This is part two of a delayed report on the gem and mineral shows in Arizona this past January and February. A lot happens at these shows and sometimes, some of it gets overlooked or missed. In the future, I promise the blogs will be up-to-date.
There are at least four good things about Arizona in February: seeing the new tools and equipment, meeting fellow gemstone lovers and rock hounds, enjoying the warm weather and discovering the new rough that Mother Nature has given up.
Well this year, we got three of the four. The weather didn't exactly cooperate. A cold front hit Tucson and everyone got to experience the coldest temperatures in 50+ years. At one point the head of security for the TEP Show reported it was only 10 degrees inside the big tent.
It got so windy a few days, they even had an evacuation plan just in case the gusts became too much. Tents did get blown over. Merchandise got damaged. Buckets of rough froze completely solid. Some people's patience was short. Quite a few of the outdoor vendors packed up and left after a few days of this.
For those that persevered, Tucson gave up it's hidden treasures.
While not new to the market, the material from Gold In Quartz did make a big impression on me and many other folks.
There are at least four good things about Arizona in February: seeing the new tools and equipment, meeting fellow gemstone lovers and rock hounds, enjoying the warm weather and discovering the new rough that Mother Nature has given up.
Well this year, we got three of the four. The weather didn't exactly cooperate. A cold front hit Tucson and everyone got to experience the coldest temperatures in 50+ years. At one point the head of security for the TEP Show reported it was only 10 degrees inside the big tent.
For those that persevered, Tucson gave up it's hidden treasures.
While not new to the market, the material from Gold In Quartz did make a big impression on me and many other folks.
Starting with natural quartz, owner Onnick Arakelian has created a process for infusing the rock with gold, silver or copper. The metals are combined with a variety of semi-transparent, translucent and opaque materials. Stunning white, black and almost clear pieces of rough are available. They even offer one variety in black jade.
At the time of the show, prices ranged from $1.75 to $42 per gram for the rough. Gold in Quartz also offers finished cabochons and jewelry. If interested, give Onnick a call at 559.285.2764 or vice-president of sales Ivory Lynd at 907.529.6850.
In 2005 (and again in 2011), Pakistan experienced a series of devastating earthquakes. As a very small benefit from these calamities, a new deposit of cab grade Kyanite was discovered. It just took a while for it to reach the market. The local miner's had to attend to the needs of their families and communities before beginning the extraction of this cool new material that combines blue and green Kyanite.
The finished cabs should be real eye candy. Quasar Gems is the source (262-573-4001). Head honcho, Quaisar Manzoor, was really helpful in helping me find the right size and quality I needed.
While I didn't have time to get photos, three new types of rough certainly warrant attention. O.K. The truth of the matter is that I didn't get on the ball and buy some of this rock for myself.............
The new Sonoran Dendretic Jasper may have been the most noteworthy new find displayed this year in Tucson. Also called Sonoran Flower Jasper, there are generally red dendretic "trees", "plants", "flowers" and other abstract patterns on a white to blue grey background. Fans of designer cabs are going wild for this stuff. John Huesler at Slabs To Cabs is the importer for the rough - 636-359-4706. He probably has a few finished cabs laying around too.
Two other really neat materials are the new Cheetah Jasper or Dendretic Leopard Jasper from Brazil and the Bumblebee Agate from Indonesia. Cheetah Jasper is pretty much as the name describes: black dendretic spots and flecks cover a yellow to orange or sometimes almost red matrix. Bumblebee Agate also nails the description of the material with the name: bright yellow bands contrast nicely against black all in a translucent matrix. You can find Cheetah Jasper (they call it Dendretic Leopard Jasper) at greatrough.com and the Bumblebee Agate from Gary Andruss at The Stoneworks (541-386-2397).
To backtrack a bit, prior to the big Tucson gem and mineral shows, there are the QIA Pow-Wow and Desert Gardens shows in Quartzsite. Since it is not as spread out as Tucson, Quartzsite can be another (and some people will say better) place to find cutting edge new rough.
The new American Poppy Jasper from Washington state drew a lot of attention. Not only is this the northern most discovery of Poppy Jasper, there can be a really wide variety of colors in a single piece. The "poppies" go from tones of red and orange all the way to red on white or even completely white. These are a couple of young rock hounds digging the goods and making a go of it. They can be reached at 360.460.3670 or OlympicPoppy.com.
Wandering around any good gem show always leads to finding something unexpected. Sonoran Cactus Jasper caught my attention because of the unusual green color and patterns that reminded me of the prickly pear cactus all over central and west Texas. Unfortunately, I lost the contact information for the vendor. He did say it was stabilized. I'll just have to wait until next year and hope there is more.
Anyone that knows me or seen my cabs, has to realize that I love Quartz with inclusions. So here's an example that had two different names, two different locations and two different reported compositions this year in Quartzsite and Tucson.
I've always known this as Cacoxenite in Amethyst Quartz. The gold Cacoxenite sheathes in the purple Amethyst makes beautiful and distinctive cabs. Occasionally, there are pieces that include yellow Citrine along with the Amethyst.
There were a couple of vendors selling this as "Super Seven Stone" and representing it to contain golden needles of Rutile, black Tourmaline, red Lepidocrosite (or Hematite), Cacoxenite, Goethite, Smoky Quartz, Amethyst and clear Quartz. (Yes, that's eight. Some vendors listed a different combination to arrive at seven.) In the past, here are examples of what the market recognizes as "Super Seven Stone".
In Brazil, this type of Quartz is known as Conchonita . The only discovery was in Baixo Guanadu in the state of Esprito Santo. A few years ago, the Brazilian environmental agency, IBAMA, closed the mine for not having the necessary permits. All seven minerals are generally visible in good stones.
While a few of the seven minerals are visible in the new "Super Seven Stone" and it really doesn't matter what it is called, truthful representation is important. One vendor even made what might be the quote of the show - "You can't always call a stone by it's technical name". What a bunch of baloney!! Since this guy had Gilaite labeled as Paraiba Tourmaline ( a much more valuable gemstone that can sell for as much as $30,000 per carat) and was selling "Green Amethyst", it does demonstrate what a few will do to make a quick buck.
At several booths, the source was listed as Minas Gerais, Esprito Santo, Brazil or the other way around as Esprito Santo, Minas Gerais. Some vendors said this was a new discovery. Others claimed it was old material from 20 years ago.
The only problem is that these are two different states in Brazil. It's kind of like saying a mineral came from New Mexico, Texas! Minas Gerais (literally General Mines) and Esprito Santo (Holy Spirit) are neighboring states. After a little legwork, I discovered the mine is in Fundao, Esprito Santo and is owned by someone in New Jersey of all places.
It still could be that there were two different finds of this rough 20 years apart. It was just a lot of fun playing rock detective and learning a little more about the mining and sources in a foreign country.
To finish up in Tucson, the last piece of rough I found turn out to be a chameleon. Grey, round, dull and generally pretty non-descriptive is a good summary. After slabbing it, about the time I got to the 1200 grit wheel, the real beauty became apparent.
It was a piece of Native Silver in Cobaltite from the Frontier Mine in Cobalt, Ontario, Canada. The stuff glows like nothing else. It's a rich metallic silver in a white Calcite that is now one of my favorite stones to cut.
While I have mentioned a few of the new cabochon and gemstone materials available in 2011, I certainly know I have missed quite a few. There are also many more vendors worthy of mention. A few of these include stonesthatrock.net, Atkhoma Hobbies (479-736-9015), idahorockshop.com and nuevomundoimports.net.
All the best!
Bright Star
