Minerals.net

2017 Tucson Show - InnSuites Minerals Part 2

February 13, 2017 Hershel Friedman (0)

Here are the remainder pictures for the individual mineral photos that we took at the InnSuites show. While we have many more good photographs, we had to limited ourselves to the top thirty or so in terms of quality and importance.

Iridescent Sphalerite with Fluorite from the Elmwood Mine, TN
Natural Selection Crystals

New Find of Stalactitic Quartz from Aurangabad, India(Mined 2016)
Global Mineral Stones (India)

Large Crystallized Azurite Plate from Nchanga Open Pit, Chingola, Zambia
Le Sueur Minerals & Gems

Large Goethite Pseudomorphs after Pyrite from Chivor, Colombia
Henry Ospina Minerals

Fluorite on Siderite from West Boltsburn, Rookehope, Weardale, England
Graeber & Himes Minerals

New Find of Amethyst from Calabar, Nigeria
Barnett Fine Minerals

Zoomed In to Some of the Amethyst from Calabar, Nigeria
Barnett Fine Minerals

Blue-Tipped Celestine from a new occurrence in the city of Austin, TX
Barnett Fine Minerals

New Find of Yellow Calcite from Williamson Co, TX
Barnett Fine Minerals

New Finds of Crocoite, Gibbsite, & Dundasite from the Adelaide Mine, Tasmania, Australia
The Adelaide Mine

Rare Cerussite from the Adelaide Mine, Tasmania, Australia
The Adelaide Mine

An Enormous Barite Crystal from the Linwood Mine, Buffalo, Iowa
Saga Minerals

Another Style of Barite Recently Found at the Linwood Mine, Buffalo, Iowa
Saga Minerals

Hematite Crystal Cluster from the N'chaning Mines, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa
Capetown Matrix Crystals

New Grainy form of Sugilite from the N'chaning Mines, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa
Capetown Matrix Crystals

"Grape Agate" from Mamuju, Suldwesi Island, Indonesia
Alfredo Petrov Minerals

Minerals.net February 2017 Newsletter!

February 6, 2017 Hershel Friedman (0)

You can now view our February 2017 newsletter online. This is our special Tucson edition. Please click the image below for the larger version.

Guest Post: All about Tanzanite from Tanzania

January 31, 2017 Administrator (0)

Traveling to Tanzania for Tanzanite

Steve Moriarty, an experienced jeweler from Indiana has been traveling to Tanzania for the past 20 years in search of Tanzanite. His first trip was in 1994. On his first trip, he chose hundreds of rough stones, and two of his most notable pieces that were over 250 carats each. One cut to 97 carats and another to 122 carats. He has been going back ever since.

What Can You Find in Tanzania?

Steve’s latest trip to Tanzania was in search of more Tanzanite rough and other gemstones that have been mined in the area in recent years. Many people think Tanzania only has Tanzanite, but there are actually quite a few different gemstones coming out of the area’s mines. Some of the local gemstones purchased by Steve on this trip included over 100 carats of rough Tanzanite, 16 carats of Rhodolite Garnet, 7 carats of Zircon, 24 carats of Spessartite Garnet, and a few carats of the other gemstones including yellow Star Sapphire.

Buying Gemstones in Tanzania

Have you ever considered traveling to Tanzania for Tanzanite? There are different places you can go to find Tanzanite and other gemstones in Tanzania. When traveling to Tanzania in search of gemstones, it is easiest is to stay in the main towns such as Arusha and meet with local dealers. These local dealers tend to charge more than other in the more remote locations. . Buying in the towns is generally safer, with the buying usually held behind locked doors and with security guards. One can never be too safe there! Many times, dealers will come to the hotels of known buyers to show you their finds.. Another option is going directly to the mines. You can sometimes run into miners looking to sell what they just brought up out of the mines. You really are getting them direct, sometimes a third less than the price that they are in town. During Steve’s last trip, he actually went down into the mines to see Tanzanite being mined right out of the walls around him. It was quite an experience. The riskiest way to buy is directly in the small mining towns. The benefit of buying here is that you’re getting what just came out of the ground, with an excellent selection of gemstones. They are also much cheaper than at other locations, because they haven’t gone through any middlemen. There is a $100 mine fee, but the price at what you get the Tanzanite for covers it easily. But the risk is safety. You can get robbed or worse. Many times Steve was followed when doing buying trips. He now keeps a bodyguard and local representative with him when doing these types of trips. During his last trip a miner ran straight up to the car, but then revealed the biggest Tanzanite he had seen on his trip. An amazing piece, but the cost was well beyond budget, so as good as it was, he couldn’t afford it at that time.

Testing Tanzanite

Being in close proximity to the mining sources of Tanzanite doesn’t preclude the risk of running into fakes or just poor quality material. Its important to have a background in gemstones, and be very knowledgeable about Tanzanite. Tools can be used to grade and test Tanzanite. What Steve likes to do is immerse the Tanzanite in a special liquid to see inside the stone. It covers the outside of the stone so you can more accurately seen the inside's imperfections if it has any. Steve’s recommended tools include the following:

Dicroscope
Loupe
Visor
Emerson Fluid
Pen Light

Getting Tanzanite Back to the USA

As of November 2015,the Tanzanian government made it illegal to export rough Tanzanite out of the country. To counter this law, Steve therefore set up a cutting center in Tanzania where he could cut the gemstones that he just purchased into a finished state.. This allows him to bring it back into the United States legally. Most people traveling to Tanzania are buying Tanzanite already in a finished state, so they won’t have such a problem.

What is the Future of Tanzanite?

Because Tanzania is the only country in the world where Tanzanite is found, there is a possibility that it may run out. Natural disasters, mining rights, and government control can also stop the mining of this valuable gemstone. This makes Tanzanite not only great for jewelry, but as an investment as well.

About Steve Moriarty

Steve Moriarty has been in the jewelry industry for over 30 years as both a wholesaler and owning his own jewelry store. He is a certified gemologist, a gem cutter,and an appraiser. He has traveled the world in search of gemstones, especially Africa, in the last decade. He is not the only Moriarty in the jewelry business:his two sons, wife, brother and nephew also work along with him.

Content sponsored by Tanzanite Jewelry Designs.

Minerals of the Midwest: Special Tucson Edition Post

January 19, 2017 Hershel Friedman (0)

In recognition of the 2017 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show®, we are proud to present "Minerals of the Midwest," a compilation of photos of some of the most well-known mineral types from the Midwestern United States. "Minerals of the Midwest" is the theme this year at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show®, which will feature public showcase exhibits of some of the finest Midwest minerals of the world from museums and private collections.

"Midwest" is a broadly defined term. The show organizers have incorporated a loose definition of the Midwest to include the following states: Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

A special thank you goes to John Betts for supplying the exceptional photos for this compilation.

Barite
Elk Creek, South Dakota