Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2007 3:05 pm Posts: 2 Location: PA.
I have a "Raw Desert Diamond" from the Al hasa desert in Saudi Arabia "Al Qaysumah" found appox. at 47 long./23 n.lat (Al Qaysumah is suppose to have the highest quality stones). My Father found it in 1967 while on military assighment. I can't find out to much about it on the web..can't find a color stonecutter in the US or anyone to appraise it (just looking on the net). I would like to know how much it may be worth, and if it is worth cutting. It's a very clear stone (not brown or yellow and not polished) about the size of a small chicken egg. Where might I be able to send it in the good old U.S. of A., to get this done, and how would I insure it to send it and how could I prevent gettig ripped off sending it to someone. . . . I know, alot of questions, but can you help with some or all of them.....PLEASSSSSEEEEEEE. Thanks a bunch.
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 12:47 pm Posts: 2505 Location: Eastern Europe
Have you done this before? Sorry for the question... can't quite know. I am writing the lines below assuming that you have not.
As far as I understand, these stones are some particularly clear quartz... which should make having it cut fairly straight forward.
There are a couple of cutters posting here, and you may well find out about local options too.
Insurance... I wouldn't know. Heard folks doing such a thing, but usually... there is none: one in a million stones breaks, oh well. Hopefully not yours - regardless of value, it sounds like the story of this one in particular would make for a bit of heart break if anything happens.
What can be done with a large, clear bit of rock crystal? A few interesting things come to mind...
E.g THESE are quartz (ok, not clear) - definitely not boring. The cut of the green piece holds an award, as much as I remember.
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2007 3:05 pm Posts: 2 Location: PA.
I have never done "this" before, My Dad just passed away, and I found this in a container clearly marked (where and when he found it) in his coin collection.......I did however, complete a jewlery repair corse from Education Direct, and have been playing around making jewlery and setting stones, repairs, etc....but know little about gemology.
Thank's so much for the help, and "I'll be back" to check out more of your site, and posters.
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:50 pm Posts: 299 Location: Virginia, USA
cajohns-
Inteesting story.
Odd coinicidence- a few weeks ago a budding rockhound showed me some rocks he had picked up in a wadi in Saudi Arabia when he was stationed there as a member of the U. S. Air Force. He too was wondering about the cutting possibilities. All turned out to be waterworn crystals and pebbles of colorless quartz with a thin brownish iron oxide surface stain. Most were only cherry-sized. One showed distinct crystal faces. Most were somewhat flawed with typical internal feathers and fractures.
As to possibilities for your stone: you might want a faceted egg, or sphere, or even a polished crystal ball. You have to decide on whether to retain the size and shape of the stone, or to get the most flawless gem out of the rough. In any event the finished product would have more keepsake value than anything else. But even colorless quartz can be very attractive when polished.
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2006 1:20 am Posts: 2756 Location: Southern California, U.S.A.
cajohns wrote:
I have a "Raw Desert Diamond" from the Al hasa desert in Saudi Arabia "Al Qaysumah" found appox. at 47 long./23 n.lat (Al Qaysumah is suppose to have the highest quality stones).
I have what I think is the same kind of stone, given to me by an oil company worker assigned to Saudi Arabia. It's definitely clear crystalline quartz and the thing that makes it collectible to me is its shape and surface texture. It exhibits what in German is called "dreikanter" (three-cornered) weathering. Blowing sand over the eons has altered the original crystal shape into one that's typical of aeolian weathering. Does yours have that kind of appearance?
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