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The Hobby Of Gemstone Collecting

By Lee MacRae

Gemology is the art, profession and science of evaluating and identifying gemstones from natural diamonds to loose gemstones. A number of people taken up this profession more as a hobby. They become interested in making a collection of loose diamonds or loose gemstones. A number of these hobbyists start to travel to various areas nearby 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 then read along as this article discusses the various aspects of gemstone collecting.

Right at the beginning, what you need is to get some books from the library or bookstore. You want to know as much as possible about the subject of gemstones. The more you understand about the hobby of gemstones the less likely you are to make a mistake. With adequate knowledge you are less likely to be fooled.

Number one to look at Is gemstone color. Highly prized gemstones have colors that are close in pureness to the spectral colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue or violet. Muted gemstone colors or too dark can lower the value quite easily.

Cut is one of the all-important 4Cs and factors into appraisal of diamonds but along with your gemstones. A precision cut will highlight the gemstone's color, diminishes its inclusions, and show off its symmetry and proportions. One way to determine the precision regarding the cut is how consistently it reflects the light throughout the surface of the stone. But if a gem is cut too shallow, much of the light will refract out of the gem instead of reflecting inside. Gemstone color will be washed out.

The next factor to consider is the clarity of the gemstone under consideration. This is talking about the purity of the gemstone or the lack of internal inclusions, spots, or particles within the crystal. Obviously, stones with a lack of flaws will make a gemstone very valuable.

Next up are weight and size. Except for corals and pearls, all gemstones are priced by the carat. One carat is the equivalent of 0.2 grams You should know however that weight and size are not the same in gemstones. The density and specific gravity can differ in stones. Take a diamond that weighs 1.00 carats and you will see that 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. Take each loose gemstone and think of it as a piece of art, a miniature sculpture to be treasured for its beautiful colors and the finish you apply to it. And unlike some hobbies that require you to pay for your specimens you can find your raw materials through field trips In the United States in Alaska you can find White Quartz and Jade. And in Canada you can hunt for nephrite jade in Dease Lake, British Columbia or amazonite (microcline) near Eganville, Onttario as well as Ammolite, a rare gemstone found only in southern Alberta. Think of collecting gemstones as a great hobby and pastime.

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In parts of the world sapphires may have come from ancient formations that were
once impure marble which developed over time through metamorphic conditions into
crystalline cal silicates known as skarns. A skarn is a metamorphic rock that is
usually variably colored green or red, occasionally grey, black, brown or white.
It usually forms by chemical processes that form rocks during metamorphism and
in the contact zone of magma like intrusions. Skarns in the igneous environment
are associated with marble and wider zones of cal silicate rocks. Mixtures of
corundum, titanium and iron were also a part of the crystallization process.
Because of this process there are numerous inclusions in a sapphire, and like
the ruby, they are useful in verification techniques when authenticating the
stone.
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The Centenary Diamond is a part of the British Crown Jewels and is the
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Our Featured Gemological Writer

So You Want To Collect Gemstones

By Lee MacRae

Why would anyone collect items like loose gemstones, you ask? For many people it's because they are very beautiful items. And just like natural diamonds they can appreciate in value over time. Many people love to collect and show case the wide variety of gemstones available today. Follow along as we look at the hobby of collecting loose gemstones.

The first thing you need to do in becoming a gemstone collector the right 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 help you to know exactly what you should do.

Color is a very important part in the value of the stone. The closer a color is to its pure spectral color the more valuable it is. Traditional spectral colors are yellow, blue, Violet, green, orange and red. Colors that tend to be paler or darker than the pure color tend to be less valued.

Gemstone cut is an important factor to consider in evaluating gemstones. The cut has to be done correctly to reflect light properly. A gemstone with an improper cut will be muted or washed out. The color hue, color tone and saturation will always appear inconsistent

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

Another consideration is the duo of size and weight. Due to the fact gemstones can vary greatly in density and specific gravity. Size and weight are not necessarily equal from stone to stone. Take the example of a diamond that weighs 1.00 carats and an equal sized Sapphire would weigh more than 1.20 carats. An emerald stone would be about 0.95 carats and an Alexandrite stone 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. In fact, there are many attractive and interesting gemstones that are just too big or fragile to be used for jewelry. Look at each stone and think of it as a piece of art, a miniature sculpture to be treasured for its unusual nature and for the craftsmanship of the artisan who shaped it. 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 United States in Missouri you can hunt for Pearl, Fluorite, Pyrite and Calcite. And if you travel to Canada you will find nephrite jade in Mount Ogden, British Columbia or labradorite on Tabor Island, and even iolite from Manitouwadge, Ontario. Think of gemstone collecting for the great hobby it is.

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When shopping for gemstones or gemstone jewelry, you might consider taking into
account the meaning of different stones. Precious stones have always had
special deep significance for nearly every culture of humans in every era. If
you are buying a gemstone or gemstone jewelry for someone as a gift, you can
make it extra special by choosing one whose deeper meaning reminds you of them.
Read through the symbology pages of the gemstones on this website to explore the
deeper powers and significances of each stone.
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The precious opal has a unique internal structure. It is made up of spheres that
are closely packed in layers that eventually form something that looks like a
four-sided triangle or a hexagon. They are made up of silica that allows light
to pass through the structure like a prism to produce internal colors, and it
also determines the quality of the stone. A precious opal has a doublet which is
a colorful material laid on a black backing of ironstone, basalt or obsidian.
This causes "a play of color" which produces a spectrum of different colors.
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