Lapidaryforum.net
Let's Rock => Rock Talk => Topic started by: 55fossil on February 23, 2018, 07:38:35 AM
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I purchased some cabs from India to re-cut. It was cheaper to buy Pietersite cabs than I can find slabs or rough. The pictures all look odd. It almost looks like the cabs were painted with a liquid or polymer for the photo. If you look at the fingers in the photo they actually glow. The Labrodorite also looks wet.
The cabs were worth the money for the most part. After re-cutting and polishing I have some very nice cabs. The cabs as purchased had cut marks on the back side, irregular shapes for ovals and the tops were not really what I like to see. There were pits, etc... Out of the 9 cabochons I purchased several will never be excellent due to soft spots in the Pietersite that will not polish up to a glow.
Has anyone else experienced getting cabochons on line that had pictures far better than the stone they received?
PS: The market really seems flooded with Pietersite cabochons for cheap $$$ but rough is still impossible to find at a reasonable price. Why?????
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Soaking/coating with bee's wax is not uncommon. I have some ruby zosite that has been coated with a heavy almost laquer like substance that stinks when you grind on it. Often reworking someone's quick treatment is advantageous over starting from rough or slabs. .... but not always.
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I was knocked to the floor puking with a blinding head ache after grinding on treated turquoise years ago. Caution is required as the Chinese are famous for mixing excess industrial chemicals with everything including food to save on dump fees.
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Unlike a slab or rough (sometimes), it shouldn't be necessary to wet or oil a cab in order to photograph.
Are you certain that photo is pietersite? It looks more like Madagascar labradorite to me (which might explain the lower prices you are seeing). Overseas cutters are also notorious for misstating the origin and identification of materials they sell. Just look up "Owyhee jasper" on sites like ebay for example, where most of what you see from Asian sellers isn't from North America, let alone the Owyhee basin, and often isn't even jasper (and sometimes isn't even natural stone - amen to what lithicbeads said).
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Agreed - it's labradorite, not pietersite.
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Definitely Labradorite.....
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Folks, he ID'd it as Labradorite in his first post.
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You're right, he did! :Bash:
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I used the labrodorite picture to show the fingers with their very wet look.....and said it was Labrodorite.. This may be a perfectly good cabochon. Picture was for reference only due to the wet look.
I soaked one of the Pietersite cabochons in muratic acid to test for surface coatings and there were none. This was on a Pietersite cabochon which I purchased on e-bay. I do not believe these cabs were treated and appear to be completely natural.
I then used a strong magnifying lense to view the Pietersite cabochon. The number of flat spots and grooves was amazing. I do not know how they could get such a nice shine on such an uneven surface. I am not displeased with the stones I purchased for the price. It was intentional to buy inexpensive cabochons to re-cut as a way to save money and obtain some decent quality Pietersite. I have no qualms with the seller of the Pietersite or the Labrodorite. This is just one of those heads up for people looking at buying such stones. They are not suitable for flipping or putting into jewelry with my name on it. After re-cutting and a good polish I believe 7 of the 8 stones I purchased will make beautiful pendants at a very good price.
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PS: The market really seems flooded with Pietersite cabochons for cheap $$$ but rough is still impossible to find at a reasonable price. Why?????
Most likely someone there bought a large parcel of rough years ago and are now trying to cash in and get some of their money back. Similar situation with high grade Sonora Sunrise. But once they sell out prices will go back up.