Gemmes & Gemmologie

  An Important Marra Mamba Tiger's Eye Slab, Mt. Brockman Station, Western Australia. Width: 154.90 cm. Estimate $ 25,000-35,000.  DENVER, CO.- Leslie Hindman Auctioneers announces the sale of the collection of 570 lots from the Estate of Mr. Cafesjian including an impressive selection of lapidary arts carvings, rare minerals and gems for its inaugural Natural History auction, which will take place on September 16, 2014 at 10AM MST. The sale will be displayed in the Denver saleroom located at 960 Cherokee Street.... [Lire la suite]

Very Large Checkerboard Aquamarine. Photo Bonhams. Sure to become a statement piece if mounted as a pendant, this attractive aquamarine, most likely from Brazil, displays a rich blue unenhanced color, made all the more beautiful by its checkerboard faceting and fine luster. Weighing approximately 243.0 carats and measuring 30.0 x 25.0 x 19.0mm. Sold for US$ 23,750 (€17,751) Bonhams. Gems, Minerals and Lapidary Works of Art New York - 23 May 2012

Rare Spessartite Garnet, Burma. Photo Bonhams. From a rare locality for the mineral, the present stone is exemplary for the species not only for its very large size but also for the saturation of its color, a rich, deep reddish-orange, unhindered by any brown. The transparency is of the highest degree, unmasked by any haze as so many spessartites are. This is a "gem" ---a stone truly worthy of that designation, making it worthy of attention by the most serious collector. Weighing approximately 15.24 carats and measuring 16.5 x 12.0... [Lire la suite]

The "100 Carats Club". Impressive and Prodigious Pink Tourmaline, Mozambique. Photo Bonhams. With a "padparadscha-esque" color both pink and orange hues in a subtle combination, this tourmaline is a stunning gemstone. Dodecaheron in face-up outline, the table bears checkerboard facets that enliven the stone and bring out its pleochroism, while the step-cut pavillion permits a view into its highly transparent interior. This is a rare stone for the collector of gems weighing over 100 carats, but it is also still of wearable size for... [Lire la suite]

Rare and Immense Colorless Jeremejevite--A World-Class Gem for the Knowledgable Collector, Ilakaka, Madagascar. Photo Bonhams Jeremejevite is often mentioned as being the rarest of all rare gemstones.Most frequently seen as tiny, bluish, elongated, narrow crystals of just a few millimeters in length they were first found in Namibia, the only known source for the mineral until just a few years ago. In 2004, a discovery of larger gems was made in Ilakaka, Madagascar at the famous placer deposit which has produced and still produces... [Lire la suite]

Natural Burmese Ruby, Burma.Photo Bonhams. The moniker of "pigeon's blood" is a much sought-after name used to describe rubies, yet it is infrequently seen in the gemstone market. The present stone, with its fine, true red color, is deserving of that appellation. Found in an old estate, this stone, most likely originating from the fabled area of Mogok, was recently recut to improve its brilliance. This is a "pre-embargo" ruby, probably mined in the 1950s, natural, unheated, and with a weight of over 4 carats making it an extremely... [Lire la suite]

German-cut Stunning and Immense Peridot, Pakistan. Photo Bonhams. Faceted in Idar-Oberstein by Bernd Cullman The impeccable German faceting of this star-cut, navette (marquise)–shaped stone is only one of its commendable characteristics. Faceted by one of the top cutters in the German gem-cutting city of Idar-Oberstein over 20 years ago the color of this astonishing peridot is a vivid and bright green with even saturation. Using desirable old rough, now unavailable in comparable sizes, the cutter has revealed the highly... [Lire la suite]

Rare Natural Non-Nacreous Melo Pearl, Melo melo volute, Saltwaters near Vietnam. Photo Bonhams Characterized by a wonderful symmetry, many would considered this ovi-form Melo pearl to be a gem given its pretty papaya orange color, its fine flame pattern iridescence and excellent luster. This is a rare and fine pearl for the serious collector. Weighing 13.97 carats and measuring 14.1 x 12.0 x 10.0mm. Sold for US$ 16,250 (€12,145)   Bonhams. Gems, Minerals and Lapidary Works of... [Lire la suite]

Rare Large Natural White Non-Nacreous Pearl—from "The Giant Clam", Tridacna gigas, Saltwaters near Vietnam. Photo Bonhams A luminescent white non-nacreous natural pearl, which possesses an extremely symmetrical egg-form shape as well as a very fine flame structure on its porcelaneous surface.Weighing approximately 32.45 carats and measuring 14.56 – 14.57 x 20.76 mm. Sold for US$ 35,000 (€26,160) Accompanied by an SSEF report (Schweizerisches Gemmologisches Institut) no. 60804 dated 29 September 2011 stating... [Lire la suite]

Conch Pearl, Strombus gigas or "Queen Conch", Caribbean Sea. Photo Bonhams. A conch is one of a number of different species of medium-sized to large saltwater snails and their shells. True conchs are marine gastropod mollusks in the family Strombidae, and the most well known species is the "Strombus gigas or "Queen Conch". The pearls they produce are calcareous concretions—that is they are non-nacreous and are made up of calcium carbonate (rather than aragonite which is the composition of nacreous pearls). Several thousand snails... [Lire la suite]