JC
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since September 2004
Posts: 107
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Post by JC on Oct 23, 2004 15:46:31 GMT -5
I bought a couple of pounds of aquamarine from Mine Run Gems. Enclosed in the bags were some, to me, off color rocks. Instead of the anticipated light green color, they appear brownish. Are these also aquamarine? TIA JC Three greens, three not so green This is what I expected Ones like these are my question
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Post by connrock on Oct 23, 2004 16:27:25 GMT -5
Hi JC, Aquamarine is in the beryl family and "quality" rough is the color you expected. The mine run material is usually of a poor quality and can have a light "brownish" material with it. You would need a barrel full of money to buy enough of quality material and it would be a sin to tumble it!! Tom K
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Post by Cher on Oct 23, 2004 16:48:52 GMT -5
Hey Tom, what do you do with it then if it's a sin to tumble it?
Cher
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Post by docone31 on Oct 23, 2004 16:52:38 GMT -5
With the good stuff, facet, make cabachons or cabachets, or just polish in its shape. Tumbling would ruin the crystal structure. Mine run is different, it is much more cracked, off colour, and can be tumbled real well. Once it is tumbled it will clean up.
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Oct 23, 2004 20:12:39 GMT -5
Hey Tom, love that "quality" stuff. Looks like glacier ice.
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Post by docone31 on Oct 23, 2004 21:43:44 GMT -5
I was very fortunate. When I got my faceter, it was from a jeweler who had a shop down the row from us at the other fleamarket. I paid full price for the used faceter but it included a Loretone combination unit, 8" trim saw, and a bag of rough. It also came with volumes of meet point faceting tables. In the bag of rough, was a 10 ounce of fantastic Aquamarine! There were several bags of less than five ounces of ruby crystal, emerald, and the Loretone tumbler that came with the faceter had two barrels full of mine run emerald. The Aquamarine is in thumb size chunks, the Citrine is the same size, the rubies are about 8-10mm X 4-8mm. The saphires are about the same size. I also found in the bag, four pieces of moldavite, between 50 and 100 cts. I am going to have fun when we re-open and Aquamarine does indeed look like glacier ice. It is beautiful. Those pieces of Aquamarine would sure look great faceted or done in a cabachon. The small fractures wouldn't matter much in a finished piece. They could be made into the design of the piece.
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Post by connrock on Oct 24, 2004 11:06:43 GMT -5
I guess doc pretty much covered it. I don't facet so I would just keep it and admire it every so often,,,,,like allllll the other "treasures" I have!! Tom
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