AUSTRALIAN VARISCITE
These items of Australian variscite have been cut from variscite that we mined in September 2006
This little beauty measures 67mm x 36mm x 22mm.
It was created by Dalan Hargrave, gem cutter extroadinaire
More pictures below
Variscite is a hydrated aluminium phosphate. It is closely related to turquoise which has a trace of copper, whereas variscite does not.
Until recently, variscite had only been mined commercially in Western Australia at one location . This was on a cattle station (ranch) called Milgun approximately 100 miles north of the town of Meekatharra.
The mine had horizontal seams that ran into the side of a steep hill. Mining operations have ceased at this site due to the uneconomical amount of overburden that would need to be removed to continue.
Recently , my close friend, David Vaughan and I, made a significant, new variscite discovery over 100 miles from the old location. This new deposit is producing an exciting range of colours ranging from delicate lime greens to darker, gemmy material close to the colour of top grade chrysoprase through to a deep, translucent emerald green.
Much of the newly mined stone is also webbed....an added bonus as "spiderweb variscite" is a highly sought after material for cutting cabochons.
Read the story of our discovery in the March 2007 issue of "Gems & Gemology" http://www.gia.edu/newsroom/issue/2798/2684/insider_newsletter_details.cfm#2
These gorgeous cabochons were created by Nevin Shrage of Denver, Colorado nebulouswhitecloud@yahoo.com
These exquisite carvings were created from our material by a master craftsman in Idar-Oberstein, Germany.
Below are some photos of the new find & webbed variscite from this area.
