I've updated my guide covering Labradorite and Andesine. Unfortunately, after first bringing this up several years ago, it turns out that there was a basis for the suspicions about the so-called "natural," highly colored "andesine," "labradorite," and "andesine-labradorite" that has been touted as having come from "the Congo," "Mongolia," "Tibet," and just about any other inaccessible place you could name.

Well, as the questions have piled up, several sources (including one of the JTV hosts) have confirmed that this "natural" gem isn't very natural at all. Rather, it is common yellow-brown andesine or labradorite that is very highly treated to produce the intense colors, as well as to give it its oft-touted copper content. Some are evidently playing down this deception by saying that the treatment is "accepted" and longstanding (it isn't). IMO, customers who have been sold spurious "natural" stones of this type should be clamouring for their money back.

This scandal is just now starting to get some publicity. It'll get bigger in the coming months. Can lawsuits against the willingly ignorant (at best) wholesalers and retailers be far behind? And I think that this isn't limited to those mysterious Andesine and Labradorite "finds." There will be other gemstones that will turn out to be involved in this fraud, before all is said and done.

And this problem is hardly limited to gems. Unfortunately, if whatever you collect has any value, you need to be increasingly careful - some shady character is ready, willing, and able to create and market a convincing fake version to make a buck - be it vintage costume jewelry, coins, baseball cards, or ... When are governments going to do something about stopping the flood of fakes and frauds being imported? Any government that doesn't prevent its citizens from being victimized just isn't doing its job. Things have gone from bad, to worse, to ridiculous over the last couple of decades.

There is a new eBay discussion group in which I'm currently participating. Its main focus is identifying various types of jewelry and gemstones. Anyone is welcome to visit and participate. You can get to it by clicking...

Jewelry and Gemstone Identification Room

Use the Comment link below to tell me about any mistake you find in any of my eBay Guides, or to ask a question.

Please identify the Guide, I'll try to correct or answer as soon as I'm able. Thank you!

Another group of Jaspers from my older posts to Boards. I don't sell much, but you can find similar examples elsewhere on ebay. As those Board threads have long since disappeared, I thought these interesting stones deserve another look...

Flowers in Guadalupe Poppy Jasper (California)

  
Left: Art Nouveau pattern in Fantasy Jasper (Mexico)    Right: Tresses in Imperial Spiderwebbed Jasper (Mexico)

  
Left: Locust in Owyhee Jasper (Oregon)    Right: A toe - Morrison Ranch Jasper (Oregon)

  
Left: An eye in Biggs Jasper (Oregon)    Right: Chinese landscape in Deschutes Jasper (Oregon)

On to other rocks later.

Revisions to my ebay Guides to the various Feldspar gemstones are ready. The Guides include...

• Oregon Sunstone: which covers the Oregon Sunstone variety of Labradorite and Andesine
• Moonstones: which deals with the popular Moonstone gem types
• Feldspars: which contains an overview of all the Feldspar gem types, such as Amazonite, Andesine, Oligoclase (India or Aventurine Sunstone), Sanidine, etc.

Feel free to leave comments, questions or corrections in this thread.

A continuing theme here is going to be some of the gemstones which I collect. I've posted pictures of some of these to ebay's Boards. But, all too quickly, they disappear.

Anyway, here is a grouping of some Jaspers...

From the top/left, the stones pictured are: Ocean Jasper (Madagascare), Imperial Jasper (Mexico),  Carrasite (Oregon), Sagebrush Jasper (Wyoming), Biggs Blue Jasper (Oregon), Guadalupe Poppy Jasper (California), and Imperial Spiderwebbed Jasper (Mexico).

Jaspers have been a highly sought-after gemstone from ancient times. The varieties with strong patterning or pictures are most valued. They were less used in the 20th century, as faceted gemstones came more into vogue. But in the last few years, interest has revived. Although prices have risen, and although you have to wade through many substandard or uninteresting rocks to find better quality, you can still get some extraordinary examples here for reasonable prices.

In a few days, I hope to be able to post some examples of gems which contain striking images.

The short answer is that it is nearly impossible to determine whether a coin has been cleaned from a listing's photo. Only rarely do you find listings which show a coin in high enough magnification to determine whether it has been cleaned.

So, why are uncleaned coins more valued than coins which have been cleaned? 
Collectors value surfaces which are in as close as possible to the condition they were in when they left the mint. Being shiny or free of  A cleaned coin will never show the uncirculated, mint-state surfaces under a loupe or magnifying glass, as any traces of the original mint luster will be degraded or lost. And determining this requires only that you know a few things to look for under a magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe.

Cleaning is not so much an issue in heavily circulated (and worn) coins. But for better examples of coins, where you would expect some original surface to remain, cleaning becomes more of an issue. And it is important to value indeed in Proof and Uncirculated (Mint State) grades.

What evidences of cleaning can I look for?
First and foremost, you simply need to know what an uncleaned coin looks like. You won't be able to tell from a picture, but will once it is in your hands.

To get a feel for what an original, uncleaned surface should look like, take a magnifying glass and examine a few newly minted coins from the bank, noting the shimmer caused by minute radiating lines (this is called "cartwheel luster" - caused by the metal being squeezed when the coin is struck). This is very delicate, and is degraded or destroyed by most cleaning methods (which remove a bit of the metal).

A circulated coin that has no patination and seems too shiny will usually have been cleaned (and sometimes "whizzed" - an abrasive process which scratches fake cartwheel lines on the coin). There are books and websites which go into detail regarding signs of cleaning and whizzing. But nothing takes the place of examining genuine, uncirculated examples so that you have something with which to compare.

Circulated, cleaned coins will eventually re-acquire a patina that will somewhat mask the cleaning. But they will never be as highly valued as they would have been before the cleaning degraded the original surface.

And what can I do to avoid cleaned coins?
If the listing does not specify that the coin has not been cleaned, ask the seller if the coin has been cleaned. If the seller cannot tell you, then perhaps you should consider passing on the item being offered.

If the seller states in the listing that the coin has not been cleaned, or is in Uncirculated or Mint State, you should still ascertain that the seller allows you to return the coin if it turns out to have been cleaned. And buying from a seller who has good feedback, who has been selling for at least a year. Buy using PayPal, and pay PayPal using a credit card (which gives you 2 ways to dispute a fraud).

Some people prefer to buy slabbed coins which have been graded by a third party grader. Coins labeled as Proof, Mint State, or About Mint State should show no evidence of cleaning. However, slabbing is not an airtight guarantee that the coin is original. At best it is a second opinion that the coin is in the state printed on the label. At worst, these slabs can be counterfeits, with the slab itself masking evidence of cleaning. In between are huge numbers of slabs which have been certified by graders who are unqualified, who do not give more than a cursory glance at the coins which pass through their hands, and/or that habitually higher grades to coins than are warranted by their actual condition. A slabbed coin might be reassuring to some, but it is always the actual condition of the coin that counts - never the individual opinion printed on a label. You still need to know a bit about what you are buying.

Here are some quick tests to determine if a pearl is natural/cultured, or a simulant...

1. Under magnification, look at the pearl's surface. A natural or cultured pearl will have a very fine-grained texture. Simulated pearls usually have a grainy surface.
2. The surface of natural and cultured pearls almost always have some bumps, flaws and/or irregularities. This is because their surface is produced by a natural process. Some people can detect these bumps by rubbing against a tooth, while others prefer looking through a magnifier. Be suspicious of flawless pearls.
3. If you can look at a cut edge or drill hole under magnification, a pearl produced by an oyster will have smooth edges, while edges on simulated pearls are usually ragged or chipped.

One common way to differentiate between cultured and natural pearls is to shine an ultraviolet (UV) light on the pearl. Natural pearl will show brownish-yellow fluorescence. Cultured pearl will have bluish fluorescence. This isn't a foolproof test, however. Beyond that requires an x-ray to see the layering in the nacre (the pearly surface material). Natural pearls are composed primarily of layers of nacre, while cultured pearls are composed of a seed (made of pearl shell) and a thin coating of several layers of nacre.

OK, this is more of a Guide topic, but I'll wait until I can add more before I move it over.

Someone who had a piece of silver which had been over-cleaned asked how to restore the toning in the recessed areas. These are the gray or black areas that highlight the design in new pieces. Here is my answer...

Traditionally, Liver of Sulfur is used to blacken recessed areas of Silver. It usually comes in a solid, but liquid is sometimes available. Here's the process...

1. Mix a couple of tablespoons of baking soda into 1-2 cups of cool water, and set aside;
2. In a separate container (use an old glass jar - don't use metal), dissolve a chunk of Liver of Sulfur in a cup of very hot water;
3. Before the mixture cools, dip your piece into the liquid;
4. When the Silver turns the desired shade of black, remove the Silver piece and rinse the piece in the water that contains the baking soda;
5. Use a polishing compound (e.g., Rottenstone or even non-fluoride toothpaste) on a damp paper towel and lightly polish the black from the high spots;
6. Once it looks good to your taste, rinse off any loosened tarnish and polish;
7. Dry and buff the piece using a coarse cloth (e.g., canvas or denim).

You can get Liver of Sulfer from some craft stores. Jewelry supply catalogs also stock this. It sometimes is offered on ebay, as well. Be sure and do an Advanced Search, using the Search Title and Description option when looking.