Top 5 Underrated Gemstones

Coloured gemstones have been a symbol of power and beauty since the beginnings of recorded history. Given as gifts of friendship, romance, power and protection, coloured gems have a special place in the hearts and minds of us all. That being said, the world of coloured gemstones can be both fascinating and confusing. Apart from renown favourites such as Opal, Ruby, Sapphire, Aquamarine and Emerald, the variety of coloured gems sold in mainstream jewellery shops, if any, are only a fraction of what is actually out there. Stones such as Amethyst, Citrine, Peridot, Topaz, Quartz, Amber and Agate have been given the tag of “semi precious” which completely underrates the stunning and often extremely valuable examples of these earth-made natural beauties. Due to lack of marketing they often go overlooked. So here I give you a list of my top five underrated gemstones: 

1.     Zircon- Zircon has to be one of the most misinterpreted coloured gems out there. Unfortunately its name is quite close to that of the synthetic diamond stimulant “Cubic Zirconium” and this has tainted its reputation greatly. Recently a piece of Zircon was discovered in Western Australia that was found to be over four billion years old! Definitely natural…and old.  Zircon is most commonly seen in an earthy brown colour but it also comes in pink, blue, yellow and green. It also has a very high refractive index, which means that when cut well the light that shines from it is seen in dazzling spectrums of flashiness.

2.     Tourmaline- To call Tourmaline a stone of many colours would be an understatement.  It is the most colourful gemstone in the world. The sheer amount of colour varieties that Tourmalines can exhibit is an astonishing fact in itself. Add to this the varying hues and you can see where it gets it reputation. Legend has it that the Ancient Egyptians believed that Tourmaline got its colour by passing through a rainbow on its way down to earth. A neon blue-green variety called “Paraiba Tourmaline” is considered the most valuable, with stones being valued as high as 10k per carat! Stones can also be “Bi-Colour”, a popular example of this being “Watermelon Tourmaline”. A mixture of Pink and Green and a personal favourite of mine.

3.     Spinel- Spinel can also be found in a wide range of colours however its most popular and need I say infamous colour would have to be red. For hundreds of years red Spinel was mistaken for Burmese Ruby.  A famous example of this is the “Black Princes Ruby” which sits in the British crown jewels. The royal family seem to have had a hard time distinguishing Ruby from Spinel with another example of confusion being the famous 361 carat “Timur Ruby”, owned by Queen Elizabeth. Advances in gemmology after the 19^th century have put a stop to this confusion. Fine red Spinel is actually rarer than Ruby and way more affordable.

4.     Sphene- Sphene is a very rare yellow-green gem that exhibits an extreme brilliance unrivalled by most. When polished well, Sphene is said to equal and even surpass the brilliance exhibited from Diamond. Despite it being around since the 1700’s, this gorgeous gem is virtually unknown to the general public. Unfortunately its rarity has made it impossible to sell in large commercial quantities. Sphene is still quite popular among hard core gem enthusiasts.

5.     Oregon Sunstone- Oregon Sunstone is relatively new on the gemstone market however its popularity is increasing in leaps and bounds due to larger quantities being excavated in the last couple years. It is found exclusively in the state of Oregon, USA. This gorgeous stone comes in colours of champagne, golden yellow, red, green and sometimes mixtures of all of the above. Large stones of high clarity are often found but It can also sometimes display an effect called “shiller”. This appears in the form of a shimmery copper presence within the stone and can add to its beauty. Oregon Sunstone is often associated with its lesser Sunstone counterparts that are found in other places around the world. A man made material called “goldstone” that is sometimes wrongly sold as a natural material has also been given the title of Sunstone. This has caused much confusion however due to its astonishing beauty, Oregon Sunstone is slowly overcoming its mistaken reputation.

The names above are some of my personal favourites and are only a fraction of the amazingly beautiful natural gems that are available out there. For more info on a plethora of different gems check out: http://www.thegemstoneco.com/buying-guide

Tucson Gem & Mineral Show 2014 - 5 Tips To Help You Prepare

January 2014 brings the beginning of an exciting new year for the gemstone industry. The famous Tucson Gem & Mineral show is looming and thousands of gemstone vendors around the world are busy getting ready! Ten foot high Brazilian Amethyst geodes, 42 gallon drums filled with rough, countless crystal specimens, Madagascan fossils, beads, beads and more beads along with the rarest and most interesting cut gems you could ever imagine are being prepared to be taken to the sunny little desert town of Tucson, Arizona. This usually somewhat quite city is transformed into a gemstone extravaganza for about 3 weeks with almost every hotel and convention centre being booked out for the event. Not only are all the hotels filled with exhibits, huge tents are put up around town to accommodate even more booths! 

This marvellous event is a must for any gemstone enthusiast. The sheer amount and variety of gemstones that can be seen makes the trip more than worthwhile. Its such a huge event that it is quite impossible to see the whole show during the time that it runs. Due to the large number of tents and exhibits, It can be quite overwhelming if you want to see everything. Here are a few tips I have picked up over the years that have made things a little easier for me:

1. Plan your days depending on what you want to see. Often each show will have many vendors who sell a specific type of gem. Knowing what you want to see and finding out where those types of gems are being exhibited is a great way to save time. More often than not, for me anyway, due to the sheer variety of gems, randomly going from exhibit to exhibit can get really confusing. Make sure you get a Tucson Show Guide!

2. Check the dates and times for shows you want to see. Many of the shows have different start and finish dates. At certain hotel shows (Days Inn & Pueblo), vendors usually open early and hang around after official ending hours. This means you can see more in one day if you find out times and plan accordingly. I have been doing the Days Inn (Globex) show for quite some time now and have realised we’re usually the first ones there and the last ones to leave!

3. If you are there specifically for the big fancy shows (AGTA, JCK, & GJX) its definitely worth planning ahead and checking them out early to mid show. I’ve worked at a few AGTA and GJX shows and for some reason everyone turns up right at the end. The closing times for these shows are very strict and a huge rush right before pack up doesn’t make for the greatest experience. A larger variety of gems to look at and an easier experience can be achieved earlier in the show. Keep in mind these shows are wholesale. This means that only people who have a business in the industry are allowed in.

4. If you fall in love with something and it’s a good price, just get it!  It is very tempting to leave something to go shopping around for a better price but more often than not all of the dealers are extremely competitive and will give you the best price they can. Its very easy to get caught up in other exhibits and not have enough time to go back. The amount of times I’ve put something aside only to come back later and see it gone has frustrated me to no end! There are so many people that it isn’t worth it for the dealers to put things aside for you for long periods of time. The unique stuff is usually snatched up quite quickly. There’s nothing worse than the feeling of finding something you may not see again and missing out.

5. Hire a car or take a cab. Although buses are provided to and from the shows, they are usually completely packed with people. This means more time hanging around and less time looking at gemstones. Due to the show being spread over the whole town, legs can get extremely tired. Having your own form of transport makes everything ten times easier.

If you happen to be in the area before the show starts its definitely worth a drive out to the Quartzite Show & Swap meet.  Hundreds of RV’s congregate in a field, most of them selling buckets of rough gems. The avid gem collectors who own the RV’s usually mine and fossick these gems themselves. Quartzite is a rock hounds dream.

The Tucson Gem show is renown for being one of the best in the world and is a great place to meet jewellers, collectors, buyers, miners, gem enthusiasts and gemologists. All in all you will most likely see something you’ve never seen before, meet like-minded people and pick up great bargains!

www.thegemstoneco.com