Subject: Re: Folklore/info on jade

From: [email-masked] (Sunnyway)
Date: 11 Dec 1994 23:50:09 -0500

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Timothy Wong)
writes:

Jade doesn't change color, but Alexandrite does.  Bluish-greenish in
outdoor light, sort of reddish-lavender in artificial light.  Star
saphires can fade if kept in the dark for years. Some stones change color
when irradiated, quartz and diamonds, for example.

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 13 Dec 1994 06:47:30 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
>when irradiated, quartz and diamonds, for example.

does anyone know where to get alexandrite jewelry?

-- 
***     took some food offered me       ***           blessed be,
***         can't see myself            ***             Phaedra
***          drank the wine             ***
*** wished the feverish burst of terror ***        [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Paul Ciszek)
Date: 13 Dec 1994 00:37:16 -0700

[email-masked] (Dawn E. Kuczwara) writes:

>Sunnyway ([email-masked]) wrote:
>: Jade doesn't change color, but Alexandrite does.  Bluish-greenish in
>: outdoor light, sort of reddish-lavender in artificial light.  Star
>: saphires can fade if kept in the dark for years. Some stones change color
>: when irradiated, quartz and diamonds, for example.

>Yes, but both of the stones that you listed are man made.....

There *is* naturally occuring alexandrite.  Natural star saphires also exist.
Naturally irradiated quartz is common, I don't know about diamonds.

Paul Ciszek                      No nation is drunken where wine is cheap.
[email-masked]                            --Thomas Jefferson

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From: [email-masked] (john toedter)
Date: 13 Dec 1994 12:09:39 -0600

:In article <[email-masked]>, Dawn E. Kuczwara <[email-masked]> wrote:
:>Sunnyway ([email-masked]) wrote:
:>: In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Timothy Wong)
:>: writes:
:>
:>: Jade doesn't change color, but Alexandrite does.  Bluish-greenish in
:>: outdoor light, sort of reddish-lavender in artificial light.  Star
:>: saphires can fade if kept in the dark for years. Some stones change color
:>: when irradiated, quartz and diamonds, for example.
:>
:>Yes, but both of the stones that you listed are man made.....
:>-- 
:>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
- - - - :>Dawn E. Kuczwara			CYA - Internet and HTML Training in
:>[email-masked]					Chicago and the Suburbs
:>http://www.mcs.net/~dawn/home.html

	Correction, Alexanderite and Star Saphires CAN be man made, but 
they are NOT only man made. Both are incredibly rare naturally occuring 
minerals that cost a fortune for the natural ones. They value at 
something like several times (5Xs? for Alexanderites) the cost of a 
similiarly sized diamond. The price actully is on par with their rarity. 
They are FAR more rare then diamonds are or other precious stones. 
	Alexanderites are listed as one of the June birth stones (along with  
Pearl [which isn't a stone, but we can save that for later ;) ] and 
another or possibly several others). I don't know about the Folklore of 
Star Saphires other than a story I was told by my Grandfather (Who was a 
geologist), who said that one of the geologists he was friends with (and 
I guess this friend of his was rich because of oil exploration work he 
did, which explains how he could afford it) gave his wife a natural Star 
Saphire as part of a wedding ring that was greater than a Karat (maybe 
several, it's been awhile since I heard the story). Anyway that is why I 
remember that Star Saphires are so rare. 
	I hope this helped clear up any confusion.

			John

-- 
Internet:[email-masked]    Aerospace/Mechical Engineering Major
IRC: Frye   TIP#183     	  University of Minnesota, Duluth
"Nothing shocks me, I am a scientist"-Indiania Jones

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From: [email-masked] (Sunnyway)
Date: 16 Dec 1994 00:55:07 -0500

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] writes:
::Where can one get alexandrite jewelry::

I've seen it advertised in jewelry store ads in the Chicago area.  I can't
quote you which jewelry store, but you might ask a local jeweler.  If he
doesn't carry it, he might be able to get it.

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From: [email-masked] (JamieFostr)
Date: 19 Dec 1994 02:05:05 -0500

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Sunnyway)
writes:

Our store has alexandrite, as do many jewlery stores that specialize in
"colored stones." For more info, E-Mail me privately at [email-masked]

As for value, alexandrites can be far more valuable than a mere 5x similar
diamonds.  This has to do with the fact that stones are extremely rare in
sizes around 10ct.  At this size they become museum pieces - sell yours
and retire.

For a real bit of trivia, the highest price ever paid per carat for a
gemstone was for a red diamond, less than a carat, round brilliant cut,
that wasn't all that great looking.  It sold for just under $1,000,000/ct.

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From: [email-masked] (Benitoite)
Date: 21 Dec 1994 06:39:51 -0500

Alright, let's put this one to bed. Jade does change color, for several
reasons. One: skin oils can penetrate the surface and fill minute cracks
at the surface and seemingly darken the color of natural jade. Two: if the
jade was dyed, then the dye substance can, over time, come out or be
effected by sunlight to become lighter in color. Three, your jade is
dirty, and needs to be cleaned.
Actually, there are two kinds of jade. The most commonly seen in stores
would be the lighter to good green, which is jadeite. This can also come
purplish, but most of that material is dyed, but cannot be detected. Most
jadeite is white, and only a small amount, usually in bands, has any color
at all. The second kind of jade is nephrite (that's right, two different
and distinct species), and is typically dark green. This species is found
in Wyoming and New Zealand.
Now, alexandrites and star sapphires are natural stones, but as someone
also said, they can be synthesized. The claasic locality for alexandrites
is in the Ural Mountains in Russia, but they also come from Lake Manyara
in Kenya, and recently, from Brazil. This last locality produced some
large material, but in my opinion, is a little dark. Actually, synthetic
alexandrite is fairly rare itself, with most of the stones sold as
"synthetic alexandrite" being synthetic color-change sapphire.
Star sapphires are produced in quantity today, mostly from Sri Lanka, but
thirty years ago, were being produced synthetically by Linde Corp., part
of Union Carbide! As time goes by, even these synthetic stones are
difficult to come by (they are easily identified by a fancy "L" engraved
on the bottom of the stones). 
Just because your local jewelry store doesn't have these items doesn't
mean that they don't exist. The next time a gem & mineral show comes
through your town, go to it and look at the number of stones that are
available on the market. If it's not one of the "Big Four" (diamond, ruby
sapphire, emerald), your local jeweler probably wouldn't even know
anything else existed.
Many good books on gems available at your bookstore, with a lot more info
than I can write here. Good luck!