Our Latest Gemological Article
Starting To Collect Loose Gemstones
By Lee MacRae
Many people, young and old, say collecting semi-precious and precious gemstones like loose diamonds or loose gemstones is a passionate hobby. Many people have a great love of the various gemstones you can find just about everywhere in the world. Read long as we examine the things you need to know in starting in this interesting hobby.
The first step in becoming a gemstone collector the wise way is by acquiring knowledge about them. By visiting a local library you can find books on the subject that will make you an informed buyer.
The chief thing you need to look at is the color of the stone. You'll want the stone that is as close as possible to the pure spectrum colors. The spectral colors are blue, green, yellow, orange, red and violet. Generally, the prices very pale or very dark precious and semi precious stones are lower than the vibrant colors.
Gemstone cut is an important factor to consider when you consider a gemstone's value. The gemstone must be cut with precision to reflect the light properly. A gemstone with the poor cut will not reflect the light consistently. Tone, color saturation, and color hue will always look inconsistent.
Our next consideration is the issue of gemstone clarity. The aspect of clarity refers to the internal flaws ( known as inclusions) or the outside blemishes of the gemstone. Larger flaws can be seen with the unaided eye with others requiring a 10X magnification.
Next to consider are weight and size. Save for pearls and corals, all gemstones are valued by the unit called the carat. One carat is the equivalent of 0.2 grams Be aware however, that weight and size are not the same in gemstones. Density or specific gravity can vary in gemstones. If you have a diamond that weighs 1.00 carats, you will find a similar sized sapphire or ruby would weigh 1.20 carats.
Though you may find gemstones used a lot in jewelry, they are perfectly good collectibles in their own right. Actually there are many interesting and attractive gems that are too fragile or too large to be used in jewelry. Look at each stone 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 in this hobby you don't have to always lay out cash because you can find your raw materials through field trips In the United States in Florida you can find Chalcedony and Conch Pearl. And in Canada you can find nephrite jade in Dease Lake, British Columbia or labradorite on Tabor Island, along with Ammolite, a rare gemstone found only in southern Alberta. Think of gemstone collecting for the great hobby it is.
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More Info On natural green diamonds
Rubies and sapphires are different colored varieties of the mineral corundum.
Now corundum is a fairly common mineral. Second only to diamond in hardness it
has been mined extensively for abrasives. The emery on your emery boards and
sand paper is corundum. Gem quality corundum is quite a bit rarer, consisting of
only a percent or so of all the corundum found. The most common of the gem grade
corundum is blue sapphire. Sapphire comes in every color of the rainbow and the
other colors are rarer than the blues. This may be a bit of a surprise as the
blue ones are so valuable. However, the law of supply and demand comes in here.
Most of the people wanting a sapphire are looking for a deep blue gemstone, not
something yellow or green. Hot pink sapphires and the pinkish orange variety
know as padparasha do demand a high price in the market place. Generally though,
it is the demand for blue gems that fuels the pricing here.
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Obsidian is natural glass. It is beautiful and jet black. Snowflake obsidian is
gray and black; mohagony obsidian is brown and black. All three varieties make
wonderful jewelry. Obsidian has been used for jewelry, mirrors, tools and more
for hundreds of years.
Buy loose Citrine gemstones today!
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