What's New

30 August  Three stones were added to inventory today: SP3860 and SP3861, two natural purple, round Sapphires; and GR3862 a very lovely sparkling Mandarin Spessartite Garnet.

31 July  I posted today photos of three African Sapphires, two blue-greens and one greenish yellow (SP3848, SP3849, SP3850). These stones may have undergone heat-treatment in a clay crucible using coconut shell charcoal with an occasional stream of air by a mouth blowpipe to moderate the temperature. This treatment lasts only a couple minutes or so and makes certain stones—like these greens from Africa—lighter and brighter if they were overdark. This process is performed on the rough before cutting. Detection of the process would be very difficult or impossible to ascertain since the treatment is very brief and the heat is so relatively low compared with standard heat treatment processes with kilns. Since the possibility of treatment exists, detectable or not, I have of course not highlighted the stones as untreated or "natural."

27 July      Two green Sapphires, both rounds of 7mm or greater, clean and full of life (SP3843 and SP3844). A fine 6.0mm round natural Ceylon blue Sapphire (SP3845-SOLD) and a saturate, sparkling purple 5.9mm round (SP3846-SOLD). Some excellent vanadium(?) green Tourmalines are being repolished and will be posted in the next few days.

23 July     A very fine chrome-green Tourmaline (possibly colored by Vanadium rather than Chromium) hailing from East Africa (prob. Tanzania), 2.72cts, loupe-clean (TU3841-reserved). And I posted SP3842 an all-natural blue Sapphire, a lovely, clean oval of exactly 2.00cts.

20 July    Two very fine gems were added today. First, a 10.66ct orange Rhodolite cushion that is stunning in its brilliance and depth of color (GR3839) and, second, a 3.05ct bright, superbly cut, natural Ceylon blue Sapphire (SP3840). Excellent stones both.

17 July    Two beautiful green African Tourmalines were posted today: a trilliant (TU3835) and an oval (TU3834), both of them exceptionally bright and vivid in hue. Also a lovely gold Zircon cushion (ZR3833), a delightful, long drop-shape Aquamarine of 4+cts (BR3815), and a superb, top-color Rhodolite cushion of 11.73cts (GR3838).

14 July   Just posted a photo and description of a 3.16ct natural purple Sapphire, a lovely cushion shape. Very bright and clean! (SP3836)

12 July  I added SI0543X8, a deeply colored teal Spinel with a color shift to purple under incandescent light. Also a trio of extremely bright, round green Sapphires, each a slightly different hue: unusual! (SP3832)  Finally, another champagne Kunzite (KN3796C) was added, a 30+ct cushion of incomparable transparency as well as a delightful pair of 5.5mm round Sapphires of smoldering Ceylon color (SP3809).

11July   Nearly too many stones to enumerate! Spessartite Mandarin Garnets, including the 5.03ct Mandarin GR3219 which was just recut to make it the most brilliant possible—and it is! (GR3811A, GR3811B, GR3810). Blue Zircons—six of them, all with great color (ZR3816), and a gorgeous champagne Zircon (ZR3825). A 7mm round blue Sapphire (SP3808-SOLD), a 1.76ct pink Sapphire, two green Sapphires (SP3824, SP3823), and a very nice blue Sapphire cushion of 2.57cts (SP3829). Some very fine large (11.5mm) round Hessonite Garnets (GR3819, GR3818) and a lustrous, smoldering orange 9.5mm round pair (GR3820). A beautiful round mint-green Tourmaline (TU3817) and a cushion chrome Tourmaline (TU3821). There is also a lovely Rhodolite Garnet cushion (GR3828) and a fine 8mm round orange Spessartites (GR3812).

08 July  Just added some very interesting and beautiful stones. Five pieces of rutilated Topaz that are crystal-clear and eye-catching (TP3803A-E). Three very saturate pieces of yellow Beryl, one of them 51cts plus (TP3797). A pair of oval blue Zircons that are very richly colored and beautifully cut (ZR3802). A pair of drop-shape Kunzites with fine color (KN3804) as well as a beautiful cushion Kunzite, also a deep lavender color (KN3805). More Kunzites (Spodumene) but champagne tints of gold and pink and tan: all-natural, no treatment, and hailing from Afghanistan (KN3796) A very unusual blue-green oval Tourmaline from Africa (TU3830). And two Spessartite Garnets, deep orange color (GR3801A, GR3801B).

30 March    BR3787 is a fantastic, natural green Beryl from Sri Lanka that is slightly bluish green (my bad photo shows yellowish green but don’t believe it!). There is a parcel of calibrated Sri Lankan color-change Garnets (green to mauve), some Star Sapphires, some pink Sapphires. Ask me about what is not yet pictured and I’ll be happy to supply you with details!

Adding New Stones All The Time!