Gemstones Updates

So You Want To Collect Gemstones

By Lee MacRae

Why would anyone collect items like loose gemstones, you ask? For many people it's because gemstones are extremely beautiful. And like their more familiar cousin, natural diamonds, they can become extremely valuable over the years. Many in this hobby love to collect and work with each and every one of the 150 varieties available. Follow along as we examine the loose gemstones hobby.

The first thing you need to do is to visit the library and get some books. You want to learn as much as possible about the subject of gemstones. The more you understand about gemstones the less likely you are to make a mistake. You will know exactly what to look for.

The first item to look at should be the color of the stone. You'll want the stone to be as close in color as possible to the pure colors of the spectrum. This means red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The prices of very dark are very pale semiprecious and precious stones are lower.

The cut of the stone is extremely important and is used not only to appraise diamonds but gemstones as well. A precision cut will highlight the gemstone's color, diminish any inclusions, and exhibits good overall symmetry and proportion. One way of determining the excellence of its cut is to check how well and consistent it reflects light throughout its surface. If the gemstone is cut to shallow most of the light will refract out instead of reflecting internally. That will make the gem seem washed out and windowed.

The clarity in a stone is the next item to consider. Gemstone clarity relates to the absence of flaws or blemishes inside the stone. A perfect gemstone is obviously worth more. To examine flaws not seen with the naked eye you need a gem microscope or gemstone clarity magnifier. Serious hobbyists will employ a 10X jewelers were gemstone loup for viewing stamps, coins, beads as well as gems.

Next to consider are weight and size. Except for corals and pearls, all gemstones are priced by the carat. A carat is equal to 0.2 grams. Be aware 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 weighs 1.20 carats.

Though you may find gemstones used a lot in jewelry, loose gemstones are great for collecting. In fact, there are many attractive and interesting gems that are just too big or fragile to be used for jewelry. Look at each loose gemstone and consider it as a piece of art and value it for its unique nature and vibrant colors. And unlike many hobbies where you have to buy everthing you can use vacation time to actually hunt for raw gemstones in stead of buying. In the US in New Mexico you'll find Turquoise, Garnet, Peridot, Rock Crystal and Obsidian And in Canada you can hunt for opal in the Okanagan, British Columbia or Tourmaline from Chatham Twonship, Quebec along with Ammolite, a rare gemstone found only in southern Alberta. Think of collecting gemstones as a great hobby and pastime.

Buy white clear quartz loose gemstones or loose diamonds and diamond naturals today in our store!

Gemstones For Sale

Hints On purchasing loose diamonds

Aquamarine often becomes paler if left out in the sun. Keep this gemstone in a
cool dry place. Aquamarine is usually heat treated and sometimes irradiated to
enhance color and clarity. Reputable dealers will not use the following
misleading terms. However, for your protection, I am listing them here: "
Brazilian Aquamarine" is really Blue Topaz. "Siam Aquamarine" is really heat-
treated Blue Zircon. "Mass Aqua" is blue glass.
Buy oval Aquamarine loose gemstones today!

Aventurine can look like jade or amazonite. Dark green Aventurine usually has
inclusions (because of the green fuchsite mica and sometimes a bit of pyrite)
which makes a speckled appearance. This identifying feature is often called
aventurescence. Aenturine is found in Brazil, India, Japan, Russia, Tanzania,
and USA.
Buy blue heart loose gemstones today!

Diamonds are usually colorless. However, brown, yellow, green, blue, pink, red,
gray and black variations are also found depending on the impurities present.
Diamond has a hardness rating of 10. In general, diamonds are reasonably durable
. Yet, diamonds are subject to chipping and fracture when handled roughly.
Diamonds should be stored separately. Diamonds can scratch other jewelry as well
as each other.
Buy loose round Princess Emerald gemstones today!

purchasing loose diamonds Galore

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