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Starting The Hobby Of Loose Gemstone Collecting

By Lee MacRae

Gemology is the science, art and profession of identifying and evaluating gemstones from natural diamonds to loose gemstones. A number of people taken up gemology as a passionate hobby. They collect and evaluate loose gemstones or loose diamonds. Some people even begin to travel to various neghbourhood locations to look for rough gemstones. Some hobbyists will learn to cut or tumble the gemstones they find. If you have an interest in this hobby then read along as we show you the various factors in gemstone collecting.

The first thing you need to do is to get yourself some reading material. You want to understand everything there is to know about precious and semiprecious gemstones. The more you learn about gemstones the wiser will be your purchases. With adequate knowledge you are less likely to be fooled.

First on the list to evaluate is gemstone color. It is a fact that gemstones are the most intensely colored natural material available on earth. These materials are so related to their color that they've even had their names combined with associated colors. You've no doubt heard about emerald green, ruby red, sapphire blue, jade green, turquoise or aquamarine. Gemstones will have a higher value when they equal the colors in the spectrum of violet, blue, green,, orange and red. They drop in value when they are lighter or darker than the pure spectral color.

The cut of a gemstonestone is the second most important value determination to look at before buying. The precision of the cut is the factor which determines how much light is reflected by the gemstone. The cut will determine the brilliance of the stone and how much it will be valued.

Gemstone clarity is the next item to consider. 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 flawless gemstone is obviously worth more. To see flaws beyond with the eye can see you need a 10X gemstone loupe (gemstone clarity magnifier) or gem microscope. Most hobbyists will buy a 10X jewelers were gemstone loup for viewing stamps, coins, beads as well as gems.

The next factors to consider our size and weight. Save for pearls and corals, all gemstones are priced by the carat. One carat is the equivalent of 0.2 grams You should know however that weight and size are not always equal and gemstones. The density and specific gravity can differ in stones. Take a diamond that weighs 1.00 carats and you will see that a similar sized ruby or sapphire is 1.20 carats.

Getting involved in collecting gemstones can be very enjoyable and could be rewarding as well over time. You don't need to spend a lot of money and yet you can end up with some very beautiful stones. Many people love to set aside vacation or weekend time to go hunting for raw gemstones. Just in the United States in New Hampshire you can rock hunt for Beryl, Rock Crystal and Garnet. And if you like to travel farther you can find opal in Opalton, Yowah, Queensland, Austalia, topaz in Beechworth, Victoria or hunt the quartz regions in Yellowdine Lake in Western Australia.

Buy round Tanzanite loose gemstones along with white loose diamonds and natural colored diamonds today in our store!

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Tips On loose diamond lot

Sapphires do twinkle. This is caused by the smaller, microscopic stones inside
the primary gem that were created at the same time. This twinkling phenomenon is
known as "silk" referring to its silky and silvery qualities. It appears as a
star that seems to be imposed over a silk like background.
Buy Tourmaline loose gemstones today!

Cleaning gemstones is easy. Simply soak the piece in a bowl of warm, soapy water for several minutes. Then use a soft, non-metallic brush to remove any grime. If you use a jewelry cleanser, make sure it is non-abrasive. Don't use harsh chemical cleaners, and be careful when cleaning the item in the sink because it can end up down the drainpipe. Also, keep in mind that some gemstones may have been treated or enhanced by heating, oiling, irradiation or diffusion. Heated and irradiated stones generally don't require special care when cleaning, but diffused stones could become lighter if scrubbed too hard.
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