Gemscentric

Written by Julian Robov


Fifty Nine


While some of the staff at the gem testing laboratory were having fun, others were enduring severe headaches controlling wind and the foul smell, after sorting hundreds of blue sapphire parcels provided by Rudy. They had a tough job finding unique samples of blue sapphires with landscape architecture, especially uranium pyrochlore inclusions. A rich client had requested the stones and for the sake of a long-term relationship. He had no other choice but to go the extra mile finding them quenching the clients inclusion thirst. Peter also joined the treasure hunt, as the staff began studying the inclusions one by one. Every single stone had to be double-checked with standard microscopes, and also with the assistance of high tech instruments, such as Raman probe and EDXRF(Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence) making sure the chemical compositions of the inclusions matched with their database.
The staff were provided with a list of possibilities, as identical inclusions were found in other gem localities either proving its natural status, rock growth environment or their provenance—like separating wheat from chaff. It had been always a challenge and education viewing new and old inclusions and their unusual patterns. They began analyzing the possibilities studying the following internal characteristics.

Feldspar crystals engulfed by fingerprint inclusions
Angular color zoning displaying the host crystals six-sided habit
Zircon crystals with tension haloes
Needles(ilmenite) and scaly hematite inclusions
Feathers of fluid inclusions
Apatite crystals
Dolomite crystals
Brookite crystals
Pyrrhotite crystals
Tourmaline crystals
Calcite crystals
Pyrite crystallites
Biotite-mica
Uranium pyrochlore
Albite crystallites
Graphite inclusions
Phlogophite inclusions
Spinel octahedron
Green gahnospinel
Uranite octahedron
Negative crystals
Two and Three-phase inclusions
Black niobite crystallites
Oiled thin film
Boehmite and Rutile needles

After microscoping four hundred and sixty five blue sapphires, one rocket gemologist discovered uranium pyrochlore inclusions in five blue sapphires weighing 2.78 carats, 3.01carats, 1.99carats, 2.30carats and 4.00carats respectively. With high power magnification, he took photographs to illustrate the beautiful but imperfect bright red octahedron crystals. In fact, he took several shots from different angles, playing with various lighting techniques for sharp resolution.

Later, other tests with EDXRF and Raman probe confirmed they were in fact uranium pyrochlore inclusions normally found in blue sapphires from Pailin and various localities in Australia. He could hardly stop photographing new inclusion landscapes, as more and more blue sapphires began displaying new patterns. He knew Rudy’s intention. Someone somewhere was going to appreciate gods creation in their own language at a dinner party, in privacy, or to show off their intimate knowledge of inclusions. He selected a few other blue sapphire samples for Rudy’s attention when he arrived to collect the tested stones. They were good, displaying unique designs never seen before.

Two Kashmir blue sapphires having identical but small corroded zircon crystals simulated baby dolphins swimming at random orientation in deep blue sea water.
Five Montana blue sapphires displaying hexagonal growth zoning reminded him of a department store’s interior built hexagonal in shape accommodating other attractions.
Seven Thai blue sapphires exhibiting black niobite crystals in a tension fissure with interference colors brought to his memory a trip he had made to a butterfly garden in Malaysia several years ago. The colors were indescribable, as one shade varied from the other in different hues. And he was seeing multi-colored butterfly’s wing in blue sapphires.

Ten Sri Lankan blue sapphires with uniquely two-phase inclusions looked no different from the small islets in the Gulf of Thailand. Late afternoon, Rudy arrived to collect the identified samples for his client. He was more than happy to view them, as Peter sorted the specimens showing the unique landscapes with the help of a Nikon SM2-U Microscope normally used for photomicrography. Now he realized with the help of new technology, education, and simple description it was possible to sell more blue sapphires, if the blue sapphires had their own signature inclusions.