Hi there! I work in a country in South Asia and have recently purchased my first coloured stones, 4 morganites, as I know Morganite is abundant and mined in the country I'm in. They're really beautiful - only one is the pure pink I know is most valuable here, but personally I love the peachy-pink much more.
They're about 3ct each and cost me around USD80-150 (I've bought quite a lot from this seller in general and haggled prices down, so this is an average estimate). Being new, I wouldn't have purchased so many at once without getting one verified, but I may be leaving and not coming back, and I realise the price of verification can be more than the stone was purchased for..
So, to try and at least figure out if I was sold glass (because I could exchange for gold), I've done a few things. Looking through a Loupe, I could see what appear to be some inclusions in the stones, but as a novice I wouldn't say I was confident about these. They were all eye clean, and I'm not sure how many inclusions there are meant to be there.
The next was to try scratching... I ran a serrated steel knife under a small side of each, and none marked. The gems scratch glass easily (not a surprise I suppose), and also scratch the back of my iphone X (for which steel does not scratch). I didn't want to try with a sapphire..
Finally, I put them under a UV light. Three of them fluoresced hugely! A very deep pinky-peachy colour. One was inert and unchanged. There isn't a huge amount I could find online about what morganite is supposed to look like under UV (and no examples), but I gather it probably isn't meant to fluoresce so vividly? The closest example I could find which accurately represents the colour these turned is somewhere between spinel/heat treated ruby (what the google images say). They're definitely not ruby, but spinel is found here too. However, when I asked the seller, he was adamant they were not spinel, although it would not have bothered me if they were!
So, in short: what colour should morganite turn under UV light? If it shouldn't react, what could I have? Would glass fluoresce?
once I know I'm not dealing with glass I'm more likely to pay the fees to ship and test at a GIA lab.
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:58 pm Posts: 1424 Location: San Marcos, CA
Inert to weak pink or purple (LW and SW). If this helps any. Others more qualified here can probably elaborate further, this is reference information from the GIA GR Guide for Beryl other than Emerald and Aquamarine.
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:58 pm Posts: 1424 Location: San Marcos, CA
I am somewhat baffled as to why did you buy these stones?
Quote:
They're about 3ct each and cost me around USD80-150 (I've bought quite a lot from this seller in general and haggled prices down, so this is an average estimate). Being new, I wouldn't have purchased so many at once without getting one verified, but I may be leaving and not coming back, and I realise the price of verification can be more than the stone was purchased for..
They are about? Cost around? But I am questioning if they are?
If they are glass? you can exchange for gold? or do you mean if they are natural beryl gemstones than their worth some money in gold exchange to you.
Inert to weak pink or purple (LW and SW). If this helps any. Others more qualified here can probably elaborate further, this is reference information from the GIA GR Guide for Beryl other than Emerald and Aquamarine.
Thanks! I saw this but honestly was questioning exactly what a weak purple looks like... like, pale?
1bwana1 wrote:
Please stop with the scratch tests, you will end up ruining stones. The first rule of testing gems is that the tests must be non destructive.
Noted! I was trying to do what I could with the little tools available out here .. we learn
glhays wrote:
I am somewhat baffled as to why did you buy these stones?
Quote:
They're about 3ct each and cost me around USD80-150 (I've bought quite a lot from this seller in general and haggled prices down, so this is an average estimate). Being new, I wouldn't have purchased so many at once without getting one verified, but I may be leaving and not coming back, and I realise the price of verification can be more than the stone was purchased for..
They are about? Cost around? But I am questioning if they are?
If they are glass? you can exchange for gold? or do you mean if they are natural beryl gemstones than their worth some money in gold exchange to you.
Are these cut and finished or rough?
They are cut and finished; 2 oval, 2 emerald cut.
They cost me 'around' because they were purchased in amongst other items that were not colored stones (sterling silver, embroidered items etc), so I paid an overall price.
They are 'about' 3ct because one is 2.8ct, one is 2.9ct, one is 3.05 ct.
I can exchange for gold, because if they are not what I was sold, the seller will honor the sale price with an exchange or refund, and I'd rather have the gold. If it's not morganite, but not glass, he's probably not realized. If it's glass, his reputation will be damaged with a large network of expats he depends on. It was an unnecessary detail, sorry.
I bought them because the stone is found abundantly here, because when I leave I may not ever be able to return (so last chance), and because friends have bought other gems from this merchant (emeralds, tourmaline, black diamond) and had appraised for significantly more so I have a degree of trust in him. The emeralds were bought for around $600 and valued at $2,000 (international lab). One diamond was purchased at $2,000, valued over $5,000. I'm on a very different salary though, so before paying for a lab test and given the lower price I paid for these stones, I want to (if possible) rule these out as glass while I'm still here (hence, question: would glass fluoresce).
If they are not glass, it's very possible they could be a different stone also found abundantly here such as tourmaline or spinel. And it seems like these two stones are more likely to fluoresce vividly. Which is why I wanted to know the color I would expect under a UV for morganite.
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:58 pm Posts: 1424 Location: San Marcos, CA
Thanks for the clarity. May help with getting you an answer.
You stated "Hugely" and based on the GIA, Inert to weak pink or purple reference. I would lean on you need to find some one qualified to look at them, or accept the gamble.
None of the respected international labs I know of issue values with their lab reports. What you are likely referring to are appraisals by a gemologist.
Be aware that it is very common for appraisals to be made at many times a stone's or piece of jewelry actual value.
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:58 pm Posts: 1424 Location: San Marcos, CA
FlowerGem, Yes I would define weak as pale in your question
Quote:
Thanks! I saw this but honestly was questioning exactly what a weak purple looks like... like, pale?
Same might be said as a light shade of purple or a soft whitish pink. No reaction to UV being inert. I checked some of my Morganite Nanosital (glass in short) and it displays a soft shade of purple or lavendar under LWUV, inert in SWUV (no change). But your term Hugely doesn't fit in the criteria of weak. In my opinion anyways.
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