[Jewelry making - Article 00785] - [Orchid] [Digest Post] Helenite

[Ton / Ganoksin]

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From: Linda Walsh <Linda.Walsh AT rcn.com>

    Hi Karen, Sometimes I see this marketed in a more explicit (and
    honest) way as Mt. Saint Helen's GLASS.  There was a lot of it right
    after the eruption several years ago; I haven't seen it in quite a
    while.  It's not very durable, so it's probably not appropriate for
    anything other than costume jewelry. Linda 


From: "Connie" <mollie2dot AT qwest.net>

    Karen, no new classification of gems was formed at the time of the
    Mt. St. Helen's eruption, no new find of any kind of gems was
    unearthed. What I've seen as "Helenite," is soda lime glass utilizing
    -- well so they SAY-- ash from the eruption as a component of the
    glass in the manufacturing process. It is NOT glass formed
    spontaneously by nature. I don't know if the glass can be physically
    or chemically pedigreed, or if it's indistinguishable from similar
    glasses.... Is it rare? Don't know, keeps showing up in quantity. Not
    limited to any specific color(s). Do you think they are worth looking
    at for use in some jewelry pieces in a mid-range market? Why not?
    Look at the prices a Lalique can command these days. He used soda
    lime glass. Best wishes, Connie 


From: Peter W.Rowe <PWRowe1 AT attbi.com>

    Karen These are not recent.  They've been around for quite a while.
    I've seen them for sale in the Pike Place market stalls, and some
    local jewelery outlets (cheaper ones), since pretty soon after the
    eruption.   In essence, they are glass.  The exact origin of the
    glass is a bit hazy.  It's not legal for producers to obtain ash
    from within the Mt. St. Helens park areas, and they don't.  So the
    raw material comes from some ways a way.  Further, it can't be just
    plain volcanic ash, since,  at least so far as I've been told, the
    ash from that eruption generally was basaltic in chemistry.  that
    means very little, if any, silica, and a material that doesn't make a
    good transparent glass.  I used to think they were just taking a
    standard glass mix, and adding traces of ash to get a color.  It's
    also possible they've simply found other rocks, somehow affected by
    the eruption, perhaps thrown out from the eruption, but not the
    actual ash, that were by chance, high silica, such as granite
    boulders or somithing, thrown by the force of the eruption, but
    originally just surface rock.  I don't know this, it's just a guess. 
     The usual volcanic ash from st Helens, though, doesn't form a nice
    clear green glass when you try to melt it. 

    As to your other questions, well, use your common sense.  Most of it
    is marketing, plus they're a pretty green.  But it IS just a glass,
    manmade, from presumably an interesting natural source material.  I
    doubt that will ever increas in value beyond the already somewhat
    substantial prices they ask for the stuff as it is. 

    If you're really curios, I think the local "made in washington"
    stores carry the stuff in some tourise quality jewelery.  i seem to
    recall little business card things along with them that happened to
    mention a chemical analysis.  I can try, next week, to look that up
    for you if you like. 

    Peter Rowe 


From: Jim <jsmall47 AT earthlink.net>

    Karen - 	This material is a manmade glass, and much of it doesn't
    have anything remotely from Mt. St. Helens in it. In short, a scam of
    magnificent proportions! I recently met the "entrepreneur" who claims
    he originated this material, and he said that it is only glass. He
    said a lot of other things about how gullible people were, etc. The
    stones first appeared shortly (about 18 months) after the big
    eruption. They have periodically had reappearances in the marketplace
    since then, and to the best of my knowledge they have all been a
    manmade green glass. 

    Jim Small Small Wonders 


From: Gary Bourbonais <gwb AT execpc.com>

    Hi List.... Seen this material in two forms to date.... 

    As I understand it, it's a type of glass.... 

    In one form it's the Mt. St. Helen glass (obsidian), that's melted
    and purified, and then re-colored and cut.... 

    The other kind is glass produced from Mt. St. Helen ash...again,
    colored and then cut... 

    Both kinds claim to use as base material stuff from the eruption of
    fame... 

    Have no idea on the value, rarity, etc..... 

    Gary W. Bourbonais 


From: Dave Arens <gemstonesetc AT gci-net.com>

    Hi Karen, I've never put any of this stuff  through any gemological
    tests, but a number of dealers who sell jewelry that contains it tell
    me it's glass. 

    According to them, some of it (emerald green colored obsidian) was
    found near Mt St.Helen after the last eruption. The original find
    was used up quickly & what's being sold today is man made. 

    Based on  a couple of dealers who've been selling the stuff at the
    Tucson show since it hit the market I'd say it has staying power. I
    don't know if  I'd call it a 'fad' or not, but because of the price
    point  it's marketed in & the appealing color it seems to sell. Both
    the dealers I talked to set it in 14K gold. 

Dave  

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