Precious Stones and Semi-Precious Stones At Cooksongold, we pride ourselves on being one of the most comprehensive loose gemstone retailers in the UK. With an extensive range of precious and semi precious gemstones that are ideal for producing semi precious stone jewellery, whether agate, zirconium, diamonds or moissanite, at Cooksongold you. In the 'precious' stone category, it is still possible to buy nice blue sapphires from Madagascar, Africa and Sri Lanka, starting from under $200 per carat. The market for fancy colored sapphire has changed with the introduction of beryllium treatment - the prices have dropped and the colors are more dramatic.
A true stone designation is complex considering that some are said to be precious, others to be semi-precious, more are considered fine or ornamental. Differences apply. What stones are considered precious and which are those considered semi precious?
Gemstones are minerals, rocks or organic matter that have been cut, polished and then fashioned into a piece of jewelry. In the 1800s, these gemstones were divided into two categories: precious and semi precious stones considering their value differentiation at that time. Billy com reviews. Nowadays, the categorization is not always correct since the « Value » parameter is not the only criteria on which experts rely to in order to evaluate a stone. The quality, the rarity, the provenance are to be taken into consideration.
Precious stones
In regards the so-called « precious stones », only four prevail: diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. Sometimes you will can see that a pearl, an opal or a jade are listed as a precious gemstone, but more often they are considered semi-precious. Traditionally, these four precious stones have been the most expensive and sought after stones.
Semi precious stones
Every other gemstone that isn’t one of those four is considered to be semi precious. The list goes on and on, but some of the more common ones are: alexandrite, agate, amethyst, aquamarine, garnet, lapis lazuli, moonstone, opal, pearl, peridot, rose quartz, spinel, tanzanite, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.
This separation between precious and semi precious has no real scientific backing. For example, emerald is a variety of a beryl, so are aquamarines. Emerald is precious while aquamarine is semi precious. When this categorization came about, it was mainly due to the value and rarity differences between the 4 precious gemstones and the rest. Animals associated with luck. Today some semi precious gemstones can be worth much more than a precious stone. As an example, many natural pearls garner huge prices, often worth more than a low quality precious diamond, ruby, emerald or sapphire. Spinels are another example. Additionally, many semi precious stones can be more rare than some of the precious. Demantoid garnets or tsavorite garnets and many other semi precious gemstones are hard to find, harder to mine and produced in much lower qualities than the precious gemstones.
When purchasing a gemstone, we wouldn’t suggest getting too caught up on if the stone is precious versus semi precious. All gemstones are precious, in the sense that if they provide meaning and value to you in a piece of jewelry, they are special! Bare in mind that colors are subjective and a piece of jewelry is emotional.
The thought of stumbling across a valuable gemstone must have crossed through most people’s minds from time to time. The thing is, there are places that you can go to and, for a small fee, look for gemstones and even get to keep them. The United States has many such places. It’s just a case of knowing where to go and what the conditions are. Here are a few locations and tips.
Diamonds
Did you know that the United States is the only country in the world where you can dig up a diamond and get to keep it? It’s true, and it all happens down in Arkansas. Diamonds are found in extinct volcanic pipes where they were formed over billions of years in a rock called kimberlite. In the southwest of Arkansas is the Crater of Diamonds State Park (craterofdiamondsstatepark.com) where there are nearly 40 acres where you can dig for diamonds and keep what you find. In 1924 the Uncle Sam Diamond weighing more than 40 carats was found there.
Precious Gemstones
Rubies, emeralds and sapphires are the three most precious gems after diamonds, and all three can be found in North Carolina. The Emerald Hollow Mine (hiddenit.ipower.com) in Hiddenite NC is the only emerald mine open to public prospecting in the world. You can also dig for rubies and sapphires at Sheffield Mine (sheffieldmine.com) in Franklin NC. Rubies can also be found in Idaho and Wyoming. Generally speaking, wherever you can find rubies you can also find sapphires, for they are both of the same chemical constitution, the color difference coming from impurities; in the case of rubies, the red color is caused by the presence of Chromium.
Semi-precious gemstones
Precious Semi-precious Stones
Opals and turquoise can be found in Idaho, Nevada, Arizona and California, and there are two mines where you can dig in Nevada’s Virgin Valley; these are the Royal Peacock Opal Mine (royalpeacock.com) and Bonanza Opal Mines (bonanzaopals.com). Agates, Garnets and Jasper are found in Idaho, Oregon and Arizona. The Gem & Mineral Exploration Company (gemandmineral.com) in Cypress, California, organizes Garnet digs at a location in the Inyo Mountains of California. Western Maine Mineral Adventures (diggems.com) have digs for beryl, garnet, tourmaline and a number of other semi-precious stones.
Considerations
Before committing yourself to a particular mine to dig, do take the time to contact the mine. There are several reasons for this. You’ll need to know whether you have to take any equipment with you; many of the mines will loan or rent you equipment, but some insist you bring your own. If you intend to spend several days digging, you can ask about local accommodation and about other activities in the region in case of inclement weather. It is quite customary to ask whether the mine is seeded or natural. Understand that at some mines you will just be purchasing a bucket of dirt to work through in their flume.
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About the Author
Precious Stones Market Prices
Michael Mason started content writing in 2006. He has had articles published on Yachting.com, Biking.com and Skiers.com. He was educated at Bromsgrove School in England and at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, England, where he graduated as a naval officer and majored in air warfare and navigation. He is a retired naval aviator.