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 Post subject: Mehenge Spinel Rough
PostPosted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 2:12 pm 
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Would like to purchase one or two pieces of this rough. Maybe one of our expert cutters can help me decide? all between 3-5 ct.
:)
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

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 Post subject: Re: Mehenge Spinel Rough
PostPosted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 2:24 pm 
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Nicky Newark wrote:
Would like to purchase one or two pieces of this rough. Maybe one of our expert cutters can help me decide? all between 3-5 ct.
Image#1-will make a nice trillion or shield shape
Image#2-I envision this a a square cushion
Image#3-skip this one
Image#4-skip this one
Image#5-would be my third choice, and is still a nice rough. I'm thinking round, oval, or maybe elongated pear shape.

Hope this has been a little helpful. I'm sure other cutters will differing opinions. Looks like a fun project!

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 Post subject: Re: Mehenge Spinel Rough
PostPosted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 9:05 pm 
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ROGER DERY wrote:
Nicky Newark wrote:
Would like to purchase one or two pieces of this rough. Maybe one of our expert cutters can help me decide? all between 3-5 ct.
Image#1-will make a nice trillion or shield shape
Image#2-I envision this a a square cushion
Image#3-skip this one
Image#4-skip this one
Image#5-would be my third choice, and is still a nice rough. I'm thinking round, oval, or maybe elongated pear shape.

Hope this has been a little helpful. I'm sure other cutters will differing opinions. Looks like a fun project!
Thanks for the advice Roger. Stone 1 and 2 are my favorites also. The dealer tells me the color of #1 is the best of the lot. The only drawback is that stone 1 and 2 are the smallest, around 3ct each. Stone #5 is just over 5ct.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 3:20 pm 
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Check the clarity!

"Clean" to the rough dealer and clean to the faceter are often two different things.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 3:44 pm 
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One thing to check on that is to see if it's "sleepy spinel" This will be caused by micro inclusions that scatter the light. You can tell by shading the rough w/ the hand and see if it still glows. There's a growing market for that stuff that seems to command a premium, as folks are becoming aware of it. I personally love the stuff... looks like a red version of a kashmiri sapphire. I buy all I can afford..have several pieces waiting to be cut.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 3:53 pm 
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Do we know how thick these pieces are? I can't be sure, but it looks to me like they are all wedge-shaped, and not very deep. Remember that most facet designs require rough that is at least 70% as thick as the width. Length, which I assume to be the same or larger than the width, only helps to decide what shapes might work.

I would agree with Roger, except that I might pull a rectangle or octagon out of the clear area on stone #4. You sacrifice that area to the upper right of the crack, but that part is so thin it would not be usable anyway.

(Not an expert opinion. Just mine.)

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 7:16 pm 
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Judging a spinel rough from a photo is very difficult, actually it's difficult in person. Often once I get into one, I end up totally changing directions. These stones have a way of hiding inclusions really well until a surface or two gets cut.

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 1:09 am 
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jleb,

Sleepy spinel?
I actually call them dreamy spinel and just like you, I adore the material and don't understand why people did not appreciate it sooner.
Sometime the slightly hazy appearance give it a glow especially in the saturated reds/pinks/orangy that is simply magical.
Unfortunately, because people are catching up, it is now more difficult to find at a reasonable price... Tears!!!! tears!!!! Lots of tears!!!!


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 1:39 am 
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shoulda never put that post on pricescope! :) oh well, you can always get one from me..

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 Post subject: Mahenge spinel
PostPosted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 5:40 pm 
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Hi, what is more valuable / expensive (same color, weight etc): red spinel from Mahenge or from Burma?

Thanks a lot in advance!


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PostPosted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 7:20 pm 
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Hi D. Wellopp

Value (price) depends very much on location. Here in Canada for instance
any burmese stone or other product has exactly zero value. Our government in its infinite wisdom has decided that if you do business with Burma or sell Burmese products you go to jail period, do no pass go, do not collect $200.

Used to be if the stone was cut in a third country (most usually Thailand) it took on Thai country of origin and could be imported ... no more, trade is banned

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 10:24 pm 
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jleb wrote:
One thing to check on that is to see if it's "sleepy spinel" This will be caused by micro inclusions that scatter the light. You can tell by shading the rough w/ the hand and see if it still glows. There's a growing market for that stuff that seems to command a premium, as folks are becoming aware of it. I personally love the stuff... looks like a red version of a kashmiri sapphire. I buy all I can afford..have several pieces waiting to be cut.


Glowing! :wink:

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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 3:05 am 
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wolf wrote:
Hi D. Wellopp

Value (price) depends very much on location. Here in Canada for instance
any burmese stone or other product has exactly zero value. Our government in its infinite wisdom has decided that if you do business with Burma or sell Burmese products you go to jail period, do no pass go, do not collect $200.

Used to be if the stone was cut in a third country (most usually Thailand) it took on Thai country of origin and could be imported ... no more, trade is banned


Hi Wolf,
thanx for your comment. I thought that there is no more ban over Burma stones. Anyway, if one compares such a Burma one with one from Tanzania, which is usually more expensive? Let's think about old, pre-ban stones so to say.


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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 3:34 am 
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hi D. Wellopp
Historically here the burma stone was the gold standard.

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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 3:52 am 
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Wolf, up so early in the Canadian morning? Wow.

Thanks again, I already assumed that Burma ones still profit from the magic name "Burma". Same with rubies although even some specimens from Greenland rival in color.

300 USD / ct for a really red Burma 2ct spinel seems to be not too much I assume.


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