Why I Like Gemstones

Gemstone Article Of The Month

How To Collect Gemstones

By Lee MacRae

Gemology is a term referring to the profession, science, and even art of evaluating and identifying gemstones from natural diamonds to loose gemstones. A number of people taken up this profession as a passionate hobby. They collect and evaluate loose diamonds or loose gemstones. You'll even find some that like to visit different local areas to hunt for raw or rough gemstones. Some hobbyists will learn to cut or tumble the gemstones they find. If you have an interest in this hobby follow along as we discuss the various aspects of gemstone collecting.

Right at the start you need to learn all you can on each of the gemstones out there. This will help you to know what you're buying so you buy the right items. Get the answer to questions like how, where and what to buy.

The chief thing you need to take into account will be stone color. You'll want the stone that is as close as possible to the pure colors of the spectrum. This means blue, green, yellow, orange, red and violet. The prices for very pale or very dark precious and semi precious gemstones are lower in value.

The cut of the stone is extremely important and factors highly into the appraisal of not only diamonds but along with your gemstones. A precision cut gemstone showcases the natural color of the gemstone, diminishes its inclusions, and exhibits good overall symmetry and proportion. One excellent method to determine the precision of its cut is to check how well and consistent it reflects light over its entire surface. But if a gem is cut too shallow, much of the light will refract out of the gem rather than reflecting inside. That will make the gem seem washed out and windowed.

A third consideration is the clarity of the gemstone under consideration. This is talking about the stones purity or the absence of internal inclusions, internal particles or spots within the crystal structure. Needless to say, stones with no flaws are hard to find and make your stones very valuable.

Next comes size and weight. Other than the corals and pearls gemstones are priced by the carat. One carat equals a 0.2 grams. However you should know size and weight and gemstones are not the same. 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 hobby of gemstones can become an enjoyable pastime and could be rewarding as well over time. 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 looking for gemstones. For example in New Hampshire you can rock hunt for Beryl, Rock Crystal and Garnet. Or you can take the time to travel and find opal in Coober Pedy, Andamooka or Mintabie in South Australia, topaz in Beechworth, Victoria or hunt in the garnet fields in Fullarton River in Queensland, Australia.

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Topaz is a very large stone. One giant gem at the Viennese Historical museum is
reputed to weigh 585,000 carats. The rarest topaz is the Imperial Topaz and pink
topaz. Pakistan is the only place today where rose-red tinted topaz can be found
today. All other pink topazes get their color from heat treatments of up to 475?
C. Imperial topaz is has a yellow tint to it while other members of the topaz
family can be completely colorless. Some of the most beautiful examples of topaz
are the famous blue topaz which can have colorful ranges starting with light
blue stones. The very deep blue topaz is artificially produced by heating and
irridation processes. One of the most interesting characteristics about topaz is
that it bleaches in daylight and then renews itself as the light subsides. The
color changes occur because of natural heating and irridation.
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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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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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