Inclusions in Garnets

[Stone Hunter]

I have tried doing a search on these and not found much info. Some is about garnets being the inclusion in diamonds! I did find out that cleaning garnets with the US and steam could expand already existing inclusions. Good to know.

My Spess is eyeclean. I don''t remember how Barry rated it. But now under a loop I see a possible inclusion. I don''t remember seeing it before, but I''ve gotten better at using a loop. I''m worried that it''s an internal crack. Yes I''m a worry wort.

I thought it was dirt and tried cleaning with water and a toothbrush but it''s still there. I see something that looks like a needle or a line, and I see a black thing. Does this sound like I need a different way to clean my ring or is it an inclusion?

Sorry I have no idea of how to get a photo of this.

 

[chrono]

As a precaution, I only use an ammonia-free jewellery cleaner or soapy water, rinse and pat dry on all my gemstones. I would not use steam on any gemstones, but don't mind cleaning sapphires in the US. I just don't feel comfortable putting other gemstones in the US even if they don't contain liquid inclusions.

How powerful is your loupe? Put the loupe to your eye, then bring the garnet slowly up to the eye (loupe) until you get the right focus. Having sufficient lighting will help as well.

 

[icekid]

I''m with Chrono. It would just make me too nervous to use the ultrasonic! I treat my sapphire basically the same as my diamond though; it is a pretty hearty stone!

 

[Stone Hunter]

Thanks folks.

I'm not using an US. I do put the loupe up to my eye and then bring the stone up.

I did another search and found Mr. Zeolite talking about Spess having needle like inclusions. Maybe it's always been there and I'm getting better with the loupe?



EDITED for spelling.

 

[chrono]

SH,
It could be that your skills with the loupe is improving.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Date: 5/17/2009 4:31:51 PM
Author: Chrono
SH,
It could be that your skills with the loupe is improving.

That would be a good thing. I was concerned about wearing my garnet out of the house last night. Seeing things in it made me thing it was fragile. And from all my research on PS garnets are hard and cleavage free so they should be a good stone to wear frequently, and not fragile. I''m still searching for more info about inclusions in garnets.

 

[chrono]

I know that spessartites from Loliondo have tell tale sugars or bubble inclusions and those from Namibia have wispy veils.

 

[blithesome71]

Hi Stone Hunter! You might wanna see some inclusions here: http://www.gemyes.com/garnet.html

 

[T L]

My mint green grossular has what is known as a "comet tail" inclusion. It's known to occur in these stones. It reminds me a bit of the horsetail inclusions in demantoid garnets.

 

[chrono]

I''ve also seen sugars or bubbles in tsavorites - sometimes the bubbles are interspersed across the stone evenly, and I''ve also seen some clustered together where they look more like a feather to the naked eye.

 

[megeve]

Date: 5/17/2009 11:46:36 PM
Author: Chrono
I've also seen sugars or bubbles in tsavorites - sometimes the bubbles are interspersed across the stone evenly, and I've also seen some clustered together where they look more like a feather to the naked eye.

I have been reading this thread with much interest! Chrono, how do sugar inclusions look like? Do you have an example to show? Thanks!

 

[Stone Hunter]

Date: 5/17/2009 10:13:00 PM
Author: blithesome71
Hi Stone Hunter! You might wanna see some inclusions here: http://www.gemyes.com/garnet.html

THANKS those were interesting and make my stone look very clean.

 

[chrono]

Megeve,
This is a Jeff White Loliondo spessartite. It's difficult to make it out clearly but the inclusions are all tiny bubbles.

 

[megeve]

Date: 5/18/2009 12:49:43 PM
Author: Chrono
Megeve,
This is a Jeff White Loliondo spessartite. It''s difficult to make it out clearly but the inclusions are all tiny bubbles.

Thanks, Chrono! I am considering a 8+cts Loliondo spess which has slightly light inclusions (I am waiting to hear from dealer what kind of inclusions it will be). Thanks for the pic!

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 5/17/2009 4:19:53 PM
Author:Stone Hunter
My Spess is eyeclean...But now under a loop I see a possible inclusion. I don''t remember seeing it before, but I''ve gotten better at using a loop. I''m worried that it''s an internal crack. Yes I''m a worry wort.

Eye clean means you must use a 10-power loupe to see any inclusions. Don''t worry! Minor natural inclusions are excellent proof the stone came from the earth, not a laboratory. Spessartite is not known to be commercially synthesized at present, but in the future who knows?

GIA rates colored stones into 3 clarity groups: Type I (usually loupe clean); Type II (eye clean but some inclusions nearly always expected, even eye-visible ones in larger stones); and Type III (nearly always having eye-visible inclusions like emerald and red tourmaline).

Spessartite is a Type II gem and truly loupe-clean spessartites are rare and quite expensive. Spessartite inclusions hardly ever endanger the stones except in the case of major surface-reaching cracks. Cracked stones are never sold by reputable dealers.

Spessartite is a manganese garnet. Fine spessartites often have tiny black specks of manganese inside that are visible only with magnification. The "needle" you see is probably a rutile crystal. Rutile is a very common inclusion in garnet; it''s the "silk" that creates "stars" in some garnets when properly cut.

Other common inclusions in spessartite are both liquid and 2-phase (solid and liquid). "Guest crystals" of the same or other minerals are often found, as are "negative crystals," hollow cavities left when the original crystalline inclusions were somehow dissolved. Sometimes these negative crystals and liquid inclusions form patterns that look like fingerprints. Sometimes they''re called "bubbles."

Colored gems are not diamonds! Even the GIA which created diamond clarity standards in the U.S. has developed entirely different standards, as above, for grading color. For instance, GIA says no magnification should be used in clarity grading. Only stones with eye-visible inclusions are graded "slightly included," "moderately included," "heavily included" and "severely included."

Richard M.

 

[ger100]

I bought a 2 ctw Melon Spessartite in a ring a few years ago. When I started to study gems, I louped it, because I thought it was "too perfect." I noticed that it also has a fine "fan" of needles which can only be seen with magnification (just to the side, not obvious to plain eye). I wrote down Tirodite, but not sure where I got that from.
Ger

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 5/18/2009 3:58:29 PM
Author: ger100
I bought a 2 ctw Melon Spessartite in a ring a few years ago. When I started to study gems, I louped it, because I thought it was ''too perfect.'' I noticed that it also has a fine ''fan'' of needles which can only be seen with magnification (just to the side, not obvious to plain eye). I wrote down Tirodite, but not sure where I got that from.

Ger

Tirodite is a manganese mineral and is known to be associated with spessartites from some locations. This quote from the Pala Gems site describes it: "mandarin spessartites from Namibia...often contain small colorless fibers of tirodite that give the stones a sleepy overall appearance. When only small amounts are present, the effect can be quite beautiful, masking extinction and allowing the beautiful tangerine orange color to shine completely across the entire face of the gem."

What is a "Melon spessartite?"


Richard M.

 

[Stone Hunter]

THANK YOU Richard M. your post about inclusions was very helpful. I''m starting to feel OK about the inclusions.

I looked at some old photos of the stone and zoomed in and I think I see the inclusion in them, so it''s not new. I louped it last night in different lighting and it wasn''t visible. If I hold it between a lamp and my loupe then I see it. So rather than getting better with the loupe I think lighting has mad a difference.

I also checked out a post by Barbara at ACStones that talked about inclusions and said not to panic when looking at stones under maginifcation. So I''m trying not to panic. Inclusions are to be expected.

 

[blithesome71]

Ahmm, do Rosolite garnets have the same inclusion with hessonite? I mean, the "swirly" inclusions...? I tried to google much info about rosolite garnet & its inclusion but only found one which says that hessonite & pink/light pink grossular garnet have similar swirly inclusion. ''Cos I spotted this pink oval gem (1.3ct) that has the same tiny swirly inclusions with my hessonite garnet, though my hessonite is more included than this pink baby. I asked the vendor what gem is it & she told me that she''s not sure if it''s pink sapphire ''cos it''s actually been in their inventory for like years. I just happen to noticed it from the most secluded part of their stocks. Lol.

Hope someone can shed some light to this. TY in advance.

 

[m76steve]

richard m-this is a spess pendent - upper stone is over 8.5cts & lower stone is over 7cts-was told they are mandarin quality almost flawless-just wanted you to see what i have been told are good examples of spess...

 

[T L]

Date: 6/10/2009 5:24:59 AM
Author: m76steve
richard m-this is a spess pendent - upper stone is over 8.5cts & lower stone is over 7cts-was told they are mandarin quality almost flawless-just wanted you to see what i have been told are good examples of spess...

Steve,
I don''t know if that''s just a bad photograph, but those look to have too much of a brown modifier in them to be considered "mandarin" or "fanta" shade. Is the photograph true to the color IRL?

 

[T L]

Date: 5/17/2009 4:19:53 PM
Author:Stone Hunter
I have tried doing a search on these and not found much info. Some is about garnets being the inclusion in diamonds! I did find out that cleaning garnets with the US and steam could expand already existing inclusions. Good to know.

My Spess is eyeclean. I don''t remember how Barry rated it. But now under a loop I see a possible inclusion. I don''t remember seeing it before, but I''ve gotten better at using a loop. I''m worried that it''s an internal crack. Yes I''m a worry wort.

I thought it was dirt and tried cleaning with water and a toothbrush but it''s still there. I see something that looks like a needle or a line, and I see a black thing. Does this sound like I need a different way to clean my ring or is it an inclusion?

Sorry I have no idea of how to get a photo of this.

Spessertites can contain needles in them, and if it is one, I wouldn''t worry. The black thing might be a maganese inclusion. I wouldn''t worry about either of them.

 

[chrono]

Steve,
I would love to see better pictures; those 2 spessartites are showing brown modifiers in what I believe to be in a poor quality picture. I was told that for the camera to see the true colour, try taking pictures outdoors on a cloudy day or shaded by the hand.

 

[m76steve]

sorry for picture quality-pics were taken in a light box indoors under flourescent lights-camera is middle of the road quality-i can do better but not really important-am after honest responces and critiques of what i offer the pannel-thanks...will keep on line with u all...