Yvonne Goes to Africa

Yes, this is really happening, a dream come true.  On August 17th, in just a few days, I'll be flying first to Germany to see my mom and then to two of the world's most famous gem paradises: Madagascar and Tanzania.  This trip has been in the planning stages for about a year.  My friend Jochen Hintze from Jentsch Mineralien, a German geologist who travels to Africa up to 10 times a year, is going to take me on one of his mineral shopping trips.

I will of course be sharing as much of the trip info as I can while I'm there, and Debbie, Karen and Joanne are going to keep the company going while I'm gone so I don't run out of money while I'm there.  I will be online most of the time as well but I have been told to expect some slow downs and outages also.

The first leg of my trip is going to take me to the town of Antsirabe, about 100 miles south of the capitol of Madagascar, Antananarivo (Tana).  Antsirabe is the second largest city in Madagascar and the most well known for its three gem markets.  Jochen has good connections there so my arrival has already been announced.  We will be getting gem seller visits at the hotel - a small set of individual huts near a rice field with what I'm told contains a beautiful garden of local plants.  I hope to buy some nice tourmaline, also some slices and maybe some specimens, some apatite and pretty sapphire. Maybe also some color change garnets.  I'm told local cutting is not very good so it may be a challenge.  Mainly I'm there for the experience, and to understand better what the gem world looks like on the other end.  Madagascar is also known for its cuisine, and I'm all for interesting food!

Antsirabe

Antsirabe

Antsirabe town center

Antsirabe town center

Countryside near Antsirabe

Jochen and his gem dealer friend, Irene

After a week in Madagascar, we're going to fly to Arusha, Tanzania via Nairobi, Kenya.  Arusha lies slightly elevated in the foothills of Mount Meru, one of the highest mountains in Africa (15,000 feet). Known for its international gem trade, Arusha is a very cosmopolitan city with an Indian Tanzanian population as well as many others.  Arusha is also located near several national parks, where Jochen's driver is going to take us on a safari!  I'll be in Arusha for a week also.

A giraffe on safari in Arusha

Arusha

Mountains near Arusha

Arusha countryside

One of the final highlights of my trip will be my first in person meeting of a long time friend, Doreen Kawira.  I met Doreen's aunt, Sr. Francesca Nkima, over 10 years ago when I was still teaching at Felician College.  Sr. Francesca had been sponsored by her congregation to get a college degree in America, she returned to her home country of Kenya and now works at a congregation in Nairobi.  Doreen and her sister Purity were just out of school and had no way money to further their education, so my department and I paid for both to go to secretarial school.  Purity has since married and has two children, little Yvonne and David. Doreen approached me four years ago with her dream to get a bachelor's degree, which I have sponsored with the help of a few friends.  Doreen graduated this May.

So this is where some of the money I made through your purchases has gone, and I am super excited to bring Doreen to Arusha for a few days and celebrate her graduation with her.  I am also collecting for a graduation present for her - Doreen wants to go to graduate school now, and she says she's gonna "do it herself" because I've done enough. But I would like to give her some starting capital.  I'm glad that Doreen is planning to stay in Kenya and make a living there, so she can give back to her people.

If you'd like to help out a little, you can go to my gofundme campaign here: https://www.gofundme.com/2v8y28pg

About Those Pretty Grape-Purple Garnets

There's been much buzz about these grape-purple Rhodolite garnets lately.  Well, actually they are closer to Malaia garnet than Rhodolite - my friend Josh Lents from GAL (Gemological Appraisal Laboratory of America: http://www.gemlab.com/) did a microscopic analysis.

Grape Garnet Ovals and Emerald Cut

But let me back up.  Purple-grape colored garnets have been around for a bit, but the material was generally from Tanzania and that stuff isn't quite as bright as these newer finds.  From what I can piece together, they first showed up at a gem dealer's office in Tanzania who is a big buyer over there (I can't disclose the name) and ended up in the hands of two US gem dealers who get many of their supplies through the Tanzanian dealer.  One of these gem sellers deals in rough, and that's how it most likely made it to some of the US cutters.  The other seller deals mainly in faceted materials, and that's how I got mine (though I buy from the other seller on occasion also).  Talking to both tracked back to the source in Tanzania, and neither of them knew of anyone else who had the material.  The actual origin of the garnet is Mozambique, however, and the market in Mozambique is not very controlled.  So even if you are a big buyer and put word out that you'd like an exclusive, the material will most likely be sold elsewhere.  This means it may turn up with other sellers in the US.  

Larger Grape Garnet Pieces from Mozambique

You should know however, that there are really only a few hundred good gem dealers throughout the US, and many know each other because they buy from each other and they vend at the same shows (i.e. the AGTA, the GJX, the JCK).  So it is ultimately a small world.  

Anyway, given the fact that these gems have not shown up anywhere so far but these two dealers, I surmise that the finds are very small.  

So what is unique about these gems?  Well, both Jaimeen Shah at Prima and Josh Lents from GAL have never seen this stuff before.  Nor had the other seller I talked with.  And that says a lot.  The color is a bright grape purple (purple with "notes" of red).  The material is clean, most pieces are smaller, and those have the best color.  

Why the name Malaia, and not Rhodolite?  Well according to Josh, Rhodolite is Pyrope and Almandine garnet.  But the microscopic association of this material isn't typical, Josh says, which is why he believes there's some spessartine in it as well.  And that would qualify it under Malaia.  He says that "Reviewing both spectral and microscopic analysis, it is interesting to note the association of apatite and rutile inclusions present in these samples, which is highly characteristic of mixed garnet crystals of pyrope, almadine, and spessartine."

Here's a look inside these pretty pieces:

Micro images of Mozambique Grape Garnet

And what about the most important thing, availability?  The honest answer is that nobody knows.  I would surmise that some locals sold these gems, and they got here through the chain I described.  Who else has it, where it is located, nobody traced that back as of yet.

For the time being, all the rough that I know of (from the original purchase) has been cut.  The larger pieces my supplier had are already all sold, so there's just what I have (the two smaller emerald cuts are also sold).  I may be able to get more 6x4 ovals.  Word has been put out for more, and some will presumably show up sooner or later.  Usually however, when "word is put out" and there's not a ton of stuff, prices will be higher next time.  For the miners and brokers that have to live hand to mouth, long term planning or relationships with gem dealers are a luxury.  If you can sell for more today and feed your kids, you will.  Prices are calculated from there on up.