Rough Umbalite Color Shifting Garnet, from Tariri, Tanzania - possibly as old as 15-20yo

Umbalite Color Shifting Garnet - 4 Piece Parcels - Tariri, Tanzania (old material)

Selling in Parcels of four pieces - this is the only way to make a small profit, as the photography, html code/page creation, text, communication, invoicing, packaging, costs associated with mailing/insurance and visiting the PO, only allows making a few dollars per piece of rough - so selling individual pieces becomes too costly (though I have seen some 'similar' garnet rough selling at more than this, $50/gram which begins to help out overall, but without the unique color shifting properties this old material has...).

A large parcel of this materiali was purchased a few years back. These parcel consists of 4 pieces blindly picked out. Average weight of a piece is about 2.2grams (11cts). I have personally faceted a few pieces and because this is alluvial, the yield has been really good, 35+% at times and even more; shapes are really good for a decent yield. Some pieces might have needles or crystals, but shouldn't affect the outcome, as they are typically small. Photo of rough taken in front of white paper with fiber optic light a few inches behind. Color readily seen if just held up to any light source, but darker when placed on white paper with diffused light. Would recommend cutting a larger table if possible with larger pavilion facets, vs. many small facets, but recently, one cutter has faceted a Square Portuguese gem from this material and obtained a 29% yield - he was cutting for a specific design for a piece of jewelry. (He can attest to the material and the interesting color shifts he has seen - sure he will consent to discussions if necessary) Apparently no issues being overly dark. We have had smaller garnets that were very dark but when cut, they were fine.

Unlike similar garnets that might be out there, this material will show three (3) distinct colors, Ruby Red, Magenta and Burgundy Wine - all due to color shifting depending on lights. Will be Ruby Red under incandescent; Magenta in diffused daylight and Burgundy Wine under fluorescent. Gems will be brilliant under incand escent and day light, but looks entirely different under fluorescents as it lacks sparkle. Have seen this with some Burmese Red Spinel as well as some Red Zircon (they will be vivid and brilliant red under some lights and very toned down under fluorescent!) Apparently under LED, have heard the color may have a slight orange color - so highly reactive to different available wavelengths. (My experience with LED is a magenta color)

Below are two photos of gems faceted from this rough, weights are 4.18cts and 4.30cts - as you can see, an approx 11ct (2.2gr) piece of rough is producing a good yield! Faceted gems have sold for between $100/ct to $175/ct, depending on size and the cutter.

Prices here include Shipping and Full Insurance via USPS Priority Box. (Returns will be in full less $20 for the cost of Shipping/Insurance - rough should not be modified in any way)

Payment via Venmo, Square, Wise, popmoney, personal/business check (will take some time vs. 24hr shipping via other methods).

Note that we have approximately 1/4kilo of this material available - would like to sell all of it if someone can use it. Previously, a 1/4 kilo was sold to one individual/cutter - should keep him busy for some time!...

Why do parcels contain 4 pieces of rough and no more or less? We are making approx $10-$15 per piece, and this does not include the time it takes to blind pull the pieces, weigh them, mark them, photograph them, crop them, create html code for the website or create ads or post in various places allowing customers to discover these items. It also takes some time to create lables, package up the sale, drive to the post office, wait in line to have it scanned in so insurance is active. We are offering free postage and insurance, which literally costs approx $20 - cost for Priority Small Box and approx $8 for insurance. The cost for using payment apps is typically 3%. In the long run, selling 4 pieces allows us to essentially break even; selling more would be a plus but selling less than 4 pieces would certainly put us in the red.

For larger parcel purchases, there will be some leeway on the pricing per gram.

Thanks - Enjoy and good luck in your cutting!