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Thread: Your favorite Gem ?

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Default Your favorite Gem ?

    We had some fun guessing what variouse gems were, so continuing the fun;

    What is your favorite, and why?

    I find it hard to settle on one, I have a passion for spinels and tourmalines. Spinels are tricky because they are so easy to fake, and it takes an immersion microscope with polarised light to really test them.

    I do love tourmalines, not really a single type but group like garnets. Hear are my latest two purchases
    Click image for larger version. 

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    3.1 cts 18 x 5 mm approx

    Click image for larger version. 

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    0.91 cts 5x5 mm approx

    I have to admit I paid about 3 times my normal $/ct buying rate, but got a 40% discount on the asking price but then these are foy own collection

    Julian

  2. #2
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    Default

    I have always liked watermelon slices too, but the one I made up years ago, began to dry out and look ropey in quite a short time. Here are my bi-colour tourmalines, which I showed earlier in the year. The temporary label was to differentiate them for setting as ear studs. Dennis.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Bi-Colour Toumaline Cabs.jpg  

  3. #3
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    Default

    There are so many to choose from, as I mentioned in another thread I am at present enamoured with Ethiopian type opals, but leaving those little beauties aside I also like many quartzes particularly those with inclusions such as lodolite, cacoxenite, rutile etc. Here is one I bought a while, which as you can see is a tad on the large side but my eyes were bigger than my belly as they say :0) It is quartz with iron oxide and pyrite inclusions.


    Quartz by kwant, on Flickr

    oh and as an aside to Dennis at the risk of teaching a patrician to abandon his granny, watermelon wrapped in cling film in the fridge will last a tad longer but is apt to go mouldy :0)

  4. #4
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    I've never bee able to persuade my customers to stay in the fridge Kwant, but I have to admit my granny would be a bit mouldy by now.

  5. #5
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    Tourmalines, particularly bi-colours are a particular favourite - but I have to admit to being daft on opals.

  6. #6
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    Boulder opals are my favourite Peter, but they have recently decided to give the matrix a shiny finish, which destroys their earthy 'just mined' character.
    Apropos the watermelon slice, I have just scanned in this image from my photo album. It is rather poor because in the nineties I was using the copier as a camera, but it gives a rough idea. Dennis.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Tourmaline Watermelon Slice Pendant '98.jpg  

  7. #7
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    I'm another big fan of tourmalines, and like Peter, especially bi or tri-colours.

    My greatest weakness is probably for Aquamarines, particularly those with unusual colours or cuts, and I have a huge soft spot for cornflower blue sapphires.

    That said, all my everyday stones are diamonds!

    This may mean I have to go and stand in the naughty corner, but opals do absolutely nothing for me.

  8. #8
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    Another bi colour tourmaline fan here :-). I also like pink sapphires, red rubies and aquamarines, specially greeny ones (technically called green beryl).

  9. #9
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    opals, sapphires and diamonds............ rough or polished.
    Last edited by Wallace; 09-05-2012 at 06:42 PM.

  10. #10
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    Nice to know you are not fussy Wallace :0)

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