[Jewelry making - Article 00095] - Re: [Orchid] Helenite

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    Karen, I believe Helenite is a trade name for the glass made from
    Mount Saint Helen's ash, along with something added to give the
    glass some color.  To my knowledge, this glass was not made during
    the eruption, but has been made since the eruption with the
    resulting ash.  I remember hearing about someone (maybe GIA) who
    melted some of the ash only to find that the resulting glass is gray
    (as is the ash).   Therefore, something has to be added to make the
    color.  These stones are not rare, there is a whole mountain of
    material available for production of the glass for faceting into
    stones, which will probably continue until sales die.  

    From a gemological viewpoint, glass is pretty but not very durable.
    So don't use it in rings.   I'm traveling and so do not have my
    reference material available to give hardness, etc.  And because
    this material is not rare, there is little chance of future
    "investment" value. 

    However, you could possibly use this material for earrings and
    pendants (that won't get heavy wear as a ring would) where you want
    to use nice color. 

Kitti de Long


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