[Jewelry making - Article 00139] - Re: [Orchid] Red amethyst?

[leonid surpin]

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    I have the good news and the bad news. 

    Good news first: 

    There is such a thing as red amethyst. Trade name is "Siberian". Like
    any trade name it's been prostituted very heavily because the real
    ones are much harder to find that many realize. In all my time I have
    seen only 1. It was November 1979. I was attending Gem Show of New
    York Gem Club. I did not purchase it and still kicking myself for
    that. 

    Bad news: 

    Russians did not use casting 50 years ago. Antique russian jewelry
    always hand fabricated. If the ring is cast it is not old. Any
    amethyst must be suspected lab-grown, even if you buy it at the mine.
    There is no gemological test which would definitely separate natural
    amethyst from lab-grown. Sometimes, if amethyst has characteristic
    inclusions which can be linked to a particular geographical location,
    than maybe. But it is far above the ability of the run of mill
    appraiser. However, since amethysts are generally clean, it is a
    remote possibility. You need to find a gemologist with a lot of
    experience in amethysts which is probably rarer than the stone 
itself. 

Leonid Surpin.
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