Loose stone eye-candy!!!!!!

[Chrysoz]

Thanks all for the kind words!
Yeah, I live in sweden, and it really is beutiful here!
If you think my english is bad, you can blame my age

My hobby are not just have as many stones as possible, i also like to buy them as cheap as I can.
For example, the two stones I made close-ups on, I bought them for 32$ (the heliodore) and 9$ (the peridot)
I have let my friend, who is an independent gemmologist, make certificates, and he confirmes both of them are natural and untreated.
So, I try to buy as inexpensive as possible, mosty looking on ebay (you have to quite skilled when buying there, otherwise you will surely buy fakes) thats the reason I have succeded to make such a collection (I am not very rich... I get about 25$ every month from my parents, then, I get some money from selling stones here in sweden)

I am a living proof you can make a gem-collection out of barely no money. (I barely count rock-crystal amd amythyst as gemstones, if I had bought such cheap stones my room would ave been filled...

)

At last, I have a VERY good and honest source of gem-tools to show you. I have recently bought the whole package myself (refractometer, spectroscope, microscope, gem-tweezer, dicroscope, chealsea filter..everything!) and that cost me 350$ including shipping from hongkong! I am very satisfied, it is high quality, belive it or not!
Here is the link:
http://stores.ebay.com/Pretty-Temptation-Tools-Supplies

Hope you enjoy it!

 

[Rae~]

My small collection is nothing compared to some here, but hey, everyone has to start somewhere.

I *think* that nearly all of these stones are Australian, except for pendant sapphire, which I believe is from Ceylon.

From L-R:

Top row - all sapphires
2nd row - sapphire, zircons, tourmaline, heliodor
3rd row - citrine, Ceylon sapphire, hessonite garnets, rhodolite garnets

Most of these aren''t special enough to actually set in jewellery. But I did buy the sapphire pendant at auction with the view to using the stone in a ring; I am also semi-considering having another ring made with either the heliodor, the pale blue/lavender sapphire, or the yellow sapphire... but they are all smaller than I generally like for rings. So maybe I will just keep looking!

 

[Rae~]

Just a quick shot of the sapphire against my hand, If I am remembering correctly, this was in front of a window, so in bright but indirect sunlight. I do tend to like the paler (blue) sapphires.


ETA: I will have to dig up the docs on it to be sure, but I think the sapphire is 2.69ct... or 2.89ct... something around that size, anyway. It's not a perfect cut, either - the table is quite small - but I quite liked the colour.

 

[Rae~]

And here is a close-up (a little washed out) of three of my favourite stones: the yellow sapphire, pale blue sapphire, and octagonal heliodor. Not sure if any will end up in a ring, but they are all still contenders.... just that they are so small!!

The blue sapphire changes to a lavender-y colour in some lights... it's quite pretty. The yellow sapphire seems to be the best cut of the rounds, but I like the colour of the heliodor more.... ah, decision, decisions....

 

[Linda W]

Rae,

Your collection is beautiful. LOVE that sapphire pendant. It is yummmmmmmmy!!!


Linda

 

[marcy]

Wow, very nice gemstone collections. I have the say the purple spinel made me drool a little bit though. Not really but I guess it caught my eye because I''d love one of them myself.

 

[Skippy123]

Rae, you have a beautiful collection!!!

 

[Rae~]

Thanks for looking, and for the nice comments, guys. I see so many nice stones - in this thread and elsewhere - that I just wanted to add my little ones in too!

Hopefully I will have more to contribute in the near future....