hy, i have a blue sapphire ,it is 35 carat,it is not cut or polished ,it is in its original rough shape,one strange thing it is totally in round shape like a ball,it was in quartz or in something like quartz stone ,my first question is ,is it possible to be naturally in round shape like ball,can quartz scratch it ,it is deep blue and light can pass through it,not translucent,please answer my question i am keenly waiting for answer,plz dont tell me to ask a local gemologist,just ask my questions,give me your opinion it may not be the correct answer.but do answer, i will be very thankful. thanks
I am no expert but I do know that quartz will not scratch saphire. You should review the mohs hardness scale for that. Saphire also has a hexagon crystal structure.
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm Posts: 21602 Location: San Francisco
The expert is either misinformed or perhaps you misunderstood what he said.
Mineralogical Society of America wrote:
When doing hardness tests on minerals it is necessary to determine which mineral was scratched. The powder can be rubbed or blown off and surface scratches can usually be felt by running the fingernail over the surface. One can also get a relative feel for the hardness difference between two minerals. For instance quartz will be able to scratch calcite with much greater ease than you can scratch calcite with fluorite. One must also use enough force to create the scratch (if you don't use enough force even diamond will not be able to scratch quartz - this is an area where practice is important). You also have to be careful to test the material that you think you are testing and not some small inclusion in the sample.
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm Posts: 21602 Location: San Francisco
I believe we're getting off topic, but I suspect this blue sphere above may be as fake as the crystal skull in the British Museum:
Cardiff University and World Science staff wrote:
The British Museum bought its skull, a life-size carving from a single block of rock crystal, from Tiffany and Co., New York, in 1897. Its origins were unknown but there were suggestions it was of ancient Mexican origin.
Human skulls worn as ornaments and displayed on racks were known to have featured in Aztec art. The skull attracted much public attention and speculation and was once thought to have healing powers.
Crystal skulls have since featured in many books, articles and films, most recently in the new Steven Spielberg movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
However, there have been doubts about the authenticity of the skull since the 1930s. Now an international research team has scrutinized the British Museum skull and a larger white quartz skull donated to the Smithsonian in 1992.
Electron microscope analysis for tool marks found both skulls were carved with rotary disc-shaped tool, a technology the ancient Mexicans didn’t have. Analysis of the quartz in the British Museum skull suggests it was quarried from Brazil or Madagascar – far outside the Ancient Mexicans’ trading links.
The team, made up of experts from Cardiff and Kingston universities in the U.K., the British Museum and the Smithsonian, concluded that neither skull could have been made in Mexico before the time of Columbus. They believe the British skull was created in Europe in the 19th century, and the Smithsonian’s shortly before it was bought in Mexico City in 1960.
“It is always disappointing when an intriguing artefact like a crystal skull turns out not to be genuine,” said Cardiff University’s Ian Freestone, a member of the research team. “However, it is important to be precise about what is authentic and what is fake if we are properly to understand our past. Maybe Indiana Jones will have better luck in his hunt for a real crystal skull!”
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2009 11:44 am Posts: 525 Location: PAKISTAN-Peshawar
Dear mehboob. I guess from your name that you belong to my country Pakistan and if now you are in Pakistan then I will test your unique stone free of cost.
From your post picture I guess that this is glass sphere. which are used children for marble games and in childhood that was my favorite game.
Anyhow come to Gems and Gemological Institute of Pakistan (GGIP)-Peshawar, timing is from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday.
thanks for comments and views,this stone belongs to my friend ,dear usman i think u havent read earlier posts,i have discussed origin of the sapphire,my friend got it from swat district ,it was in a quartz stone ,the quartz stone was large enough to move from place to place,so he decided to cut a piece of it to make it easily movable,when he hit the stone with hammer ,the sapphire came out of it,i myself not considering it neelam sapphire by two reason,one because it is round and second because it has been scratched by quartz,i thought it may be some new stone discovered,the gemology society may better know it,because i do not know all stone,i have hired this stone for research purpose.thanks.
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:50 pm Posts: 299 Location: Virginia, USA
One more thing- geochemistry generally does not allow sapphire and quartz to co-exist in the same host rock. That's because under conditions otherwise favorable for the formation of corundum, when quartz is present the main ingredient in sapphire is converted to one of the common aluminum silicates, such as andalusite, sillimanite or kyanite. The reaction continues until there is no more quartz or aluminum oxide left to react. That sort of rules out the idea tha the "sapphire" could have been found imbedded in quartz.
I do not find this kind of desinformative stories amusing at all as they are only proof that lying to fool gemmologically uneducated prospective buyers is never gonna end. It does not surprise me but nevertheless pisses me off.
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