Fire Agate - Cut from behind ...

I'm Back ...

Billy - that looks pretty nice, I am going to have to try some of that. I have never cut any of that before.

KD - Victoria Stone ... here is a litttle history of the stone:

History of Victoria Stone

In the mid 1960’s an aged Japanese scientist, Dr. S. Imori (retired from the Institute of Physical & Chemical Research in Tokyo) devoted himself to the creation of gemstones. Although he worked on several types (Meta Jade, Maple Jade, Halo Stone and Meta Amethyst), Victoria Stone was his piece de resistance and a crowning worldwide commercial success.

Victoria Stone is/was made of natural raw minerals: quartz, feldspar, magnesite, calcite, fluorspar, etc. Those materials were fused together by heating them to intensely high temperatures to form a molten magma (he actually melted the rocks). They were “mineralized” to a new mineral by adding special crystallizers and crystal habit regulators to the molten rock. The magma was then poured into boules and placed under 2000 pounds of pressure. The cooling process was in an extremely controlled environment (taking months to cool). During this time the phenomenal chatoyant crystals were formed. As you can surmise, Victoria Stone is not a synthetic or simulated gemstone. While being mineralogically similar to Nephrite Jade, the arrangement of the actinolite crystal is not the same. The stone has a Moh’s hardness of 5.5 to 6.0; a specific gravity of 3.02; and a refractive index ox 1.62.

Victoria Stone was marketed in thin, calibrated cabochons and beads. Eventually the rough (in over twenty different colors) was marketed through the Lapidary Journal. The rough was sound in four-pound boules at a cost of $20.00 per pound, which was exorbitantly expensive for lapidary material at that time. Unobservant lapidaries that did not follow the explicit instructions for decompressing and slabbing the boules rendered much of the material sold uncabbable. Due to the difficult and tedious process of decompressing the boules, and the fact that Dr. Iimori himself marketed calibrated cabochons, one rarely finds freeform cabochons. Lapidary dealers, anywhere, rarely offer freeform cabochons. Production of Victoria Stone ceased sometime in the 1980’s, upon or around the time of Dr. Imori’s death. As far as anyone knows or can find out, Dr. Imori was the only person to ever know the formula, and it was lost with his passing. Others have spent thousand of dollars and tried to reproduce this spellbinding legendary gemstone. Alas, all that is left in the world is what was purchased and produced 20 – 35 years ago (that was decompressed properly).

Victoria Stone is commonly found with many minor flaws. Fractures, decompression fractures, very small air bubbles are not uncommon. True gem grade Victoria Stone is in itself an extreme rarity. True gem grade Victoria Stone has sold in the past for ten times what the lesser grades of this material has sold for. It is extremely rare! It is not uncommon for a gem grade freeform cab in an approximate size of 30 mm x 20 mm to sell for $200.00 to $300.00, depending on the degree of chatoyancy (the play of light across the stone), style of cut, color and finish. Most gem grade material is highly coveted and prized, and is rarely every sold.

In the past year, three original uncut boules were sold at a price of $1,100.00 per boule or $275.00 per pound. That is $3,300.00 for approximately 12 pounds of Victoria Stone. There was one Indigo Blue boule, one Blue/Green boule and one Yellow/Green boule. The Indigo Blue and the Blue/Green are the higher prized colors of the three.

The prices for Victoria Stone have skyrocketed in the past ten years, and it is fully expected to continue its upwardly climb. Victoria Stone is an excellent investment. Twenty years ago, you could buy it for $20.00 a pound and now (if you can find any) you will pay close to $200.00 - $400.00 per pound. If an uncut boule of brown, black or white and possibly gray were found, it would command prices of unheard of proportions. Possibly as high as $5,000.00 per boule. As for all of the colors that were produced…these four are the rarest colors of them all.

I hope that you have enjoyed the history of the Victoria Stone.

It's an absolutely gorgeous stone.

I wish I had some left ... I sold my collection a year ago and I kick myself every time I think about it.

I am always looking for Victoria Stone.

Hope this helps,

John