I've recently come into about 10,000 carats of uncut gems and I'm trying to figure out how to get the most out of them. The info I've come across so far tells me to clean and tumble them first and then inspect them for value but I'm not sure if this is the right start and even if it is how do I know which stones will be best to send to a Gem cutter so that I'm not just wasting my time. Any idea's would be appreciative.
By: friggenni
About the Author:
By: friggenni
About the Author:
Obama News
I knew this guy who traded in opals (a semi-precious stone)and sapphires, and this is what he told me:
The gem you have is valuable if it has a continuity of color and texture, and no suspended dirt-like particles inside it. It should NEVER have internal fractures (this reduces its value greatly: avoid falls that could cause this). And it should have little water content (the place it was extracted from should be relatively dry. There are methods of drying out hydrates in gems, but I don’t know about that).
The working process is done by a skilled gem cutter using a lapidary spinning wheel usually coated with silicon carbide or diamond particles.
Hope this helps.
2012 Obama
Ive been a gem cutter for nearly 35 years…Gunner is right on his points about opal, but your case is a little different with what you have…If you would like to email me at or IM me at tahoeman_69, I would be happy to discuss everything you would like to know…It is really more involved than I can describe here and I think it would help to uncomplicate the process if we talked via messenger…
Yes, clarity is important in gemstones. However, too much clarity can be a problem, because it may be an indication of a synthetic stone. A synthetic stone is made of pretty much the same materials as the gems you find in jewelry. However, they are made in a factory. They can actually be of “higher” quality than natural gem stones, however, because they are not natural, they are not considered “real”.