Gem Stone School

I have had the opportunity over the last 10 years to acquire gemstones at reasonable prices for the production of jewelry for my wife and 3 daughters. I hope this thumbnail bit of information gives you some insight needed when choosing from my gemstones. These are not all perfect stones, as most on the market(except some diamonds) except for the FAUX Stones I will have available. They look and weight the same and make into beautiful jewelry at a fraction of the cost.

Sapphire and its cousin Ruby account for nearly half of the gemstones sold. The hardness scale of 9 compared to Diamonds 10 makes the Corundum family an excellent choise for your accessory jewelry and for many, a part of their engagement set. For the most part, the more clear and vivid the color, the more valuable your sapphire. Inclusions(defects) determine the value but are acceptable if not visible to the eye across the face of the gemstone.

Kanchanaburi Sapphires are mined in Western Thailand and have been a primary source of Blue Sapphires known for their stunning color and clarity. Umba River Sapphires are mined in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. These fancy Sapphires have a blue-purple color and are highly prized for rings.

Garnet has a hardness scale of 7-7.5. Prices again are based on color and clarity of the stone. Rhodolite Garnet are not the deep red of the common Pyrope Garnet being pinkish-purple or lavender. Almandine is a deep violet-red. Spessarite is orange-pink to orange-red. Hessonite is honey-yellow to yellow-brown.

Citrine is a member of the Quartz family, hardness scale of 7. Colors range from pale yellow to dark yellow and even a rootbeer color. Amethyst is another Quartz family member. The colors range from very pale to dark purple. As the February gemstone it is the most popular of the quartz family. Medium to dark purple varieties are thought to be more desirable and thus more expensive. Ametrine is a combination of Citrine and Amethyst. This bicolor variety comes in many shapes and is used for stone carvings.Clear quartz with purple or yellow varieties are also found.