Star Garnet (ex Joel Arem and Jim Houran Collections)

Item Description

In the panhandle of Northern Idaho, lies Emerald Creek, a locality known for producing some superb quality Star Garnet gemstones. Outside of Idaho, the only other place where Star Garnets of any quality or consistency have been found is India, so these are rare to be sure. The get their name from the fact that a 4-ray or 6-ray star will appear to float over the surface of the stone when it's exposed to a strong light source. The shape of the star will depend upon the angle at which the stone is polished. This phenomenon is called asterism, and is rarely seen in most gems. Garnets one of the least likely candidates for asterism, and while they often seen in cut stones and cabochons, the "star" effect that is seen in this material is not very common. The "Oval" Cabochon cut stone has a very deep reddish-purple color and is translucent when backlit. You need to put in under a strong light for the "star" to show up, but it's there to be sure. This is unique material, and you don't see these very often on the market. Originally from the collection of gemstone expert, and accomplished author Joel Arem, who has a Ph. D. in Mineralogy from Harvard University. From the collection of Dr. James "Jim" Houran, noted thumbnail mineral collector, gemstone collector and a speaker at our annual Dallas Mineral Symposium. Jim is the Managing Director of AETHOS Consulting Group. He's a 25-year veteran in applied psychological research and a published expert on peak performance, online testing and interpersonal and organizational compatibility. He has authored over 150 articles, and his award-winning work has been profiled by a myriad of media outlets and programs including the Discovery Channel, A&E, BBC, National Geographic, NBC’s Today Show, USA Today, New Scientist, Psychology Today and Forbes.com.