Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 3:24 am Posts: 4997 Location: McDonough GA
I just got an email from intimate gems offering, among other things, a 1+ ct piece of Hauyne said to be from Afghanistan. Anyone privy to information about this find?
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm Posts: 21600 Location: San Francisco
The Spring 2008, G&G has a brief of hauyne from Afganistan (p.79)
The stones studied in the article were supplied by Intimate Gems. The gems had a green component not seen in the German material. Apparently the hauyne is associated with afghanite and occasionally misidentified as afghanite.
The strongest market for hauyne is Japan, according to the brief.
Jason,
I also was offered Hauyne recently- a parcel of rough from a vendor in Pakistan.
I really don't know much (anything) about the stuff 'cept it's blue and rare. If you wouldn't mind, maybe you could post some links to pics/info on it or tell me more about it? Is it very valuable and sought after?
I declined the parcel because I already had spent far too much cash with said vendor and by that point I felt like I was getting fleeced. As far as it being a 'new find' I don't know where the old find was but the parcel was 150 grams of mostly eye-clean... my guess is a lot it has been found and it's making it's way through many dealers' hands.
Thank you Barbra,
I guess next time I shouldn't look a gift-horse in the mouth... emailed vendor and his reply was that he sold it 5 mins after speaking to me. It was a very good price but wasn't as pretty as the stone in Tim's write up.
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 3:42 pm Posts: 4091 Location: the Netherlands
Quote:
The gems had a green component not seen in the German material
The Laacher See locality is said to produce fully green ones as well as clears and everything in between. Whether or not that's misidentified specimens or not I don't know, never seen/tested any.
It's the really strong saturated blues that bring in the big money.
I missed this thread when it was written, I must admit I'm very curious about the Afghan material...
It's the really strong saturated blues that bring in the big money.
I missed this thread when it was written, I must admit I'm very curious about the Afghan material...
Considering the quantity/quality offered to me there must be a fair amount of the Afghan material floating about... my connection is very small potatoes. I told him I might be interested in the future, so Tim if I get any good material and you still haven't found any for yourself I'll send you a couple.
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 3:42 pm Posts: 4091 Location: the Netherlands
Coyotegem wrote:
Tim Spauwen, FGA wrote:
It's the really strong saturated blues that bring in the big money.
I missed this thread when it was written, I must admit I'm very curious about the Afghan material...
Considering the quantity/quality offered to me there must be a fair amount of the Afghan material floating about... my connection is very small potatoes. I told him I might be interested in the future, so Tim if I get any good material and you still haven't found any for yourself I'll send you a couple.
David
study samples are always welcome
The weather is getting more pleasant here slowly but surely; I will be going to that quarry again soon and this time I will be looking for locals that can sell me some.
btw. did I ever mention that some samples (the cleaner darker blue ones) fluoresce pink in lwuv? I'm not sure what locktite will do but my best guess is that you will be able to pick a stabilized stone in a glimpse. I will try to get one of them as well so I can complete that story I started last year.
I have one of the Afghan stones in my personal collection which I bought from a friend back when I was in high school iirc. The rough was sourced from Farooq. It is a really beautiful stone, not electric blue but an off-beat aqua. The friend I bought it from showed me the GnG article about the material, which was also my first exposure to GnG.
I've also seen specimen-grade stones from Afghanistan labeled hauyne for sale every now and then, though who knows until you have it and have tested it.
No question the German material is king, but it's always nice to have another source.
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm Posts: 21600 Location: San Francisco
The chemistry of lazurite in Afhanistan is very similar to hauyne and often we find a transition. [quote=Wiki"]Structure: Lazurite and hauyne seem to have the same structure and both are sulfate-dominant minerals.[9] Lazurite is a pigment (opalescent) and has a bright blue streak (especially as a component of the semiprecious stone lapis lazuli). Many hauynes have a white or pale blue streak and are translucent. The difference might be a consequence of the redox state (sulfate to sulfide ratio)" [/quote]
This is a specimen of lazurite from Afghanistan I purchased years ago:
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