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)