[Jewelry making - Article 00277] - Re: [Orchid] Red amethyst?

[Wayne Emery]

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Hi Leonard,

    This occurrence of amethyst, near Jackson's Crossroad, GA has been
    known for a long time, but a recent change in property ownership (
    couple of years ago, I believe) has been accompanied by increased
    mining and marketing. 

    The material itself is sometimes exceptional in color, although much
    of it is somewhat pale or overly dark. Only cut material and mineral
    specimens are being sold, but I believe that fee digging is still
    allowed. The material I saw at Tucson last year was very high
    priced, IMO, probably reflective of the high cost of mining, and I
    did not se much material available. Personally, and I have not seen
    ALL the material from either location, the Four Peaks is as nice or
    nicer. 

    Basically, most South American material is often accompanied by a
    slight smoky gray or brownish undertone. We are so accustomed to
    seeing that material that when we see amethyst lacking the
    undertone, it can be startling in its beauty. Among cutters, most
    would agree that the best of the Uruguayan material easily matches
    the GA or Four Peaks material, closely followed by some new, some
    less saturated material from Bahia, Brazil and some scattered
    deposits in Africa. Of course, fine material can be found in odd
    places, so the above is a very general statement and others may wish
    to throw out their own opinion. And beauty is in the eye of the
    beholder. 

Best regards!

Wayne Emery
The Gemcutter
"Bending Light Since 1975"
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