# Emerald?



## kjavanb123 (Jan 30, 2016)

Hi,

These interesting gem stones were brought to me this evening, any ideas?



This one was very interesting appears dark under the normal light, but it shows these lovely lines when shine light through it,



This last one seems like purple quartz or amathyst?



All 3 ores were carved into certain shapes.

Regards
Kj


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## nickvc (Jan 30, 2016)

Kevin the second one looks very like opal to me but the photos aren't that clear,


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## g_axelsson (Jan 30, 2016)

Not opal, agate is my bet as a rock hound.

Göran


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## NobleMetalWorks (Jan 30, 2016)

If you are going to be rock hounding for precious or semi precious stones, you might want to get yourself a field book to identify, and a 10x loupe.

The first stone I am fairly certain is not an Emerald. Emeralds have flaws easily visible where small amounts of water were trapped when the mineral formed. Often, this trapped water contains bubbles that are also visible, caused by trapped gas accumulating in the flaw. If you can visibly see the trapped water with a tiny bubble in the flaw, then this is most likely a natural, untreated stone. If the flaw has no bubble it might be oil treated which is often done to stabilize the stone. This looks like either some kind of agate or other hard rock, but certainly not an Emerald.

I agree with Göran on the second one, that looks like agate to me, rock agate, etc.

The third looks more like rose quartz to me.

Scott


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## Chiptech81 (Jan 30, 2016)

Hard to tell colour from 1st picture, I always get small torch behind stones.
It is not emerald though.
2nd one could be shell
3rd Rose quartz or amethyst


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## UncleBenBen (Jan 30, 2016)

Kj, do you know the background on those stones?

Just curious if they were already worked into those shapes when they found, or if the finder carved them.

Ben


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## kjavanb123 (Jan 30, 2016)

Hi all,

Thanks for your quick responses. These semi gem stones, are indeed carved to certain shapes and they were found along many other ancient items, since I was the guy with some refining and mining background in the family, they brought these to me.

Is there any tests that can be done on these to accurately find out what these are and how many ct? 

Thanks
Kj


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## NobleMetalWorks (Jan 30, 2016)

kjavanb123 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Thanks for your quick responses. These semi gem stones, are indeed carved to certain shapes and they were found along many other ancient items, since I was the guy with some refining and mining background in the family, they brought these to me.
> 
> ...



If they were found with ancient objects, shouldn't they remain with those objects? And shouldn't those be reported to the proper authorities? Or maybe a museum?

Seems like you would serve their and your purpose better by taking them to a proper archaeologist. If found in a cache, they would probably want to see the site. It could be that the site will give information about the ancient people who created these objects, and might have significant importance, and value, beyond whatever worth the actual stones may have. Specially since you have stated they have been carved.

It's concerning that you have stated these are ancient artifacts and you are not sure who to bring them to.

Scott


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## UncleBenBen (Jan 30, 2016)

Oh Kj please look into value as artifacts before ct. That's why I asked. If they were found in the area of UAE they could be quite ancient and could have the possibility of answering age old questions. You just never know.

There is something about the shape of the stone in the first picture that reminds me of something, but it looks to be unfinished and I can't quite place it. I do hope you will find someone that can explain its origin. 

If you do, please post. I'm very curious!


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## acpeacemaker (Jan 30, 2016)

I was in the import/export trade for about 20 years and seen a lot of weird odd and end things. This is just a guess but it looks like a unfinished bird. Wings on the side kind of a short broad head with the beak coming straight down the chest. I enhanced the picture to what it might look like wet. I've seen dull lapis like that. The second I agree agate. Third amethyst, but seen dyed quartz just the same.

Andrew


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## kjavanb123 (Jan 31, 2016)

All,

My family friend who found them brought them to me as precious stones, but I told them since they are carved they hold ancient item values. I took a picture of them this morning under the sun, and the 3rd which looked like violet or purple under a light bulb, showed light blue in color, and the first piece as you mentioned looks like an unfinished bird is greenish.

This is the 3rd item, looked purple last night but through sun it is pale blue,



This is the 2nd stone, it is completely black, but once you look at them under the sun light;



The unfinished bird, it is interesting though when you look through it to the sun, the color is almost black, but when you look at it from side it shows blue or green,



I suggested Christies auction guys as their best bets, they have experts on everything and are world known.

I will let you all know as more info is recovered. There was 2 wrist bands as well made of silver.

Regards
Kj


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## acpeacemaker (Jan 31, 2016)

I'm gonna retract on the lapis on the bird with the green and blue. But on what your calling amethyst, if that blue does anything like the pic. Its possibly moonstone.


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## nickvc (Jan 31, 2016)

The third stone could also be poor quality aquamarine.


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## Reno Chris (Jan 31, 2016)

Someone posts a photos of a blurry black blob and wants to know what it is.
And that's the problem with low quality photos. The huge change in appearance between photos shows how hard it is to tell something from a picture as a different picture puts the items in a totally different appearance. 
The black blob turns out to be blue with a touch of green - but who knows, another photo may show it to be more green - hard to say.
the first one could be one of perhaps a dozen minerals - beryl is one of them, though its not green enough to be emerald in the second photo, so if Beryl, its aquamarine. The cross hatched fractures could indicate fluorite, but really hard to say. 
As its been ground on or partly carved, who knows what the original crystal form was - original crystal form is one characteristic item of information used to determine what a mineral is. 
It could even be glass or slag for all I can see in the photo. 
The interference pattern is the second unknown could imply some sort of feldspar (like moonstone, labradorite, etc.), but other minerals besides feldspar can have these types of patterns. I even own some garnet I dug here in Nevada that has a rainbow interference pattern. 
Yes, tests can be done by qualified people who are able to handle and test them in person for hardness, density, cleavage, index of refraction - none of which can be determined from a photo. 
I will say that nothing in the photos demonstrates that these items would likely be especially valuable.


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## kjavanb123 (Jan 31, 2016)

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your detailed input. I refer the owner of those ores to the guys at Christies auction, they have experts in such things. 

I will notify all here once they find out what they found.

Regards
Kj


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## Anonymous (Jan 31, 2016)

They're not ores Chris they are carved items....


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## UncleBenBen (Jan 31, 2016)

I didn't exactly get bird when I saw the first picture. I got unfinished face and head dress the likes of this...




But I've been known to carve a bit of stone in my time, and I always see crazy stuff inside rocks!


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## Reno Chris (Jan 31, 2016)

> They're not ores Chris they are carved items....



I've had quite a bit of involvement in cutting and selling gemstones from around the world, and I myself own two gemstone mines - both turquoise. Its not something I post about often here as it rarely has anything do with the point of the threads here. I would say that they have been carved on, but do not appear to be finished carved items.


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## acpeacemaker (Jan 31, 2016)

Reno Chris said:


> > They're not ores Chris they are carved items....
> 
> 
> 
> I've had quite a bit of involvement in cutting and selling gemstones from around the world, and I myself own two gemstone mines - both turquoise. Its not something I post about often here as it rarely has anything do with the point of the threads here. I would say that they have been carved on, but do not appear to be finished carved items.



Hey Chris,
Have you ever heard of The BadBoys mine out of Cripple Creek? Very rough crowd... They're my neighbors :lol:


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## upcyclist (Feb 1, 2016)

To me, the first one could be a lot of things, but it's so rough it's definitely not emerald (or any other beryl), corundum, or jade--something softer is my guess.

The second could actually be rainbow obsidian--you haven't shown us what it looks like when it's not backlit.

The third, what everyone else has said--a quartz or feldspar (including moonstone) most likely.

Since they're carved, so now you can't see fractures or crystal structure, your best bet to help ID 'em are specific gravity and hardness. 

Try my buds over at the Gemology Online Forum, too. But be prepared, they don't like "here's a pic, tell me what it is" any more than these guys like "I mixed some stuff in some acids and it didn't work, help pls". If you approach it from "how would i go about identifying this, preferably without specialist's tools", you'll do better 

--Eric


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## Reno Chris (Feb 2, 2016)

> Have you ever heard of The BadBoys mine out of Cripple Creek? Very rough crowd... They're my neighbors


I know of their turquoise mining efforts, but I've not met them or anything like that.


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## Anonymous (Feb 8, 2016)

Reno Chris said:


> > Have you ever heard of The BadBoys mine out of Cripple Creek? Very rough crowd... They're my neighbors
> 
> 
> I know of their turquoise mining efforts, but I've not met them or anything like that.



When you say rough do you mean rough in a "Deliverance" kind of way?


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## acpeacemaker (Feb 8, 2016)

spaceships said:


> Reno Chris said:
> 
> 
> > > Have you ever heard of The BadBoys mine out of Cripple Creek? Very rough crowd... They're my neighbors
> ...



Yes I do. Everyone around town knows who they are. Keep in mind its just a small mountain town. When I first moved to the area, neighbors have said past generations were the beat your wife in public, and whoever else tries to get in your way type crowd.


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## Anonymous (Feb 8, 2016)

Amazing isn't it? And we're supposed to be first world civilised countries.


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## shrewdly (May 8, 2016)

Photos only permit educated guesses. I would have go along with Reno Chris on this one - in photo 1 if it is beryl then it's an low quality aquamarine, a hardness test would tell if it's fluorite. The second photo could be opal but I would go with sodalite. As for the third photo I would say it's purple.


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