It IS easy being green…

I’ve just listed some absolutely sublime high quality chrysoprase; pure apple green and beautifully translucent. I have singles (see left) and a few matched pairs (see right) and the matching is very good indeed. These are rose cut freeforms, also known as ‘polki’; a cut I have been stocking in increasingly large numbers as it is just so popular. The name comes from the Greek and means ‘golden apple’, a reference to the slightly yellowish hue these stones have, and the name should be confined to stones that are naturally this colour and not dyed. Needless to say, the chrysoprase I carry is not dyed! These stones are really special and I can see the pairs as earrings in gold window settings. I also have some new standard grade chrysoprase too. This is not quite as translucent; some stones are more translucent than others, but is still of good colour and quality and additionally I have some pairs in this material as well (see left). Chrysoprase is becoming increasingly popular; it’s a little bit emerald-like, a little bit jade-like, but without the attendant price tag, of course. Prices for the finer chrysoprase start at $21.50 for a single stone and $88 for a pair; for the standard grade, from $7.50 for a single and $35 for a pair. Click here to buy the high grade; click here for the standard grade, and click here for matched pairs.

http://www.joopygems.com/categories/freeform-rose-cuts-polki-and-cabochons/chrysoprase-freeform.html

Blue heaven

I’ve been quiet for a few weeks, but I have been rushed off my feet, first of all attending a couple of GIA labs here in Hong Kong, relating to gem grading and identification, but secondly trying to get a whole lot of new stock photographed and listed. First up is more turquoise freeforms. I had some of these back in the spring and they just flew out of the shop, so I have re-stocked in larger quantities. This is US turquoise, stabilised with resin or oil. This is a very common practice with turquoise as it is a very porous kind of stone and so the stabilisation improves both the durability and the appearance of the stones, as it helps them to take a better polish. These freeforms are mainly polki cut – that is rose cut on one side and tabled on the other, although I do have some rose cut with flat bottoms. I always think polki cut is a great way of getting a lot of stone for your money and certainly they are always popular, fitting in well with a contemporary, individual feel to your designs. I’ve got them in a good range of shapes, sizes and therefore prices. Prices from $7.75 – click here to buy.

http://www.joopygems.com/categories/freeform-rose-cuts-polki-and-cabochons/turquoise-freeform.html

Somewhere over the rainbow

From which you can deduce that this is all about rainbow moonstone. I have just listed a selection of sizes, shapes and qualities. The best of it is very, very good and the least good is still pretty nice. Top of the pile are 6mm AAA cabochons, almost completely clean with superb adularescence. It’s becoming hard to find nice quality rainbow moonstone, and to find it at a good price is well nigh impossible. Well, aren’t you lucky lot, because at $19 per stone, this represents fantastic value. For the first time I am offering oval cabochons, 8x6mm and 10x8mm. I have these in AA and A quality. Obviously as I am sure you all know, the larger the stone, the harder it is to find clean material, but the AA is pretty good even in the larger size; just a few wisps and internal fractures, and the A is more included but not overly so and the adularescence for both is really good. Prices are $16 and $24 for the AA and $8 and $14 for the A, 8x6mm and 10x8mm respectively I also have 10mm, 8mm and 6mm in A and AA. The 10mm AA is really nice; almost clean stones with superb flash in a 10mm size, and the price an excitement-inducing $26.50. I’ve saved a few of these for my own personal use as they are not just sublimely beautiful but also a good investment with the soaring prices of cleaner moonstone. Prices range from $4 per stone for the 6mm A to $26.50 for the 10mm AA. Now, I don’t have many of any of these, so if you like them, don’t dilly-dally. Click here to shop!

Confident, sophisticated, expressive, calm…

Apparently all words associated with the colour blue, and you can add to that ‘rare’ and ‘desirable’, because what we have here is tanzanite; beautiful, serene, periwinkle blue. New in stock I have plenty of 3mm rose cut cabochons, and a certain number of 4mm rose cut cabochons. This material is sublime; eye clean with superb lustre and the faceting is perfect and precise. Hence the not so many of the 4mm. I think that this is bound to go fast, not wanting to sound like a used car salesman, but it’s not so easy to find clean and reasonably priced tanzanite in these cuts. And these are reasonable; the 3mm rose cuts are $5.50 per stone and the 4mm rose cuts $17.50 per stone, all in USD. Tanzanite is from Tanzania, which contributes to a rather fluctuating supply, and is a relative newcomer to the world of cut stones, not being discovered until the 1960s. It is routinely heat-treated, as unless it has undergone some natural heating at its point of origin (which is rather unusual) it is generally a brownish colour in its natural state, and these stones are indeed heated. Shop now, to get your hands on these beautiful, sparkling gemstones.

It’s small…it’s shimmering…it’s….tiny labradorite!!

Finally for all you who have been waiting, I have fantastic high grade labradorite back in stock in small sizes, both cabochons and rose cuts. I just can’t keep 4mm labradorite in stock; it’s so popular. Even more exciting, now, for the first time ever, I have 3mm labradorite cabochons and rose cuts as well! Both sizes in the same, beautiful high quality Madagascan material; pale and translucent with superb flash. Prices are as follows; the 4mm rose cuts are $1.50 and 4mm cabochons $0.85 per stone, and the 3mm rose cuts are $1.85 and 3mm cabochons $1.25 per stone, all prices in US dollars. I know what you’re thinking; why are the 3mm stones more expensive? It’s the cutting charges – finding cutters willing to cut small stones is becoming hard and the 3mm rose cuts are quite specialised. In terms of colours, I have a range of blues, aquas, greens and golds. It’s fine to state a preference, but the blues normally go fast and when they’re gone they’re gone! Shop now to get top pick of these beautiful stones!

Natural Beauty

It’s always great to see what customers make with my stones. Catharina Demos recently sent me some wonderful pictures of her work; I confess I have a real love for textured metal and all of Catharina’s pieces appear to vibrate with life. It’s not surprising, therefore, that she cites as her inspiration the majestic beauty of nature and wild animals and considers them the greatest expression of her art. In her pieces you can see the twisting lines of a vine, the plump outlines of a cactus, the intricate beauty of a spider’s web. A manufacturing goldsmith for over 21 years, Catharina grew up in Namibia, a place where it is possible to pick up semi-precious stones just by walking in the desert. Now she lives and works in Spain, creating each piece individually by hand. On the left are her silver and pearl rings, reminiscent of plant forms; on the right is her silver and apatite ring inspired by water droplets falling on a weathered stone surface. Although Catharina works often with topaz and aquamarine, she knew that as they got smaller they would become very pale so instead chose apatite for its vibrant colour even in small sizes. If you would like to see more of Catharina’s work, you can visit her website, her Etsy shop, or her Facebook page. If you would like to see any of the stones featured in her designs here, you can find the apatite here and the pearls here.

Indigo Iolite

Also new in stock I have 4mm and 6mm rose cut iolite, at $3.15 and $13 per stone respectively. An interesting stone, with its pleochroic qualities; an indigo blue face-up colour (ideally!), but demonstrating browns, greys and yellows from different angles. In fact I have sometimes had customers contacting me to tell me their iolite is faulty, so clearly grey is it when viewed from the side. No, not faulty, just the nature of this fascinating stone. Legend has it that is was known as the ‘Viking Compass Stone’, and that thin slivers of the stone served as glare reducers and polarising filters that helped Viking marine navigators locate the sun on cloudy days, and therefore locate their own position. It’s a beautiful stone, taking it’s name from ‘ios’, the Greek for ‘violet’. It’s a fairly hard stone, at 7-7.5 on the Mohs scale, and for those who are interested in such things, not treated. It can’t be heat treated as it has a relatively low melting point so would not withstand the kind of heat that, say, sapphire would be subjected to to intensify its colour. This material is slightly included but has a good, saturated indigo colour. Click here to buy!

Let the influx begin…

I’m currently involved in an enormous re-stock of the shop. Items that have been out of stock for a while are finally coming back in, and everything in huge quantity so it should be, oh, at least another month or two before I run out again! First up; almandine garnet. I’m just changing over all my descriptions in line with the new GIA policy so I will now be referring to it as almandine, not almandite. This is Mozambique garnet, deep red and vibrant. Almandine can be very dark, especially in the larger sizes; in fact it has long been a practice to hollow out cabochons to bring out their intensity of colour. I have 6mm cabochons, and 4mm, 5mm and 8mm rose cuts and even the 8mm has a clear red appearance, not black. The 4mm is at $1.35 per stone and the 5mm is $2.65 per stone. The price of this kind of garnet for larger sizes has sky-rocketed recently so take a deep breath and sit down; the 8mm is $26 per stone. But as you see from the pictures, it is simply beautiful, with none of the rustiness that can mar almandine. A gemstone with an inner fire, its good hardness and toughness makes it a versatile stone that can safely be used in all kinds of jewellery.

Finally Freeforms!

‘Finally’, because I’ve had these a long time and it’s taken me forever to get them sorted! Each one individually weighed, measured, photographed, priced and then listed. And I have lots. Choose from Brazilian amethyst, citrine, chrysoprase, labradrorite, rainbow moonstone, pink opal – in a pale or a deeper pink, white moonstone and black spinel. This has become a really popular cut, and the fact that the stones are cut quite shallow means that it’s possible to have a large looking stone for a reasonable price. They look great in necklaces, set in window settings, or they make fantastic statement rings in either a prong or a bezel setting. Because they are random freeforms, it’s not easy to pair them up, but coming soon I have some really beautiful translucent chrysoprase freeform pairs which would make great earrings. I’m currently sold out of turquoise – that sold out as soon as I listed it, but I do have some more on hand which I will be listing as soon as possible. They are also versatile, cut with a table on one side and rose cut on the other, you can set them either way up. Hard to choose a favourite – I love the pale pink opal, as it is so delicate, like the colour of a French manicure or perhaps more romantically, alabaster. Labradorite is always a favourite and I adore citrine for its bright, sunshine qualities. They are all lovely. Grab them while you can, because these do tend to go quickly. And why not check out my newsletter for an offer that makes them even more irresistible! There’s an offer in the newsletter every month; why not sign up on the Joopy Gems homepage to make sure you don’t miss out?

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