Jungle-Gems Newsletter, July 2005

Hello again from the jungles of Brasil. Well, it’s not a typical jungle where we are now writing from. This “jungle” is in southern Brasil, Rio Grande do Sul. The trees here are pines, not palms! In the winter time here it is unlike any other region of Brasil... meaning: it is very cold! It has been 15 years since I’ve been to this area of Brasil. Did you know it gets FREEZING in Brasil? I had forgotten, or failed to believe it was still true. The temp today, July 25 was MINUS 2 degrees Celsius!! In BRASIL!!!! BBRRRRrrrrrrr

For the benefit of our new subscribers, you should know that this newsletter, reporting on the gemtrade in Brasil, is based on some facts, with rumor and gossip thrown in. Please feel free to contact me if any of the topics discussed here is something you might be interested in. We are now back to brokering goods from local sources, based on goods requested by you, our newsletter readers, our old clients and new friends, both large and small buyers. Our “buying trips” allow you to obtain goods direct from the source when we are in various parts of Brasil.

Last month we were in “quartz country”, Minas Gerais and Goias. For those of you who have been along with us “on the hunt”, it has been fun so far. Everyone who bought qtz clusters, Diamontina lasers, Lemurian crystals, spheres, polished qtz, and other juicy tidbits from “quartz country” have mostly received their shipments. Some goods are still on the high-seas, but boats are slow to China...

This month our buying is being done in Rio Grande do Sul, which is “agate and amethyst country”. There is no shortage of goods, as some of the pics below attest:

The agate from this region of Brasil, some of the finest quality in the world, has a long tradition in Brasil. It is available in large quantities, in many states: rough, open, sawn, slabbed, polished, dyed, mounted, worked into other finished goods, drusy cores, whatever. They have it all, from ashtrays to bookends to silverware, coasters, wind chimes, carvings, on and on... you all know what I mean anyway. Please let us know if you are interested in any agate goods.

Other goods from this region include tumbled stones collections that fill warehouses. The available list of goods available is extensive. I can send you a copy by request, just ask. There are nice gypsites specimens available, some nicely mounted already. One of the most sought after agate varieties, the drusy core agate, are also available in limited supply.

There are also available very top quality Uruguayan amethyst geodes and clusters, including some stunning “car-size” pieces. Priced competitively with the Brasilian material. I’m sorry to report that the pics of this material did not come out. If anyone is interested in large quantities, I can send pics and details upon request.

One of the highlights of this recent trip was meeting my new friend Walter, who they call “Pardal” in the region. His nickname means a kind of “inventor” or “nutty professor-type”. He has made his own contraption-saw to make those HUGE spheres. When I met him he was in the process of cutting a rose qtz block, about the size of a VW bug! I’m not kidding! I’ll try to get pics for next months newsletter, but if you or someone you know who already “has it all” is interested in something truly one of a kind, this is where to get it. Would you like a sphere as big as you??? Walter also has common sized spheres available in rose qtz, smoky qtz, clear qtz and sometimes other materials. If you ever want a LOT of spheres, we can by rough for you and pay Walter to manufacture for you.

In other news: My associates in the Amazon have sent word that they have almost 100kgs of rough Amazon Amber waiting for me to pick up. You can see some of this material, in finished polished form, on our www.jungle-gems.com main page.

One of everyone’s old favorites, topaz, will also be available next month direct from the miners and saw shops of Ariquemes Rondonia. Unfortunately topaz will not be available for sale as we have standing orders for more than we can supply already! We hope to find some specimen grades to add to the website...

There are always many new reports of new finds and renewed production in this region. If you have been reading our newsletters from the previous few years, you will remember that we see many things out in this region. We will be going to the Amazon/Rondonia region when we finish up our business in southern Brasil later this month, and should have a report direct from the jungle in our upcoming August Jungle Gems Newsletter.

Speaking of August... the Combined Teofilo Otoni Gem & Mineral Show is next month, running from August 23rd to 27th ! They are already setting up the huge tents in the praca. You can see last months newsletter for hotel and travel info if you want to attend this years “Show at the Source”. This is a fine time to visit Brasil if you have never done so. The weather is moderate, the trees are blooming, beaches are warming up as spring approaches the southern hemisphere. We always look forward to meeting more of you fellow gem & mineral dealers and newsletter readers. If you need help with reservations or any other detail about visiting here, please feel free to contact me personally.

For those of you who enjoy fresh news of the tropical beaches for sale here in beautiful Brasil, please sit tight. I haven’t made it to the Bahian coastline since our last edition of the newsletter, so I have no new pics or info this time. But it’s in the middle of winter here, and temps are down into the 60’s sometimes! BBBRRRrrrrrrrrrr........ There will be much more news and info available on beachfront property for sale when things warm up around here! There is still available a very special peninsula, with 1/2km of shoreline, 12 acres, and TWO waterfalls onto the sandy beach. Spectacular, and very affordable...

Thanks for taking the time to read another periodic newsletter reporting on the gem & mineral trade from the jungles of Brasil, brought to you by Jungle-Gems.com, located in Tucson Arizona USA and Teofilo Otoni, Minas Gerais Brasil.

Regards from the jungle ~ Kirk Bond, aka “Tomas” in Brasil