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Good collector secrets

stci

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 7, 2007
Messages
2,514
I love love gemstones!

I would like to be able to become good collector.

Is this better if I try to have same size of each stone to begin?

Do I have to be color sensitive to become a good collector cause in my case, it's difficult to detect all specificities of a stone?

Do you have secrets for a newbie who want to do thing well right at start?

Is this possible to collect with a tiny budget?
 

T L

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
24,801
stci|1295326335|2825521 said:
I love love gemstones!

I would like to be able to become good collector.

Is this better if I try to have same size of each stone to begin?

Do I have to be color sensitive to become a good collector cause in my case, it's difficult to detect all specificities of a stone?

Do you have secrets for a newbie who want to do thing well right at start?

Is this possible to collect with a tiny budget?

The best advice I can give to a newbie is to go to a large gem show and look at as many gems as you possibly can, and really study what makes fine saturation.

To determine fine color can take years of observations for some people.

I also recommend you study as much as you can about treatments, and synthetics, as it is more difficult than ever, to be a gem collector in this day and age due to the myriad of treatments and synthetic gemstones. Some treatments are less acceptable than others to gem collectors.

When I first started, I tried to find the best amethyst I could since that was an inexpensive gem, albeit very beautiful if you can find a nice quality (you do have to be leery of synthetics however). I would start with a specific gem that you're interested in, and go from there.

Good luck!!
 

JewelFreak

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 3, 2009
Messages
7,768
I'm also a newbie, not a collector of gems I won't set & wear, but ditto what TL said, and there are some points common to collecting anything. Learn learn learn. Then when you buy at first, get advice from someone knowledgeable, and buy the very best example of it that you can afford. I don't think size matters; all the criteria for a top-notch stone do matter, whatever the size or shape. Eventually most collectors in any field trade up -- as your experience increases, your standards become more subtle & informed, so the early acquisitions look to you like...well...early acquisitions, & you decide to sell them, add a little money & buy a better piece. This keeps a collection from getting too big & unfocused as well as making it excellent quality.

--- Laurie
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
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Apr 22, 2004
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38,227
We all begin on modest budgets and in fact, it is a lot better to make a poor purchase on a small budget than to make a poor purchase on a huge budget. It is almost impossible to attempt to collect the same size stone of each type because some stones just are naturally smaller while some are commonly found as large ones. As an example, most benitoites are on the small side, uncommon and requires a healthy budget while quartz are large, plentiful and very inexpensive. Most people purchase with colour in mind, therefore it is of importance to learn to differentiate colour. Also, colour is the prime determinator of price, which is another reason to be able to recognize the nuances in colour. It will take time to develop this eye, as it is commonly called here in the CS section of the forum so do not feel discouraged.

For starters, take the time to read up on how to judge gemstones and colour. Read about the various gem species, their characteristics and treatment. Visit gem shows and museums to see examples of these gems as well as to view the different qualities. For starters, you can buy some 99 cent cheapos from eBay if you want to study synthetics, simulants and other heavily treated (filled, diffused, coated, etc) examples. If you want some safe starter stones, stick with well known and recommended PS vendors. In time, you will find that you’ve outgrown them in terms of size, type (you may want something rarer or less treated), and colour. When I look back at my starter stones, I can now see how gray and desaturated they are, but back in those days, they were the bee’s knees to my eye. I’ve sold most of them to make room for bigger and finer quality stones.
 

LD

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Messages
10,224
TIPS OF THE DAY!

- Don't buy a gemstone unless you love it!
- Don't buy a gemstone unless it sings to you.
- Don't decide to buy (a) one size of everything or (b) one cut of each stone or (c) one of anything! You'll miss yummy stones if you do that!
- Remember that in coloured gemstone world, colour is king. You may need to compromise on weight/cut to get THE colour!
- Many coloured gemstones are poorly cut. Flaws might be hidden by good settings but not always.
- If you only buy precision cut gemstones, you will limit what you buy considerably. Try to buy both and see how you feel. It's a personal thing! There's no right or wrong.
- Gems over 1ct always hold a premium than those under 1ct
- Gems can increase in value in .5ct so expect to see jumps around each .5ct mark.
- Don't buy for investment purposes. Very few gemstones increase at a rate to make them an investment. Very rare gemstones can BUT they are probably not bought on a tight budget in the first place.
- If a gem's price is too good to be true, there's usually a reason.
- Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions before pulling the trigger and buying!
- Expect to buy some duds, be disappointed, be surprised at how photos/videos have been altered and non-disclosure of treatments.#-- For anything you consider a large purchase, make sure the Vendor has a good returns policy. Good Vendors always do!
- Take a risk on occasion - it may pay off!

The most important point to note is that this hobby is addictive. Don't say you haven't been warned! :bigsmile:
 

colorluvr

Brilliant_Rock
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Apr 18, 2010
Messages
1,794
LovingDiamonds|1295383414|2825990 said:
TIPS OF THE DAY!

The most important point to note is that this hobby is addictive. Don't say you haven't been warned! :bigsmile:

Some good advice LD, I wish I had taken some of it when I started a couple of years ago, but your last sentence says it all..

It REALLY is addictive!!!

I started out buying stones that I just planned to set and had lots of "project rings". I now have way fewer rings than I did two years ago, but WAY more stones :shock:
 

LtlFirecracker

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 29, 2008
Messages
4,837
Lots of good advise here. I would add that before I make any purchase, I read (or in some cases re-read) about the gemstone I am going to buy. I specifically want to review what color properties are valued in a stone. Looking at pictures of nicely colored gemstones right before I bought one has helped me make some of the best purchases in my collection and had steered me away from stones I was considering. The times I failed to do that, I have ended up with stones I am not as fond of.

It would be helpful to have some pictures in print (I personally have the RW Wise book for reference) as you monitor may not show the colors correctly.

Most importantly, if you love it, don't worry about what the 'standards' are or what others say.

Figure out what colors you like and than focus on those. It may be wise to start with some expensive stones. My tastes for colors did not become clear until I lived with different stones for awhile.
 

stci

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 7, 2007
Messages
2,514
Thank you all! You are so nice! :appl: :appl:
 

Pandora II

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 3, 2006
Messages
9,613
Great advice from others especially LD.

I have been collecting for many years and I very rarely set my stones - just keep them in little boxes.

I try to aim for stones over a carat in weight unless they are very rare and hard to find in big sizes - ie benitoite. Also not a precision cut person on the whole. I prefer good traditional faceting and I also like my stones as cushions, ovals and trilliants, not a huge fan of emerald/assher cuts. For me colour is everything, and the stone has to tell me that I 'need' to have it! For top colour or a rare specimen I will compromise on cut to a certain degree (I don't like huge windows).

I have two collections - one is my good stones and the other is my study stones collection. In the latter I will buy stones that perhaps aren't great colour or cut but have interesting inclusions, I also try to have rough and small crystal specimens.

My study collection covers all the main gem groups and some of the rarer species but my main interest is garnets and my good collection is very garnet heavy. I try to buy the best I can for my budget and I would rather save up and spend a good amount on one stone than buy several cheaper ones.

I tend to avoid corundum especially ruby as really good specimens are very expensive and the risk of buying treated stones puts me off. Even though I am training as a gemmologist there are plenty of treatments out there that require a large lab equipped with very expensive equipment. I do make exceptions when I am buying from dealers I trust.

I started collecting when I had very little money and buy sticking to things like the quartz group I could buy decent stones - I also bought some terrible ones... but they weren't expensive mistakes and I learnt a lot!
 

PinkTower

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 15, 2009
Messages
1,129
Stci,
I saw your post here and bumped up your post in hangout. PLEASE update your posting there to let us know how you are doing. Hoping for good news.
 
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