Gemstones Blog

Whoa…thats a peridot!

Dear Arnold, Matt, Rung, et abla..

My mother got her peridot today. I thought maybe the flight scheduling with FedEx might have delayed things, or the weather. There were no delays. Its ironic how you in Bangkok can get a package through the same courier as a network out of Atlanta, and even though Atlanta is just a short distance, I can bet on a package from AJS Gems arriving faster than some network. So I got to give you guys recognition for shipping merchandise out in a very timely manner.

Where do I start on this peridot? Mom was hoping it was a little darker, but I figure when its mounted in a ring, it very well may. There are certain tell tale signs of that. However, she did compare this to her beloved Arizona peridot in a ring she bought from a local jeweler. This specimen is not your typical pale colored stuff. The Arizona stuff tends to be a paler yellowish green. Its not quite as saturated as this material. I am not going to say the Arizona stuff is bad, but its less per carat as a result. A few years back when we tried to find this same material from this locality, nobody ever heard of it.
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Dear Arnold, Rung, Matt and staff,

I got my opal today to add to my collection. Today is a fitting day for these things as this day has a significant meaning to me.

When I first saw the picture of the opal, I could tell 2 things right away. I knew it wasnt a synthetic by looking at the patterns of colors. That was readily obvious to me. The second thing I noticed before I even looked at the origin, I knew this was an Aussie opal. Someone wonders how I could tell, but its very easy. There is a bit of a floral pattern and an oriental character there, and you dont see that with synthetics. Lab created opals have a tell tale chicken wire pattern that you can sometimes make out with the unaided eye. The picture resembles nothing of the chicken wire pattern in the colors, or a lizard skin effect. Having said that, when you see that yellow flash, there is only one place that you see that yellow flash. Usually its either Lighting Ridge or some other locality. Regardless, this is without a doubt an Australian opal…

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