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So You Want To Collect Loose 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 hobbyists love to collect and work with the wide variety of gemstones available today. This article will discuss the hobby of loose gemstone collecting.

The very first step in beginning this hobby the wise way is by getting adequate knowledge about them. By taking a quick trip to the library or local bookstore you can find a number of books to broaden your knowledge and that will prevent you from making mistakes at the start.

First, color is a major part in evaluating a gemstone. The closer the color comes to its pure spectral color the more highly prized it is. Traditionally, these specter colors include violent, blue, green,, orange and red. Colors that tend to be paler or darker than the pure color tend to be less valued.

Gemstone cut is very important and is used not only to appraise diamonds but along with your gemstones. A precision cut gemstone showcases the gemstone's color, 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 stone is cut on the shallow side much of the light will refract out of the gem rather than reflecting inside. Gem color appears washed out.

Our next consideration is the issue of gemstone clarity. Clarity is the term that refers to the external blemishes or the internal conclusions or flaws of a stone being considered. Normally large flaws you can usually see with your naked eye with others needing to be magnified 10X

Another consideration is the duo of weight and size. Due to the fact gemstones can vary in density or specific gravity. Weight and size are not equal for each and every stone. If you have a diamond that weighs 1.00 carats an equal sized ruby would weigh 1.20 carats instead. 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 be very enjoyable and could be rewarding as well over time. You can start small and don't have to spend a lot of money and yet you can buy some very beautiful items. Many people love to take vacations to go looking for gemstones. Just in the United States in Alabama you can find Beryl, blue and yellow; Smoky Quartz and Hematite. Or you can take the time to travel and find opal at Lightning Ridge in NSW, Austalia, topaz in Beechworth, Victoria or hunt specimens the quartz regions in Wave Hill in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Buy spessartine garnet loose gemstones along with pear loose diamonds and also natural black diamonds today in our store!

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Hints On natural black diamonds

Turquoise is one of December's birthstones and is a vibrant light blue stone
often seen in southwestern jewelry. It is reasonably priced and quite lovely.
Turquoise's color ranges from sky blue to green. It has a hardness of 6. Howlite
is often dyed to imitate turquoise. Turquoise made in a laboratory has a very
uniform color. Chalky varieties of turquoise are often coated with wax or oil to
enhance color - and when treated like this, the color change is not permanent.
Buy smoky quartz loose gemstones today!

Poor Grade diamond: Diamonds in this category have very poor proportions and
show very little brilliance or scintillation. Expect to see "nail heads", where
the diamond is black in the center and "fish eyes" where the brilliance washes
out in the middle.
Buy Tanzanite loose gemstones today!

More natural black diamonds Information

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Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:18:00 GMT
The New York Times, of all places, has a long interview coming out Sunday with the freshman senator from Illinois, Barack Obama. In it, the Democratic presidential nominee, who's ...

States of (ski) euphoria - Concord Monitor

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 06:18:42 GMT

States of (ski) euphoria Concord Monitor, NH - 18 hours ago It's home to the easiest double black diamond there ever was, the narrow winding Notch trail. And there's that grand hotel and cross-country skiing, too. ...

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More Information On Gemstones

Our Featured Gemstone Writer

So You Want To Collect Loose Gemstones

By Lee MacRae

Why would anyone collect items like loose gemstones, you ask? Well to begin with gemstones are extremely beautiful. And like their higher counterpart, natural diamonds their value increases over time. Many people love to collect and work with the wide variety of gemstones available today. This article will discuss the hobby of loose gemstone collecting.

Right at the beginning, what you need is to get some books from the library or bookstore. You want to learn as much as possible about the subject of gemstones. The more you know about gemstones the less likely you are to make a mistake. You'll know exactly what to look for in a quality stone.

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

Gemstone cut is easily one of the most important aspects when you consider a gemstone's value. The stone has to be cut with precision to reflect the light properly. A gemstone with the poor cut will not reflect light consistently over its entire surface. The color hue, color tone and saturation will be inconsistent.

Next to look at is the aspect of clarity. The aspect of clarity refers to internal flaws (inclusions) or the external blemishes of a stone being considered. Larger flaws can be seen with the unaided eye with others needing to be magnified 10X

Next item to look at is the duo of size and weight. Due to their nature gemstones can vary in density or specific gravity. Weight and size are not equal for each and every stone. If a diamond of a certain size weighs 1.00 carats then an equal sized ruby would weigh 1.20 carats instead. An equal sized Emerald would be 0.95 carats while an Alexandrite would be about 1.23 carats.

Though you may find gemstones used a lot in jewelry, loose gemstones are great for collecting. Actually there are many interesting and attractive gemstones who that are too fragile or too large to be used in jewelry. Take each loose gemstone and consider it as a piece of art and value it for its unusual nature and for the craftsmanship of the artisan who shaped it. And in this hobby you don't have to always lay out cash because you can use vacation time to actually hunt for raw gemstones in stead of buying. In the United States in Montana you'll find Agate, Sapphire, Beryl, Amethyst, Smoky Quartz, Obsidian, Tourmaline and Garnet. And if you travel to Canada you will find nephrite jade in Mount Sidney Williams, British Columbia or pink and dark blueish spinels in Wakefield, Quebec and even zircons in Sebastopol and Brudnell Townships in Renfew County, Ontario. Think of collecting gemstones as a great hobby and pastime.

Buy cabochon Amethyst loose gemstones or a loose diamond lot as well as natural diamonds today in our store!

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More Information On natural fancy colored diamond

Emerald, together with green filtered light, is the gemstone that is said to be
able to heal eczema. Green chrysoberyl, green onyx, and aventurine (green quartz
) can also be good substitutes for emerald. If you suffer from irritated skin,
sapphire can also be used in conjunction with a green gemstone.
Find great loose diamond sales in our store!

Long before diamonds were found worthy of jewelry, people revered sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and all manner of colored stones. In addition, almost all colored gemstones were believed to have special powers or cure specific illnesses. There was a time when a collection of different gemstones was the equivalent of a medicine cabinet!
Buy demantoid Garnet loose gemstones today!

Carnelian was said to bring luck, protection and comfort in the 1700's. In the
1800's, Carnelian was said to help those who needed courage to speak. Mohammed,
Napoleon I, and Napoleon III wore carnelian.
Buy Pear Citrine loose gemstones today!

More natural fancy colored diamond Info

Sapphire sets record but many lots fail: Christie's - Reuters

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:09:39 GMT

Sapphire sets record but many lots fail: Christie's Reuters - Nov 20, 2008 They want diamonds and color gemstones that are not easy to replace," said Rahul Kadakia, head of Christie's jewelry department for North America, ...

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Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:54:00 GMT
I am very thankful for all that I have including my family, friends, a great job and most especially the fact that I am not a turkey. Breaking News from Les Nessman: I once flew in ...

Tiny Square Post Earring/gg (p-bts0-gg)

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:49:36 -0800
Brushed 23kt gold vermeil tiny square post earrings, measuring approximately 1/4''. Also available in brushed sterling silver. Matching necklace available.