What are your top 5 favorite gemstones

[mara82]

If you could only own 5 gemstones what would they be and why?

Mine are:

Alexandrite: love color change stones. Fell in love more since my engagement and wedding ring both have alexandrite.

Tanzanite: I know this is a popular stone, love how mine glows in sunlight.

Tsavorite: love the green color and the sparkle

Color Change Garnet: Just love strong color change

Citrine: I know everyone can have a citrine. I just tend to be drawn to the stone. Also nice that it is affordable.

 

[FrekeChild]

1. Spinel - the colors, sparkle and hardness hit my sweet spot
2. Tourmaline - There is nothing quite like blue/green tourms. But I love others as well!
3. Topaz - Irradiated or perfectly natural--they all catch my eye.
4. Sapphire - Can''t beat the hardness or color varieties. Unfortunately they are a bit pricey for my current budget.
5. Garnets - Pinks and greens, but this is reaching a little bit for me. My top four are where it''s at.

What is interesting is that I only have these stones in my loose stone collection currently.

 

[blithesome71]

Peridot - I''m just drawn to this gem. Love its summery color & historical background (it''s femme fatale Cleopatra''s fave gemstone)

Zircon (unheated Red/Orange/Green) - Sparkly & affordable.

*Imperial Topaz (pakistan pink & natural blue ones) - Hmmm, I dunno why I''m also drawn to them. Honestly, I even love natural blue topaz more than an aquamarine. Also, imperials aren''t often seen esp. those vivid pink ones from pakistan.

*Cuprian/Paraiba - Definitely love the glow & pool blue/turquoise color.

Garnet (Spess & Umbalite) - I find orange color joyful and positive while umbalite''s color sexy and flirty

...Sadly, those gems with (*) are pricey for my budget. Time is rough nowadays. Need to save up before I buy them

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Oooh, this is hard!

1 - Spinel. I love the colours, durability and and variety. They can also glow, which I love. The only draw back is a scarcity of phenomenal gems
2 - Tourmaline. Again, a large variety of colours. Paraibas!
3 - Garnets
4 - Quartz. I love the huge variety of interesting inclusions, which create a variety of colours, effects and curiosities
5 - Corundum. Rubies and sapphires: softly glowing, sparkling brightly, from delicate pastel to stoplight red. Budget is the only problem...

 

[mariedtiger]

1. Sapphire, it just does it for me.
2. Spinel, the color, dispersion, sparkle, oh I just love this one.
3. Star rose quartz. I love it, the star, the price, the luminosity.
4. Amethyst, purple, yeah definitely, this is more about color for me anyway
5. Aquamarine, another favorite of mine.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Date: 1/3/2010 8:01:50 AM
Author: mariedtiger
1. Sapphire, it just does it for me.
2. Spinel, the color, dispersion, sparkle, oh I just love this one.
3. Star rose quartz. I love it, the star, the price, the luminosity.
4. Amethyst, purple, yeah definitely, this is more about color for me anyway
5. Aquamarine, another favorite of mine.

Good quality rose quartz is beautiful. Pity that it is so rarely seen, which gives rose quartz a pretty bad reputation.

 

[ma re]

It's really tough to list just 5 but I'll try;

- citrine (I also love zircons and spessartites that can have very similar colors, but listed citrine because it's affordable and comes in larger sizes; when it comes to a particular color, I love many, from goldeny yellows to amberish ones and so on)
- emerald (it's a shame the best ones are so rare)
- rhodolite (nothing like some red wine)
- pearl (can't decide between whites, golden, creams, blacks...)
- opal (preferably black, but other varieties can be very nice too)

P. S. Freke, what you listed isn't 5 gemstones, it's 5 dozen of them; add beryls and zircons to the list and there's not much else left

Same goes for LD

 

[luckynumber]

1. Tourmaline: cuprian
2. Spinel: stoplight red
3. Zircon: blue
4. Sapphire: pad
5. Garnet:: tsavorite

Despite having all of the above varieties, I don''t have any of the subtypes. Could be because they cost $$$$

 

[luckynumber]

ok except blue zircon maybe, but a wanna BIG one!

 

[Largosmom]

Hmmmm,

Sapphire
Quartz - Amethyst and Citrine and Ametrine (can I list a family together to get a longer list?)
Garnet (several types)
Spinel
Opal

 

[icekid]

I don''t think it is fair to list "garnet" as one species, since they vary so widely!

With that said:

1. Tsavorite- love that rich green...

I''ve been saving all of my fun funds for a really nice one.
2. Spinel- Still completely enamored with my Mahenge..

3. Sapphire- a classic!
4. Spessartite- love that bright, in-your-face orange.
5. Green grossular garnets- um, I love green

 

[mariedtiger]

Date: 1/3/2010 8:13:58 AM
Author: Lady_Disdain

Date: 1/3/2010 8:01:50 AM

Author: mariedtiger

1. Sapphire, it just does it for me.

2. Spinel, the color, dispersion, sparkle, oh I just love this one.

3. Star rose quartz. I love it, the star, the price, the luminosity.

4. Amethyst, purple, yeah definitely, this is more about color for me anyway

5. Aquamarine, another favorite of mine.

Good quality rose quartz is beautiful. Pity that it is so rarely seen, which gives rose quartz a pretty bad reputation.

This is so true. I would love to see a high quality faceted rose quartz in person one day. By the way, do you have a thread on the ring in your avatar, it looks beautiful!

 

[T L]

Fancy green diamond (because it's beautiful and one of the rarest gems on earth)

Fancy violet diamond (if you ever saw a violet diamond, OMG!!)

Columbian Muzo Emerald untreated and top gem (Can't beat it as far as green is concerned in my book)

Burma Ruby untreated and top gem (priceless and rare, and nothing redder)

Kashmir Sapphire untreated and top gem (the most velvet blue you ever saw)

Mystic topaz (just kidding)

 

[Catmom]

Colored diamonds [lemon yellow not vivid, blues]
Sapphire [blue, blue, blue baby!]
Garnets [Tsavorite, Mahenge]
Aquamarine [unheated sea green]

I guess I only have a top 4.

 

[jstarfireb]

In no particular order:
-tanzanite - started collecting these in my teens with my mom; love the soft lavenders as well as the electric purple-blues.
-alexandrite - I''m fascinated by color changers, and this has not only a fabulous change but great history.
-green garnets (demantoid and tsavorite) - I love green gems; demantoid has great sparkle, and tsavorite has such rich spectral green color.
-blue zircon - love the dispersion!
-spinel - variety of colors, high RI and dispersion, and durable.

The funny thing is that aside from tanzanite, which I have a ton of, I only have 1-2 of each of these, whereas I have tons of other gems (topaz and quartz varieties, opal, red garnet, moonstone, labradorite, turquoise, you name it). I started collecting colored gems LONG before PS, and these were more widely available in the mall stores and B&M jewelers where I shopped most often. But PS opened my eyes to these less widely available gemstones, as well as buying the stone and setting separately.

Also very high on my list but didn''t quite make it to the top 5: tourmaline (also for color variety, decent hardness, and they''re one of my birthstones), opal (birthstone and gorgeous play of color), amethyst (love the deep, rich purple), and benitoite (just bought my first one and I''m in awe of the sparkle, which is even better than my demantoid and zircon).

 

[Fly Girl]

Yellow diamonds (so pretty and sparkly; prefer without any shades of green)
Rubies (red is my favorite color-and there is nothing like the glow of a fine Burmese)
Emeralds (if only I could afford one that I would like! most of the ones I see look crummy)
Morganite (still looking for an awesome pair for earrings)
Garnets (the redder, the better! Still, I adore the purple tones in Rick''s Royal Rhodolite - need a complete suite of these)

 

[zoebartlett]

I love:

sapphires (I love them all really, but I love blues, violets, color change, and greens the most.)
tanzanite
spinels
tourmaline (variety of colors)
fancy colored diamonds (blues and greens mostly but I wouldn''t turn any of them down!)

I have to add one more: aquamarine (gorgeous!)

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Date: 1/3/2010 10:22:14 AM
Author: mariedtiger

Date: 1/3/2010 8:13:58 AM
Author: Lady_Disdain

Date: 1/3/2010 8:01:50 AM

Author: mariedtiger

1. Sapphire, it just does it for me.

2. Spinel, the color, dispersion, sparkle, oh I just love this one.

3. Star rose quartz. I love it, the star, the price, the luminosity.

4. Amethyst, purple, yeah definitely, this is more about color for me anyway

5. Aquamarine, another favorite of mine.

Good quality rose quartz is beautiful. Pity that it is so rarely seen, which gives rose quartz a pretty bad reputation.

This is so true. I would love to see a high quality faceted rose quartz in person one day. By the way, do you have a thread on the ring in your avatar, it looks beautiful!

I never started a thread on it, but it is mentioned in the 2009 projects thread. It is a 11ct grey moonstone from TipTopGems, set in a copper bezel in a silver ring. It is huge - 100% finger coverage

! At first, I thought I wasn''t going to wear it, but the understated colour of the stone, the copper in the bezel and silver make it an elegant, understated piece. I wear it all the time.

I have a lovely rose quartz trillion by Pete Torraca. It is so soft and feminine, yet it still sparkles nicely. I want a good rose cab now. Or one of Richard Homer''s concave cut - he describes it as cotton candy, which I think is apt. Unfortunately, with his price hike, this project went out the window.

 

[Indylady]

1) An emerald. There is nothing like the glow of an emerald. Origin is not so important to me.
2) A ruby. I''d prefer a Burmese ruby, with purple undertones, perhaps in a classic oval.
3) A sapphire. A midnight blue Kashmir sapphire, a cushion.
4) A padparadascha sapphire.
5) A colored diamond, a light steel blue or silver. Or pink or lilac.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

blue sapphires-far and away my fave, pretty much I love any shade as long as it''s lively
pad sapphires-YUM
tsavorite-love the green!
spessarite-love the fireball oranges
spinel (esp. the lavender/blues without too much grey)

My e-ring is a sapphire other than that, I guess I have a lot of work to do to start acquiring a bigger collection

 

[mariedtiger]

Lady D, that is one cool ring! DJRaregems have good star rose quartz cabs, if the star doesn''t bother you (so do mineralminers) but in neither place are they cheap. I notice there are huge price differences on these stones.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 1/3/2010 2:48:07 AM
Author: FrekeChild
1. Spinel - the colors, sparkle and hardness hit my sweet spot
2. Tourmaline - There is nothing quite like blue/green tourms. But I love others as well!
3. Topaz - Irradiated or perfectly natural--they all catch my eye.
4. Sapphire - Can''t beat the hardness or color varieties. Unfortunately they are a bit pricey for my current budget.
5. Garnets - Pinks and greens, but this is reaching a little bit for me. My top four are where it''s at.

What is interesting is that I only have these stones in my loose stone collection currently.

Ok FINE Mr. ma re.

1. Spinel
2. Blue-green tourmaline
3. Irradiated topaz, London or Swiss
4. Sapphire

That better?

 

[ma re]

Date: 1/3/2010 10:16:50 AM
Author: icekid
I don't think it is fair to list 'garnet' as one species, since they vary so widely!

With that said:

Yeah, but neither is "quartz", "spinel", "tourmaline" or "sapphire" (or even better, "corundum")

I know, I listed opal and pearl, but hey, 5 is just not enough...

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Date: 1/3/2010 2:27:32 AM
Author:mara82
If you could only own 5 gemstones what would they be and why?

Mine are:

Alexandrite: love color change stones. Fell in love more since my engagement and wedding ring both have alexandrite.

Tanzanite: I know this is a popular stone, love how mine glows in sunlight.

Tsavorite: love the green color and the sparkle

Color Change Garnet: Just love strong color change

Citrine: I know everyone can have a citrine. I just tend to be drawn to the stone. Also nice that it is affordable.

Ok, Mr Ma Re, I will play by the rules (I love bending them!). SInce Mara specifically states 5 gemstones, not gem types, I will list 5 gemstones. I will, however, remove all budget constraints

1 - Excellent Mahenge Spinel
2 - Stoplight red, glowing ruby
3 - Paraiba tourmaline
4 - Black opal with very strong colour play
5 - Kashmir sapphire or fine emerald (I can''t choose off hand)

2cts each, at least, except for the opal, which should be around 10 cts

1 -

 

[FrekeChild]

The last list is all you''re getting out of me.

 

[ma re]

Date: 1/3/2010 1:47:34 PM
Author: FrekeChild

The last list is all you''re getting out of me.

Sorry, didn''t mean to spoil the fun, but it''s not my fault, that''s just my OCD speaking out, you can''t really blame me...

 

[PinkTower]

1. Burmese ruby
2. sleepy blue Kashmir Sapphire
3. canary diamond
4. pear shaped emerald pendant or earrings. (You know, like A.Jolie wore to the 2009 Oscars! )
5. demantoid

 

[chrono]

Top 5 list:
1. All
2. All
3. All
4. All
5. All

Seriously, how on earth can anyone expect me to narrow my list down to 5? There''s just so many gorgeous options out there.

 

[T L]

Date: 1/3/2010 2:22:34 PM
Author: Chrono
Top 5 list:
1. All
2. All
3. All
4. All
5. All

Seriously, how on earth can anyone expect me to narrow my list down to 5? There''s just so many gorgeous options out there.

And we all know you have a special affinity for mystic topaz!!

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 1/3/2010 2:27:32 AM
Author:mara82
If you could only own 5 gemstones what would they be and why?

Mine are:

Alexandrite: love color change stones. Fell in love more since my engagement and wedding ring both have alexandrite.

Tanzanite: I know this is a popular stone, love how mine glows in sunlight.

Tsavorite: love the green color and the sparkle

Color Change Garnet: Just love strong color change

Citrine: I know everyone can have a citrine. I just tend to be drawn to the stone. Also nice that it is affordable.

I''m just going to note here that while the OP stated "only own 5 gemstones", she does in fact, negate the implied meaning by therefore listing not ONE (1) specific stone per each of the five listed and requested, but lists a type/variety for each, not one specific stone.

Mr. ma re, meet my OCD.