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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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 Posted: Nov 05, 2016 02:19 Post subject: Re: Fake Colombian Emeralds |
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Hi Gerard, as with some fake specimens we bought from Brandberg, experience tells you that something is just not right, even though it may be very difficult to see exactly what. Normally one can see the area just around the base of the glued crystal/s are disturbed and of a different colour than the rest, but these 'artists' are very good at even hiding that, by strewing fine bits of common minerals, from that area, on the glue to hide it. Some of these 'artists' know the minerals better than most because they work with them year in and out. Even so, it is extremely difficult to copy nature.
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Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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minsur
Joined: 03 Feb 2015
Posts: 45
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| Posted: Nov 06, 2016 17:42 Post subject: Re: Fake Colombian Emeralds |
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You name it, Pierre:-)
Fiebre Verde, cement...
maybe we should change by the time from acetone and the other dissolvent with the inexpressible name and the even more horrible smell, to cheap and ecologically sound vinegar;-))
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Fiebre Verde
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 944
Location: Paris Area
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| Posted: Nov 12, 2016 14:13 Post subject: Re: Fake Colombian Emeralds |
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| Pierre Joubert wrote: | | Hi Gerard, as with some fake specimens we bought from Brandberg, experience tells you that something is just not right, even though it may be very difficult to see exactly what. Normally one can see the area just around the base of the glued crystal/s are disturbed and of a different colour than the rest, but these 'artists' are very good at even hiding that, by strewing fine bits of common minerals, from that area, on the glue to hide it. Some of these 'artists' know the minerals better than most because they work with them year in and out. Even so, it is extremely difficult to copy nature. |
| minsur wrote: | You name it, Pierre:-)
Fiebre Verde, cement...
maybe we should change by the time from acetone and the other dissolvent with the inexpressible name and the even more horrible smell, to cheap and ecologically sound vinegar;-)) |
Pierre, minsur,
Was probably much easier to spot manufactured in-matrix specimens say 10 years ago than today.
These craftsmen - some of them are highly skilled and certainly deserve the title of 'artists' - learned from their 'mistakes'.
As a result, they don't necessarily go for perfection when choosing the beryl crystals or setting their final position on the matrix. They also understood that selecting the matrix and the crystals from the same locality would also help to make the specimen look like real in the eyes of locality experts.
In other words, these 'artists' are more and more trying to copy Mother Nature - it's not real but has to look 'right', even for a trained eye.
All in all, forgeries are getting very sophisticated these days and there are more and more convincing 'rock art' around. And the weird thing is that this work is done at the mines!
When acetone or UV light can't help, you need to spend time looking carefully at the beryl crystal environment with a loupe or better, a microscope.
Gérard
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minsur
Joined: 03 Feb 2015
Posts: 45
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| Posted: Nov 13, 2016 14:31 Post subject: Re: Fake Colombian Emeralds |
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Our collector's universe is sometimes a bit funny and strange...
There are people paying tens of thousands, sometimes even hundreds of thousands $$$$
for epoxi-multi-glued-together and sandblasted Tourmaline specimens.
In my humble opinion just very nice handicrafts, or "artesania", which do not have really much to do with a naturally grown mineral anymore.
But everybody seems to like a truly genuine Emerald on matrix;))
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Fiebre Verde
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 944
Location: Paris Area
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| Posted: May 26, 2017 19:36 Post subject: Re: Fake Colombian Emeralds |
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More fake specimens from downtown Bogota.
Beautiful specimen with gorgeous crystals from Chivor but very clumsy fake.
| Mineral: | Beryl (variety emerald), Calcite, Pyrite |
| Dimensions: | 10cm across |
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59543 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Beryl (variety emerald), Calcite, Pyrite |
| Dimensions: | 10cm across |
| Description: |
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59569 Time(s) |
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Fiebre Verde
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 944
Location: Paris Area
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| Posted: May 26, 2017 20:23 Post subject: Re: Fake Colombian Emeralds |
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A clumsier fake.
The calcite matrix and the beryl crystal are both from Chivor.
| Mineral: | Beryl (variety emerald), Calcite |
| Dimensions: | 15cm across. |
| Description: |
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31751 Time(s) |
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Fiebre Verde
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 944
Location: Paris Area
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| Posted: May 26, 2017 20:54 Post subject: Re: Fake Colombian Emeralds |
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This one is not bad either.
Unlike the beryls, the large quartz crystal does not seem to be glued.
All ingredients from Chivor.
| Mineral: | Beryl (variety emerald), Calcite, Quartz, Pyrite |
| Dimensions: | 15cm across. |
| Description: |
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31673 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Beryl (variety emerald), Calcite, Quartz, Pyrite |
| Dimensions: | 15cm across. |
| Description: |
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| Viewed: |
31767 Time(s) |
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Fiebre Verde
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 944
Location: Paris Area
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| Posted: May 27, 2017 00:03 Post subject: Re: Fake Colombian Emeralds |
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Last but not least.
A pretty good forgery job.
| Mineral: | Beryl (variety emerald), Calcite, Pyrite |
| Dimensions: | 15cm across. |
| Description: |
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31685 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Beryl (variety emerald), Calcite, Pyrite |
| Dimensions: | 15cm across. |
| Description: |
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31722 Time(s) |
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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| Posted: May 27, 2017 04:20 Post subject: Re: Fake Colombian Emeralds |
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| Fiebre Verde wrote: | Last but not least.
A pretty good forgery job. |
Pretty good, even though it is an unacceptable practice. As I said before that someone who knows his rocks, can produce fake specimens that is very hard to recognize; only by someone who knows the area and specimens very well. Best regards Gerard.
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Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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Fiebre Verde
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 944
Location: Paris Area
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| Posted: May 27, 2017 08:33 Post subject: Re: Fake Colombian Emeralds |
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| Pierre Joubert wrote: | | Fiebre Verde wrote: | Last but not least.
A pretty good forgery job. |
Pretty good, even though it is an unacceptable practice. As I said before that someone who knows his rocks, can produce fake specimens that is very hard to recognize; only by someone who knows the area and specimens very well. Best regards Gerard. |
Hi PIerre!
Unfortunately nothing seems to stop this practice as prices for fine emerald specimens are skyrocketing.
On the contrary, increasingly sophisticated methods are used to manufacture these mineral art objects which are sometimes sold as handcrafted specimens ('gangas artesanales') by some honest dealers.
Believe it or not, there is a significant market for these specimens - not everybody can afford to spend a quarter of a million on a tourmaline art work :-)
As per your second comment, you hit the nail on the head.
The last specimen I posted is a good example of the sophistication of the artwork performed by skilled craftsmen these days.
For this one, I bet they have used some kind of cement to consolidate the beryl crystal instead of glue, which is easily detectable.
These pale green, heavily included bulky crystals are typical from Muzo and are never associated with aggregates of black calcite.
So yes, a pair of very well trained eyes is what is needed here.
Gérard
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Fiebre Verde
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 944
Location: Paris Area
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| Posted: May 31, 2017 13:47 Post subject: Re: Fake Colombian Emeralds |
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Another spectacular one - seems like they are inexhaustible.
Note the perfect contact of the beryl crystal with the calcite matrix.
| Mineral: | Beryl (variety emerald), Calcite, Pyrite |
| Dimensions: | 15cm across |
| Description: |
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| Viewed: |
31486 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Beryl (variety emerald), Calcite, Pyrite |
| Dimensions: | 15cm across |
| Description: |
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31492 Time(s) |
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| Mineral: | Beryl (variety emerald), Calcite, Pyrite |
| Dimensions: | 15cm across |
| Description: |
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| Viewed: |
31531 Time(s) |
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Don Lum
Joined: 03 Sep 2012
Posts: 2919
Location: Arkansas
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| Posted: May 31, 2017 14:33 Post subject: Re: Fake Colombian Emeralds |
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| Fiebre Verde wrote: | Another spectacular one - seems like they are inexhaustible.
Note the perfect contact of the beryl crystal with the calcite matrix. |
Gerard,
Thank you for bringing these fakes to light.
Regards,
Don
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hogwild |
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Fiebre Verde
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 944
Location: Paris Area
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| Posted: May 31, 2017 17:17 Post subject: Re: Fake Colombian Emeralds |
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| Don Lum wrote: | | Fiebre Verde wrote: | Another spectacular one - seems like they are inexhaustible.
Note the perfect contact of the beryl crystal with the calcite matrix. |
Gerard,
Thank you for bringing these fakes to light.
Regards,
Don |
Don,
It's my pleasure!
With or without the intent to defraud or mislead, forgery is a fascinating world.
Colombian emeralds are probably the most commonly faked of all mineral specimens and it's interesting to see how the skills of the local 'craftsmen' have improved over time.
I am yet to visit a lab - not sure if this will ever happen though :-)
Best regards
Gérard
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Fiebre Verde
Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 944
Location: Paris Area
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| Posted: Oct 30, 2017 21:43 Post subject: Re: Fake Colombian Emeralds |
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Elegant fake. Crystal and matrix from Chivor.
| Dimensions: | 10cm across |
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30110 Time(s) |
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30198 Time(s) |
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Matt_Zukowski
Site Admin
Joined: 10 Apr 2009
Posts: 737
Location: Alaska
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| Posted: Oct 31, 2017 04:43 Post subject: Re: Fake Colombian Emeralds |
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| Can you please describe how you came to know that the specimen is fake? Thanks.
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