Nice! Yeah I really like Spinel Usually in decent sizes, somewhat flawless material with excellent refraction, Beautiful color range mostly untreated( I think) and fairly hard. But somehow overlooked and underrated. Maybe since it has a history of being manufactured it was given a bad name , or who knows?? Gem A looks like really nice color.
I looove spinel. It's rarer than ruby, just as brilliant but is a little softer (though still very hard). I heard the best spinel comes from Burma... They have recetnly opened their doors for trade, anyone know if this means more gems from there will be available?
Hi, i have not yet been able to source any stones from Burma, sounds exciting.. if you get any addtional info let us know please. thanks, 1for1
I got my Burmese spinel from a town called Chanthaburi in Thailand a couple of years back.. That's the only place where to go as far as I know. They had stockpiles of rough from years ago they were cutting.. At the time when I went nothing new was coming out of Burma. I tgink things are different now. Good luck.
You dont mean Kanchanaburi do you? Chantaburi is on the other side near Cambodia, but Kanchanaburi is closer to Bangkok and not too far from the Burmese border. If you know a specific trusted dealer I could probably make it there and back on the weekend on my motorbike Edit: Also I have a planned trip all along the northern edge of the Thai-Burma border later this month. I will keep an eye out for anythng of interest.... if you are going to get smuggled good this will be the place, it is mountainous and covered in thick jungle which makes this border area particularly porous.
.. It was Chanthaburi near Cambodia. That's where the gem cutters are. Never heared of the other place, if its near Burma it's probably good. Happy gem hunting. P.s The best piece I got from there was a 2.2 carat Tsavorite garnet for around $800.. Top colour and luster. Offering them less than half of what they ask for is common practice.
I dont understand :/ A 'porous border' is a common way to describe a border that is easily crossed legally or illegally... It may be covered in jungle and mountainous, but this just makes it hard to Police, the hill tribes dont actually give turtle about official borders. And it borders on the Shan state which is in armed rebellion so those rebels move across it as well.
"Edit: Also I have a planned trip all along the northern edge of the Thai-Burma border later this month. I will keep an eye out for anythng of interest.... if you are going to get smuggled good this will be the place, it is mountainous and covered in thick jungle which makes this border area particularly porous." Sounds great. Let us know how you go!