Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

new member with old quistions

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
caniegia23

caniegia23

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 7, 2009
Messages
15
Good day every one...
i was searching the net when i found this site... and seems like some people here are good at what they do...
any way
i am new here and i have some quistions i hope to find an answer for....
1st i want to know how to tell the different between the various Gems.... can u use the naked eye only... or u should go to a lab...or use some kind of tools... ect
2nd i used to buy some stones from alphaimports.com.. and i want to know if someone had deal with them...and what was hers\his opinion about them....
thank u very much...
from over seas :)
 
Date: 5/7/2009 8:36:39 PM
Author:caniegia23
Good day every one...
i was searching the net when i found this site... and seems like some people here are good at what they do...
any way
i am new here and i have some quistions i hope to find an answer for....
1st i want to know how to tell the different between the various Gems.... can u use the naked eye only... or u should go to a lab...or use some kind of tools... ect
2nd i used to buy some stones from alphaimports.com.. and i want to know if someone had deal with them...and what was hershis opinion about them....
thank u very much...
from over seas :)
Click to expand...
Welcome to the coloured stone section of the forum.

1. Some gems can be guessed by the colour but this method isn't accurate. This is the naked eye method you alluded to. Having tools will help. You can check for the specific gravity, use a chelsea filter and dicthoscope and loupe. These will narrow it down to the family of gemstone, check for chromium, check for dichroism and also tell tale inclusions if any. I would only use a lab for something expensive as verification. AGL offers $30 brief certs which is an affordable way to get gemstone confirmation.

2. I am sorry I am unfamiliar with the vendor.

If you would like to read more about identifying gemstones, I enjoy Barbara's online "lessons" at www.acstones.com The website is now run by Barry Bridgestock but the tutorials are still up there.
 
WOW.....
mr Chrono....thank u very much....and what u typed there is very interesting and scholarly
may i know where i can get those tools from?? sorry if i am asking much but i am totally novice in the Gems world..which i love :)
and if any one else here can help me with any experience with www.alphaimports.com i will appreciate that ....
Thank u again mr.Chrono...its good to know that some people still like to help others....
best regards
 
Looks like you can get a decent deal on all 3 items here:
http://national-jewelers-supplies.amazonwebstore.com/Dicroscope-Chelsea-Filter-Hastings-Triplet-Loupe/M/B001GFCGDM.htm?traffic_src=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=froogle

The hydrostatic apparatus for checking the specific gravity would be a fun and cool tool but I think it’ll be a bit much for novices.


You can read more about different gemstones here:
http://www.acstones.com/gemofmonth/gemofmonthArchive.html
This is the link to the free gemology course:
http://www.bwsmigel.info/


hydrostatic.setup.jpg
 
All what i can say is thank u very much mr.chrono
 
Measuring the specific gravity as shown above is not very accurate for smaller stones, unless you have a very very accurate scale. You would need a scale to read 3 decimal places for most stones.

By far the most useful tool to identify stones is a refractometer. A decent one will cost you around $500, a good one closer to $1000. The next tool to get, and this is a lot less is a piece of software called Gemology Tools Pro. You enter your observations and measurements, and the program narrows down the possible stones it could be.
 
Thank u Gene for ur contribution...
i will take a look to this refractometer.... any ideas what is the best place to get it from??
 
You could try Kassoy in NYC. They would also ship to you. I''m not sure if they only sell to the trade or not. I wouldn''t see why they wouldn''t sell you tools.

http://www.kassoy.com/ec/1/section.asp?idDept=311

Any of the on this page would be fine. I use System Eickhorst tools from Germany. I think they are the best, but also about the most expensive.
 
Kassoy sells to "privates" too.
 
Date: 5/8/2009 10:47:52 PM
Author: Harriet
Kassoy sells to ''privates'' too.
Click to expand...
With the quotation marks, it makes it look like a bad word.
31.gif
 
well well....
thank u all...
any idea about the second part of my old question about www.alphaimports.com ??
regards
 
There are some disadvantages to the thermal tester for gemstones. Although it can distinguish sapphire from tanzanite, iolite, tourmaline, spinel, glass and etc, and others, it cannot always tell you what kind of gemstone it is. Unfortunately, there is no currently inexpensive device to check for gem treatment. Sometimes a high powered loupe can be useful but you also have to know what to look for. A lot of treatments today are getting too good to detect without expensive tools.
 
Thank you mr.chrono
what i got of you that even those machines can make mistakes...
but my biggest difficulty now is to distinguish between Gems and Glass, and as i told u before i am a beginner...
I trust the vendor that i buy from, but i need to improve my skills.
excuse me if i am demanding, i red the links you gave me, they are useful, and i have a loupe but when i look through it i dont know what to look for :)
for example: i have some emerald stones, and i have a *10 loupe, now how can i tell if they are real or they are just glass?
i will appreciate any help cuz i love the gems world very much...
thanks again
regards.
 
Thank you mr.Chrono for the useful link :)
 
BTW, you can drop the Mr. salutation. It makes me feel like an old schoolhouse teacher or similar.
9.gif
 
Deal
1.gif
 
Hi again every one,
ok Chrono( with out the mr
2.gif
) on a scale from 1 - 10 (10 is the best) how much you give this site and its products:
www.igem.com
and thank you
 
I am unfamilar with the company but they sure have a lot of fun tools.
 
Date: 5/8/2009 1:10:30 PM
Author: PrecisionGem
Measuring the specific gravity as shown above is not very accurate for smaller stones, unless you have a very very accurate scale. You would need a scale to read 3 decimal places for most stones.


By far the most useful tool to identify stones is a refractometer. A decent one will cost you around $500, a good one closer to $1000. The next tool to get, and this is a lot less is a piece of software called Gemology Tools Pro. You enter your observations and measurements, and the program narrows down the possible stones it could be.
Click to expand...

Second the refractometer suggestion. A must for gem identification.
 
Date: 5/7/2009 11:27:19 PM
Author: Chrono


Welcome to the coloured stone section of the forum.


1. Some gems can be guessed by the colour but this method isn't accurate. This is the naked eye method you alluded to. Having tools will help. You can check for the specific gravity, use a chelsea filter and dicthoscope
and loupe. These will narrow it down to the family of gemstone, check for chromium,
check for dichroism and also tell tale inclusions if any. I would only use a lab for something expensive as verification. AGL offers $30 brief certs which is an affordable way to get gemstone confirmation.
Click to expand...

Chrono, I believe you mean, dichroscope. (checks for pleochroism)

http://gemologyproject.com/wiki/index.php?title=Dichroscope

Color filters are not the most accurate.
A spectroscope will show the possible presence of transition elements, like chromium. A spectroscope measures the way gems absorb light via their absorption spectrum. Some gems that are colored by chromium may show emission lines in the red of a gem's spectrum.

http://http://gemologyproject.com/wiki/index.php?title=Spectroscope

A good thing to do is to start with general observation.

-Look at the color.
-Look at the gem in reflected light to assess its luster.
-Check the transparency. Is it transparent? translucent? opaque?
-Hold it in the palm of your hand and let it bounce to assess heft.
-If the gem has any chips or breaks, look at the shape and luster of the chips/breaks.
-Assess the dispersion. (fire)
-Look for phenomenon--color change, asterism (star), chatoyancy (cat's eye), iridescence, or play of color.

As Gene wrote, a refractometer is a great tool for separation. It's not completely definitive, but it will help you narrow it down.

A loupe and/or a microscope will help you identify inclusions, and can be all you have when you are trying to id natural gems from synthetics.

A polariscope can help you assess if a gem is singly or doubly refractive.

Specific gravity is not always accurate. It's a great help with the separation of colorless gems, but it is generally one of the last things I use when I'm identifying other colored stones.

Lastly, longwave and shortwave uv can help you with some identifications. It is useful with the natural vs. synthetic alexandrite separation, and very useful with the natural vs. synthetic spinel separation.

Just some general info. Hope this helps!
 
Sorry for the incorrect spelling. As for checking chromium content, I meant the Chelsea filter would be the tool to do so.
 
Thank you for the helpful informations G.G
since i registered at this forum i was surfing the net looking for the best tool to identify the different gems.... and seems like all of you here say that the refractometer is the most important thing for beginners ...so i will buy a one soon
regards and thanks
 
Date: 5/14/2009 1:58:23 PM
Author: caniegia23
Thank you for the helpful informations G.G
since i registered at this forum i was surfing the net looking for the best tool to identify the different gems.... and seems like all of you here say that the refractometer is the most important thing for beginners ...so i will buy a one soon
regards and thanks
Click to expand...
In my opinion (and I stress this is my personal view), you would be better to start with a good x10 loupe and a few books on gemstones.

I would recommend for starters:

Richard Wise's - 'Secrets of the Gemtrade'
Antoinette Maitlin's - 'Gem Identifying Made Easy'

These will lead you on to a sadly horribly large list of other books each specialising in certain areas - ie spectrocope use or inclusions or crystallography.

Spend as much time as possible reading, looking at stones and seeing what makes a good example of a particular variety or species. Then start practicing with a dichroscope, chelsea and other colour filters, and a spectroscope - you will also need access to stones to practice.

Refractometers are great tools - but you have to know what you are looking for with it and back it up with other tools. Refractometers will also not work on certain gemstones that have a refractive index too high to measure on it. It can't normally be used on set gemstones, and cabachons are tricky!

I would also want to try a few out before spending significant amounts on an expensive tool. It's also not that practical an instrument to tote around the place together with bottles of liquid.

Sadly, there is no easy way or short-cut to learning about gemstones - even learning about one particular species in any detail can be a lifetime's work.

Is there anywhere near you where you could take some courses?
 
unfortunately, PandoraII, i might be the sharpest knife in the gems world in my towen
1.gif

and there are no courses near or far of me
thanks for the suggestions.
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP

Featured Topics

Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top