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Earlier in the day Rob showed me a $30 citrine he had purchased from a dealer at the wholesale GJX show while scouting around yesterday. It was a very pretty stone for $30 and when I remarked to that effect, Rob said Radiant Gems had more, and that another friend of his who had also seen it had asked Rob to get him one like it. Rob also related he had seen a dealer with some big, really clean, clear quartz that was cheap. Even though we were both pretty bushed and getting hungry, after car pooling back to the Club and dispersing the field trip participants, Rob and I went back downtown to the GJX pavilion on a quick hit-and-run for some quartz.

At left is the citrine just too luscious for me to resist at Radiant Gems. There were even larger, well shaped pieces just as clean to select from but I can't show you pics of them, as photo taking is not allowed at this show. This one called out to me even though it was about twice the price I'd planned on, as it was also twice the size. Mine weighs 24 grams and the damage was $3 per gram for $72. Of course it is clean, clean and would cut several shapes with a respectable yield. Rob also found and purchased a smaller but nicely shaped and clean citrine for his friend that ran about $40.

Mine has one orientation that would yield a high crown, 16-18 mm round or a little larger low aspect ratio oval. I think that would give the best color, but it also has another orientation that would yield 24 mm or maybe a little longer pear, which would of course have a greater yield and also be a lot more involved to cut. An 18 mm SRB would weigh in at about 18 carats, as opposed to about 29 carats for a pear that likes it with the same 18mm width. Decisions, decisions... what I plan to do for now is stash it in my rough box and I'll figure out what it wants to be later.

Radiant Gems Email: Radiant Gems & Minerals Tel: 2.2.307.1300 Fax: 212.307.6430 608 Fifth Avenue #909, New York 10020

While at the GJX I also picked up this nice 'pounder' sized chunk of light smoky quartz from a booth that Rob had also previously scouted out. It weighed about 455 grams, just about a pound on the nose. Rob and I both checked it out closely with mag lights and a laser and it is clean, clean, clean. I bought it for $9.00 with the idea of whacking it down into a rose cut sphere, probably the version shown below.

I designed a series of these from 96 to 840 facets for various indexes. They are derived from rose cuts, which are very old type of cut employing only triangular facets. My rose cut spheres are meetpoint designs which produce 'true' faceted spheres - all of the vertices are equidistant from the center. If you'd like to check out some of my other rose cut sphere designs, just click on the Rose Sphere plan view above to visit the downloadable gemstone design collection at Bob's Rock Shop.

Gem Resources International Web: Gem Resources Tel: 800.588.8515 Fax: PO Box 653, Long Lake, MN 55356-0653

Lapis Gems Lapidary Email: Lapis Gems Lapidary Cell Phone: 416.707.4057 9251-8 Younge Street Suite 146, Richmond Hill, Ontario, L4C 9T3 Canada

Natural Stones Web: Natural Stones Tel / Fax: 505.820.7764 930 Baca Street, Sante Fe, NM 87501

Oro Valley Gems Tel / Fax: 520.544.0295 9755 N. Calle Buena Vista, Oro Valley, AZ 85737

Madagascar color change (photochroic) garnet. Under incandescent light at left, fluorescent at right. $40 per carat.

Thomas M. Schneider Web: TMS Gems Online Tel: 619.232.2624 Fax: 619.232.2213 861 Sixth Avenue Suite 517, San Diego, CA 92101

By the way, if you are a Tucson area local or snowbird, you are most welcome to join in all this fun and education with us!

Tucson's Old Pueblo Lapidary Club was organized in 1970 with the aims and purposes of increasing and disseminating knowledge of the lapidary arts and skills, fostering study and increasing knowledge in related areas such as mineralogy, earth sciences, metallurgy, creative design, base and precious metal working, enameling and engraving.

Today the Old Pueblo Lapidary Club serves approximately two hundred members with extensive club owned facilities, shops, equipment, classes, meetings, programs, library, field trips and the club's newsletter, Cutting Remarks. OPLC is a member of the Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies and the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies.

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