Larger Amounts of "Russian" Demantoid Garnet Being Seen in the Market

In perusing the internet, there are many more Russian Demantoid Garnets than usual being offered. We believe we know why - it is not because they are finding or mining more in Russia, but it is due to a fairly new strike of this mineral from Madagascar. The color being found ranges from green, blue green, yellow green, yellow and other colors associated with this variety (Andradite). As to be expected, the average faceted gemstones are not large and can be quite included.

The interesting thing about this new find is that the gemstones are appearing on the market as having come from Russia. Why? Because many people who have heard of this rare garnet associate the fine material as coming from Russia - therefore, higher prices are to be expected from the Russian material. The sellers, either out of lack of knowledge or blatantly attempting to deceive, are marketing this as Russian vs. Madagascar Demantoid. Of course, there is still Russian material being mined and on the market, but most of the newer material for sale is coming from Thailand and it would typcially be from the Madagascar find.

This story is similar to Emeralds which are found in Africa, Brasil and other places of the world. They may sometimes be sold as Columbian, because of Columbia's reputation as being an Emerald producer and many fine ones have come from there, specifically the Muzo Mine.

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Orangy Topaz that Fades Dramatically on Exposure to Light

L. Allen Brown of All That Glitters had seen large Orangy Topaz online back in 2005 that was said to originate in Brasil and was supposedly untreated. Upon seeing this material in Chantaburi, Thailand in November of 2006, two parcels were purchased. One parcel was placed into the sun where it proceeded to fade quickly to a beige color - very attractive, bright sparkly and brilliant gemstones, but no longer the color that had been originally purchased.


In contacting GIA in California, the other parcel was sent to the GIA office in Thailand where it was studied in their lab. To read this story, you may visit the following link:
http://www.gia.edu/research-resources/gems-gemology/issues/fall2009-contents/fall-2009-featured-gni.html


Thanks to GIA for providing the above link so the trade and public could learn more about this material.