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GeneralChloromelanite
16th Feb 2011 02:39 UTCEzekiel Hughes
16th Feb 2011 16:25 UTCDavid Von Bargen Manager
16th Feb 2011 20:56 UTCMichael Croxell
17th Feb 2011 05:18 UTCEzekiel Hughes
The stuff I am thinking of isn't as flashy as Maw-sit-sit, probably because it lacks that chromium. It is noted as being mostly aegerine-augite. it looks like a dark green to black nephrite as seen in artifacts from the Northwest (Washington, BC Canada, Alaska)
Anyway, here's the follow up question. From what I have read, all the 'Chloromelanites', like the omphacites, are noted as containing proper jadeite, just not normally the component with the highest percent. Doesn't this percent thing imply these stones are rocks not minerals then? Sort of like how nephrite is seen as a rock. Omphacites are described as a combination of minerals...including both omphacite (a mineral) and jadeite. Is this a nomenclature problem? I see that Maw-sit-sit is a rock, so I assume chloromelanite is as well...but what about omphacite? seems like it is both a rock and a mineral.
I've also read that all these minerals (solid solution series) belong to the "jadeite group"...so how are they not considered jadeite then?
I'll leave it at that for now. thanks for your opinions. I hope I'm making some kind of sense :-)
17th Feb 2011 05:42 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager
The name "jadeite" itself is subject to some fuzziness, depending on whether the person using the term is talking about rocks, mineral species, or lapidary materials. As Mindat is a mineral website, we use the species definition: Na-Al-dominant pyroxene. The exact percentage of the Na-Al-pyroxene molecule is not important in the naming, it just has to dominate over the other molecules commonly present (omphacite, aegirine, kosmochlor, etc.) in the structure.
"Maw sit sit" is a rock name, not a single mineral. It is a mixture of several minerals, including jadeite sensu stricto.
17th Feb 2011 06:28 UTCEzekiel Hughes
what is your take on the term jadeitite?
In my opinion, all jades are rocks. As long as they are in the proper mineral series and LOOK like a jade gem stone they are jade....just have to qualify it. I suppose a certain toughness and density should be expected...yeah...not very scientific ;-)
9th Jun 2011 23:55 UTCjade fever
10th Jun 2011 00:53 UTCAnonymous User
10th Jun 2011 01:06 UTCJolyon Ralph Founder
chloromelanite = very dark jadeite
african jade = grossular garnet
10th Jun 2011 06:10 UTCEzekiel Hughes
10th Jun 2011 08:32 UTCLefteris Rantos Expert
According to analytical results performed by Pavel Kartashov and available in http://www.mindat.org/photo-192144.html , http://www.mindat.org/photo-296139.html and http://www.mindat.org/photo-296135.html , "Maw Sit Sit" is a rock consisting mainly (in one case, about ~98 vol.%) of chromian Jadeite (with 5-6 vol.% Cr2O3 and composition ~Jad85Ksm13Aeg2), some chemically pure Albite impregnated with minute μm-sized particles of Kosmochlor that give it a very deep emerald-green color and minor Cr-bearing sodic amphibole (chromian Magnesio-Arfvedsonite).
In a simplified way, it could be termed as an impure chromian Jadeite, or - more correctly - a Cr-bearing jadeitite rock.
Also, some very interesting information on the compositions of Kosmochlor and the Cr-bearing sodic ampibole from the locality, can be found here http://www.mindat.org/photo-296137.html
Lefteris.
10th Jun 2011 19:00 UTCAnonymous User
10th Jun 2011 21:04 UTCJoaquin Dominick
10th Jun 2011 21:12 UTCJoaquin Dominick
14th Jun 2011 06:52 UTCEzekiel Hughes
16th Jun 2011 14:15 UTCJorge Dascal
Please tell us if you tumbled or you bought the two "jade rage 014_1" tumbled stones?
Also please tell us if all of the "jem and mineral jade, rocks and matsutake 020" shown in the photo are from the same place.
25th Aug 2011 12:29 UTCJorge Dascal
The "jem and mineral jade, rocks and matsutake 020" photos shows several well polished Andes Jade. The unpolished ones are not Andes Jade.
25th Aug 2011 22:06 UTCPavel Kartashov Manager
a "dianite" is trade name for blue nephrite from the single locality. It consist of different amphiboles and microcline, so it is real nephrite.
http://www.mindat.org/photo-132129.html and http://www.mindat.org/photo-203074.html
http://www.mindat.org/photo-404812.html and daughter photos
17th Feb 2012 07:11 UTCThe Old Fireman
My wife and I have a large rock, about 2x football size. It's so heavy, it has to be slid onto my hand truck to move it. It is a rather dullish, white color, with pale greenish circular areas showing through the white, as though the inside is the pale greenish color. The rock is oval in shape, and smooth than rough.* It is quite beautiful to us. I took it to Western Washington University, Geology Dept., for identification. The professor came out to my truck to look at it, and pronounced it to be mutton fat jade, probably coming from a Canadian glacier. He showed me the University's collection of mutton fat jade, and they were miniscule in comparison. He tried for a long time to get our big rock. He said he wanted it for himself. *About the color: the pale greenish circular areas are slightly indented in the white outer layer.
I realize I need to take a picture/measurements and attach; however don't have them now. We're just too excited to ask our questions! How do I go about identifying our rock? We're in Bellingham, WA, which I don't think has any other resources than Western Washington University. However, I don't find any references anywhere to mutton fat jade, as the prof called it.
Any help or information will always be greatly appreciated!
23rd Feb 2012 08:17 UTCEzekiel Hughes
and jump on there..there is a testing program out of the same department you can link into as well as many of the local experts.
~Zeke
23rd Feb 2012 12:38 UTCJason Evans
I have also recently got this stuff sold as lavender jade, no locality given but it looks similar to some stuff i have seen from Turkey, which apparently contains about 40% Jadeite so if it is that, what can i call it, there must be a name for the type of rock?
3rd Feb 2015 15:43 UTCArthur Browne Jr.
I will post some pictures as soon as I get to them in my new galaxy 4. They are breath taking.
Arthur
4th Feb 2015 06:08 UTCArthur Browne Jr.
IMPERIAL JADEITE
CHLOROMELANITE
ARTHUR
4th Feb 2015 06:43 UTCArthur Browne Jr.
19th Feb 2015 08:42 UTCRock Currier Expert
19th Feb 2015 15:40 UTCOwen Melfyn Lewis
My *guess* from the description is that chloromelanite may be correct. A more accurately determined SG. determination of the RIs and blasting some light through under microscopic examination should be conclusive.
Chloromelanite is sometimes otherwise known as black jadeite. The green visible in thin section with some backlighting does not make this imperial jade or anywhere close.
2nd May 2015 22:27 UTCArthur Browne Jr.
3rd May 2015 00:18 UTCOwen Melfyn Lewis
3rd May 2015 03:16 UTCDoug Daniels
3rd May 2015 14:43 UTCOwen Melfyn Lewis
Possibly one of those low-quality stones that are rudely ripped from their settings before sending the settings to be melted down, to reuse the gold content. Such stones are often sold for a few dollars a carat at study stones and reference pieces. I have several (some considerably uglier then this). But I think one learns more from poor quality cut gems than one ever does from looking at the best hwever much fun the latter is..
3rd May 2015 22:39 UTCRalph S Bottrill 🌟 Manager
8th May 2015 21:57 UTCArthur Browne Jr.
Thanks again. Doug here is a GIA report. I hope it can help. Owen here are some images for you to consider the approximate value of this gem. Remember the color is determined at 18 inches from background. The stone is dark but transparent according to GIA standards. NOT very dark. Inclusions and fingerprints coming. Thank you very much for your input.
Arthur
17th Aug 2015 20:51 UTCArthur Browne Jr.
{ Attachment 59664 Unavailable! }
17th Aug 2015 21:07 UTCOwen Melfyn Lewis
17th Aug 2015 21:27 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager
17th Aug 2015 21:55 UTCOwen Melfyn Lewis
30th Apr 2016 05:50 UTCFreenAshlan
Here are some photos of beads. Can anyone help ID. Thanks
30th Apr 2016 06:15 UTCFreenAshlan
Can anyone help me identify these beads? Thanks.
30th Apr 2016 10:09 UTCOwen Melfyn Lewis
The more distant shots of your beads show an attractive appearance but no one can tell you for sure from those pics whether or not the beads are maw-sit-sit/kosmoclor/chloromelanite . My best guess is that they are not. The only way to have any certainty is to have them properly tested. To do this properly requires breaking a strand and testing of (say) three of the beads loose. Simple testing is the determination of RI, SG and examination of structure under a microscope. Hardness testing can be done discreetly inside the mouth of a bead-hole where it can't be seen. Check with a solvent for dyeing; acetone is good 2-ethoxyethanol even better (more aggressive). See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-Ethoxyethanol. Make sure you have read the hazard and safety sheet before opening and using.
As you will know most bead material is faked and sold for only a few dollars a string. How much is the seller asking for these?
30th Apr 2016 16:35 UTCFreemAshlan
Not too skilled with computer. Thank you for reply. Sorry for repeats. Not sure about selling. Trying to find out what they might be. Found at an estate sale with other beads. Local jeweler said possibly malachite. Other jeweler said chromium diopsis(sp?). They are really bright green under my Ott Light and head lamp. But they have black blobs mixed in. In regular daylight they look more uniform mottled dark green. Close-up they sparkle but not with metallic flecks. No layers like malachite. Trying to attach some close-up photos. Slightly irregular surface with a shine. Not super heavy.:-)
30th Apr 2016 17:15 UTCOwen Melfyn Lewis
As you have observed, the composition is certainly wrong for malachite and I do not think that chrome diopside is likely either. My first thoughts are of glass with dirt stirred into the melt or dyed quartz. Plastic is another possibility - but you should know at once because of how light it is and how relatively warm it feels. Also a needle-tip, heated orange-hot will make a hole in plastic and produce a bad-smelling smoke.
All this requires testing. Just looking at a photographs of polished beads helps only very little and no proper opinion can be given on just that basis. Most local jewellers know what they can sell at a profit and what they cannot. That's a different skill to being able to should what something is. Many - most perhaps - have no testing equipment for coloured stones but just for testing diamond - which is the bulk of the value that they will trade. You need either to learn how to do the testing yourself (it takes a lot of reading, practical study and a couple of years to do it all), or find a gem-testing workshop near you who will do such work for you. However, the charge for doing such work is often out of proportion to the actual value of the pieces tested. Best to learn to do at least the most basic testing yourself.
1st May 2016 05:47 UTCFreenAshland
2nd Aug 2016 05:14 UTCDoug Daniels
Which stone are you asking about? I see three, which may all be the same, or not.
Do you have any properties? Such as hardness....
Where is it (they) from?
We aren't seers or necromancers, we need "hard data".
2nd Aug 2016 13:08 UTCLuca Baralis Expert
2nd Aug 2016 16:28 UTCFadly
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Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2024, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: May 13, 2024 09:17:05