Dreamstone Tampering
Manipulation of Dreamstones, though rare, is sometimes done to increase the value of the Dreamstone by altering the surface of the marble to remove unwanted NATURAL lines, colors and defects in the material in order to create a desired effect. It should be noted that manipulated stones are no longer nature's art and do not require intuitive talent to obtain. If sold without informing the purchaser, these stones would be considered forgeries.
Overall Image
Detail, Using Lighting and Camera Angles to Highlight Manipulation
Digital Negative, Highlighting Manipulated Areas
Image 1, above, is a face-on view of a Dreamstone titled "The Old Man". With this angle and lighting, no irregularities are apparent. Image 2 is a close-up of the region of interest. Lighting and camera angles have been used to reveal manipulation of the surface. Image 3 is a digital negative, which has been adjusted to highlight the manipulation of the stone. The areas which appear dark are where the surface of the marble was extensively ground to remove color in order to intensify or create the shape of a neck, and remove unwanted surface color in this Dreamstone.
Image 4 is a face-on view of a Dreamstone titled "Bird on a Perch", showing no apparent irregularities. Image 5 is a close-up of the area around the head of the bird, using lighting and camera angles to reveal where manipulation of the stone has occurred. Image 6 is a digital negative in which the dark areas above and below the bird's beak correspond to areas of unacceptable grinding. This was done to remove color in order to intensify or create the shape of the beak.
Overall Image
Detail, Using Lighting and Camera Angles to Highlight Manipulation
Digital Negative, Highlighting Manipulated Areas
IMAGE 2
IMAGE 3
IMAGE 4
IMAGE 5
IMAGE 6
Surface imperfections that do not alter the value of a Dreamstone
Below are some examples of surface imperfections That Do Not Affect the Value of a Dreamstone. In some instance one may find surface imperfections on a Dreamstone that occurred naturally, due to different densities of marble. These "softer" areas of stone can result in surface depressions, as shown in Image 7 below. Looking at the digital negative (Image 8) the depression is clearly visible.
Some surface imperfections can also result from cutting, grinding and/or polishing of the Dreamstone. Provided that these imperfections Do Not Result in Changing the Coloring or Lines of the Dreamstone (a deliberate act to enhance the value of a marble) these imperfections will also not affect the value of the Dreamstone. Examples of these imperfections can be seen in Images 9-10, below.
Image 7
Image 8
In Image 7 we can see a surface depression that does not alter the color or lines of the stone.
Image 8 is the digital negative of Image 7, which allows us to clearly see the depressed area of the stone.
Image 9
Image 10
In Image 9 we can barely see a small white surface imperfection (most likely formed during polishing) above and to the right of the tree on the top of the mountain, (this is illustrated more clearly in Image 10). Notice that the imperfection does not alter the color of the clouds, nor does it change any of the lines integral to the stone.
Here, in the negative of Image 9, we can more clearly see the surface imperfection as a darker black circular mark, to the upper-left of the tree on top of the mountain.
