Source: Source: Here is the best photo I could get of the bubble, it is between the lower iron spot and my thumb in the picture , it is really hard to capture without movement as the bubble moves when you tilt the stone. Also a picture of the top , no termination but nice and clean.
Was that a play on words? "Defiantly" not for sale? LOL Very apt!! The second of those two pieces of aqua rough seems a very nice darker shade of aqua. Cheap aqua rough is almost washed out blue to nearly clear. That aqua would be a definite AQUA. Aqua and natural blue topaz look similar in the rough. But cut, the blue topaz more often loses its "blue" tinge while the aqua becomes so much brighter with the blue standing out more. I still very much prefer your green tourmalines though.
Dont know how or why different compositions and hardness occurs. I just like rocks and stones. Prefer most examples in their natural form. Hoping some of the stonecutters or geologists on here can provide more complex info. Or for that matter anyone who paid attention during high school science.
What sort of "crystal" are you talking about? All gemstones have a different hardness. Some gemstones, for example Ruby and Sapphires, come from the same family of gem "crystal" ie Corundum and get their name because of their color. A ruby is just a red sapphire. And sapphires can be almost any colour including parti sapphires which are not one distinct colour. examples of gemstone hardness (whether in "Crystal" form or water worn form). Tourmaline "crystals" 7 Quartz "crystals" 7 Garnet "crystals" 6.5-7.5 Beryl (which includes Emerald, Aquamarine and Morganite) 7.5-8 Corundum (which includes Sapphire, Ruby etc ) 9 Diamond 10
Hi Lucky luke yeah these two Aquas are just not for sale because I found them , I can buy stones all day long but it is much more difficult to go find them myself and this area is so heavily claimed now I bearly go there . Yes the dark one is very nice it does have some fractures but also some nice gemmy material. The lighter one is nearly flawless and it was funny in that is was just lying on top of a mass scree field on top of a very steep mountain about 13500 ft. , just sitting there waiting to be crushed . glad you like them , yes the Tourmaline is some of my favorite ,I dont think I would have much chance finding that myself especially since the areas these come from are very dangerous, its dangerous enough just dealing with the miners...
I know what you mean in terms of the sentimental value of self sourced stones. I can buy topaz in quantity here at cents / ct. However I found an absolutely flawless riverworn piece the size of a small chickens egg. That I am determined to cut into a single large stone. What I'll do with it I dont' know. Maybe hang it around my dogs collar. :lol: re: Tourmaline. I've sourced a few good sized lots from Nigeria as research in terms of material quality/colour. The attraction being Rubellite coloured Tourmaline. The plan was to do a trip or two over there to purchase some large lots first hand. Appears to be a little too dangerous now. That would also no doubt go for the lovely Tourmaline that can be sourced from Afghanistan/Pakistan. Still, who-ever takes the risks (along with the research entailed) gains the rewards. If it was easy to get, then everyone would have some.
If it was easy to get, then everyone would have some. Too True..., could you post pictures of the large topaz ,what country is it from? , I would love to see that!
re: topaz. With pleasure. The topaz is all Australian (Mt Surprise). One of the best Topaz producing areas in Australia. Also known for blue topaz but it is a very light blue and needs to be cut at the right angle so that the blue can be seen looking down into the crown otherwise the colour ends up washed out. The area is also know for aquamarine however, to be honest, I'm yet to see any.
