[Jewelry making - Article 00606] - Re: [Orchid] "Vessonite" garnets

[Rick Martin]

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>     I recently bought 2 set of very fine quality stones labeled as
>     "vesonite" or "vessonite" garnets. Totally transparent - none over
>     about 0.75ct. Good crisp facets - almost no noticeable
>     inclusions.

    If by "transparent" you mean colorless, chances are you have another
    member of the grossular family (hessonite grossulars are
    browinsh-orange to peach in color generally).  The green grossulars
    like Tsavorite and Merelani Mint grade into a near-colorless type,
    usually with a very faint greenish tint. Several garnet species end
    members would be colorless if pure, but in nature grossular is about
    the only one to produce near-colorless stones. Grossulars also occur
    in yellow and golden colors. 

    While refractive index often is not helpful with garnets, colorless
    grossular can have a readable R.I. in the 1.731-1.736 range (Bank). 
    R.I. seems to decrease with purity (higher vanadium content results
    in stronger green tints and higher R.I.)  You might use your
    spectroscope to check for vanadium or chromium.  The name "vessonite"
    is not indexed in either Rouse's "Garnets" or Shipley's "Dictionary
    of Gems & Gemology" which often lists archaic or obscure names. 

    Of course if by "transparent" you mean something else, none of the
    above applies, LOL.  I hope you survived Charley unscathed and can
    eventually find your refractometer! 

Rick Martin
MARTIN DESIGNS

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