How do you choose?

[Maisie]

I have been looking around the gemstone websites and I love virtually everything I look at! I have already bought a spinel which I will put into a pendant.

How do you choose what to buy. Are you like me and love everything, or do you have certain stones that you prefer?

Also, if you buy stones just as collecter pieces, and not for jewellery, where do you keep them. On show or in their boxes?

 

[chrono]

When I first started "collecting", I loved everything. Over time, my tastes matured, my knowledge about gemstones increased and my eyes were trained to be more selective. Now, I do have a few favourites that I like. I generally stay away from the more common sapphire, ruby and emerald preferring the hunt for lesser known stones that are still wearable (high MOH) but with exceptional colour. I''ve also come to be pickier about wanting something rarer (large size, intense colour, good to excellent cutting, etc). I do buy some to admire in their cases and some for wearing in jewellery.

 

[Fly Girl]

I know what colors I like to wear by looking at the color of clothes that I tend to purchase over and over again. That''s how I know that I prefer bluish reds, and not orangish reds. So, while orangish red stones look fabulous (Flame Spinels, for example), I resist purchasing them. (So far

).

 

[marcy]

I wanted "one of each" in a ring originally but quickly decided many stones don''t live up to my expectations. Color is very important in gemstones but if they are dull and liveless I don''t like them. I prefer sapphire, spinel, garnet and tanzanite. The colors of stones I wear are pink, green, blue, raspberry and purple.

 

[Kelli]

I am JUST starting to really get into gemstones, and I didn''t know where to begin either. Someday I''d LOVE to have the big ones, untreated rubies and sapphires with awesome color, but for now that is not going to happen. I''m finding myself really drawn to gernets and spinels, I guess for their variety more than anything, and the fact that they''re high enough on the moh''s scale to put in jewelry. I know they''re not as tough as others, but they''ll work if you''re careful and the though of owning so many different colors of the same stone seems fun to me.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Well, I have only bought two color stones, one was after a long search, and one was on impulse. I looked at all the types of stones, and have a short list of ones I really want. If something speaks to me and I have the money, I will buy it. There are not too many stones in my budget that speak to me. The tsav that I have in my aviator is one of those stones that cought my eye, and three days later I found myself coming back to to look at it. I am still very happy with it. So I guess it is a combination of knowing what I want and waiting for the right one to come.

I hope to put every colored stone I buy into jewelry. Right now my sapphire is set. My tsav is in the box it came in. I have a hard decision to make. A new setting or new computer

. Even if I did want to set it right now, I still can''t make up my mind how.

 

[ma re]

The thing I found much more useful than looking at photos is taking a look at a video of a multicolored piece of gemstone jewellery (they show it often on tv shopping channels or there''s always youtube). That way you can compare how each color and clarity type i.e. gemstone material really "behaves", cause an aquamarine type of stone will look much diferent (and have a totally diferent brilliance) than a rhodolite garnet. A tsavorite will play with light totaly diferently than an imperial topaz or fire opal. That''s how you''ll find out which look you like the most, is it the high brilliance of pastels, glow of highly saturated colors or subdued shine of dark tones. If that doesen''t narrow it much, introduce yourself again with your closet, skin and hair color etc. Make sure your first purchase isn''t something too extravagant and too expensive cause you should familiarize yourself with gems and how their appearance changes with light. Otherwise you coud experience a very pricey disappointment.

 

[Pandora II]

I have a list of stones that I would like - mainly garnets - and I put a lot of time into researching each type - then I try to buy the absolute best stone I can for my budget.

I would never display my gemstones loose - I might eventually build them a proper display case, but for now they live in their individual gem boxes.

Don't wear much jewellery so I don't set them - also I don't want anything competing with my e-ring...

 

[Maisie]

I agree that choosing colour is very important. I too don''t want to buy anything that I won''t put into jewellery.

Its just that I love all different colours. I suppose that wearing black a lot means that I can accessorise with most colours. I would definitely rather wait and buy a well cut stone than to have lots of different cheaper stones that just don''t impress me.

 

[Harriet]

Colour, colour, colour.

 

[Maisie]

Date: 9/24/2008 8:03:22 PM
Author: Harriet
Colour, colour, colour.

What is your favourite colour for a gemstone Harriet? Is it red?

 

[Harriet]

No particular colour. I just look for the quality of the colour (saturation, tone).

 

[Maisie]

I think I have a lot to learn

 

[simplysplendid]

For me, it''s whatever that makes my heart sing and is wearable..

 

[zeolite]

Date: 9/24/2008 8:03:22 PM
Author: Harriet
Colour, colour, colour.

Decent commercial cut, screaming color (1.07 ct sapphire)

 

[LD]

When I started, like some others have said, I wanted one of everything!

Quickly (and luckily for me) I found I had a relatively good eye and so cut, colour, saturation and tone, all became equally important. I now only buy pieces that literally make me go "WOW"! The first thing that attracts me is always colour - the stronger the better! The exception and when I don''t look for colour immediately is with colour change gemstones. I''m absolutely fascinated by them, Alexandrite, Garnet, Sapphire, Fluorite etc etc - with them, I look for strength of colour change. There''s nothing that keeps me loving a gemstone than to watch it change! It''s like having 2 gemstones for the price of 1!!!

My name is LovingDiamonds and I''m a gemstone addict ....................

 

[Maisie]

When I started on my diamond buying road I wanted a huge diamond. I realised very quickly that isn''t going to happen. However, I see that I can buy bigger gemstones for significantly less. That makes me happy. It means I get the size, with beautiful colour, without breaking the bank! And so many different settings to choose from.....

 

[MMT]

Maisie. I''m just starting out too, now that I''ve gotten my diamond fix. I''m drawn to the greens but really don''t know what I''m doing.

 

[Harriet]

I''ve gravitated towards green stones myself, even though green has never been a favourite of mine.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 9/27/2008 10:15:30 PM
Author: zeolite

Date: 9/24/2008 8:03:22 PM
Author: Harriet
Colour, colour, colour.

Decent commercial cut, screaming color (1.07 ct sapphire)

Let me clarify. Colour is non-negotiable for me. Then, I look at other considerations, such as cut, clarity and rarity. I can accept a less than perfect cut, but it musn''t be so bad as to drive me batty (e.g. off-centred culet). As for clarity, I judge a stone according to its GIA clarity category. Rarity is a bonus.

 

[MMT]

I''m very drawn to the green amethyst but I really don''t know much about it as a stone.

 

[Kismet]

Date: 9/30/2008 2:38:53 PM
Author: MMT
I''m very drawn to the green amethyst but I really don''t know much about it as a stone.

Richard Martin has some good info on it here.

 

[Maisie]

Date: 9/30/2008 9:12:19 AM
Author: MMT
Maisie. I''m just starting out too, now that I''ve gotten my diamond fix. I''m drawn to the greens but really don''t know what I''m doing.

I love green stones. Pandora''s e-ring is stunning!

There are loads of people who will help us to learn here. Thats why I love PS so much

 

[zeolite]

Date: 9/30/2008 2:38:53 PM
Author: MMT
I''m very drawn to the green amethyst but I really don''t know much about it as a stone.

Here is an article that says green gold is irradiated quartz.

36.83 ct “green gold” quartz pendant, in a checkerboard rectangle cut: