Tasmanian Gemmologist

Vol. 20 Spring 2012 Page 1.

Special Notes

& Dates

Annual General Meeting

20th January 2013

Black Buffalo Hotel

11am

Committee details 2

Greetings

Royal Hobart Show

3

Synthetics in Perspective

Cont.

4/5

Mexico’s Black Pearls

Mushroom Pearl?

6/7

50myo Fossil

In praise of Semi-Precious

8/9

Jades and

More Jade

10/

11

Go Goanna Advertisement 12

The Voice of the

Tasmania Division

GAA

What’s inside

Notice of AGM

The 20th Annual General Meeting of this Association

will be held on

Sunday, 20th January, 2012 at 11am

at the

Black Buffalo Hotel, Federal Street, Nth Hobart

Remember: All members must be financial in order to vote at

the Annual General Meeting.

Following this meeting there will be an auction of items surplus to

requirements to the division, a list of items is elsewhere on page 8.

This will be followed by luncheon, please RSVP to Jewel 2614233 by

12th January, 2013

You could lose your F.G.A.A.

Please ensure that your membership is paid by

31st March 2013,

otherwise you will be at risk of losing your F.G.A.A. status.

Our rules state that if your membership lapses then you can no longer

remain a fellow of The Association.

The process for applying for re-instatement can be quite involved, so

don’t risk all the “hassle”.

This being a “not for profit” organisation, we seek your support in

keeping your membership up to date.

Page 2

Tasmania Division) Inc.

President: Jewel Beresford Ph: 6261 4233 Email: jewel.beresford@netspace.net.au

Vice President: Vicky James Ph:6239 0225 Email: vlj0501@bigpond.net.au

Secretary: Maree Prickett Ph: 6297 8311 Email: mdj1191@bigpond.com

Treasurer: Byron Nicol Ph: 6247 7619 Email: byronnicol@dodo.com.au

Committee: Richard Wright 6247 1579 Megan Dickens 6265 9651

Don McDonald

Andrew Friedrich 6247 9606 Robert Long 6249 8845

Syd Prickett 6271 3500 John De Ruyter 6225 5312

Education contacts: Robert Long 62498845 rlong@tassie.net.au

Syd Prickett 6271 3500 Syd.Prickett@roadways.com.au

Correspondence address:

P.O. Box 2138

Howrah

TAS 7018

Tutorial address:

“Philip Smith Centre”

2 Edward Street

Glebe TAS 7000

Contact details:

Ph / Fax; 03 62614233

Email; tas@gem.org.au

URL; www.gem.org.au/tasdivf.htm

Public officer: Jewel Beresford 62614233 Newsletter Editor: Paul Beresford 62614233

Newsletter Reminder

This newsletter contains important

information technological updates, humour,

news of your division etc., but it also has

details of forthcoming events about which

you will not receive any other notices !!

Therefore failure to read this may result in

you missing out on events. Your feed back

would also be appreciated and if you think

more articles about, whatever could or

should be included…..

Send them in.

The Gemmological Association of Australia

Written contributions to this newsletter are very

welcome. If you have any material you would

like to be published please forward it in either

written or electronic form (preferred) to the

appropriate addresses on page 2.

It does not have to be a large item

“Enjoyment

comes

from

Involvement”

Page 3 Christmas Greetings

A Very Happy Christmas to you,

your family and friends

and

Best Wishes for a wonderful New Year

from all at

Tasmania Division

Congratulations & Many Thanks

C ongratulations to all who took part and entered the Jewellery and Gemstones classes in this year’s

Royal Hobart Show, particularly we wish to congratulate John De Ruyter on his award of Champion

for a beautifully facetted quartz.

Many thanks to all who manned the stand, helped set up and pull down, your efforts were greatly

appreciated, so to Byron Nicol, Sally and Robert Long, Vicki James, John De Ruyter, Don McDonald,

Maree and Syd Prickett, Richard Wright and Diane Cowburn (two of whom aren’t members) we extend

our sincere thanks.

The new location is certainly nothing like the old one, but we did the best we could within the limits we

were given, we did make a profit to add to our funds and it is still the best revue raiser we have, that being

said we will discuss it in committee and make a decision to continue or not by the beginning of next year.

Page 4 Synthetics in Perspective by Ricci Dipshan

I n the spring of 2012, the diamond industry’s confidence

in its self-regulated disclosure practices was considerably

shaken. International Gemological Institute (IGI) labs in

Antwerp and Mumbai found more than 600 undisclosed

synthetic diamonds passed off as natural stones, at natural

diamond prices, in batches of melee stones sent in for

certification.

The polished dealer and his supplier were under the impression that the stones, in sizes ranging from .30

carats to .70 carats with VVS to VS clarities in F to J colours, were all natural. The characteristics of the

synthetics at both the Mumbai and Antwerp labs were similar, suggesting that the stones had originated

from a common source.

The discovery of the stones highlights an inherent loophole in the natural diamond industry. Large stones

usually come with certifications and are generally easier to identify as natural or synthetic. Melee stones

under .20 carats, however, are harder to examine and can be very tricky to detect, as “they are generally

dispersed in parcels of natural diamonds,” says Thomas Hainschwang, director of GGTL Laboratories,

comprised of Gemlab in Liechtenstein and GemTechLab in Geneva, Switzerland, which focuses on melee

and gemstone grading and testing. “The smaller the stones, the more difficult it gets.

The incident set off a wave of alarm. Roland Lorié, chief executive officer (CEO) of IGI, summed up the

industry’s apprehension by noting that “a diamond dealer cannot tell the difference between natural and

synthetic diamonds and it requires sophisticated machinery at the labs to make the necessary findings. This

means that there could be a large amount of undisclosed synthetic diamonds on the market.”

Many trade organizations and laboratories issued trade alerts calling for dealers to

remain vigilant regarding their sources and reiterating the pivotal need for proper and

full disclosure and identification. A warning issued by the Diamond Trading

Company (DTC) stated that “trading in misrepresented or undisclosed products,

whether inadvertently or not, could cause irreparable damage to the industry’s

reputation. Furthermore, such irresponsible practices could undermine the integrity of

the diamond supply chain, damaging both trade and consumer confidence.”

In light of the discovery, many industry players were left wondering if this was an isolated incident or if the

synthetics market has become a serious threat to the natural diamond market. Understanding how

synthetics are made, how they are detected, their inherent characteristics and their prominence in the

marketplace is important in assessing synthetics’ place in the diamond and jewellery industry and the

extent to which the natural and synthetic industries can coexist.

At first glance, the synthetic market might appear to be a serious threat to the natural diamond industry.

According to a report commissioned by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) and prepared by

New York business consulting group Bain & Company in 2011, entitled “The Global Diamond Industry:

Lifting the Veil of Mystery,” about 5 billion carats of synthetic diamonds were manufactured in 2010. The

overwhelming majority of these 5 billion carats, however, were used for industrial purposes. Indeed, less

than .01 percent of the gem-quality diamond market was made up of synthetics in 2010, according to the

report.

“The vast majority of our business is aimed at commercial purposes,” notes Joe Lancia, chief executive

officer (CEO) of Scio Diamond Technology Corp., a synthetic diamond manufacturer in Greenville, South

Carolina. Like all other synthetic producers, Scio, which “started doing business in 2011 when it purchased

assets from former synthetic manufacturer Apollo Diamond,” thinks of synthetic diamonds primarily as

tools for industrial and technological advancements.

Cont. Page 5

“Diamonds, after all, have the most versatile properties of any raw material on earth — whether it’s for

optics, heat transformation or other tasks,” says Lancia. “Think of in the future using diamonds inside cell

phones and laptops to reduce heat. They also can be used for medical equipment — on the surgical side, a

diamond blade is the best precision tool available.” And while Scio “doesn’t have the capacity to be making

enough carats to affect the natural diamond market, and is focused on the industrial-commercial side,” says

Lancia, “we do have a small division that makes gem-quality stones.”

Almost all of the synthetics hitting the market are at least VS-quality stones. This is due more to the fact that

manufacturers only put out high-quality stones that will be profitable than it is due to the control

manufacturers have over their production. While there definitely is some level of control, “it’s imitating a

natural process, so you are at the mercy of some natural forces,” explains Lancia. “We can grow up to 30

stones in one reactor, but we cannot predict that all 30 will be the same.”

The majority of the synthetics in the market are also priced at substantially lower price points than natural

diamonds. “One of our laboratory-grown diamonds costs at least 25 percent less than a mined stone of the

same size, cut and quality,” says Uzi Breier, CEO of Washington D.C.–based CVD manufacturer

Washington Diamonds, LP (WDLP), which started doing business in September 2012. Indeed, with price a

key selling point, many manufacturers try to make their synthetics inexpensive to stay competitive in the

market. “Currently,” adds Breier, “we are looking at distributors to offer our stones through the internet,

providing the least expensive way to purchase beautiful diamonds.”

Aside from Scio Corporation and Washington Diamonds, there are only a handful of synthetic diamond

manufacturers currently operating in the jewelry market worldwide. They include D. Nea Diamonds,

Chatham Created Gems, LifeGem and Gemesis in the U.S., and New Age Diamonds in Russia.

Extract from an article in the Rappaport Magazine - October 2012

Page 6 Mexico's Black Pearls

T he cultured Mexican blacks pearls trademarked

"Sea of Cortez Cultured Pearls," have a

colouration similar to that of Tahitian pearls. They are

grown mostly in rainbow-lipped oysters and a few

indigenous Panamic black-lipped oysters (Pinctada

mazatlanica, which is similar to the Tahitian Pinctada

margaritifera). The pearls are grown in Bacochibampo

Bay, near the city of Guaymas in the state of Sonora.

Pearls, which have been found all along the Central

American coast, were discovered by the pre-Columbian Aztecs and Zapotecs as well as the Yaquis and

Seris tribes. Tribe members enjoyed wearing and trading pearls and shell centuries before the Europeans

arrived, but it was the Spanish conquistadors and explorers who made the pearls world famous. The written

history of Central American pearls begins with Vasco Nuñez de Balboa (1475-1519), who in 1513 travelled

across Panama to become the first Spaniard to reach the Pacific Ocean. To prove his worthiness and loyalty,

Balboa sent back gold and pearls to Spain's King Ferdinand.

The history of commercial Mexican pearl farming begins a few

years before Mikimoto made popular his mabés and round white

Japanese cultured pearls. It is said that the world's first commercial

pearl oyster farm began in Mexico in earnest around 1903 in La Paz.

The city (not to be confused with La Paz, Bolivia) is located on the

east coast of Baja, north of Cabo San Lucas, and it's where modern

pearl trading began in the 18th century.

But the farming industry there was short-lived. In 1914 the Mexican Revolutionary Army left the city of La

Paz—and its pearl farms—in ruin. Following the revolution, only pearl diving remained, and that industry

was destroyed by a mysterious event in 1936 that killed the pearl oysters in the Sea of Cortez.

The culprit turned out to be the Hoover Dam, which prevented the

Colorado River's fresh water from reaching the Sea of Cortez. The sea's

salinity increased, changing the distribution of species, which changed

the ecosystem, and oysters began to die. The Sea of Cortez took decades

to recover. Overfishing may also have been part of the problem and as a

result of the diminishing numbers of pearl oysters, the government

declared a permanent ban on fishing the two pearl oyster species in

1940.

A small experimental farm inside the Bay of La Paz was launched in the

1960s with advice and help from the late Australian pearl culture

specialist C. Dennis George and Don Manuel Lozano Gallo. But just

when it seemed the return of the Mexican black pearl was imminent, the

federal government—in what was reported to

be an act of political vengeance—seized and nationalized the pearl farm.

The 1990s saw political changes in Mexico, and pearl farming started again. The

first experimental harvest of cultured mabé pearls took place in February 1994 at

the research facilities of the Guaymas Campus of the Instituto Tecnológico y de

Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. Loose round cultured pearls were harvested in

1995, and in 1996 the first modern saltwater pearl farm on the American continent

began.

Gem Notes By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA

Pteria sterna

Pinctada mazatlanica

Pearl ? Page 7

Jewel & Mike Cooke

Diane & Byron

Andrew & Mike Cooke

Elizabeth Ruth and others

A Gemmological Institute of America

(GIA) examination laboratory recently

received an unusual pearl, which bore a striking

resemblance to a mushroom.

For centuries, humans have claimed anything

from pieces of toast to floor stains have

resembled deities and idols. Often in these cases

whether someone can see the apparent likeness

or not often comes down to personal perception

and motivation. However, when the GIA

received a pearl that unmistakably resembled a

field mushroom, researchers were more focused

on determining if it could actually be a

legitimate pearl.

Akira Hyatt, a gemmologist at the GIA

laboratory in New York, studied the pearl,

which was recovered near Indonesia, and

noticed even more intricate features it had in

common with mushrooms.

“The specimen bore an uncanny likeness to a

mushroom, consisting of a bell-shaped cap atop

a narrower stem,” she wrote in a report for the

GIA. “In addition, under the cap we observed

arching radial structures very reminiscent of the

‘gills’ found in actual mushrooms. The pearl’s

brown colour further added to the mushroom

effect.”

Digital imaging and microscopic examination

further illuminated bizarre attributes including a

“mottled growth pattern and coloration” and a

“noticeable flame structure at the top of the cap

[of the pearl]”.

Posted August 21, 2012 | By Brendan Lawley

Page 8 Page 9

A 50 million year old fossil has been uncovered in the Ekati diamond mine in Canada's Northwest

Territories. The fossilized piece of redwood was preserved by solidified magma from a prehistoric

eruption, and indicates that Canada's frigid north was once host to a far warmer climate which permitted

rich forest growth.

According to Live Science the fossil was uncovered 315

meters below the Earth's surface in a kimberlite pipe – a

volcanic pipe formed when magma pushes through

fractures in the Earth's crust and which is a frequent source

of diamond deposits.

Scientists say the site of the mine, which is located just

south of the Arctic Circle, would have once been covered

with a forest of prehistoric redwoods, some of which were

engulfed by an eruption of magma from deep below the

earth's surface over 50 million years ago.

The specimen is believed to be the oldest of its type ever uncovered in the region, exceeding northern Canada's Axel Heiberg fossil forest by millions of years in age.

50 million year old fossil Page 8

Items for Auction

The following items are to be auctioned/ sold following the AGM at the Black Buffalo Hotel on the 20th

January, 2013.

Fibre optic light box and two arm flexible fibre glass rod attachment

New T. Linton fibre optic light box and two fibre glass rod attachments

(light box needs repair)

Ring - type fibre optic light attachments (2) for the above.

Snow – O – Scope axial figure instrument

Polariscope – home made.

Two Shibuya refractometers – Number 1 & Number 5 ( has re-polished prism)

Two Ohaus Dial – O – Gram beam balances

Heavy metal stand for ? microscope

Brother labeller (still in box)

Panasonic Easa phone

A selection of Books and Journals

In Praise of Semi-Precious – by Alistir Tait

I n the world where gemmology is a science and mineralogists and academics attempt to create a

correct an unambiguous nomenclature for the jewellery trade the term semi-precious has

become something of a dirty word. Traditionally diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald were

‘precious’ and almost everything else ‘semi-precious’. So opal and aquamarine were semi-precious

yet in many cases could be of greater value than the average diamond or sapphire. It is a useless and

ambiguous term with no clearly definable meaning, and so a covert slap on the wrist for all of us

who apply the term semi-precious within our discipline.

I would take some exception to this and argue that it is an acceptable and much loved term that will

not go away and has a long established place in the jewellery consciousness.

Its not that I’m a jewellery luddite. I don’t hark back to those halcyon days of imperial measures

when jewellery was priced in guineas, and a diamond was of ‘the first water’ and not some

incomprehensible letter of the alphabet. Today, selling a row of pearls may bring the trading

standards officer to your door demanding to know why it was 20 inches long and not 50cm. I know

which terminology my clients prefer and understand.

Nomenclature is a minefield. As a retail jeweller and gemmologist, applying the correct CIBJO

description may help pave the way towards a world harmonisation of terms and there are times

when referring to the Blue Book is appropriate. It brings clarity and confidence to the buying

public, however, I’m never going to stop them loving their mystic topaz, faux pearls or French jet.

The term semi-precious has been around for a considerable time because it fulfils a function and

conveys a meaning. The general public understand the term ‘precious’, as in a ‘precious stone’, to

be making a judgement of worth and value. It is itself vague and woolly for we cannot define which

gemstone is of adequate value to be described as precious and which is not. It is really the term

precious stone that is at fault, for not only is it ambiguous, it begets non-precious and semi-precious

as valid terms also.

The CIBJO Blue Book (Coloured Stone Division 2010/11) defines a precious stone as any ‘natural

gemstone of inorganic origin…...used in jewellery’. Value here is not a qualification and therefore

all gemstones (as defined by CIBJO) are precious stones. A ‘D’ colour diamond or a humble agate

or jasper are equally ‘precious’. I’m afraid this only muddies the waters of commonly used

nomenclature further.

As Edwin Streeter simply described semi-precious materials - ‘those (gemstones) of less

commercial value’. It might be impossible to define a line that divides what we describe as precious

from the semi-precious (or non-precious) but without it there is no other word we can use to

describe this category, and that is why it endures.

Semi-precious is like an elderly and rather embarrassing uncle. Never politically correct and often a

bit vague and ambiguous, possibly living in the past and always speaking out inappropriately.

However, irrespective of what anyone says, he is going to be about for some considerable time to

come. Semi-precious is rather like him. ………. ………..With thanks to Alistair Tait, a member of

the Scottish Gemmological Association, for allowing reprinting.

Antique and Fine Jewellery, 116A Rose Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3JF, TEL: 0131 225 4105

Page 9

Page 10

0 Jades Page 10

N ephrite and jadeite were used from prehistoric periods for hard-stone

carving. Jadeite has about the same hardness as quartz, while

nephrite is somewhat softer. It was not until the 19th century that a French

mineralogist determined that "jade" was in fact two different materials

Among the earliest known jade artefacts excavated from prehistoric sites

are simple ornaments with bead, button, and tubular shapes. Additionally,

jade was used for adze heads, knives, and other weapons, which can be

delicately shaped. As metal-working technologies became available, the

beauty of jade made it valuable for ornaments and decorative objects.

Jadeite measures between 6.0 and 7.0 Mohs hardness, and Nephrite

between 6.0 and 6.5, so it can be worked with quartz or garnet sand, and

polished with bamboo or even ground

jade. Jadeite is very tough and

resistant because of its tight growth of tiny interlocking grains.

Nephrite, a variety of the mineral actinolite, is even tougher, due to its

composition of fibrous crystals inter-twinned in a tough compact

mass.

The English word jade (alternative spellings "jaid", "jadeite") is

derived (via French l'ejade and Latin ilia), from the Spanish term

piedra de ijada (first recorded in 1565) or "loin stone", from its reputed

efficacy in curing ailments of the loins and kidneys. Nephrite is

derived from lapis nephriticus, the Latin version of the Spanish piedra

de ijada.

Jadeite, with its bright emerald-green, pink, lavender, orange and

brown colours was imported from Burma to China only after about

1800. The vivid green variety became known as Feicui or Kingfisher

(feathers) Jade. It quickly became almost as popular as nephrite and a

favourite of Qing Dynasty's nouveau riche, while scholars still had

strong attachment to nephrite (white jade, or Khotan), which they

deem as the symbol of a nobleman.

Nephrite jade in New Zealand is known as pounamu in the Māori language

(often called "greenstone" in New Zealand English), and plays an

important role in Māori culture. It is considered a taonga, or treasure, and

therefore protected under the Treaty of Waitangi, and the exploitation of it

is restricted and closely monitored. It is

found only in the South Island of New

Zealand, known as Te Wai Pounamu in

Māori—"The [land of] Greenstone

Water", or Te Wahi Pounamu—"The

Place of Greenstone".

Jade was a rare and valued material in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The

only source from which the various indigenous cultures, such as the

Olmec and Maya, could obtain jade was located in the Motagua River

valley in Guatemala. Jade was largely an elite good, and was usually

carved in various ways, whether serving as a medium upon which

hieroglyphs were inscribed, or shaped into symbolic figurines. Generally,

the material was highly symbolic, and it was often employed in the

performance of ideological practices and rituals.

Jades Page 11

J ade may be enhanced (sometimes called "stabilized"). Note that some merchants will refer to these as

Grades, but it is important to bear in mind that degree of enhancement is different from colour and

texture quality. In other words, Type A jadeite is not enhanced but can have poor colour and texture.

There are three main methods of enhancement, sometimes referred to as the ABC Treatment System.

Type A jadeite has not been treated in any way except sur face waxing. Type B tr eatment involves exposing a promising but stained piece of jadeite to chemical bleaches

and/or acids and impregnating it with a clear polymer resin. This results in a significant improvement of

transparency and colour of the material. Currently, infrared spectroscopy is the most accurate test for the

detection of polymer in jadeite.

Type C jade has been ar tificially stained or dyed. The effects are somewhat

uncontrollable and may result in a dull brown. In any case, translucency is usually

lost. B+C jade is a combination of B and C: it has been both ar tificially dyed AND

impregnated.

Type D jade refer s to a composite stone such as a doublet compr ising a jade top

with a plastic backing.

A Diamond & Jade Delight

R io Tinto’s pink diamonds have been combined for the

first time with imperial jade in a piece of jewellery.

The statement necklace, known as The Argyle Empress, was

designed by luxury jeweller Chow Tai Fook and is valued at

$5.5 million.

The necklace combines more than 43 carats of Argyle pink

diamonds with 33 imperial jade beads. The Argyle pink dia-

monds include five of its signature pink tender diamonds,

collected over the past five years.

“The Argyle Empress is a celebration of two of the earth’s

rarest treasures and is a perfect union between East and

West,” said Josephine Johnson, the manager of Argyle

Pink Diamonds. “This heirloom piece of jewellery is the

first of its kind for the growing Chinese market and will take

its place in history as a coveted masterpiece.”

The necklace has been designed around two beautiful pink diamond encrusted flower motifs depicting the

Hong Kong Camellia, the perfect counterpoint to the verdant colours of the leaves depicted in the surround-

ing jade, the company explained.

The Argyle Empress is being showcased at various events in Hong Kong, before traveling to London as

part of an Argyle pink diamond jewellery exhibition at Kensington Palace, London.