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Saturday, November 08, 2008

Information On Gemstones

Latest Article On Gemstones

Collecting Prescious And Semi-Prescious Stones

By Lee MacRae

The term gemology refers to the art, profession and science of evaluating and identifying gemstones from natural diamonds to loose gemstones. A number of people taken up gemology as a hobby. They become interested in collecting loose gemstones or loose diamonds. Some people even begin to visit various local locations to hunt for raw or rough gemstones. Some of them will even tumble or finish off the gemstones themselves. If you have an interest in this hobby read along as we show you the different aspects of this hobby.

The very first step in starting the hobby of collecting gemstones the intelligent way is through the power of knowledge. By taking a quick trip to the library or local bookstore you'll find numerous books on gemstones that will help you to know exactly what you should do.

To start with, an important aspect in gemstone evaluation is color. Without a doubt, gemstones are the most intensely colored natural material available on earth. Gemstones are so related to color that they've even become associated with particular ones. Without a doubt you will recognize sapphire blue, ruby red, jade green, aquamarine, emerald green or turquoise. Gemstones become higher in value the closer they come to the natural spectral colors of orange, green, yellow, violet and blue. They are valued much less the farther they are from the natural color.

Stone cut is the second most important factor to look at before buying. The precision of cut determines the amount of light is reflected by the gemstone. It will fully ultimately determine the stones brilliance and how much someone will pay for it.

Next up is the aspect of gemstone clarity. The aspect of clarity refers to internal flaws (inclusions) or the external blemishes of a stone. Normally large flaws can be seen with the unaided eye while others need a 10X magnification.

Gemstones are often categorized according to their size aspect because it is more uniform than carat weight. But two different gemstones may be of the same size but different carat weights and consequently, different pricing structures. This is due to gemstone difference of specific gravity or relative density depending upon the chemical composition and crystalline structure. Normally a one carat brilliant round diamond of typical proportions will be approximately 6.5 mm in diameter. A comparable round brilliant ruby of the same size and proportions will weigh approximately 1.55 carats.

Although gems are frequently used in jewelry, they are a great hobby and pastime as well. In fact, there are many attractive and interesting gems that are just too big or fragile to be used for jewelry. Take each loose gemstone and consider it as a piece of art and value it for its unique nature and vibrant colors. And unlike many hobbies where you have to buy everthing you can actually go hunting for raw gemstones in the field. In the United States in New Jersey you can find Smoky Quartz, Agate, Pearl and Prehnite. And if you travel to Canada you will find nephrite jade in Dease Lake, British Columbia or amazonite (microcline) near Eganville, Onttario as well as black spinel in Burgess and bathhurst Townships in Ontario. Think of collecting gemstones as a great hobby and pastime.

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Hints About large loose diamonds

Emeralds are hard but are sensitive and prey to flaws or inclusions. They
require a lot more care than most other gemstones. The flaws occur through the
trials imposed by nature, and sometimes the engineering process developed by man
. The identification of fissures, however, does serve a useful purpose. The
flaws help to weed out artificial emeralds from the real ones. Inclusions
actually prove an emeralds authenticity. Refraction and density of the stones
vary from the location where they are found. Emeralds are found buried in their
parent rock.
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Good Grade diamonds: This grade will be generally be a bit darker or lacking in
scintillation. The stone above is dark around its girdle. A stone can also be
downgraded by its pattern, or its weight ratio. I.E. if it weighs more than an
average gem of this diameter, it will be downgraded one step.
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The Halley's Comet Opal is the largest uncut black opal in the world, according
to the Guinness Book of World Records. It is so named because it was unearthed
in 1986, a year when Halley's Comet could be seen from Earth. It is the third
largest gem grade black opal ever recorded, the largest one extant, and the
largest specimen ever found in its region. It was found at Lightning Ridge in
Australia by the Lunatic Hill Mining Syndicate. It weighs 1982.5 carats and is
about the size of a man's fist. The Halley's Comet Opal a very fine specimen of
an opal, with few flaws or blemishes and a large green and orange 1.6 cm thick
color bar which goes through the opal. Formed about 20 million years ago, it is
an example of a nobby, which is a natural lump-shaped opal found only at
Lightning Ridge. Currently it is for sale at $1.2 million.
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