Lensography 

Everything you ever wanted to know about gems and more

Comprehensive guide to buying Citrine gemstones

Citrine is the yellow or orange version of Quartz.
Quartz its self is very common but yellow quartz found in natural is rare. Most Citrines on the market today are actually heat treated Amethyst or Smokey Quartz. These heat-treated gems are a much darker and brighter color then the pale yellow Citrines found in nature. These Citrines produced by artificial means tend to have much more of an orange or reddish caste to them making them more appealing to the buying public.

Sapphires

When most people hear the word Sapphire they think Blue, but Sapphires come in every color of the Rainbow except red. Red Sapphires are Rubies.
Sapphires can come in pure white, looking very much like a Diamond to almost black which is called Midnight Blue Sapphire. In the past few years Pink Sapphires have become very popular. Now Canary Yellow and Orange are the new HOT colors.

Comprehensive guide to various kinds of Garnet gems

Everything you ever wanted to know about Garnet Gems

When most people hear the name Garnet they think red. But Garnets are more then just a cheap red gemstone. Garnets can come in a wide variety of colors and some can be quite valuable. This guide is a comprehensive look at many different kinds of Garnets and their individual properties.

Zircon a beauiful natural gem not to be confused with CZ's

The Beautiful Zircon gems' reputation has suffered for the past 30 years due to the introduction of a diamond simulant Cubic Zirconia. A natural mined from the earth Zircon Gem is NOT the same material as the artificial gem material Cubic Zirconia (or CZ). However due to their extreme brilliance Zircons have been used as a diamond substitute both for innocent and nefarious reasons for hundreds of years. Zircon resembles diamond in luster and fire. Colorless zircons can be mistaken for diamonds even by experienced jewelers. Keeping this in mind Zircons can make a very attractive and affordable alternative to Diamonds.

Comprehensive guide to buying Amethyst

While Amethyst it's self it quite common certain varieties of Amethyst are quite rare and valuable.

The color purple is traditionally the color of royalty and amethyst has been used since the dawn of history to adorn the rich and powerful monarchs and rulers. Today, amethyst is a lovely and affordable gemstone that is fortunately available in a wide variety of cut and uncut stones that we can all possess and admire.

Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz and is a very popular gemstone.

Comprehensive Guide to buying Alexandrite gems

Alexandrite the original color change gem.

If you or a loved one was born in June now is the time to buy an Alexandrite. The prices have never been lower.

Discovered in 1830 in Russia and named after Czar Alexander II, who was then Crown Prince of Russia, Alexandrite appears to change color under different forms of light. It can look red when viewed in candle light, green when viewed in fluorescent light and blue green in sunlight. It appears reddish purple in standard electric, tungsten light, and in daylight it appears blue green. In artificial light Alexandrite will change to reddish purple or deep purple.

Emeralds

Comprehensive guide to buying Emeralds

History

Emeralds have been known and loved for at least 5000 years. From Egyptian Pharaohs to the Aztecs and Incas of pre Colombia Emeralds have dazzled the t hearts of rulers through out History. The first know avid collector of Emeralds was Cleopatra. Remains of "Cleopatra's Emerald Mines" were discovered about 1817, along Red Sea coast.

Shah Jahan, the builder of the beautiful Taj Mahal, loved emeralds so much he inscribed them with sacred text and wore them as talismans to bring luck and word off evil. If you read the history of Shah Jahan you know this did not work well for him.

The Fascinating world of Spinel gems

Everything you ever wanted to know about Spinel Gems

Spinel is known as the great imposter because has often confused with Rubies and Sapphires. "The Black Prince Ruby" in the English Crown Jewels is a perfect example of a Spinel mistaken for a Ruby.

The Black Prince Ruby

Is actually a 170 carat un-cut Spinel gem. Those who have seen it in person say it glows from with in. In fact fine red Spinels actually fluoresce, or glow, in natural light.

Rubies

Comprehensive Guide to buying Rubies
History

Rubies are one of the most expensive and sought after of all gems. Rubies have been loved for thousands of years. In ancient India, stories circulated that God created the Ruby and then created men to own it. The Emperor of India loved Rubies so much that whenever a spectacular Ruby crystal was found, the emperor sent out his notable men to meet the precious gemstone on the way from the mine and welcome it in appropriate style. According to The Bible a Ruby was the chief stone in Aaron's Breastplate and the stone of Judah. Because Israel's king came from Judah, the ruby came to be associated with royalty. Through out history Christian leaders have worn Rubies, even Martin Luther supposedly used a gold ring set with a Ruby as a betrothal ring.

Sphene: The Green Gold Gem

Sphene or Titanite
The use of sphene as this mineral's name has been discredited by the International Mineralogical Association Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names (CNMMN); Titanite is the "approved" name. However, Sphene persists as the informal name for titanite gemstones.

Tourmaline

Tourmaline: buying guide to the Rainbow Gemstone

Legend has it that on the long way from the Earth's heart up towards the sun, Tourmaline traveled along a rainbow. And on its way it collected all the colors of the rainbow.
It is easy to see why ancient people would think this. No gem family is more diverse than tourmaline.Tourmaline is am amazing gemstone that comes in any color you can imagine. It even comes in Black and White! Due to its versatility Tourmaline has been a favorite of gem lovers for hundreds of years.

Ametrine

Ametrine: Two gems for the price of one.

Ametrine

Traditional Octagon cut Ametrine

Ametrine is a wonderful combination of Amethyst and Citrine.

Only found in the Anahi Mine in Bolivia, natural Ametrine is becoming increasingly rare.
Some suppliers have indicated that the Ametrine mines have run out. Quality material is now very difficult to obtain. The price for natural Ametrine is on the rise.

Apatite : The yummiest of all blue gems

Apatite, a stone seldom found in jewelry stores and virtually unknown to the general public, is beloved by collectors for its many different colors and forms. Only with the recent availability of the neon blue-green variety from Madagascar, has its jewelry use increased. Care for this stone is similar to that given opals, it is heat and shock sensitive, so steamers and ultrasonic cleaners must be avoided

Comprehensive Guide to buying Aquamarine gems

Aquamarine buying guide to the most popular light blue gem.

Aquamarine is extremely popular worldwide and has been used in Jewelry for thousands of year.

Aquamarine is a beautiful light blue, blue-green or aqua blue gem. It is a member of the Beryl family of gems which includes Emerald, Morganite, and Heliodor. Other colors of Beryl are simply referred to by their color, such as Red Beryl and White Beryl. Red Beryl is extreamly rare.

Iolite

In the early days of Sea exploration Traveling to far from shore was very dangerous and often lead to disaster.
That was until Vikings discovered a unique property of Iolite. Iolite acts as a polarizing filter. Looking through an iolite lens, Vikings could determine the exact position of the sun, and navigate safely to the new world and back.

Scapolite: Guide to a rare and little known gemstone

Scapolite is a rare and little known gemstone. It is a beautiful gem that comes in many colors.
Scapolite was originally discovered in 1913 in the Mogok Stone Tract in upper Burma (Myanmar). There, white, pink, yellowish or violet stones of high quality are found.

Comprehensive Guide to buying Andalusite gems

Andalusite is poised to be the next beauty queen on the gem market. This beautiful multi color gems is still surprisingly affordable. It is being called the poor man's Alexandrite because of the way it can appear to change colors depending on how it is viewed. 25 years ago very few people had ever heard of Tanzanite, now Tanzanite is one of the most popular gems in the world!

Now is the best time to invest in Andalusite before the price starts to climb.

Obsidian: A gems born of a Valcano

Obsidian is the result of volcanic eruption near a lake or ocean. When hot lava comes in contact with water it cools quickly. This process produces a glassy texture in the resulting rock. Iron and magnesium gives obsidian a dark green to black color.

Topaz: Everything you ever wanted to know about Topaz gems.

Topaz has been around for centuries. It is relatively common and plentiful.It is found all over the world including Australia, Brazil, Russia, Sri Lanka, Japan, Nigeria, Mozambique, Pakistan, Norway and China.Topaz comes in a wide array of colors including Pink, Blue, Yellow, Orange-Pink, Green, Blu

Sunstone: A beautiful Sparkling gem

Suntone in found in United States (Oregon), India, Canada, South Norway and Russia. Gems can be clear and sparkle like diamonds, golden orange or display vibrant rainbow colors.

Labradorite

Labradorite is truely a fascinatingly beautiful mineral. Its a mineral whose charm is not fully noticed and may be overlooked if not viewed from the proper position. Generally a dull, dark looking mineral with no special virtue until the colorful shiller is observed glowing on the surface.

Kyanite

Kyanite is everything a blue sapphire wished it was....except Kyanite is too soft.

The Chrysoberyl Species of gems

Alexandrite Pear The Chrysoberyl species of gems includes Alexandrite one of the rarest and sought after of all color change gems. Other gems in the Chrysoberyl species are Cat's eye and green, yellow and brown Chrysoberyl.

Tanzanite: Information and Buying guide

Tanzanite is one of the newest gemstones on the market. Discovered in 1967 in the Merelani Hills near Arusha in the north of Tanzania it was celebrated as The Gemstone of the 20th century'

Peridot: August Birthstone

Up until just a few years ago Peridots were a little hard to get. Known sources were somewhat depleted. However recent finds in of find gem grade Peridot in Pakistan and Afghanistan have revived the popularity of this gem. Today fine gems of up to 5 carats can be purchased for a reasonable price.

Mixed Gems 

Precious gemstones 

What makes a gemstone Precious?

Traditionally the precious stones were Diamond, Sapphire, Emerald and Ruby.
Since ancient times these gems highly prized for there beauty and scarcity.
It is also interesting to note that these are some of the hardest gems in the world.

Recently Tanzanite and Alexandrite have been added to the list of Precious gems due to their popularity, rarity and hardness.


Diamond

Diamonds are the hardest of all natural gems. It is a 10 on the Mohs scale, the highest rank a gem can have.

Diamonds are not the rarest gem in the world (not even close) nor are they the most expensive.
Diamonds are not even scares. The supply of Diamonds is controlled by the Diamond Cartels in South Africa to keep the price inflated artificially high.

Sapphire

When most people hear the word Sapphire they think Blue, but Sapphires come in every color of the Rainbow except red. Red Sapphires are Rubies.

Sapphires and Rubires are the second hardest of all the gems. They are a 9 on the Mohs scale.

Sapphires are found in India, Burma, Ceylon, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Brazil and Africa. The best Sapphires come from Ceylon.

For more Information click here


Rubies

Rubies are one of the most expensive and sought after of all gems. Rubies have been loved for thousands of years. In ancient India, stories circulated that God created the Ruby and then created men to own it.

Rubies come in all shades of red and reddish pink. The most valued color is pure red with a hint of blue, known as "pigeon's blood" red.

Rubies are an 9 on the Mohs scale.

For more Information click hear

Birthstones 

Pictures and information on Birthstones

Today the common Birthstones are as follow

January -Garnet
February-Amethyst
March-Aquamarine or Bloodstone
April-Diamond
June- Pearl or moonstone
July- Ruby
August- Peridot
September-Sapphire
October-Opal or Tourmaline
November-Topaz or Citrine
December-Zircon, blue Topaz or Turquoise

The Traditional Birthstones are as Follows

January -Garnet
February-Amethyst
March- Bloodstone
April-Diamond
June- Alexandrite
July- Ruby
August- Sardonyx
September-Sapphire
October- Tourmaline
November-Citrine
December-Zircon, Lapis lazuli or Turquoise

Quartz 

Quartz is the most Common of all the gem Varieties

Did you know Amethyst is a type or Quartz? So is Citrine. What about Jasper? Yes, it's Quartz too!

These are some of the Major Varieties of Quartz

Agate
Multi-coloured, banded Chalcedony, semi-translucent to translucent.

Amethyst
Purple, transparent

Aventurine
Translucent green chalcedony with small inclusions of mica that shimmer.

Carnelian
Reddish orange chalcedony, translucent

Chalcedony
Any cryptocrystalline quartz but generally only used for white or lightly colored gems.

Citrine
Yellow to reddish orange to brown, greenish yellow

Jasper
Opaque chalcedony, impure, with interesting inclusions that often form pictures.

Milk quartz
White, translucent to opaque

Morion
Dark-brown, opaque

Onyx Jet Black, Green, or Orange brown translucent to opaque

Prasiolite Leek green to Mint green, transparent

Rose quartz all shades of pink transparent to translucent

Smoky quartz
Brown to grey, transparent to opaque

Tiger's eye
gold to red-brown coloured quartz with a Cat's eye effect called "chatoyancy"


Tiger's eye

The Chrysoberyl Species of gems 

Chrysoberyl Gems are Alexandrite, Cat's eye and yellow, green and brown Chrysoberyl.




Alexandrite



Green Chrysoberyl


Cat's Eye

Which Birthstone is most popular 

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Lizblueberry Great informative lens. My birthstone is ruby but I still love diamonds! Posted July 07, 2008

beachbum_gabby my birthstone is Ruby. wonderful lens here. congrats! Posted July 01, 2008

eSector When the diamond is loose it can be evaluated by yourself or a qualified independent diamond appraiser using the latest diamond evaluation and grading tools. The diamond can be inspected from every single angle to make certain that it is indeed of the quality and beauty that you desire. This is something that cannot be done with the same degree of effectiveness once the diamond has been set in a ring. Use http://www.diamondpriceguru.com to compare more than 400 000 loose diamond from 11 most reputable online retailers. Posted June 29, 2008

sisterra Beautful lens - from a fellow stores board member. Posted June 17, 2008

hearthealth Great close ups! I myself own a blue cat's eye bracelet. Theres seems to be trace of molding, so whos to know if its fake or not? ;-) 5 flamin' and favin'! Looking forward to meeting you at my art glass and carnival glass lenses! Posted June 04, 2008

 

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