gemstones

[mikehh]

My girlfriends father(now dead ) was some sort of jeweller and left her some pieces of black stone he dug up in Kanchanaburi. When she first showed them I thought they were coal but where an edge has been knocked off it is very shiny. Could this be Jet or some type of black garnet?
Anyone able to clarify and also give an indication of value? Thank you.

[The Fresh Prince]

I think in Thai it is called "Nin". You know those crappy gold rings with a black stone in the middle that your dad wore in the 70's? It might be that.

I've got no idea what it's worth. Possibly millions.

[Notnow]

It could be obsidian. Get a ten rock hardness kit (cheap) and you can see which of the minerals it's hardness falls between. That will narrow the search considerably. Of course there is also a TD member whose tag says something like "Black diamonds, I shit them". Is there any odor to them?

[TizMe]

Mrs Tiz knows quite a bit about precious gems.

She said that its probably Nin, and that it is not very valuable, but I guess that depends if you have a few small specks or a stone the size of a pick-up truck.

In English it's known as Black Spinel.

[blue]

i think Mrs Tiz is right again,
called Black Spinel in the west
you could have a nice ring made like this one

make it the ideal choice for an opaque black gem. These days, where most gems undergo routine enhancement treatments, black spinel can stand proud as a gem requiring nothing more than cutting and polishing to bring out its inner beauty. If you want a totally natural and untreated black gemstone – black spinel is the one!

'

[superman]

Black Onyx.

The Kanchanaburi province of Thailand produces some stunning silver pendants with large black onyx gems. Many of these pendants have onyx that is cut with a special multi faceted cut, this is also called the checkerboard cut.

Black Onyx, The Majestic Black Gem Stone. Black Onyx Gems In All Sizes And Shapes

[nedwalk]

^ yep what he said..there are marketers everwhere in KANCHAN selling said stone

[luangtom]

You also may wish to inquire of someone if it is "lek lai". It is one that can be either dull and flat-color in appearance or shiny and bright in appearance. It is used in amulets by monks.

[blue]

well i think the jury is still out

Kanchanaburi: The Bo Ploy area 30km north..
. Besides blue sapphire, large quantities of black spinel known locally as “nin” are mined and most of the time sold on many Thai markets as “onyx”.

Gemstones, Gems, Thailand Gem Mining Companies, Thai Gemstone Mining

[The Fresh Prince]

With out even looking at it I can tell you for certain that it is Nin. My dog told me and she should know because she is named after it.

(Naming conversation)

Thai Friend - Why don't you call her Nin

Me- Whats that?

Thai Friend - It's that crappy black stone that MikeH is harping on about, and she is black.

Me - Sounds ok.

Thai Friend (looking at dog) - Awwww Nin Jah

Me - Ninja! Done

[spiritrace]

Could be Hematite, or Black Onyx, and even black garnet.

[DrAndy]

and also give an indication of value?

very little unless they are the best specimens

then not much

[Imminent]

Black Onyx if it's from Kan or Chan. You can find other black stones in the NongKhai area which look similar but come from a meteor strike. they aren't the meteor just earth that was turned into these black stones on impact. That's what I heard anyways.