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Home , Chrysocolla, Fracture (mineralogy), Lapidary, Malachite, Turquoise

FEATURE ARTICLE

ENHANCED MATERIALS FANCY COMPRESSED BLOCKS: THE LATEST TREND Helen Serras-Herman FGA

We all love using natural untreated gem materials for our lapidary projects and jewelry artwork. We like the organic feel, the symphony of colors, the diversity of textures, the quality and the uniqueness, grateful to Mother Nature for creating all these beautiful rarities.

esides the fact that some of the all-natural materials have become very limited or completely unobtainable Bfrom the mine sources, while others are getting harder to find uncut on the market or their prices have risen dramat - ically as is the case with , sugilite, gaspeite and ocean , a new trend in lapidary materials has entered the market: natural enhanced lapidary materials .

The traditional way of enhancing has been by dying or -stabilization in order to simulate a more ex - pensive and rare version of the same material, or to make soft and fragile materials harder so that they can survive the lapidary processes of cutting and . Today, many of the natural gem materials have been color enhanced to look like some other natural material, and the results are “simulants” or “look-a-likes.” Although they are imitating another material, they are not “imitations” as are and FIGURE 1. Blocks by Colbaugh Processing. , because they are of natural origin. Another en - hancement that we have seen in recent years in drusy gemstones, besides dying, has been coating with metals, sequently for less final cost, except for the desired thickness such as , or . and pattern. The slab is then easily shaped into geometric or free-form . But the most recent breed of enhanced lapidary materials comes in the form of fancy compressed blocks, comprised There are two main problems surrounding these stones. One of natural ingredients, metals, shells and , is the lack of disclosure. Although the original wholesaler some in stunning colors and unimaginable combina - dealers or may have disclosed information about tions never seen before. They are compressed with resin the nature of the rough, cabochons or beads, somewhere under heat and pressure and are durable to be used into jew - down the line, or especially with online sales of second and elry. Many of these enhanced gem materials are very attrac - third parties, information gets lost or blurred. The second tive with bold and eye-catching patterns, striking colors and problem is that appraisers are not familiar with these prod - unique designs—our natural world with a face lift! ucts, and consider all of them as “junk,” placing them in the same category as glass or imitations. They should un - Coupled with a lower price point, which makes them an ap - derstand the origin of these materials, their properties and pealing alternative to the all-natural expensive gemstones, their current market value. these gemstones cut from fancy compressed blocks have become an instant hit among lapidaries and jewelry design - One of the reasons for disclosure, besides honesty, is for the ers. Figure 1. A great advantage the compressed blocks pro - lapidary, designer, metalsmith, or the final client or collector vide is that there is very little waste when slabbing them; to know how to take care of the jewelry set with these types even-sized slabs are easy to cut, compared to natural pieces of finished stones. How well will the stones wear once set that are irregular in shape, with inclusions, cracks and flaws into jewelry, especially into rings which take more abuse, or that the lapidary has to take into account and work around would they be best set in and ? Will they them. There is no need for any special orientation of the endure a cleaning in an ultrasonic machine, the torch of the rough block material, which accounts for less labor and sub - jeweler, or a swim in the pool?

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FIGURE 2. Natural Kingman turquoise compressed. FIGURE 3. Natural turquoise, infused with .

While many dealers of high-end gemstones and literature within the gemological world are focused on disclosure of enhancements of expensive faceted , or di - amonds, the and bead market almost slides qui - etly under the disclosure radar. It is a huge market that affects a large percentage of sales in the commercial jewelry and craft world.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Guides for the jewelry industry, with the exception of normal fashioning (cutting and polishing) it is the seller’s responsibility at all lev - els of commerce to clearly disclose to the buyer at the time of the sale whether the stone is natural or not. The seller must also provide all pertinent information about any en - hancement process when A) the treatment is not permanent FIGURE 4. Turquoise infused with bronze, finished. and its effects are lost over time, B) the treatment creates special care requirements for the gemstone to retain the ben - efits of the treatment, and C) the treatment has a significant effect on the value of the gemstone. My research for these types of gemstones started back in 2014 while I was looking at the booth of Keith Horst of A & K A great source of information is the Gemstone Information Gems and at a gem show in . Keith is a mas - Manual, 12 th edition, published by the American Gem Trade ter lapidary and teaches lapidary at the Yavapai College in Organization (AGTA), available to all on the Disclosure page Prescott, Arizona. He is recognized in the trade for his stun - at http://www.agta.org/info/index.html. There are sixteen ning cabochons, drusy cabs and unique natural surface ‘Gemstone Enhancement Codes’ supported by AGTA, and freeforms. I have great admiration for his work especially his when selling any gemstone, bead, or jewelry, one of these masterfully cut matched pairs for . Looking through codes must be applied. Keith’s inventory many bizarre gemstones drew my attention. We started pairing the simulant pieces with natural gem - A vast majority of cabochons on the market today are treated stones, and a “natural vs. enhanced” story began to develop. with the filler Opticon™, or polished with during After that initial encounter, I began looking for and the final step, facts rarely disclosed. Although I understand more “look-a-like” gem materials at other booths. that no dealer wants to put a sign in their booth stating that their stones are all treated, lapidaries and jewelry artists There are two main groups for these fancy compressed should let their customers know about their stones’ treat - blocks. One type comprises of small, natural nuggets of qual - ments and advise them of how to take care and protect the ity turquoise from Kingman, Arizona, which are compressed finished products. with resin into blocks, yet the outline of each nugget is still

GEMGUIDE - 2 - SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2017 LAPIDARY MATERIALS visible. These compressed turquoise blocks (Figure 2) are cre - ated by Colbaugh Processing, Inc. (http://www.colbaugh.net/), a very-well known company that mines the only active mine for turquoise in Arizona: the Mineral Park Mine at Turquoise Mountain a few miles north of Kingman. The company is headed by Marty Colbaugh, the grandson of the original mine owner, S.A. “Chuck” Colbaugh, who first mined turquoise there in 1962.

I had the opportunity to talk with Marty at his booth in Tucson, and he openly discussed the treatments used in his materi - als. I am very thankful to him for being very open in dis - cussing and disclosing all treatments. He was very emphatic that the all-natural turquoise blocks start with high-grade turquoise nuggets, and do not contain any dyes.

Besides the all-natural turquoise blocks, he also creates com - pressed blocks of natural turquoise nuggets infused with bronze (Figure 3 and 4) or that offer a very unique look FIGURE 6. Mohave turquoise blocks. with tendrils of bright shiny metal, simulating natural turquoise with golden matrix inclusions from the Kingman mine or the Hachita mine in New . Figure 5. These have become extremely popular for use as cabochons and handles.

The latest trend that Colbaugh Processing offers is a variety of dyed turquoise blocks, with or without infused bronze (for gold color) or zinc (for color), which are imitating another natural gem material. All blocks purchased directly from Col - baugh Processing weigh approximately 2.20 lbs and are cur - rently sold for $80 per pound.

One variety called Mohave green turquoise (Figure 6) is a bright green dyed turquoise infused with zinc, simulating the rare bright green gaspeite [(Ni,

Mg, Fe) CO 3] from . Figure 7. FIGURE 7. Natural gaspeite. Gaspeite’s electric lime green to neon apple green color is due to its con - tent. Slabs of natural untreated gaspeite are rarely available, and today may range in the $2 to $3 per gram at retail shows, while the Mohave green turquoise may sell for only $0.50 per gram. Most gaspeite cabs and beads are treated. Besides the blocks, it is offered di - rectly by Colbaugh Processing as bead FIGURE 5. Turquoise Sky, Hachita mine. FIGURE 8. Turquoise with cabs.

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FIGURE 11. Man-made dino cabs. FIGURE 9. Natural dino bone block. pany in Gilbert, Arizona, is known for selling natural and man- made gem material crushed into powder or into small chips that customers use for projects in or (http://stores.ebay.com/nichebox-rocks). He also makes a block from crushed pieces of natural dinosaur bone (Figure 9), as well as a man-made version of dino bone (Figure 10 and 11) in yellow or red, selling for around $100 per block, not too inexpensive.

MOHAVE PURPLE TURQUOISE The Mohave purple turquoise, offered by Colbaugh Process - ing, is probably the most famous of these fancy compressed block materials. Figure 12, 13 and 14. Although there is no such thing in nature as purple turquoise, it imitates the very rare natural combination of purple sugilite with blue (an amphibole group mineral). In matter of fact, Marty Col - baugh said that he was actually asked to create such an imi - FIGURE 10. Man-made dino blocks. tation by one of his customers, and thought it to be a crazy idea. strands ranging from $23 to $52 and pendants for $30 each. Sugilite (Mohs H 5.5-6.5) is a pink to purple cyclosilicate min -

In addition to the turquoise blocks, natural / eral with the complex chemical formula KNa 2(Fe, Mn,

and apple are also compressed in blocks and offered for Al) 2Li 3Si 12 O30 . It is most commonly found in a massive form, sale. The most recent varieties of compressed blocks are the not single . Figure 15. It mainly comes from the Wes - all-natural color spiny oyster shell from Baja, Mexico, with sels Mine in Northern Cape Province in South Africa, although bronze matrix, and spiny oyster with turquoise, currently avail - it was first found in by petrologist Ken-ichi Sugi (1901- able for $80/lb, as well as purple spiny oyster and turquoise 1948). An interesting fact is that the Japanese name, Sugi, is combination. I also just saw at Keith Horst’s booth at the pronounced with a hard “g” as in geese, but the mineral is Prescott Gem & Mineral show, cabs of turquoise with commonly pronounced with a soft “g” as in “gene.” And that abalone shell and abalone shell with bronze. Figure 8. The “mispronunciation” has become the norm. (http://www.min - cabs were truly stunning with the scintillating iridescent col - dat.org/min-3822.html). ors of the shells. Their price range is $20-$40 each. Sugilite colors include lavender, purple, lavender-pink, and dark The second type of compressed blocks are those made by purple. The brighter the purple color and the more translucent crushed-into-powder natural materials, often low-quality (gel) sugilite is the rarer the material is considered. The price turquoise, dyed, compressed and stabilized, and sold in a of sugilite has increased multifold in recent years. A decade block form or slabs. They are manufactured and sold by Fred ago, sugilite rough ranged between $1 per gram and $5 per Thiele of Natural Expressions, Inc ®, with whom I had the op - gram for the top gel material. Now $50 per gram and higher portunity to talk with and photograph his materials. His com - are prices asked by vendors. In rare occasions, bright blue

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FIGURE 12. Mohave purple turquoise blocks. FIGURE 15. Mohave purple turquoise carving.

veins of richterite are associated with sugilite and make a stunning color combination. In rare occasions, bright blue veins of richterite are associated with sugilite and make a stunning color combination, that very color arrangement that Mohave purple turquoise is imitating.

The Mohave purple turquoise is made from natural turquoise from Kingman compressed with resin, dyed and stabilized. The result is a material with brilliant purple color, often with some of the original natural blue turquoise color still visible as the harder turquoise does not take the dyes very well. Those, I find the most intriguing. It is also offered with bronze infusion in - clusions with a golden webbing visual look, or zinc infusion which gives it a silver color. Mohave purple turquoise has now become very popular, and it is sold as blocks, slabs, cabochons and bead strands. Slabs at retail vendors are sold for about 50 cents per gram or more, and finished cabs range $15-$40 each. FIGURE 13. Mohave purple turquoise cabs. Sharlene Hellberg, a talented gem artist based in Kingman, Ari - zona, carves the Mohave purple turquoise. Figure 16. When she asked Colbaugh Processing about any special precautions while working the material, she was told to treat it like any other stabilized turquoise. She says though, that the material has a different odor, and I would probably guess that the bronze infu - sion may be the cause. Nonetheless, the bronze infusion does not seem to cause any problems for sanding or final polishing.

On the Colbaugh Processing website, there is a warning to avoid ultra-sonic cleaners with the pink soap solution as they may cause white spots on the purple color. They also caution to avoid excessive heat, long periods of soaking in water and excessive chemicals. They also state that, if Mohave purple turquoise is treated correctly, the color will remain the same, and it will not fade or bleed.

SIMULANT FIGURE 14. Mohave purple with abalone. The simulant Sonora chrysocolla imitates one of the most well-

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known and desired new natural gemstones, the Sonora chryso colla, also known as Sonora Sun - set or Sonora Sunrise chrysocolla, or chryso - colla .

The natural Sonora chrysocolla is a - FIGURE 17. Sonora chrysocolla, natural-simulant. based composed of blue or green chrysocolla and red cuprite, a copper mineral. (Cover photo.) It may also con - tain the orange-red chal - cotricite, blue , and black veins of or . It has been mined since 2006 at the Milpillas Mine that has produced stunning azu - rite-malachite crystals— the copper mine near the town of Cuitaca in FIGURE 16. Sugilite carving. FIGURE 18. Sonora chrysocolla simulant blocks. Sonora, Mexico, very near the famous copper mine in . It is reported, however, that since 2011 all copper at the Milpillas mine has been exhausted.

The of the Sonora chrysocolla is around Mohs 3-4. Great quantities of rough have come out and may still be avail - able, but it is getting harder to find good quality rough material, with even portions of the ingredients. What made the material famous was a symmetry and proportional balance between the blue, red and black colors. The brilliant red-only rough ma - terial and designer cabs are referred to as “crimson cuprite.”

The man-made simulant version of Sonora chryso colla has similar col oration, mostly turquoise blue and bright red. It is made of 80% natural stone powder, dyed, compressed under heat and pressure and stabilized with 20% resin, and is sold in the form of a block, slabs and cabs. It is manufac - tured and sold by Fred Thiele of Natural Expressions, Inc ® in FIGURE 19. Sonora chrysocolla simulant cabs. Ari zona. While Sonora chrysocolla cabs may range from $40 to over $100 each, the simulant cabs may sell for only $15-40 each. Figure 17, 18 and 19. azurite habitually found together with malachite, which is often a replacement of azurite. The two natural minerals make a stunning visual arrangement when cut to - AZURITE WITH MALACHITE A compressed block combination of small natural nodules of gether as a gemstone, often with a combination of drusy and azurite and malachite, compressed with resin into blocks (Fig - polished surfaces. Figure 21 and 22. ure 20), is also created by Colbaugh Processing, Inc. As with their other blocks, it is offered with bronze infusion, which Azurite is a deep blue-colored copper mineral, with chemical

creates a stunning golden webbing pattern, or without the formula Cu 3(CO 3)2(OH) 2. Azurite crystals are formed as dark bronze infusion which has a more natural look. The blue prismatic crystals, but more commonly azurite is found azurite/malachite block simulates the natural occurrence of in a massive, nodule or stalactitic form. It is very soft, only

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FIGURE 20. Compressed azurite-malachite. FIGURE 22. Azurite-malachites.

3.5-4 on the Mohs scale. Azu - rite mineral specimens from the legendary Bisbee and Morenci mines are the most sought after.

Man-made imitation blocks come in a similar color-combi - nation, but start with pow - ered stone material. Figure 23. They are available on the mar - ket from Fred Thiele of Natural Expressions, Inc ®. Slabs in approximately 5”x2” sizes sell for around $20-$25 each.

FIGURE 21. Natural azurite- FIGURE 23. Man-made azur-malachite. A FINAL WORD malachite carved. We have only dis cussed a few enhanced lapidary materi - ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS als in this article, but it is obvious that there is a fair amount I am very thankful to Keith Horst of A & K Gems and of them on the market today, with a growing list due to tech - Minerals, Marty Colbaugh of Colbaugh Processing Inc, nological advances and demand from the public. Even though and Fred Thiele of Natural Expressions, Inc®, for allowing they may not be my personal preference for a gem material me to photograph their materials and for sharing their or for other “purist” carvers and lapidaries, they are afford - knowledge with me. able and attractive, which makes them a good alternative choice to all-natural expensive gem materials. All of us lapi - Helen Serras-Herman, MFA, FGA, is an acclaimed gem daries, jewelry artists, appraisers and collectors should un - sculptor with over 34 years of experience in unique gem derstand these gem material options, and be able to explain and jewelry art. Her award-winning artwork their properties and value to our customers. u has been exhibited world-wide and published in over 200 trade magazines and books. See her work at www.gemartcenter.com and her business Facebook page at Gem Art Center/Helen Serras-Herman

Gemworld International, Inc., 2640 Patriot Blvd, Suite 240, Glenview, IL 60026-8075, www.gemguide.com © 2017 Gemworld International, Inc. All rights reserved. All articles and photographs that appear are copyrighted by the author, the contributing person or company, or Gemworld International, Inc. and may not be reproduced in any printed or electronic format, posted on the internet, or distributed in any way without written permission. Address requests to the editor-in-chief. The opinions expressed in this publication are the opinions of the individual authors only and should not necessarily be considered to be the opinions of the staff of Gemworld International, Inc. as a whole. Any website listings that appear in articles are for informational purposes only and should not be considered an endorsement of that company.

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