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 Post subject: Saw on pics. First time see by my own eyes.
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 12:32 pm 
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Never saw before. Just now received parcel from Ukraine. Friend of mine sent me a few rocks, some large and small topazes and small beryls from Volyn. First time in my life I see such intensively colored Bi-color blue/orange topaz! Size is also good. Not facete-able quality, but cabochon can come out nice I think.... Will look for cutting then...

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 Post subject: Re: Saw on pics. First time see by my own eyes.
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 2:19 pm 
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The color of these ukrainian topazes (and their current availability and low price on eBay) are really quite amazing. They lean very hard to the orange side of brown, like some of the finer material from Colorado. Unfortunately they're also quite unstable, at least by reputation. I haven't put any of mine in the sun since I like the color too much to sacrifice one.

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 Post subject: Re: Saw on pics. First time see by my own eyes.
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 3:56 pm 
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You right, Stephan. This topazes as it is must be kept out of sun-light, and better even out of day light. But thermal-treatment helps (as my old-old friend who has working with this material in 1950-th, use to say me) to save blue color. Destiny of orange will be unpredictable, may turn yellow, pink, purple and even cherry-red (just not bright, very light tone), may stay orange or turn to be dark-brown..

Due my friend knows I am addicted to inclusions and photography of them, he sent me this stone with lots of inclusions. I did not look at jet. After all will try to find someone to make cabochon, and want to set up experiment with heating. If I will get any significant result, then i can have from Ukraine many samples of not facet-grade to do more..

Also I am waiting a few wery nice faceted eye clean stones. These are not for experimenting... :)

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 Post subject: Re: Saw on pics. First time see by my own eyes.
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 9:37 pm 
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I doubt heat would do anything other than bleach out the orange-brown (and thus bring out the blue better). I wouldn't think there would be any chance at all of red, pink or purple colors. You need to have chromium in the topaz to get those and that doesn't seem to happen in pegmatitic deposits, just the oddball metamorphic ones (ie, imperial-type). He was probably only familiar with Ouro Preto material. That said, I don't think heat ever yields dark brown colors in topaz, only irradiation, and even photostable yellows tend to be heat sensitive.

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 Post subject: Re: Saw on pics. First time see by my own eyes.
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 9:52 pm 
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I presume you are absolutely right about topaz. I read now about this too... Only one thing - my old friend (he passed away about 15 years ago) lived in USSR and I am not sure he ever heard about Oro-Preto. The only he was working with - minerals from Soviet deposits, like Ural, Kola peninsula, Ukraine, Far East...

But things are simple. Or I am right, or I am wrong... Nothing to lose to try, I getting more samples and not scary to lose :)

About Cromium. I am not geologist and don't know - topasez and beryls in Volyn are coming from same space or from different. But Cr-reach beryls from Volyn has been reported in USSR decades ago. But I don't know how correct is this info..

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 Post subject: Re: Saw on pics. First time see by my own eyes.
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 10:26 pm 
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Hehe, I wish it were. I've done what I can to learn as much as I can but I haven't gotten my hands on much Russian topaz. Russia does have its own deposit of Imperial-type topaz essentially identical to Brazilian material, but production has been very limited for a century or so. It's hard to imagine his not being at least aware of Brazilian topaz, though, given its nigh-absolute dominance of the market.

I would of course love to be wrong--those are my favorite colors of topaz. But they're also scarce and quite valuable, so it seems odd that there would be plenty of the brown/blue stones available on the cheap, but no pinks/purples for sale or mentioned anywhere. I hope you'll post your results here when you get a chance to try it.

Volyn produces some stunningly green beryls, but they're sure not emeralds:
Image
I doubt there's any Cr in that guy.
Russia and the Ukraine do have some very cool geology, though, so I wouldn't write off the possibility.

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 Post subject: Re: Saw on pics. First time see by my own eyes.
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 10:51 pm 
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This huge crystal does not even look like emerald.

I am not very sure in my memory. Aging.. I will look at Russian/Soviet publications and I know some specialists whom I can ask..

Historically (as it is know in Russia) first oragnish-pink topazes were discovered in the middle of Russian Empire, North of Ural, in second half of 18-th century. 4 quite large crystals has not been faceted, were kinda wrapped into gold and presented to Catherine II The Great. Still these 4 crystals are available to see in Hermitage, ans I saw them. As Russian legend said topazes of such color are being called "Imperial" since that time.. :)

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