Editor Nathan Renfro Contributing Editors Elise A. Skalwold and John I. Koivula Rain Cloud in Alexandrite An example of nature imitating nature was seen in a 0.73 ct faceted alexandrite showcasing an inclusion reminiscent of a rain cloud (figure 1). The “cloud” was composed of white particles oriented as parallel bands that displayed a cloud-like silhouette when viewed at an angle. The “rain” was composed of fine oriented reflective needles com- monly referred to as silk. Fiber-optic lighting allowed for a concentration of white light to be seen under the cloud, creating an appearance of lightning. The inclusion scene observed in this gem is an interesting novelty that any gemologist can appreciate. Britni LeCroy GIA, Carlsbad Figure 1. An alexandrite seen with fine milky parti- cles and bands of silk resembling a rain cloud. Photo- micrograph by Britni LeCroy; field of view 2.90 mm. Conichalcite in Quartz Chalcedony An interesting greenish blue cabochon of chalcedony was examined to determine the identity of some peculiar yel- Conichalcite, CaCu(AsO )(OH), is a member of the lowish green inclusions. The bodycolor offered some clues, 4 adelite-descloizite group and occurs in colors from domi- as the greenish blue variety of chalcedony, known as “gem nantly green to dominantly yellow, with either a yellow or silica,” is commonly attributed to the copper mineral green modifier. Conichalcite is reported to occur with chrysocolla. Therefore, it was not a surprise when Raman chrysocolla from deposits in the United States (Utah, Ari- spectrometry identified the yellowish green inclusions as zona, and California), Germany, Peru, and Australia. This another mineral that contained a significant amount of particular gem was reportedly from Concepcion Del Oro, copper: conichalcite (figure 2). Zacatecas, Mexico. These vibrant inclusions were quite visually striking when seen along with their greenish blue host chalcedony. About the banner: Fibers of actinolite radiate from a core crystal of This is the first time the authors have identified inclusions chromite in a Russian demantoid garnet. These “horsetail” inclusions are of conichalcite in chalcedony. common in demantoid from Russia. Photomicrograph by Nathan Renfro; Nathan Renfro and John I. Koivula field of view 1.53 mm. Courtesy of the John Koivula Inclusion Collection. GIA, Carlsbad Editors’ note: Interested contributors should contact Nathan Renfro at [email protected] for submission information. Emerald in Rock Crystal Quartz GEMS &G EMOLOGY,V OL. 55, NO. 3, pp. 426–433. Rock crystal is a transparent and colorless macrocrystalline © 2019 Gemological Institute of America variety of quartz (SiO ) that often has cavities containing liq- 2 426 MICRO-WORLD G EMS & GEMOLOGY F ALL 2019 this is the first time the author has examined a gem-quality rock crystal quartz cabochon with a perfectly hexagonal emerald crystal inclusion. Nattida Ng-Pooresatien GIA, Bangkok Iolite-Sunstone Intergrowth and Inclusions At the GIA Carlsbad laboratory, the authors recently ex- amined a cabochon of “bloodshot” iolite (containing red, eye-visible platelets of hematite) intergrown with a sun- stone (figure 4). This material was reportedly sourced from Figure 2. Raman spectrometry identified the yellow- India. Cordierite (iolite) and plagioclase feldspar is a com- ish green inclusions in this chalcedony host as the mon metamorphic mineral assemblage, and similar mate- copper mineral conichalcite. Photomicrograph by rial reportedly from India has been documented in the past Nathan Renfro; field of view 7.20 mm. (Winter 1991 Gem News, pp. 261–262). This “double” gem specimen displays a mixture of an attractive bluish violet dichroic color with red hematite platelet inclusions in the iolite half, combined with an or- ange aventurescence effect from numerous tiny copper-col- uid and gas two-phase inclusions. Many different minerals ored hematite platelets in the sunstone half. also form as inclusions within rock crystal quartz. Typical varieties of included quartz for gem use are rutilated quartz, tourmalinated quartz, and strawberry quartz. Specimens may also contain several other types of mineral inclusions. Recently, the author examined a 10.95 ct rock crystal Figure 4. An iolite-sunstone overgrowth crystal speci- quartz cabochon that contained elongate rod-shaped green men. Photo by Kevin Schumacher. crystals (figure 3). The green crystals showed hexagonal cross-section and were identified by Raman spectroscopy as beryl. Ultraviolet/visible/near-infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) spectroscopy showed a chromium (Cr) spectrum, which confirmed that the green crystals were emerald. This amazing inclusion has been previously reported in a rock crystal quartz specimen (Fall 2008 Lab Notes, p. 258), but Figure 3. A prismatic emerald crystal within a rock crystal quartz. Photomicrograph by Nattida Ng- Pooresatien; field of view 12.5 mm. MICRO-WORLD G EMS & GEMOLOGY F ALL 2019 427 inclusions were also observed inside the same specimen. Nevertheless, the anthophyllite crystal was conclusively identified by Raman microspectrometry analysis. The an- thophyllite crystal inclusion showed a bladed prismatic crystal form, orangy yellow color, transparency, and several cleavage planes. Although amphibole mineral inclusions have been doc- umented extensively, distinct prismatic anthophyllite crystal inclusions are very rare and few references are found in the literature. Anthophyllite is more common in lamellar or fibrous form, classified as asbestos. This combination iolite-sunstone specimen and its in- clusions offer a unique visual composition that makes it a Figure 5. This colorful inclusion scene showcases an desirable piece for a gem collection. anthophyllite crystal inclusion, which exhibits high transparency, several cleavage planes, and a thin/ Jonathan Muyal and Paul Mattlin bladed prismatic crystal form. Photomicrograph by GIA, Carlsbad Jonathan Muyal; field of view 2.34 mm. Merelaniite in Gem Diopside from Merelani, Tanzania Viewing the stone under magnification offers an in- A recent Micro-World entry (Summer 2018 G&G, pp. 226– clusion scene with a variety of well-formed hematite 227) described merelaniite occurring as dense inclusions platelets, crystals, and liquid inclusions. Of particular in- in a tanzanite cabochon and as inclusions in two gem tan- terest was a fine elongated single-crystal inclusion of an- zanite crystals. While the Merelani tanzanite mines have thophyllite (figure 5). also become well known for green diopside in recent years, The crystal shape of the anthophyllite could easily be in July 2019 the authors observed, for the first time, dense mistaken for phlogopite, which has been documented in inclusions of fine merelaniite whiskers in gem-quality yel- cordierite (E.J. Gübelin and J.I. Koivula, Photoatlas of Inclu- low-green, prismatic diopside crystals (figure 6, left). sions in Gems, Vol. 1, ABC Edition, Zurich, 1986, p. 268). Seven merelaniite-included diopside crystals, reportedly In fact, several greenish brown prismatic phlogopite crystal mined in 2018 and obtained by one of the authors (WR), Figure 6. Left: Prismatic diopside crystal (1.5 cm tall) included with abun- dant merelaniite whiskers, associated with graphite at the termination, and aggre- gates of radiating white aci- cular mesolite crystals on some prism faces. Photo by Tom Stephan. Top right: Close-up of the merelaniite inclusion (field of view ~8 mm), viewed through one polarizer to reduce the ef- fects of diopside’s birefrin- gence. Bottom right: Detail of some of the merelaniite inclusions showing spindle structures due to non-uni- form layer growth around the whisker axes (field of view 1.5 mm). Photomicro- graphs by J.A. Jaszczak. 428 MICRO-WORLD G EMS & GEMOLOGY F ALL 2019 Figure 7. Left: A 1.35 ct faceted gem diopside containing merelaniite inclusions. Photo by Diego Sanchez. Right: Close-up of wheel and whisker morphology of the included merelaniite. Photomicrograph by Nathan Ren- fro; field of view 1.03 mm. Stone courtesy of Bill Vance. ranged in size from approximately 1 to 5 cm long. Apart Dravite from Mozambique with an Abundance of from the merelaniite inclusions, all but the largest had ex- Pyrite Inclusions cellent clarity, although one 1.7 cm crystal was so densely In the summer of 2017, author JP encountered a parcel of filled with merelaniite that half of the sample appeared very transparent yellow to brownish yellow tourmalines at the dark. Similar to the inclusions observed in tanzanite, the gemstone market in Chanthaburi, Thailand. The six merelaniite inclusions in diopside were predominantly faceted tourmalines shown in figure 8 revealed properties cylindrical whiskers with metallic luster and variable diam- consistent with tourmaline. LA-ICP-MS analysis was per- eters and lengths. The longest whiskers in the largest diop- formed to determine their major chemical components, side spanned up to 2 cm (figure 6, top right), and many which were: 11.56–12.31% MgO, 9.98–10.34% B O , 2.62– extended to the surface, where they terminated. Some of the 2 3 merelaniite whiskers showed a spindle- or wheel-type struc- ture with diameter that varied along the axis of even a single whisker (figure 6, bottom right). Some ribbon-like inclusions Figure 8. Six yellow to brownish yellow faceted also occurred that were likely merelaniite. All of the diop- dravite tourmalines (0.47–2.8 ct) from Mozambique, sides were also associated with white spheroidal clusters of many of which contained distinct metallic inclusions radiating acicular mesolite crystals, while several crystals of pyrite. Photo by Weizhi Huang. were associated with graphite and one was associated with a transparent blue fluorapatite crystal. While reviewing an earlier version of this report, GIA’s Nathan Renfro made the connection between these in- cluded diopside crystals and a faceted Merelani diopside gemstone (figure 7, left) containing dark whisker inclusions. Author JIK obtained that diopside from Bill Vance, the stone’s cutter, in approximately 2012. The whiskers in this 1.35 ct stone, some of which were surrounded by remark- able dark circular growths (figure 7, right), have also been confirmed by Raman spectroscopy as merelaniite.