Current information on Diamonds & Gemstones Authority Site: Aug 3, 2008

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Gemstones Information

The Hobby Of Gemstone Collecting

By Lee MacRae

Many people today say collecting loose gemstones or loose diamonds is their favorite hobby. They love the colors and the beauty of the various gemstones you can find just about everywhere in the world. This article will look at a number of factors you should understand when starting to collect gemstones yourself.

The first step in becoming a gemstone collector the smart way is through the power of knowledge. By taking a look in your local bookstore you can find everything you need to know that will make you an informed buyer.

The chief thing you need to take into account is the color of the gemstone. You want the stone to be as close in color as possible to the pure colors of the spectrum. The spectral colors are violet, orange, yellow, green, blue, and red. In general terms, the prices of very dark are very pale semiprecious and precious stones are lower in value.

Gemstone cut is very important and is used not only to appraise diamonds but gemstones in general as well. A good cut highlights the pure color of the stone, diminishes its inclusions, and show off its symmetry and proportions. One excellent way to determine the excellence in its cut is to check how consistent and well, it reflects the light over the stones complete surface. If the stone is cut on the shallow side most of the light will refract out instead of reflecting internally. Gemstone color will be washed out.

Our next consideration is the aspect of clarity. Clarity refers to the internal flaws (inclusions) or the external blemishes of a stone. Larger flaws can easily be seen with the naked eye with others needing to be magnified 10X

Next to consider are size and weight. Except for corals and pearls, all gemstones are valued by the unit called the carat. One carat is the equivalent of 0.2 grams Be aware however, that weight and size are not always equal and gemstones. The density and specific gravity can differ in stones. Take a diamond that weighs 1.00 carats and you will see that a Sapphire or ruby of the same size would weigh 1.20 carats.

Collecting gemstones as a hobby can become an enjoyable pastime and rewarding in the long run. You can take your time and not lay out a lot a cash at the start and yet you can buy some very beautiful items. Many people love to set aside vacation or weekend time to go hunting for raw gemstones. Just in the United States in Alaska you can find White Quartz and Jade. And if you like to travel farther you can find opal in Coober Pedy, Andamooka or Mintabie in South Australia, topaz in Killiecrankie, Tasmania or look in the garnet fields in Harts Range in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Buy loose Tourmaline gemstones as well as round brilliant loose diamonds as well as emerald natural diamonds today in our store!

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Aventurine, often called "poor man's Emerald" is a nice affordable stone. When
it has inclusions, they appear to be sparkles. Extremely high quality aventurine
(free from inclusions), can seem like emerald. It is wonderful for everyday wear
as it is quite durable as well as pretty.
Buy Red Beryl loose gemstones today!

There is the precious opal, the common opal, the fire opal, the Peruvian opal
and then, of course, there is the synthetic opal. The Sanskrit language knew the
stone as upala, while the Greek variation is opallios while the Latin world for
opal is opalus. All of the different word origins refer to the special nature of
the opal. The Sanskrit word literally means "precious stone," and the Greek and
the Roman meanings have a shared outcome. They called the opal "precious stone".
Buy loose Iolite gemstones today!

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