The Gemstones Review

Latest Gemological Article

The Hobby Of Loose Gemstone Collecting

By Lee MacRae

Why would anyone collect items like loose gemstones, you ask? Well to begin with they've been sought for their beauty for many centuries. And just like natural diamonds they can appreciate in value over time. Many hobbyists love to find, collect and finish each and every one of the 150 varieties available. Read long as we look at the hobby of collecting loose gemstones.

The first step in starting the hobby of collecting gemstones the smart way is by getting adequate knowledge about them. By taking a quick trip to the library or local bookstore you can locate all you need to know about the subject that will let you make wise purchases from the beginning.

First, color is a major part in giving value to a gemstone. The closer a color is to its purer spectral value the more valuable it is. Traditionally, these specter colors include red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Gemstones colors that are paler or darker are considered a lower value.

Gemstone cut is easily one of the most important aspects when buying a gemstone. The cut has to be done in a way that reflects light back to the viewer. A poor cut will never be able to reflect light consistently. Color tone, saturation, and hue will always appear inconsistent

The clarity of a gemstone is an important consideration. Gemstone clarity 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 definitely worth much more. To determine the flaws not seen with the unaided eye you need a gem microscope or 10X gemstone clarity magnifier. Most hobbyists will employ a 10X jewelers were gemstone loup for viewing stamps, coins, beads as well as gems.

Next item to look at is the duo of weight and size. Due to their nature gemstones vary and specific gravity or density. Size and weight are not necessarily equal from stone to stone. If a diamond of a certain size weighs 1.00 carats then a sapphire of equal size would weigh 1.20 carats. An equal sized Emerald would be 0.95 carats while an Alexandrite would be about 1.23 carats.

Collecting gemstones as a hobby can give you an enjoyable pastime and rewarding in the long run. You can start small and don't have 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 looking for gemstones. Take the example of the US. In Maryland you can search for Beryl and Clam Pearl. Or ou can take a longer vacation and find opal in Coober Pedy, Andamooka or Mintabie in South Australia, topaz in Mt Surprise or O'Briens Creek in Queensland, Australia or hunt the quartz regions in Beechworth and Mooralla in Victoria Australia.

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Tips On small loose diamonds

Carnelian is a wonderful orange stone. It is used for great beads, cabochons and
cameos. Try some carnelian jewelry for nice orange accents to your wardrobe.
Carnelian is usually ranges from bright orange to reddish orange. The shades of
red are due to iron oxide. Carnelian has a hardness rating of 7.
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Amethyst is the most highly valued gemstone in the quartz family of minerals. Colors range from pale lilac to deep purple. Amethysts are routinely enhanced, meaning they are heat treated to improve their appearance or durability. They are often considered the color of royalty because amethysts have long been treasured by ancient kings and emperors. They were once prized even more than diamonds. The amethyst is often referred to as the Bishop�s Stone, as it is worn by bishops to symbolize their triumph over worldly vices.
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To be classified as a gemstone, a material must possess three qualities: beauty, rarity and durability. Beauty can be measured by the gemstone�s color, clarity and cut. Rarity is determined by the scarcity of the gem�s occurrence in nature or in the marketplace. And durability is based on the hardness, toughness and stability of the gem.
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My Gemstones Scene Reviews

Latest Gemological Article

How To Collect 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. They love the colors and the beauty of the wide array of gemstones found worldwide today. This article will discuss a number of things you need to know when starting this gemstone hobby.

To start off right 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 and prevent you from wasting your money. This will help you make informed decisions.

The first item to look at is stone color. You want the stone to be as close as possible to the pure spectral colors. This means orange, red, violet, green, yellow, and blue. The prices for very pale or very dark stones are lower in value.

Gemstone cut is very important and factors into appraisal of diamonds but gemstones as well. An excellent cut will showcase the natural color of the gemstone, diminish any inclusions, and exhibits good overall symmetry and proportion. One way of determining the excellence of gemstone cut is to consider if it is able to reflect light on a consistent level throughout its 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.

Next up is the issue of gemstone clarity. Clarity is the term that refers to the external blemishes or the internal conclusions or flaws of the gemstone. Any large flaws can easily be seen with the unaided eye while others require close examination using a 10X magnification.

Next on the agenda is the duo of weight and size. Due to the fact gemstones vary and specific gravity or density. Weight and size are not necessarily equal across the board. If a diamond of a certain size weighs 1.00 carats then an equal sized Sapphire would weigh more than 1.20 carats. An Emerald of equal size would be approximately 0.95 carats while an Alexandrite gem stone would came in at 1.23 carats.

Getting involved in collecting gemstones can become an enjoyable pastime and also rewarding in the long run. It doesn't have to be very expensive and yet you can build a very exquisite collection. Many people loved to spend weekends to go hunting gemstones. Take the example of the US. In Florida you can find Chalcedony and Conch Pearl. Or you can take the time to travel and find opal in Opalton, Yowah, Queensland, Austalia, topaz in Beechworth, Victoria or check out the quartz regions in Cloncurry in Queensland, Australia.

Buy blue Agate loose gemstones as well as enhance loose diamonds and also rough natural diamonds today in our store!

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More Information On loose dimonds

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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Onyx is very similar to agate. Onyx has straight bands of brown, white or black;
agate has curved lines of many colors. Since ancient times, Onyx has been dyed
to improve it's color. Often treated agate is sold as Black Onyx. Onyx may chip
or scratch rather easily. Onyx is found worldwide. Onyx is the anniversary
gemstone for the 7th year of marriage. Black Onyx is the anniversary gemstone
for the 10th year of marriage. Black Onyx is used to help one change habits.
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Two Afrikaner brothers owned a farm where the Orange and Vaal rivers join.
Johannes Nicholas de Beer and Diederik Arnoldus de Beer had diamonds discovered
on their property. They were in no position to protect the property from diamond
hunters and predators so they sold it for 6300 pounds to investors Cecil Rhodes
and Charles Rudd. Two mines were actually found on the property located in the
Kimberly region. One mine was named after the original owners of the property,
and the other one was named after the area. The De Beers and Kimberly mines were
consequently born. Rhodes and Rudd merged the two enterprises to form De Beers
Consolidated Mines Limited. It couldn't have happened at a better time.
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loose dimonds Stories

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