After 100 years, the Benitoite Gem Mine is finally open and offering field trips to the public. Well, after about a month, I started to etch the other end of this piece and this is where the story takes an amazing turn. We have finally moved some of our faceted Benitoite inventory into our Internet Store. All reservations require a phone call for confirmation. The most common benitoite material is ruby. by Eloah. Or $0.99 to buy MP3. That is why great specimen pieces and facet rough are still being found today. However there are still specimens and pieces of rough being found that are worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars. It had a vein of natrolite running thru it. Read our Cookie Policy. Saying no will not stop you from seeing Etsy ads, but it may make them less relevant or more repetitive.   Germany   |   English (US)   |   € (EUR), remembering account, browser, and regional preferences, remembering privacy and security settings, personalized search, content, and recommendations, helping sellers understand their audience, showing relevant, targeted ads on and off Etsy, remember your login, general, and regional preferences, personalize content, search, recommendations, and offers, to ensure that sellers understand their audience and can provide relevant ads. Welcome to Benitoite.Com.. Weight between . Forrest Gemstones also has a small selection of faceted benitoite gems, and may be a source to send rough benitoite for custom cutting. It's truely unique Hexagonal - Ditrigonal Dipyramidal ( triangular shaped ) crystals, are unlike anything on earth. Down on the other end of the specimen a large neptunite had appeared. (833) GEMHUNT / 436-4868. Gem-quality crystals are small -- under 1 carat -- but the best material has a vivid blue color and a refractive index higher than sapphire. There are no products in your shopping cart. It was faceted into 4 stones, the largest of which is a beautiful flawless 8.06 carat gemstone (pictured below). Add to Wish List. It's original name was the Dallas Mine, then it was called the Cole Mine for a while, then The Benitoite Gem Mine, The Gem Mine and it is now called the California State Gem Mine. The larger one is more clear to light blue, the other is clear to a very dark blue. CEMI operated the Benitoite Gem mine under the name of Benitoite Mining Inc. until 2004 and subsequently sold the property after their period of active mining. Declared the state gem of California in 1985, benitoite was discovered in 1907. If everything at the mine had been gone thru as some would have you believe, then pieces such as these would not be there to find. The amazing result is what this story is all about. Benitoite Gemstones at wholesale prices for sale. I will not have these cut. Price between . Benitoite is a rare blue gemstone that is found in only one location on earth, San Benito county, California, USA. It is one of the only gemstones that is naturally deep blue in color, not needing heat or any other treatment to achieve it's color. Unfortunately that was short lived and now with the EPA's / BLM closure of the area, there is no way of knowing if anyone will ever get the chance again to dig at the mine. Gem quality stones and unbelievable mineral specimens can only be found one place on earth, a small 40 acre parcel of land in the Diablo Mountain Range of San Benito County California. After samples were sent to the University of California for examination in the early 1900's, it was discovered to be a new mineral. Although microscopic crystals have been discovered in a few other locations, the Benitoite Gem Mine is the only place on earth that gem and specimen quality benitoite has been found. Please. This plate was cut and etched from a vein running through a mud encrusted 100 pound boulder. A clean, rare 1 carat cut benitoite sells between $3500 and $6000, depending on color, cut and clarity. Enter your e-mail address to receive our newsletter. This is worth much more as a specimen, since any specimens that even came close to crystals such as these has long ago been cut up and faceted already. The best is yet to come. Although the originally discovered vein was completely worked out, know one knows for sure that there is not more vein to be found. I have split the specimen into 2 pieces now. You can change your preferences any time in your Privacy Settings. This is a page created by a lover of Benitoite for lovers of Benitoite! Browse our range of this beautiful gemstone. If you wish to see it and a brief video of this gemstone, please visit my Loose Benitoite Gemstones page. So after about a month of etching, I took the piece with me when I went to see the mine owner. This is the focus of my personal collection - benitoite from any global locality and mineral species from the Benitoite Gem mine. Instant Buy It Now Available. . Benitoite is a rare silicate mineral that is typically blue in color and demonstrates outstanding transparency and brightness when cut. If you are not a rockhound, mineral collector, or connoisseur of rare gemstones, then you may have never heard of Benitoite. 552 likes. This is basically a sales ploy to get you to purchase what they have for sale. The other I have not really even considered, but a few stones over 2 to 3 carats each might be possible. Sapphire Blue color and Diamond like dispersion combine to make Benitoite a spectacular gemstone. Natural Wyoming Granular Sodium Bentonite Clay for sealing pond soils.. One 3,000 lb sack = 42 cubic feet. Current Mine Status (Closed to the Public). This is natrolite that absorbed some of the green colored crossite around it while forming. Looks like you already have an account! Learn more. This plate sold in Tucson 2012 for 5 figures. Find out more in our Cookies & Similar Technologies Policy. Unfortunately it is very rare. Comments. It was first thought to be sapphire or blue diamond due to it's deep blue color and amazing internal fire. Science still cannot identify exactly what gives benitoite it's amazing color, and scientists have been unable to duplicate or replicate benitoite's crystal growth or fluorescent nature. Gem quality Benitoite can be worth more than Diamonds, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald or Tanzanite. This stunning diamond-cut Benoite is a … A couple of other regions where the stone is found does not have gem-quality crystals of Benitoite… The most common benitoite jewelry material is ruby . The Benitoite Gem Mine has been featured on the Travel Channel's television show "Finding Cash and Treasures" as well as other television programs. In the past, most of the super gem quality crystals I have found, were found in and around this "green natrolite". Well you're in luck, because here they come. Great! If you are looking to purchase Benitoite Mineral Specimens, Crystals or Cut Gemstones, please go to the Benitoite page in my General Store. 1 of 5: Word Search, Sudoku, and Word Scramble Puzzles. Although I enjoyed this specimen very much in both etching it and admiring it, I was made an offer for the specimen that I could not refuse. 4.3 out of 5 stars 10. A limited selection of benitoite rings and gemstones can also be found on Etsy. It does not dissolve in acid like natrolite does, but it does remove very easily in acid. This piece of rough weighed in at a wopping 34.4 carats. OK, so if a two carat Benitoite is extremely rare; then a three carat Benitoite is exceedingly rare! Although commercial mining is no longer being conducted at the mine, a few years ago, the present owner Dave Schreiner purchased the mine with the sole purpose of opening it up to the public for the first time in it's 100 year history. The major mine closed in 2006 but it still remain open to hobbiests and tourists. It is the 4th largest flawless benitoite ever cut and the largest flawless benitoite available for sale on the open market. Rock hounds, gem and specimen hunters, this is your chance to find one of the rarest and most desirable gemstones in the world! The most popular color? Mr. Bradshaw was hesitant to reveal his wholesale prices but said that a faceted benitoite of 1 to 2 carats could sell for $3,600 to $5,000 per carat, with a … gem quality crystals. This story is only about the part of the specimen that only originally showed a thin benitoite vein. Benitoite for sale at wholesale prices. Order gemstones, loose gemstones, gemstone rings and gemstone engagement rings like this Rare Size in Fine Gem Benitoite Loose Gem in Oblong Cut, 11.61 x 6.41 x 4.49 mm, 2.69 carats with GIA Certificate . AGL has become an iconic brand for uncompromised standards and excellence in gemstone reporting and is regularly featured by the auction houses of Christie’s and Sotheby’s for important colored stones they are offering for sale. The previous mine owners did not stop mining because there was nothing left to find, but due the lack of water 6 months out of the year, and thick mud / dirt clods that take forever to break down at the mine, it was no longer economically feasible to continue mining operations on such a large scale. For more information go to www.benitoitemining.com, For more information, you can email me or contact the mine owners directly, Dave or John Luke Schreiner at (833) GEMHUNT / 436-4868, The Fee dig is presently only open on Saturdays and will require a reservation. Fantastic cluster of lustrous, sharp blue benitoite crystals from old finds at the classic Benitoite gem mine in California. Visit celestialearthminerals.com for … Some examples of Crossite Included Benitoite crystals, Some examples of Gem Quality Benitoite Crystals. Benitoite Healing Crystal. Items/page . Auctions starting from just $1. Near it was a very thin vein of benitoite that began to show up which ran thru the back of the piece for about 2 inches. Add to Compare. The crystals are partially gemmy and have fantastic color. Benitoite - Deep sapphire-blue Benitoite crystals to 1cm partially embedded in white Natrolite and matrix. Ore / Gravel, Specimens, Gemstones & more.... Shattuckite, Chrysocolla, Quartz, Rancho Jacalito, Cuitaca, Sonora, Mexico, Montana Missouri River Sapphire, .66 carats. However the Benitoite Mine Fee Dig has been in operation since 2009. That piece was faceted into 4 stones, the largest being an 8.05 carat flawless gemstone (see top of this page). In addition, in it's 105 year history, none of the previous owners searched for benitoite using shortwave UV. Just look at what we have for sale, 99% of all the benitoite I have for sale, I personally found. The faceted Benitoite in the store is a sampling of what we have to sell. Some of the technologies we use are necessary for critical functions like security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and to make the site work correctly for browsing and transactions. Well you're in luck, because here they come. It is one of the easiest ways to search for this mineral and makes it a real prize among fluorescent mineral collectors. A nice combination of crystals and the natrolite/crossite layer giving the specimen a good aesthetic look. It is hard to find stones over 1ct in size even during the … Many find specimens and crystals have been discovered people all the time. This specimen features over a dozen cornflower blue trigonal crystals of benitoite, on a contrasting..... $525.00 Add to Cart. With the color of the most valuable tanzanite, it is easy to see why it is so valued. It can be found in differing shades of blue, violet, white, clear, and on very rare occasions very pale pink, but the Deep Blue color is the most desirable. The benitoite crystals have good color, translucency, and size (up to ~2 cm), and are arranged in an aesthetic cluster on matrix. Benitoite has the rarest form of crystal structure in the world. In doing so, a lot of material was overlooked. So I took my time and etched very slowly over the next week. The mine is not dead as some would have you believe. One measuring 2.0 cm by almost 2.0 cm tall by a whopping 9 mm thick. Benitoite. It's light dispersion or internal fire is greater than that of diamond. Previous owners of the mine throughout it's history, processed a lot of material very quickly, mainly looking for gem quality crystals. Farmers' Association was organized in 1947 and operates as a cooperative owned by over 1530 area members. I like to say that the mine is just sleeping! Benitoite is the official stone of the state of California, which incidentally is also the only location in the world where deposits of gem-quality Benitoite stones have been discovered. Sort by . The most popular color? The mine has gone by many names over it's 106 year history. So I carefully over a months time worked on this end of the specimen, carefully etching. Some people that deal in Benitoite will have you believe that the benitoite mine has been all worked out or that the known benitoite specimen universe is finite, this is not completely true. This amazing gemstone is on consignment. Send me exclusive offers, unique gift ideas, and personalized tips for shopping and selling on Etsy. Benitoite. The Benitoite Fee Dig is now only open on Saturdays and by reservation only. Celestial Earth Minerals provides chakra stones for healing, semi precious gemstones, stones, rocks & minerals for sale to enhance and improve your life. He was amazed to see what was showing, but also suggested I try and follow the vein. The natrolite did not appear to be a thick vein at first, but there was also a large amount of what Dr. Louderback ( the person who named benitoite and discovered that it was a new mineral) called green natrolite in his papers. If you have spent any time viewing any of my websites you know that I have a passion for BaTiSi 3 O 9 also known as Benitoite. Benitoite is found with a few other rare minerals such as black-red Neptunite, snow white Natrolite and brown-yellow Joaquinite. Buy Gemstones and Gemstone Rings like this Rare Size in Fine Gem Benitoite Loose Gem in Oblong Cut, 11.61 x 6.41 x 4.49 mm, 2.69 carats with GIA Certificate on SALE now at AfricaGems.com. Yes! We now know precisely the extent of the known "Benitoite … You guessed it: blue. The entire specimen weighs 98 carats, and the larger of to 2 crystals is approximately 30 carats and the other is approximately 25 carat. Further examination revealed it as a new gemstone. Commercial mining for Benitoite ended in July of 2006. The crystals for sale on this page are being sold as specimen pieces and not as facet rough. Benitoite is the state gemstone of California. There are 336 benitoite jewelry for sale on Etsy, and they cost $244.88 on average. Benitoite is the state gemstone for California, its source. Paperback $5.99 $ 5. This 10" plate of facet grade benitoite crystals was produced from a large specimen found in September 2011. Find out more in our Cookies & Similar Technologies Policy. Cookies and similar technologies are used to improve your experience, to do things like: Without these technologies, things like personalized recommendations, your account preferences, or localisation may not work correctly. The upper portion, and the first group of crystals found are one specimen now. I am a purist, if the crystal is not damaged, it does not get cut. For a limited time we are resuming the sale of uncleaned mine run material! Will you find a big plate worth ten's of thousand's of dollars, the possibility is still there. Contact: Christopher P. Smith .145CT STUNNING COLLECTOR GEM MEDIUM TONE VIOLET BLUE CALIFORNIA BENITOITE Benitoite is one of the most beautiful rare gemstones. During this past year I did this, and one piece out of about a dozen I was soaking at the time caught my eye. Showing 1 to 1 of 1 (1 Pages) Here is a perfect example of three very rare minerals from the benitoite gem mine. Etsy uses cookies and similar technologies to give you a better experience, enabling things like: Detailed information can be found in Etsy’s Cookies & Similar Technologies Policy and our Privacy Policy. Rock hounds, gem and specimen hunters, this is your chance to find one … You too have a chance to find your own benitoite specimen or gem. D16B-109 Neptunite with Benitoite $750.00 Miniature, 5.3 x 3.1 x 2.2 cm Dallas Gem Mine, San Benito Co., California, USA (4 more images) A California classic from the Schneider collection of Poway, California. ASSSdSSSSSSS SSSSSSbSSSSySSS Sabijouxparis, ASSSdSSSSSSS SSSSSSbSSSSySSS SCrystalsByAlex, ASSSdSSSSSSS SSSSSSbSSSSySSS STamaraMJewelry, ASSSdSSSSSSS SSSSSSbSSSSySSS Sadamsminerals, ASSSdSSSSSSS SSSSSSbSSSSySSS SCecileRaleyDesigns, ASSSdSSSSSSS SSSSSSbSSSSySSS SSelectivegemhouseltd, ASSSdSSSSSSS SSSSSSbSSSSySSS Ssumerthyme2. And . This end was still pretty thick, but within 2 days what appeared to be the large face of a crystal began to appear, and it was super clean. There are 367 benitoite for sale on Etsy, and they cost €224.99 on average. This carat size information, is just used for example, to show the crystals clarity, since this specimen will not be chopped up. How such a solution occurred and what other conditions caused the crystallization of these rare minerals is still not well understood. Collector's Edge - former owner of the Benitoite Mine - had about 2 tons of mine run material left over from the last year's production at the mine. It was first discovered in 1907, and gemstone quality benitoite has been found only in San Benito County in California, US, but is currently no longer mined, which makes benitoite's price particularly high. Did you scroll all this way to get facts about benitoite? Farmers' Association carries a full line of feeds, pet supplies, fertilizer, chemicals, wildlife supplies, and lawn and garden products. This piece of crossite was about 6 inches long by about 4 inches thick. Hobbyist's Puzzle Book - No. These are all examples of what you too might find! These technologies are used for things like: We do this with social media, marketing, and analytics partners (who may have their own information they’ve collected). Current market pricing of clean, good color, and well cut faceted benitoite over 2 carats, is $10,000 per carat.

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