All items sold in this website are mainly from mainland China. Gemstones, rock crystals and chinese jade are mainly provided in this website. The website owner Mr ZHANG has more than 16 years experience of gemstone business. This webstie was built on 2000 Nov. International cumstomers are welcomed to send any enquiry and question to us ( postmaster@raresphene.com).
Introduction of
Amethyst
Sphene
Sapphire
Chinese White Jade
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Amethyst
Amethyst is an important gemstone used in jewelry and it is the birth stone for February. People frequently regard amethyst as a cheap gemstone because there are a large quantity of amethyst in market, for instance, amethyst chunk, amethyst crystal on matrix, amethyst geode, amethyst jewelry, and so on. In fact, the amethyst crystal on matrix, amethyst chunk and geode are generally translucent and with full of inclusions, so it is difficult to obtain faceted amethyst from the amethysts, they are only to be used for cheap bead at most. Otherwise, most of the high quality faceted amethysts in market are now believed to be synthetic (above 90%), particularly in calibrated sizes. The real?(natural) high quality faceted amethyst are quite rare, with the increasing scarcity of the high quality amethyst, their price has already risen continuously, a large synthetic amethyst (the faceted and rough) have come onto the market instead of them.
(synthetic amethyst)
The synthetic amethyst all have most of the same physical characteristics as the natural amethyst, it is difficult to tell if some amethyst is actually natural or synthetic. They can sometimes be differentiated by their internal color zone and inclusion. It is quite effectual if the amethyst is dark tone and large enough (20ct and up), but it is unreliable if the amethyst is light or medium tone or small. The first photo is a dark tone amethyst (natural) with the weight of 24.5ct, the distribution of the color is uneven and irregular when we view it from its pavilion, it shows some color zone in different direction and a very slightly inclusion. The second photo is a dark tone synthetic amethyst with the weight of 48.5ct, its color is quite even when we view it from its pavilion, without any color zone and inclusion. The third photo is a synthetic amethyst with a hole, its color is uneven, but the color is regularly distributed, it shows some color zone, but the color zone are in same direction and uniform, it shows a colorless seed plate from which this synthetic amethyst started growing. The fourth photo is a dark tone synthetic amethyst, its color is uneven, but the color is regularly distributed also.
The dark tone amethyst (natural) have some color zone almost always and the color zone are in different direction frequently, the distribution of the color are uneven and irregular almost always, they have some inclusion more or less, when we view it from the pavilion.
Most of the synthetic amethyst are quite clean, without any inclusion even any color zone, their color are even frequently. Some synthetic amethyst have some color zone, but the color zone are in same direction and uniform always, if their color are uneven, the color will be regularly distributed, they sometimes show a colorless seed plate.
The quality of amethyst depend on the color and clarity generally, the amethyst in various qualities are as follows.
The best amethyst, dark purple with strong red flash, very slightly inclusion and up (clean), 10ct and up, the quality amethyst has become quite scarce in the last few years. The quality amethyst with weight of 20ct and up is very rare. US$ 15 - US$ 100 / ct.
The fine amethyst, dark purple, slightly inclusion and up, 10ct and up. US$ 5 - US$ 15 / ct.
The commercial amethyst, medium light to medium dark purple, slightly inclusion and up, any weight. US$ 2 - US$ 5 / ct.
The bargain amethyst, light purple or medium to medium dark purple with grey hue, slightly inclusion and up, any weight.?US$ 1 - US$ 2 / ct.
There are a few rare and top grade amethyst, The webstie displays a huge dark purple amethyst with weight of 529 carat, It's a world class amethyst for collecting and display in museum. All amethysts sold in this webstie are all NATURAL and NOT enhanced.
Siberian Amethyst
Amethyst ranges in color from violet to red-purple, but most often lighter tone. The most valuable amethyst is known as ¡°Siberian amethyst¡±. Siberian amethyst is a kind of high quality amethyst, with reddish purple or purple red hue, dark tone, strong saturation, red flash or red and violetish blue flash. Nowadays, it is a jewelry trade designation ¨C the gems of this quality don't necessarily come from that remote and cold region, it is from Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia, Zambia, USA (Four peaks, Arizona), China (Liaoning, and Xinyi, Jiangsu), Korea (Unyang amethyst mine), and other countries, of course, the yield is quite exiguity. There are some the amethyst on the web site, they are from Xinyi and Liaoning (China). ¡¡
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Sphene
Sphene is a very rare gemstone, has a high dispersion rate of 0.051 and intense color. It has more fire than diamond, for the dispersion rate of diamond is 0.044 only. It is very rare, the quantity is much less than that of diamond, a most unusual gemstone. It is a soft gemstone with the hardness of 5 ~ 5.5 so it is unsuitable for every day ring, but yet it can be set with proper care and suitable for necklace, earring and pendant.
All sphene sold in this webstie are NATURAL and NOT enhanced.¡¡
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Sapphire
Most people don't associate Chinese sapphire with fine blue sapphire, and tend to think of their blue as inky in color. Some sapphires witn fine quality had been found in the immemorial volcano of Shandong of China. They are so beautiful and close to Kashmir sapphire, yet its production quantity is very limited.
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Chinese White Jade
Authentic Chinese jade is the nephrite from Xinjiang of China and not the jadeite from Burma (jadeite is Burmese jade), white nephrite from Xinjiang of China - white jade is the topmost grade Chinese jade. The tenacity value of the jadeite (Burmese jade) is 121000 erg / cm2 , the tenacity value of the white jade from Xinjiang of China is more than 226000 erg / cm2 , the tenacity of the white jade is much the better, so the white jade (from Xinjiang of China) suits fine carving more than the jadeite (Burmese jade) or other jade.
The best carving of the white jade or Chinese jade is in Suzhou of China, the carver is especially good at carving of the white jade for wearing the decorations, as the white jade pendant. White jade or carved white jade is a the?most important gemstone used in Chinese jewelry.
A famous carver is carving white
jade. It takes him three to fifteen days to design and carve a white jade
pendant.
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