Gemstone Article Of The Month
Collecting Loose Gemstones
By Lee MacRae
Many people today say collecting semi-precious and precious gemstones like loose diamonds or loose gemstones is a passionate hobby. They love the colors and the beauty of the various gemstones you can find just about everywhere in the world. Follow along as we examine the things you need to know when starting this gemstone hobby.
To start off right you need to read up on the various gemstones available. This knowledge will help you to know the properties of each stone so you buy the right items. Without the proper knowledge you can make costly mistakes.
First on the list to evaluate is gemstone color. Gemstones are the most intensely colored natural material available on earth. Gems have become so synonomous with color, they've even had their names combined with associated colors. Everyone knows ruby red, emerald green, sapphire blue, aquamarine, turquoise, and jade green Gemstones are valued much higher they closer they are to natural spectral colors of orange, green, yellow, violet and blue. They are valued much less the more they deviate from the spectral color.
How a stone has been cut is the second most important value determination to consider before buying. The precision of the cut will determine how much light the gemstone stone will reflect. It will fully factor highly in the brilliance of the stone and how much someone will pay for it.
The next factor to consider is the clarity of the stone under consideration. This means the gemstones purity or the absence of internal inclusions, spots, or particles within the crystal. Needless to say, stones with no flaws will make a gemstone very valuable.
Next comes size and weight. Other than the corals and pearls gemstones are priced by the unit, carat. A carat is equal to 0.2 grams. Be aware however, that weight and size are not always equal and gemstones. Density or specific gravity can very. Take a diamond that weighs 1.00 carats and you will see that a similar sized sapphire or ruby weighs out at 1.20 carats.
Though you may find gemstones used a lot in jewelry, loose gemstones are great for collecting. Actually there are many interesting and attractive gemstones who that are simply too big and fragile for use 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 many hobbies where you have to buy everthing you can actually go hunting for raw gemstones in the field. In the US in Wyoming you can find Agate (including Moss Agate), Jade, Ruby, Jasper, Bloodstone as well as Star Sapphire. And if you travel to Canada you will find nephrite jade in Mount Sidney Williams, British Columbia or sodalite and rose quartz near Bancroft, Ontario as well as the unique deep blue beryl in Canada's Yukon Territory. Take up gemstone collecting and you won't regret it.
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Hints On loose faceted gemstones
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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Brazil is the undisputed leader in topaz production. Topaz can also be found in
the Ural Mountains in Russia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the United States
. At Minas Gerais they are normally mined from their primary rock or found on
valley floors there. Topaz was actually first discovered in Poland in the Erz
Mountains in an area called Schneckenstein.
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Topaz can be found in streams, rivers and in gravel deposits. It is found mainly
in gem pegmatites where the presence of fluorine can be found. Flourine provides
a rich environment for the stones to grow into very large crystals. In fact,
without the presence of Flourine topaz would not exist. Topaz crystallizes
orthorhombically and develops columns with square and diamond shapes planes with
multisurfaced heads. Topaz can also be found in cracks and cavities where a
combination of Flourine and silica and alumina which was released by very hot
temperatures caused the gems to form. Chromium Oxide is what provides its
beautiful color.
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loose faceted gemstones News
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