#gemystique Where Pakistan is famous for producing numerous gems in large quantities that range from commercial-fine quality, there are some that top the list and have gained international appreciation. Emeralds from Swat Valley, Aquamarine from Shigar Valley and Peridot from Sapat Valley, just to name a few. Peridot from Sapat Valley entered the market in […]
Category Archives: Gemology
#gemystique Examining some more Swat Emeralds for this weeks microscopemonday and observing more from their beautiful microworld of inclusions. Never a dull moment with emerald inclusions, especially with Swat emeralds. So much happening simultaneously that one can easily be overwhelmed and lose focus of how interesting each individual inclusion really is The four captured photomicrographs […]
#gemystique Swat emeralds are renowned for their rich vivid hues and their beautifully interesting microworld of inclusions. One particularly interesting type of inclusion that can be observed in emeralds from the Swat area of Pakistan are clusters of numerous colorless mineral crystals As heavily populated as these clusters might get, they can still be easily […]
#gemystique Examining surface reaching breaks-fractures in an emerald from Swat, Pakistan for this week’s microscopemonday. Observing surface reaching breaks under varying illumination environments is a reliable method to observe the actual extent of these breaks and fractures Often, they fully reveal their spread and depth while being observed under varying illumination environments (oblique-fiberoptic, horizontal-fiberoptic to […]
#gemystique Examining a beautiful Fluorite for this week’s microscopemonday and more beautiful than its delightfully saturated color is what’s happening inside. A layered, step like angular growth pattern can be observed in the first 2 photomicrographs (fiber-optic and dark-field illumination). What we see here is a partial phantom. The reason behind the formation of this […]
#gemystique Angular color zoning in Quartz-Amethyst, viewed under varying lighting environments. Illumination methods applied: Diffused Transmitted, Oblique Fiber-Optic, Horizontal Fiber-Optic and Dark-Field Sheikh Fahad Abbas – GIA GG, AJPFounder & Owner – Gemystique®
#gemystique Examining Rock Crystal Quartz from Baluchistan, Pakistan this week. Quartz from this area is prone to the formation of syngenetic primary and secondary fluid inclusions. These fluid inclusions can be two-phase, three-phase or even multi-phase, depending on their contents. The two main immiscible liquids present in these fluid inclusions are natural petroleum, which is […]
#gemystique A very interesting examination for this weeks microscopemonday. Looking at a considerably large mineral inclusion trapped within a Pakistani Aquamarine. While there are several known mineral inclusions associated with Pakistani aquamarine, Feldspar, Quartz, Mica in various forms like Muscovite etc. white to transparent and colorless Albite crystals, just to name a few, this particular […]
#gemystique Where synthetic gems can be grown in a number of different processes and methods, synthetic corundum is primarily grown by two processes. It is either grown by a melt process or a solution process. Melt process consists of methods like Flame Fusion-Verneuil, Pulling-Czochralski, Skull and Floating Zone, while the solution process has the Flux […]
#gemystique Examining a blue tourmaline this week and looking at some well-known tourmaline inclusions. Let’s dive a little deeper into them one by one. 1. Growth and Color Zoning – Is a feature that is commonly associated with tourmaline. From striped zones of different colors to angular-hexagonal growth and color zones, they may vary in […]