Welcome to the Members' Area for the 4/24/25 edition of the Gem Scoop Newsletter!
A New Garnet!
I’m thrilled to share with our Gem Scoop subscribers the discovery of an extraordinary new garnet deposit! This exciting find, which I had the privilege of helping cover for the latest issue of The Journal of Gemmology, occurred in late 2024 in Makidoondo, a mining area within Tanzania’s Umba Valley. The garnet, a stunning bright pink, quickly became known locally as "rose garnet." The small deposit, which was concentrated in an area of just a few square miles, sparked a frenzied mining rush. From November 2024 to ~February 2025, the deposit was heavily worked and is now mostly exhausted. However, during that time it yielded some remarkable pieces of facet-grade material.
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I was fortunate to have several trusted rough dealers with local access to the material being produced, and I received updates essentially in "real-time" as new parcels were being received. As a result, I was able to work throughout the mining period to collect some of the very best pieces this deposit had to offer - gorgeous alluvial "nuggets" of extremely high clarity and a wide range of sizes. Some additional material was acquired at the Tucson Gem Show in February, where this new find was "the talk of the town" among gem cutters. From pieces to cut 1 ct. to over 10 ct. finished stones, I accumulated a significant amount while it was available. Now I have the opportunity to offer it FIRST to you, our Gem Scoop subscribers!
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Oh, and the cover photo above? That is a picture of some of my rough and a gorgeous 6.70 ct. round that I cut as an example for the Journal's use as a cover photo.... and it can be yours! :-) If you can't tell, I'm very excited to be able to offer this beautiful new material to you. Please read on below for more details, and contact us to let us know what we can create for you! Also, if you're not already a subscriber, please consider picking up a copy of the Journal of Gemmology to read all about this and other recent developments.
The one on the cover...
Ever want to own a "published" gem? Here's your chance :-) The garnet featured on the cover of the Journal is available for purchase! Act quickly and please use email to request purchase. I don't think this one will last long, and I will use email timestamps to determine the recipient.
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Coming in at a whopping 6.70 ct. and measuring 10.34 mm in diameter, this is an excellent example of what the best of this material looks like. A gorgeous bright pink in natural light, it shifts while retaining beautiful hues in indoor lighting as well (video shows natural, followed by dim overhead LED, followed by fluorescent). Clarity is exceptional, with the piece being very nearly flawless and much better than eye-clean. View the video at full-screen to see it in all its glory :-)
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This gem is now SOLD. However, see below about having a piece of rough custom-cut just for you!
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Let us cut one for you!
As mentioned, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to pick up some of the very best of this material while the mining area was producing.
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Available inventory consists of pieces to cut from 1 to over 10 ct. finished gems, in a variety of shapes. Most pieces are completely clean, although there may be a stray crystalline inclusion here or there. The colors are quite consistent and those stunning hues don't get overly dark in any light. See the above video of the cut stone for a good idea of what you can expect from a cut gem.
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Prices will generally range in the $250 to $350 / ct. range, depending on size and overall quality.​
