Latest Gemological ArticleThe Hobby Of Gemstone Collecting
By Lee MacRae
Many people today say collecting
loose gemstones or
loose diamonds is their favorite hobby. They simply love the beauty and the colors of the wide array of gemstones found around the world today. This article will look at a number of factors you should understand in starting in this interesting hobby.
At the very beginning you'll need the knowledge on the various gemstones available. This knowledge will help you to know what exactly you're looking for and prevent you from wasting your money. A knowledgeable buyer is a wise one.
To start with, an important aspect in gemstone evaluation is color. Without a doubt, gemstones are the most intensely colored natural material available on earth. These materials are so related to their color that they have even lent their names to specific colors. You've no doubt heard about emerald green, ruby red, sapphire blue, jade green, turquoise or aquamarine. Gemstones are valued much higher the closer they come to the natural spectral colors of yellow, blue, violet, green, orange and red. They are valued much less when they are lighter or darker than the natural color.
The cut of the stone is extremely important and factors highly into the appraisal of not only diamonds but along with your gemstones. An excellent cut will highlight the natural color of the gemstone, lessen any inclusions and exhibits good overall symmetry and proportion. One excellent method to determine the precision of the cut is to consider how well and consistent it reflects light over the stones complete surface. If the gemstone is cut to shallow much of the light will refract out of the gem rather than reflecting internally. That will make the gem seem washed out and windowed.
Another factor to look at is the clarity of the stone. This means the gemstones purity or the absence of internal inclusions, internal particles or spots within the crystal. Needless to say, stones with no flaws are hard to find and make your stones very valuable.
Next item to look at is the duo of size and weight. Due to their nature gemstones can vary greatly in density and specific gravity. Weight and size are not necessarily equal across the board. If you have a diamond that weighs 1.00 carats 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.
Getting involved in collecting gemstones can become an enjoyable pastime and also rewarding in the long run. You can take your time and not lay out a lot a cash at the start and yet you can end up with some very beautiful stones. Many people loved to spend weekends to go hunting gemstones. Take the example of the United States. In Utah You can find Topaz, Garnet, Petrified Wood, Jasper and Obsidian. Or ou can take a longer vacation and find opal in Opalton, Yowah, Queensland, Austalia, topaz in Beechworth, Victoria or hunt the peridot fields in Mortlake in Victoria, Australia.
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Tiger Eye Quartz is used in cabochans and beads where it's lovely tiger-like
quality comes out best. Generally, you will not find faceted tiger eye. This
stone is often called "Tiger's Eye" or simply "Tiger Eye". Tiger Eye is black
with iron oxide staining which gives it yellow and golden brown stripes. It is a
type of chatoyant quartz. Tiger Eye has a hardness of 7.
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Queen Marie of Romania's Sapphire. This giant rectangular cushion-shaped
sapphire, somewhat more narrow at one end than the other (creating a sort of
drop effect) came up for auction on November 19th, 2003 at Christies of Geneva,
Lot 382, Sale 1312. The stone's pre-lot text was "Property of a Noble Family"
and the estimate for the stone, set in a necklace, is 1,200,000 to 1,800,000
Swiss francs (about $879,100 to $1,318,600)
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Moonstone is said to balance yin/yang. In India, moonstone is regarded as a
sacred stone. It is believed to bring good fortune. Legend says that Moonstone
is a highly prized gift for lovers as it arouses tender passion. Moonstone is
the US State Gemstone of Florida and New York.
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Gemstones Scene Information
Our Latest Gemological ArticleSo You Want To Collect Gemstones
By Lee MacRae
Why collect
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 people love to collect and work with the wide variety of gemstones available today. Read long as we examine the
loose gemstones hobby.
The first thing you need to do is to get some books from the library or bookstore. You want to learn as much as possible about your new hobby. The more you understand about gemstones the better off you'll be. You'll know exactly what to look for in a quality stone.
First on the list to evaluate is gemstone color. Without a doubt, gemstones are the most intensely colored naturally occurring materials you can find. Gemstones are so related to color that they have even lent their names to specific colors. You've no doubt heard about emerald green, ruby red, sapphire blue, jade green, turquoise or aquamarine. Gemstones are valued much higher they closer they are to natural spectral colors of yellow, blue, violet, green, orange and red. They become less valuable when they are lighter or darker than the natural color.
Cut is one of the all-important 4Cs and is used not only to appraise diamonds but gemstones in general as well. A precision cut will highlight the pure color of the stone, lessen any inclusions and exhibits good overall symmetry and proportion. One way of determining the excellence in the cut is to consider how consistently it reflects the light over the stones complete surface. If the gemstone is cut to shallow most of this light were refracted away rather than reflecting inside. Gem color appears washed out.
The next factor to consider is the clarity of the stone. This is talking about the purity of the gemstone with no internal conclusions, internal particles or spots within the crystal structure. Obviously, stones with a lack of flaws are hard to find and make your stones very valuable.
Gemstones are often categorized according to their size criteria because it is more uniform than carat weight. But two different gemstones may have the same size but have different carat weights that result in different prices as well. This is due to the nature of gemstone difference regarding specific gravity and depends on the materials chemical composition and characteristic crystalline structure. A one carat round brilliant diamond, for example of typical proportions will be approximately 6.5 mm in diameter. A comparable round brilliant ruby of the same size and proportions will weigh in at 1.55 carats.
Although gems are frequently used in jewelry, loose gemstones are great for collecting. Actually there are many interesting and attractive gemstones who that are just too big or fragile to be used for jewelry. Here's a suggestion -- don't think of a gem as a component of jewelry; Think of it as a mini sculpture or piece of art to be highly treasured for its unique nature and vibrant colors. 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 US in New York you can find Beryl, Brown Tourmaline, Rose Quartz as well as Fresh Water Pearl. And if you travel to Canada you will find nephrite jade in the Frances Lake area in the Yukon Territory or labradorite on the adjacent islands and coastal area of Labrador along with the unique deep blue beryl in Canada's Yukon Territory. Take up a hobby of loose gemstone collecting and enjoy yourself.
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Learn More About natural blue diamonds
Fire agate has distinctive iridescent colors caused by layers of iron oxide
within the quartz. Because agate is porous, it is often dyed to darken or change
its natural color. Commonly treated agate is sold as Black Onyx. Petrified wood
is fossilized wood that has had its organic matter replaced by agate.
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The Cullinan II diamond, or the Lesser Star of Africa is just over 317 carats,
and is found in the center-front of the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain,
also in the Tower of London as part of the Crown Jewels.
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Gemstones Scene Updates
Latest Gemological ArticleHow To Start Loose Gemstone Collecting
By Lee MacRae
Gemology is a term referring to the profession, science, and even art of evaluating and identifying gemstones from
loose gemstones to
natural diamonds. A number of people taken up gemology as a hobby. They become interested in collecting and evaluating
loose gemstones or
loose diamonds. You'll even find some that like to travel to different areas close by to hunt for raw or rough gemstones. Some even tumble or learn to cut their own gemstones. If this sounds like a hobby you would like to get involved in follow along as we show you the in and outs of gemstone collecting.
First off you need to learn all you can on each of the gemstones out there. You'll find it very helpful to know what you're buying so you buy the right items. Without the proper knowledge you can make costly mistakes.
The chief thing you need to look at should be gemstone color. You want the stone to be as close as possible to the pure spectrum colors. We are talking about violet, orange, yellow, green, blue, and red. The prices for very pale or very dark precious and semi precious gemstones are lower in value.
The cut of a gemstonestone is the second most important value determination to consider before a purchase is made. The precision of cut is the factor which determines how much light is reflected by the gemstone. It will fully factor highly in the brilliance of the stone and how much it will be valued.
Gemstone clarity is our next factor. Gemstone clarity relates to a stones relative freedom from inclusions or blemishes. Generally speaking, a clearer stone is obviously worth more. To see flaws beyond with the eye can see you need a gem microscope or gemstone clarity magnifier. Many hobbyists will use a 10X jewelers were gemstone loup for viewing their coins, beads, stamps or in our case gemstones.
Next up are size and weight. Other than the corals and pearls gemstones are priced by the unit, carat. A carat is equal to 0.2 grams. However you should know weight and size are not the same in gemstones. Density or specific gravity can vary in gemstones. Take a diamond that is 1.00 carats in weight and you will find that a similar sized ruby or sapphire is 1.20 carats.
Taking up the collecting of loose gemstones can be very rewarding hobby. And there is a wide range and variety in gemstones you can collect. You can start collecting gemstones like Garnet, Spinel or Iolite and then try others. The choice and beauty and variety is almost endless. And if money is tight you can find gemstones for yourself instead of buying. Just in the United States in North Carolina you can find Beryl, Aquamarine, Emerald, Almandite Garnet, Rhodolite, and Pyrope Garnet, Diamond, Cyanitecomma
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Sapphires are as durable as they are beautiful. They come in several colors including pink and orange (called a Padparadscha Sapphire), but are most noted for their rich blue color. They rank 9 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness and are the birthstone for the month of September.
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Weighing 138.7 carats, the Rosser Reeves Ruby is one of the world's largest and
finest star rubies. This Sri Lankan stone is renowned for its great color and
well-defined star pattern. Advertising mogul Rosser Reeves, who donated the
piece to the Smithsonian in 1965, carried it around as a lucky stone, referring
to it as his baby. He often stated that he had acquired the stone at an auction
in Istanbul in the mid-1950s. He actually bought the stone from Robert C. Nelson
Jr. of New York who was acting on behalf of Firestone & Parson of Boston.
Firestone & Parson were selling the stone for Mr. Paul Fisher of New York. Mr.
Robert Fisher, Paul's father, had bought the ruby at an auction in London in
1953. At the time the ruby then weighed just over 140 carats, but was very
heavily scratched, and a few carats were removed in the repolishing. The
repolishing also helped to center the stone's star. Articles in the New York
World-Telegram and The Sun in 1953 mentioned this fabulous gemstone.
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E.W. Streeter, in his book Precious Stones and Gems (1892), describes a number
of fine sapphires. One of these was in the collection of the Mus�e au Jardin des
Plantes, in Paris, and weighed 133.06 carats. The same stone was also described
by Sourindro Mohun Tagore in his classic, Mani-M�l� (1879, 1881), referring to
it as the Wooden Spoon-Seller�s Sapphire, in reference to the poor man who is
said to have found it in Bengal, India. Streeter said it was without flaw. This
is undoubtedly the same stone that resides today in Paris's Museum of Natural
History, for it is of a distinctive lozenge shape and possesses only six facets,
appearing like a huge sapphire rhomb. It is indeed nearly "without flaw,"
containing only one small feather and crystal inclusion, and is possibly of
Burmese or Sri Lankan origin. According to the museum's H.J. Schubnel, the
sapphire actually weighs 135.80 carats. In the museum it is known as the Ruspoli
Sapphire. During the 17th century, a Roman prince named Ruspoli sold this
sapphire to a salesman, who in turn, sold it to King Louis XIV sometime before
1691. At that time it was the third most prominent gem in the French Crown
Jewels.
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