Post subject: 1940s Siberian Amethyst Tear Drop 27.4 carat
Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2019 3:02 pm
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Joined: Sun Apr 28, 2019 2:25 pm Posts: 3
I am heartbroken. When I was 14 I dated a jewelers son in NY. I saw the Amethyst and told him some day it would be mine. Fast forward 40 years I ran into his son. Next day I get a call from his father to come see him. For 40 something years that man held the gem in hopes of seeing me again. It was stolen by a family member. Gem was registered but we are searching 70 years of paper work. My question is is it possible to find a replacement. The gem was saturated with purple. Flawless and lovely rose tones playing on edges. The stone was mined in 30s or 40s and was cut in late 40s early 50s. What would a stone like that be worth. Heart broken in NY!!
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Post subject: Re: 1940s Siberian Amethyst Tear Drop 27.4 carat
Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2019 4:28 pm
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Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 2:18 am Posts: 1542
The good news is that yes, you can replace it fairly easily, and at a reasonable price. There is very fine Amethyst from multiple sources available on the market these day, South America, and Africa both produce a lot of this material. Actual price will depend on size.
Another upside is that 'siberian' is generally a color descriptor. I think it is unclear if Siberia was ever a real producer of fine amethyst (it's a huge area so there's no doubt that there's some amethyst in there, but just in terms of major production). A fine African stone will give you all the red and blue tones you want, depending on orientation and lighting conditions.
Post subject: Re: 1940s Siberian Amethyst Tear Drop 27.4 carat
Posted: Thu May 02, 2019 6:53 pm
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Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 2:18 am Posts: 1542
Also note, that the stone in the picture is nowhere near what I would call "Siberian Color". It looks like nice Brazilian to me, but not top color for Amethyst.
Post subject: Re: 1940s Siberian Amethyst Tear Drop 27.4 carat
Posted: Thu May 02, 2019 8:30 pm
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Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm Posts: 21602 Location: San Francisco
1bwana1 wrote:
Also note, that the stone in the picture is nowhere near what I would call "Siberian Color". It looks like nice Brazilian to me, but not top color for Amethyst.
Agreed. Not what I would term Siberian. Looks Brazilian to me too.
The 1940's is also telling. During WWII our military was exploring Brazil to find deposits which may have aided them during the war. Like copper, nickel, molybdenum, berylium, silver, titanium....
Many important gem deposits were stumbled on at the same time resulting in the export of very large examples of topaz, amethyst, aquamarine, citrine, smoky quartz etc. when the war ended. We saw these mega gems come into fashion in the late 40s.
It is my understanding that fabulous deep bluish amethyst with red flash was indeed deposited and mined outside of the town of Mursinsk near the city of Ekaterinburg (I was there a few years back ) from the mid 1700s.
"Siberian amethyst" is now primarily a quality designation although one does find actual Ural material in antique Georgian and Victorian jewelry......occasionally.
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