Please help with gem buying tips!

[somethingshiny]

I''ve tried searching through old threads, but I haven''t found one that offered me much guidance. Please help!

I''m going to an auction tomorrow. I know they have real jewelry and sometimes REALLY great deals. I''d like to know what I''m looking at. Is there a quick and relatively easy way of identifying a REAL stone? I''ll be mostly looking at amethyst and tourmaline. Oh, and to add to the difficulty, I don''t have a loupe.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! TIA!!

*fingers crossed*

 

[somethingshiny]

Leaving in a few minutes...can anyone help??

PLEASE!

 

[Pandora II]

Bit late, but for next time...

I would suggest you buy a copy of Richard W Wise''s "Secrets of the Gem Trade", and maybe some Renee Newman or Peter Ward books.

Get a good loupe - I have a black-cased Belomo x10 triplet that I bought for $30 on ebay a couple of years ago.

Look at as many stones as you can!

I don''t really know of any instant tips that you can use.

If I''m buying antique pieces I tend to look at the quality of the setting - although you need to be aware that when synthetics first started coming onto the market they were highly regarded and can often be found set in platinum/gold etc. A lot of the books I mentioned above will give you good pointers on potential give-aways for these stones.

I buy quite a lot, but my best finds have all been through knowing the hallmarks used by cetain famous manufacturers and the vendor not knowing.

I would advise to buy what appeals to you. You can hit a lucky bargain, but on the whole you need to know your stuff to pick them out regularly.