Show us your rough

[mochi]

Date: 3/31/2009 12:05:47 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Yes, they were there since the last drop. The congo one and the light yellow green one, right? I found a cushion mint Afghan tourmaline that would fit it perfectly, but the vendor refused to send me any additional pictures, and it was a 2.5 carat stone for over $500. For that kind of money, I would like more pictures, and he said ''absolutely not.'' It''s not a vendor we''re all used to dealing with though. That really irked me.

Yep, those two, I guess I wasn''t paying much attention. That really stinks that the vendor refused to take the time to do a couple of pictures, especially it the stone is going to be that much. That would raise a few flags...

 

[platinumrock]

Date: 3/30/2009 11:44:51 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Do you think it would good in my LOGR?

Hahahaaa....Sour Apple Ring Pop, anyone??

TL, that''s quite a speciman you got there.

I agree with the others, that looks like a collector''s piece.

I bet Rose Gold would make that POP!

 

[T L]

PR,
You are so funny. Someone needs to send you a bag of jolly ranchers!!

 

[platinumrock]

Date: 3/31/2009 11:19:30 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
PR,
You are so funny. Someone needs to send you a bag of jolly ranchers!!

Do they come in carats????

 

[T L]

Date: 4/3/2009 6:25:57 PM
Author: platinumrock

Date: 3/31/2009 11:19:30 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
PR,
You are so funny. Someone needs to send you a bag of jolly ranchers!!

Do they come in carats????

PR,
How ''bout some scope. This is the exact color of my tourmaline crystal. I''m still debating on what to do with it.
Cofor,
When are you going to show us more rough pics?

 

[platinumrock]

Date: 4/3/2009 11:25:03 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 4/3/2009 6:25:57 PM
Author: platinumrock

Date: 3/31/2009 11:19:30 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
PR,
You are so funny. Someone needs to send you a bag of jolly ranchers!!

Do they come in carats????

PR,
How ''bout some scope. This is the exact color of my tourmaline crystal. I''m still debating on what to do with it.

Cofor,
When are you going to show us more rough pics?

Scope??? Seriously? LOL...

Oh, TL, you make it sound so...unromantic!

What ever happened to "carribbean sea-foam green with a hint of aqua"?

I think it would make a great pendant! I just don''t know what shape it will be when cut....if you decide to facet it.

 

[T L]

Date: 4/3/2009 11:44:28 PM
Author: platinumrock

Date: 4/3/2009 11:25:03 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 4/3/2009 6:25:57 PM
Author: platinumrock

Date: 3/31/2009 11:19:30 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
PR,
You are so funny. Someone needs to send you a bag of jolly ranchers!!

Do they come in carats????

PR,
How ''bout some scope. This is the exact color of my tourmaline crystal. I''m still debating on what to do with it.


Cofor,
When are you going to show us more rough pics?

Scope??? Seriously? LOL...

Oh, TL, you make it sound so...unromantic!

What ever happened to ''carribbean sea-foam green with a hint of aqua''?

I think it would make a great pendant! I just don''t know what shape it will be when cut....if you decide to facet it.

You''re right, unromantic, but I do like the color of scope. Actually I was searching/looking up rough from Afghanistan, and several dealers call it Scope green, just like they use Windex blue to describe paraiba. Windex isn''t very romantic sounding either, or yummy like jolly ranchers. It''s really difficult to photograph the minty blue/green of the stone. It always turns out more green in the pics, so I thought the scope would help

 

[T L]

After taking about 12 million pics, this is about as Scope green as I could capture on the camera. It still looks better than this though. My camera washes out everything. It also has this darker band of color running through it on the bottom on one side. Kind of neat.

 

[platinumrock]

Date: 4/3/2009 11:53:05 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
After taking about 12 million pics, this is about as Scope green as I could capture on the camera. It still looks better than this though. My camera washes out everything. It also has this darker band of color running through it on the bottom on one side. Kind of neat.

What about honeydew green with a hint of wintermint?

PS: What''s next? Pine Sol Brown?

 

[cofor]

It''s been a while since posting any rough. I have been very busy at work and have also spent some time repolishing the hemisphere on a Duplex II refractometer I bought used. Now it works fine again.
The material below is from Mocambique. It has a refractive index of 1.762 and gives very bright and fiery red stones when cut. The material I still have is cherry picked from 3 kilograms bought in 1990 and pieces average 10 carats.

 

[chrono]

Date: 4/9/2009 4:41:19 PM
Author: cofor
It''s been a while since posting any rough. I have been very busy at work and have also spent some time repolishing the hemisphere on a Duplex II refractometer I bought used. Now it works fine again.
The material below is from Mocambique. It has a refractive index of 1.762 and gives very bright and fiery red stones when cut. The material I still have is cherry picked from 3 kilograms bought in 1990 and pieces average 10 carats.

That''s a knockout colour, cofor!

 

[Lady_Disdain]

TL - I have to join the chorus asking you not to cut that lovely crystal. I love faceted gems, but such a nice crystal has a beauty all of its own.

 

[cofor]

Here is a crystal that never will be cut. Smokey Quartz with amazonite crystals at the base. From somewhere in Colorado.

 

[cofor]

And because TL felt I had been neglecting my obligation to post images of rough here is another just for compensation

.
Brazilian emerald crystal 15x8x7 mm.

 

[chrono]

Interesting emerald rough: a blocky shape when most are sort of pencil like.

 

[T L]

Nice new rough pics Cofor!! Thanks for posting them.

 

[cofor]

Thanks TL

Here is another. African Amethyst. I do not recall from what country but could be Zambia. Bought a sack in 1988 so it''s no wonder I can''t remember the origin.

 

[T L]

Yes, it looks African. I have a faceted Zambian amethyst - very similar in color. It has a lot of blue in it like that stone.

 

[cofor]

Another Emerald crystal. Colombian this time.
Edit: misspelling

 

[chrono]

The emerald rough above this post looks minty!

 

[cofor]

Hehe, how different it can be. I consider it pale..

 

[chrono]

Date: 4/14/2009 12:09:25 PM
Author: cofor
Hehe, how different it can be. I consider it pale..

Do you mean the minty emerald? That''s just a nice term for a pale stone.

 

[cofor]

Red feldspar cat''s eye from Tanzania. Somewhere I have a cut stone from this material. Will try to locate it...

 

[zeolite]

Cofor, thank you for showing so many fine pictures of your rough!

Here is a facet grade 115 ct Pakistani topaz crystal. It is from the Swat valley, which in former times was a beautiful tourist area, but now has been taken over by militants, who have just imposed harsh Islamic law, including public beating of young Pakistani women (not a good place to visit now). I originally bought it to be cut, but decided that the crystal faces were too perfectly formed and polished to be cut. So it will remain as a superb crystal specimen. That is a difficult choice, since the value can be greatly increased with cutting.

The cut imperial topaz next to it is from Brazil. It is 3.60 ct and is shaped in a very unusual backgammon rectangle cut.

 

[chrono]

Date: 4/14/2009 5:38:10 PM
Author: zeolite
Cofor, thank you for showing so many fine pictures of your rough!

Here is a facet grade 115 ct Pakistani topaz crystal. It is from the Swat valley, which in former times was a beautiful tourist area, but now has been taken over by militants, who have just imposed harsh Islamic law, including public beating of young Pakistani women (not a good place to visit now). I originally bought it to be cut, but decided that the crystal faces were too perfectly formed and polished to be cut. So it will remain as a superb crystal specimen. That is a difficult choice, since the value can be greatly increased with cutting.

The cut imperial topaz next to it is from Brazil. It is 3.60 ct and is shaped in a very unusual backgammon rectangle cut.

Extremely impressive specimen. It makes the cut topaz look like a fly.

 

[T L]

Really gorgeous topaz material Zeolite. It''s very sad about the women in that country though. It pains me to hear such horrible things.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 4/13/2009 2:56:45 PM
Author: cofor
Another Emerald crystal. Colombian this time.

Edit: misspelling

So pretty! It looks like it glows!!

 

[cofor]

The "glow" comes from that the image was taken outside in strong daylight, I think.

Mr Zeolite, thanks for your kind words. Glad someone else shows their rough also. And what rough... impressive.

Regarding Swat Valley and Pakistan I spent some time there during 1995. I visited Islamabad, Peshawar, Swat, Khyber and into Afghanistan. The situation was not much diiferent then, at least not in Swat and the other side of the border. Did good business with many Taliban though. Taliban means scholar and has in western world unfortunately become synonymous with terrorist after 9-11. Women were mistreated in those parts during 1995 as well as now. From Peshawar and onwards into the tribal areas of both Pakistan and Afghanistan. I have travelled many parts of the globe but that area is the only where I have felt unsafe and consciously kept alert and "en guard". Felt strange for us Scandinavians to bribe our way through every f***ing military or tribal road block.

cofor

 

[cofor]

Gem Silica pretty translucent. I have even faceted some of this material long time ago.

 

[chrono]

Isn''t gem silica rather soft? Any picture of the final result?