Such accuracy!~

I like that one 😊

explaining yourself... "again".... XD ~ thanks. I sure hope so.

Are you referring to what some call "visual optics"? I've heard rumours (2nd or 3rd hand from gemologists) of people doing it successfully, but not seen it myself. Sounds interesting, if only inductive.

@@GemologyforSchmucks Yep, visual optics! Take a stone (a synthetic ruby is a great starting point because it has a distinctive spectrum) and hold it quite close to your eye, like you’re putting in a contact lens, table toward you, with a pinpoint light source behind (a cell phone flash works well). You might need to tilt the stone or adjust the distance from your eye a bit, but you should see a number of spectra. Obviously the spectrum itself is indicative evidence. Also you can determine single or double refraction by whether the spectra bleed into one another, though this will only happen if you are looking down an/the optic axis, giving a clue to optic character. The higher the birefringence, the further the two spectra will be from one another. And since high RI means light is bent more, the spectra will be further from the center of the stone in high RI stones, and very near the center in lower RI like quartz. Another interesting effect - hydrothermal stones that show the “roiled” growth pattern that may not be evident to the naked eye will show distinctly fuzzy spectra. I consider it a mildly useful skill, but have used it to determine a “rubellite tourmaline” and an “aquamarine” were singly refractive impostors.

Thank you ~ and yes... if we can just make it common knowledge that visual ID isn't reliable or certain, then we will have accomplished something good!~

Hey Rog, thanks for the comment and hope this earned a chuckle ;)

@@GemologyforSchmucks Ha yea I know, people look at you oddly when you tell them that the stone in their ring is a “Light Green stone”, when they expect you to precisely identify it. 😱😂

I have my seasons~

Hallo~ the Handbook of Gem Identification by Richard Liddicoat has quite a bit of this, yes. It's old, but fortunately gemstones change much slower than we do.

Definitely, which is why we have to go back to our tests. A wild guess is more dangerous than helpful.

Cheers~ i've been in those shoes too.

Growth structure is definitely a boon. That said~ no one knows the variety of growth structures/ crystal habit of minerals better than the miners, and who knows what one is tempted to do when the coin runs low.

What luck ~ that green stone in the thumbnail will be featured in a video here shortly. Keep your eye's peeled and your curiosity will be fed.

Yay thanks!

Jeepers. It sounds like you can indeed relate. On par with with making a phone call: "i'm ill, Doc... What should I take?" Give me that unicorn pill! XD Ah well ~ on the one hand, there is at least optimism in the world. On the other hand... some folk make optimism look bad.

Bingo! Humans gonna human lol@@GemologyforSchmucks

Indeed not~ as that was not the goal of the video ^_^ . I do believe I drop the identity in other episodes however, if you're keen to find out #treasurehunt

Happy New Year, and welcome to the channel. Larimar is a stone that I don't have extensive experience with, nor do I have an in depth understanding of the mining situation surrounding it. We mostly see lower grades in Bangkok.I would suggest you approach a company or dealer that specializes in this material.

Absolutely correct, Annie. This is what I've been saying from the beginning of this channel, though some folks seem to still have SO much faith.