RedSpinel
Shiny_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2012
- Messages
- 211
Hi..
I just found this forum last night when doing a google search for "Fading Kunzite/Hiddenite." So prior to that I didnt realize there was a gem/jewelry forum(s).
So I'll give a little background of myself:
I have always been interested in gemstones since I was a kid and my family drove to the mountains of NY and found a road side gem store in the 70's. I remember my grandad giving us his collection before he died in the early 90's, but it was all rough stones.
Then in the mid 90's, I started looking deeper into gemstones, and started learning much more about them, which is obviously VERY, VERY helpful if you are going to try and collect them by yourself! You certainly need to do a lot of learning or else you're doomed to buy some "less than ideal" specimens. Even after learning a lot of info, you might still get burnt here and there to be honest!
But I started collecting cut/faceted gems in the mid 90's, and I continued buying stones whenever I could afford to, but I'm not exactly Donald Trump either, so I had to control my urge to spend more than I could afford. It was hard, because there is always another great gem right around the corner, even though many dealers would have us believe that if we dont buy right now, they are all going extinct!
I bought a few stones from a larger relatively local jewelry store's colored gem 'expert'. Thats an expensive way to go though! So I then discovered the "Gem Shopping Network", which was on our cable TV network for a few years, then disappeared. They used to have a few private dealers who would lease time on their channel, and these guys(and gals) would regularly take requests, and you could tell them what type of gem you wanted, what size, what quality, how much you wanted to spend, etc., and they would show what they had in your range, and if you liked it you bought it. But they also showed other stones from $2 - $120,000! I did buy a pink spinel early on from one private dealer which didnt measure right on a refractometer, so I sent it back and got a refund. But that was rare. Back then, they were selling top quality, pure blue Tanzanites every day, for $500 per carat! Then it went up to about $700. But it was fantastic material, and true-blue, although you could also buy cheaper violet stones too for less $$. They still had the nicest Tanzanites I've seen. But they arent on anymore, and havent been for 8 years or so around here.
The other TV gem stone channels on now leave a lot to be desired to put it mildly. So then I switched to the internet for4 my new sources. That was tough, because there are an endless number of Thailand internet/Ebay gem dealers, and most sell cheap stones. But I did find a few decent ones, who sold good stones, and some cheap stones, and since it was on Ebay, they were auctions, whcih meant you'd sometimes get really lucky and be able to buy a nice stone for a few dollars! In fact, I bought a 19ct. Kunzite recently for $5.99! It was clean, well cut, large and if I had to give it a scholastic grade for color, it would be a B-. That was the first stone I've bought in a while. But I've also paid hundreds of dollars for single stones from Thailand dealers too.
I've tested every stone I own in a refractometer, and they all are true. I tried to figure out the actual value of my collection vs. the price I paid for everything, and although it's very subjective, I'd conservatively estimate the amount I paid for it is about 1/5 the actual value overall. Some stones I got unbelievable cheaply, and other I probably paid their true value, but by far and away I bought most of them for much less than they would be sold for in any US store.
But then I became worried about my collection, because due to it's increasing value, it would be a popular item for a thief, so I had to break down and put it in the safe deposit box at the bank, where it sits now. So now I cant look at it whenever I want, but at least its safe.
So how did you start collecting, and how do you do it?
I just found this forum last night when doing a google search for "Fading Kunzite/Hiddenite." So prior to that I didnt realize there was a gem/jewelry forum(s).
So I'll give a little background of myself:
I have always been interested in gemstones since I was a kid and my family drove to the mountains of NY and found a road side gem store in the 70's. I remember my grandad giving us his collection before he died in the early 90's, but it was all rough stones.
Then in the mid 90's, I started looking deeper into gemstones, and started learning much more about them, which is obviously VERY, VERY helpful if you are going to try and collect them by yourself! You certainly need to do a lot of learning or else you're doomed to buy some "less than ideal" specimens. Even after learning a lot of info, you might still get burnt here and there to be honest!
But I started collecting cut/faceted gems in the mid 90's, and I continued buying stones whenever I could afford to, but I'm not exactly Donald Trump either, so I had to control my urge to spend more than I could afford. It was hard, because there is always another great gem right around the corner, even though many dealers would have us believe that if we dont buy right now, they are all going extinct!
I bought a few stones from a larger relatively local jewelry store's colored gem 'expert'. Thats an expensive way to go though! So I then discovered the "Gem Shopping Network", which was on our cable TV network for a few years, then disappeared. They used to have a few private dealers who would lease time on their channel, and these guys(and gals) would regularly take requests, and you could tell them what type of gem you wanted, what size, what quality, how much you wanted to spend, etc., and they would show what they had in your range, and if you liked it you bought it. But they also showed other stones from $2 - $120,000! I did buy a pink spinel early on from one private dealer which didnt measure right on a refractometer, so I sent it back and got a refund. But that was rare. Back then, they were selling top quality, pure blue Tanzanites every day, for $500 per carat! Then it went up to about $700. But it was fantastic material, and true-blue, although you could also buy cheaper violet stones too for less $$. They still had the nicest Tanzanites I've seen. But they arent on anymore, and havent been for 8 years or so around here.
The other TV gem stone channels on now leave a lot to be desired to put it mildly. So then I switched to the internet for4 my new sources. That was tough, because there are an endless number of Thailand internet/Ebay gem dealers, and most sell cheap stones. But I did find a few decent ones, who sold good stones, and some cheap stones, and since it was on Ebay, they were auctions, whcih meant you'd sometimes get really lucky and be able to buy a nice stone for a few dollars! In fact, I bought a 19ct. Kunzite recently for $5.99! It was clean, well cut, large and if I had to give it a scholastic grade for color, it would be a B-. That was the first stone I've bought in a while. But I've also paid hundreds of dollars for single stones from Thailand dealers too.
I've tested every stone I own in a refractometer, and they all are true. I tried to figure out the actual value of my collection vs. the price I paid for everything, and although it's very subjective, I'd conservatively estimate the amount I paid for it is about 1/5 the actual value overall. Some stones I got unbelievable cheaply, and other I probably paid their true value, but by far and away I bought most of them for much less than they would be sold for in any US store.
But then I became worried about my collection, because due to it's increasing value, it would be a popular item for a thief, so I had to break down and put it in the safe deposit box at the bank, where it sits now. So now I cant look at it whenever I want, but at least its safe.
So how did you start collecting, and how do you do it?