We are Expanding into making custom 14-18K Jewelry in our new lost wax casting studio.
Gemstone Library of information on popular gemstones
Gemstone Library of information on popular gemstones, apatite,emerald,ethiopian opal,opal,tsavorite garnet, demantoid garnet,spinel,ruby,lapis lazul,lapis,sapphire,saphire, contra-luz, contra luz
Fluorapatite is more commonly known as Apatite.. Apatite has a Moh's Scale hardness of 5
Apatite is a group of phosphate minerals, usually referring to hydroxylapatite, fluorapatite, and chlorapatite, named for high concentrations of OH−, F−, or Cl− ions, respectively, in the crystal. The formula of the admixture of the three most common endmembers is written as Ca5(PO4)3(OH, F, Cl), and the formulae of the individual minerals are written as Ca5(PO4)3(OH), Ca5(PO4)3F and Ca5(PO4)3Cl, respectively
Common Locations: NEW Gemgrade find in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan. Other locations: Major sources for gem apatite are[ Brazil, Burma, and Mexico. Other sources include Germany, Canada, Czechoslovakia, India, Madagascar, Mozambique, Spain, Sri Lanka, and the US. Gemology Apatite is now frequently used as a gemstone. Transparent stones of clean color are usually faceted, and chatoyant specimens are cut into cabochons. Chatoyant stones are known as cat's-eyes. Transparent green stones are known as the asparagus stone. Green and blue stones are the most valuable. Rutile may have grown in the crystal of apatite so when in the right light, the cut stone displays a cat's eye effect. Crystal Specifications • Crystal system: hexagonal; 6/m • Crystal habit: prismatic crystals terminated by first order pyramids often with basal planes are common. Also can be in compact masses to massive granular. • Twinning: twins are rare but are readily found in the Afghanistan deposit • Specific gravity: 3.15 - 3.20 • Index of refraction: 1.63 - 1.64 • Birefringence: weak to moderate (0.001-0.015) • Pleochroism: weak to moderate • The color in apatite is often due to the presence of rare earth elements or by natural irradiation. • Apatite is characterized by its hardness, crystal habit and color. Much of the apatite on the market today is irradiated to bring out deeper colors and heated to improve clarity. All apatite we provide is all natural without any treatments Gemology
Apatite is now frequently used as a gemstone. Transparent stones of clean color are usually faceted, and chatoyant specimens are cut into cabochons. Chatoyant stones are known as cat's-eyes. Transparent green stones are known as the asparagus stone. Green and blue stones are the most valuable.
Rutile may have grown in the crystal of apatite so when in the right light, the cut stone displays a cat's eye effect. Crystal Specifications • Crystal system: hexagonal; 6/m • Crystal habit: prismatic crystals terminated by first order pyramids often with basal planes are common. Also can be in compact masses to massive granular. • Twinning: twins are rare but are readily found in the Afghanistan deposit • Specific gravity: 3.15 - 3.20 • Index of refraction: 1.63 - 1.64 • Birefringence: weak to moderate (0.001-0.015) • Pleochroism: weak to moderate • The color in apatite is often due to the presence of rare earth elements or by natural irradiation. • Apatite is characterized by its hardness, crystal habit and color. Much of the apatite on the market today is irradiated to bring out deeper colors and heated to improve clarity. All apatite we provide is all natural without any treatments | appearance demantoid by definition is always green, but the exact shade ranges from a very light yellowish peridot green to nearly the color of a fine emerald. many stones have a brownish cast. stones with more intense green coloration are more highly valued, but lighter stones display substantially more fire. the choice of stone color or fire can therefore be a matter of personal preference, with some preferring the less valuable but more lively yellowish-green stones. its dispersion (0.057) is unusually high, and this is often visible as "fire" (rainbow-coloured flashes of light), although in some cases the stone's green body colour can render this effect less noticeable. demantoid also has a high refractive index of 1.80 to 1.89. demantoids are generally small, with finished stones over one carat (200 mg) uncommon and stones over two carats (400 mg) quite rare. clean stones over five carats (1 g) are considered world-class. russian demantoid nearly always contains inclusions of byssolite and/or chrysotile[4], both of which are types of asbestos. these inclusions are feathery golden threads that tend to curve and resemble the tail of a horse, and are therefore referred to as horsetail inclusions. in gemmology, the presence of such inclusions is regarded as diagnostic for natural demantoid. unlike most inclusions which reduce the value of a gemstone, aesthetically pleasing horsetail inclusions can substantially increase the value of a stone. namibian demantoid does not contain horsetails (although at least one contradictory report is known[5]). even horsetails which are not visible to the naked eye are valuable in identifying the origin of a stone. the microstructure of some demantoids is believed to be affected by the presence of 'horsetails'. demantoids containing horsetails tend to form as pebble-like nodules without well-defined crystal faces[6] (the 'horsetail' typically originates towards the centre of the nodule, with the fibres branching out and radiating towards the surface), whereas horsetail-free demantoids from other sources frequently display flat crystal faces Peridot |
