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See above posts for latest blog updates |
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Monday, September 5, 2011, 04:06 AM Will be primarily using the section above to update this blog.
Joined some new social sites - see left column |
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Some basics on gemstone buying |
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Sunday, March 20, 2005, 05:11 AM The 4C's
~ What to look for when buying gem stones : 4cs ( Color Clarity Carat Cut ) The colour is one of the most important attributes to look for when purchasing a stone ~ Top color in stones adds to their value The clarity is an attribute of a gemstone that refers to how clear a stone is ~ Some gemstones are known to have excellent clarity and only under high magnification will any inclusions be found ~ Others are known for some inclusions and if not excessive will still cut a very nice stone and do not affect their desirability ~ GIA grading standards break these types of stones into stone Types Price and the hardness of the stone are two other considerations Type I: Usually clean ( aquamarine citrine tanzanite ... ) Type II: Inclusions common ( peridot sapphire tourmaline garnet [all] spinel [all] ... ) Type III: Normally have inclusions ( emerald rubellite red beryl ... ) With Type II some inclusions are expected and do not affect them being desirable ; as with Type III , unless they have many inclusions they are still cut into very nice stones The carat weight of the stone is important due to the value of the stone ~ Gems are typically sold based on the number of carats The cut or shape of the stone ~ The dimensions of a stone helps cutters determine how a stone will be cut (e.g. oval round marquise pear princess trillian square emerald heart etc.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some of the stones we offer : Tanzanite ~ Demantoid ~ Tsavorite ~ Tourmaline ~ Indicolite ~ Opal ~ Chalcedony ~ Spessartine ~ Russian Chrome Diopside ~ Peridot ~ Apatite ~ Amethyst ~ Ruby ~ Red Beryl ~ Kyanite ~ Sapphire ~ Emerald ~ Citrine ~ Mandarin Spessartite & Malaya Garnet ~ Amethyst ~ Mystic & Paraiba Topaz ~ Aquamarine ~ Rhodocrosite ~ Chrysophase ~ Agate ~ Sunstone ~ Turquoise ~ Drusy Druzy Gemstone varieties & interesting facts GARNETS Almandine , Andradite , Grossular , Pyrope , Spessartine & Uvarovite Found in the United States, Russia , Africa , South America , etc. In every fancy bright & beautiful color shade & hue except for blue and can have a rarity color change or be colorless A durable stone with Mohs hardness scale of 7-7.5 Usually brilliant because of high light refraction The more expensive varieties are Tsavorite and Demantoid and rough garnets can come in crystal shapes and sides January birthstone , Zodiac sign Aquarius , 2nd & 6th wedding anniversary gift Associated with healing & protection An ancient gem found in handmade antique vintage fashion jewelry used by artisians way back to the Egyptians and Tzars and known in Greek and Roman times A cherished , valued , prized & popular gemstone CORUNDUMS ( Ruby & Sapphire ) -- RUBY Mohs hardness scale of 9 & closest to the diamond for hardness Only the red Corundum is referred to as Ruby and all other colors in this gemstone group are referred to as Sapphires Rubies are rarer than the Sapphire and typically more expensive Common localities are Burma , Africa & Thailand and many found in crytal shapes July birthstone , 15th & 40th anniversary and Zodiac sign of Capricorn Typically heat treated when the rough is lighter to produce strong colours in the finished gem -- SAPPHIRE Mohs hardness scale of 9 September birthstone & 5th, 23rd and 45th wedding anniversary stone and Zodiac signs of Pisces , Taurus , Virgo and Sagittarius Found in Burma , Africa , South America etc. and can have common crystal shapes A favorite gemstone by consumers with the most expensive being The natural orange pink Padparascha often referred to as a Pad Sapphire The Star , Cat's Eye & color change sapphires are other types Typically heat treated when the rough is lighter to produce strong colours in the finished gem TOURMALINE Bright rainbow colors including bi-colored and watermelon and occurs in more colors than any other gem stone variety Found in Africa , Brazil , South America , Pakistan and Afghanistan , USA etc. 7.0 - 7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale October birthstone & 8th year anniversary stone and Libra Zodiac sign Found in Crystals and other shapes Top Paraiba and Pink Tourmaline are some of the more expensive and sought after The deep red colour of Tourmaline is referred to as Rubellite Blue Tourmaline is typically referred to as Indicolite There is also a Chrome Tourmaline which is an emerald green BERYL Comes in a number of different colors Mohs scale hardness 7.5-8 Found in Africa , South America , USA etc. Aquamarine is a light blue to blue green to santa maria / marie color ~ 19th anniversary Emerald is green and one of the most popular and valuable of gems ~ May birthstone & 20th & 35th anniversary The pink variety is known as Morganite often called Pink Beryl Peach Beryl has an orange pink color Helidor is yellow , yellow green orange and brownish Golden Beryl is a Helidor but has a yellow golden colour Goshenite is colorless Green Beryl is not the same as an Emerald and is lighter Red Beryl Bixbite is one of the rarest of all gems OPAL ( common and precious ) A treasured stone throughout history 14th anniversary & October birthstone Found in Australia , South America ( Mexico & Brazil ) , USA etc. Mohs hardness scale of 5.5-6.5 Can be translucent or opaque and can have fire plays of color or be potch ( without color play ) Common types are Mexican fire ( also referred to as cherry or mandarin opal ) , black ( Lightning Ridge & Mintabie ) , boulder ( Western Queensland ) , milky white ( Coober Pedy ) Other special opals without color play are the Peruvian Blue / Blue-Green and Pink , the green Opal near Macedonia and the yellow opal in Africa QUARTZ Mohs hardness factor 7 Found worldwide in many colors Chalcedony (agate chrysoprase jasper carnelian onyx etc) Other common types Amethyst Citrine Rose Quartz Smoky Quartz Green Quartz Colorless |
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