From mid-2021, newsletter articles are no longer posted separately here. Interested readers should scan through the newsletter headings under the ‘Newsletters’ tab.

FACETIPS – A GEM CUTTER’S NOTEBOOK

by
Duncan Miller


The faceting articles published over the past few years in the Mineral Chatter have been compiled into a single 128 page document, available for download for those interested in saving all the articles together. To download the pdf file click here.

A 29,18 ct cuprite from Onganja, Namibia, cut by Duncan Miller and now in a private collection in Germany.


Browsing Archive: September, 2020

DIGGING OUT DUMORTIERITE

Posted by Site Moderator Webmaster on Saturday, September 26, 2020, In : Mineralogy 

I do give myself complications.

Based on the success of the “September Spheres”, we invited photos of “royal blue” minerals for our October newsletter. This is because we are featuring Peter’s detailed article on lapis lazuli. Ultramarine is such a rich colour and there are not that many minerals of such a classic blue.

For my contribution, I photographed the few possibilities I had in my mineral cabinet, but thought a bit more. There was an odd offcut of stone in the outside cupb...


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LAZURITE – A TUCSON STORY

Posted by Site Moderator Webmaster on Saturday, September 26, 2020, In : My Collecting, My Collection 

I first visited the Tucson shows in 1992. My intention was to buy faceting rough, but there was almost none I could afford, although the rand/dollar exchange rate was 6:1. One day, walking around with my friend and research colleague David Killick from the University of Arizona we wandered around, dazed and bewildered by the spectacular minerals from Afghanistan on display in one of the numerous tented venues. On one table, crowded with Afghan ethnic jewellery, possibly all modern, there sat ...


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LAPIS LAZULI: EAST VS WEST

Posted by Site Moderator Webmaster on Friday, September 25, 2020, In : Mineralogy 

Peter Rosewarne

And now for something completely different, from me at least. I don’t normally write about semi-precious ornamental stones/rocks but felt there was a story in this one based on a long-ago overseas trip, a more recent article in the Mineralogical Record, some carvings I have from the former and some mineral specimens related to the latter.

Firstly, some technical clarity about lapis lazuli, or ‘lapis’, which many of you probably don’t need. I had always thought that ...


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