Better than wack-a-mole I hope ;)

Thanks Rog ~ glad to hear my efforts are bearing fruit.

Thanks very much~

Wispy veils are something you'd need to see in person a few times. I'd suggest following some gem labs and gemstone photomicrographers on instagram. @gci_lab has some good photo micrographs and might have some of the wispy veils. Cheers

@@GemologyforSchmucks Thanks for the suggestion, Peter! Will check them out for sure.

Thanks Dan~

My pleasure ~ keep that loupe near at hand ^_^

I'm glad you do ~ welcome, Anna

Beautiful isn’t it. I’ve always marvelled at that beautiful Crystal specimen in the cabinet. 👍

Thanks David~ I think it's fascinating stuff. Amazing how the world and human development flow together and what comes out of it.

Thanks very much, Wilfred~!

Thanks Mike ~ appreciate it.

HI Oakley~ I've done one video so far on natural alexandrites, and in that video i believe I mention that there are true synthetic alexandrites in the world, but mostly alexandrite is simulated with synthetic colourchange sapphire. Its much more cost effective to produce evidently and gives the ideal look. If it's going to be a fake, might as well be a cheaper and attractive fake eh? With making a call on whether something is synthetic or natural, we look for inclusions. Are they inclusions that indicate natural origin, or one of the synthetic processes? That is a full course of study right there. If I find clear examples in stones, i'd love to share them in the days to come. Thanks for reaching out

@@GemologyforSchmucks thanku for the reply love your information looking forward to your next video 😊😊

Hi Muhammet~ As I find stones with clear examples that show up on camera, it's absolutely my desire to do exactly this. The tough part is finding those stones XD. There are things that are easy to see in a loupe, but next to impossible to record through a loupe into a camera. Brutal. I'll keep at it though ~ keep your eyes peeled for more videos in the days to come.

Thanks Amuy~ I have a stack of them and its become a part of my uniform here in the tropics XD

My pleasure Laurentiu~

"The Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones" is a series of books that deep dives into inclusion photos. These are much higher magnification than 10x, but they help your eye to get used to inclusion scenes so that your eye catches them at 10x. These are expensive. They are something usually owned by gemologists who regularly inspect stones and are considered indispensable by those who own them. They also keep their value incredibly well XD bc they are difficult to get ahold of. Otherwise Lotus Gemology has a Hyperion database of inclusion pictures that is totally free. The book to go that I hear from most others on basic gemstone ID is "The Handbook of Gemstone Identification" by Richard T. Liddicoat

@@GemologyforSchmucks Thank you so so much 😃.

@@GemologyforSchmucks Again, you're da bomb... thanks! (for the lotus gemology link. The photoatlas, on the other hand... $345, holy smoke that's a lot for a book!)

@@briangilbert3884 yah, not cheap. That said it is a huge book cover to cover full of high quality photos, and those aren’t cheap to print either. The scale of that work and the amount of stones they had to “happen across” to make that book is really awe inspiring.

@@GemologyforSchmucks That would be a great gift for a person who loves gemstones or is into their insides.

Thanks - i've got a stack of bandanas. Can't survive in this tropical place with out 'em. You either get blasted by the sun and smolder, or you get blasted by the A/C. No rest for the wicked.

@@GemologyforSchmucks I use to live in the south pacific and I'm from the deep south also. I love me some hot days with high humidity. It keeps a man humble and thankful to the A/C gods. May all your facets cut perfect.

@@acecombatmerc salam ~

Hi Charles - the hunt for skilled gem cutters is a challenge in many places. I'd suggest a google search for "North Carolina gem cutter" or "North Carolina lapidary" and see what turns up. Many gem cutters have a strong presence on instagram aswell, but they may not be as easy to locate. From there you'll have to negotiate with the cutter to see what sort of arrangements y'all can make.

Absolutely - few people are as cunning about making simulants as the people closest to the mines. They know what the stones look like when they come out of the mine and how to fashion a manufactured product to look obscenely similar. Gives me some serious appreciation for the creative potential of the cunning.

Thank you, I appreciate it.

Hi John~ I bought this torch in a local jewelry tools supply shop, so I don't have a link for it unfortunately. Any 3 way LED should do the trick. If you come to Bangkok at some point (recommended in general), theres a large range of brands and styles to choose from aswell. Otherwise the internet should be able to help you out if you want it "now". Cheers

Sounds like you're leveling up #evolved

Gemstone reports are definitely useful for peace of mind and selling both. Do you need one? The question is mostly down to the price of the stone. Is a few hundred dollar report necessary for an under hundred dollar stone? I think not personally. If it’s over usd1000, I’d certainly think about it. On the inclusions, emerald is really tough and complex. Some flowing type inclusions called fingerprints can occur in many natural emeralds. No value in worrying in ignorance. If it’s a high value stone, look at an appraiser who also does gem identification in your area. If it’s not an arm and a leg, put it out of mind, I’d suggest.

The way shown in this video is about as fast as you can get in my opinion. Many of these inclusions scenes you really just need to see more stones. Once you have seen more stones that you are certain are natural, and others that you are certain are synthetic, your confidence in determination will grow. Cheers~ and i'm glad you and the Romanian community enjoy my work.

Twisted, wispy veils? yes. The difficulty is in distinguishing between the twisted kind and the regular fingerprints in natural stones. You have to see a bunch of both types of stones (natural and flux) before you'll be confident in the distinction...

The twisted veils are a a sign, but be cautious, as some liquid fingerprints can look very similar. Flux and hydrothermal can also have some of the metals from the crucibles re-crystalize as an inclusion, so its important to look carefully and confirm the shape and reflectivity of the crystals.

@@GemologyforSchmucks alright. Going to have to read up on that then.

@@KC9RXP loupe everything you can. Its kind of like building the big picture of the puzzle. Once you see enough stones its like knowing which part of which puzzle it belongs to. It gets faster and clearer when you've seen enough of the master image.

Awwww shucks, I'm flattered.

Real as in not-ficticious? definitely. It's fascinating how those in daily contact with natural and lab emeralds get a feeling (totally non-scientific) that a stone is lab before testing it. Makes one wonder.

@@GemologyforSchmucks its because of how they look. Synthetic emeralds are just perfect and flawless to the eye and hand sometimes. The inclusion patterns are the only thing distinguishing them as physical, chemical, optical and electric properties are the same... Lab emeralds are after all... Just emeralds

I believe the wispy veil is something that comes more from the process of how flux grown stones are formed, so i'd expect them to be possible in any flux grown stone. That said ~ this process is more expensive than the now more popular, cheaper and easier to control hydrothermal transport method. We see less and less flux stones, but we definitely need to be aware that they are out there and may pop out and surprise us.

@@GemologyforSchmucks thank you for the explanation, this materials history is both fascinating and important. Much to learn!