Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2011 11:48 am Posts: 416 Location: KY
This thread got me thinking about three little bags of tiny green rough I got in a larger parcel at one of the shows in Franklin, NC in 2013. It was labeled tsavorite but I figured it was green glass. I'm not so good with the refractometer but brought it out and checked them along with other properties.
Density: 3.80 RI: 1.73-1.74 Isotropic on polarimeter No pleochroism Pink with Hanneman's PMCF (and a Chelsea filter I had laying around )
Seems a little heavy, but these are small pieces...
Joined: Sat May 22, 2010 2:51 am Posts: 755 Location: South Africa
DrSue - You really need to look at the small green rough under the microscope to see if there are any characteristic inclusions, although pink through the Chelsea filter bodes well.
Recently a friend of mine cut a large stone from the green synthetic periclase, before he knew what it was. The cutting and polishing went easily, working like tanzanite. The surface of the polished stone degraded quite rapidly, developing hazy spots. I don't know what happens in the long-term, but the material is also soft (around Mohs 5) and the cleavage is easy, so it's not really viable as a wearable gem. It's an interesting curiosity - but an unhappy trap for the unwary.
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2009 11:44 am Posts: 525 Location: PAKISTAN-Peshawar
xenolithos, you start a nice post and it will so helpful for gemologist/ trade people I also want to contribute in this post if you like it.
Recently one of my friend calls me that got a chance (The term “chance” usually we use in local gems market Peshawar, when a person got an expensive gem in a low prices) and he found a special material in a very little amount and soon his name will be added in the list of millionaires. I said bring that material for testing and wanted that your name added in billionaires list instead of millionaires. After this discussion he said that he got a natural ruby with natural coating mother rock. When he bring the material for testing, after checking I said I cannot help you to add your name even in thousandaires list.
Actually his material was synthetic ruby which was coated with silica dioxide power mixed with glue or bonding agent material. The glue/bonding agent can be easily seen on the corner of the synthetic ruby surface. In UV light the glue glow white.
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 12:00 pm Posts: 461 Location: Washington DC
I found a similar fake, it was a large Ethiopian opal with sand glued onto the surface that showed crazing. I thought it was a little hinky but it was cheap so I picked it up anyways. No regrets!
Clever. I imagine it's really hard to tell the difference on sight between that and some of the more coherent mud/rhyolite you sometimes get on the surfaces or intergrown with the opal.
Someone told me that the miners like to jam mud into every crevice that they can in order to increase the weight. Don't know if it is true or not, but I suppose the sand would have the same effect.
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