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[ADVERT ? ] Giant Tanzanian Spinel Crystal



 
 
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Old October 6th 07, 07:01 PM posted to rec.crafts.jewelry
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Default [ADVERT ? ] Giant Tanzanian Spinel Crystal

They dug it out of a farmer's field in Mahenge. An enormous red spinel
crystal weighing over 52kgs. If may be the largest red spinel ever
unearthed !

Mined at depth of 10 meters, the pyramid shaped rough was discovered
by a group of miners in the alluvial deposit. Mining in the area is
normally conducted by loosely organized syndicates of small miners
funded by local entrepreneurs.

The discovery almost sparked a riot as hundreds of other diggers moved
in for a piece of the action. Besides being lucky, the finders of the
really special stones also need to be strong and fast - everybody
wants stones like that and they're willing to fight for them too!
After escaping into the bush on a motorcycle, the miner and the
motorcycle driver were forced to lay low without food and water for
several days before making their way on to Morogoro. From there, they
traveled on to Arusha to show their rock. The buyer who wishes to
remain anonymous said "when the stone finally arrived, the miner's
legs were bloodied from holding the heavy sharp-edged rock on the
motorcycle"

The impressive crystal was the vibrant orangey pinkish red color that
is considered to be top for spinel. Although most of the crystal was
included, it was obvious that significant chunks of clean gem material
could be cobbed from it. Even though the yield is expected to be as
low as 3%, the sheer size of the rough still translates into several
thousand carats of gems.

The gemmy chunks are being faceted in Thailand and several clean
stones of over 30cts. have already been cut and sold. Although most
of the stones are small, a significant number of stones ranging in
weight between 5 and 20 carats have already been faceted and the
cutting continues. One piece is expected to cut a near clean stone
over 50cts. Ultimately, this one giant crystal will cut several
million dollars worth of stones and dealers have been lining up to buy
first. Although the color of Burmese spinels can be exceptional, clean
stones as large as these are unheard of in Burma....


Pictures and full story @ http://www.multicolour.com/spinel/

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