How To Start Gemstone Collecting
By Lee MacRae
Gemology is a term referring to the art, profession and science of evaluating and identifying gemstones from loose gemstones to natural diamonds. A number of people taken up this profession more as a hobby. They become interested in collecting and evaluating loose diamonds or loose gemstones. A number of these hobbyists start to visit various local locations to look for raw gemstones. Some even tumble or learn to cut their own gemstones. If this hobby interest you then read along as this article discusses the in and outs of gemstone collecting.
To start off right you need to learn all you can on each of the gemstones out there. This knowledge will help you to know the properties of each stone and prevent you from wasting your money. This will help you make informed decisions.
The chief thing you need to look at should be the color of the stone. You want the gemstone that is as close as possible to the pure spectrum colors. This means red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The prices for very pale or very dark precious and semi precious gemstones are lower.
The cut of your gemstone is one of the most important traits in evaluating gemstones. The cut has to be done with precision to reflect the light properly. A gemstone with an improper cut will not reflect light consistently over its entire surface. The color hue, color tone and saturation will never look consistent.
The clarity of a gemstone is an important consideration. When we talk of clarity it relates to a stones relative freedom from inclusions or blemishes. A perfect gemstone is definitely worth much more. To examine flaws not seen with the naked eye you need a gem microscope or gemstone clarity magnifier. Most hobbyists will buy an inexpensive 10X gemstone or jewelers loup for examining coins, stamps and of course gemstones.
Gemstones are often categorized according to size because it is more uniform than carat weight. But two different gemstones may have the same size but differ in carat weights and as a result different in prices as well. This factor comes from the difference regarding relative density or specific gravity depending upon the chemical composition and characteristic crystalline structure. A one carat round brilliant diamond, for example with standard proportions will be approximately 6.5 mm in diameter. A ruby that is the same size will weigh approximately 1.55 carats.
Taking up the collecting of loose gemstones can create an enjoyable hobby and pastime. And there is such a variety when it comes to gemstones. You could try collecting Garnet, Sapphire or Turquoise and then try others. The opportunities are seemingly endless. And if you like a hands on hobby you can go hunting for raw gemstones. Take the example of the United States. In North Carolina you can find Beryl, Aquamarine, Emerald, Almandite Garnet, Rhodolite, and Pyrope Garnet, Diamond, Cyanitecomma
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The diamond is the only gemstone to rank 10 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness. It is the birthstone for the month of April.
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The Hixon Ruby Crystal is a 196.10-carat gem that was donated to the Natural
History Museum of Los Angeles in 1978 by Frederick C. Hixon. It is considered to
be one of the most perfect large ruby crystals in the world.
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The Peruvian opal is said to aid sleeping and calming down the mind. It is a
blue opal that is quite rare and can only be found in the Andes Mountains in
Peru. It has a Caribbean color to it, and is considered the national gemstone of
Peru. Charlatans have taken to pushing dyed blue opals onto the market. Experts
say that if the blue color of the stone appears to be uneven then it is probably
a dyed stone and not a valid opal.
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