Fakes & FraudsBrookite : repaired or just cracked ?
I would like to ask your opinion about a brookite specimen I bought last year in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines. I purchased it from Jürgen Magraf at the very end of the show. Just before paying, I asked him if a crack I had seen on the crystal was a repair. He said no, and since at that time in the tent the crack was barely visible, I believed him.
Then, back home, I reexamined the specimen and noticed that the crack is actually probably going though the whole crystal. There is just a little area at the back where it encounters the matrix. I watched carefully with a magnifier, and I cannot see any sign of glue for instance, but I am now doubtful whether the specimen has been repaired or if the crack was naturally present without breaking the crystals in two parts.
My questions are :
- your opinion about this possible repair ?
- if indeed the specimen was repaired, what difference it would make in its value ?
Photos are below. The specimen is 4.5 cm wide, so the brookite crystal is something like 2 cm tall.
Thank you !
Difficult to say if has been repaired, but if it has been repaired then they did a fine job. Since such crystals are not all that rare a repair would have a bigger impact on the price then it would for a very rare or highly desirable high end mineral. In my estimation a repair of such a specimen as yours would reduce the value by 50%. 
I agree with Reiner---I personally value repaired items much lower but many people have no problems with a repair or multiple repairs. Most of the larger tourmaline and amazonite/smoky pieces have a few or very many repairs and they are still held in high regard. I have the same attitude to sawn surfaces---for me, they devalue a piece in almost every instance.
Have you examined the piece under UV light? Glues oftentimes fluoresce and this might be a good way to check for any repair.
Yours is a fine piece. Nice associations, placement of crystal on matrix, great contrast, etc. These new buggers certainly blow the Welsh pieces out of the water in most cases! 
They don't call theses specimens brokites for nothing. 
Historically the repairing of brookite crystals is not that uncommon. Before the discovery of the amazing material from Pakistan it was well known that specimens from the type locality (Prenteg, Wales) were occasionally repaired and in some instances 'enhanced' by the attachment of crystals where there were none before. One of the classic Welsh specimens in the collections at Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales and shown as the first figure at: http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/mineralogy/database/?mineral=72 has long been suspected as being repaired or, worse, faked. I have examined the specimen under a microscope and still cannot tell for certain, but the presence of efflorescence in the form of calcium formate suggests to me that something strange has been done to the specimen. Apparently one technique involved the sawing of a very fine groove into the matrix and slotting the crystal into place. In Wales this problem has largely ceased in part because the quality and value of foreign specimens has reduced the demand for Welsh specimens, and secondly because collecting is restricted at the type locality.
Unfortunately the brittle nature of brookite means that many good crystals will inevitably become detached during collection - particularly if explosives are used - and for any high value mineral there will always be the temptation to repair. As mentioned in an earlier post some collectors don't mind repairs, but others hate them so it comes down to personal preference, but if a repair has been made then it should be recorded somewhere.
Antoine, in terms of your specimen the fracture does appear to extend through the whole crystal so I would not be surprised if it has been repaired. If not then be very careful not to knock the specimen or you will need to carry out your own repair. It still looks to be a very attractive specimen though.
Caveat emptor
Tom
Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales Hello Antoine,
Be sure that if Jürgen said that the Brookite is not repaired then it is true.
Jürgen is a serious seller in my opinion.
Greetings
Hannes Thanks everyone ! At least, none of you seem to think that it has been repaired for sure. (I was not able to check the specimen with UV light yet.) Also, although I really like this specimen (by the way I appreciate your comments about it), I am not sure it is valuable enough as to be worth a repair. As you say Hannes, I should maybe just trust the dealer.
