Any jewelry/gemstone freaks out there?

gemlady

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Messages
18,820
Purraise
31
Location
SW Indiana
You rang?
I have many favorites including charoite, and lapis and and rutilated quartz and raspberry lepidolite and smoky quartz and malachite and turquoise and ... Ya get the idea?

This weekend is the big show in Bloomington, Indiana at the fairgrounds. Starts on Friday 10-6:30, Saturday from 9-6:30 and Sunday 10-4. Can't make it this year
but it's always fun to look around and see the different gems, minerals and fossils available.
 

abymummy

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 7, 2006
Messages
4,074
Purraise
11
Location
Malaysia
I think I may be the only one but, here goes....

I DON'T like Diamonds!

Of course if someone were to give me one I'd take it
but I'd rather have flawless colored precious stones myself... for example, uncooked rubies (pigeon blood of course), all the sapphires (all nine colors) or a perfectly flawless emerald.

I have actually collected all nine colors of sapphires (1 carat each - took me 4 years to do that) and I'm just waiting to collect another two sets of 50 pointers and another set of 1.5-2 carats so that I can create the ultimate set of Bracelet, Necklace and earrings!
 

gemlady

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Messages
18,820
Purraise
31
Location
SW Indiana
Originally Posted by Abymummy

I think I may be the only one but, here goes....

I DON'T like Diamonds!

Of course if someone were to give me one I'd take it
but I'd rather have flawless colored precious stones myself... for example, uncooked rubies (pigeon blood of course), all the sapphires (all nine colors) or a perfectly flawless emerald.

I have actually collected all nine colors of sapphires (1 carat each - took me 4 years to do that) and I'm just waiting to collect another two sets of 50 pointers and another set of 1.5-2 carats so that I can create the ultimate set of Bracelet, Necklace and earrings!
Sounds wonderful, Adilah! I think one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry I have seen was a wide bracelet of colored stones that covered the rainbow going from deep red to deep purple.


I will inherit Mom's diamond (which Dad originally bought for himself not long before they started dating. He swore no woman would get it.
)
 

sherral46

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 23, 2002
Messages
4,450
Purraise
2
Location
Virginia (WARM SPRINGS)
Pookie-poo;1836758 said:
My father is a lapiderist (gem cutter) and a member of the GIA (Gemological Institute of America). He also sets gemstones in gold or silver
Does your father ever cut rough emeralds? I have these which I bought of e-bay.I would love to have a ring and a necklace done,but I can;t find anyone to cut them!
 

laureen227

Darksome Duo!
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 3, 2003
Messages
19,260
Purraise
387
Location
Denton TX
Originally Posted by gemlady

I will inherit Mom's diamond (which Dad originally bought for himself not long before they started dating. He swore no woman would get it.
)
the only precious stones i have are on my grandmother's wedding set, which i inherited when she died this past December. she said i got it because i was the only granddaughter who had never gotten an engagement ring [see, staying single is sometimes a plus!]. it's a diamond emerald cut set in a platinum setting. i have a lovely, large amythest ring that i wear almost all the time, & a nice blue topaz ring. i also have a small milky opal ring. i'd love to have the milky opal replaced with a fire opal [my favorite stone!] but just can't afford to spend the
on something frivolous like that. [in a real money crunch right now!] i also like alexandrite - aren't those the ones that change color depending on the light? as far as red stones, i really prefer garnets to rubies - that deep red color is so lovely! my sister has some beautiful topazes - really firey orange color... i think they're called fire topaz, but they're different looking than the one Bruce posted the pic of. more orange, not as blue.
 

margecat

Mentor
Staff Member
Mentor
Joined
Oct 11, 2006
Messages
5,209
Purraise
2,561
Originally Posted by Godiva

A recent jewelry-themed thread reminded me I'm on a site with a ton of girls, so I can talk about JEWELRY!!


What is your favorite stone? Do you prefer cut gemstones or more organic polished stones?

I recently dropped off one of my loose stones to be set in a pendant. It's a rutilated quartz- round cut, about 12 mm wide, and has golden rutile in one direction down the center (about 7 mm wide). I had it set with some small yellow quartz... we'll see how it turns out. It might be better in some organic-looking setting.

My all time favorite stone is zircon. No, not the "fake diamond" stuff (although way back in the day, that's what they used), but zircon. It is doubly refractive, so each facet shows up twice, and if cut at the right angles, shoots off some prisms prettier than any you've seen in a diamond. The problem is it's fragile and hard to find in colors other than neon turquoise blue (from heating, I think...).

Labradorite is my second all-time favorite. It's like an opal on crack. It's a more organic stone and I've never seen it cut.

I have a soft spot for a pretty royal blue sapphire, and Montana sapphires. I also have a few cut stones in my collection that are neon orange/salmon, chartreuse, and natural crystals, but they are too soft to set... they're just to look at.

A nearly clear grass-green emerald is an amazing sight, too.

There are tons more that I adore, but those are my main favorites. What about you guys?
Miss MargeCat has 2 weaknesses--books and gemstones! Can't resist either when they're dangled in front of her beady, emerald-green eyes!


I also have a lot of white zircon; it's jewelry from India (a friend, who is Indian, picks it up for me when she visits home). They use a lot of it, as a diamond substitute; like you, I also prefer it. She told me that they call it "American diamonds". It is brittle, though, unlike real diamonds. I think my fave gem (not gemstone) is pearl. I can't resist freshwater pearls, and now they're getting low in price. I sometimes make my own jewelry, and use a lot of them. I'm not crazy about the weird-colored (they're dyed) ones, such as purple. They look so fake and garish. Even if the pearls are dyed, I prefer them to look natural. I also love the fact that they come from the water/ocean, and have a moon symbolism. (I also collect moon-motif jewelry, especially crescent moon stuff.) Pearls are so flattering to all women; there's that wonderful glow. I love pearls so much, I named a cat after them (Margaret: from Latin margarita, a pearl. Her coat also reminds me of the exact shade of a grey pearl, and a white pearl!). I'm a pearl snob--I won't wear fakes--even though there are some wonderful faux pearls out there--I don't know why, but they have to be real.

I also love garnets. (Actually, I like anything but opals and sapphires; not crazy about diamonds. I can't afford nice ones; and I'd rather have a great example of a semi-precious stone, than a poor example of a precious stone.I dislike diamonds so much, that I didn't want a diamond engagement ring, but ended up with one anyway!) Garnets and pearls are lovely together. Amethysts are next--love that purple! They're what got me started in collecting jewelry--I found some of Grandmom's stuff in Mom's attic; she had raven-black hair, and pale skin, and looked nice in dark purple, and wore lots of amethysts. I have a gorgeous 1920's-1930's necklace of hers: 3 large amethyst ovals, set in silver, surrounded by white seed pearls (alas, had to remove these, as most were missing). The ovals are linked by purple-enameled vines. I had to replace the chain on either side of the center necklace, as it was broken.

The first piece of jewelry that hubby gave me when dating is an inexpensive 10k gold ring, with rubies (my birthstone). I wear it all of the time, even though it's not a terribly good piece of jewelry, because it was from him
It also has another sentimental thing: I found out later that he was scoping out engagement rings to see what I'd like, so he was making me try them on that day, pretending that he wasn't buying me one! And this was only our 3rd date, so I may not have accepted one then anyway! For Christmas and birthdays, he always buys me jewelry (that I get to pick out). I usually find something nice on eBay (my fave seller is joyful-creations. She makes very good stuff.)

MargeCat
 

samantha1979

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2007
Messages
884
Purraise
1
Location
counting down until graduation!!
I'm not picky. I love anything that is SPARKLY!! I really think I was a bird in another life.
I just can't help myself when I walk past a jewelry counter. Although, I don't own that much of it. I like to look at it, but don't so much like it on me. I am very simple when it comes to jewelry.
 

margecat

Mentor
Staff Member
Mentor
Joined
Oct 11, 2006
Messages
5,209
Purraise
2,561
Originally Posted by Pookie-poo

My father is a lapiderist (gem cutter) and a member of the GIA (Gemological Institute of America). He also sets gemstones in gold or silver, but doesn't do any lost wax casting. This is his hobby that he got into after he retired. He and my mother have gone rock-hounding and gem mining all across the U.S. since they retired back in the early '80's. Their favorite places to gem mine is in North Carolina for rubies and pink, blue and purple sapphires, and in Montana for blue and green sapphires. Needless to say, I have some absolutely awesome pieces. My birthstone is an emerald, which I love...but it's very difficult to find a good clean natural emerald. I also love tanzanite, but it is becoming difficult to find also. Right now I'm on an opal kick. I've been searching e-Bay for the perfect opal...no luck so far! I wouldn't be able to actually pick a favorite stone....although I prefer a faceted stone over a cabachon. Most of the gorgeous stone I have are set into pendants, as I can't wear rings in my line of work, so I just never bother with them. I do have a couple of really beautiful rings that he has made for me, but they mostly just grace my jewelry box and not my hands.
I would really love to have my dad teach me how to use his lapidary machines, so I could try my hand at gem cutting. I'm not sure if I have the patience though!
About Tanzanite--I've noticed a lot of it coming into the market over the past 10 years or so. Where is it coming from? I thought the only known source of it was depleted in the early 70's or something? Are they heat-treating zoisite to make it blue?

Thanks, MargeCat
 

yosemite

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 26, 2001
Messages
23,313
Purraise
81
Location
Ingersoll, ON
Originally Posted by StarryEyedTiGeR

I LOVE Emeralds and Diamonds!!!!!!!!! Emeralds are my absolute favorite
I adore emeralds as well. Too bad my birthday isn't in May.


My birthstone is turquoise and I must admit it is one of my favourites.
 

laureen227

Darksome Duo!
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 3, 2003
Messages
19,260
Purraise
387
Location
Denton TX
i took
of my rings, so i'll post them the next time i'm at school. [i'll also be posting new
of Firefox!]
 

salemwitchchild

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 11, 2006
Messages
1,440
Purraise
1
Location
Kentucky
For those of you that like to go jewel hunting but can't get out.. You might find this ebay listing interesting. He has lots of other listings with different types of stones. I've thought about doing this myself and would if I had the cash in my paypal already.
 

sherral46

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 23, 2002
Messages
4,450
Purraise
2
Location
Virginia (WARM SPRINGS)
Originally Posted by SalemWitchChild

For those of you that like to go jewel hunting but can't get out.. You might find this ebay listing interesting. He has lots of other listings with different types of stones. I've thought about doing this myself and would if I had the cash in my paypal already.
Thats the ones I bought ! now I just need them cut!
 

starryeyedtiger

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
22,317
Purraise
20
Location
USA
Originally Posted by Yosemite

I adore emeralds as well. Too bad my birthday isn't in May.


My birthstone is turquoise and I must admit it is one of my favourites.
My birthday's July 29- so my stone is Ruby...but i'd still prefer an Emerald anyday over a ruby. The reason is- imo ruby's look better set in yellow gold - and i HATE HATE HATE yellow gold. I think Emeralds look great in white gold /silver so i love that about them!!!
I think they're just gorgeous!!!
 

trouts mom

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 4, 2006
Messages
23,949
Purraise
16
Location
Snowy Santa Land
I am not really a girly girl, so I am not into jewelry..oh also, I am allergic to nickel, so i can't wear silver at all
 

laureen227

Darksome Duo!
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 3, 2003
Messages
19,260
Purraise
387
Location
Denton TX
Originally Posted by Trouts mom

I am not really a girly girl, so I am not into jewelry..oh also, I am allergic to nickel, so i can't wear silver at all
why not silver? i'm also allergic to nickel - have to replace all my earring hooks with sterling ones or my ears get infected. can't wear base metal rings, etc - i tarnish them within a day. but i do ok with silver, as long as it's sterling silver.
 

stacyd1987

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 15, 2007
Messages
1,883
Purraise
2
Location
Fayetteville, NC
I love pearls and diamonds. Pearls are my birthstone for June and I only have 1 pair of a necklace and earring set of them from my Dad and step-mom's wedding. I love but yet are afraid to wear diamonds because of their high value. I only have my wedding rings and I'm still nervous with them, lol. Cubic Zirconia is nice.
I think you can wear silver if your allergic to nickel. My sister does that because of her allergies. Unless you're allergic to both! I wouldn't be able to stand it if I was like that because I love silver and I never wear gold.
 

carolpetunia

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 25, 2005
Messages
9,669
Purraise
17
Location
Plano, Texas
Since I make jewelry, I'm always lusting after beautiful stones, too... but I can't even begin to afford them. I do have some garnets and citrines and turquoise and various quartzes, but they're only beads, not "settable" stones. Oh -- except for one very beautiful green onyx cabochon that I wire-wrapped into a hammered-silver bracelet years ago!

I love watermelon tourmaline, ametrine, opals, and pearls... and I love cabochons, but I'm also crazy for a simple emerald cut.

And I don't like diamonds, either! I can't enjoy their beauty, knowing the backstory... and the absurd amounts of money that are spent on them.

And to tell the truth -- a beautiful glass stone that looks like the real thing is just fine with me. It would be nice to own the genuine article, with all its history and science and mysterious inner life... but I've had to learn to love beauty I can afford.
 

gemlady

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Messages
18,820
Purraise
31
Location
SW Indiana
Originally Posted by laureen227

i also like alexandrite - aren't those the ones that change color depending on the light?
Yes, alexandrites change color on whether it is under incandescent or fluorescent light. A good one can cost $$$$.

Originally Posted by SalemWitchChild

For those of you that like to go jewel hunting but can't get out.. You might find this ebay listing interesting. He has lots of other listings with different types of stones. I've thought about doing this myself and would if I had the cash in my paypal already.
Originally Posted by sherral46

Thats the ones I bought ! now I just need them cut!
Bags of uncut like this can be fun to look through. Mom got a 5 gallon bucketful from a guy back in 1989 and found a few good enough to cut into cabochons approximately 7mm in diameter but none good enough to facet.

You guys have got to go to Gem & Mineral shows! Check out www.lapidaryjournal.com or www.rockngem.com for show schedules and clubs that might be in your area.

Ours has its own workshop with the equipment to cut stones. Most do not but may have members who do and may do demonstrations. There are also schools you can pay to take classes in the many aspects of gems and jewelry.
 

stacyd1987

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 15, 2007
Messages
1,883
Purraise
2
Location
Fayetteville, NC
You know where you guys should go to? The Smithsonian Nation History Museum in Washington D.C.! There's a gallery of jewels including the Hope and Tiffany diamonds. There's a precious cut ruby the size of a golf ball there too! All sorts of jewels, crystals and minerals. Unrefined platinum, gold and silver... it's amazing! (Plus free admission, too!)
 

MoochNNoodles

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
36,646
Purraise
23,468
Location
Where my cats are
I love jewelry, gemstones and even just rocks! Always have! I can watch QVC jewelry shows and just be completely entertained!
I perfer cut traditional stones, but I like others too. Saphires and diamonds are my favorite. And then there's tanzanite! I do love opals and I'm wearing an amber ring right now too. Grandma had me hooked on pearls too.
 
Top