anyone know anything about loose gemstones?

[robphelan]

not loose kidney stones.. real gems.

We've had the opportunity to locally buy natural emeralds and sapphires, but the problem is that the natural ones are almost always cloudy - it seems that only the lab created stones are clear.

I love emeralds and would like to buy some for my wife so we can have some jewelry created. But, I'd really rather have natural vs. lab created.

I just don't know enough about natural stones and their worth in order to intelligently buy.

 

[khon]

Jewelry serves only one purpose: Appearance.

Why then would you want to buy natural stones instead of artificial ones, when they are are the exact same material, and the artificial ones are better quality and cheaper ?

 

[AreaCode707]

I wouldn't buy without an expert involved if you don't know anything about stones.

Natural stones at a too-good-to-be-true price can be heat or radiation treated (and if done illegally radiation-treated stones may not be safe.) They can have flaws (occlusions) that are not particularly detectable with the eye but are easily seen with magnification. Unless you know to determine how particular flaws affect the value of a stone, you will probably not get a good value from your purchase.

 

[QueBert]

Jewelry serves only one purpose: Appearance.

Why then would you want to buy natural stones instead of artificial ones, when they are are the exact same material, and the artificial ones are better quality and cheaper ?

They also serve a second purpose: to make a female happy. A woman will be INFINITELY more happy with real jewels. Where as you'll get your ass kicked if you get her some lab created junk.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

They also serve a second purpose: to make a female happy. A woman will be INFINITELY more happy with real jewels. Where as you'll get your ass kicked if you get her some lab created junk.

I got my SO a sapphire ring (her favorite stone) with a lab-created centerpiece sapphire. It bought me way more ring then I could have ever gotten otherwise (much higher quality accent diamonds), looks better than any natural stone, and still gets her compliments from people that notice it at work, and the college she goes to.

But be honest, did you *really* think that such a retarded definitive statement, such as the one you came up with, would not be wrong?

 

[QueBert]

I got my SO a sapphire ring (her favorite stone) with a lab-created centerpiece sapphire. It bought me way more ring then I could have ever gotten otherwise (much higher quality accent diamonds), looks better than any natural stone, and still gets her compliments from people that notice it at work, and the college she goes to.

But be honest, did you *really* think that such a retarded definitive statement, such as the one you came up with, would not be wrong?

So you have a female who's one of the rare exceptions, do you really think most females will be happy with a fake jewel? If you think the answer's yes I can see why you think my answer was wrong. There's a reason high end jewlery stores stay in business, the average female would shit if you bought her a diamond engagement ring that had a faux diamond. Jewrly is one if the main things there the saying "it's the though that counts" means next to nothing.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

So you have a female who's not in the norm, do you really think most females will be happy with a fake jewel? If you think the answer's yes I can see why you think my answer was wrong. There's a reason high end jewlery stores stay in business, the average female would shit if you bought her a diamond engagement ring that had a faux diamond.

There's a reason why Justin Bieber is a top-selling music artist.
There's a reason why people will buy why McDonalds is the top selling fast food establishment.
There's a reason why more people shop at Walmart than anywhere else.
There's a reason why people choose to watch TV instead of reading a book.

People very often choose something very illogical for the sake of nothing. If you think its the norm to be around shallow women that would not be happy a lab-created stone (it's lab created, not fake btw, you're being intentionally disingenuous unless you can prove that they are different substances), then I guess I can see why you think my answer is wrong.

Look at it this way, there's an intelligent way to argue for natural stones. Saying that the blemishes give it character and that you want it to have those blemishes so that it can represent some aspect of life would be a genuine reason that I hear from many women. To say that a lab-created gemstone is somehow inferior would be utterly illogical however, given the characteristics of the two types.

If that's been your interaction with women, then I simply count myself fortunate that my SO and the friends I interact with have different goals in mind with their gemstones (that is, the number one important factor to them is that it be "pretty"). Value, to them, is what you put into it. They would laugh at the idea that a tiny little natural stone somehow has more value than a larger (or same size but "perfect") lab-created stone.

 

[keird]

Are you in Afghanistan? If so, I went to a 3 hour seminar by a gemologist who knew what he was doing. His advice was to not purchase certain gems at the bazaar. These included saphires, rubies and diamonds (particularly radioactive "black" diamonds.)

If you insist on purchasing something. Here's my advice:
Buy this first. At least you'll learn something from being ripped off.

 

[AreaCode707]

There's a reason why Justin Bieber is a top-selling music artist.
There's a reason why people will buy why McDonalds is the top selling fast food establishment.
There's a reason why more people shop at Walmart than anywhere else.
There's a reason why people choose to watch TV instead of reading a book.

People very often choose something very illogical for the sake of nothing. If you think its the norm to be around shallow women that would not be happy a lab-created stone (it's lab created, not fake btw, you're being intentionally disingenuous unless you can prove that they are different substances), then I guess I can see why you think my answer is wrong.

Look at it this way, there's an intelligent way to argue for natural stones. Saying that the blemishes give it character and that you want it to have those blemishes so that it can represent some aspect of life would be a genuine reason that I hear from many women. To say that a lab-created gemstone is somehow inferior would be utterly illogical however, given the characteristics of the two types.

If that's been your interaction with women, then I simply count myself fortunate that my SO and the friends I interact with have different goals in mind with their gemstones (that is, the number one important factor to them is that it be "pretty"). Value, to them, is what you put into it. They would laugh at the idea that a tiny little natural stone somehow has more value than a larger (or same size but "perfect") lab-created stone.

Personally, I find large clear lab-created stones to be gaudy; I would feel the same way about a super-expensive oversized natural stone.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Buying raw gemstones requires much knowledge and it not at all something that should be attempted by a novice.

As you already stated the vast majority of raw stones are cloudy or "occluded" and are of low value execept for industrial applications or making lower grade cabachon type jewelry.

Finding raw gemstones like ruby, emerald, diamond that has the clarity required for faceting is rare. And even such facetable stones can be of many different grades and a large part of the value of a faceted stone is imparted by a master cutter. So even if you can find and aquire the highest grade of facetable material there is no guarnatee of the outcome after cutting.

That is why high grade gut gemstones with excellent cut, color and clarity are so very valuable.

And thats why it is best to let people in the business that know what they are doing inccur the risks throughout the process, and just pony up and buy a cut and graded stone

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Personally, I find large clear lab-created stones to be gaudy; I would feel the same way about a super-expensive oversized natural stone.

I agree on both accounts. When it comes to diamonds I prefer the real thing because I want some imperfections (otherwise it just looks like a piece of glass to me )

When it comes to colored stones though, I much prefer the clarity and colors of lab-created stones.

 

[BladeVenom]

They also serve a second purpose: to make a female happy. A woman will be INFINITELY more happy with real jewels. Where as you'll get your ass kicked if you get her some lab created junk.

Who would want something picked out of the dirt, over something handmade.

 

[AreaCode707]

I agree on both accounts. When it comes to diamonds I prefer the real thing because I want some imperfections (otherwise it just looks like a piece of glass to me )

When it comes to colored stones though, I much prefer the clarity and colors of lab-created stones.

I'm actually the exact opposite. Diamonds are boring, used only to add sparkle. If they're fake they sparkle just as much, probably more because you can get a little more size on your setting stones without a cost.

The clarity and colors and particularly size and cut of lab-created stones make them look more like fake stones to me than even crystal. I've almost never seen a lab-created stone cut down to the small size of a natural. Honestly, at that level you're better off going even cheaper and just buying crystal instead.

One of these is real, one is lab-created and one is crystal. Isn't it fairly easy to tell which is which? But at a glance, which ones look most "real"?

Honestly, you can see the difference simply in how designers use different stones.
Lab-created
Natural
Crystal
The bulk boring cuts of the lab-created stuff just kills me every time. The crystal designs are much prettier, and cheaper than either alternative.

 

[gsellis]

Bunch of good advice in here. If you don't know gems, you will get ripped off. And even if you do, if you don't use various tools, you will still get ripped off. Some of the fakes of even rough stones are awesome.

The Guide to Affordable Gemology by Bill Hanneman might be a start. He bases his methods on inexpensive tools too.

And yes, I cut my avatar.

PS - I just finished a Muzo Columbian emerald. It started as 1.2 cts and cost me $125 a caret (finished is .7 cts which is a very good yield). Clear with tiny fractures. The first sign of fake emeralds is that they have no flaws in them. No flaws and grass green emeralds are 4000-6000 a caret, US. That is for the rough. If you have 38 minutes and want to watch a faceter's discussion on emerald cutting and treating, check this out at my Youtube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sGmNb6BCTQ