Starting The Hobby Of Loose Gemstone Collecting
By Lee MacRae
Why collect loose gemstones you ask? For many people it's because they are very beautiful items. And just like natural diamonds they can become extremely valuable over the years. Many hobbyists love to find, collect and finish the nearly 150 types of gemstones found today. Read long as we discuss the hobby of loose gemstone collecting.
First off you need to read up on the wide variety of stones available. This will help you to know what exactly you're looking for and prevent you from making mistakes. Without the proper knowledge you can make costly mistakes.
Color is a subjective idea but a very important part in giving value to a gemstone. The closer a color is to its pure spectral color the more highly prized it is. Remember that the spectral colors include violent, blue, green,, orange and red. Colors that tend to be paler or darker diminish the value of the stone.
Gemstone cut is easily one of the most important aspects in determining gemstone value. The cut has to be done correctly to reflect light properly. A gemstone with the poor cut will never be able to reflect light consistently. The hue, tone and color saturation will always appear inconsistent
Another factor to look at is the clarity of the stone under consideration. This refers to the purity of the gemstone or the lack 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 thing to look at is the duo of weight and size. Due to their nature 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 a ruby of equal size would weigh 1.20 carats. An emerald stone would be about 0.95 carats and an Alexandrite gemstone would be about 1.23 carats.
Though you may find gemstones used a lot in jewelry, they are a great hobby and pastime as well. Actually there are many interesting and attractive gems that are simply too big and fragile for use in jewelry. Look at each loose gemstone and think of it as a piece of art, a miniature sculpture to be 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 Mexico you'll find Turquoise, Garnet, Peridot, Rock Crystal and Obsidian And in Canada you can hunt for nephrite jade in Dease Lake, British Columbia or labradorite on the adjacent islands and coastal area of Labrador as well as hessonite garnet in Asbestos, Quebec. Take up a hobby of loose gemstone collecting and enjoy yourself.
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Malachite is a beautiful green earth stone with black bands. It is beautiful in
earrings, necklaces, and pendants. Malachite is green with irregular black
banding. It has a hardness of 4. Malachite is especially fragile. Protect
malachite from scratches and sharp blows. Also avoid large temperature changes (
such as leaving it be a heater vent or in a hot car). Do not clean malachite in
a home ultrasonic cleaner. Washing malachite in water will remove its finish.
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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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Rose quartz is a pink stone often worn as crystal pendants or bead necklaces. It
is simple, inexpensive jewelry that goes with everything. Pink or peach-colored
quartz is called Rose Quartz. It has a hardness of 7. Rose Quartz will chip and
crack rather easily. Rose Quartz fades in the sun; most Rose Quartz is dyed.
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Your Latest inexpensive loose diamonds News
Riveted Teardrop Necklace: Heart/ms (n-rt1h-ms)
Sat, 20 Dec 2008 13:57:21 -0800
Brushed silver teardrop, measuring approximately 1 1/4'', with riveted vermeil heart accent. 16'' sterling silver chain and toggle clasp. Matching earrings available.
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Sat, 20 Dec 2008 13:57:21 -0800
Sterling silver organic disc ring. Hand textured and finished. Available in whole and half sizes 6 through 9.
loose ruby gemstones | loose cut gemstones
