So You Want To Collect Gemstones
By Lee MacRae
The term gemology refers to the science, art and profession of identifying and evaluating gemstones from loose gemstones to natural diamonds. A number of people taken up this profession as a passionate hobby. They become interested in collecting loose gemstones or loose diamonds. A number of these hobbyists start to visit different areas nearby or in some cases other countries to look for rough gemstones. Some of them will even tumble or finish off the gemstones themselves. If this sounds like a hobby you would like to get involved in follow along as we discuss the different aspects of this hobby.
The first thing you need to do is to visit the library and get some books. You want to learn as much as you possibly can about your new hobby. The more you understand about gemstones the wiser will be your purchases. You need to be as informed as possible.
One of the first things you look at Is gemstone color. Top grade gemstones exhibit colors similar to the exact spectral color of orange, green, yellow, Violet or blue. Gemstone colors that are somewhat muted or too dark can lower the value quite easily.
The cut of your gemstone is one of the most important traits in evaluating gemstones. The stone has to be cut correctly to reflect light properly. A gemstone with an improper cut can't reflect the light consistently over its surface. Color tone, saturation, and hue will never be consistent.
Gemstone clarity is our next factor. When we talk of clarity it relates to the amount of inclusions (trace elements or large particles of other elements or minerals) that a gem has. A gemstones that is normally found to be clean is more valuable. To see flaws beyond with the eye can see requires a 10X gemstone clarity magnifier or gem microscope. Most hobbyists will get a jewelers diamond gemstone loupe 10X for viewing their coins, beads, stamps or in our case gemstones.
You will often find that gemstones are often listed according to their size criteria since it is more uniform than carat weight. But two different gemstones may have the same size but differ in carat weights and as a result different pricing structures. This is due to the difference in relative density or specific gravity depending upon the materials chemical composition and crystalline structure. Normally a one carat brilliant round diamond of typical proportions will be approximately 6.5 mm in diameter. A ruby that is the same size will weigh in at 1.55 carats instead.
Taking up the hobby of gemstones can be very enjoyable and rewarding in the long run. You don't need to spend a lot of money and yet you can build a very exquisite collection. Many people love to set aside vacation or weekend time to go looking for gemstones. Take the example of the US. In New Jersey you can find Smoky Quartz, Agate, Pearl and Prehnite. Or ou can take a longer vacation and find opal at Lightning Ridge in NSW, Austalia, topaz in Killiecrankie, Tasmania or hunt the peridot fields in Mortlake in Victoria, Australia.
Buy blue sapphire loose gemstones along with loose diamonds for sale and enhanced natural diamonds today in our store!
Gemstones For Sale
Hints On small loose diamonds
Sometimes, Fancy Jasper is called bloodstone. However these are very different
stones as Fancy Jasper comes in many colors. Generally, the polish will be
removed if you get this type of stone wet. As with other jewelry, avoid
scratches, sharp blows and harsh chemicals.
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Tourmaline is one of October's birthstones and comes in many colors - but
primarily in pink and green. It is beautiful in rings, necklaces, and pendants.
Chemically tourmaline is an extremely complicated group of stones. They are
silicate minerals which contain silicon and oxygen and then it is mixed with
aluminum and boron. It is also may contain sodium, calcium, iron, magnesium,
lithium and a host of other elements that may be found in its structure. The
most common variety of tourmaline is schorl and may account for 95% or more of
all tourmaline in nature. Schorl is black tourmaline.
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The sapphire comes in all shades of blue. The most sought after shade is
Cornflower Blue Sapphire, the finest of all the sapphires. It is a gleaming blue
gem with a touch of purple in it. The Royal Blue variety is velvety and the
cobalt in it lets the viewer wonder how deep it really is. Marine Blue sapphires
carry the color and dramatic tones of the oceans. Sapphires come in all
different shades of blue. Titanium and Iron show up more in the rocks where
sapphires are formed, however, they are formed differently all over the world.
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Some small loose diamonds Stories
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Sat, 03 Jan 2009 08:19:00 GMT
(CNN) -- Australia declined a request from the Bush administration to resettle detainees held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay, the Australian Associated Press agency (AAP ...
Brushed Metal Clover Necklace/ss (n-mcl0-ss)
Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:12:02 -0800
Brushed silver clover charm, measuring approximately 5/8'', threaded on 16'' sterling silver chain and toggle clasp.
