the antique kalidoscopes before. i like the cheapy ones with the plastic beads and stuff inside too.

Me too... I like Kalidoscopes. Period. I used to lie on my back when I was supposed to be taking my naps and use my sister's which I had smuggled into my room to entertain me for the hour or so my mother made me lie down in the afternoon. I still remember it! And I have my son's right here beside me!

I like kaleidoscopes too! I bought one (a cheap card and plastic bead thing) a few years ago. Never ceases to amaze me.

Like they said in the old days, all the magic is done with mirrors, but few magic acts can match the beauty of a simple kalidoscope and its bilateral symetry repeated over and over again.

You can probably use it for a sort of Rorshach test as well (sorry... prosaic me attacks again)

what's the rorshach test?

Ink blots are made by using a folded paper and dropping ink into the fold. It is pressed flat and opened to dry. What you think you see in the images formed is what some psychologists used to use to decide what was really going on in your mind.

i thought that but wanted to make sure. boy, they'd have fun with me!

I'd have fun with them. It is amazing what you can say just to be naughty and elicit the most amazing reactions. They start writing like mad in their little notebooks *grin*

and you know this from personal exerience? *laugh* (couldn't help myself)... ok, on the subject of flourescence (yeah, it wasn't brought up here but it was on my mind)....i picked up a true blacklite bulb. put the thing in my lamp, stuck my stones under it and didn't notice anything. am i supposed to wrap a blanket around the stone, lamp and all to make it as dark as possible?

Sssssshhhh.....you'll give my little secret away. (Good one, dear!) Just make it as dark as possible around the rocks. In fact it is a good idea to have it in a dark room - using a flashlight to find your way. Shield all eyes from the bare bulb, remember!!! A matt-finish box painted with black paint works especially well. Gotta get rid of most of the ambient light. Some of the fluorescence is very faint but beautiful!

well that would explain why my amber bead didn't do anything (and i wear sunglasses) so i did the acetone test. am gonna have to try the light again.

Let us know of your success. Try polyester under it to see how bright the fluorescence is (or how bright the background light is)...Should be screamingly bright by fluorescent standards. BTW, one of those sites I posted for the interchangeable stone rings had loads of choices for stones - but nothing in amber. How sad! Orbis must be the only one carrying them.

i don't think orbis is a brand, just a name for the ring. will have to look for the name of the folks i purchased the beads from. will let you know of my adventure with the blacklite!

I wonder if fish scales fluoresce. Lots of stuff does...!

Have you ever heard of blue amethyst? Blue of the color usually seen with blue topazes? very medium to light in color Little sister was given for her birthday a pair of earrings. I said they were lovely blue topaz and was told they were blue amethyst. Never heard of the stuff. Purple amethyst, yes. Yellow citrine, yes. Purple/yellow ametrine, yes. But no to blue.

BTW, the metal alloy used in some gold that bothers people is Nickel!! In fact, it cannot be used in European gold.

Never heard of blue amethyst. It is an oxymoron, no? I looked it up in my books. Amethyst is anything from inky deep purple to almost clear colorless pale violet. They are growing the crystals for the technology market and, as in my laser ruby, the culls and extra material goes into the gem market in third world countries to make into jewelry. However, Yes! I found one book which says: Blue quartz: caused by tiny rutile, tourmaline or zoizite inclusions. Fairly common in metamorphic rock Get out that jewelers loupe and look for the inclusions. If they are not there, it is bogus or a died spinel. How hard is it? How easily does it cut window glass? Spinel with cut very easily and deeply. Quartz is almost the same hardness. Check it out!

Nickel is what bothers people with pierced ears...see the discussion between Wolf and William beginning around response 100.

Spinel WILL cut window glass very easily and deeply. Of course, it could be a doublet (two pieces glued together to give it the color...or a sapphire... Hardness and close scrutiny will tell.

Thanks, Marcia. Sounds like a piece of crap. Am LMHO. What a turkey! ;-)

Yup! I hope whomever purchased it did not pay a lot for it...!

Who knows? The guy is positively clueless, but seemed to think that he'd really gotten her something valuable. Of course, I still think it's blue topaz.

Either blue topaz (hope it is very light blue so her brain is not affected by the radiation those things emit!!!) or blue spinel. I have a lovely medium blue spinel...I love it! Geez...blue amethyst?! She's lucky if it is not glass with that sort of bogus name! Oh, from a guy?! Of course he is clueless!!! *lol*

Her fiancee, no less. OK, am getting off for a while now. Have won my little auction. ;-)

Aloha - thanks for sharing the "eye candy" with me today!

Topaz emits radiation? Oh the things one learns in this comference!:-) My Mom has a ring which I think is topaz. Will ask her. Haven't seen it in a long time.

There is almost no natural blue topaz left. There is loads of colorless toopas, however. By bombarding it with radiation it makes them turn blue. The more radiation, the deeper the color!

If your mother's ring is older than about 8 years, it is most likely naturally blue.

It is probably around 30 years old.

Then it is a natural blue topaz and worth considerably more than irradiated stones. Be sure she takes care of it (and leaves it to you *smile*)

oh wow! about the topaz (my oma has one that's huge! it's rectangluar and all by itself).... yup, that amethyst is bogus. got my eyewitness handbook on gem stones out and it says nothing about amethyst coming in blue. it does refer to a bluish tinge when viewed from an angle and that amethyst from the urals has a reddish tinge. whomever sold that guy that stone is probably related to the guy who tried to tell me that aquamarine was real (from the pawn shop, it's in here somewhere)...

I remember, Wolfie, about that Aquarmarine...and if Cheryl ever finds her way here, beryls include both the Emerald and the Aquamarine. I do not much care for Emeralds, my birthstone, so I wear an Alexandrite for someone very special to me, and I have an aquamarine for my other hand.

still don't have that alexandrite. have a light amethyst that i got through avon (it's simulated) but it's very pretty and delicate. for being simulated, it has a lot of fire and the color darkens outside. the emeralds i've seen are too cloudy. they look dirty or something.

I found it! Sorry I asked about tanzanite on the wrong topic. Thanks for answering the query though. Marcia you have a really expensive birthstone. Emeralds of good quality and color can command nosebleed prices. They don't even have to be that large. I think that they're beryl cousins, aquamarines, are very beautiful. I love the delicate blue-green clarity of the stone. It's aptly named, they are like water. My birthstone is garnet. Its really common, but I do like the dark red wine-like color. I found out that garnets make up some of the bedrock upon which New York City sits.

I adore garnets! (not a problem about off-topic...we do that all the time *lol*) They just set them in such ugly settings. They are getting better, though! I have, in my mineral collection, a hunk of massive garnet from Gort Mt, New York transported to New Rochelle by the last ice age and left there for me to dig up as a child. There are so many industrial-grade garnets in that original area that it is mined for use on Garnet Paper - an abrasive like sand paper!!! Indeed, Even the lab grown Chatham� emeralds are expensive - but are too flawless to be pretty.

Wolf's complaint about dirty emeralds is because the good ones are so rare that they are cutting and mounting material they would have thrown away years ago. We sell clearer green Jade here than some of those emeralds!

Wolfie, I got to go into Zales and finger and eyeball in my hand one of their "Alexandrite" rings. They only turn purplish-blue - they are the Mexican type which is simply a purple spinel. I have one and it is lovely, but it is NOT and Alexandrite!!! They should not be able to sell it as such, but so does at least one of the tv shopping channels. I know a lady who has one - it is just like the Zales one - a pretty stone but...!

I've seen some really bad looking emeralds, washed out color and worst of all a flaw which can be seen at a distance of 5 feet. I'm an admirer of vintage jewelery. Some not all, some of it is just tacky. There are some nice Victorian and Art Noveau garnet jewelery. I've seen some nice garnet and marcasite pieces, although marcasite was more common with amethyst or clear quartz. I also saw a really lovely Victorian ring with an oval faceted garnet surrounded by seed pearls. But overall for a long time garnets were set really unattractive settings. Were do you keep that great big garnet? I remember going to the Museum of Natural History to see this HUGE yellow topaz -- it was the size of a Volkswagen.

Ok, here's a new one for me - "The Heart of Australia" Black Lightning Ridge Solid Opal. 9.9ct peacock green broad flash, exceptionally bright. My "massive" (mineralogy term for lump of translucent gem-colored but not in defined crystals and not cryptocrystalline) garnet is 2" x 1" x 3" . It sitting on a jewellry display stand lighted from above which I got from Lance when it the place he worked decided to redo their interiors. It had many little shelves on two poles which rotate and dislplay all of my pretties.

i adore that heartshaped opal! it would go well with my heart-shaped amber piece! *grin* i thought the alexandrite at zales (as we discussed before) was advertized as simulated. it is a lovely shade of purple. perhaps it was a good thing i didn't throw $200 down the tube just for a fake rock mounted on 14K......i still want one, simulated or not. simulated would be all i could afford though, unless i wanted one you had to use an atomic microscope to view! *laugh* almost bought an iolite ring from qvc but because of my big barbie purchase, decided to let it go and wait until she is paid for (and at least in my hot little hands)!

i prefer garnets over rubies anyday. may be because, like emeralds, the quality around here is awful.

Me too - Garnets over Rubies anyday!!! Iolite is lovely but a little soft so be sure to wear it for special occasions, not when you will be overhauling engines or whatever you do (*grinning stupidly*). I thought they said the Zales stone was Man-made which means it should be exactly like natural ones. Not simulated which means pretend. Way too much money for a lab grown spinel...oh well...I was so disappointed! I agree about having a stone you don't have to carry an atomic Microscope around to see - the one here at UHHilo uses up a whole room! Yeah...I like that green opal, too...lovely! Maybe I could use it for an emerald and call it my birthstone?! No price was mentioned so I suspect that it is too costly, unavailable or both!

for that color and cut, yeah, it would cost way more than the usual opals found in a jewelry store. a lady i work with got a ring with a sliver of blue opal in it (along with onyx and a couple of other gems). she was excited. it was in that asymetrical look on a little under 1/2" wide gold band. i think it had a necklace too.

Sounds lovely! This is a pretty one, as well:

woweee!

ok, bare with me while i try to load a couple of pics! the light amethyst ring from avon: *fingers crossed*

i wanted you guys to see the fire in it! ok, and a couple more of mine to show but let me fix the pics first!

It is really pretty! I love amethysts set in silver. In fact, my whopping big Mexican Alexandrite (spinel)is set in a huge amount of silver which is a very classic crown-shaped setting. Lovely wolfie, and great work with the scanner!

here's a few others:

wow, you really can't see anything in there, can you? ok, will have to do some more editing. these rings are very pretty on and this picture does no justice.

Wolfie, try something for me. Try to scratch the corner of your window eith one of the facetd and tell me how easily it scrqatched the glass. It will not hurt your stone!

Roll up a piece of white paper and string them on it like a finger.

I just enlarged your image and it came out really well...send it to you or post it???

go ahead and post it, marcia. i used a piece of green cloth hoping the richness would help with the pics. which one you want me to do the scratching with?

Your Avon Amethyst

that one? ok, what should i report?

would a small mirror work?

Too reflective. I think neutral color or white would be the best.

Report how easily or deeply it scratched the glass.

no, i mean for scratching! and i did and though it felt like i was tearing the dickens out of the ring and the mirror, not a scratch on either. what does that mean?

it is softer than amethyst. Window glass is 5 1/2 on Moh's scale and Quartz (which is purple as amethyst) is 7 on Moh's scale.

i used mirror glass, is there a difference? so this simulated amethyst is what?

But it is WAY softer than spinel which it resembles - or zircon. It is most likely an amethyst!

i used mirror glass, is there a difference? so this simulated amethyst is what?

Nope! If you see mirrors being made you would see that they use the same glass. You have an amethyst! Most don't have any 'fire' in them!

maybe the fire shows up when the color is lighter...hmmmmm.....interesting!

how would i know if it's synthetic corundum? (reading from my book)

oh, and cheryl's question about ruby and emerald being in the same family: ruby and sapphire are corundums, emerald is a beryl as is aquamarine.

emerald is much softer than Sapphire/Ruby so is Spinel. You would have dug a groove in your window glass with a spinel.

Spinel is harder by a bunch from Emeralds. Zircons are hard also and both make beautiful bi-colored (pleiochromic) stones. Both will dig trenches in your windows.

Getting back into my fav topic.........Gems and Jewelry! Read way back (about 40 messages ago) your comment (Wolf) about the blue amethyst. Like I could tell that guy anything! He thinks he knows it all. Marcia, about that Lightening Ridge Opal, looks awfully gaudy to me. Some of the stuff Downunder looks real trashy in person and they photograph so poorly. I picked up a pair of neat earrings with Boulder Opals, a gorgeous dark blue-green, but in order for the color to really pop, they always put a dark backing on them. Usually the designation doublet or triplet means cheap, but with the intensely colored ones, it's unfortunately necessary. If you see a dark backing on the white, milky type opal, then its of very poor quality. I like the color of iolite. My prettiest amethyst is from Brazil. The color is incredible. But I have another ring, which is marcasite with amethyst and peridot. It's a killer. Believe it or not marcasite does go well with more than just garnet. I also have a marcasite and citrine ring, which I wear all the time.

Your taste in jewellry is lovely...my kinda lady! (was wondering when you'd show up...we were posting goodies all day. I know about doublets and triplets. The dark colors need the black backing doublet and it is still considered precious. Listen to Auntie Karen. She know all about Jewels (as we have discussed earlier...*sigh*)

You know how I like to end the day with visions of baubles dancing in my head. :-) (hey, if you don't have anything else, y'gotta make do)

*giggle* I know! Happy to oblige...!

karen, i know exactly what you mean about not being able to talk to the guy. that's the way this dude was with the pawn shop display at a local craft's show. he wouldn't hear of anything i was saying! marcia, sorry about leaving so abruptly last night, nearly fell asleep at the keyboard! *hugs*

i've heard the word doublet but still don't know what it means. and how do you know if they covered up the back of the opal? if they're gonna cover it up, wouldn't they put it in a closed setting?

About the only way you can see if it is a doublet for sure is to look at the table of the stone...that place on a faceted stone which is usually frosted and where the prongs hold it. Get out that magnifier! I guess if the mounting hides all of that, use your own judgement on the ethics of the jeweler and how much you want the piece of jewelry vs how much it costs. Yup! That guy needs to buy one of my lava flows! (That's ok, Wolfie...it happens to me, too!)

With most settings, the backs are open to view. Gold is too expensive a way to cover it up. Doublets and triplets (slices of opal with a black backing) are all over Australia and it isn't hidden at all. However, if it's used with the white kind of opal, then you can be sure that the stone itself lacks sufficient fire.

That is also what my jewel-buyer's guide says.

interesting. so is it a fabric backing of some sort? (my gem book doesn't mention this at all)....where can i find a jewel-buyer's guide?

Plastic about 1/8" thick. Mine is "Simon and Schuster's Guide to Gems and Precious stones." It is full of information and color prints and includes synthetic and artificial stones.

make that 1/16" or 1/32" - thick enough for you to see it easily! My S&S guide is a paperback I bought at Waldenbooks.

oh, it's kinda like the taylor guides and such for plants and animals, right? cool, will definitely look it up! thanks!! i own no opals. could be because i've never cared for the plain milky ones. but i've also heard that one should never purchase an opal for themself as it is considered bad luck. it should always be a gift.

Right - like field guides and such. It won't give you specific prices, but it will tell you what you need to know and what is out on the market masquerading as the stone in question. Great photos, too!

do the pictures show the difference between good stones and bad stones and such? kinda like with my plants, i like to see pictures of what diseases look like (not drawings, either).....

How could a stone be bad luck? I've even heard that if you are not born in October you are not supposed to wear them. What if you don't know you're not supposed to wear them? Is it like people who take lava specimens home and terrible things start to happen to them??? Yikes! The only opal I have is a tiny floating one and a fire agate set as pendants and I have specimens in my collection of common and fire opals. Is THAT why....! Gonna get rid of those suckers right away!!!

um...checking...No, they don't show you bad stones, but they tell you what a bad one is. It is somehting you learn from looking at stones and prices and getting an eye for a stone incorrectly cut - they do show you that!

i don't know about the extent of opal bad luck, can't be the only one to hear this (have also heard that if you're not an oct. baby, don't wear opals)....will have to do some searching now! i'm glad they do tell you what to look for.

straight from http://www.jewelrymall.com/birthstones.html Some people think the opal is bad luck when worn if it is not your birthstone. This is not true. The story was started by Sir Walter Scott in his novel Anne of Gierstein, in which the heroine of the novel has her life force caught in the beautiful opal she wears and she dies when the fire in the opal is extinguished. and another: Black opal is regarded as an extremely lucky stone well, looks like we cleared that one up straightaway! so wear your opals to your delight!!

hey, and opal is considered an "other birthstone" for june babies. waddaya know, i could've been wearing them all along *grin*

Alright Wolfie!!! You saved the day - again! Might just have to add a few to my wearable collection! I'd love to have a black one...!

...and now I can wear my opals with my Alexandrite! *grin*

well, beware that black opals are used by witches! (don't know if it's for good or bad)

but...but...you just said they were good luck...! Sheesh! I would make a miserable witch. I'd have to cuddle with my victim first and I don't think that would be according to their rules...

Not gonna chance anything bad for that Alexandrite. Only goodness and light may be associated with that ring. It is surrounded by pure gold and so it shall stay.

(Wolfie)beware that black opals are used by witches I could say something here - but you know what that would be...so I think I will leave it unsaid. Just rest assured that nothing a witch could use will get near my Alexandrite!

no, i don't know how witches use the stone, for good or bad. but all opals are good (according to that website)!

Can't be used to flay?! I don't trust witches of any sort...! Not in this case.

i don't trust anybody who proclaims themself a witch (wiccan or otherwise). i believe in not messing with the dark stuff because i do not have the power to control whatever i might accidently unleash!

Amen!

Wolf, nothing mysterious about being able to tell a good opal from a bad. If it has good colors emanating from within = good opal. I thought I didn't like opals either because of the poor quality of the ones usually seen in this country, i.e., dull, boring and milky white. In Australia, they are amazing. You'd have to go to a really high-end jewelry store here to see anything remotely similar. And here, you never seen black opals (which are really green) or any of the other varieties. u And btw, opals are not cut/faceted; only polished.

I thought I posted that rubies were chemically the same as sapphires, but that I didn't know for certain if emeralds and aquamarines had chemical similarities. Thanks to this board I now know that they are both forms of beryl. Actually Karen in the vintage jewelery I've seen amethyst and clear quartz were paired more often with marcasite than was garnet. I've also seen vintage marcasite pieces which incorporate jet and some with pearls. I really beautiful 19th century pendant was an aquamarine in a marcasite and silver setting. But you definitely know more about jewelery than I. Wolf, I too have an amethyst from Avon. It's mounted in a sterling silver pendant. Like yours it is pale, but I don't think it has as much fire as yours. Mine is a bit shy, content to be pastel and delicate of hue. I have one of those pale opals. I dutifully put a drop of mineral oil on it every year. I was told that opals require a level of natural moisture and that they can crack or flake if they dry out too much. Well, the mineral oil hasn't hurt it. Should I still keep doing that?

Actually, let's clarify once again. Sapphires and Rubies are Corundum and the next-to-hardest thing on earth - diamond being the hardest. Diamonds are a 10 and corundum gems are 9 on Moh's scale of hardness Emeralds and Aquamarines are both Beryls and are 7.5-8 on Moh's Scale. You are right to oil your opals. They are simple silicates (like quartz and 7 on Moh's scale) which have trapped water in the fractures internally. To keep them from cracking further, do not store them in the refrigerator (to keep them from buring if your house does) because the abrupt change in temperature can make them fracture more than you'd like. They toughen a little on the exterior if you oil them. It couldn't hurt!

Btw, Kilauea, the resident volcano on this island, makes opals but they are not pretty. Stillm, they Are opals...but I do not have any in my collection. Way too close to the vent for collecting and She could be watching... Not that I am superstitious. I like to err on the side of caution when I am traversing hot lava fields!

Cheryl, I wasn't referring to vintage marcasite pieces. And jet and marcasite were often used for mourning brooches during Victorian times. If you wear your opals, then your natural oils are sufficient. Another thing I've heard recommended is rose water and glycerine. Pearls also benefit from your skin's natural oils while wearing them. Keeps the lustre. So twirl away.

What you want to do it keep your opals from evaporating the water which makes the rainbows from the interior of the stone. Oil on the outside seals it in. Glycerine attracts atmospheric water to whatever it is placed upon. However, in dry climates, it can draw the water out of the opal if there is insufficient water in the air. I'd stick to the oil or wear them - as Karen suggests.

The worst thing you can do with pearls is to NOT wear them. Your own personal skin is the best moisturizer and conditioner you can give your pearls. As Karen, our own Poily Queen says, twirl away!

even on your wrists? (wearing pearls) i've also heard to buff them with flannel cloth to keep them clean. your amber pieces can dry out as well, so only wear them on humid days (not dry hot summer ones). i guess that means i can wear them all year here!

Yes, the volatiles will evaporate from your amber. Dob't want that! Send all of your fine amber Jewelry to Hilo, Hawaii where I will keep it well exercised. Pearls too and opals...*smile* ...or to Looziana... For Cheryl, John said regarding where you wear the flower in your hair: http://www.moon.com/exhibits/tahiti/tahiti_overview2.html It is the same a wedding ring. Behind the left ear means you're happily taken. Behind the right ear means you're available. I asked, what if you're unhappily...but told him I already knew what he'd say...!

what if you wear them behind both ears? *grin*

...or on top of your head... I think that means caveat emptor. The lady is looking but not buying!

The funny thing about flowers behind both ears is that I've never seen a female that way but frequently have seen men that way. They like to have it both ways?! *grin*

Means "follow me, sailor". Not to be forward, but may I change topic? I've heard of a new man-made diamond substitute called moissonite or something close to that spelling. Does anyone know anything about it?

*lol* Thanks for getting us back on-topic. Have not heard of it but I shall look for it tomorrow. Promise to post what I find!

*LOL* ok, i've just come across something called reconstituted turquoise. what, it was chewed up, spit out, and water added? what does that mean?

A bunch of chips glued together?

Sometimes it is ground to a powder and resin added then shaped. Depends on whether you can see actual clevage planes or if it has a waxy finish (which real stones should not have!)

it's in an avon catalog and it does state it's been reconstituted but wasn't sure what that meant (heard of reconstituted juice and stuff). it looks like turquoise to me (from the picture) but i don't own any to compare...

Re: Moissonite http://www.moissketeer.com/ This website is THE website for the stones and tells all about them. This is the introduction: "Moissanite is the registered trademark name of a diamond simulant that is very close to diamond in both hardness and thermal conductivity, and higher in refractive index. Although the material exists in nature, this simulant is produced synthetically in mass volume. Moissanite is near colorless and doubly refractive. The Moissketeer 2000 SD tests the electrical and electronic properties of the stone to separate it from natural diamond. What is a synthetic diamond? Synthetic diamond is grown in the lab and has nearly all the qualities of natural diamond. Commercially available large sized near colorless and colorless synthetic diamond grown by the preferred nickel catalyst method have an electronic property that is detected by the Moissketeer 2000 SD. This detection method is only for use on the colorless and near colorless synthetic diamond grown with the preferred nickel catalyst method. This tester will not test most forms of colored (such as red, brown, yellow, and most probably green), synthetic diamonds. Type IIB, a very rare form of naturally occurring blue diamond will be detected by this tester. Blue diamonds created by radiation and heat treatment of yellow synthetic diamond will not be detected. With colored diamonds, it is always important to have them verified by a professional gemologist with the proper equipment, preferably an SA2000 spectrometer from Adamas Labs. As seen in the December 9,1998 Jewelers Security Alliance "Crime Prevention Bulletin" *In September the Tallahassee(FL) Police Department arrested two men for Grand Theft and Organized Fraud after they visited a local pawn shop and sold a pair of "diamonds" for $1,600.00. The pawn shop owner tested the diamonds on his regular diamond tester and they seemed genuine. After the men left, he tested them on a MOISSKETEER, a special moissanite tester, and learned that the stones were not diamonds. The shop owner called other local pawn shops and warned them about the two men. A short time later the men were captured at another pawn shop as they tried to sell more of the items. Police located a computer print-out in their car with a listing of several pawn shops in Alabama."

The turquise reconstitutes can be very pretty and very difficult to tell from the real stuff (which has become very expensive - I inherited some!). If you like the color and the price is reasonable, it is a good buy. Just not an investment...!

here's a pic of a pendant that i believe is turquoise (got it from my oma in germany a long time ago)

oh my, that's way huge (the measurement is in cm)

v. interesting about the Moissonite. If it's lab grown and has same properties, should be flawless as well. What you gotta look out for these days.

I shall look up the variety of turquoise for you. It appears to have gold findings. Does it? It is a lovely piece. Tap on it with your fingernail. It should have a vitreous sound or like you are tapping on hard polished rock rather than on plastic. I am pretty sure it is the real thing.

due to gardening and such, i have no nails left to tap....the only gold on it is the piece that goes right down the middle. (at least that's all i can see)

Thanks for the flower info. I thought one behind each ear might mean a "definite maybe." I got a turquiose necklace for my birthday. It's relatively large beads, interspersed with small gold spacers. The gold clasp has a Chinese design, and the largest bead is a carved "chou" bead, for good fortune. The stones aren't exact color matches to one another, some are a bit more blue than others, and some are a little more green than others. The color variations aren't jarring, just a little variation, like they're individuals. Quite pleasing actually. All the turquiose beads have marked black veining. I really like it, but when I first put it on it felt like rocks hanging around my neck. Which is what it is.

Karen..LOL...has that guy offered your sister a diamond ring? Do that test they suggest on the Moissanite website.

*haha*

My nugget necklace has pretty large graduated nuggets and it is HEAVY! It is strung on braided silver cable with long silver finials at the ends. The lady whose it was had been an Arizona native before coming to Hilo. Turquoise is pretty stuff, but heavy if not full of resin. It is one way to tell. It is, after all, copper ore!

Offer? He gave her a ring (substance unsubstantiated) last year. They are getting married next month. Bought her a marquis cut; was so proud of himself. I was underwhelmed. Sister didn't want marquis either. ;-)

here's a neato website i found while researching alexandrite (again).... http://www.houseofonyx.com/gemstonelist.html

black opal: http://www.houseofonyx.com/gem15.html

and another great gemsite: http://www.gemhut.com/gemidx.htm

and another: http://www.galleries.com/minerals/gemstone/class.htm

This is the ultimate mineral text online. The photos are superb and the text easy to read. http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/gemstones/sp14-95/ The cover image of Watermelon Tourmaline from California: (the remember buttons on porch 38 are gone and I did not touch them)

Wolfie, you have posted some superb sites. Loads of links and information and photos. Excellent. The one I just posted is more like a field guide and I would like to have that chunk on my specimen-go-round. Whew!!!

yes, i saw that piece while reviewing that website from your earlier post!

oh, i went into springcam right after you did and the remember button was there. very strange!

My wedding set in white gold consisted of 1/3 carat marquise diamond with a baguette on either side. I had two wedding rings with had a V for the stone and baguettes either side. One ring went on top and one on the bottom and it looks lovely and as impressive as my little hands can manage. (My wedding ring is a 4)

empty your cache - it is reloading the the old stuff and seeing a button no long er there.

I went back there and poked the forget button - the first time I have ever done so ...they are there now, but this time I put them there....who knows?!

did that, it's still there....hmmmm....

did you poke them and they are still there?

did i poke what? i emptied my cache and temp files, clicked on your response in springcam twice (before and after) and the button is still there. i didn't press remember or anything.

Do you think this man has any clue how much those little buttons are doing to us? Probably not, as he is a man...but he does know other things I would not have thought he would. *lol* *Hugs* Wolfie, enjoy!!!

After mine disappeared, I poked the forget button and the remember ones showed up again and will stay there until we poke them again....Just like any other conference.

maybe, he hasn't been doing anything and somebody keeps hitting the forget button and messing with our heads!

This is possible....! I shall take that wisdom to heart. It is too difficult to deal with otherwise....but I know how I will react when next I see it...*sigh*

Speaking of which, did you see my remember button - just made it with transparent frame and installed it. Yay!!! I think all possible buttons are here, finally!!!

no, i've not looked for a remember button here (only when you tell me it's here)..... i still won't touch one of those darned things.....

the darned things--forgot where i was, the ouija board (from paraspring) *lol*

Me too - it has been since I climbed trees and had long braids since I touched an Ouija board. Never mind! Damned thing is probably appropriate!

I realized after I posted that comment about the marquis engagement ring that I might inadvertently offend someone...and I now see that you, Marcia, had one such ring. What I was trying to get across is that the dunderhead (i.e., future brother-in-law) who knows nothing about diamonds could have bought more and better quality gem for the money he spent. The marquis cut wastes a tremendous amount of the stone and you pay for all of the waste. Better IMO to buy a beautifully cut round stone of decent carat size than spend the same for a much smaller marquis. And to compound things, he had the little sliver set in yellow gold, which she wasn't too pleased about either. Enough of my carping.

Mine was not my choice and I was not offended. it does waste a lot and costs more as a result. My Alexandrite is also a marquise because he loved the cut! I don't like to be poked by the points, but the wwedding-ring-guards do make it a lovely single ring as I had them soldered together as a unit. Yellow Gold?! He is a twit! It will make the diamond look yellowish!

that's exactly the problem with the marquis, my tanzanite is constantly getting caught and poking me.

what's this with yellow gold? i have a cute half-karat round on yellow gold (but it's mounted in silver-aren't they all?) and it doesn't look yellow. or is that what you mean, the mount itself is yellow gold? (oh, and the AM gave me that on our 4th anniversary).....

Mounted in White Gold. Wow! Diamonds after the fact?! Not bad, Wolfie!!!

My Mother's original engagement diamond was set in white gold on a yellow gold band, but I have seen some which are set in yellow gold prongs. The effect is not pleasing - at least, to me!

really? i thought they were all like that and because i like gold over silver, was actually disappointed! don't wear that solitaire though because it's too high. feel like it gets in the way. now i have a marquis sapphire with diamonds surrounding it (my engagement ring)...that sits a bit higher than the tanzanite and never poked me. it has a nice gallery with filagree on the top part of the band. very simple and different from the 1/4K and less other girls were wearing. and it cost way less too. but it's pretty. now that i have the anniversary band, i haven't worn that particular sapphire. don't want to wear it on the right hand either. makes me wonder if the anniversary band is supposed to be worn on the right hand and i still should wear my original ring...oh, the style of the sapphire is such that i'd have to have a wrap custome made, the wedding band doesn't fit with it.

Hmmm...I have seen anniversary rings replace wedding sets of modest means and also worn on the right hand. The effect of my two wedding bands around the solitaire is of a wrap. I am very fond of wraps and they are so comfortable to wear. My first engagement ring was a star sapphire with little side diamonds set in white gold. I still love it but seldom wear it since I have taken to wearing the Alexandrite...

well, when i go on my summer vacations, i wear my wedding band and don't take any of my gems. i guess it doesn't matter which hand you wear it on as long as you know what it's for and the meaning behind it. which is why i wear mine on my left hand...it's for 10 years and counting! (and we're on #12 this year, can you believe it?)

..and you being just 25 and all... Hard to believe! Isn't it amazing how the kids get older and we just stay the same?!

yup! *wink*

Since wolf brought up turquoise and we've been yakking about opals, I ran across some realllllllly pretty inlaid stuff: OK, so that one didn't have turquoise, but those are opals in the center, with lapis. A wow piece or two... And a killer cuff that I couldn't wear...

I'll Wow to them all! Thanks, Karen. Never saw opals set with inlay. They are stunning! I have my mom's bearclaw necklace set in silver inlay. It is stunning and I need a scanner to show it to you unless I can photo it with the new digital camera. Yeah, I'd be willing to model any of them any time...!

Um...I have a long neck....I'll wear it for you! Love those colors!!!

Yeah, I'm always drawn to colors like those. When I was in Tucson, I looked all over for an inlaid cuff, but they're too big for me. It would have to be custom made. Argh! Says the designer works with the following: purple sugilite from Africa, royal blue Afghani lapis, Australian opal, red and pink corals from the Mediterranean and South Pacific, turquoise from America and China, and black jade from Edwards, Wyoming. Some designs include accents of diamonds, rubies, tourmalines, garnets, or amethysts.

Sugilite is incredible stuff - such pretty dusty rosy-lilac-cum-lavender colors. I noted the precious and semi accents. Great designs and such incredible colors. It would look great out here!!! I have all of my Mon's and my own turquoise stuff as well as a neighbor whose kids did not like it. I can weigh twice my weight just by stacking my lovlies on me. It is gorgeous stuff! I have a bunch in oxblood coral - and exquisite red. My squash blossom necklace is inlaid with oxblod coral...!

A squash blossom necklace! To adorn that swan-like neck? ;-) Most pieces do tend to be heavy. Nature of the materials used. I've got a lovely pair of earrings that I can only wear for a half hour a night, but they're beauts.

Ah Yes!!! Or you'll be able to carry newspapers home in the pukas if you leave them in too long. I know the kind! My squas blossom necklace is about 2/3 size because I am tiny (albeit long-legged) so I am not dwarfed by it. Some are H U G E !!! With your shiny raven tresses you should look stunning in any of this jewelry. I am surprised someone has not asked you to model it!

One needs a neck to do that type of thing. ;-) Nighty night

g'night Karen! Me too +)

wow, that's some retro looking stuff! way too extravagant for me!! i have an inlaid cuff bracelet made of pau (or however it's spelled) the inside of shells. it's pretty but too little for my wrist now (got it as a teenager at a souviner shop).... perhaps i'll scan it for you to see....

Shuckins...your daughter will grow into it...or someone with a tiny wrist (mine!) is always handy. My ring-finger is a size 4...! (You will have grandchildren who will love and appreciate it, Wolfie!!!_ Please do scan it - I love inlayed pieces.

i've got to clean it first, the silver is all tarnished. (been in a jewelry box for years)....my daughter has already asked for it!

Be sure she is old enough to take proper care of it or the inlays will fall out. I am delighted she likes it!

Did I note the mention of lapus lazuli. Has that been discussed before? I love the color, almost a true ultramarine.

Have not discussed Lapiz except in passing as inlay material. That mountain full of it in Russia must be amazing. I love the color - I thought it more like indigo shot with gold!

I think the best quality would be indigo, a kind of violet-blue. Very beautiful. The lesser grades might tend to ultramarine, the absolute bluest blue. Although all would be shot with gold.

as promised, the inlay cuff bracelet:

and some pieces of the shell have started falling out due to age.....

Is that what used to be called "mother of pearl"?

Mother of Pearl is the white pearly inlay and Paua shell is the colored ones. How lovely, Wolfie! Thank you!!! You can epoxy them back into place very carefully so you don't get glue between the pieces or on top. It'll be there forever!

thanks!

Got some scale for that? Your pink tape measure is no where to be seen! Looks over an inch wide. I have a similar pattern on a brass belt buckle. It is really pretty, Wolfie. Can't they flex it enough to fit you...uh...uh...uh...

Lovely cuff, wolf. You said it was "too small" for you? ;-) *cough cough* [little wrist] Mountains in Russia? Thought I'd read that the best lapis came from Afghanistan. I know, same mountain chain! ;-)

No, can't flex a cuff if there's inlay. That's always the problem for me. A basic silver cuff can be flexed, but the inlays will pop out.

(that is me trying to stretch it to fit you...)*hugs* That stuff is still called Mother of Pearl, no?!

The Mountains containing the choicest Lapiz are in Afghanistan. Catherine the Great had a whole room made out of the stuff and another of Malachite and another of amber....Incredible stuff!

Karen can hear a jewelry discussion even inside the closely guarded Firthian tower doors known to the rest of the world as Drool....*grin*

Karen may well be able to discern a jewelery discussion on all sensory and extra sensory levels. She does have wide ranging knowlege on the subject and really good taste though.

yupper. i guess it's mother of pearl, got it because i liked the pattern and the inlay work... gotta do some mom stuff so be back later *hugs*

She is a most welcome addition to Geo. I was just kidding her - I can sniff out a good rock at 20 paces, as well. Um, it is part of the second X chromosome, is it not, to discern fine jewelry at great distances? And sales?!

we'll miss you Wolfie! *hugs*

I love what Karen posts about jewelery.

I love the pictures she posts, as well. Karen, please tell Cheryl I am not picking on you!

Um, it is part of the second X chromosome, is it not, to discern fine jewelry at great distances? And sales?! LOL! I've found that it pays to know what you're talking about with jewelry. Costly mistakes otherwise. ;-) Also, being the shallow person that I am, what you dig out of Planet Earth or pry out of/off its creatures and fashion into pretty things is what interests me. I am so un-PC. ;-)

Hey, that is why I created this topic. I love it, as well, and I also do my homework on jewelry - it certainly is in one's best interest to do so! *lol* I hope you get permission before prying goodies off creatures. I would probably give you a pretty good fight...*grin*

Costly mistakes as in BLUE amethysts???!!!

wasn't her mistake though! *grin* she'da known better!!

Yup, but the guy without that special second X didn't have a clue! *laugh*

My Dad always said about me that a guy'd have to be crazy to buy me jewelry without having me along. I chose my Mom's diamond anniversary ring for him to give her (and my eldest sister ended up inheriting it!)

haha!! then i'll need you if i should decide to buy more jewelry (not if, when!) *hugs* i have expensive taste but it's innocent, i don't choose things because they look expensive so i can parade around with it and say look at this expensive thing i have, nope, just like quality, i guess, and mayhaps, recognize it....

Gotcha on the *when*...*grin* I'll be only too happy to aid and abet your ventures into material investing! Wolfie, you have class and your taste shows it...just as Karen's does. That's why I enjoy you so much *hugs*

I hope you get permission before prying goodies off creatures. Have no fear, I draw the line at endangered species. ;-)

This second X chromosome carries a lot of stuff. Have to admit I feel some sympathy for Karen's sister's guy, who thought he did a Good Thing. Poor sap! For the record, men have no clue what jewellery looks expensive, and precious little idea of what looks nice.

...and approach it the same as driving, refusing to look at a map or ask for directions. I like consistency of approach. ;-)

mine thinks every piece of jewelry costs and arm and a leg and frowns when i purchase a gift for myself (and if i did not do this, do you think he would? no way!) (alexandrite, case and point)....

I'm sorry Marcia, I never meant to imply you were picking on Karen. As for the Karen's sister's guy, have pity on him. He is estrogen impaired.

*LOL* Cheryl...I am delighted to see you again - and I know you weren't implying any such thing...I was just hoping to attract Karen's attention so she would post more goodies for us to admire...*hugs* Yup! Estrogen Deprivation can atrophy the social graces and the sense of the esthetic in the human male. They need daily interaction of the most feminine kind if they hope to overcome the problem. It is not impossible, but...The prognosis is not good! *grin*

Yes, it still is called mother of pearl, although some people tried to avoid the term by simply calling it shell. Maybe mother of pearl got a bad name due to some tacky jewelry somewhere. But mother of pearl and paua shell might be better discussed on the organic gems topic. Silly of me. Allow me to mention diamonds. There not my favorite, but I wouldn't turn one down. Unless were a yellow diamond. Yuk. I saw a canary (yellow) diamond once; it was vile. It had brilliance, clarity, and a really putrid color. Colored diamonds can be downright strange looking. The most famous colored diamond is of course the Hope Diamond, which is probably the most acceptable color for a colored diamond -- blue. It really is very blue. Priceless and complete with a curse, one might say the Hope is one serious piece of carbon. I've also seen pink diamonds, unsual but pretty.

i've never seen a colored diamond in life (and the line to see the Hope was longer than i had time for)....

In the British Museum of Natural History on Cromwell Road, you will see a display of the most indredible colored diamonds round cut. Emerald greem, brilliant red, aquamarine, deep blue, pink, apricot...just about every color imaginable. I would have loved an aqua diamond....or the green one...or the red one...*grin*

must've been hard to believe they were real!

I wanted to check them out closer but the guards regarded me with a cold eye until I smiled at them charmingly and told them I really did not mean it...but they were stunning - tiny - most of the deep colored ones were well under a carat, but they were stunning and lit so you could see the fire in them.

They really do sound stunning. The Hope is really an eyeful, when you finally get up to see it. I still think the yellow diamond was a really putrid color.

I have seen the Hope when it was on display at the American Museum and still owned by Harry Winston. It is not only the most incredible "sapphire blue," but it is a Diamond! With all of the fire and brilliance. The smaller white diamonds around it are pretty large as solitaires go, as well! Unless Yellow diamonds do not have even the slightest tinge of grey in them, they are beautiful - like pale topazes. But, most of them have that pewter cast which renders them 'dirty-looking' in my opinion. Perhaps they would benefit from being set in all-yellow-gold mountings!

Oh, Btw, the Hope is only about a half of what was a HUGE blue diamond in the hands of the French aristocracy. It was cut in half sometime after the Revolution and no one is sure where the other part is.

Colored diamonds are very rare and all tend to be very expensive. The Hope by it's noteriety, color, and even present size is truly priceless. Okay, maybe it has a price but would it be in this dimension. It's hard to imagine the original diamond, the sheer size of it. It was reputed to be a more or less heart shaped stone, wasn't it? That is an interesting question -- where's the other half? You are no doubt right about yellow diamonds, I probably saw one with a pewter cast, not attractive. Although, yellow gold would be flattering to it, bringing out a more golden color.

Yes, it was more or less heart-shaped and was the hanger for The Louis Kings' Order of the Golden Fleece. It must have been incredible! There is a painting of him in one of my books (Louis XV I believe) wearing it. I'll see if I can find it on the net (or buy myself a scanner..!)

Ok..Got out the book and the original big blue diamond's likeness exists only in an engraving of the Golden Fleece Made for Louis XV in 1749. A huge ruby carved into the shape of a dragon, the large blue diamond, plus other large colored stones surrounded by topazes and colored diamonds (according to the account of the day.) The rage for colored diamonds was so great that many were set in colored foil to create the effect of naturally colored diamonds! The whole ensemble was broken up in 1792 and the whereabouts of many of the stones is unknown.

Lance, what guidelines can you give us on Jade?

The jade I have is a dark ugly green with black inclusions. The Jade the house male has is a lovely apple green. It does not even look like the same mineral!

Not much. Good jade has a clarity of color without fuzziness is the best way I can put it. You can see into it, and see inclusions. Colors are wide ranging. White, black, greens, purples, red, oranges even.

Translucent and tough would about sum it up, then? Nephrite and Jadeite.

Apple green? That's good. Imperial jade is that color. (I'm a jade lover too.

Never met a gem I could not love...Jade, too Off to hunt up pix of incredible Jade...Lance has a ring whose stone is a dead-ringer for Imperial Jade but is not...I'll let him tell you about it when he returns.

While I continue to look for pretty jade pix to post, here's one for Dolphin lovers and fluorite, as well: http://www.tir.com/~jadegift/spendant.html Fluorite Ball & Flipper The a rototable fluorite ball embraced by a sterling silver flipper. Color: Light brown, transparent with hairy texture inside the ball. Size : 1/2" (12mm) Diameter without flipper, 18" (45cm) Sterling silver flipper and chain. Price : $20

I'd love to have one exactly that size!!!

And it's extremely reasonably priced, too.

Yes! But it is pretty small. I want one the size they show...but would not turn down the one they have there. I am seriously thinking of getting it! It is about the only way to have fluorite and keep it pretty. It is very soft - just above gypsum on Moh's scale - a 3.

i'm thinking about getting it too. that's so pretty and similar to the ball rings we've been talking about. thanks for that, it's pretty!

I thought you needed it...=) The price was right and it has a dolphin on it. How could we miss?! I was hunting for Jade pictures when I found it and then forgot all about the jade when I saw the price. It's really pretty! Wolfie, I'm gonna send you an email....

Never mind about the email. I just ordered mine - will let you know what I get and when I get it. (Was gonna get you one too...which I should have done but it would have taken longer to get to you...*sigh*)

Many of the bigger more beautiful and numerous and less expensive diamonds which graced the courts of the Louis Kings of France came from the mines in Golconda, Ohio. And, lest we forget, Mrs Clinton wore the Star of Arkansas, a large diamond mined in the state and loaned to her, to their first Inaugural Ball.

The American Diamond connection: Diamonds have been found in the sands and gravels of present and former stream beds in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, West Virginia, Texas, Idaho, Montana, California and Oregon; many of these discoveries having been made in conjunction with placer gold mining operations. Glacial deposits of diamonds from Canada are found around the Great Lakes region. Specifically, in Wisconsin, michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Diamonds, possibly from the same source have been found in Tennessee and Kentucky. From The Rockhound's Manual by Gordon S. Fay

Rubies have been mined commercially in North Carolina, and have been found in Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming. Sapphires have been mined commercially in Montana and habve been found in California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, andNorth Carolina. I need to find a friend in North Carolina and go grubbing in the gravels...one of my favorite passtimes.

i'm gonna get that dolphin....

well, gonna have to wait, it's sold (and i wonder to whom? *SMILE*) so glad you got it. please tell me about it when it comes in....

They asked me how many I wanted...It is yours and I'll order the next one.

I was afraid it would be gone if we waited any longer...so I grabbed it!

no, you keep it, marcia, i can wait sweetheart, thanks though!

Well, if they run out, this one is yours!!! I insist!

i'm sure they'll get more in stock. perhaps, i'll email the dealer and ask! oh, and qvc is having gem week and tonight (9pm CST) is lapis. i'm gonna watch out of curiosity. maybe i'll pick up something small just to add to my collection. this is the right topic for lapis, right?

You bet! Let us know how you fare!

will do.

Where's the picture of David Marcia - am i in the right place?

Thanks for the information on American precious gemstones. I never think of the United States or even North America in connection with gems. Although, I do remember coming across something last year about Montana, I think, concerning bogos, (not certain if that's the correct spelling), which are intensely blue sapphires.

According to my rockhounding book, over $30 million in Sapphires have been mined in the Yogo Gulch of Montana. Might that be what you were thinking of? They are excellent in quality. Emeralds are not as abundant in the US as other gem stones (and I never think of the US and Gem stones in the same sentence, either!) They have been found in Massachusetts and the Carolinas (there it goes again - gotta get to North Carolina!) Aquamarine, the emerald's semi-precious cousin, is much more abundant. It is comercially mined in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire and North Carolina. Aquamarines have also been found in Alabama, Idaho, Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah. Golden Beryls have been found in California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York and North Carolina. Morganite which is pink-to-rose-red beryl is found only in California, Maine, and Utah.

David is in Geo 2, Maggie

Yes, that was it. Yogos! They're supposed to be very intensely blue sapphires. Now I know how they got that awful name. It's from the Yogo Gulch.

Yup - and probably means "splendid Sapphires" in some native American language.

and don't forget diamonds in arkansas. forgot the name of the place, but you can go out in the dirt and dig to your heart's content. haven't done it yet. but it's on my list!

Yup - it's back a few posts. The exact place is near Murfreesboro, Arkansas, from whence came the large diamond Mrs Clinton wore.

I am a gravel grubber from way back. Have bottles of perfect dodecahedron garnets from an arroyo on Arizona, bottles and more bottles of peridots (olivines, actually) from Hilo and environs...and so on. I'll join you in Arkansas! They'll have to pull me away at the end of the day kicking and screaming if it is like the other places I have been...especially if I find something *grin*

i would love to find something!

Yeah, me too...and I am just the sort who'll stay there till I do...and then some!

So when are you two off to Murfreesboro, Arkansas to dig up some diamonds? Peridot. That's my cousin's birthstone,August, and she hates it. Actually, she loathes it. She thinks it such a pale, washed out green, which looks bad with everything. The people I know who hate their birthstones, were either born in August, peridot, or November, yellow topaz.

And May - I cannot stand the Emeralds available today - far too gaudy (Chatham created ones) or milky (the ones I can afford). I was allowed to wear a tall swirl of diamonds and emeralds set in white gold ring. I guess letting him live in my house and eat my food and let my ex pay his bills was not good enough. His son now has it....for whatever reason. (Yeah...the hairy chest-beater)

Not sure when I will make it to Arkansas - do not know anyone even slightly near there. Was talking to my son today about visiting him - he's a geologist (in case my constant mentioning of that fact eluded you); diamonds and gold were found in California. Hmmm...!

hey, you know me! AND you have my address....of course, murfreesboro is several hours away....

This is true - and two heads are better than one (watch it!!!) and two Geminis are even better...*grin* Hey, what's a few hours among friends?! Gotta go...later!!!

k, see ya!

marcia! how'd your dinner meeting go? hope the food was good along with the company.... i've got a serious question to ask our gem experts, namely, marcia *grin* today, the AM and i went browsing through service merchandise, who is, btw, having a 70% clearance sale, the reason we went in. well, i can never go into SM without perusing the jewelry counter (sometimes their sales are real good). came across two rings. both set with diamonds in 10K gold. one was a trillion, the other a marquis. having remembered our discussion on the amount of money one pays for marquis and the amount of stone that is lost, i chose to look at the trillion cut. these two rings were exsquisite (ok, so i forgot how to spell, see what gemstones do to me?)....both showed remarkable pleochroism with shades of pink, green, and blue. i asked the sales lady to please pull one out for me to handle. looked at the tag and it said color-treated topaz. now this gem changed it's colors in the light and angle (like my tanzanite). i asked her if it was really a topaz and she said yup (ok, she said yes) and i was shocked and chokin on a grain of salt. she said it was heat treated topaz. both of these rings sell for $99. the AM saw it and said my b-day was coming. i've never seen a topaz like that in my life. told her it was behaving like alexandrite or tanzanite and thanked her. decided i would do some homework before the AM is set on buying that ring, although, the the thought of the AM buying me jewelry is most exciting no matter what it is! so marcia, have you ever heard of this? i looked on SM's website and they only show the radiated blue topaz both real and simulated. the saleslady assured me the piece i was agog over was real. you and i both fell for the simulated alexandrite from zales, so please give me some advice, i'm begging you! (do you see how excited i am?) the gemstone book is wide open and i'm waiting impatiently!

now i remember what they said they did to it...called it color-enhanced (????)

Checking in the book...Heat treating pink topazes is an old (several centuries worth) way of intensifying color and does not emit irradiation. Blue is still intensified by irradiation. Actually, pink and other pale topazes form with shades of many colors in them and they are visible only under certain light or at certain angles. Not true pleichroism, but just as lovely. I'd say go for it. I'd love to have one like that! Email me if it is on the web so I can see it, Please!

am trying to find a picture. it turns gray at an angle and you can see the pinks, greens, and blues when you look directly down on it under indoor lights.

Sounds just like they describe in the book

(The dinner meeting went very well, thanks for asking!)

am still gonna do a search and see if i can find a pic of these color-enhanced topazes....the AM asked me which one i wanted again (the marquis or trillion, you know which one i said!) told him to buy it now and hold it *grin*

found one! http://www.scotgem.demon.co.uk/topdia.html am working on the photo (it's humongous) and when i get it down to a manageable size, will post the one i'm talking about....

got it.....

isn't it lovely?

well, while i'm here, i'm gonna add the main index to the above site for your pleasure.... http://www.scotgem.demon.co.uk/index.html

Oooh! I am still waking up and this is the first place I went on the Spring. I had no idea it was so wonderful. I thought it might be like an ametrine...very faint distictions of color. This is magnificent. I'd get it just on that basis alone. It is most attractive and amazing. Lovely, Wolfie!!! Probably better in real life, too. My Alexandrite photographs the color of whatever the flash excites.

that picture came from the website i posted. i just clipped it to show the stone most like the one we have been talking about. how they got all the colors to show is beyond me. so now we know it is real and they can do it! (you sound better today, sweetie)

(Thanks, I feel better - inside my heart, that is - the rest mostly takes care of itself). Is this little gem on its way to you yet..or at least, reserved? I'd love an oval one like that... Incredibly gorgeous! Let us know (like we could stop such great news) when you get it in hand and examine it. My fav way is with with a mini-maglight then outdoors in bright sunlight. I am so excited for you! What did you hear about the dolphin pendant, if anything?

i forgot about the pendant....will go back and see if they have any more in stock. the AM is out fishing today so.....he did tell me not to worry about it and said he'd get me the ring.

How is the ring setting done? Yellow gold? Your Trilliant will be magnificent. (did I guess right =)?)

ok, the dolphin pendant we've been drooling over isn't going to be available for awhile. the sales people told me they weren't expecting any in. so i went running around the net looking for something similar and here's what i've found: http://www.webcrystals.com/webcrystals/dolsphernec.html

the crystal is called aqua aura (similar to a stone in my ball ring)....

the trillion is set in yellow 10K gold with diamonds (1 pt or less) sorta swirling up to the stone. and the above dolphin pendant can be made with your choice of bead. it's not interchangeable, much to my disappointment.....

oh, and i'll be more than happy to scan the ring (but you'll have to wait until June) if he does present me with it *smile*

*sigh*...I'll wait and he has a problem with me if you don't get it then 7^/ Oooh...sparkly things along with the topaz? I think I am in love!!! Sounds really lovely...*sigh* That is a darling dolphin pendant. Is is sterling?

Did you check this one at the same site?

didn't see that one! oh, and it is sterling. found another site when i found the double dolphin pendant. the woman who designs the jewelry is a gemologist and some of the pieces have fiery opal beads with the dolphins. will find the site and show you!

http://www.seadesigns.com/ just click on the side menu.....

Ok...going to check. The above is a humpback whale - about the same price and with all kinds of lovely spheres available in real stone!

Yikes!!! Way outta my range on that new place! But, pretty stuff. I found the above whale on dolphin Jewelry on the left hand column of links.

yup, i went back and found the whale too. you're right about that seaside place. very expensive!

Men do sometimes notice jewelry. One of of my male co-workers noticed a necklace I was wearing and said, "That's really pretty. Are those stones blue topaz." To which I replied, "No, they're aquamarines." It was nice of him to notice.

I am surprised men are allowing themselves to say anything about anything a woman is wearing. My son says the workplace sexual harassment rules have just about ruled out any comments. They sound lovely!!!

Actually, it was outside during our lunch hour.

How nice of him to notice, and to share the good thought with you!

and the necklace is still in your possession? *grin* i'm glad he noticed. can't say that i've ever had the pleasure of male company saying anything about my jewelry. too busy looking elsewhere? (like away from me *grin*)

i'm the sexual harrassment officer at work. how am i supposed to monitor those things? people are all the time saying lewd things that can be taken anyway you like. but this isn't the topic to discuss that *smile*

Wow! Really, Wolfie? Is that because you were so hit upon they decided to empower you? Yup!!! We know you cannot hide behind the fangs and hairy pelt forever. You got that right about them looking elsewhere...Nothing like having your chest talked to...*sigh*

http://www.gemhut.com/topaz.htm Hardness 8.0. Occurrence Brazil, U.S., Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Myanmar (Burma), former USSR, Australia, Pakistan, Mexico, Tasmania, Japan, Africa. Topaz and citrine are the birthstones of the month of November. Appearance Yellow topaz is sometimes called "precious topaz" to distinguish it from the names "gold" and "madeiria topaz", which are in fact citrine (quartz). Yellow topaz is sometimes heat treated to make it look pink. The term "imperial topaz" is used by ethical jewelers to refer to topaz that is reddish orange of medium tone and higher saturation. Enhancements Yellow/Orange topaz is occasionally irradiated to intensify color. Pink/Red topaz is usually heat treated chromium bearing pinkish-brown to orange stones. Brown topaz is not enhanced. Green and blue topaz are usually irradiated to produce the desired color. Gemstone Enhancements The term "enhancement" is defined to be any treatment process other than cutting and polishing that improves the appearance (color/clarity/phenomena), durability, or availability of a gemstone. Some gemstone enhancements are less stable than others, meaning that some treatments are temporary. It is the policy of Gem Hut to sell only those gemstones whose enhancements (if any) have good to excellent stability. All gemstones can be divided into three basic categories. Not Enhanced, (symbol N) The "N" symbol appears by gemstones that are not currently known to be enhanced (Alexandrite, Garnet, etc.), however the "N" symbol can also be used for other stones in the event that a stone has received no enhancement. We will provide a guarantee that there has been none and that fact will be noted on the invoice which accompanies the gemstone. Normally Enhanced, (symbol E). The "E" symbol appears by gemstones that are routinely enhanced. Since many enhancements are difficult or impractical to prove definitively, the approach taken is, unless otherwise indicated, to assume that such enhancement has been applied to that particular gemstone. This assumption is made to protect both the buyer and seller. If a more specific method of enhancement is known, then the specific enhancement code will be used. Non-Traditional Enhancements For those gemstones not covered by the "N" and "E" symbols, the specific code which covers the gemstone enhancement will be listed. Symbols For Specific Form of Enhancement B Bleaching: The use of chemicals or other agents to lighten or remove a gemstone's color. C Coating: The use of such surface enhancements as lacquering, enameling, inking, foiling, or sputtering of films to improve appearance, provide color or add other special effects. D Dyeing :The introduction of coloring matter into a gemstone to give it new color, intensify present color or improve color uniformity. F Filling: As a by-product of heat enhancement, the presence of solidified borax or simliar colorless substances which are visible under properly illuminated 10X magnification. G Gamma/Electron Irradiation: The use of gamma and/or electron bombardment to alter a gemstone's color; may be followed by a heating process. H Heating: The use of heat to effect desired alteration of color, clarity, and/or phenomena. (Residue of foreign substances is not visible under properly illuminated 10X magnification.) I Infilling: The intentional filling of surface breaking cavities or fractures usually with glass, plastic, opticon with hardeners and/or other hardened foreign substances to improve durability, appearance and/or add weight. L Lasering: The use of a laser and chemicals to reach and alter inclusions in diamonds. O Oiling/Resin Infusion: The intentional filling of surface cavities of a colorless oil, wax, natural resin, or unhardened man-made material into fissured transparent/translucent gemstones to improve appearance. (i.e., oil, man-made resin, cedar wood oil, Canada balsam, paraffin, etc.) R Irradiation: The use of neutron, requiring an environmental safety release from the Nuclear Regulatory Commision (NRC), with the combination of any other bombardment and/or heat treatment to alter a gemstone's color. S Bonding: The use of a colorless bonding agent (commonly plastic) within a porous gemstone to give it durability and improve appearance. U Diffusion: The use of chemicals in conjunction with high temperatures to produce color and/or asterism-producing inclusions. W Waxing/Oiling: The impregnation of a colorless wax, paraffin and oil in porous opaque gemstones to improve appearance.

The above was about (((( P R E C I O U S - T O P A Z ))))

*=*=*=*=*=* A L E X A N D R I T E *=*=*=*=*=* Hardness 8.5. Occurrence United States, Russia (Ural Mountains), Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Zimbabwe (Rhodesia), Brazil, Madagascar, Italy. Appearance Named after the Russian Czar, Alexander II, alexandrite is the gemstone most noted for it's color changing abilities. Colors are greenish outdoors, and reddish to violet under artificial light. Alexandrite is extremely rare. Look out for alexandrite which is too clean, or at a price which seems too low, it's probably synthetic. Natural alexandrite rarely exceeds 2 carats. Can be confused with synthetic alexandrite, or synthetic color change corundum. Pearl, moonstone and alexandrite are the birthstones of the month of June. Photographs have been retouched to show the approximate color change from indoors to outdoors. Enhancements Alexandrite is not enhanced.

Back to Jade for a moment...this is Chrysoprase Chalcedony. It makes lovely rings which are less costly than Jade of this quality, and I think this is far prettier. Have we any comments from anyone owning a ring containing this stone (I happen to know one, actually...and have seen it on his hand)

thanks for the gemhut stuff.... i've not seen too many jade rings but the jade disc pendant is popular.... sears has a jade necklace and earrings set (8 mm with 14K gold beads). the set is normally priced at $229.99 but is on sale for $89.99 the picture shows a paler green than depicted above.... speaking of alexandrite, i went to gemhut or someplace like that to price out a simulated stone and a setting of my choice. still toying with it though....but they had a topaz like stone as i'm hoping to get for the b-day and it was called something else, ta--- (will go back and look)

it's http://www.gemstones.com

the stone i'm thinking of is tavalite and here's a pic (it's from gemstones.com)

here's what gemstones.com has to say about this stone.... The metallic luster and unusual peacock coloring that emerges from these exciting new gems is what makes Tavalite� so truly unique! This futuristic look comes from from a permant process of adding a thin layer of metallic oxide onto a natural, colorless, Silver Topaz. Amulet is proud to offer Blue Enchantment�, the most popular color of Tavalite�, which is a metallic medium blue color, accented by subtle combinations of hues that actually change with the viewing angle! Each stone is eye clean and expertly cut. Tavalite� jewelry is easily cleaned with any standard jewelry cleaner or mild soap and water but avoid abrasive powders. With a little care your new jewelry will be enjoyed through the 21st century and beyond!

I have seen Tavelite. I just wonder how scratch resistent that coating is. It is similar to the coated lenses cameras have. You must be careful. In a pendant it would be less likely to scratch. I am still going for a red-green Alexandrite - no kids to put through college anymore =)) Very good information available at the gemhut url. Also interesting is how the enhancement is done. Check out the Tavelite on HSC or QVC on the telly - they have it pretty often.

gemstones also has a list of unusual stones. they had a rather large alexandrite for $4 grand with a very nice color change. for $1400, they have a smaller stone mounted on a 14K ring. it has a nice color change as well. i hope the stone at SM isn't tavelite then, because i'm really hard on my jewelry. am surprised my 18K bracelet is still hanging on my wrist! (never take it off except to clean it)....

Wolfie, they have to say if it is. The stone you posted from SM is definitely the color enhanced one and not all rainbow-y like Tavelite is. Tavelite is like motor oil leaks on asphalt roadways. Not really pretty but interesting.

Hmmm....Guess I really do not need a quality 1 Alexandrite, after all! Yikes!!!

oh, i don't know what the grade of that stone was but it was well over 1K. they still have it on their site....i'll go back and check...

and here she is.... 1.01 carat, 5.7x5.7mm 90% color change and $4040

There is Will Power (I Will get it because it is that important to me). There is Won't power (I won't get it because there are too many other important things which need the money and I have more than enough jewelry). Then there is Shouldn't power (I shouldn't get it - don't need it - but I am still looking.) I fall into the last two. There are always things other people need more than I need for me to spend my money on myself....*sigh*

Those are the colors mine change. Lovely size, though...Wow! Thanks. The only other one I would "Need" would be an Emerald-to-Ruby change.

here is the mounted one, class AA natural alexandrite.... 0.51 carat, 5.1x4.1x3mm, $1428

nice emerald to ruby change, huh, marcia? *grin*

You would have to post one like that...*grin* Yes indeedy....lovely! *BIG SIGH*

tell me about it!

Now, my decision is do I go another year without seeing my son and his fiancee and my fur-grandson and get that ring...it has only been two years since I have seen him....*sob*

Lest anyone wonder if I really have a problem making a decision between those two options, let me assure you that my son wins over almost anything including an Alexandrite, no matter the lovliness of the latter.

i know but temptation is strong, huh? go see your family and i promise not to buy the stone *grin*

super-strong, Wolfie...! You may buy the stone...Those guys in the lab are making more of them every day. Maybe one of the chips they usually throw away will one day will be mine...I promised David I would see him before fall. Probablly in June when all of the games are over. Anyone else wanna see Marcia?! (Never mind!)

haha!! of course but my leave time is limited....

Not this time...but we gotta do the IRL bonding thing. Also have to have time to scrounge the beaches around Aransas and get down and dirty in Arkansas (who said the Prez was the only one who is allowed?!)...*grin* Of course, there is always the scenario of meeting in Austin and scaring the place out of its wits. Or, remember, John and I have promised you the grand tour of the Island here. If you tell us in time we can try to schedule and earthquake with your eruption. ...so much to do and only one life time...*sigh*

*sigh* here too.....

*Hugs*

Wonderful gem information. Marcia, I hope you do get to see your son this year, and get an alexandrite, too. Well, if you don't get the alexandrite maybe you'll find that Arkansas diamond. I have a question on birthstones, their folklore particularly. Are they intende to ward off evil spirits away from the wearer? Or do they enable the wearer the ability to control and overcome the negetive spirits in the vacinity? In the Middle Ages it was believed that different gemstones had specific influences, over health and such. Does anybody know anything about this?

stones are still held to that belief, they will enhance the wearer's ability to ward off bad-luck. this site (posted way back when) goes into the different stones for each month. http://www.jewelrymall.com/birthstones.html some stones require the wearer to have it close to their skin, like jade and amber. crystals are said to house the same supernatural properties.

Thank you, thank you, Wolf.

Stones, Lore and Energy http://www.spiritone.com/~cbdv/stones.htm Agate: Named after the Achates River in Sicily (now known as the Drillo River), agates have been valued by people since 3000 BC. They have even been found on fossilized remains of Stone Age humans dating from 20,000 - 16,000 BC. They come in a variety of colors. Amber: Amber is not literally a stone, although we often treat it as one. It is actually fossilized resin or tree sap, and often contains visible fragments of insects. To test if amber is real and not a plastic imitation, pour salt into warm water until it will hold no more salt. If the beads float, they are most likely amber. Amber floats in salt water, while plastic sinks. Amethyst: Named by the ancient Greeks, this is one of the best known gemstones. Ancient Greeks believed that Bacchus (the god of wine) gave it its name after pouring wine over a woman the goddess Diane had turn to stone. Its name originally meant "not drunk" and the ancients believed that anyone wearing this stone was unable to become drunk. Aventurine: In its green form, aventurine looks similar to jade. In fact, ancient Chinese held it in higher esteem than green jade (which also comes in many colors) and carved bowls, vases and other ornamental objects from this stone. In ancient times, even the imperial seal was carved from aventurine. Bloodstone: Bloodstone varies from green to red and brown. It is named bloodstone because the color of the stone resembles blood drops. Carnelian: For centuries, carnelian was used for insignia seals because it does not stick to wax. It is said to bring the wearer good luck. "Favoured by the Arabic peoples, the Carnelian is one of the stones of Kings. The rich, warm colour of the stone has often linked it to the energies associated with fire. Projective, proactive energy, the beast of fire being the Lion, the King. It is also a stone to lend courage to those in need, and very helpful to wear whilst speaking publicly (roaring)" (Baird "Gem Lore 2"). Citrine: This stone is close relative of amethyst, and in fact, citrine can be created by heating amethyst. The ancient Greeks and Romans wore citrine as a talisman and thought that it aided in digestion and cleansed the body of toxins. It also symbolized lightheartedness and joy. Garnet: When worn on the body, garnets are believed to protect from skin disease. Garnets are also an important symbol of fidelity, faithfulness and protection. Supposedly, they lose their brilliance when danger approaches. These stones were considered so powerful that armies often imbedded them in their arrows so they would fly straight into their enemies� hearts. Hematite: Hematite is said the keep the wearer grounded, so it is a good stone for people who tend to be absentminded. Jasper: Jasper comes in numerous colors and with a variety of markings. It is mostly commonly recognized in its red form, although it can be black, brown, or even green. This stone is said to help ward off bad dreams, to help control bleeding, and to help with pregnancy. Jet Glass: This coal derivative and its cousin, faux jet, were originally formed into beads during Queen Victoria�s mourning. When their husbands were away working or fighting, Irish women burned jet to protect bring them home. Labradorite: This stone is related to opals and moonstones, as evidenced by its iridescence. It is believed to help the wearer find their true self, and to make them feel at home, whatever the situation. Lapis Lazuli: This stone has so much lore associated with it, it is impossible to describe in a few sentences. Egyptians wore ground lapis as eyeshadow. Kings believed that sharpening their weapons with Lapis would make them invincible. People believe that the wearer of lapis carries God in them and that this stone gives the wearer an uncanny ability to see truth. Malachite: Ancient peoples believed this stone was alive and fed it water and iron filings once a week. Later people took it to Mass, believing it drove the devil out. It is also believed to ease sadness, help improve memory, and to relieve arthritis pain in the extremities. Moonstone: This is the lowest grade of opal. When worn on the neck, moonstone is thought to protect from epilepsy and sunstroke, and is used to cure headaches and nosebleeds. In India, the moonstone is still a sacred gem. It is the symbol of the "third eye," or our higher consciousness. Peridot: Peridot has been believed to cure liver disease. It also is said the free the mind from envious thoughts. Its magical power is best released when used with gold. Tiger Eye: This stone is often associated with courage and persistence. Topaz: Its name comes from Sanskrit "tapas", to glow. Turquoise: Turquoise is generally blue or green and may or may not contain dark lines or sections known as matrix. Turquoise is believed to protect from poison, and reptiles. People have adorned their horses with turquoise to protect them from falling. The Navajos believe turquoise protects from evil and embed the stones in their Hogans.

also check out the encyclopaedic site at http://home1.gte.net/mskelly/2library.htm This new age place covers downloads from things Arthurian through Zircons. http://www.alternatives.com/libs/relnewa.htm

thanks for all of that marcia! (btw, how do you know if the water won't hold anymore salt?)

It sits on the bottom and will not go into solution. Decant the clear liquid off if you want no sediment.

Wolfie - it is here! It is a pretty little thing. The sphere is about the side of a small marble and is a pale pinkish tan. It has the fibrous inclusions which are very attractive but it is heavy for fluorite...more the weight of glass. It is lovely and even the resident male liked it. The porpoise is tiny and a little hard to see, though...but for $20...I love it!

Actually, the sphere is very like the marble wallpaper in here. *smile*

ooo, sounds pretty!

It is...but if you are abundantly endowed and on the zaftig side, it will be lost on you...I am modest in all things so I think it'll be ok *smile*

It is almost flesh-toned, so it would probably look best on a white sweater or T-shirt.

or up against your upper chest. since i'm not heavenly endowed in that area (it all sank, *laugh*, not that you needed a visual!!), i could wear something small, but even my most delicate jewelry seems lost. mayhaps that's the point, like perfume, you don't want to get poked in the eye with something when we're a room apart!!

QVC Tanzanite show, 23 Apr (that's tomorrow) at 2PM Eastern (1PM CST)......

8am for Hawaii. I will try to catch it, but we are scheduled to hide Easter Eggs for the pre-softball game festivities.

that's early for you (not the easter eggs). i will let you know if i purchase anything! and you know QVC does specials for birthstones each month but i'll be they use pearls instead of alexandrite for june!

(should be "bet" not "be")

I am modestly endowed so things do not get lost but neither do they poke eyes out unless you are closer than I usually let people get...*grin* I would look pretty (my little Dolphin) on bare skin...

The double header starts at 11am and all of the eggs have to be found by then. Walmart has a nice selection of Tanzanite as does Liberty House (like Neiman Marcus Hawaiian style) and some at Sears. Betcha Zales does, too. Their fliers have lovely pieces in pale lavender.

I am usually up by 6 am or before. Have gotten online as early as 5am...

Clue me in - what's tanzanite?

it's a gem that's mined in Tanzania Africa. it has a nice purply-blue color and is often mistaken for a sapphire or amethyst. but it has nice color changes when you move the stone around. marcia, i gave in to temptation but am fighting with the thought to cancel the order. (fear of the AM). i ordered a band ring with two rows of pear-shaped tanzanites. it's two months of $91. 14K and over 1K in stone weight. it also has diamond accents. lemme get that pic out for you.

here's the ring in all it's glory:

do you see why i was tempted? it's beautiful. and it has a low gallery so it won't stick up to much on my hand (good thing since tanzanite is a 6 on the mohs scale)

Oh Wolfie, you are worth it!!! Shall I send you a contribution?! Get it - it is your earnings and you may do so - (tell AM to come talk to me if there is a problem...*grinning menacingly*)

i told him i was bad (he was napping) and he asked me what i did. i gave him the "you know what i did" look and he grinned. so wolfie is in the clear until the bill comes in!! (but you're right, marcia, i bring in half the pay check and after my rough week at work, i deserve a reward *grin*) i'm so glad you like it.

Excellent news, My Dear Wolfie! I like that sort of ring because it does not swivel around on your finger like solitaires are prone to do. That color will go with just about anything. Next, you NEED stud earrings to go with it *grin*

Yup!! (1.5 carats of tanzanite and .05 of diamond mounted in rhodium)... the studs sold out. in fact, this ring and a pendant were the only things left of a 3 hour show, which, for obvious reasons, lasted maybe 1 1/2 hours!!

Oooh...lovely! What color are your eyes?

(If they are blue the Tanzanite will sparkle more but if they are brown it will make them more intense...)

If your eyes are green or hazel you have to send them to me *grin*

they're brown with green and gold streaks....

Guess you won't clash with your tanzanite, then. It was the middle of the night when i wrote that from the Living room laptop, and I was feeling a little weirder than usual *grin* Mine are sort of an amber brown (reddish) like my hair was when I was little.

i've seen a couple of people with reddish eyes. they're not quite brown. reminds me of cats.

Mine are more like chestnuts than reddish, but I know what you mean. I am a hybrid. My oldest sister had blue eyes, the middle one had hazel and I got the brown...*sigh*

Mine are blue.

I know....beautifully clear blue...I noted that. Very becoming...*sigh* (It is So good to have you posting in here. I am a happy girl today *yippee!!*)

me too! tanzanite would enhance and be enhanced by the color of your eyes. do you wear an earring?

*lol* bet he might have in his younger bell-bottom days...! His eyes are the color of the sky in Hawaii at midday - blue like my dad's

how pretty!!

If there were any way to get the shot of him off that video he'd occupy all of drool as close as I can tell. Pretty and unforgettable

The ring is beautiful Wolf. Are you going to get those earrings? As to eye color, I always wished I blue eyes. I have eyes like a white tail deer -- wide, dark brown, and myopic. Did you know deer are nearsighted? Anyway, the advantage of having dark hair and eyes is no color ever clashes with them. I also look pretty much the same in black and white photos as I do in color.

*sigh* I always wanted to be a green-eyes geologist. Instead, I gave birth to one and fell in love with another...and another... I really like green eyes!

Hazel-green, actually... *big sigh*

no earrings this time, cheryl, they all sold out! have always been told that my eyes are pretty (despite the shitty brown color). you can't see the gold unless i'm in the light. certain colors bring out the green in them. but they're predominately brown.

Even though I have hybrid brown eyes, they are my best feature...and I can get into trouble with them...*sigh*

Lance could tell you better about my eyes, but he did not remember the color!

oh no!

my daughter and husband have even brown eyes. chestnut color and they have such depth. but my eyes give me away. couldn't play poker!

Mine are chestnut (or did I say that already), too. Some think I am good with my fingers. My eyes are right in the same league. I cannot get away with anything either, so I avoid those games which make me be secretive unless I am involved in real stuff in which case I can do it.

me too!

would you like my green eyes???? Sorry, but they're getting to longsighted these days to manage without glases all the time.

Ah yes, Presbyopia...lots of us have it, including me. I guess my coloring is best for my chestnut eyes so I think I'll let you wear the green ones =) You can always get violet contacts and look like Liz Taylor! I had a friend who had a whole range of colors from turquoise to indigo.

Well, that is a local phone number and it IS 15% off during Merrie Monarch... Talk about wishful thinking...!

those are pretty but too big for me!

How did I manage to get them over here on the inorganice gems?! Auwe. Should I scribble and move them?! Sheesh! I have a swan neck and need stuff to use up some of the length (nibbling room is not compromised in any way *grin*)

no, don't move them!

I did - mostly because Lance does not come in here much yet and he goes immediately to 18 where the pearls are. *sigh* It has been a weird day on Spring. Are your gifs back? All I can see is those boxes "where an image should be."

i've not had a problem seeing the gifs. in fact, right before i logged on over here, i took a gander and they're there.

And, you can see them on the front page of spring, as well? I can only see them on the W 3.1 laptop which uses the most rudimentary of programs...but I did see the globe! And the Jaguar! And terry's buttons at the top of the page. Must be my Netscape. You use IE?

i'm using IE right now. a friend of mine at work can't see my gifs either. hmmmm.....will check the spring frontpage.

yup, i can see them.....

I can't except with IE in the living room...*sigh* It is distressing since Netscape works better for me in most applications, and I was not told to change. For years the ladies in Drool have been having terrible posting problems using IE. They are exclusively now using Netscape. I wish one of the magicians would let me know if I should change... (but, how do I do the Vulcan web page then?!

Oh, Marcia, you poor thing, suffering with that swan neck. It makes me think of the story of Consuelo Vanderbilt, whose father, Cornelius, had an extraordinary multi-strand pearl choker made to show off her swanlike neck. All Consuelo could do was complain about how uncomfortable it was.

What can you expect from women not skilled in the social graces. I would not have complained...not in a million years! Nouveau riches! (spelling?!)

long necks are an attribute in at least one tribe in africa and girl children wear rings around their necks from day one. a new ring is added periodically to allow the look of a long neck. (however, it does significant damage to the clavicles, which, IMHO, are much sexier than a grotesquely long neck).

My clavicles are intact, and except for my ex who claimed I looked like a harpy in one of his less generous moments, I am not out of proportion and more than one has nibbled his way to glory - one way or another.

*giggle*

You're gonna have to take my word for it unless Lance enters the discussion. He's seen me! For a while, he was the escort of choice for me by O'O...*sigh*

well, i'm definately out of proportion but we won't go there. *laugh*

Well, Liz thinks her legs are too short...

it's always something, huh?

like we were saying...in another life *=)

well, the ring from qvc came in this weekend and i didn't like it. it's really square and i didn't care for the setting. for some reason, the stones aren't set evenly (as far as height) and it's not on purpose (i.e., graduated heighth). it's really pretty, as far as the sparkle factor goes but not impressive to me and didn't look that great on my hand.

Send it back! It seemed to be set by small children in a 5th world country (which it probably was) and that is unfortunate. They showed a real tight shot of it and I caught it on our BIG tv screen. I was hoping my eyes were deceiving me.

Will they let you send it back?

yes for any reason. and it's repackaged and going out tomorrow.

marcia, i got the color enhanced mystic fire topaz today. it's the trillion and it's absolutely gorgeous! (what a surprise. he actually told me to pick something out)....

here's a website offering the stone: http://www.dalmar.net/Mystic.htm

How lovely! I am delighted for you. How is the stone set and what shape and size is it - in other words, can you scan the new jewel in your crown? I know Topaz is 8 in hardness, but the Mystic Fire is a coating put onto a clear white topaz. This coating is much softer and will abrade, so do not plan to do the gardening while you are wearing it. Want to see it!!!

My Precious Gem, David, sent me a book on everything there is to know about Yosemite...rocks, newts, fishes, trees, birds and everything else. As the cover says, Yosemite: A Visitor's Companion. History, plants, ecology, Geology, Wildllife and Road Guide...I want to go back to see Yosemite!

He inscribed it "For Mom, Who lives rocks." He knows his Mom! The second best thing today was when John was reading the Mother'sDay dedications for a song, he included his mom and "my friend, Marcia" I am all warm and fuzzy now! House male gave me a handblown glass rose - it is very lovely!

It is trillion set with 3 diamonds on two sides (6 total). it is draped looking and i will scan it tomorrow night. glad you had a good Mother's Day, Marcia!!

Well, it has been very quiet, but I saw what I needed to see and was appreciated in places I did not expect to hear from *grin* Hope yours is good, as well!

Your ring sounds LOVELY!!! I love the trillion cut. Bet it sparkles like mad! Wear dark glasses when you take it out into the sunlight!

already viewed it outside and it turns dark. and it changes colors when i move the stone around. very pretty and unusual. also, the salesman i spoke with knows his gems and we were talking at length and i made sure this stone was not a tavalite. it's not (thank goodness). and he invited me to a used tanzanite jewelry sale this coming friday and saturday. because the mine in tanzania is flooded, these gems are sure to rise in value due to their rarity. amazing that only one area has these beautiful stems.

he also said he was at an estate sale and saw an alexandrite in an antique setting for $100. not being familiar at the time with alexandrite, he passed it up and could kick himself for it.

Yikes! Alexandrite for $100?! Kick him for me, too! Get the Tanzanite you want now. They are gonna be gone soon! I am delighted to hear it is not Tavalite!!!

they didn't have any dark ones. just the paler varieties without much color change.

and here's my mystic fire topaz ring. left large so you can see the colors:

ok, let's try again...

OOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh That is stunning! The color is much prettier than the one on the website!

*grin* knew you'd love it!!

If it belonged to anyone else, I'd be tempted to be petty and mean-spirited about it, but since it is yours, I am just happily envious!

I read an article in the Smithsonion Magazine yesterday about a couple in N. Carolina who bought the land around an abandoned emerald mine because he felt that there was more there. The rented the equipment to do the digging and the last week before the lease was up they found a cave filled with crystals and emeralds. Hanging from the ceiling and sticking out of the walls. The emeralds are of as high quality as Central Americam emeralds and many of them are even better.

Ooooh!!! There is North Carolina again. Lance??!!!

Thanks, Lucie...just in time for my Birthday - wonder if they would spare a modest sample...!

uh oh, when's your b-day again?

I'll tell you way after June 8th...Ok??? *grin*

ok!

(did i miss it?)

Nope

(May 31st)

thanks!!

Behave ! (force yourself!) Except for tomorrow...*grin*

Why tomorrow Oops - today!)???

*smile* Just being silly.... HOW MUCH SILVER MUST AN ITEM CONTAIN TO BE CONSIDERED STERLING? 92.5 percent.

*grin* um, where does black opal occur the most?

So Marcia, have you gone to North Carolina to get that emerald. These are supposed to be high quality, right? The price will astronomical. Good quality emeralds are rare. Even small ones with good clarity and color command nosebleed prices. Curious Wolfie, is the black opal question a trick question?

cheryl, no, it's not. a friend of mine told me her mother was told that germany was the only place to find black opals. never heard anything about that.

Honestly, I didn't know. I would have said Australia, which a place very associated with opals. So black opals occur only in Germany. That's interesting.

yes, australia is what my books say but it doesn't indicate that they are exclusive to that region. it includes czechoslovakia, usa, brazil, mexico, and south africa.

I have a small opal mined in the United States. It's really quite pretty, albeit, pale and delicate, rather than firey as opals are supposed to be.

According precious black opals come from Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia and lesser ones from Tintenbar, also in NSW. Very small quantites also come from from Indonesia.

(My black pearls have arrived, but I'm not supposed to know.)

OoooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooo....I had forgotten. Yikes!!! How can you stand to wait??! Almost a whole month!!! I got dinner out. Usual place.

he gave me the bill for his $400 silver belt buckle..........

*frown*

That's ok, I am plotting my revenge. I am custonian of all his credit cards and they will put you in hock forever if I load them. He'd better play straight with me or I'll put his sorry butt in hock and you'd better believe I am getting that angry.

WHAT FAMOUS WOMAN, USING A DIAMOND, SCRATCHED THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE ON HER PRISON WINDOW: MUCH SUSPECTED OF ME, NOTHING PROVED CAN BE? England's Queen Elizabeth I, while she was confined at Woodstock in the mid-sixteenth century before she attained the throne.

HOW MANY DIAMONDS ARE THERE ON BRITAIN'S IMPERIAL STATE CROWN, WHICH IS WORN BY THE REIGNING MONARCH ON STATE OCCASIONS? There are 1,783 - including the 309-carat Star of Africa. The crown also has 277 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and 5 rubies.

WHAT GEM WAS ONCE CONSIDERED A CHARM AGAINST DRUNKENESS? The amethyst - which gets its name from the Greek amethystos - which means "remedy for drunkeness."

Oh dear, just came in here to post my 27th anniversary gift (it's on friday 13th this year)....an amethyst/gold tear drop pendant and earrings ...and look what I find posted above it ...amethyst a remedy for drunkeness!!! oh well ..back to the guiness I guess. Anyway, I was pleased with the pendant and earrings ..nice deep colour amethyst set in a 9 ct gold surround, not huge but looks nice, and stud earrings also set in gold. Bought on the liner to Spain. Oh yeah, I saw I Humungeous emerald ring in Petersfield, Sussex the other day ...couldn't believe the price tag in this sleepy little town shop ..�18,000 ..it was a rather ugly setting though and I can't see them ever selling it. Lots of other emerald rings of varying hues and sizes. For a provincial shop they had some very strange things in the window ...several very large (like 1 1/2") chunks of amber set in brooches, a couple of other very large stones (1" plus) I'd never seen before set in rings ...a sort of watery brownish stone. All with biggish price tags.

Oh, Maggie, how nice your amethysts sound beautiful. Okole Maluna!!! as to those pricey watery-brown stones - not cairngorms? (In which case they should not be all that pricey...) or cannot imagine what else? Notmuch call for dirty sapphires, trashy diamonds or topazes. Next time, go in and ask!!! As to that Emerald, my unfortunate birthstone, never mind! I shall never own one in any case so I have decided I do not like them.

Ooh, Happy Anniversary...and many Many more. Hug T for me and to both of you my love!

Happy Anniversary Maggie! could the watery brown stone be smoky quartz?

From the price tags ..�650 I wasn't sure what they were ...except huge!!! I certainly wouldn't like to wear a stone as big as that! Topaz is quite popular here ..I have a brown topaz ring ..but it is cheap, not in this price bracket ..these stones were 1 1/2" It didn't look like the kind of shop you go in an ask what stones they were ...I'm really not very good at that sort of thing! One of my earlier 'jobs' was in a jewellers in Hatton Garden (the jewellery centre of London) ..so I have seen most precious stones ..this was completely new to me. They had huge hunks of amber too, some in settings.

Thanks for the anniversary greetings ..we are now trying to decide what to do for it ...after the whale cruise it seems a little like an anticlimax!!! I still can't believe 27 years!!!! And I really married young of course ...

Married and had your children before grade school, yes?! Talk about child brides!!! Brown "topazes" (called 'smoky topaz' here) are really brown varieties of quartz just as amethyst is purple and citrine is orange/yellow quartz. They should be relatively inexpensive and that is what cairngorms are!!!

?Then this must have been something else! I'm really curious now ...and I won't be back that way for months ...

never be afraid to talk about jewelry with a jeweler. if they are worth they're salt, and you know what you're talking about, you can talk jewelry at tiffany's!i walked into a classy establishment and asked them if they could tighten the setting on my tanzanite. they took one look at my stone and went to the back and tightened it. no questions asked and no strange looks. (it needs it again, unfortunately)

The Tates in Austin make some pretty incredible jewelry, they don't have their own website. from http://www.well.com/user/bratwood/tates.jpg

Oooh....YES!!! I am too tiny for some of that - but tall enough to carry long pendants off well. I discovererd that I do have some emeralds, but they look like jade they are so mily. Ah well, I did not choose them and they are symbloic of my birthstone... Love the pearls in the bottom one... Thanks for the great images. Waiting for the ladies from Drool to find it. Karen??!! Is silver mined in Texas or is it from Mexico? I love silver most especially.

those are some unusual and creative pieces (esp. the bracelet at the bottom). i'm a gold kinda gal!

I'm looking for some silver and amber drop earrings to go with the silver and amber pendant my mum gave me for my birthday ...so far no luck!

Have you looked on the web? I like amber set in gold but you can usually just find it in silver in the USA or on the web. Wolfoe, when you get some silver in your hair you'll start liking silver better - it sparkles amazingly....so I hear...

Never looked on the web for jewellery ...haven't got time to get any now ...going in four days time ...maybe when we return ...I can't afford gold usually

What are those watery dirty-brown stones? Are any diamonds really trashy?

I have seen diamonds on a huge earth drill which makes tunnel-sized holes. They are pretty miserable-looking but no natural stones are trashy. Mountings? The Wearer? Oh yes, but not the stones!

Mayhap I need to take a field trip to Britain to check out those stones?? About those watery-brown stones...go in and ask? You better believe I would and with my patrician nose elevated just enough that they would assume I could afford to purchase one!

Come over when I get back next Spring ..and we'll go in together!!!! GRIN

That should be great. I'm sure between the two of you, it will be determined exactly what that stone is.

Oh yes! I know of no jeweler worth the name who would deny a prospective customer a closer look at a piece of jewelry and a try-on of same. What an excuse to visit that green and fertile land (been listening to Jerusalem.) *sigh* Maggie should be in Africa now. I talked to her by fingers on IM just as she was leaving for Heathrow. I can't wait to hear the bug stories she comes back with this time. Yeesh!!!

Of course, all of you Aglophiles know it was England's green and pleasant land. Oh my, is it ever! In the Poetry conference I have posted the entire poem by William Blake in his very own topic. I was going to post the one about Stonehenge but could not find a copy. Can anyone help me with the title of that poem of Blake's?

lemme do some checking!

Ok!! Remember my idly thinking of all the gems fund in North Carolina and wondering how I could get there to look for some examples for my collection?? Things have been happening - I will be moving to North Carolina permanently in the near future - as soon as possible. I have met something better than the volcano...

I have found what I need instead of an emerald for my birthstone: Dresden Green Diamond Click for larger image From India, the 41-carat Dresden Green Diamond is the world's largest and finest natural green diamond, noted for its exceptional color and clarity. White diamonds (both large and small) in gold and silver settings surround the central gem and sweep up to a bow. The Dresden Green is a fitting exhibit partner for the Hope Diamond; both are similar in size, setting, and natural history, and are fabled in their cultural history. October 13, 2000 through January 10, 2001, Second floor, Winston Gallery, Smithsonian. Larger image http://www.mnh.si.edu/images/exhibits/dresden_big.jpg

Actually, the British Museum of Natural History has an emerald green diamond but it is only about half carat in size. That's ok...I'll be modest about it. They also have a ruby-red one, and all sorts of other wondrously coloured diamonds, any of which I would not turn away.

How rare are colored diamonds? I know that they can be very valuable. Marcia, you really shouldn't turn down a emerald either. As they tend to be rare, at least the good color and clarity ones are. I've seen some emeralds of beautiful green color in estate jewelery, but some of the newer pieces seem to have stones which are a bit pale. The Dresden Green Diamond. Now that is a stone with class.

Apparently, from those I have seen on home shopping jewelry-thons, not all that uncommon in Russia, where all of theirs seem to have come from. I almost wish I had gotten a clear medium turquoise one I saw. Mounted in a most unattractive way, it must have been lovely in person. Deep clear rich colors are rare in any stone. I imagine diamonds are much the same. I would imagine that is why the greatly esteemed British Museum's and the Smithsonian's Gem collections (not to mention the American Museum's) have such tiny examples on display. I rather liked the Dresden Green. I have a tourmaline that exact color set in heavy silver as well as a deep green one set in gold. No, I shall not turn down an emerald. Perhaps, rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind, but this lady hangs onto her specimens.