Post subject: Super transparent star rose quartz Mozambique
Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2017 1:16 pm
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Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 4:40 pm Posts: 2667 Location: South Dakota
A buddy posted some extremely nice rose quartz, that he just picked up from a well known dealer, that specializes in African rough. Its over 200cts and comes from Mozambique. I am amazed at the transparency of this stuff. This has to be uber rare, right? I was thinking about buying some, just to have something so unique and different, but my money is tied up in a newborn and cobalt spinel .....lol....
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Post subject: Re: Super transparent star rose quartz Mozambique
Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:03 pm
Platinum Member
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 4:40 pm Posts: 2667 Location: South Dakota
Really....I had never paid much attention to any material as nice as this before. According to most literature, like Mindat, "rose quartz is ALWAYS hazy to translucent" What kind of price does this stuff run? The buddy who posted this earlier, paid like $260 or so, for that 200 ct. piece. He said it was originally $550 or something , but the seller dropped it down quite a bit.
_________________ MrAmethystguy ~ Some jokes just fluorite over my head!
That does count as at least hazy--it can be transparent enough to facet very attractive stones but the dumortierite inclusions do add at least a hint of milkiness. The real issue with a lot of rose quartz is pervasive healed fractures. I have a similar star in color and sharpness which was relatively inexpensive but it has several of those fractures which really bring it down--the pictured piece looks delightfully clean. It's hard to know pricing for sure, but that sounds like a good price. Madagascar produces a lot of rose quartz and there are a few dealers from there who sell material every year at Tucson. I am generally only after the really intensely colored material for faceting, though, so I'm not super familiar with the pricing on the rest of it.
Post subject: Re: Super transparent star rose quartz Mozambique
Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 4:21 am
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Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 4:13 am Posts: 222
Jason Barrett wrote:
Really....I had never paid much attention to any material as nice as this before. According to most literature, like Mindat, "rose quartz is ALWAYS hazy to translucent" What kind of price does this stuff run? The buddy who posted this earlier, paid like $260 or so, for that 200 ct. piece. He said it was originally $550 or something , but the seller dropped it down quite a bit.
In Tucson last year, I've seen some nice rose quartz from Madagascar for 3.5 to 4 USD per gram. Not cheap but the color was pretty intense and pleasant. Like Stephen Challener said, the cracks in the material are a pain in the neck; you have to check carefully with a fiber optic light.
In Tucson last year, I've seen some nice rose quartz from Madagascar for 3.5 to 4 USD per gram. Not cheap but the color was pretty intense and pleasant.
Yeah, I always try to pick that material up when it is well priced
It varies between somewhat and quite milky but the opalescence adds orange reflections that give a bit of a padparadscha look overall.
Those beads look really odd. I wish they weren't drilled but I'd love to see one in person.
Post subject: Re: Super transparent star rose quartz Mozambique
Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 7:24 pm
Site Admin
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm Posts: 21602 Location: San Francisco
It's that psychedelic, glow in the dark, hot pink, silly string that's killing these star rose quartz beads for me. The hand they're on looks a little hot pink too.
Yeah, the color must be very, very weak since they look practically colorless in spite of all that, but on the other hand the star looks pretty sharp (even if it's in transmitted light which might give rose quartz an advantage).
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