Starting The Hobby Of Gemstone Collecting
By Lee MacRae
The term gemology refers to the art, profession and science of evaluating and identifying gemstones from natural diamonds to loose gemstones. A number of people taken up this profession more as a hobby. They collect and evaluate loose diamonds or loose gemstones. Some people even begin to travel to different areas close by or even taking a trip to other countries to look for rough gemstones. Some even tumble or learn to cut their own gemstones. If you have an interest in this hobby read along as this article discusses the in and outs of gemstone collecting.
The first thing you need to do in beginning this hobby the smart way is through the power of knowledge. By taking a quick trip to the library or local bookstore you can find books on the subject that will let you make wise purchases from the beginning.
Of paramount importance is the color of the gemstone. Top grade gemstones have pure colors there as close as possible to the purest spectral colors of orange, green, yellow, Violet or blue. Muted gemstone colors or on the dark side are diminished in value.
Gemstone cut is one of the most important traits when you consider a gemstone's value. The cut has to be done correctly to reflect light properly. A stone that has a poor cut will not reflect the light consistently. The color hue, color tone and saturation will always look inconsistent.
The clarity in a stone is the next item to consider. Gemstone clarity relates to the amount of inclusions (trace elements or large particles of other elements or minerals) that a gem has. A perfect gemstone is obviously valued highly. To determine the flaws not seen with the unaided eye you need a gemstone loupe (gemstone clarity magnifier) or gem microscope. Serious hobbyists will get a 10X jewelers were gemstone loup for viewing their coins, beads, stamps or in our case gemstones.
Next item to look at is the duo of size and weight. Due to the fact gemstones can vary in density or specific gravity. Weight and size are not equal for each and every stone. Take the example of a diamond that weighs 1.00 carats and a sapphire of equal size would weigh 1.20 carats. An emerald stone would be about 0.95 carats and an Alexandrite stone would be about 1.23 carats.
Although gems are frequently used in jewelry, they are a great hobby and pastime as well. In fact, there are many attractive and interesting gemstones that are just too big or fragile to be used for jewelry. Take each gemstone and Think of it as a mini sculpture or piece of art to be highly treasured for its beautiful colors and the finish you apply to it. And unlike some hobbies that require you to pay for your specimens you can actually go hunting for raw gemstones in the field. In the United States in Arizona you can find Agatized wood (Petrified wood), Azur-Malachite, Turquoise, Garnet, Peridot, Jasper and Moissanite And in Canada you can hunt for nephrite jade in Mount Sidney Williams, British Columbia or blue spinel from Daillebout, Quebec and even ammolite from Lethbridge, Alberta. Take up gemstone collecting and you won't regret it.
Buy loose Chrysoberyl gemstones or inexpensive loose diamonds as well as natural color diamonds today in our store!
Gemstones For Sale
Hints On small loose diamonds
Authentic emeralds are very expensive, and not available to the casual collector
. However, with today.s technology scientists can make lab-created emeralds that
can be sold at affordable prices on the open market. They are made by exposing
thin slices of natural beryl to a chemical mixture that is akin to an authentic
emerald. The mixture is one of pure filtered water and acids. Then it is put
under intense heat in saline solution. Then the stone slices cool until crystal
forms and it reaches a gem like thickness. When this process is complete it can
be cut and processed like a gem.
Buy loose Agate gemstones today!
Citrine is one of November's birthstones and is a beautiful yellow stone. It is
a popular less expensive alternative to the much more expensive yellow sapphire
or yellow diamond. To create wondeful multi-colored jwelry, it is often combined
with other stones such as: peridot, amethyst, and garnet.
Buy loose Emerald gemstones today!
The GIA recently released a new cut grading system and it appears they have
finally conquered this beast. Rather than calculating how close a cut came to an
�ideal� set of proportions, the new system is based on how the individual
elements combine to affect the appearance of a diamond. In addition, they were
able to install some flexibility in the system to allow for personal preferences
, with table size being a prime example.
Buy gold Sapphire loose gemstones today!
More small loose diamonds Information
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