May 2008 Newsletter

Benitoite Field Trip On Hold
We regret to announce that the field trip we had hoped to organize to the benitoite
mine in California on May 10th has been put on hold.

The main reason for this decision is we over extended ourselves a bit in May and
currently have other commitments that make it extremely difficult to dedicate the
necessary time for the trip to and from the mine.

In addition we had difficulty getting in touch with our contact person who was to
guide us to the mine that day. We also received very little initial interest and it wasn’t
until the April newsletter was posted did we hear from a number of you who expressed
interest in attending.

Now we will wait and see if we can schedule another trip at a later date, allowing
enough time for you to plan to add this visit to a premier gem mine to your schedule.

By the way, the Travel channel has an excellent trip to the benitoite mine showing on
its “Best Places To Find Cash and Treasure” series which airs Tuesday nights. Check
your local cable or satellite TV schedule to see when this and many other interesting
episodes will be airing.

Inclusion v. Flaw
When grading a gemstone the terms inclusion and flaw are often used
interchangeably. It is our belief and that of many in the gem business that these two
terms cannot always be used in this manner.

We will often refer to an imperfection in a gemstone that weakens a gemstone as a
flaw. Examples of flaws would include cracks, cavities, pits, or other imperfections that
influence the durability of a gem.

An inclusion on the other hand would be things such as an included crystal, a veil, a
phase inclusion, needles, clouds, or other foreign items found within a gem that does not
affect the durability of a gem.

For example, the peridots found in Colorado occasionally contain tiny included
octahedral crystals the identity of which has not been confirmed (some say magnetite
while others say piccolite). These tiny crystals do not affect the durability of these gems
yet they are foreign objects within the gem.

Do you call these included crystals inclusions or flaws? In the perfect sense they
could be referred to as both since the crystals are both an inclusion within the gem and a
flaw in the composition but since they do not affect the durability we prefer to refer to
them just as inclusions.

An example of this is often found in the gem trade in reference to Burmese rubies.
We have seen very fine and extremely valuable rubies from Burma referred to as “clean”
yet they contain silk, included needles, that give them a hazy appearance. We agree that
if only silk is present that these gems are free of flaws yet we would still refer to them as
very light or lightly included.

Similar descriptions are also often applied to Kashmir sapphires whose appearance is
also often clouded by very fine silk inclusions that do not affect the durability of the
gems.

Emeralds on the other hand often contain flaws, inclusions that have a dramatic
affect on the durability of the gem. We often hear comments at shows from individuals who do not like emerald because of their inclusions. It is unlikely these people ever saw an exceptional emerald with very few or no flaws or inclusion for such gems are quite stunning and surpass any other green gem in intensity and beauty.

In a sense it all comes down to technicalities. All flaws can be considered inclusions
but not all inclusions can be considered flaws. You may say this does not make sense but
consider this. A flawless sapphire (corundum) without any inclusions, physically or
chemically, would be absolutely colorless. The addition of trace amounts of metallic
impurities such as iron or rutile give it the desirable colors that enhance its value. These
impurities in the technical sense are inclusions but we don’t refer to them as flaws. It is
not until these inclusions have an affect on the durability of the gem do we call them
flaws.

A fine colorless quartz with an included pyrite crystal could thus be considered
“flawless” but not without inclusions. A point that we present here not for finality in
definition but to create thought and comments from others as to their views.

Montana Sapphire Field Trip
We have previously announced that we will be traveling to Philipsburg, Montana for
a visit to the sapphire mine at Gem Mountain. This is a field trip and as such there is no
charge to D&J Rare Gems. We invite our customers to join us for the fun and enjoyment
we receive by doing what we do.

Philipsburg is located in western Montana. The Gem Mountain Mine is
approximately 22 miles from Philipsburg. It is a family operated mine where you
purchase buckets filled with gravel which you wash in your search for sapphires. Last
year we visited the mine and washed 14 buckets in the course of the day. Each bucket
contained sapphires, most of these are small, however, we did see a 7.75 carat spectacular
gem found while we were there last year.

We expect to arrive in Philipsburg on June 24th, spend the 25, 26, and 27th at the
mine and leave to return home on June 28th.

Lodging in Philipsburg is limited. We could only find two motels/hotels as follows:

Broadway Motel Philipsburg
Telephone 1 406 859 8000

The Inn at Philipsburg
Telephone 1 406 859 3959

In addition to these there are several campgrounds and Bed and Breakfasts.

We tried to see if we could reserve a block of rooms but due to the time of year and
the popularity of the area we couldn’t. However, if you call either of these places direct
you can make reservations on your own should any rooms be available for your stay. If
nothing is available then you may want to check in either Anaconda or Drummond for
lodging for the dates of your stay.

We will probably be staying in a campground. There is one located at the Gem
Mountain Mine if you decide that camping is what you prefer. Call the people at Gem
Mountain (1 406 859 4367) directly for information on the campground located nearby.

Do let us know when and where you will be staying. We would like to get together
in the evenings if possible for socializing. We have heard from many new people who
have not been on any of our field trips who would like to join us for this one. It should be
a great time to be enjoyed by all.

Donna and John Rhoads