More rough gem stones from Madagascar are listed on this page, including
sphene, spinel, kornerupine, fluorine, orthoclase, and moonstone.
Other rough gem stones may be shown in our Bulletins as they
become available. You can join the Bulletin mailing list by request.
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Madagascar produces so many varieties of gems that to list even most of them
would take more pages than you should be expected to comfortably navigate.
Madagascar's gems in superior facet grades are always in demand. We are proud to
offer Madagascar's finest gem rough for your consideration.
Please look through our quality, hand selected gem rough pages. This material will
make money for you!
Are you one of the many in the gem trade who
would just love to buy Madagascar rough directly from the mine and field? Well, now you
can. Just think of the time and money you will save!
Rhodolite (and other) gem stone rough prices are based on
what we must pay to the miners. The price we will pay the miners depends
on the customary variables of quality, color, size of the pieces, and availability
of quality rough.
Please use the email link below to
query us regarding prices and availability. Please inform us of:
Your affiliation in the gem trade
The quantities
that you contemplate buying
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Sphene (Calcium Titanium Silicate) was
a rare collector's gem... until more deposits of this unique gem were discovered
in Madagascar.
Sphene
now is a rare jewelry gemstone. The world now has a large enough supply
of this stone to allow limited commercial availability for custom jewelry
making.
Sphene makes gorgeous, brilliant, fiery gems
that have a higher dispersion (more fire) than Diamonds.
Named after the Greek word for wedge (sfena),
because of its typical wedge shaped crystal habit, Sphene is also alternatively
called titanite for its titanium content.
Sphene has the unusual ability to take a beam
of light and break it into all of the spectral colours. This combined with its
strong pleochroism has the effect of making the gem appear to change colour
depending on the angle from which you are viewing it.
Sphene verifiably is one of the world's
newest and rarest gems, Clean gems larger than a five carats are extremely rare.
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Spinel (Magnesium Aluminum Oxide) is closely related to
corundum gems... ruby and sapphire. Spinel was first
recognized as a separate gem species in 1587.
Spinel has greater brilliance than sapphire
and ruby... to my eye at least. Spinel has its own legions of devotees around
the world.
Spinel’s name is derived most probably from
the Latin word for thorn “spina”, as a result of its characteristic
octahedral crystals having pointed ends.
Pure spinel is white, but interloping trace
elements can give it a wide range of colours. Almost all colours are used in
Jewelry.
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Kornerupine
(Magnesium Aluminum Iron Boro-silicate Hydroxide) is a rare gemstone, well known
for its pleochroism (different colours seen from different viewing angles) and
its colours, which range from soft pinks and blues to shades of green, including
emerald green..
Kornerupine was discovered in Fiskernaes,
Greenland, in 1884 and is named after the Danish geologist and explorer of
Greenland, Andreas N. Kornerup (1857-1881).
It was recognized as a unique gem
species in 1912.
Kornerupine is another rare gem that not many
years ago was limited to collections, it is now becoming increasingly popular in
jewelry, due to its unique beauty, suitability for everyday wear, and
moderate price.
Our Madagascar deposits currently produce
kornerupine in several of the finest colours.
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Fluorite (Calcium Fluoride) gets
its name from the Latin
word “fluere”, meaning to flow. This is a reference to its use as a flux in
smelting... and possibly to the fact that it's relatively easy to melt.
Fluorite is known as "the most colourful
mineral in the world" because it occurs in a wide range of colours and
saturations, including (but for certain not limited to) red, pink,
reddish-orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.
Fluorite is one of the more famous
fluorescent minerals. Many specimens strongly fluoresce, in a great variation of
colour.
The word "fluorescent" was derived
from fluorite, because specimens of fluorite were some of the first fluorescent
specimens ever studied. The naming followed the naming precedence set by the
word opalescence coined to describe the optical phenomena seen in opal,
therefore "fluorescence" from fluorite.
~~~
Orthoclase
(Potassium Aluminum Silicate) gets its name from the Greek word for
"straight fracture," because its two cleavages are at right angles to
each other.
The world's only known source of gemmy yellow
orthoclase is a small region of Madagascar known as Itrongay.
As late as the 1930's the ancient village of
Itrongay was situated on the path between the villages of Betroka and Benenitra
in the arid southern plains of Madagascar. Itrongay was at then an important
minerals center. Today you will not find the name "Itrongay" on
contemporary maps. The famous gemmy orthoclase is today found in a 40 km large
area around what was the ancient Itrongay. In lack of local knowledge, minerals
from this area and others close by are still called Itrongay by gem dealers.
Orthoclase is a member of the feldspar
mineral group.
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Moonstone (Potassium Aluminum Silicate) gets its name from the optical phenomena
seen in these stones. Moonstone's characteristic shimmer is known as schiller
or, aventurescence.
The effect is caused by the intergrowth of
two different types of feldspar, each having a different refractive index.
Yes, moonstone is still another member of the
feldspar group of minerals, specifically the variety known as
"adularia." Moonstone also occurs in the Adula Group - a portion of
the Alps... and that is how that name came to be.
Moonstone is closely related to sunstone. Moonstone
- sunstone? I begin to detect a pattern here!
Moonstone is usually cut in a smooth-domed
cabochon shape to maximize this effect, but faceted moonstone gems are rapidly
gaining followers.
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We offer many of the rough gem stones that occur in Madagascar.
If we do not list the one you are seeking, we can very likely get it for you.
Rough gem stones from Madagascar will make
big money for
you!
Sphene
now is a rare jewelry gemstone. The world now has a large enough supply
of this stone to allow limited commercial availability for custom jewelry
making.
corundum gems... ruby and sapphire. Spinel was first
recognized as a separate gem species in 1587.
Kornerupine
(Magnesium Aluminum Iron Boro-silicate Hydroxide) is a rare gemstone, well known
for its pleochroism (different colours seen from different viewing angles) and
its colours, which range from soft pinks and blues to shades of green, including
emerald green..
word “fluere”, meaning to flow. This is a reference to its use as a flux in
smelting... and possibly to the fact that it's relatively easy to melt.
Orthoclase
(Potassium Aluminum Silicate) gets its name from the Greek word for
"straight fracture," because its two cleavages are at right angles to
each other.
seen in these stones. Moonstone's characteristic shimmer is known as schiller
or, aventurescence.