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 Post subject: Rainbow Andradite from Japan
PostPosted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 9:33 am 
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Location: California, USA
These garnets are from Tenkawa Village, Nara, Japan. The grid in the background is 5 mm. I was advised not to cut these stone, since the colors appear only on the crystal surface. I love iridescent stones anyway.

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I am a slave to cutting a stone completely free of chips and very much enjoying it.


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 10:08 am 
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Cool rough anyway 8)

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PostPosted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 10:09 am 
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8) 8) 8) good morning, mrs. mitch!! thanks for sharing your beauties with us!! that's a beautiful garnet to me!! i recently read that the mining for the iridescent andradite garnet in japan has ceased. depressing...

there is a great article on the japanese rainbow garnet from GAAJ here:
http://www.gaaj-zenhokyo.co.jp/research ... b-01e.html
i read in the jck mag online a while back that a couple in the states cut the japanese rainbow garnet usually in tablet form. i think the 'iridescence' will be removed due to polishing the garnet too closely?? i've seen the cabs on the www of the mexican rainbow garnet, but, to me, the japanese material is more beautiful and exhibits more iridescence.


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 1:50 pm 
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They CAN be cut, but I'm told it's a very tricky sort of process with few guarantees. Lovely stuff though. I've got some of the Nara Prefecture stones myself.


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 8:16 pm 
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Brad the GemTrader :lol: had a facetted iridescent garnet a while ago. As you can see, it is hardly a traditional cut and it has very few facets.

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PostPosted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 8:18 pm 
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Recently, he also put this one up

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PostPosted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 12:06 am 
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Found this article. It shows the Japanese roughs, cut stones and a comparison with the Mexican material. It mentioned Ethiopian brown opal, too.

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Mitch

I am a slave to cutting a stone completely free of chips and very much enjoying it.


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:29 am 
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8) thanks for the link, ms. mitch, i will read it in a few!!

hi, scaramouche, the first iridescent andradite garnet you posted i had on reserve with mr. brad, along with a slew of his other gemstones, and had to let it go because someone had to have it. :cry: :cry: if i remember correctly, it was a faceted tablet. he also had another one from japan which was faceted which was either an emerald or cushion cut.


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