Aquamarine
Aquamarine
Color: Medium Dark Slightly Yellowish-Green
Clarity: Eye Clean
Origin: Tanzania
Cut: Oval Brilliant
Treatments: None
Measurements: 6.4 x 4.2 mm
An impossibly rare variety, the bodycolor of these Tanzanian stones is quite astonishing; a vivid grassy green. Tremolite in gem quality is rare to begin with, but in this color we almost never see anything clean enough to cut. Even then, it is quite a tough stone to cut and it takes a very experienced cutter to try it. A beautiful example of one of the great chromium-induced color varieties. Well cut and clean, a special stone in a fantastic color.
$850 total
Color: Medium Pink
Clarity: Semi-Transparent
Origin: Mogok, Burma
Cut: Oval Cabochon
Treatments: None
Measurements: 11.5 x 10.4 mm
While it is no big secret that Scapolite is capable of a really fine chatoyancy, the color range for these is generally less than appealing. One of the few places capable of producing something really special is Mogok - we occasionally see really fine pink Scapolite cat’s eyes from here. The first we have offered in some time, this is a perfect stone indeed - great size, lovely color and a very sharp and mobile eye. Simply couldn’t be any nicer and quite rare as such. A remarkably high quality example of this intense blue material from Brazil. While we see these occasionally, they are almost always heavily fractured or have distortions in the eye. Not at all the case here, this one has a fine, uninterrupted eye on the very best deep blue bodycolor. Much finer than we normally see.
$100 / carat - $581 total
A rare and magnificent stone. While asterism in Sapphire is quite common, true chatoyancy is almost impossibly rare. Of the few stones you are likely to find sold as such, nearly all will simply be mis-oriented stars. That is to say, if you cab a star sapphire with the star at the girdle, then across the face will be one ‘leg’ of the star and the appearance will be akin to a cat’s eye. These are always betrayed by simply looking for the other legs under a strong light - you will find them.
Such trickery is not at all the case here. A true, fine eye rolls nicely across the surface of this lovely slightly orangish-pink gem. There are no coarse needles or tubes and the gem is entirely translucent to near transparent. Absolutely a museum grade stone; a true cat’s eye Sapphire of significant size and and, to top it off, such an intense and bright color. With a GIA Notable Gem Certificate.
Color: Medium Dark Yellow
Clarity: Eye Clean
Origin: Morocco
Cut: Custom Shield
Treatments: None
Measurements: 12 x 7.9 mm
A simply magnificent example of gem Anglesite. The stone has the best vivid yellow bodycolor that these are known for as well as being entirely eye clean. A very fine custom cut with a superb polish rounds out this particularly nice offering; we only rarely see these so beautifully done. A gorgeous stone.
$200 / carat - $1258 total
Color: Light Very Slightly Brownish-Yellow
Clarity: Eye Clean
Origin: Bilin, Czech Republic
Cut: Custom Step
Treatments: None
Measurements: 16.3 x 9.1 mm
Really the only viable source for larger facet grade rough of Aragonite was this old source in the Czech Republic. We rarely see stones any longer and nice examples are quite scarce. This stone has the absolute classic color, a light straw-yellow, and the strong visible doubling of the facets that make the species instantly recognizable to the rare stone aficionados. Entirely clean and nicely cut; these are visually quite impressive in-hand. Very approachable and attractive size.
$38 / carat - $186 total
Color: Medium Orangish Pink
Clarity: Translucent
Origin: Madagascar
Cut: Round Cabochon
Treatments: None
Measurements: 7.8 mm
Along with traditional faceted gems, the Malagasy deposit of Pezzottaite produced some chatoyant material as well. We see these only rarely in the market now and actually find the faceted gems a bit easier to locate now. A nice strong eye and pleasing shape along with the classic color of the material - a lovely stone and a great example of cat’s eye in this species.
$350 / carat - $682 total
Color: Medium Dark Slightly Yellowish-Gree
Clarity: Eye Clean to Slightly Included
Origin: Russia
Cut: Round Brilliant
Treatments: Probable Heat
Measurements: 6.6 mm
Just about everyone is aware of the storied 'horsetail' inclusions that are both common and very diagnostic to Russian Demantoid Garnets; they are in many ways the classic inclusion in all of gemology. While recently looking over some very fine color Demantoids (a very rich green with minimal yellow) we were greeted with almost unbelievably fine example of a horsetail. Perfctly featured under the table of the gem is a stunning horsetail swirling around its origin of a tiny chromite crystal. All of this centered beautifully under the table, yet not apparent enough to detract one degree from the brilliance of the otherwise entirely clean stone. We can't convey how difficult it is to find stones in which these are so well presented - it is an almost comet like appearance within the stone.
You have the added benefit of fine Russian cutting - a precision round brilliant - as well. With all things considered, simply the best we have seen in any size and irreplaceable. We are always looking for a ‘perfect’ horsetail and this one fills the bill. Not inexpensive, but one look with magnification and you will be convinced entirely. With an AGL Demantoid Brief.
$5950 / carat - $7913 total
Color: Dark Grey
Clarity: Opaque
Origin: Tanzania
Cut: Oval Cabochon
Treatments: None
Measurements: 28.6 x 26 mm
A massive and quite imposing Grey Sapphire Cabochon from Tanzania. A fantastic fixed star or Trapiche pattern is front and center in this one, the gem has a lovely metallic sheen and the ‘star’ is very dynamic with a little movement. Really a gorgeous thing and the only one we have yet seen. Moreover, the reverse has a faceted bezel and polished base so you can follow the pattern to the reverse. Huge and fun piece.
$9 / carat - $707 total
Color: Medium Dark Very Slightly Purplish-Pink
Clarity: Eye Clean
Origin: Sri Lanka
Cut: Oval Brilliant
Treatments: Low Temp Heat
Measurements: mm
An outstanding Sapphire, completely loupe clean and dazzling in-hand. The cutting is excellent and the size and shape are perfect for jewelry. All of these before mentioning the exceptional color - a fine medium dark pink with a light but distinct purplish modifier. Exceptionally bright, zero asymmetries and a perfect tone. A fine gem that simply couldn’t be any better. With AGL Prestige Report stating natural and low temp heat only.
$1250 / carat - $2687 total
Color: Medium Dark Very Slightly Greenish-Blue
Clarity: Eye Clean
Origin: Sri Lanka
Cut: Round Portuguese
Treatments: None
Measurements: 6 mm
A fine and lovely blue gem; just perceptible is a little greenish modifier that gives the stone a very attractive teal highlight. Superbly cut and entirely clean, such Sri Lankan stones are increasingly difficult to source. A round with a great deal of brilliance - an absolute beauty.
$395 / carat - $568 total
Color: Medium Bluish-Purple
Clarity: Transparent
Origin: Sicily, Italy
Cut: Rectangular Step
Treatments: None
Measurements: 12.7 x 15 mm
In the annals of esoteric gem materials, Halite certainly holds a special place. We have had offered species that are water soluble before, but actually never one of these. This particular color will be well known to mineral collectors as Sicilian Halites are well known - it is a very lovely blue-purple, not a common color for any species. Oh, and if you really want to get specific, we would absolutely agree this one has a strong color shift to purple. Color change faceted salt!
Very nicely done, as you might imagine the polish is respectable, but fairly rounded. Keep in mind that there are very few people worldwide that would consider cutting this material. Entirely stable away from moisture, this is certainly a unique one. Great size and color, a fun stone for the lover of the truly unusual.
$45 / carat - $542 total
Color: Faint Yellow
Clarity: Translucent
Origin: Alston Moor Dist., Cumbria, England
Cut: Oval Brilliant
Treatments: None
Measurements: 8.3 x 6.5 mm
An extremely uncommon gem material, Witherite is a barium mineral that doesn't often form with sufficient clarity to facet. Aside from occasional pieces from the Cave-in-Rock deposits in Illinois, the only other source would be the very old finds in Cumbria, England.
The English stones are a far bit more uncommon as you may imagine, so we were quite happy to come up with a great 2 ct. example recently. Very respectable transparency for the species, the gem is a soft yellowish-white, a touch more color than we see in US examples. An experienced hand has given it a very fine polish for a mineral with a hardness of 3 on the Moh's scale. As is expected with this material, it has a bluish-white fluorescence under UV light. Rare locale for gem material, even within 'rare stone' circles.
$165 / carat - $333 total
Color: White / Play-of-Color
Clarity: Translucent
Origin: Wollo Province, Ethiopia
Cut: Oval Cabochon
Treatments: None
Measurements: 16.3 x 9.8 mm
Fine, large colorless body with an excellent level of translucency. Great coverage of color and superb size - a full spectral range of color that would look great mounted.
$65 / carat - $373 total
Color: Colorless
Clarity: Heavily Included
Origin: Brazil
Cut: Rectangular Step
Treatments: None
Measurements: 15.3 x 9.3 mm
We always enjoy seeing what new species with show up as an inclusion in Quartz. It hosts such a variety of other minerals that it seems each year there is something new and interesting. A few years ago, it was a limited find in Brazil that produced colorless Quartz with extremely well-formed (and entirely gem grade) crystals of Sphalerite. These wonderful triangular shapes float in the Quartz host, the light catching their deep brown-red color. Really lovely and quite fascinating - there was very little of this material mined.
$40 / carat - $225 total
It has been over a decade now since the discovery of Kyanite in a truly unexpected color in Tanzania. There was never a large production and the material is inherently difficult - hard to cut and usually quite heavily included. This fine gem is quite a successful one, as well as being probably the only pear shape as well. Not clean of course, but with relatively minimal distractions and with a nice brilliance, mostly from reflections off the cleavage planes. Consistent and fine color.
$60 / carat - $195 total
Color: Medium Greyish-Purple
Clarity: Transparent
Origin: Burma
Cut: Freeform
Treatments: None
Measurements: 10.3 x 7.3 mm
With the increased market emphasis on non-conventional shapes and a appreciation for visible inclusions, we were not entirely suprised to see something like this. What would have cut an SI traditional stone has been left as a much larger polished freeform - likely following the rough shape quite closely. You certainly get a larger stone this way - a 6 1/2 carat Burmese Spinel is not insignificant in size. The color is quite pleasant and is actually very distinctive for Spinel - a classic desaturated greyish-purple. Fascinating piece and infinitely more interesting than a traditional cut.
$30 / carat - $196 total
Color: Light Very Slightly Violetish-Blue
Clarity: Slightly Included
Origin: Namibia
Cut: Rectangular Step
Treatments: None
Measurements: 18.1 x 3.6 mm
A really beautiful example of this popular rare species in it’s classic color. Though slighty included, there is very little in the center of the stone and you do really get a broad impression of a fine, gemmy example. The color is classic of course, but so is the shape - the crystals are famously long and thin so why not have a stone that reflects this so appropriately. A very fine size for species as well.
$395 / carat - $596 total
Color: Medium Violetish-Purple
Clarity: Translucent
Origin: Tanzania
Cut: Round Cabochon
Treatments: Heat
Measurements: 5.5 x 5.4 mm
Another truly odd piece. While it is not unheard of to see some chatoyancy in Zoisite, strong and mobile eyes that cover the entire surface of the stone are rare. Doubly so when the stone has the traditional color of Tanzanite. Particularly nice, we count this one among the best examples we have handled. Really fine bodycolor for one of these.
$245 total
Color: Dark Yellow-Brown
Clarity: Eye Clean
Origin: Phakua, Koshi Pradesh, Nepal
Cut: Rectangular Step
Treatments: None
Measurements: 9.3 x 4.4 mm
We simply couldn’t resist the very specific and scarce locality of this gem. Nepal is not typically though of in terms of gem Tourmaline and indeed even Aquamarine is more well known from this very little mine in Eastern Nepal. Clean and nicely cut, the stone is a sort of Epidote-ish dark yellow brown. Outstanding for the specificity of its locale and rare as such.
$65 / carat - $104 total
Color: Various
Clarity: Translucent
Origin: Indonesia
Cut: Rectangular Cabochon
Treatments: None
Measurements: 27.3 x 11.5 mm
From a relatively new deposit comes this example of an extremely attractive and popular new variety of Chalcedony. The colors are exceptional - bright blues and greens - while the truly special aspect is the visible inclusions of Copper. This adds a texture and reflectivity that just serves to make this type even more appealing. Great look and excellent size.
$85 total
Color: Medium Blue
Clarity: Eye Clean
Origin: Cambodia
Cut: Rectangular Radiant
Treatments: Heat
Measurements: 8 x 6 mm
A gorgeous and essentially perfect pair of accent blue Zircons. The color is great and extremely well matched and the cutting is excellent - these were cut to match and look it - calibrated as well. Brilliant and bright.
$55 / carat - $186 total
Color: Light / Medium Brown
Clarity: Eye Clean to Slightly Included
Origin: China
Cut: Lunette
Treatments: None
Measurements: 14.2 x 7.4 mm
Faceted Cassiterite has always been an appealing member of the collector class of gemstones. It is a tin mineral that is rare in gem quality, but when cut is quite impressive - it has both a high refractive index and an adamantine luster. These are quite dispersive as well - when nice, they are really lovely stones. We were extremely impressed by this very fine example of the species - great size and beautifully cut. Additionally, the color is quite consistent for a gem of this size - these can be quite heavily color zoned. Reasonably hard (7 on the Moh's scale) for a rarity as well..
$100 / carat - $889 total
Color: Medium Very Slightly Orangish-Pink
Clarity: Eye Clean
Origin: Sri Lanka
Cut: Oval
Treatments: Low Temp Heat
Measurements: 7 x 4.6 mm
An outstanding Sapphire, completely loupe clean and bright. The cutting is excellent and the size and shape are perfect for jewelry. All of these before mentioning the exceptional color - a fine medium pink with a light but distinct orangish modifier. Certainly not anywhere near the padparadscha designation, but a lovely hint of orange nonetheless - we love this hue and don’t think the stone could be any better. With AGL Sapphire Brief stating natural and low temp heating only.
$450 / carat - $495 total
Color: White / Grey / Copper
Clarity: Opaque
Origin: Michigan
Cut: Polished half-nodule
Treatments: None
Measurements: 20.7 x 16.2 x 5.8 mm
You may not initially suspect Datolite when looking at this stone, this unusual massive form of this mineral is not common and is quite unknown outside of a few dedicated collectors. Typically Datolite is a completely transparent and colorless (even occasionally light green!) facetable gem. On the shores of Michigan's Lake Superior are found nodules of Datolite that are remarkably unremarkable on the surface - when sliced and polished however these can come alive with superb color - oranges, reds, yellows, a nearly full spectrum is known. These are found in association with Copper deposits in Michigan's upper peninsula so there is actually quite a bit of metallic, native Copper throughout the piece. We have rarely seen such a nice, regular sprinkling of Copper in this way - lovely.