Hi Cindy Crounse! I would recommend that you get in contact with a
lapidary society in Scotland. Here is the newsletter Editor’s name
and phone number for the West of Scotland Mineral and Lapidary
Society: Alan Gilchrist, Tel 0141 339 0630. This is from
their newsletter of December, 2004 so I don’t know if things have
changed. There is also a Mr. Douglas Ramsay from Glasgow that may
have some I would have to dig for his phone number.
Some of these rockhounds may have just what you need. How do I know?
I have exchanged rockhound bulletins with them for years.
Vi Jones, rockhound, lapidary, jeweler and editor–my peaches are
ripe–yike! No bench time again in the beautiful Pacific Northwest
I really struck the mother lode when I got so much helpful
about caringorms. Thank you all so much! My customer’s
going to think I’m the best thing since heat-treating of zoisite
when I tell her about all your leads. Orchid is amazing: one of the
first e-mails was from a terrific man in BAHRAIN of all places, who
gave me contact info for one of the world’s leading gemologists
(who’s located in Scotland), who wrote back giving me the name of the
woman to talk to on this, who (this note is beginning to sound like
"The House that Jack Built") gave me the straight poop: TRUE
cairngorm is smokey topaz (ranging golden to brown, light to dark)
specifically from the Cairngorm Mountains which were pretty well
mined out 100 years ago - most that you find in Scotland since then
are Brazilian since the area is now a national park with no
collecting allowed… But other Orchidians came to the rescue with
possible stones, depending on which direction my customer wants to
go. Just want to say to all of you: thank you!
Cindy Crounse
Refined Designs Original Fine Jewelry
Upstate New York