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March 29, 2024, 04:53:17 am
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A chrysoprase double snuff botle

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Author Topic: A chrysoprase double snuff botle  (Read 637 times)
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PeterH
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« on: February 06, 2015, 06:08:32 am »

This double snuff bottle is well hollowed with high craftmanship and conflicting design of the two halves. The quality of the chrysoprase stone is unusually high.

One half is square with an animal head mask handle, square neck and green tourmaline stopper. Height is 4.85 cm. The other half is cylindrical with a round neck and quartz crystal stopper.Height is 3.8 cm. Provenance is from auction at Quinns Auction Galleries on 18th January 2013 being the property of a southern California collector.

I was informed the style and well thinned nature may indicate early 20 C.

Chrysoprase was used in Egytian times, reportedly worn by Alexander the Great and used as cameos in Roman times. It was a favourie stone of Frederick the Great of Prussia and also of the British Monarch Queen Ann.


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* chrysopraseDSB4.jpg (50.92 KB, 1024x663 - viewed 34 times.)
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ileney
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« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2015, 09:14:44 am »

Wow! Chrysoprase as a gem is very hot right now and valuable, partially because the Chinese are buying it up owing to its similarity to good Jade. If that is really chrysoprase, then probably that bottle is quite valuable just for its gem, though I know nothing about snuff bottles!
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George
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« Reply #2 on: February 06, 2015, 09:38:51 am »

Such a pretty color of green !
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aidan31
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« Reply #3 on: February 06, 2015, 11:49:40 am »

Beautiful, even color!  Very unusual in a large enough piece to make this double bottle.  I would think the bottle to be of recent manufacture but it seems very well finished.  A good find.

Rick
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PeterH
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« Reply #4 on: February 06, 2015, 07:14:38 pm »

Here is a link to a Chinese chrysoprase snuff bottle (number 58) with carving estimated between 1850 to 1920.This link is from the Jadestone gallery and the chrysopase appears to be high quality.

http://www.jadestonegallery.com/events/SnuffBottleOct2006/SnuffBottleCollection.htm

The second link is to one of Fredick the Greats snuff boxes dated to 1765. The high quality chrysoprase is adorned with gold, gem stones and diamonds.

http://superopinionated.com/post/108804720585/jeannepompadour-snuffbox-made-of-chrysoprase

It is recorded that Frederick the Great (1712 - 1786) who ruled from 1740 to 1786 had at least 8 chrysoprase snuff boxes and gave many more away as gifts. The chrysoprase was mined in upper Silesia then part of Prussia and now in south west Poland.

Some high quality chrysoprase deposits are currently mined near Marlborough in Queensland, approximately 87 kilometers north west of Rockhampton. The Gumigil Mine is Chinese owned and most of the stone is shipped to China. The adjoining Candala mine markets carved chrysoprase and has exhibited in the Tocson 2014 and current 2015 Gem and Mineral Shows.

Other deposits are in West Australian and include one south of Leonora.
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YT
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« Reply #5 on: February 06, 2015, 07:53:05 pm »

Dear Peter,

There is a modern polish to it and the carving work is not very neat so I believe this is a late 20th bottle.

When holding the bottle,
1. does it give you a high density feeling
2. does it scratch easily
3. has it got surface porosity in a certain area
Sorry if you can't answer as I am not that keen to suspect this bottle.

Cheers,
YT
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PeterH
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« Reply #6 on: February 07, 2015, 08:16:07 am »

The weight of the bottle is approximately 72.4 grams and the density, also called SG, approximately 2.6. The sg of chrysoparse sholud be 2.59 and 2.64. Measured hardness is greater than 6 and I am not prepared to determine beyond this value as it will scratch. The material is mico crystalline in structure and uniform throught with no porous zones. Thermo electric conductivity is exactly as expected for chrysoprase and similar to readings for tanzanite and aquamarine.
The bottle in inert under long and short wave ultraviolet rays as would be expected for chrysoprase and indicates no epoxy repairs etc
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PeterH
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« Reply #7 on: February 07, 2015, 10:33:52 am »

Sorry should read : The sg of chrysoparse should be between 2.59 and 2.64.
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YT
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« Reply #8 on: February 07, 2015, 05:13:35 pm »

Dear Peter,

That is quite heavy but double bottles also means doubled walls. I will have to looked at my double bottle to measure the extra weight.

As for my questions, I used to cast some small items with acrylic ISO-NPG resins with Alumina Hydrate. With the appropriate colour pigment, I have created something close to this bottle colour and translucency. A high surface polish will make it looked as hard as Quartz but actually softer than Jade. These are non hollowed and few times bigger products so I cannot compare the mass.

Cheers,
YT
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PeterH
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« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2015, 09:15:50 pm »

The density or sg indicates chrysoprase along with hardness and inert UV long and short wave response none of which your artificial creation can provide , nor would it show the thermo elecrtical properies of chrysoprase as measured. Finally the bottle material is uniform throughout as shown by numerous theromo electric probe needle readings all in the range for chrysoprase.

Expensive tests can reveal the entire percentage chemical compositon of the bottle. Chrysoprase will show traces of nickel responsible for the colour.

I intend to have this laboratory work done to confirm that a beryl snuff bottle is emerald based on the chromium or vanadium content. Probably next year. The bottle dates to the 1960's.
 
The Gemological Association of Australia, Gemological Institue of America, Gemological Institute of Great Britain and worldwide branches are dedicated to destinguish true natural gems from man made. They offer lapidary qualifications and also short term practical courses, one of which I have attended. Most offer tests to the public on set days for a nominal donation.

Fakes are easy to detect often with simple tests. A jadeite filter shows no reaction which indicates this chrysoprase bottle has not been died or artificially altered.

Much jadeite has been artifically died as a simple jadeite filter will show and hence far less valuable.

The biggest mistake is to put too much emphasis on one test only as I did recently with the chocolate brown streak of a black stone snuff bottle. More testing was required including determining the SG and examining the thermo electric probe response, UV reaction etc. A good refractometer gives unique information but I dont have one at present. The GAA in Adelaide identified bakelite from the RI reading of a supposed jet snuff bottle I had obtained. It had been determined by me to be artificial before I brought it for identification.

A common mistakes I have encountered in bottles won at auctions are aquamarine snuff bottles being fluorite. Also rhodochrosite being mistaken for pink agate and other stones but I knew that before bidding and was very happy with the result.
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YT
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« Reply #10 on: February 08, 2015, 03:30:06 am »

Dear Peter,

It sounds fun to have all these testing equipment and to get bottles tested right at home.
 
Artificial created (sg or density) can be quite versatile depending on the type/amount of fillers added and once FULLY cured, UV may not be able to detect. But hardness will always be an issue.

Does your Jadeite filter show chromium in your beryl bottle since vanadium cannot be detected? It will be great if you can share with us the results of the lab test when they are done. Good luck! Wink

Since you have attended GIA's courses, I am sure you know their testing is quite affordable as compared to an almost flawless Chrysoprase this size.

Cheers,
YT
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PeterH
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« Reply #11 on: February 09, 2015, 04:16:59 pm »

A Chelsea filter can be purchased for $ 25 or less and does not tell what a stone is. Chrysoprase will appear green and shows no colour reaction whereas any stainingg will show up as red. A good book to read is Gem Identification Made Easy by A. Matlins and A.C.Bonanno. On page 74 of the 4th edition (Gemstone Press 2008) they refer to a pair of exceptional fine imperial jadeite earings valued at auction between $10,000 and $15,000 turning out when viewed with a Chelsea filter to be dyed jadeite only worth a fraction.

To determine if green beryl is emerald eg by atomic absorption spectroscopy very sophisticated expensive equipment is required usually only found at places such as universities. A complete analysis of the samples composition will be provided. As an alternative a simple light spectroscope could be used if highly experienced and modern more expensive ones produce digital read outs of wavelength data.

The jadelite filter does not tell which stone but does show if a stone has been dyed. Other tests are also required such as hardness, SG, RI etc. With chrysoparse eg a stained quartz imitation would show as red and not green under the filter.
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