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GEMS-099 - Magnesiotaaffeite-2N’2S (formerly Taaffeite) - $ 1900 Sri Lanka thumbnail, 9.0 x 5.0 mm ; 1.14 carats
Taaffeite as a mineral species is incredibly rare, and facetted gems are becoming more and more difficult to obtain. IT IS THE ONLY GEM SPECIES I KNOW OF WHICH WAS DESCRIBED FIRST FROM ITS BEAUTIFUL ROUGH, LONG BEFORE A CRYSTAL WAS FOUND! Purple material remains among the most rare of all gems today despite decades of hunting. Taaffeite (the correct name is actually now Magnesiotaaffeite-2N’2S) is one of the great rarities in the gem world. This stone is from the TYPE LOCALITY for the material, and it is a superb quality gem. The clarity and size make this more than just collector quality, it's top notch! Taaffeite is very similar to mauve colored Spinel, and the original stones were actually all sold as Spinel (which can still happen to this day), but it is the characteristic birefringence of Taaffeite which now allows gemologists and gem dealers to identify the material and prevent it from being labeled as the much more common Spinel. This stone is a very attractive, purplish-pink color, virtually eye clean, Marquise cut gem. The fact that this stone is over 1 carat is weight makes it truly collector quality, and a very worthwhile stone. Every rare gem collection needs a top quality Taaffeite like this stone in their collection. For future reference, it is most likely that in the gem trade the name "Taaffeite" will mostly likely continue to be used instead of the more cumbersome (though correct) Magnesiotaaffeite-2N’2S.
GEMS-100B - Zektzerite - $ 2800 SOLD Washington Pass, Golden Horn Batholith, Okanogan Co., Washington, USA thumbnail, 11.1 x 6 mm , 1.62 carats
A very rare, fine, gem cut from type locality material collected at Washington Pass sometime after the original find. It is one of the finest cut stones, surely - certainly the best tha tany of my contacts have seen. it is a large, very nicely colored, pink/lavender oval zektzerite that is 1.62 carats and 11.1 x 6 mm size. i obtained a small stash collected about 12 years ago from a private collector. the best of his crystals have more color than any i have seen in the past which came from the famous find by Jack Zektzer. Only one was really a cutter , and it turned out well.
GEMS-100 - Titanite (Sphene) - $ 900 Afghanistan thumbnail, 12.1 x 8.7 mm ; 4.48 carats
Sometimes this species is referred to as "Sphene", but it is an outdated name and the correct name is Titanite, though both are accepted in the gem and mineral world. It seems to me that more often it is referred to as "Sphene" in the gem world and Titanite in the mineral world. Sphene is from the Greek word sphenos which means wedge in allusion to the characteristic wedge-shaped crystals. Titanite alludes to the dark brown to black color of the original specimens which were very rich in Titanium. Faceted Sphene is a wonderful gemstone, rich in fire and with superb intense colors, and typically shows double refraction. This is a great size stone for the material. It is from a fairly new find in Afghanistan that has produced some impressive stones. It has a wonderful greenish-gold color, with only very slight inclusions and a nice Oval cut. Titanite has one of the highest refractive indices of almost any gem in the world. This gem reflects a variety of colors from red to orange to yellow.
GEMS-101 - Elbaite (var: Achroite) - $ 900 SOLD Afghanistan thumbnail, 14.5 x 10.5 mm ; 10.91 carats
Achroite is the colorless variety of Elbaite Tourmaline, and is not found is great quantity from any locality. Colorless Tourmaline is an indication of the purity of the material as there are little no to imperfections in the chemical formula to create the color. This is often the case with many gems as impurities (chromaphores) actually allow the stones to have their vibrant hues. This stone is an impressive Achroite gem that is virtually eye clean with an Oval cut. You don't see many of these stones on the market these days (especially with over 10 carats with this clarity), and it would make a great addition to any Tourmaline suite to show the diversity of colors (or lack thereof) for this highly popular gemstone.
GEMS-102 - Lazulite - $ 245 Pakistan thumbnail, 8.9 x 5.0 mm ; 0.75 carats
There are only a few localities in the world that produce gem quality Lazulite. About 10 years ago, there was a limited find of Lazulite crystals in Pakistan, and they were some of the most unique (and largest) Lazulite crystals ever found. These days, Pakistan produces virtually no Lazulite, so the value of the top crystals and stones is on the rise. This beautiful stone is virtually eye clean, with an attractive mix of yellow and bluish green colors. The stone shows distinct pleochroism when rotated on different axis. Most people are probably familiar with the dark inky-blue Lazulite crystals from Rapid Creek, Canada, but these crystals are often too dark to produce stones that don't appear "black", so to find any gems, even if they're small, with bright color like this, is a real treat. The cut on this stone is a Pear cut.
GEMS-103 - Bastnasite - $ 245 Pakistan thumbnail, 11.5 x 5.2 mm ; 2.26 carats
Within the last few years, the locality at Zagi Mountain in Pakistan has provided collectors with some of the finest quality and amazingly gemmy Bastnäsite specimens. Typically the species forms in relatively thin blades and was not suitable enough for cutting stones. The new find in Pakistan has produced some very thick crystals for the species, many of which were of gem quality. The stones cut from some of these crystals are extremely rare and highly prized by collectors. They often have some sort of inclusions, and completely eye clean gems are very hard to find. This particular stone is a beautiful, rich golden orange color gem with an Elongated Emerald cut. The stone is slightly included, but completely clean stones of this material are exceedingly rare. This stone would fill a spot in any rare gem collection, and considering that this material is not coming out anymore, this is a great opportunity for a rare stone collector to add one of these hard to find gems to their collection.
GEMS-104 - Smithsonite - $ 250 Tsumeb, Namibia thumbnail, 8.8 x 6.7 mm ; 2.48 carats
Smithsonite is a relatively rare gem when it comes to facetted stones. I have seen plenty of Smithsonite cabochons, but actual gemstones are not very common. This stone is nearly colorless (it has a very slight yellowish hue), and is slightly "hazy" which is common even in good Smithsonite gems. The stone has an Oval cut, and is a very good size, attractive gem of this material. One does not encounter many of these gems on the market, and no rare gem collection is complete without a good Tsumeb Smithsonite. This stone is one of a handful Smithsonites that I have had to offer in the last few years.
GEMS-105 - Chondrodite - $ 245 Afghanistan thumbnail, 8.2 x 5.4 mm ;1.06 carats
About two to three years ago there was a substantial discovery of what are some of the finest red, gem quality Chondrodites found in recent memory. The crystals were not terribly large, but they were fine quality, and showed a deep orange red hue within. This particular stone was cut from a broken crystal that we purchased two years ago. It is gem quality, make no mistake, but does have some slight inclusions. When viewed in the sunlight, the color is a very rich red with slight orange overtones. The stone has an Oval cut, and is simply a great example of this extremely rare and highly sought after material. I have seen some of these stones selling for up to $500 per carat overseas recently.
GEMS-106 - Chondrodite - $ 125 Afghanistan thumbnail, 7.0 x 4.5 mm ;0.64 carats
About two to three years ago there was a substantial discovery of what are some of the finest red, gem quality Chondrodites found in recent memory. The crystals were not terribly large, but they were fine quality, and showed a deep orange red hue within. This particular stone was cut from a broken crystal that we purchased two years ago. It is gem quality, make no mistake, but does have some slight inclusions. When viewed in the sunlight, the color is a very rich red with slight orange overtones. The stone has an Oval cut, and is simply a great example of this extremely rare and highly sought after material. I have seen some of these stones selling for up to $500 per carat overseas recently.
GEMS-107 - Aragonite - $ 250 SOLD Bilin, Czech Republic thumbnail, 18.0 x 9.25 mm ; 14.09 carats
This is super rare collectors stone. When is the last time that you can remember seeing a faceted stone of Aragonite? With the exception of the Czech specimens, Aragonite is rarely found in facet grade material. This stone is a wonderful, very very slightly included gem with a beautiful Octagon cut. These gems are very difficult to find these days, and stones this size are not common.
GEMS-108 - Triphylite - $ 165 Brazil thumbnail, 7.3 x 5.5 mm ;1.68 carats
This stone gets its name from the Greek, words "tria", three, plus "phylon", family, because it was thought to contain three cations (Fe, Li, Mg). There have been crystals of Triphylite found in South Dakota up to 6 feet long !! Most of those crystals are opaque and wouldn't be well suited for cutting gems. Brazil is one of the few places that produces gem quality Triphylite and this stone is a a very good size gem for the material. It is very very slightly included and has a very pleasing almost dichroic appearance as it looks somewhat greenish grey one direction, but shows hints of a brownish orange in another direction. It reminds me of Axinite stones that I have seen from Baha. The stone has an Emerald cut, and would make a great addition to any rare stone collection. Enjoy.
GEMS-109 - Sapphire - $ 250 SOLD Thailand thumbnail, 7.7 x 5.6 mm ;1.24 carats
Sapphire is one of those gems that comes in virtually every color of the rainbow. With that said, the most recognizable color of Sapphires by far is blue. I've seen literally every shade of blue known to man exhibited in Sapphires, and they are still some of the most popular, durable, colorful and highly sought after gems on the planet. This stone has a beautiful "royal blue" color which shows up well in strong light. The stone is very slightly included and has an Oval cut, which is common for Sapphires.
GEMS-110 - Gypsum - $ 150 SOLD Strkovice, Czech Republic thumbnail, 20.9 x 9.1 mm ; 8.26 carats
Gypsum certainly is not a rare species, but facetted gems are definitely hard to find. The incredible softness and perfect cleavage of the mineral makes for some very difficult cutting, and only highly skilled gem cutters can facet a stone like this one. This Octagon cut gem has only very slight inclusions, and is essentially colorless. It is a very impressive stone for the size considering that very few are ever available over a few carats.
GEMS-111 - Clinozoisite - $ 75 SOLD Pakistan thumbnail, 5.2 x 4.9 mm ;0.72 carats
Clinozoisite forms an isomorphic series with Epidote and Zoisite, and is a relatively rare gem in the world. This stone has a distinct color for Clinozoisite with a blending of yellow and a slight green color, but truly does not show any pleochroism like Epidote, which is one of the better ways to tell that it is truly Clinozoisite. The stones/crystals from Pakistan are actually well documented material, and probably some of the best gem grade Clinozoisite to hit the market in recent years. The stone is only very slightly included with a Square Emerald cut.
GEMS-112 - Triplite - $ 160 Pakistan thumbnail, 4.5 x 3.5 mm ;0.32 carats
Triplite is not rare in the aspect that it is found in various part of the world, but the large percentage of ALL Triplites around the world are essentially black and opaque, and not gem quality with a bright salmon orange color like this stone ! There was one find of these crystals and rough in Pakistan a few years ago, and they are simply some of the most impressive gems of any phosphate I have seen from any locality. One would be hard pressed to find many gems like this on the market, considering that all of these stones were quickly scooped up when they were made available. This particular stone is very attractive, extremely rare, slightly included, bright salmon orange color stone with an Oval cut. A beautiful stone of this amazingly rare material.
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