new to colored gems...

[waterlilly]

Am becoming more interested in colored gems - dangerous new hobby I think!

Am not very knowledgeable about the endless variety of stones, just know what colors and cuts are appealing to me. Is there a site/place to go to find out if a certain gem I like will make a good piece of jewelry - in terms of hardness/ability to stand up being worn as a ring, etc?

There are a ton of gems I''ve seen that I think will make beautiful rings, but not sure if they chip/scratch/crack easy and aren''t recommended...does that question make sense?

Thanks!

 

[T L]

Date: 12/29/2009 2:40:29 PM
Author:waterlilly
Am becoming more interested in colored gems - dangerous new hobby I think!

Am not very knowledgeable about the endless variety of stones, just know what colors and cuts are appealing to me. Is there a site/place to go to find out if a certain gem I like will make a good piece of jewelry - in terms of hardness/ability to stand up being worn as a ring, etc?

There are a ton of gems I''ve seen that I think will make beautiful rings, but not sure if they chip/scratch/crack easy and aren''t recommended...does that question make sense?

Thanks!

Welcome Waterlilly!

Well, there''s a lot of really knowledgeable people here about colored stones. Bring on your questions!! Pricescope is full of loads of educational information about colored stones, diamonds and jewelry.

 

[Arcadian]

Hi Waterlily and welcome!

this is a great article to start with. http://www.palagems.com/quality_4cs.htm


As far as buying, you can get colored stones for all kinds of budgets. I start with the color I like, then I research the stones in that particular color. Lots of times you can find that information right on this site. And if you don''t see it, you can always ask!

So what are you looking for in terms of color and for what type of setting?

-A

 

[waterlilly]

Thank you for the speedy replies!!

I love pale tones...and have been looking for asscher stones. Do you know of any vendors that tend to have more asschers?

I just saw a few stones called Bytownite - (never heard of it!) That were very pretty tan/champagne colors. I also have been loving the bi-colored tourmalines...and would love to find a nice step cut aquamarine colored gem too.

Am just thinking of a plain WG solitaire setting with a gem ~3-5cts.

 

[LD]

Hi Waterlily and welcome!

Oh dear, you do realise you''re on a slippery slope now don''t you? All you have to look forward to is wearing gorgeous baubles while eating bread and water!!!

No, seriously, collecting gemstones is a fantastic hobby/passion so welcome aboard. When I first started learning I didn''t have a clue about anything really and it''s taken a while to amass information. However, one thing that I learned fairly early on is that some gemstones are more "scratchable" than others. You may find this useful ............. basically anything over 9 is suitable for everyday jewellery but under that certain care (depending on the gemstone) is required. However, when you look at the scale it''s important to understand that this doesn''t jump up in equal measures of hardness so, a diamond (10 on the scale) is 4 times as likely to withstand scratching than a sapphire (9).

Anyway, ask any questions you want as I''m sure somebody will have a suggestion or answer!

http://www.amfed.org/t_mohs.htm

 

[chrono]

That''s a good start that you know you like a pale coloured stone. If you want an asscher, your best bet is to contact a custom cutter since most gemstones are not cut in that style. The disadvantage of the asscher cut is the extreme depth as the carat weight goes up. If you want a 3 to 5 ct asscher cut stone, the setting has to be custom to accomodate the depth and it will sit quite high off the finger. Just something to consider.

 

[waterlilly]

Lovingdiamonds - thank you for that chart!

Chrono - thanks for that tip, didn''t know that...good to consider.

Another question:

I see the term "windowing" in some posts, what does this refer to?

Thanks in advance!

 

[chrono]

Windowing is when the stone is too shallow / the last few pavilion doesn''t have the critical angles needed to reflect the colour back to the eye. In essence, the light leaks through and you can see the object/word/hand/background underneath as you look through the table. The center will also be "dead" looking, leaving only the edges full of sparkle, brilliance and well coloured.

 

[waterlilly]

Oh my word, these are delicious!

http://www.whitesgems.com/gallery/BYL012.htm

http://www.whitesgems.com/gallery/GAR085.htm

http://www.whitesgems.com/gallery/905071.htm

I''ve seen a few posts with folks who have bought from this vendor and he seems to do beautiful work...agree?

 

[waterlilly]

Date: 12/29/2009 3:35:32 PM
Author: Chrono
Windowing is when the stone is too shallow / the last few pavilion doesn''t have the critical angles needed to reflect the colour back to the eye. In essence, the light leaks through and you can see the object/word/hand/background underneath as you look through the table. The center will also be ''dead'' looking, leaving only the edges full of sparkle, brilliance and well coloured.

Ahhh, thank you.

 

[LD]

The gemstone on the right has a window - i.e. where you can see right through the gem (normally around the centre). It's caused by poor cutting (normally where the gemstone is too shallow). With the gemstone on the left you'll see that the colour of the gemstone bounces back to the eye.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 12/29/2009 3:38:50 PM
Author: waterlilly
Oh my word, these are delicious!

I've seen a few posts with folks who have bought from this vendor and he seems to do beautiful work...agree?

Agreed!

In terms of vendors that seem to cut more asschers, Dan Stair (customgemstones.com) adn Peter Torraca (www.torraca.net) come to mind.

I know it can be kind of intimidating asking to get something custom cut when you first start with custom gems, so I wouldn't blame you for just waiting to see what pops up that you might like. But truely, many of the cutters we regularly buy from (Barry Bridestock of acstones.com, Gene Flannigan of precisiongem.com, etc) are super nice guys who would be very nice and patient about your questions and helping you get what you want.

 

[chrono]

Date: 12/29/2009 3:38:50 PM
Author: waterlilly
Oh my word, these are delicious!

http://www.whitesgems.com/gallery/BYL012.htm
http://www.whitesgems.com/gallery/GAR085.htm
http://www.whitesgems.com/gallery/905071.htm

I''ve seen a few posts with folks who have bought from this vendor and he seems to do beautiful work...agree?

He''s definitely easy to work with and cuts a mean stone.

 

[MAC-W]

Date: 12/29/2009 2:40:29 PM
Author:waterlilly
Am becoming more interested in colored gems - dangerous new hobby I think!

Am not very knowledgeable about the endless variety of stones, just know what colors and cuts are appealing to me. Is there a site/place to go to find out if a certain gem I like will make a good piece of jewelry - in terms of hardness/ability to stand up being worn as a ring, etc?

There are a ton of gems I''ve seen that I think will make beautiful rings, but not sure if they chip/scratch/crack easy and aren''t recommended...does that question make sense?

Thanks!

www.webmineral.com lists nearly 5000 different mineral types and gives details of their properties.

It wont tell you directly "good for jewellery / not good for jewellery" but you should be able to make educated guesses based on hardness and other properties, eg if Mohrs value is 3.5 its not good for jewellery except maybe as a pendant if the setting is protective.

another one is www.galleries.com and on this website under each mineral there is a "uses" category which will say if it can be / has been used as a gemstone

hope these help

 

[marcy]

Welcome to this fun hobby.

I like this website with info on gems. http://www.gemsociety.org/info/info.htm

 

[marcy]

Here is another greak link.

 

[ma re]

Date: 12/29/2009 10:51:58 PM
Author: MAC-W

eg if Mohrs value is 3.5 its not good for jewellery except maybe as a pendant if the setting is protective.

I''d say that this probably only works with cabochon cut stones, as most faceted materials of that hardness are usually so fragile that they would shatter during the setting procedure (especially into a protective setting like a bezel). Faceted stones have more weak spots than cabochons, unless we''re talking about different clarity grades (comparing heavily included with eye clean).

 

[MAC-W]

Date: 12/30/2009 3:41:07 AM
Author: ma re

Date: 12/29/2009 10:51:58 PM
Author: MAC-W

eg if Mohrs value is 3.5 its not good for jewellery except maybe as a pendant if the setting is protective.

I'd say that this probably only works with cabochon cut stones, as most faceted materials of that hardness are usually so fragile that they would shatter during the setting procedure (especially into a protective setting like a bezel). Faceted stones have more weak spots than cabochons, unless we're talking about different clarity grades (comparing heavily included with eye clean).

Hi mr. ma re,

I typed that in a bit of a hurry at work and should have been more specific. You're right, I wasnt referring to faceted stones, more things like Malachite or Coral which are soft but can still be used in jewellery (pendants, earings etc) just not rings for everyday use.

Thanks for correcting me.
M

 

[waterlilly]

Thank you all so much for the great links and info!! Am looking forward to diving in and reading all of them in my next few days off...