Texas Topaz Day - Mason, Texas - Mar 24-25, 2012

This coming weekend the Southwest Gem and Mineral Society in San Antonio and the World Gem Society invites everyone to come to Mason, Texas, to join in the Texas Topaz Day festivities on Saturday, March 24th, followed by the Texas Faceters Guild Seminar Day on Sunday, March 25th. Mason, Texas, right in the heart of the Texas Hill Country is located in some of the most interesting geological formations to be found anywhere in the world. The festivities and events start at 10:00 am on Saturday and run all day with gemstone cutting and faceting demonstrations, jewelry and arts shows, and contests and music events to cap off the day. Then on Sunday you can join the Texas Faceters Guild for a day of learning about the latest in gemstone cutting and faceting. From novice to expert all are welcome.

The Blue Topaz was adopted as the Texas State Gemstone as a result of legislative approval on March 26, 1969. Petrified Palmwood was also named the State Stone by the same legislation. This Swiss Blue Topaz just above has been given a special cut to show the Texas Lone Star. A limited supply of these will be available over the two days in Mason, Texas.

Topaz occurs naturally in many colors including blue, orange, brown, green, pink, beige and red. Naturally occuring Blue Topaz is quite rare. Colorless topaz, the most common variation, can be treated by irradiation to produce a wide range of shades of blue, which are known as Sky Blue, Swiss Blue and London Blue. This treated, Blue Topaz is one of the most popular and widely used of all gemstones. London Blue is the most famous and most highly prized, but takes over 18 months to produce. Radiation scares have centered around the process and lasting effects from the making London Blue Topaz.

Some clear topaz crystals from Brazilian pegmatites can reach boulder size and weigh hundreds of pounds. Crystals of this size may be seen in museum collections. One famous Topaz is The Topaz of Aurungzebe and weighed 157.75 carats. Colorless and rarely light-blue varieties of Topaz are found in Precambian granite in Mason County, Texas, within the Llano Uplift in the Streeter, Grit, and Katemcy areas. It is usually found in streambeds and ravines but occasionally can be located atop the ground. Currently, only three Mason County ranches offer the public the opportunity to go Topaz hunting. They charge by the day, you keep what you find. You can enjoy Topaz hunting throughout the year except during the months of November, December and early January, when the ranches are closed for the deer season. There is currently no commercial mining of Topaz in that area. The natural Blue Topaz found in this area is the scarest of all the Topaz varieties.

Topaz is also the Birthstone for the month of November.

So as not to confuse the Lapidary enthusiasts, the Official State Rock of Texas is also Petrified Palmwood.
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"Benitoite" - the Blue Diamond of California !

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Sometimes called the " blue diamond", it was first discovered near the headwaters of the San Benito River, in San Benito County, California in 1906, from which it derived its name. It was at first thought to be a varirty of Sapphire, because of it's blue color. The gem is extremely rare and ranges in color from a light transparent blue to dark, vivid sapphire blue, and occasionally it is found in a violet shade. Benitoite is a somewhat obscure, but it is a wonderful gemstone. Benitoite was designated as the Official State Gemstone of California in 1985.

Benitoite is associated with a few rare minerals such as black-red Neptunite, snow white Natrolite and brown-yellow Joaquinite . The only source of this rare combination occurs at San Benito, California. A rare cluster of blue Benitoite and black Neptunite on top of a crust of white Natrolite is a treat for collectors. Gems much over one carat are uncommon. The sapphire-blue or colorless crystals are small. Gem quality specimens larger than two carats are rare. Faceted stones are usually under 1 carat, the largest documented stone is 7.8 carats and resides at the Smithsonian. Benitoites sell for over $1000 per carat and the price has been raising rapidly as the deposit has been largely worked out and available gems sold.

In 2000, Brian Lees of Colorado purchased the site from the long time owners. He brought in a mining crew and worked the mine for five winters. The current owner is now Dave Schreiner who bought the mine from Lees in 2005. Dave's vision was to open up the mine to collectors, since it is probably the most famous gem location in the world, and is on everybody's list of "places to collect." So now thanks to Dave Schreiner, gemstone and mineral collectors alike have that rare opportunity to come and try and find this unique and rare genstone.

California is a virtual cornucopia of gems, with the best known being Tourmaline, Kunzite, Serpentine and Topaz, all available to the public at open mines where you can buy buckets of dirt to dig through. In recent years, top-notch finds have helped restore the region’s splendor.

Serpentine, a green Jade looking material, is considered the State rock and of course Native Gold, a picture of which is shown at the right, is the Official State mineral. Of all the states where gold is found, only Alaska also considers Native Gold to be its State mineral.

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Copper and Bronze Settings and Chains !

Japanese Fossil Chrysanthumum Stone

With the cost of Gold and Silver, that is especially 22k gold and Sterling Silver, skyrocketing to over $1700.00 an oz, with silver at $30.00 an oz, and maybe even higher by year end, we have decided to try, with some success so far, setting some of our handmade gemstone pendants into Copper and Bronze settings and making up matching chains to go with them.



Mexican Azurite Russian Black Jade

Brass is the term used for alloys of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses each with unique properties and color. Brass has a yellow color, somewhat similar to gold. It is relatively resistant to tarnishing, and is often used as decoration, jewelry and for coins.

Bronze refers to a broad range of copper alloys, usually with tin as the main additive. It is strong and tough and has myriad uses in industry. It was particularly significant in antiquity, giving its name to the Bronze Age. Common bronze alloys often have the unusual and very desirable property of expanding slightly just before they set, thus filling in the finest details of a mold.

Copper is a ductile metal with excellent electrical conductivity, and finds extensive use as an electrical conductor and as a component of various alloys used in jewelry. Copper oxidizes easily giving it its green coloration. NOTE: some people will cause Copper and Copper Alloys to turn a bright green.

Check "Pendants Available" to see some of the new pendants and chains using copper. More will be added this coming week. Follow the instructions if interested in purchasing.

BLACK CORAL - An Endangered Species !

Black corals (Antipatharia) are a group of deep water, tree-like corals related to sea anemones. Although the most famous are found near Hawaii, they are also found in rare dark shallow water areas such as New Zealand's Milford Sound where they can be viewed from an underwater observatory. They normally occur in the tropics and some have ben found in the Caribbean. Though black coral's living tissue is brilliantly colored, it takes its name from the distinctive black or dark brown color of its skeleton. Also unique to black coral are the tiny spines that cover the surface of the skeleton, the origin of the nickname little thorn coral. In the Hawaiian language, black coral is called ‘ēkaha kū moana. Black coral is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

The Black Coral which grows in Hawaii's offshore waters was adopted as Hawaii's official state gemstone on April 22, 1987. Since its discovery by early Hawaiian divers, harvesting of the spectacular corals has led to the establishment of a thriving Black Coral jewelry industry and enhanced visitor and resident appreciation of Hawaii's ocean resources.

Hawaii's state gem was promoted by scuba divers, perhaps supported by the local jewelry trade. Surprisingly, the Department of Land and Natural Resources testified in favor of its adoption. Coral’s richly colored branches are living gems formed deep beneath the ocean. These precious corals polish to a gorgeous luster and have been used as gemstones dating as far back as 25,000 years—longer than pearls. Each coral gemstone color has its own distinct quality. Black Coral is exotic and dramatic and has long been considered to guard against misfortune. Pink Coral is delicate and is said to bring good health. Red Coral is best described as rich and romantic. And Gold Coral with its mysterious inner light, is the rarest of all corals.

The first new Black Coral bed found in centuries outside of Caribbean waters was discovered in the waters off Lahaina, Maui in 1958. Today, Hawaiian Black Coral -- the world's finest -- is carefully collected by hand by divers at depths that exceed 200 feet. To ensure the future of Hawaiian Black Coral, divers must strictly adhere to state regulations that prohibit the harvesting of immature colonies. Harvesting of Black Coral is prohibited in most locations in the world.

Black Coral is rare and, when polished, it shines with such luster you can almost see your own reflection in it. Its stunning contrast against yellow gold makes it a wonderful gift as well as a beautiful keepsake to treasure forever. Black Coral gives one a perfect reminder of a trip to the Islands.

As with many gemstones today, be careful that what is being bought is genuine Black Coral and not faux, plastics or other imitations that abound, especially in the Caribbean.

Coral Fossils for Jewelry !

Natural Coral Fossil cut as a Pendant

Corals are simple animals that secrete skeletons made of calcium carbonate. They are close relatives of sea anemones and jellyfish and are the main reef builders in modern oceans. Corals can be either colonial or solitary.

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As fossils, corals are found worldwide in sedimentary rocks. Based on these fossils, we know that the corals began their long evolutionary history in the Middle Cambrian period, over 510 million years ago. In Kansas, they were deposited from about 315 to 250 million years ago. Nice coral fossils are found in Pennsylvanian and Permian rock formations. Although corals are the main reef builders in modern oceans, not all corals build reefs. In addition to the corals, which are called framework organisms, other organisms contribute to the formation of reefs. For example, modern reefs are inhabited by binding organisms (such as encrusting algae) and filler organisms (such as snails, bivalves, and sponges), whose skeletons fill in the spaces in the reef after death.

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Two groups of corals were important inhabitants of the Pennsylvanian and Permian seas--tabulate and rugose corals. Tabulate corals were exclusively colonial and produced calcium carbonate skeletons in a variety of shapes: moundlike, sheetlike, chainlike, or branching. Tabulate corals get their name from horizontal internal partitions known as tabulae. Some tabulate corals were probably reef builders..
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Pink Coral Fossil and Indonesian Coral Fossil are among the most commonly found Coral Fossils used in todays jewelry.

Coral fossil material displays the unusual internal structure of the original coral. Coral fossil cuts and polishes like Agate, but in most cases are a bit softer.

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Red Eye Coral and Black Eye Coral are two of the more unusual types of Coral Fossil found in present day markets. Both come from sea floors around South East Asia.

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Sponge Coral ! That's its trade name. It is known to marine biologists as melithaea ochrace. A sponge coral really has nothing to do with sponges. It just looks like a sponge. Found mainly in the South China Sea, from Taiwan down to Indonesia, the sponge coral has a distinct fan-shaped appearance underwater. Until recently, sponge coral was not used for jewelry as they weren't considered jewelry-quality coral because they contained too many holes. However with the "farming" of man-enhanced Sponge Coral, we now have a renewable source and thus the harvesting and use of other natural corals is becoming more and more controlled, even to the extent that importation of coral is illegal into many countries without special government issued licenses, however Sponge Coral does not fall under these regulations. The majority of Sponge Coral used in jewelry has to date been shades of reds and oranges.

A very rare pure White Coral Fossil.

The coral can be cut and placed into very fine jewelry, such as this Black Coral ring. However, coral is best used in earrings and pendants, as its softness can allow it to be easily damaged in jewelry such as rings, unless properly protected.

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And of course in todays market place we have all kinds of fakes and man made gemstones. Although natural, colored coral fossil stones are normally found to have been helped a bit with some colorations from man.

Michigan's 'Green Turtle Stone' - "CHLORASTROLITE" !

YES, there is a stone known as the "Green Turtle Stone" It was not made up by some kids to cause a sensation.

In 1972, Chlorastrolite became the official State Gemstone for Michigan. Chlorastrolite is a beautiful green mineral with a chatlyant "turtle-back" pattern. Don't feel too bad if you are unfamiliar with the name. First of all, it is quite uncommon. Gem varieties are only found in Michigan. Secondly, there has been some confusion over the correct name as well as its true identity. It has been considered to be a Zoisite, a variety of Prehnite and a variety of Thomsonite. It has been called lotrite, kearsargeite, zonochlorite, lintonite, pumpellyite, chlorastrolite and greenstone. After much research, the IMA has ruled that the gem we are talking about is to be called "Chlorastrolite," - Michigan collectors still call it by the common name, "greenstone" or "Turtle Stone".

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Chlorastrolite occurs in the basalt layer deep under the Keweenaw Peninsula. When Isle Royale was formed off-shore from Keweenaw by an upheaval of the bedrock under Lake Superior, some of this material was brought to the surface. This tilting of the bedrock exposed the greenstone-bearing basalt. Wave action erodes the greenstones free and they may be found as beach gravel on the Isle. For many years this was thought to be the only source of the gem. When first offered in jewelry by the NewYork fashion stores in the 1890s, they were referred to as "Isle Royale Greenstones." To this day, many persons fail to realize that much of the Chlorastrolite occurred under the Keweenaw Peninsula and was discarded on mine dumps by the copper miners when they tunneled to the copper. The mines are not operating now and new material is not being brought to the surface, but the greenstones are usually overlooked by the rockhounds searching for copper. You can find gem-quality Chlorastrolite at the mine dumps if you look carefully. Greenstones have been found at most of the mines at Keweenaw; however, some mines produce better greenstones than others. The Central Mine, located just off US 41 north of Calumet, has been the most recent source of some of the largest greenstones.

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So as not to raise to much confusion or start an arguement over what is Michigan's selection, one needs to also know that Michigan's State Stone, which is much better known, especially to Lapidarist, is 'The Petoskey Stone'. Petoskey Stones are masses of fossil colony coral, Hexagonaria Percarinata. They occur abundantly in Devonian reef limestones of the Traverse Group in the northern part of the Southern Peninsula of Michigan. The Devonian Period was about 350 million years ago. Coral groups weathered out of the limestone were widely scattered by Pleistocene glacial action. They are readily found on beaches and in gravel deposits as pebbles and cobbles rounded by erosion. Petoskey is the English adaptation of either "Be-dos-e-gay" or "Petosegay," an Ottawa Indian word and variant meaning "sun rays of the dawn."

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FORDITE - a man-made discard !

To answer a couple inquiries, although I have not actually used any in jewelry, I do have a couple sample pieces of Fordite. However I have seen none on the market for a while, especially pieces large enough to put into jewelry. Check with the Fordite web-site as I noticed they do have some jewelry available. It is sometimes amazing what mother-nature can do with stuff that man throws away or discards as useless junk or no longer usable.

Fordite is a unique automotive enamel material. Originally in the Ford Motor Plants the layered automotive paint slag "rough" was made incidentally by the now extinct practice of hand spray-painting multiples of production cars in big paint rooms of the automobile factories. The oversprayed paint in the painting bays gradually built up on the tracks and skids that the car frames were painted on. Over time, many colorful layers built up there. These layers were hardened repeatedly in the ovens that the car bodies went into to cure the paint. Some of these deeper layers were even baked 100 times. Eventually, the paint build-up would become obstructing, or too thick and heavy, and had to be removed. So it was chipped off and thrown out behind the plants in slag piles to do whatever old paint does in nature as seen below.

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Some of the workers with an eye for beauty realized that this unique byproduct was worth salvaging. It had already been super-cured, patterned like psychedelic agate, and could be cut and polished with relative ease! As word got around about this remarkable material, rock hounds started showing up at auto factories, offering to help remove that problematic paint slag! Sadly, the techniques that produced this great rough years ago, are no longer in practice. Cars are now painted by way of an electrostatic process that essentially magnetizes the enamels to the car bodies. This leaves little, or no overspray. The old factory methods that created this incredible material are long gone. Thus the Fordite “mines” are dry.

It is possible through some dealers to still acquire pieces of Fordite, both the "US" and "British" versions. You might also look under "Motor Agate", "Detroit Agate" and sometimes it is called "Gordianite". Do not confuse Fordite with "Bowlerine", another man-made material where old bowling balls are cut up, polished and being used as stones in jewelry. Fordite.com has identified 4 basic types of Fordite -

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Type 1: Separated Colors - Regular grey banding of primer layers between color layers.
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Type 2: Color on Color - Opaques and metallics. Limited colors. Small parts collection.
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Type 3: Color on Color - Drippy, with multiple colors and layers. Psychedelic lace and orbital patterns, with occasional surface channeling.
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Type 4: Color on Color - Opaques and metallics, with bleeding, thin color layers, sometimes containing pitted layers.
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Then you have to seperarte which is Great Britian, Detroit or Ohio versions. Most "US" is Type 1, while the "British" is Type 2 and 3. And to make things interesting, there has been a Type 3 version found at a GM plant in Wisconsin.

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Thanks to the folks at www.fordite.com for their information and pictures. Some pictures are of material we have acquired.
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INTERESTING GEMSTONE ROUGH

It is always interesting to find very showy gemstones, but some just seem to stand out from the rest. The following are some examples of not new stones, but interesting ones that are not seen very often and when found are grabbed quickly by those who know what they are.

KOROIT Boulder and Matrix Opal material from Australia.

What is so interesting about the KOROIT material is the varied colors.

Then there is the stone that when someone claims to be a gemologist, you ask them about - MAW SIT SIT which comes from the northern area of Myanmar (Burma). Maw Sit Sit is a unique arggregate metamorphic rock.

Another Australian find from the back-country is the ANDAMOOKA Opal material.

Then close to home we have CHALCOPYRITE, a copper-iron-sulfite material better known as Peacock Stone to those in Arizona.

And then a fairly new stone on the market, SONORA SUNRISE, a combination of Chrysacolla-Cuprite-Malachite that was found in the region around Sonora, Mexico.

And the new kid on the block in terms of new finds. Wello opals were discovered in 2007 in Wello, Ethiopia. Since then, Wello opals have been captivating the gem world.

KYANITE - A Unique Gemstone !

Kyanite is named after the Greek word for "blue". Its color indeed can make it a lovely gem with a near sapphire-like blue. Usually its color is blue but also can be colorless, white, gray, green or yellow. Color is most often not consistent throughout the crystal, often showing white streaks in a medium blue. Luster is vitreous to almost pearly. Its variable hardness is a significant characteristic that has to be taken in consideration by the gem-cutter. It is one of only two gemstones where the same crystal can have two distinct hardnesses, called anisotropic. Hardness is 4- 4.5 when cut parallel to the long axis of the crystal and 6-7 when cut perpendicular to or across the long axis. It is a very nice gemstone for earrings or pendants, but does not do well in rings.

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Deposits of Kyanite are found in Austria, Brazil, India, Kenya, Myanmar, Serbia, Switzerland, United States and Zimbabwe. There are two well known outcrops of Kyanite-bearing pegmatite along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, one of which lies within the National Forest boundary. The location is often erroneously refered to as the Balsam Gap Kyanite fields or the Parkway Kyanite location. The site has to some extent been reclaimed by the National Park Service.

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Kyanite is a member of the aluminosilicate series, which also includes the polymorph Andalusite and the polymorph Sillimanite. Kyanite's anisotropism can be considered an major identifying characteristic.

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Currently there are no known treatments for enhancing this gemstone. Kyanite is primarily a collector's mineral, but is used in jewelry and once in a while, especially out of Brazil, there are finds that can be faceted.

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The following is a Necklace and Earring Set combining Kyanite Barrels and Round Beads, with Mother of Pearl Beads and Silver highlights.

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TEKTITES - from out of this world ?

Tektites (from Greek tektos, molten) are natural glass rocks up to a few centimeters in size, which most scientists argue were formed by the impact of large meteorites on the Earth's surface. Tektites are typically black or olive-green, and their shape varies from rounded to irregular. Tektites are still poorly understood. They are irregularly- and at times intricately-shaped nodules and blobs of a glassy substance. They have no crystal structure, and are therefore similar to Obsidian, but are not associated with volcanic processes.

This impact theory of Tektites relies on the observation that Tektites cannot be found in most places on the Earth's surface. They are only found in four strewnfields, three of which are associated with known impact craters. Only the largest and geologically youngest Tektite deposit in Southeast Asia, has not been definitively linked to an impact site, probably because even very large impact structures are often not easy to detect. Also, the bigger the strewnfield, the bigger the area to search for the crater. Since several new craters are identified every year, this is not really regarded as a problem by proponents of the Tektite impact theory.
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The age of Moldavites, also miss-spelled Maldavite, a type of Tektite found in the Czech Republic, has been determined to be 14 million years. This age also exist for Tektites from the North American strewnfield and the Chesapeake Bay impact crater and Tektites from the Ivory Coast strewnfield and the Lake Bosumtwi-Crater.

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Tektites are among the "driest" rocks, with an average water content of 0.005%. This is very unusual, as most if not all of the craters where Tektites may have formed were underwater before impact. Also, partially melted Zircons have been discovered inside a handful of tektites. This, along with the water content, suggests that the tektites were formed under phenomenal temperature and pressure not normally found on the surface of the Earth.

The various known Tektites are:

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European strewnfield:
--Moldavites (Czech Republic, green)

Only Tektites from this area are clear or large enough to be faceted.
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Australasian strewnfield:
--Australites (Australia, dark, mostly black)

--Indochinites (South East Asia, dark, mostly black)

--Chinites (China, black)

North American strewnfield:
--Bediasites (USA, Texas, reddish-black)

--Georgiaites (USA, Georgia, brownish-green)

Ivory Coast strewnfield:

--Ivorites (Ivory Coast, black)

Though the meteorite impact theory of Tektite formation is widely accepted, minority theories propose alternate ideas of Tektite formation.

Also do not confuse Tektites with Meteorities, which will be discussed in a later Blog.

Pictures of Tektites from those owned or from friends collections.

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ROSC Luncheon - March 24th 2011

With Easter looming next month, here are some Gemstone Rosaries that will be available at the upcoming Randolph Officer's Spouses Club luncheon being held at the O'Club on March 24th.

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GEMSTONE JEWELRY - pendants for your own designs !

Being able to design and make ones own gemstone jewelry has become a popular past time in the present economy. In order to help those along who wish to try their hand at this craft, not only do we offer the completed gemstone jewelry sets, but also offer finished pendants that can be used with whatever selecton of gemstone beads you might have acquired elsewhere. Some are cabochons which have to be mounted in settings, some are drilled for hanging on or attaching to necklaces and some already have bails attached for inclusion in your design. Here are some of the newer and more unusual pendenat current in stock.

See these and many more at the Jewelry by CnC booth at the

Encino Park 27th Annual Fall Craft Fair this coming weekend

Oct 2nd and 3rd from 9AM until 5PM both days.

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